Mosquito population structure,pathogen surveillance and insecticide resistance monitoring in urban regions of Crete,Greece

BackgroundIn Greece vector borne diseases (VBD) and foremost West Nile virus (WNV) pose an important threat to public health and the tourist industry, the primary sector of contribution to the national economy. The island of Crete, is one of Greece’s major tourist destinations receiving annually over 5 million tourists making regional VBD control both a public health and economic priority.MethodologyUnder the auspices of the Region of Crete, a systematic integrative surveillance network targeting mosquitoes and associated pathogens was established in Crete for the years 2018–2020. Using conventional and molecular diagnostic tools we investigated the mosquito species composition and population dynamics, pathogen infection occurrences in vector populations and in sentinel chickens, and the insecticide resistance status of the major vector species.Principal findingsImportant disease vectors were recorded across the island including Culex pipiens, Aedes albopictus, and Anopheles superpictus. Over 75% of the sampled specimens were collected in the western prefectures potentially attributed to the local precipitation patterns, with Cx. pipiens being the most dominant species. Although no pathogens (flaviviruses) were detected in the analysed mosquito specimens, chicken blood serum analyses recorded a 1.7% WNV antibody detection rate in the 2018 samples. Notably detection of the first WNV positive chicken preceded human WNV occurrence in the same region by approximately two weeks. The chitin synthase mutation I1043F (associated with high diflubenzuron resistance) was recorded at an 8% allelic frequency in Lasithi prefecture Cx. pipiens mosquitoes (sampled in 2020) for the first time in Greece. Markedly, Cx. pipiens populations in all four prefectures were found harboring the kdr mutations L1014F/C/S (associated with pyrethroid resistance) at a close to fixation rate, with mutation L1014C being the most commonly found allele (≥74% representation). Voltage gated sodium channel analyses in Ae. albopictus revealed the presence of the kdr mutations F1534C and I1532T (associated with putative mild pyrethroid resistance phenotypes) yet absence of V1016G. Allele F1534C was recorded in all prefectures (at an allelic frequency range of 25–46.6%) while I1532T was detected in populations from Chania, Rethymnon and Heraklion (at frequencies below 7.1%). Finally, no kdr mutations were detected in the Anopheles specimens included in the analyses.Conclusions/SignificanceThe findings of our study are of major concern for VBD control in Crete, highlighting (i) the necessity for establishing seasonal integrated entomological/pathogen surveillance programs, supporting the design of targeted vector control responses and; ii) the need for establishing appropriate insecticide resistance management programs ensuring the efficacy and sustainable use of DFB and pyrethroid based products in vector control.     

Evidence that putrescine modulates the higher plant photosynthetic proton circuit

The light reactions of photosynthesis store energy in the form of an electrochemical gradient of protons, or proton motive force (pmf), comprised of electrical (Δψ) and osmotic (ΔpH) components. Both components can drive the synthesis of ATP at the chloroplast ATP synthase, but the ΔpH component also plays a key role in regulating photosynthesis, down-regulating the efficiency of light capture by photosynthetic antennae via the q(E) mechanism, and governing electron transfer at the cytochrome b(6)f complex. Differential partitioning of pmf into ΔpH and Δψ has been observed under environmental stresses and proposed as a mechanism for fine-tuning photosynthetic regulation, but the mechanism of this tuning is unknown. We show here that putrescine can alter the partitioning of pmf both in vivo (in Arabidopsis mutant lines and in Nicotiana wild type) and in vitro, suggesting that the endogenous titer of weak bases such as putrescine represents an unrecognized mechanism for regulating photosynthetic responses to the environment.     

Solar radiation and functional traits explain the decline of forest primary productivity along a tropical elevation gradient

One of the major challenges in ecology is to understand how ecosystems respond to changes in environmental conditions, and how taxonomic and functional diversity mediate these changes. In this study, we use a trait‐spectra and individual‐based model, to analyse variation in forest primary productivity along a 3.3 km elevation gradient in the Amazon‐Andes. The model accurately predicted the magnitude and trends in forest productivity with elevation, with solar radiation and plant functional traits (leaf dry mass per area, leaf nitrogen and phosphorus concentration, and wood density) collectively accounting for productivity variation. Remarkably, explicit representation of temperature variation with elevation was not required to achieve accurate predictions of forest productivity, as trait variation driven by species turnover appears to capture the effect of temperature. Our semi‐mechanistic model suggests that spatial variation in traits can potentially be used to estimate spatial variation in productivity at the landscape scale.     

A nanohybrid membrane with lipid bilayer-like properties utilized as a conductimetric saccharin sensor

Since their introduction, artificial lipid bilayer membranes were used in a wide array of applications, such as sensors, biocompatible materials and study-models of the cell's outer boundary. Here, we present a nanohybrid membrane using an inorganic host and amphiphilic organic molecules with lipid bilayer-like properties. The stability of the presented mimetic membrane is significantly improved when compared to existing methods. The nanohybrid membrane exhibited two thermotropic phases corresponding to the L(alpha) and L(beta) phases that lipid bilayer membranes are known to adopt. Integration of cholesterol molecules into the nanohybrid membrane lead to the same qualitative effects as in lipid bilayers, including expansion of the bilayer spacing and decrease of the L(alpha) to L(beta) transition enthalpy. To further illustrate the similarities of the synthesized membrane with a lipid bilayer, the ability of the nanohybrid membrane to function as saccharin conductimetric sensor was evaluated. The lower limit of detection of the sensor was 6 microM and the linear range of response was from 20 to 400 microM.     

Recovery of antioxidant phenolics from white vinification solid by-products employing water/ethanol mixtures

Solid wastes from white vinification, including grape peels, seeds and stems, were used as raw material for the recovery of antioxidant polyphenols. Extractions were performed using non-toxic media composed of water/ethanol mixtures and hydrochloric, acetic or tartaric acid. Recovery efficiency was assessed by monitoring the antioxidant potency of extracts and several indices related to their polyphenolic composition, including total polyphenol, total flavonoid, total flavanol and condensed tannin (proanthocyanidin) content. Among the by-products tested, seeds were shown to contain exceptional amounts of total polyphenols (13.76 g per 100g dry weight), followed by stems (7.47 g per 100g dry weight) and peels (0.97 g per 100g dry weight). Extracts with the highest antioxidant activity from all by-products were obtained with 57% ethanol. Acidification of this medium with 0.1% HCl improved polyphenol recovery and antiradical activity for stem extracts, but it was unfavourable for seed extraction.     

Morphologic and morphometrical study of the muscle spindle in muscular dystrophy

OBJECTIVE: To determine the morphologic and the morphometrical features of spindles in biopsies of patients with different types of muscular dystrophy and investigate the possible involvement of the spindle in the pathologic process of these diseases. STUDY DESIGN: The following variables were studied in biopsy specimens from 10 patients with Duchenne or Becker dystrophy, 9 with limb-girdle dystrophy, 3 with congenital dystrophy and 3 with facioscapulohumeral dystrophy: diameter and area of spindle; thickness of the capsule; number, diameter and area of intrafusal fibers; and number and area of nuclei. RESULTS: The statistical evaluation of the data showed significant differences regarding the thickness of the capsule, which was greater in patients than in controls, while the diameter and the area of the fibers were all smaller in patients than in controls. The area of nuclei of fibers was increased; this was a common feature for all types of muscular dystrophy. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that the spindle possibly participates in the pathologic process of different types of muscular dystrophies.     

Well-defined homopolypeptides, copolypeptides, and hybrids of poly(l-proline)

l-Proline is the only, out of 20 essential, amino acid that contains a cyclized substituted α-amino group (is formally an imino acid), which restricts its conformational shape. The synthesis of well-defined homo- and copolymers of l-proline has been plagued either by the low purity of the monomer or the inability of most initiating species to polymerize the corresponding N-carboxy anhydride (NCA) because they require a hydrogen on the 3-N position of the five-member ring of the NCA, which is missing. Herein, highly pure l-proline NCA was synthesized by using the Boc-protected, rather than the free amino acid. The protection of the amine group as well as the efficient purification method utilized resulted in the synthesis of highly pure l-proline NCA. The high purity of the monomer and the use of an amino initiator, which does not require the presence of the 3-N hydrogen, led for the first time to well-defined poly(l-proline) (PLP) homopolymers, poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(l-proline), and poly(l-proline)-b-poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(l-proline) hybrids, along with poly(γ-benzyl-l-glutamate)-b-poly(l-proline) and poly(Boc-l-lysine)-b-poly(l-proline) copolypeptides. The combined characterization (NMR, FTIR, and MS) that results for the l-proline NCA revealed its high purity. In addition, all synthesized polymers exhibit high molecular and compositional homogeneity.     

Application and assessment of the Environmental Vulnerability Index in Greece

The Environmental Vulnerability Index (EVI) was developed by the Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission as a global composite index that quantifies the vulnerability of an area's environment. Greece has been selected as reference area due to its current physical and anthropogenic conditions that may lead to environmental instabilities in the natural, social, and economic infrastructure environment. Hence, in the present approach, using data on Greece, an effort to define the range of information that the EVI may provide for the pertinent country is presented and a discussion on whether the index may be further developed is conveyed. Advantages as well as shortcomings of the Index are also delineated.     

Neurotrophin-3 and FLT3 tyrosine kinase receptor in perinatal life

Our aim is to determine--in 30 healthy full-term infants and their mothers--circulating levels of neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) (important for antenatal and postnatal brain development and implicated in the immune response) and FLT3 tyrosine kinase receptor (FLT3) (controlling hematopoiesis and found in the nervous tissue), in the fetal and neonatal life. NT-3 levels, in contrast to FLT3 ones, increased significantly on the fourth postnatal day in relation to the low levels found in the mother, fetus, and day 1 neonate (P = .03, respectively). Maternal and umbilical NT3 levels positively correlated with respective FLT3 levels (P = .003 and P = .03). Circulating NT-3 levels increased in early neonatal life, possibly due to exposure to various stimuli soon after birth. FLT3 levels do not seem to behave accordingly, although these two substances probably synergize.