In vivo glenohumeral translation under anterior loading in an open-MRI set-up

The evaluation of the glenohumeral joint laxity requires the estimate of displacements of the humeral head centre (HHC) with respect to the glenoid. To the authors? knowledge, several studies have been conducted to estimate HHC translations in vivo but data under anterior loading conditions has not been collected yet. Aim of this study was to develop a non-invasive experimental methodology based on magnetic resonance (MR) imaging for the in vivo evaluation of the HHC translations due to an anteriorly directed force. Fourteen asymptomatic shoulders were acquired using a horizontal open MR scanner with the subjects in the supine position both at 15° and 90° of arm abduction with and without an anterior force of 20 N applied at the HHC level. When no load was applied, from 15° to 90° of arm abduction, the HHC moved, anteriorly (1.5±1.3 mm) and superiorly (1.8±1.3 mm) while smaller displacements were observed medio-laterally (0.4±0.7 mm). Under the application of the anterior force the 3D displacement of the HHC with respect to the glenoid was 1.6±1.2 mm and 1.3 ±0.7 mm, respectively at 15° and 90° of arm abduction. The level of precision associated to the GHJ translation was less than 0.33 mm along all directions i.e. one order of magnitude smaller than the relevant translations. In conclusion, the MRI-based methodology allowed for the analysis of HHC displacements under conditions of anterior loads within an acceptable level of reliability.     

Anopheles species composition explains differences in Plasmodium transmission in La Guajira,northern Colombia

Malaria in La Guajira, the most northern state of Colombia, shows two different epidemiological patterns. Malaria is endemic in the municipality of Dibulla whereas in Riohacha it is characterised by sporadic outbreaks. This study aimed to establish whether differences in transmission patterns could be attributed to different vector species. The most abundant adult female species were Anopheles aquasalis, exclusive to Riohacha, and Anopheles darlingi, restricted to Dibulla. Anopheles mosquitoes were identified using morphology and the molecular markers internal transcribed spacer 2 and cytochrome c oxidase I. All specimens (n = 1,393) were tested by ELISA to determine natural infection rates with Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax. An. darlingi was positive for P. vivax 210, with an infection rate of 0.355% and an entomological inoculation rate of 15.87 infective bites/person/year. Anopheles albimanus larvae were the most common species in Riohacha, found in temporary swamps; in contrast, in Dibulla An. darlingi were detected mainly in permanent streams. Distinctive species composition and larval habitats in each municipality may explain the differences in Plasmodium transmission and suggest different local strategies should be used for vector control.     

Effects of Egg and Circulating Testosterone on Ring‐Necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) Male Traits and Combat Outcome

Studies of avian species have shown that maternal effects mediated by the transfer of egg hormones can profoundly affect offspring phenotype and fitness. We previously demonstrated that the injection of a physiological amount of testosterone (T) in the eggs of ring‐necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) disrupted the covariation among male morphological traits at sexual maturity and positively affected male mating success. Here, we investigate whether egg T exposure affected adult male circulating T levels at the onset of the breeding season (reflecting gonadal maturation), and the relationship between circulating T and male traits. Egg T exposure did not affect pre‐mating plasma T. T levels were not associated with the expression of secondary sexual and non‐sexual traits or socio‐sexual behaviour (social rank, overall fighting ability and mating success). However, wattle brightness decreased with increasing circulating T in males hatched from T‐eggs (T‐males) but not among control males. In dyadic encounters during the peak mating period, control males with higher pre‐mating T levels had higher chances of being dominant over other control males. However, higher pre‐mating T levels did not predict success in male‐male competition in encounters involving T‐males. We suggest that the long‐term effects of egg T on male phenotype do not originate from differential gonadal maturation according to egg T treatment. Rather, prenatal androgens may have priming effects on functioning of target tissues, translating into differential phenotypic effects according to androgen exposure during embryonic development.     

Wood density proxies of adaptive traits linked with resistance to drought in Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco)

Key message

Proxies of adaptive traits for resistance to drought were discovered among original annual ring density variables in Douglas fir.

Abstract

A comparison of dead and surviving Douglas fir trees following the 2003 drought was made to define proxies of adaptive traits for resistance to drought. Increment cores were sampled from trees from three French regions: Centre, Midi-Pyrénées and Burgundy. Original tree-ring variables were calculated, based on a sliding density criterion dividing the microdensity profile into high- and low-density segments. Tree rings were analysed at each site in a number of consecutive annual rings before the 2003 drought event. Comparison between pairs of surviving and dead trees and between pairs of randomly selected trees (whether dead or alive) supports the evidence of systematic dissimilarities between surviving and dead trees in a number of original density variables. Correlation analysis between original and conventional ring density variables indicates a weak association. We found that the surviving trees were denser than the dead trees in all three sites, but that the denser part of the ring varied from region to region. We identified several original density variables intended to be used as proxies of adaptive traits in future studies of genetic determinism of Douglas fir resistance to drought.     

Characterization of articular chondrocytes isolated from 211 osteoarthritic patients

We analyzed specific features of chondrocytes as cellular yield, cell doubling rates and the dependence between these parameters and patient-related data in a set of 211 osteoarthritic (OA) patients undergoing total joint replacement. For each patient the data available were joint type, age and gender. Knee samples chosen randomly among all biopsies were graded according to ICRS score. Patients’ age ranged between 30 and 90 years with a mean age of 66 ± 9.7 years. Patients were divided into age classes and statistically significant differences in proliferation rate at passage 1 were found between chondrocytes derived from young and old donors, with the last ones characterized by a lower proliferation rate. A similar trend was observed for proliferation rate at passage 2. For all the samples, cellular yields ranged between 0.1 and 5.5 million cells/g of tissue. No significant correlation was observed between the level of cartilage degeneration (ICRS score) and cellular yield and proliferation rates. However, in samples with a high degree of cartilage degeneration (ICRS score 4) the cellular yield was lower compared to the other three groups (ICRS scores 1–3). In this study we performed a systematic characterization of basic parameters of chondrocytes originating from a wide group of OA patients. Considering the use of autologous chondrocytes in chondral treatments, the characterization of cell basic features may represent an important step to determine the quality of the cell source which is a major determinant in the outcome of cell-based therapies.     

Tracking macroalgae introductions in North Atlantic oceanic islands

The Azores archipelago was selected as a case study since there are few studies on macroalgae introduction in oceanic islands. While at a global scale, around 3 % of macroalgae are considered non-indigenous; in the remote oceanic islands of the Azores, over 6 % of the marine algal flora is non-indigenous. The taxa distribution pattern of non-indigenous species in the Azores is significantly different from the distribution pattern in the globe. The most representative group was Rhodophyta species, being 84 % of the total non-indigenous macroalgae, mainly introduced via maritime traffic. This study highlights the vulnerability of remote islands to the introduction of macroalgae and the need to develop further studies on other archipelagos to understand whether the observed vulnerability is generally characteristic of oceanic islands. The development of local monitoring and mitigation programs and the necessity of regulatory and preventive measures for the maritime traffic vector are strongly suggested.     

Impact of warming on phyto‐bacterioplankton coupling and bacterial community composition in experimental mesocosms

Global warming is assumed to alter the trophic interactions and carbon flow patterns of aquatic food webs. The impact of temperature on phyto‐bacterioplankton coupling and bacterial community composition (BCC) was the focus of the present study, in which an indoor mesocosm experiment with natural plankton communities from the western Baltic Sea was conducted. A 6°C increase in water temperature resulted, as predicted, in tighter coupling between the diatom‐dominated phytoplankton and heterotrophic bacteria, accompanied by a strong increase in carbon flow into bacterioplankton during the phytoplankton bloom phase. Suppressed bacterial development at cold in situ temperatures probably reflected lowered bacterial production and grazing by protists, as the latter were less affected by low temperatures. BCC was strongly influenced by the phytoplankton bloom stage and to a lesser extent by temperature. Under both temperature regimes, Gammaproteobacteria clearly dominated during the phytoplankton peak, with Glaciecola sp. as the single most abundant taxon. However, warming induced the appearance of additional bacterial taxa belonging to Betaproteobacteria and Bacteroidetes. Our results show that warming during an early phytoplankton bloom causes a shift towards a more heterotrophic system, with the appearance of new bacterial taxa suggesting a potential for utilization of a broader substrate spectrum.     

Male-specific phosphorylated SR proteins in adult flies of the Mediterranean Fruitfly <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ceratitis capitata</Emphasis>

Alternative splicing is a widely used mechanism of gene regulation in sex determination pathways of Insects. In species from orders as distant as Diptera, Hymenoptera and Coleoptera, female differentiation relies on the activities of conserved splicing regulators, TRA and TRA-2, promoting female-specific expression of the global effector doublesex (dsx). Less understood is to what extent post-translational modifications of splicing regulators plays a role in this pathway. In Drosophila melanogaster phosphorylation of TRA, TRA-2 and the general RBP1 factor by the LAMMER kinase doa (darkener of apricot) is required for proper female sex determination. To explore whether this is a general feature of the pathway we examined sex-specific differences in phosphorylation levels of SR splicing factors in the dipteran species D. melanogaster, Ceratitis capitata (Medfly) and Musca domestica (Housefly). We found a distinct and reproducible pattern of male-specific phosphorylation on protein extracts enriched for SR proteins in C. capitata suggesting that differential phosphorylation may also contribute to the regulation of sex-specific splicing in the Medfly.