Rabies in vaccinated raccoons from Ontario, Canada

From 1999 to 2006, 132 cases of raccoon rabies, caused by the raccoon variant of rabies virus, were confirmed in eastern Ontario, Canada. Trap-vaccinate-release (TVR) and point infection control (PIC) programs were implemented to control the disease; 43,014 raccoons (Procyon lotor) were vaccinated against rabies by injection (Imrab3) during that period. Two vaccinated raccoons were diagnosed with rabies at 6 mo and at 2 wk postvaccination. One may have been due to a vaccination failure. The other was likely due to the animal being in the late stages of incubation for rabies at the time of vaccination. This information will be useful to wildlife rehabilitators and agencies that hold raccoons in captivity in that a vaccinated raccoon is not necessarily immune to rabies.     

Alignment-independent comparisons of human gastrointestinal tract microbial communities in a multidimensional 16S rRNA gene evolutionary space

We present a novel approach for comparing 16S rRNA gene clone libraries that is independent of both DNA sequence alignment and definition of bacterial phylogroups. These steps are the major bottlenecks in current microbial comparative analyses. We used direct comparisons of taxon density distributions in an absolute evolutionary coordinate space. The coordinate space was generated by using alignment-independent bilinear multivariate modeling. Statistical analyses for clone library comparisons were based on multivariate analysis of variance, partial least-squares regression, and permutations. Clone libraries from both adult and infant gastrointestinal tract microbial communities were used as biological models. We reanalyzed a library consisting of 11,831 clones covering complete colons from three healthy adults in addition to a smaller 390-clone library from infant feces. We show that it is possible to extract detailed information about microbial community structures using our alignment-independent method. Our density distribution analysis is also very efficient with respect to computer operation time, meeting the future requirements of large-scale screenings to understand the diversity and dynamics of microbial communities.     

Effects of interferon gamma on native human acute myelogenous leukaemia cells

T cell targeting immunotherapy is now considered a possible strategy in acute myelogenous leukaemia (AML), and IFNγ release may then contribute to the antileukaemic effects. We investigated the effects of IFNγ on native human AML cells. Normal T cells could be activated to release IFNγ in the presence of AML cells. Furthermore, high levels of CD119 (IFNγ receptor α chain) expression were observed for all 39 patients examined. Receptor expression was decreased after exposure to exogenous IFNγ, and receptor ligation caused Stat1 phosphorylation but no phosphorylation of the alternative messengers Erk1/2. The effect of exogenous IFNγ on AML blast proliferation was dependent on the local cytokine network and IFNγ (1) inhibited proliferation in the presence of exogenous IL1β, GM-CSF, G-CSF and SCF; (2) had divergent effects in the presence of IL3 and Flt3 (65 patients examined); (3) inhibited proliferation in the presence of endothelial cells but had divergent effects in the presence of fibroblasts, osteoblasts and normal stromal cells (65 patients examined). IFNγ increased stress-induced (spontaneous) in vitro apoptosis as well as cytarabine-induced apoptosis only for a subset of patients. Furthermore, IFNγ decreased the release of proangiogenic CXCL8 and increased the release of antiangiogenic CXCL9–11. We conclude that IFNγ can be released in the presence of native human AML cells and affect AML cell proliferation, regulation of apoptosis and the balance between pro- and antiangiogenic chemokine release.     

Learning the ecological niche

A cornerstone of ecological theory is the ecological niche. Yet little is known about how individuals come to adopt it: whether it is innate or learned. Here, we report a cross-fostering experiment in the wild where we transferred eggs of blue tits, Cyanistes caeruleus, to nests of great tits, Parus major, and vice versa, to quantify the consequences of being reared in a different social context, but in an environment otherwise natural to the birds. We show that early learning causes a shift in the feeding niche in the direction of the foster species and that this shift lasts for life (foraging conservatism). Both species changed their feeding niches, but the change was greater in the great tit with its less specialized feeding behaviour. The study shows that cultural transmission through early learning is fundamental to the realization of ecological niches, and suggests a mechanism to explain learned habitat preference and sympatric speciation in animals.     

Synthesis of enantiomerically pure milnacipran analogs and inhibition of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine transporters

A series of Milnacipran analogs with variation in the aromatic moiety were prepared in high enantiomeric excess. Structure-activity relationships for two parallel enantiomeric series are described. The (-)-(1R,2S)-naphthyl analog (8h) showed the highest potency in the two series and is a triple reuptake inhibitor of the SERT, NET, and DAT.     

Hand bone loss as an outcome measure in established rheumatoid arthritis: 2-year observational study comparing cortical and total bone loss

The aim of this 2-year longitudinal observational study was to explore hand bone loss as a disease outcome measure in established rheumatoid arthritis (RA).     

Early changes in bone mineral density measured by digital X-ray radiogrammetry predict up to 20 years radiological outcome in rheumatoid arthritis

Introduction  

Changes in bone mineral density (BMD) in the hand as evaluated by digital X-ray radiogrammetry (DXR) of the second to fourth metacarpal bones has been suggested to predict future joint damage in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study's objective was to investigate whether DXR-BMD loss early in the course of the disease predicts the development of joint damage in RA patients followed for up to 20 years.     

Patterns of genetic parameters for height in field genetic tests of Picea abies and Pinus sylvestris in Sweden

We reviewed the genetic parameter estimates carried out from 1992 to 2006 for height increment in genetic tests of Norway spruce and Scots pine, to describe patterns of genetic variation, heritability, and genetic correlations. The material included seedling and clonal tests in Sweden, aged between 5 and 20 years. Multiple regression was used to explore relationships between parameter values and test environments. Results showed moderate narrow-sense heritabilities ([^(h)]² {\hat{h}^2} : mean =0.29 in Norway spruce; mean =0.23 in Scots pine) that decreased with test site latitude for both species. In Norway spruce, [^(h)]² {\hat{h}^2} increased with better growth and decreased with tree age, while for Scots pine, [^(h)]² {\hat{h}^2} increased with tree age and southward transfer. The additive genetic coefficient of variation (; mean 15%), in Norway spruce, decreased with growth as well as site latitude. in Scots pine (mean =8.5%) increased with southward transfer and more southerly test latitude. Additive and genotypic within-site genetic age-age correlations in Norway spruce were high, with mean r _A and r _G of 0.92 and 0.85, respectively. Corresponding across-sites estimates were on average lower. Genetic parameters were better expressed on favorable sites, at younger ages in Norway spruce and at older ages in Scots pine. The results imply that gain calculations should be based on different parameters in the two species. For maximizing genetic gain in the Swedish breeding program, testing times could be shorter for Norway spruce than for Scots pine. The investigation showed a large variation in parameter estimates from different field experiments, highlighting the importance of testing over multiple sites.