Non-resident definitive host presence is sufficient to sustain avian schistosome populations

To control swimmer’s itch in northern Michigan inland lakes, USA, one species of bird, the common merganser (Mergus merganser), has been relocated from several lakes since 2015. Relocation efforts are driven by a desire to reduce the prevalence of the swimmer’s itch-causing parasite Trichobilharzia stagnicolae. The intention of this state-sponsored control effort was to interrupt the life cycle of T. stagnicolae and reduce parasite egg contribution into the environment from summer resident mergansers such that infections of the intermediate snail host Stagnicola emarginata declined. Reduced snail infection prevalence was expected to substantially reduce the abundance of the swimmer’s itch-causing cercarial stage of the parasite in water. With no official programme in place to assess the success of this relocation effort, we sought to study the effectiveness and impact of the removal of a single definitive host from a location with high definitive host and parasite diversity. This was assessed through a comprehensive, lake-wide monitoring study measuring longitudinal changes in the abundance of three species of avian schistosome cercariae in four inland Michigan lakes. Environmental measurements were also taken at these lakes to understand how they can affect swimmer’s itch incidence. This study demonstrates that the diversity of avian schistosomes at the study lakes would likely make targeting a single species of swimmer’s itch-causing parasite meaningless from a swimmer’s itch control perspective. Our data also suggest that removing the common merganser is not an effective control strategy for the T. stagnicolae parasite, likely due to contributions of the parasite made by non-resident birds, possibly migrants, in the autumn and spring. It appears likely that only minimal contact time between the definitive host and the lake ecosystem is required to contribute sufficient parasite numbers to maintain a thriving population of parasite species with high host specificity.     

Genetic divergence analysis of the Common Barn Owl Tyto alba (Scopoli, 1769) and the Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus (Pontoppidan, 1763) from southern Chile using COI sequence

In this paper new mitochondrial COI sequences of Common Barn Owl Tyto alba (Scopoli, 1769) and Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus (Pontoppidan, 1763) from southern Chile are reported and compared with sequences from other parts of the World. The intraspecific genetic divergence (mean p-distance) was 4.6 to 5.5% for the Common Barn Owl in comparison with specimens from northern Europe and Australasia and 3.1% for the Short-eared Owl with respect to samples from north America, northern Europe and northern Asia. Phylogenetic analyses revealed three distinctive groups for the Common Barn Owl: (i) South America (Chile and Argentina) plus Central and North America, (ii) northern Europe and (iii) Australasia, and two distinctive groups for the Short-eared Owl: (i) South America (Chile and Argentina) and (ii) north America plus northern Europe and northern Asia. The level of genetic divergence observed in both species exceeds the upper limit of intraspecific comparisons reported previously for Strigiformes. Therefore, this suggests that further research is needed to assess the taxonomic status, particularly for the Chilean populations that, to date, have been identified as belonging to these species through traditional taxonomy.     

Road impacts a tipping point for wildlife populations in threatened landscapes

The conservation of wildlife populations living adjacent to roads is gaining international recognition as a worldwide concern. Populations living in road-impacted environments are influenced by spatial parameters including the amount and arrangement of suitable habitat. Similarly, heterogeneity in threatening processes can act at a variety of spatial scales and be crucial in affecting population persistence. Common wombats (Vombatus ursinus) are considered both widespread and abundant throughout their eastern Australian continental distribution. They nevertheless face many threats, primarily human induced. As well as impacts from disease and predation by introduced species, high roadside fatality rates on many rural roads are frequently reported. We parameterized a model for common wombat population viability analysis within a 750-km² area of the northwestern corner of Kosciuszko National Park in New South Wales, Australia, and tested its sensitivity to changes in the values of basic parameters. We then assessed the relative efficiency of various mitigation measures by examining the combined impact from roads, disease and predation on wombat subpopulation persistence in the area. We constructed a stage-structured and spatially explicit model incorporating estimates of survival and fecundity parameters for each of the identified subpopulations using RAMAS GIS. Estimates of current threatening processes suggest mitigating road-kill is the most effective management solution. Results highlight the importance of recognizing the interplay between various threats and how their combination has the capacity to drive local depletion events.     

超声检查颈动脉粥样硬化情况和肱动脉FMD对稳定性心绞痛的价值

目的：探讨无创超声检查颈动脉粥样硬化情况和肱动脉FMD对SAP的价值。方法：将选取的65例SAP患者分为轻度狭窄组、中度狭窄组和重度狭窄组,超声检测所有病例的肱动脉FMD和颈总动脉IMT,并作Califf危险评分和As积分,分析观察指标间的关系。结果：cati行危险评分和As积分都随着冠脉狭窄程度的加深而增大,且二者呈正相关（P〈0．05）;颈总动脉IMT随着狭窄程度的加深而增大,肱动脉FMD则随着狭窄程度的加深而降低,二者呈负相关（P〈0．05）。结论：无创监测颈总动脉IMT和肱动脉FMD,可指导SAP临床风险的控制。     

山东优异小麦品种（系）的成熟胚培养能力研究

本研究选择CIM、W4、SD2和MSD2四种脱分化培养基,与MRM和1/2MS+5mg/L玉米素两种再生培养基形成8种培养基组合,利用模式品种扬麦158和Bobwhite对上述培养基的愈伤诱导和再生效率进行评价,筛选出最佳培养基组合为诱导培养基CIM与再生培养基1/2MS+5mg/L玉米素。利用这一培养基组合对包括对照品种Bobwhite在内的40个山东优异冬小麦品种（系）的成熟胚培养能力进行了研究。结果显示：不同品种的成熟胚脱分化形成愈伤组织的能力差异不显著,最高诱导率100%,最低诱导率也超过了94%,但这些愈伤组织在发育过程中形成的愈伤状态差别很大,转移到再分化培养基上后,8个品系的再生率超过10%,分别是08H02、08H05、08B08、泰麦20-2、泰山5024、聊9514、菏麦9803、Bobwhite,占参试品种的20%,其中08H05的再生率（23.0%）超过了对照品种Bobwhite（21.3%）。有7个品种没有获得再生苗,占17.5%;再生率在1%到10%之间的品种25个,占62.5%。     

Thermostability of ancestral mutants of Caldococcus noboribetus isocitrate dehydrogenase

We constructed mutant genes of Caldococcus noboribetus isocitrate dehydrogenase containing ancestral amino acid residues that were inferred using the maximal likelihood method and a composite phylogenetic tree of isocitrate dehydrogenase and 3-isopropylmalate dehydrogenase. The mutant genes were expressed in Escherichia coli and the protein products purified. Thermostabilities, reported as the half-inactivation temperatures, for the purified enzymes were determined and compared with that of the wild-type enzyme. Four of the five mutant enzymes have greater thermal stabilities than wild-type isocitrate dehydrogenase. The results are compatible with the hyperthermophilic universal ancestor (commonote) hypothesis. Incorporation of ancestral residues into a modern-day protein sequence can be used to improve protein thermostability.     

The "promiscuous drug concept" with applications to Alzheimer's disease

Arguably, Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a multifactorial syndrome, rather than single disease, arising from a complex array of neurochemical factors. Numerous studies on the molecular pathogenesis of AD implicate a diversity of factors ranging from neurotoxic peptides (beta-amyloid) to inflammatory processes (interleukins), but all culminating in a common neuropathology. This diversity of molecular causation is an impediment to the design of effective therapies for AD. To address this design problem, we sought to identify a single, common motif (a "common receptor") shared by multiple structurally and functionally diverse proteins implicated in AD. This search revealed the presence of a common BBXB peptide motif and upon refinement, an AXBBXB motif; these regions can be exploited for the design of a "promiscuous drug" that exploits a "one-drug-multiple-receptors" therapeutic strategy for AD.     

普通菜豆抗炭疽病基因鉴定与分子标记

菜豆炭疽病是世界菜豆生产中的主要病害之一,使幕豆产量和品质受到严重影响,对抗炭疽病基因的研究可以为培育抗炭疽病品种奠定基础。幕豆炭疽病病菌生理分化比较复杂,由于菜豆品种的抗病性和地域不同,菜豆炭疽菌的致病性分化不同。10个已知抗炭疽病基因中,9个基因（Co-1、Co-2、Co-3／Co-9、Co-4^2、Co-5、Co-6、Co-7、Co-10）已被确认为独立显性基因,其中Co-3／Co-9是等位基因;Co-1、Co-4和Co-9存在等位基因,co-8为隐性基因。除Co-5、Co-7和co-8三个基因还没有被定位外,其他基因被定位在不同的连锁群上。