Diving behaviour, dive cycles and aerobic dive limit in the platypus Ornithorhynchus anatinus

We investigated the diving behaviour, the time allocation of the dive cycle and the behavioural aerobic dive limit (ADL) of platypuses (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) living at a sub-alpine Tasmanian lake. Individual platypuses were equipped with combined data logger-transmitter packages measuring dive depth. Mean dive duration was 31.3 s with 72% of all dives lasting between 18 and 40 s. Mean surface duration was 10.1 s. Mean dive depth was 1.28 m with a maximum of 8.77 m. Platypuses performed up to 1600 dives per foraging trip with a mean of 75 dives per hour. ADL was estimated by consideration of post-dive surface intervals vs. dive durations. Only 15% of all dives were found to exceed the estimated ADL of 40 s, indicating mainly aerobic diving in the species. Foraging platypuses followed a model of optimised recovery time, the optimal breathing theory. Total bottom duration or total foraging duration per day is proposed as a useful indicator of foraging efficiency and hence habitat quality in the species.     

Potassium ion channels and human disease: phenotypes to drug targets?

A significant difficulty faced by the pharmaceutical industry is the initial identification and selection of macromolecular targets upon which de novo drug discovery programs can be initiated. A drug target should have several characteristics: known biological function; robust assay systems for in vitro characterization and high-throughput screening; and be specifically modified by and accessible to small molecular weight compounds in vivo. Ion channels have many of these attributes and can be viewed as suitable targets for small molecule drugs. Potassium (K⁺) ion channels form a large and diverse gene family responsible for critical functions in numerous cell types, tissues and organs. Recent discoveries, facilitated by genomics technologies combined with advanced biophysical characterization methods, have identified novel K⁺ channels that are involved in important physiologic processes, or mutated in human inherited disease. These findings, coupled with a rapidly growing body of information regarding modulatory channel subunits and high resolution channel structures, are providing the critical information necessary for validation of K⁺ channels as drug targets.     

苦参碱对哇巴因诱导钠电流改变的调节作用

目的:探讨苦参碱拮抗哇巴因诱导的心律失常的作用机制。方法:应用全细胞膜片钳技术记录哇巴因对单个豚鼠心室肌细胞的Na+电流和动作电位时程作用后,观察苦参碱对哇巴因诱导Na+电流和动作电位时程改变的恢复作用。结果:1 5μmol·L-1哇巴因延长APD50从给药前476±40.7 ms增加到744±62.9 ms(n=6,P0.05),APD90从给药前499±84.9 ms增加到775±87.7 ms(n=6,P0.01),100μmol·L-1苦参碱恢复APD50至603±79.0 ms(n=6,P0.05),APD90至630±81.6 ms(n=6,P0.05);2 5μmol·L-1哇巴因可增加钠电流的峰值,在-20 m V电压条件下,5μmol·L-1哇巴因增加INa,由正常-40.9±2.32 p A/p F增加到-55.2±2.26 p A/p F(n=8,P0.05),100μmol·L-1苦参碱减少INa至-34.6±2.14 p A/p F(n=8,P0.05);5μmol·L-1哇巴因右移钠通道的激活曲线,并左移钠通道的失活曲线从而改变通道动力学特性;100μmol·L-1苦参碱可抑制哇巴因诱导的INa的增加,并恢复Na+通道动力学特性接近正常。结论:苦参碱拮抗哇巴因诱导的心律失常机制与其抑制哇巴因诱发细胞水平Na+电流的增加,缩短哇巴因诱发APD的延长有关。     

不同类型心力衰竭患者心电图QRS波时限与血浆NT-proBNP水平的关系及其临床意义

目的：探讨不同类型心力衰竭患者心电图QRS 波时限与血浆N末端B型利钠肽原（NT-proBNP）水平之间的关系及其临床 意义。方法：选择我院2012 年7 月至2014 年6 月接收的慢性心力衰竭患者300 例,作为研究组,将患者分为收缩性心力衰竭组 （S组）和舒张性心力衰竭组（D组）;另外,选取我院非CHF 患者132 例,作为对照组。测定所有受试者的心电图QRS 波时限,及 血浆中NT-proBNP 水平,分析血浆NT-proBNP 水平与QRS 波时限及NYHA心功能分级关系。结果：与对照组相比,研究组QRS 波时限均延长,血浆NT-proBNP水平显著升高（P<0.05）,其中S 组比D 组明显延长,且S 组血浆NT-proBNP水平高于D 组 （P<0.05）。三组NYHA 分级对比发现,差异均具有统计学意义（P<0.05）;S 组患者血浆NT-proBNP水平与QRS 波时限及NYHA 心功能分级之间呈正相关;D 组患者血浆NT-proBNP水平与QRS 波时限及NYHA心功能分级之间无明显的相关性。结论：临床 上可以将NT-proBNP水平和QRS 波时限结合起来诊断慢性心力衰竭患者的类型,以便于之后的治疗。     

川金丝猴粪样内3种类固醇激素保存时效分析

川金丝猴(Rhinopithecus roxellanae)是中国特有的灵长类物种,生存于海拔1 400～3 300 m的山地森林地带。采用拾取新鲜粪便的非损伤性途径研究该物种野生种群生理状态,必须首先确定其新鲜粪便在特定保存方法下的保存时效。本项研究探讨在川金丝猴自然分布区夏季可获得的低温(4±1)℃、在95%乙醇中保存条件下,该物种新鲜粪便内3种类固醇激素(睾酮、雌二醇、孕酮)在8个设定天数:0(标准对照)、5、6、7、8、10、20、30 d的保存时效。结果表明,雌性川金丝猴粪样内睾酮和雌二醇在30 d内可稳定保存,孕酮含量在保存10 d时的平均值显著性低于标准参照值(P0.05);雄性川金丝猴粪样中睾酮含量在保存6 d时的平均值显著低于标准参照值(P0.05)。本研究说明,在野生川金丝猴新鲜粪便保存条件一致的情况下,该物种新鲜粪样内睾酮、孕酮、雌二醇3种激素保存时效并不一致,实际运用时需要结合研究目的区别对待。     

Mating compatibility among populations of codling moth Cydia pomonella Linnaeus (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) from different geographic origins

The codling moth Cydia pomonella (Linnaeus) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) is a serious pest of pome fruit worldwide and the sterile insect technique (SIT) provides an environmentally acceptable approach for its control. As the pest is present in both the southern and northern hemispheres it would be possible for a rearing facility in the northern hemisphere to supply sterile moths to an SIT programme in the southern hemisphere during the northern winter and vice versa. This could greatly improve the economics of moth production and the running costs of rearing facilities. However in order to develop this concept, it is important to assess if populations of codling moth from different geographical regions share mating compatibility. Twelve different laboratory and field populations from both hemispheres were sampled and field cage bisexual mating compatibility tests were carried out between selected combinations. The index of sexual isolation (ISI) and the female and male relative performance index (FRPI and MRPI, respectively) were calculated for each mating combination. In only two of the combinations was there a slight but significant deviation from random mating. There were also some significant differences in mating duration between the homotypic matings and the duration of a particular homotypic mating seemed to depend on the origin of the other population in the cage. It was concluded that there exist no barriers to mating between populations of codling moth from many parts of the world and that it would be feasible for sterile moths to be shipped from one rearing facility to SIT programmes in other parts of the world.     

Testes extracts inhibit heart contractions in females of the blood-feeding insect,Rhodnius prolixus

Abstract Myogenic contractions of the heart of the female blood-feeding insect, Rhodnius prolixus (Stål), are inhibited by crude extracts of testes applied directly to isolated dorsal vessels. Dorsal vessels were observed with a stereo microscope and heart beats timed with a stopwatch. In normal Rhodnius saline, hearts contract at 14.8 ± 7.1 beats per minute (n= 45). Crude extracts of the testes and the two male reproductive accessory organs (the opaque and transparent accessory glands) were prepared from previously frozen tissue by homogenizing 5–20 glands in a small glass homogenizer containing Rhodnius saline, centrifuging for 5 min at 2 000 g, and collecting the supernatant. Testes extract as low as 1.0 glands per mL inhibit contractions whereas crude extracts of the opaque or transparent accessory glands have no consistent effect. We refer to this cardiac inhibitor as rhodtestolin (Rhodnius testis inhibitory factor), and discuss its possible effects on the female during copulation.     

Mating behavior of the cabbage beetle, Colaphellus bowringi (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Abstract  Circadian mating rhythms, mating frequency, mating duration, and the effect of mating duration on fecundity and fertility in the cabbage beetle, Colaphellus bowringi were investigated in the laboratory. Mating occurred throughout the 24-h cycle but the majority of copulations occurred in the photophase with two apparent peaks, one at 8:00 and another at 16:00. Mating frequency observations for 10 consecutive days indicated that pre-mating period of C. bowringi was about 4 days, and pairs mated an average of 5 times per day and an average of 40 times during the first 10 days. There was a negative correlation between mating frequency and mating duration during the consecutive mating. The mean duration of the first copulation (136.24 ± 4.62 min) was significantly longer than those of the second (57.87 ± 2.03 min), third (53.05 ± 2.05 min) and fourth copulation (30.86 ± 2.98 min). Fecundity showed a slight increase with increasing mating duration but no significant difference among treatments. However, fertility was significantly influenced by the mating duration in this species. Mating of 20-min duration did not produce viable eggs. The mean percentage of fertile eggs with completed mating duration (204.43 ± 18.96 min, 56.75% fertile eggs) was significantly higher than those with 60 min (39.55%) and 30 min (17.91%) mating duration, suggesting that the longer mating duration might be associated with transfer of more sperm that are used to increase the fertility of eggs.     

The mating system of the Sichuan snub‐nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana)

This article reports the first genetic study of the mating system of the Sichuan snub‐nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana), an endemic and endangered species in China. The investigation was carried out in a population (WRT) in the Qinling Mountains using data from both field observation and paternity analysis through microsatellite DNA profiling. During a mating season, a male on an average copulated with 5.7 females. Approximately 18% of the females were observed to copulate with more than one male over the study period. The majority of copulations (94.5%) were initiated by females. Twenty‐eight of 430 observed matings were extra‐unit copulations. Eight polymorphic microsatellite loci were used for paternity analysis. The number of alleles at each locus ranged from 3 to 7 (mean=4.3). Observed heterozygosity ranged between 0.32 and 0.79. None of the loci showed significant deviation from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. Results from paternity exclusion showed that 12 of 21 (57.1%) immature individuals were sired by extra‐unit males. Although the basic social unit of snub‐nosed monkeys is consistent with a polygynous mating system, both field observation and genetic data suggests that their mating system is polygamous. Infanticide and inbreeding avoidance are the most likely explanations for the promiscuity of female snub‐nosed monkeys. Am. J. Primatol. 72:25–32, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.