Inner structural organization of the mandibular corpus in the late Early Pleistocene human specimens Tighenif 1 and Tighenif 2

The present study investigates the inner structural organization of the two mandible specimens Tighenif 1 and Tighenif 2 from the late early Pleistocene site of Tighenif, Algeria. Using (micro)tomographic scans, we built a new protocol to investigate the cortical bone topography at the post-canine level. We selected two cross-sectional slices placed between the P3/P4 and M1/M2 on the right and left sides and assessed the cortical bone thickness topography (CBT) on each slice. Our analyses demonstrate that the mandibles from Tighenif exhibit higher CBT and a different topographic distribution pattern at the molar level than in modern humans, resulting in a proportionally more robust inner structure, while a similar signal is observed between the fossil and extant specimens at the premolar level. Further studies need to be done in order to determine if this feature is related to functional constraints during mastication or paramasticatory activities; or if it is related to any independent evolutionary process.     

冷冻胚胎移植周期中内膜形态及内膜厚度对妊娠结局的预测价值分析

目的:评价内膜厚度及内膜形态对于体外受精-胚胎移植中冷冻胚胎解冻复苏移植的临床妊娠结局的预测价值。方法:回顾性分析1521个冷冻胚胎解冻复苏移植周期,将患者按子宫内膜厚度分为4组,子宫内膜≤6 mm、6.1-8.0 mm、8.0-12 mm、12.0 mm,根据子宫内膜形态分为A型内膜、B型内膜、C型内膜。分别比较不同内膜厚度分组及不同内膜形态分组患者的年龄,移植胚胎数目、内膜准备方案构成比、移植胚胎类型(卵裂期胚胎、囊胚)构成比及各组间的临床妊娠率和活产率。采用ROC曲线分析子宫内膜厚度、形态对临床妊娠结局的预测价值。使用逐步回归分析内膜厚度、形态、年龄及移植胚胎类型与妊娠结局的相关性。结果:纳入1521个解冻复苏周期中按内膜厚度分为4组,各组周期数分别为96周期、454周期、893周期、78周期,各组间平均年龄分别为34.1±5.5岁、33.3±5.4岁、32.5±5.2岁、33.7±6.0岁(P0.05)。内膜厚度≤6 mm组临床妊娠率为31.3%,子宫内膜≤6mm、6.1-8.0 mm、8.0-12 mm、12.0 mm组临床妊娠率分别为48.5%、51.8%、47.4%(P0.05)。子宫内膜≤6 mm、6.1-8.0 mm、8.0-12 mm、12.0 mm组间活产率分别为18.8%、37.7%、44.6%、39.7%(P0.05)。A型、B型及C型内膜组周期数分别为920周期、189周期及412周期,三组间平均年龄分别为32.3±5.1、33.0±5.7、34.2±5.5岁(P0.05)。A型/B型及C型内膜组临床妊娠率分别为51.2%、46.6%及46.4%,三组间活产率分别为42.1%、36.0%及37.1%,三组间差异无统计学意义(P0.05)。子宫内膜厚度ROC曲线下面积为0.534(95%可信区间0.505-0.564),子宫内膜形态ROC曲线下面积为0.526(0.476-0.955)。逐步回归分析纳入内膜厚度、内膜形态、年龄、胚胎类型4个可变量,女方年龄(OR=0.929,P0.001),移植胚胎中囊胚比例(OR=1.595,P0.001)与临床妊娠率明显相关,内膜厚度(OR=1.054,P=0.05)及内膜形态(OR=0.864)与临床妊娠率无相关性。结论:虽然子宫内膜薄临床妊娠率下降,但是子宫内膜厚度与内膜形态不能够预测体外受精-胚胎移植解冻复苏周期临床妊娠率,患者年龄以及移植胚胎的发育潜能才是预测临床妊娠率的参考指标。     

Selective inactivation of LGI1 in neuronal precursor cells leads to cortical dysplasia in mice

Constitutional mutations in Leucine‐rich glioma inactivated 1 (LGI1) predispose to an autosomal dominant epilepsy syndrome in humans and germline inactivation of LGI1 in mice leads to early onset seizures. LGI1 is highly expressed in the regions involved in neuronal stem cell generation and migration and detailed analysis of the brains in these mice reveals a subtle cortical dysplasia characterized by hypercellularity in the outer cortical layers. To investigate the cellular origin for this cortical dysplasia, we created mice that allow cell‐specific, conditional inactivation of LGI1. Exons 3–4, which contain critical motifs for LGI1 function, were targeted for deletion and, using a CMV‐cre mouse strain, global inactivation of LGI1 led to early onset seizures and the same cortical dysplasia seen in the constitutionally null mice. Similarly, inactivation of LGI1 in cells expressing Nestin, expressed primarily in neuronal precursor cells, led to early onset seizures and cortical dysplasia. In contrast, targeting inactivation of LGI1 in cells expressing Gfap, Camk2a, and parvalbumin, did not lead to cortical dysplasia. This strain of mouse, therefore, allows for a more refined investigation of the cell types involved in the cortical dysplasia seen following inactivation of LGI1 and potentially a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind LGI1‐induced epilepsy.     

Diversity and trophic structure of insects associated with grains of three maize landraces in San Agustín Loxicha,Oaxaca, Mexico

Diversity and trophic structure of grain insect communities were examined in Olotillo, Nal‐Tel and Comiteco maize landraces cultivated within a milpa agroecosystem by Zapotec ethnic groups in Mexico. Higher insect diversity was expected in Olotillo, whose cultivation comprises a wide variety of agroecosystems, and low insect abundance in Nal‐Tel with small grains and thick testa. Forty Olotillo cobs were collected at low, medium and high elevations, and 40 each of Nal‐Tel at low elevation and Comiteco at high elevation. Cobs were monitored for 30 days under controlled laboratory conditions until all insects emerged. Thickness of testa of 400 grains from each landrace was measured. Community composition and trophic structure were described and standard diversity indices were estimated. A total of 9,708 insects, corresponding to five orders, 24 families and 36 species, were recorded, with six species not previously reported in this region. Insect guilds were composed of 70% phytophages, 22% parasitoids and 8% predators. Species richness was S = 27, 16 and 8 in Olotillo, Comiteco and Nal‐Tel, respectively. Nal‐Tel and Olotillo had the highest diversity index values (H′ = 1.32 and 1.2, respectively) and no significant differences; Comiteco had the lowest value (H′ = 0.65) and differed significantly from the other landraces. Comiteco and Olotillo, which have large grains and thin testa, showed higher insect abundance than Nal‐Tel, which has small grains and thick testa and showed lower abundance. Results support our hypotheses and highlight the role of traditional crop management in insect agrobiodiversity maintenance and conservation.     

Simultaneous Regulation of Cytokinetic Furrow and Nucleus Positions by Cortical Tension Contributes to Proper DNA Segregation during Late Mitosis

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Brain-State-Dependent Modulation of Neuronal Firing and Membrane Potential Dynamics in the Somatosensory Thalamus during Natural Sleep

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Mafb and c-Maf Have Prenatal Compensatory and Postnatal Antagonistic Roles in Cortical Interneuron Fate and Function

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Homeostatic Intrinsic Plasticity Is Functionally Altered in Fmr1 KO Cortical Neurons

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Cardiorespiratory fitness, different measures of adiposity, and cancer mortality in men

Objective: The purpose was to examine the prospective relationship among cardiorespiratory fitness level (CRF), different measures of adiposity, and cancer mortality in men. Research Methods and Procedures: Participants were 38,410 apparently healthy men who completed a comprehensive baseline health examination between 1970 and 2001. Clinical measures included BMI, waist circumference (WC), percent body fat, and CRF quantified as duration of a maximal treadmill exercise test. Participants were divided into fifths of CRF, BMI, WC, and percent body fat. Hazard ratios were computed with Cox regression analysis. Results: During a mean follow‐up period of 17.2 ± 7.9 years, 1037 cancer deaths occurred. Adjusted hazard ratios across incremental BMI quintiles were 1.0, 1.23, 1.15, 1.39, and 1.72; those of WC were 1.0, 1.05, 1.03, 1.31, and 1.64; those of percent body fat were 1.0, 1.24, 1.17, 1.23, and 1.50; and those of CRF were 1.0, 0.70, 0.67, 0.70, and 0.49 (trend p < 0.01 for each). Further adjustment for CRF eliminated the significant trend in mortality risk across percent body fat groups and attenuated the trend in risk across BMI and WC groups. Adjustment of CRF for adiposity measures had little effect on mortality risk. When grouped into categories of fit and unfit (upper 80% and lower 20% of CRF distribution, respectively), mortality rates (per 10,000 man‐years) were significantly lower in fit compared with unfit men within each stratum of BMI, WC, and percent body fat. Discussion: Higher levels of CRF are associated with lower cancer mortality risk in men, independently of several adiposity measures.