Fate of the anterior neural ridge and the morphogenesis of the xenopus forebrain

The fate of the anterior neural ridge was studied by following the relative movements of simultaneous spot applications of DiI and DiO from stage 15 through stage 45. These dye movements were mapped onto the neuroepithelium of the developing brain whose shape was gleaned from whole-mount in situs to neural cell adhesion molecule and dissections of the developing nervous system. The result is a model of the cell movements that drive the morphogenesis of the forebrain. The midanterior ridge moves inside and drops down along the most anterior wall of the neural tube. It then pushes forward a bit, rotates ventrally during forebrain flexing, and gives rise to the chiasmatic ridge and anterior hypothalamus. The midanterior plate drops, forming the floor of the forebrain ventricle, and, keeping its place behind the ridge, it gives rise to the posterior hypothalamus or infundibulum. The midlateral anterior ridge slides into the lateral anterior wall of the neural tube and stretches laterally into the optic stalk and retina, and then rotates into a ventral position. The lateral anterior ridge converges to the most anterior part of the dorsal midline during neural tube closure, then rotates anteriorly, and gives rise to telencephalic structures. Whole-mount bromodeoxyuridine labeling at these stages showed that cell division is widespread and relatively uniform throughout the brain during the late neurula and early tailbud stages, but that during late tailbud stages cell division becomes restricted to specific proliferative zones. We conclude that the early morphogenesis of the brain is carried out largely by choreographed cell movements and that later morphogenesis depends on spatially restricted patterns of cell division. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Dehydrodieugenols from Ocotea cymbarum

The trunk wood of Ocotea cymbarum from the Amazon basin contains α-phellandrene, α-pinene, eugenol, dehydrodieugenol and its monomethyl ether, as well as the previously unknown dehydrodieugenol-B (4,5′-diallyl-2′-hydroxy-2,3′-dimethoxydiphenyl ether).     

SPONTANEOUS AND INDUCED CHROMOSOME BREAKAGE IN CLAYTONIA VIRGINICA

Meiocytes in three morphologically similar but cytologically different wild populations of Claytonia virginica L. were examined. Over a three-year period levels of spontaneous chromosome breakage were consistent for each population but differed between populations. Random samples of inflorescences from two of the populations were treated with 0.005 % aqueous solutions of nucleic acid precursors: adenine, adenosine, thymine, thymidine, guanosine 5'-monophosphate (GMP), and cytosine 5'-monophosphate (CMP). Statistically significant increases in chromosome breakage were observed in the population with little background breakage when inflorescences were treated with adenosine, thymine, thymidine, GMP, and CMP. In the population with moderate spontaneous breakage, a significant increase was observed only in plants treated with adenosine. Breakage induced with nucleic acid precursors was similar to that which occurred spontaneously; the predominant aberration was the single bridge.     

Enzymatic variability among Brazilian Pythium insidiosum isolates

BackgroundPythium insidiosum is an oomycete classified in the kingdom Stramenopila. P. insidiosum hyphae are not able to initiate infection without the secretion of hydrolytic enzymes, which are considered an important factor in microbial virulence.AimsTo evaluate the extracellular enzymatic activity of 14 Brazilian P. insidiosum isolates and a standard strain (ATCC 58637) by the API-ZYM System screening method.MethodsZoospores were grown in RPMI 1640 broth, and 65 μL of the liquid phase were inoculated in each cupule of the API-ZYM strips.ResultsDifferences in the enzymatic activities were observed among the isolates, although phosphohydrolases and ester hydrolases were conspicuous among all isolates. β-glucosidase was also present in most of the isolates. Enzymatic activities of α-glucosidase and chymotrypsin were not observed, differing from a previous study involving Australian isolates and intracellular enzymes.ConclusionsThe discrepancy in the enzymatic profile observed among Brazilian P. insidiosum isolates reflects the phenotypic variations found in susceptibility tests.     

The Epidemiology of HIV and HSV-2 Infections among Women Participating in Microbicide and Vaccine Feasibility Studies in Northern Tanzania

Objectives

To prepare for future HIV prevention trials, we conducted prospective cohort studies among women working in food and recreational facilities in northern Tanzania. We examined the prevalence and incidence of HIV and HSV-2, and associated risk factors.

Methods

Women aged 18–44 years working in food and recreational facilities were screened to determine their eligibility for the studies. Between 2008–2010, HIV-negative women were enrolled and followed for 12 months. At enrolment and 3-monthly, we collected socio-demographic and behavioural data, and performed clinical examinations for collection of biological specimens that were tested for reproductive tract infections. Risk factors for HIV and HSV-2 incidence were investigated using Poisson regression models.

Results

We screened 2,229 and enrolled 1,378 women. The median age was 27 years (interquartile range, IQR 22, 33), and median duration working at current facility was 2 years. The prevalences of HIV at screening and HSV-2 at enrolment were 16% and 67%, respectively. Attendance at the 12-month visit was 86%. HIV and HSV-2 incidence rates were 3.7 (95% confidence interval, CI: 2.8,5.1) and 28.6 (95% CI: 23.5,35.0)/100 person-years, respectively. Women who were separated, divorced, or widowed were at increased risk of HIV (adjusted incidence rate ratio, aRR = 6.63; 95% CI: 1.97,22.2) and HSV-2 (aRR = 2.00; 95% CI: 1.15,3.47) compared with married women. Women reporting ≥3 partners in the past 3 months were at higher HIV risk compared with women with 0–1 partner (aRR = 4.75; 95% CI: 2.10,10.8), while those who had reached secondary education or above were at lower risk of HSV-2 compared with women with incomplete primary education (aRR = 0.42; 95% CI: 0.22,0.82).

Conclusions

HIV and HSV-2 rates remain substantially higher in this cohort than in the general population, indicating urgent need for effective interventions. These studies demonstrate the feasibility of conducting trials to test new interventions in this highly-mobile population.     

A biofilm model to understand the onset of sulfate reduction in denitrifying membrane biofilm reactors

This work presents a multispecies biofilm model that describes the co‐existence of nitrate‐ and sulfate‐reducing bacteria in the H₂‐based membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR). The new model adapts the framework of a biofilm model for simultaneous nitrate and perchlorate removal by considering the unique metabolic and physiological characteristics of autotrophic sulfate‐reducing bacteria that use H₂ as their electron donor. To evaluate the model, the simulated effluent H₂, UAP (substrate‐utilization‐associated products), and BAP (biomass‐associated products) concentrations are compared to experimental results, and the simulated biomass distributions are compared to real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) data in the experiments for parameter optimization. Model outputs and experimental results match for all major trends and explain when sulfate reduction does or does not occur in parallel with denitrification. The onset of sulfate reduction occurs only when the nitrate concentration at the fiber's outer surface is low enough so that the growth rate of the denitrifying bacteria is equal to that of the sulfate‐reducing bacteria. An example shows how to use the model to design an MBfR that achieves satisfactory nitrate reduction, but suppresses sulfate reduction. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2013; 110: 763–772. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Seasonal weather effects on hydrology drive the metabolism of non-forest lowland streams

Weather variations change stream hydrological conditions, affecting the stream function. A seasonal study in three well-conserved first-order Pampean streams was carried out to test the hypothesis that rainfalls are the main drivers of whole-stream metabolism, through their effects on hydrology. We estimated the stream metabolism and metabolic contribution of six relevant communities (angiosperms, macroalgae, seston, epiphyton, epipelon, and hyporheos) during late spring, summer, and winter and examined the relation between gross primary production (GPP) and photosynthetic active radiation (PAR). Our results showed that the decrease in available streambed light due to the dissolved organic carbon after rainfalls was the main factor related to the decrease in the ecosystem and community metabolisms. For instance, GPP oscillated from ~10 gO₂ m^?2 d^?1 in early spring (low flows) to ~3 gO₂ m^?2 d^?1 in summer (high flows). Ecosystem respiration (ER) was less sensitive than GPP to rainfalls due to the increase of hyporheic respiration. Rainfalls also caused a significant loss of downstream macroalgal biomass. At a day scale, the high PAR of late spring and summer saturated GPP during the afternoon, and the low temperature of winter mornings constrained GPP. Hence, the knowledge of weather changes is key to understanding the main hydrological drivers of stream function.     

Molecular epidemiology of nosocomial infection by extended-spectrum beta-lactamases-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae

Molecular epidemiology applied to the study of nosocomial infection has been fundamental in formulating and evaluating control methods. From patients in a level 3 Bogota hospital, Klebsiella pneumoniae samples were isolated that produced extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL). Each of 15 isolates was characterized microbiologically and by molecular characters realized by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and by repetitive-DNA sequences amplification (REP-PCR). Antimicrobial susceptibility and ESBL production was determined in accordance with NCCLS guidelines. The beta-lactamases were evaluated by isoelectric-focusing and PCR. Twelve (80%) of the isolates were associated with nosocomial infection; 11 of them were from intensive care units. The antibiotic susceptibility displayed 13 resistance patterns--87% presented co-resistance to amikacin, 53% to gentamicin, 33% to ciprofloxacin, 40% to cefepime, 67% to piperacillin/tazobactam, 60% to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and 47% to chloranphenicol. All were sensitive to imipenem. Production of TEM and SHV beta-lactamases was detected simultaneously in most isolates by isoelectric focusing and 93.3% produced a ceftazidimase of pl 8.2 of the SHV-5 type. The 15 isolates were grouped into 11 and 12 electrophoretic patterns by PFGE and REP-PCR, respectively. The degree of genetic variability indicated an endogenous origin of the nosocomial infections.