Genetic diversity and population structure of Culex modestus across Europe: does recent appearance in the United Kingdom reveal a tendency for geographical spread?

In mainland Europe, the mosquito species Culex modestus Ficalbi (1890) is a bridge vector for West Nile virus (WNV) from its natural bird-mosquito cycle to mammals. The present study assessed the genetic diversity of Cx. modestus, as well as related Culex species, using the mitochondrial COI DNA barcoding region and compared this with the population structure across Europe. A haplotype network was mapped to determine genealogical relationships among specimens. The intraspecific genetic diversity within individual Culex species was below 2%, whereas the interspecific genetic divergence varied from 2.99% to 13.74%. In total, 76 haplotypes were identified among 198 sequences. A median-joining network determined from 198 COI sequences identified two major lineages that were separated by at least four mutation steps. A high level of intraspecific genetic diversity was not detected in Cx. modestus in samples submitted from different European populations, which indicates that morphologically identified specimens represent a single species and not a species complex. Therefore, it is deduced that different populations of Cx. modestus will show a similar potential to transmit WNV, lending support to concerns that the population present in southeast England represents a risk of transmission to humans.     

Multiple loci are associated with white blood cell phenotypes

White blood cell (WBC) count is a common clinical measure from complete blood count assays, and it varies widely among healthy individuals. Total WBC count and its constituent subtypes have been shown to be moderately heritable, with the heritability estimates varying across cell types. We studied 19,509 subjects from seven cohorts in a discovery analysis, and 11,823 subjects from ten cohorts for replication analyses, to determine genetic factors influencing variability within the normal hematological range for total WBC count and five WBC subtype measures. Cohort specific data was supplied by the CHARGE, HeamGen, and INGI consortia, as well as independent collaborative studies. We identified and replicated ten associations with total WBC count and five WBC subtypes at seven different genomic loci (total WBC count-6p21 in the HLA region, 17q21 near ORMDL3, and CSF3; neutrophil count-17q21; basophil count- 3p21 near RPN1 and C3orf27; lymphocyte count-6p21, 19p13 at EPS15L1; monocyte count-2q31 at ITGA4, 3q21, 8q24 an intergenic region, 9q31 near EDG2), including three previously reported associations and seven novel associations. To investigate functional relationships among variants contributing to variability in the six WBC traits, we utilized gene expression- and pathways-based analyses. We implemented gene-clustering algorithms to evaluate functional connectivity among implicated loci and showed functional relationships across cell types. Gene expression data from whole blood was utilized to show that significant biological consequences can be extracted from our genome-wide analyses, with effect estimates for significant loci from the meta-analyses being highly corellated with the proximal gene expression. In addition, collaborative efforts between the groups contributing to this study and related studies conducted by the COGENT and RIKEN groups allowed for the examination of effect homogeneity for genome-wide significant associations across populations of diverse ancestral backgrounds.     

Beyond cognitive-behavioral therapy for fibromyalgia: addressing stress by emotional exposure,processing, and resolution

I comment on the well-designed trial by Alda and colleagues reported in a recent issue of Arthritis Research and Therapy which demonstrated some benefits of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for fibromyalgia (FM). CBT in this and other studies provides statistically significant but rather modest benefits for FM. This may be because CBT does not directly address the high rates of victimization, post-traumatic stress disorder, and emotional avoidance experienced by a substantial number of patients with FM. Interventions that encourage emotional exposure, processing, and resolution of stressful or traumatic experiences and relationships hold potential for larger effects for many patients and need to be tested.     

Étude paléoenvironnementale des sédiments quaternaires du Guelb er Richât (Adrar de Mauritanie) en regard des sites voisins ou associés du Paléolithique inférieur. Discussion et perspectives

After the discoveries of pre-Acheulian and Acheulian industry accumulations in the depression of the external ring of Guelb er Richât (Mauritanian Adrar) by Théodore Monod, it was proceeded to an exhaustive study of surrounding Quaternary sediments. Slopes in the south of the cliffs of Ordovician quartzite sandstones are covered with chaos of blocks where from go down torrential ravines which fed irregularly the alluvial plains of oueds Akerdil and Bamouéré. The torrential alluviums consist from two- to three-graded sequences of coarse sediments which were studied since the foot of the cliff down to alluvial fans. The datings of tests of mollusks of brackish waters and of phreatogenic calcitic cementations allowed to obtain a coherent chronostratigraphy based on 11 datings AMS of the ¹⁴C. These ages included between 15.000 and 7.730 BP correspond to the last climatic optimum or African Humid Period. Textural and mineralogical analyses of the torrential sequences allow to show a duality of origin of the materials of the accumulation partly deriving from more or less degraded Cambro-Ordovician basement (proximal source) and partly renewed by wind contributions during the long Meso-Cenozoic emersion (distal source). The palaeomagnetic measurements indicate that the great majority of the deposits accumulated during the last one normal magnetozone. Some altered deposits intermediate between the Paleozoic basement and the torrential sequences of the Late Quaternary present a negative magnetic inclination and a strong magnetic susceptibility linked to the presence of hematite grains; they are likened to more or less in situ reworked Cambrian-Ordovician tops. These conclusions leave not enough hope to identify on the slopes of Early Pleistocene sediments contemporary of the first Human populations. The strong accumulations of chopping-tools of the Akerdil Oued and of coarse hand-axes of the ravines of Cherirat indicate a credibly autochton origin of these big tools made in situ and which were concentrated by the successive wind deflations. Their mechanical dispersal was limited by their big size and by frequent calcitic cementations, such processes of fossilization were able to develop and to repeat during the ancient episodes of the Pleistocene. This hypothesis would lead us to envisage probable industry remains buried in depth into the filling of the outer alluvial plain of the Guelb er Richât.