Does Wolbachia infection affect Trichogramma atopovirilia behaviour?

Unisexual Trichogramma forms have attracted much attention due to their potential advantages as biocontrol agents. Fitness studies have been performed and understanding the cost that Wolbachia may inflict on their hosts will help in deciding if Wolbachia infected (unisexual) forms are indeed better than sexual forms when used in biological control programmes. The influence of Wolbachia on the foraging behaviour (including walking activity and speed) of T. atopovirilia is reported in this paper. Temperature strongly affected T. atopovirilia female walking activity, but Wolbachia infected and uninfected females differed in none of the behavioural components that were measured such as walking activity and walking speed. Walking activity was highest at 25 ºC and differed significantly from that at 20 and 15 ºC. Trichogramma wasps were highly affected at 15 ºC. Behaviour analysis with females showed that female wasps spend most of the time on drilling + ovipositing on host eggs followed by host drumming and walking while drumming. The parasitism rate and number of offspring did not differ significantly between infected and cured Trichogramma females. Biological control implications of these findings are discussed

Metals in the shell of Bathymodiolus azoricus from a hydrothermal vent site on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Specimens of the mussel Bathymodiolus azoricus were collected from Menez Gwen, a relatively shallow (850 m) hydrothermal vent field on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Each bivalve shell (n = 21) was individually cleaned by selective chemical. The residual crystal matrix of each shell was individually analysed for the concentrations of the minor elements magnesium and strontium and the trace elements iron, manganese, copper and zinc. The chemical composition of the crystal matrix is unusual. B. azoricus is identified as a species having one of the most strontium impoverished shells amongst the marine molluscs. For a bimineral species the magnesium concentration is also extraordinary low. Despite originating from a trace metal rich environment; the metal concentrations in the shells were exceptionally low. Mean concentrations of iron, manganese, copper and zinc were 20.6, 3.7, 0.6 and 9.4 microg g(-1) respectively. Minor and trace element concentrations exhibited a marked intra-population variability. Copper concentrations increased and iron and zinc concentrations decreased with increasing shell weight. Due to its insensitivity to the high environmental levels of trace elements and the variability in intra-population concentrations induced by shell weight the crystal matrix of the shell of B. azoricus has little potential for use in environmental trace metal monitoring in areas contiguous to deep-sea hydrothermal vents.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Ranibizumab for idiopathic epiretinal membranes: A retrospective case series

AbstractPurposeTo study the effect of intravitreal ranibizumab on idiopathic epiretinal membranes (ERMs).MethodsA retrospective cohort study on a consecutive series of ranibizumab intravitreal injections for epiretinal membranes was performed. Four cases were identified by reviewing a claims database linked to electronic medical records. All patients received a total of three 0.05mg/0.05ml ranibizumab intravitreal injections at a monthly interval. The primary outcome measure was the final best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at the end of the injection series, and the final central macular thickness (CMT).ResultsAll four patients completed 3months follow-up after the last ranibizumab injection. The mean baseline CMT was 509microns (SD=111). A trend was noticed for reduction in CMT (Δ=41microns) P=0.08. Three patients improved by one line in their BCVA. The remaining patient maintained the same BCVA. No complications were noted.ConclusionIn this study, intravitreal injection of ranibizumab marginally reduced retinal thickness in four patients with minimal improvement in visual acuity. No safety concerns were noticed. Further basic science and clinical studies may be warranted to assess the role of vascular endothelial growth factor and the effect of ranibizumab on idiopathic epiretinal membranes

An ab initio and DFT conformational analysis of unsubstituted and omega-substituted ethyl-benzene: (Ph-CH2-CH2-Z; Z = -H, -F, -NH3+, -CH3)

A series of compounds of Ph-CH2-CH2-Z, with substituents Z = -H, -F, -NH3+-, and -CH3, were subjected to conformational analysis. Conformational potential energy surfaces were generated and their minima were geometrically optimized at three levels of theory. The relative stabilities of the minima correlated with the electron withdrawing nature of the substituents (Z). (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved

Density Functional Molecular Computations on Protonated Serotonin in the Gas Phase and Various Solvent Media

5-Hydroxytryptamine (serotonin) was geometry optimized at the B3YP/6-31G(d) level of theory to determine the energetically most favourable conformations of the aromatic hydroxyl group and the protonated ethylamine side chain. The hydroxyl group was found to be most stable at anti for all conformations, and the two lowest energy gas phase conformers found were: chi(2) = g(+), chi(3) = g(-) and chi(2) = g(-), chi(3) = g(+). The protonated amino group was found equally stable at g+, g- and anti. The transition structures linking each gas phase minimum were also computed. Minima found were subjected to solvation calculations in chloroform, DMSO, ethanol and water, which shifted their relative stabilities. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved

An Atypical Presentation of Acute Macular Neuroretinopathy after Non-Ocular Trauma

Purpose: Acute macular neuroretinopathy (AMN) is a rare clinical entity with an uncertain etiology. We report an atypical case presenting with retinal hemorrhages (RH) and cotton-wool spots (CWS) following non-ocular trauma. Observations: A 49-year-old male presented with an acute onset of a paracentral scotoma in his left eye, immediately following a motor vehicle accident 1 day prior. Fundus findings revealed a unilateral nasal petalloid perifoveal lesion with the tip pointing toward the fovea associated with CWS and RH. Optical coherence tomography demonstrated disruption of the ellipsoid zone. Symptoms and exam findings improved at 2-week follow-up without any intervention, consistent with the natural history of the disease process. Conclusion: We report a rare case of AMN following non-ocular trauma with the unique fundus findings of CWS and RH. This presentation supports the role of ischemia in the retinal deep capillary plexus, of which trauma contributed to the pathophysiological process. Summary: AMN is a rare condition whose pathophysiological process remains speculative. We report an atypical case of AMN, which supports the role of trauma in the pathophysiology of deep retinal capillary plexus compromise

Acute phosphate depletion and in vitro rat proximal tubule injury: Protection by glycine and acidosis

Acute phosphate depletion and in vitro rat proximal tubule injury: Protection by glycine and acidosis.The effects of phosphate (PO4) removal from Krebs Henseleit buffer on freshly isolated rat proximal tubules (rPT) were assessed by measuring Ca2+ uptake (nmol/mg protein), cellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) (nmol/mg), tissue K+ content (nmol/mg) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) as an index of cell integrity. Ca2+ uptake increased by 50% in rPT incubated in zero PO4 medium as compared to control (2.6 ±0.1 vs. 3.9 ±0.19, P < 0.001) and LDH release increased 2.5-fold from 14.2 ±0.6 to 31.6 ±1.6%, P < 0.001. Neither verapamil (200 µM) nor mepacrine (50 µM) reduced Ca2+ uptake or decreased LDH release suggesting that the increased Ca2+ uptake was not occurring through potential operated channels and that phospholipase-induced cell injury was not the cause of increased LDH release. Either glycine (2 mM) or extracellular fluid acidosis (pH 7.06), however, significantly diminished rPT injury and Ca2+ uptake. Specifically, as compared to the increased LDH released in untreated, PO4-depleted rPT, LDH release was diminished significantly by glycine treatment (31.0 ±0.9 vs. 15.5 ±1.6%, P < 0.001) or acidosis (30.3 ±0.04 vs. 19.2 ±0.9%, P < 0.01). Ca2+ uptake did not increase in glycine treated tubules (2.6 ±0.1 vs. 2.8 ±0.2 nmol/mg, NS) or in the presence of acidosis (2.6 ±0.1 vs. 2.97 ±0.17 nmol/mg, NS). ATP concentrations were markedly reduced by PO4 depletion (2.8±0.2 vs. 4.8±0.3 nmol/mg, P < 0.001) and remained at low levels during either acidosis or glycine-induced protection. ATP depletion was accompanied by loss of K+ from rPT and this was only modestly attenuated by either glycine or acidosis. Total cell PO4 was not significantly altered, however, perchloric acid (PCA) extractable free PO4 was reduced significantly (33.3 ±4.5 to 15.9 ±3.5 nmol/mg, P < 0.01). The rPT injury, associated with acute PO4 depletion, may be related to Ca2+ uptake since Ca2+ uptake and LDH release were both attenuated by glycine administration or acidosis

Avaliação da bioatividade do corpo frutífero e esporos de Ganoderma lucidum

Ganoderma lucidum é uma das espécies de cogumelos mais estudadas do mundo devido às suas propriedades medicinais. Este trabalho descreve a avaliação da capacidade antioxidante in vitro e antiproliferativa em células tumorais do extrato obtido a partir de diferentes partes do cogumelo. A atividade antioxidante dos extratos metanólicos, obtidos a partir das duas amostras, foi avaliada através da captação de radicais livres, poder redutor e inibição da peroxidação lipídica pela descoloração do β-caroteno e em homogeneizados de células cerebrais animais. A atividade antiproliferativa dos mesmos extratos foi avaliada em quatro linhas celulares tumorais humanas (pulmão- NCI-H460, mama- MCF-7, cólon- HCT-15 e estômago- AGS) pelo método da sulforrodamina B. Os extratos foram caracterizados por HPLC-DAD-MS