The complex Y-chromosomal history of gorillas

Studies of the evolutionary relationships among gorilla populations using autosomal and mitochondrial sequences suggest that male-mediated gene flow may have been important in the past, but data on the Y-chromosomal relationships among the gorilla subspecies are limited. Here, we genotyped blood and noninvasively collected fecal samples from 12 captives and 257 wild male gorillas of known origin representing all four subspecies (Gorilla gorilla gorilla, G. g. diehli, G. beringei beringei, and G. b. graueri) at 10 Y-linked microsatellite loci resulting in 102 unique Y-haplotypes for 224 individuals. We found that western lowland gorilla (G. g. gorilla) haplotypes were consistently more diverse than any other subspecies for all measures of diversity and comprised several genetically distinct groups. However, these did not correspond to geographical proximity and some closely related haplotypes were found several hundred kilometers apart. Similarly, our broad sampling of eastern gorillas revealed that mountain (G. b. beringei) and Grauer's (G. b. graueri) gorilla Y-chromosomal haplotypes did not form distinct clusters. These observations suggest structure in the ancestral population with subsequent mixing of differentiated haplotypes by male dispersal for western lowland gorillas, and postisolation migration or incomplete lineage sorting due to short divergence times for eastern gorillas

Genetic Differences in the Immediate Transcriptome Response to Stress Predict Risk-Related Brain Function and Psychiatric Disorders

Depression risk is exacerbated by genetic factors and stress exposure; however, the biological mechanisms through which these factors interact to confer depression risk are poorly understood. One putative biological mechanism implicates variability in the ability of cortisol, released in response to stress, to trigger a cascade of adaptive genomic and non-genomic processes through glucocorticoid receptor (GR) activation. Here, we demonstrate that common genetic variants in long-range enhancer elements modulate the immediate transcriptional response to GR activation in human blood cells. These functional genetic variants increase risk for depression and co-heritable psychiatric disorders. Moreover, these risk variants are associated with inappropriate amygdala reactivity, a transdiagnostic psychiatric endophenotype and an important stress hormone response trigger. Network modeling and animal experiments suggest that these genetic differences in GR-induced transcriptional activation may mediate the risk for depression and other psychiatric disorders by altering a network of functionally related stress-sensitive genes in blood and brain

What is the relationship of low back pain to signs of abnormal skeletal metabolism detected by bone scans?

Background: In approximately 80-85% of Patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain (NSLBP), a precise pathoanatomical diagnosis cannot be identified. Mechanisms of bone nociception may contribute to NSLBP. Objective: To determine whether findings on bone scans, which provide a pathophysiological picture of functional activity, are associated with self-reports of NSLBP intensity. Design: A cross-sectional study of the relationship of self-reported chronic NSLBP intensity to the uptake of radiolabeled technetium-99m-methylene diphosphonate in the lumbosacral area.Study Participants. Patients referred for bone scans who were at least 18 years old. Outcome Measures: Subject reports of pain intensity and intensity of uptake of radiolabeled technetium-99m-methylene diphosphonate in the lumbosacral area. Results: Among subjects who were 65 years or younger, the age-adjusted worst pain intensity accounted for 45% of the variability in the amount of tracer uptake (r = 0.67, P = 0.0006). The association was not significant for those older than 65 years. Conclusion: Further studies should be conducted on possible mechanisms relating bone nociception to chronic NSLBP in individuals who are 65 years or younger

Treatment of chronic mechanical spinal pain with intravenous pamidronate: a review of medical records

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