Development of polymorphic microsatellite markers for the critically endangered and endemic Indian dipterocarp, Vateria indica L. (Dipterocarpaceae)

Vateria indica (Dipterocarpaceae) is an economically and ecologically important canopy tree endemic to the Western Ghats, India. The species has undergone extensive habitat loss and overexploitation and is therefore listed as ‘critically endangered' on the 2012 IUCN Red List. We developed ten polymorphic microsatellite loci for V. indica. In addition, we confirm cross amplification and variation in two loci isolated from the closely related but geographically disjunct species Vateriopsis seychellarum, previously published by Finger et al. Conserv Genet Resour, 2 (S1):309-311, (2010). The twelve microsatellite primers screened on 48 adult samples of V. indica had 5-11 alleles per locus (mean of 8.5 per locus) with an average polymorphic information content of 0.64 across loci. Expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.44 to 0.84. These markers will enable us to quantify population genetic diversity in habitat fragments and to study fine scale spatial genetic structure and contemporary gene flo

Association of sex and cardiovascular risk factors with atherosclerosis distribution pattern in lower extremity peripheral artery disease.

OBJECTIVE Atherosclerosis expression varies across not only coronary, cerebrovascular, and peripheral arteries but also within the peripheral vascular tree. The underlying pathomechanisms of distinct atherosclerosis phenotypes in lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) is poorly understood. We investigated the association of cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) and atherosclerosis distribution in a targeted approach analyzing symptomatic patients with isolated anatomic phenotypes of PAD. METHODS In a cross-sectional analysis of consecutive patients undergoing first-time endovascular recanalization for symptomatic PAD, data of patients with isolated anatomic phenotypes of either proximal (iliac) or distal (infrageniculate) atherosclerosis segregation were extracted. We performed a multivariable logistic regression model with backward elimination to investigate the association of proximal and distal PAD with CVRFs. RESULTS Of the 637 patients (29% females) with endovascular recanalization, 351 (55%) had proximal and 286 (45%) had distal atherosclerosis. Female sex [odds ratio (OR) 0.33, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.20-0.54, p = 0.01], active smoking (OR 0.16, 95% CI 0.09-0.28, p < 0.001), and former smoking (OR 0.33, 95% CI 0.20-0.57, p < 0.001) were associated with proximal disease. Diabetes mellitus (DM) (OR 3.25, 95% CI 1.93-5.46, p < 0.001), chronic kidney disease (CKD) (OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.08-1.28, p < 0.001), and older age (OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.06-1.61, p = 0.01) were associated with distal disease. CONCLUSION Female sex, particularly in the context of smoking, is associated with clinically relevant, proximal atherosclerosis expression. Our additional findings that distal atherosclerosis expression is associated with DM, CKD, and older age suggest that PAD has at least two distinct atherosclerotic phenotypes with sex-specific and individual susceptibility to atherogenic risk factors

Association of sex and cardiovascular risk factors with atherosclerosis distribution pattern in lower extremity peripheral artery disease

ObjectiveAtherosclerosis expression varies across not only coronary, cerebrovascular, and peripheral arteries but also within the peripheral vascular tree. The underlying pathomechanisms of distinct atherosclerosis phenotypes in lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) is poorly understood. We investigated the association of cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) and atherosclerosis distribution in a targeted approach analyzing symptomatic patients with isolated anatomic phenotypes of PAD.MethodsIn a cross-sectional analysis of consecutive patients undergoing first-time endovascular recanalization for symptomatic PAD, data of patients with isolated anatomic phenotypes of either proximal (iliac) or distal (infrageniculate) atherosclerosis segregation were extracted. We performed a multivariable logistic regression model with backward elimination to investigate the association of proximal and distal PAD with CVRFs.ResultsOf the 637 patients (29% females) with endovascular recanalization, 351 (55%) had proximal and 286 (45%) had distal atherosclerosis. Female sex [odds ratio (OR) 0.33, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.20–0.54, p = 0.01], active smoking (OR 0.16, 95% CI 0.09–0.28, p &lt; 0.001), and former smoking (OR 0.33, 95% CI 0.20–0.57, p &lt; 0.001) were associated with proximal disease. Diabetes mellitus (DM) (OR 3.25, 95% CI 1.93–5.46, p &lt; 0.001), chronic kidney disease (CKD) (OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.08–1.28, p &lt; 0.001), and older age (OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.06–1.61, p = 0.01) were associated with distal disease.ConclusionFemale sex, particularly in the context of smoking, is associated with clinically relevant, proximal atherosclerosis expression. Our additional findings that distal atherosclerosis expression is associated with DM, CKD, and older age suggest that PAD has at least two distinct atherosclerotic phenotypes with sex-specific and individual susceptibility to atherogenic risk factors

The septin cytoskeleton is associated with distinct myelin structures of the central and peripheral nervous system

Rapid conduction of nerve impulses in the nervous system of higher vertebrates is made possible by ensheathment of nerve fibers by the specialized plasma membrane structure myelin. Consequently, failure of myelination or damage to the myelin sheath leads to severe pathology as seen in multiple sclerosis. During myelination oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells are challenged to build up and maintain a highly complex multilaminar plasma membrane structure. It is well-known that myelin membranes are divided into subdomains with distinct protein and lipid composition. Nevertheless, it is unclear how these domains are generated and then maintained throughout the adult. Especially the mechanisms of interaction between cytoskeleton elements and membrane structures in the developing and adult myelin sheath are still unknown. In this work, the interaction of the cytoskeleton protein septin(Sept6) and the myelin and lymphocyte protein MAL is demonstrated. Septins are enriched in myelin membranes which is unique for cytoskeleton elements. Most important, the loss of Sept6 in myelin is compensated by its closest homolog Sept11 which clearly points to a functional role of septins in the myelin compartment. A detailed analysis of the septin protein family in myelinating cells was performed here. It was shown that septins are coordinately regulated during differentiation and myelination in Schwann cells and oligodendrocytes. On the protein level particular septins were identified to be differentially enriched in myelin membranes. They form distinct stoechiometric complexes interacting also with actin. We propose that septin/myelin membrane complexes play an important role in myelination. Septins might be crucial in the formation and maintenance of myelin subdomains as well as in the transport of myelin components. In line with this, a possible site of interaction between Sept6 and MAL was identified in the Schwann cell cytoplasm. There, Sept6 and MAL might be important for sorting and trafficking processes crucial for the targeting of myelin components into the emerging and adult myelin sheath. Sept6-deficient mice, however, did not disclose alterations in myelin ultrastructure and protein composition besides the upregulation of Sept11. But, it is well-known that the septin cortex is very robust and that homologous isoforms might compensate for the loss of single septins. In line with this, it is shown here that myelinating Schwann cells tolerate the loss of Sept2, which might be due to such compensation mechanisms. The function of Sept7 in myelination could not be elucidated, since downregulation in in vitro myelinating cultures led to unspecific effects probably on cytokinesis and cell survival. Nevertheless, this first comprehensive study on septins in oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells generated valuable data critical for further analysis of septin function in myelin. This study provides insight into the composition of the septin cytoskeleton, its regulation during myelination and its interaction with myelin membranes. Understanding the role of the septin cytoskeleton in myelin formation and maintenance may reveal new insights in the mechanisms of myelination and remyelination in health and disease

Ridge preservation after ridge expansion with simultaneous guided bone regeneration: a preclinical study.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate ridge preservation after ridge splitting with simultaneous implant placement and guided bone regeneration (GBR) in a miniature pig model. MATERIAL AND METHODS In miniature pigs, the mandibular premolars and first molars were extracted together with removal of the interdental and buccal bone. Three months later, ridge splitting and expansion of the buccal plate were performed with simultaneous placement of two titanium implants per quadrant. On the test side, access by a mucoperiosteal flap followed by GBR with a biphasic calcium phosphate and a collagen membrane was performed. On the contralateral control side, a mucosal flap (MF), leaving the periosteum attached to the buccal bone, was elevated. After healing periods of 6 and 12 weeks, eight and four animals, respectively, were sacrificed for histological and histometric evaluation. RESULTS In the MF group, all 16 implants were osseointegrated, while in the GBR group, one bone fracture occurred, and six of 16 implants were lost. After 6 weeks, significantly higher bone crest levels were found for the GBR group than for the MF group both buccally and lingually (P < 0.001), and buccal bone thickness was greater in the GBR group than in the MF group (P < 0.001 at the implant shoulder [IS]). After 12 weeks, bone was significantly higher in the GBR group compared to the MF group. Furthermore, buccal bone thickness in the GBR group was 0.93, 4.5, and 5.94 mm at, and 2 and 4 mm apical to the IS, respectively. The corresponding values in the MF group were greatly reduced (0, 0.21, and 2.56 mm). Bone loss on the buccal side compared to the lingual side was significantly greater only in the MF group. CONCLUSIONS In this ridge expansion model in miniature pigs, the buccal bone volume was significantly better preserved with GBR when compared to a mucosal access flap, provided that soft tissue healing occurred complication free

Is qualitative and quantitative metabarcoding of dung fauna biodiversity feasible?

In biodiversity assessments, especially of small-bodied organisms for which taxonomic expertise is lacking, identification by genetic barcoding may be a cost-effective and efficient alternative to traditional identification of species by morphology, ecology, and behavior. The authors tested the feasibility and accuracy of such an approach using dung insects of practical relevance in ecotoxicological assessments of veterinary pharmaceutical residues in the environment. They produced 8 known mixtures that varied in absolute and relative composition of small-bodied and large-bodied species to see whether mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 barcoding picks up all species qualitatively and quantitatively. As demonstrated before in other contexts, such metabarcoding of large numbers of dung insect specimens is principally possible using next-generation sequencing. The authors recovered most species in a sample (low type I error), at minimum permitting analysis of species richness. They obtained even quantitative responses reflecting the body size of the species, although the number of specimens was not well detected. The latter is problematic when calculating diversity indices. Nevertheless, the method yielded too many closely related false positives (type II error), thus generally overestimating species diversity and richness. These errors can be reduced by refining methods and data filtering, although this requires bioinformatics expertise often unavailable where such research is carried out. Identification by barcoding foremost hinges on a good reference database, which does not yet exist for dung organisms but would be worth developing for practical applications

Development of polymorphic microsatellite markers for the critically endangered and endemic Indian dipterocarp, Vateria indica L. (Dipterocarpaceae)

Vateria indica (Dipterocarpaceae) is an economically and ecologically important canopy tree endemic to the Western Ghats, India. The species has undergone extensive habitat loss and overexploitation and is therefore listed as ‘critically endangered’ on the 2012 IUCN Red List. We developed ten polymorphic microsatellite loci for V. indica. In addition, we confirm cross amplification and variation in two loci isolated from the closely related but geographically disjunct species Vateriopsis seychellarum, previously published by Finger et al. Conserv Genet Resour, 2 (S1):309–311, (2010). The twelve microsatellite primers screened on 48 adult samples of V. indica had 5–11 alleles per locus (mean of 8.5 per locus) with an average polymorphic information content of 0.64 across loci. Expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.44 to 0.84. These markers will enable us to quantify population genetic diversity in habitat fragments and to study fine scale spatial genetic structure and contemporary gene flow