Complex Odor from Plants under Attack: Herbivore's Enemies React to the Whole, Not Its Parts

Background: Insect herbivory induces plant odors that attract herbivores ’ natural enemies. Assuming this attraction emerges from individual compounds, genetic control over odor emission of crops may provide a rationale for manipulating the distribution of predators used for pest control. However, studies on odor perception in vertebrates and invertebrates suggest that olfactory information processing of mixtures results in odor percepts that are a synthetic whole and not a set of components that could function as recognizable individual attractants. Here, we ask if predators respond to herbivoreinduced attractants in odor mixtures or to odor mixture as a whole. Methodology/Principal Findings: We studied a system consisting of Lima bean, the herbivorous mite Tetranychus urticae and the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis. We found that four herbivore-induced bean volatiles are not attractive in pure form while a fifth, methyl salicylate (MeSA), is. Several reduced mixtures deficient in one component compared to the full spider-mite induced blend were not attractive despite the presence of MeSA indicating that the predators cannot detect this component in these odor mixtures. A mixture of all five HIPV is most attractive, when offered together with the noninduced odor of Lima bean. Odors that elicit no response in their pure form were essential components of the attractive mixture. Conclusions/Significance: We conclude that the predatory mites perceive odors as a synthetic whole and that th

Acute hepatitis B despite a previous high titer of anti-HBs

Loss of HBsAg and development of surface and core antibodies represent clinical cure. However, recent evidence suggests that hepatitis B virus (HBV) persists in a latent state even in those with mounted protective antibodies. After significant immunosuppression, anti-HBs may decrease and HBsAg may reappear (reverse seroconversion). Reverse seroconversion of HBV has been observed in association with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, renal transplantation, intensive chemotherapy, human immunodeficiency infection, or rituximab usage

Modelling residual stresses in friction stir welding of Al alloys—a review of possibilities and future trends

Residual stresses are very important in any joining process of materials since they act as pre-stresses in the loading situation of the joint, thereby affecting the final mechanical performance of the component. This is also the case for friction stir welding (FSW) which is a complex solid-state joining process characterized by a pronounced multiphysical behaviour involving phenomena such as change of temperature, material flow, change of microstructures and formation of residual stresses. Thus, models of FSWare typically divided into thermal models, flow models, residual stress models and microstructural models where the classification of the model normally originates from its purpose rather than from the modelling discipline applied. In the present paper, the focus is on presenting and classifying the most important residual stress models for FSW of aluminium alloys in terms of their background, numerical framework and application as well as putting them into proper context with respect to some of the new trends in the field, e.g. coupling with subsequent load analyses of the in-service situation or applying residual stress models of FSWin numerical optimization

Estudo clínico aberto multicêntrico da efetividade e tolerabilidade do gel de adapaleno a 0,1%* em pacientes com acne vulgar Multicentric open clinical study of the efficacy and tolerability of adapalene 0.1% gel* in patients with acne vulgaris

FUNDAMENTOS: O adapaleno é um derivado do ácido naftóico, com propriedades biológicas similares às do ácido retinóico e utilizado no tratamento da acne vulgar. OBJETIVOS: Avaliar a eficácia e a tolerabilidade do adapaleno 0,1% gel no tratamento da acne vulgar leve à moderada, em pacientes residentes no Brasil. MATERIAIS E MÉTODOS: Os pacientes aplicaram o gel à noite, durante 12 semanas, e foram avaliados quanto à efetividade pelo número de lesões em cada visita e quanto à tolerabilidade ao produto nas consultas da segunda e da décima segunda semana. RESULTADOS: Dos 125 pacientes, 81,6% completaram as 12 semanas de tratamento, e 10,4% dos casos terminaram o estudo antes do período estabelecido por estarem livres de lesões. Os resultados permitem confirmar a marcante atividade antiinflamatória, antiproliferativa e na diferenciação celular dos ceratinócitos. Houve diminuição dos comedões e das lesões inflamatórias, com resposta satisfatória no eritema, no ressecamento e na descamação da pele. Efeitos adversos pouco graves foram relatados em apenas 9,6% dos pacientes. CONCLUSÕES: O adapaleno, neste estudo e nos vários que o antecederam, vem-se mostrando uma das melhores opções de tratamento tópico para os casos leves a moderados de acne vulgar.<br>BACKGROUND: Adapalene, a naftoic acid derivative with biological properties similar to those of the retinoic acid, is indicated in the treatment of acne vulgaris. OBJECTIVES: The present study was carried out to evaluate the therapeutic action of adapalene 0.1% gel and its tolerability in the treatment of mild to moderate acne vulgaris in patients living in Brazil. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients applied the gel at night for 12 weeks; and were evaluated regarding the efficacy and tolerability of the product according to the number of lesions observed at each of the 2-week and 12-week visits. RESULTS: Out of 125 patients, 81.6% completed 12 weeks of therapy and 10.4% of the cases left the study before week 12 because they were found to be lesion-free. Results allow us to confirm its effect upon keratinocyte cellular differentiation with antiinflammatory and antiproliferative properties. Adapalene induces a marked decrease in comedos and inflammatory lesions. Mild adverse events were reported in less than 10% of patients. CONCLUSION: Adapalene has been shown to be one of the best topical therapies for mild or moderate acne both in the present study and in previous studies

<i>rahu</i> is a mutant allele of <i>Dnmt3c</i>, encoding a DNA methyltransferase homolog required for meiosis and transposon repression in the mouse male germline

<div><p>Transcriptional silencing by heritable cytosine-5 methylation is an ancient strategy to repress transposable elements. It was previously thought that mammals possess four DNA methyltransferase paralogs—<i>Dnmt1</i>, <i>Dnmt3a</i>, <i>Dnmt3b</i> and <i>Dnmt3l</i>—that establish and maintain cytosine-5 methylation. Here we identify a fifth paralog, <i>Dnmt3c</i>, that is essential for retrotransposon methylation and repression in the mouse male germline. From a phenotype-based forward genetics screen, we isolated a mutant mouse called ‘<i>rahu</i>’, which displays severe defects in double-strand-break repair and homologous chromosome synapsis during male meiosis, resulting in sterility. <i>rahu</i> is an allele of a transcription unit (<i>Gm14490</i>, renamed <i>Dnmt3c</i>) that was previously mis-annotated as a <i>Dnmt3-</i>family pseudogene. <i>Dnmt3c</i> encodes a cytosine methyltransferase homolog, and <i>Dnmt3c</i>^<i>rahu</i> mutants harbor a non-synonymous mutation of a conserved residue within one of its cytosine methyltransferase motifs, similar to a mutation in human DNMT3B observed in patients with immunodeficiency, centromeric instability and facial anomalies syndrome. The <i>rahu</i> mutation lies at a potential dimerization interface and near the potential DNA binding interface, suggesting that it compromises protein-protein and/or protein-DNA interactions required for normal DNMT3C function. <i>Dnmt3c</i>^<i>rahu</i> mutant males fail to establish normal methylation within LINE and LTR retrotransposon sequences in the germline and accumulate higher levels of transposon-derived transcripts and proteins, particularly from distinct L1 and ERVK retrotransposon families. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that <i>Dnmt3c</i> arose during rodent evolution by tandem duplication of <i>Dnmt3b</i>, after the divergence of the Dipodoidea and Muroidea superfamilies. These findings provide insight into the evolutionary dynamics and functional specialization of the transposon suppression machinery critical for mammalian sexual reproduction and epigenetic regulation.</p></div