Evidence of Helicobacter sp. in dental plaque of captive dolphins (Tursiops gephyreus)

Gastrointestinal lesions have been extensively reported in wild and captive marine mammals. However, their etiology remains unclear. In humans and other animals, chronic gastritis and peptic ulcers have been associated with Helicobacter sp. Therefore, the aim of our study was to investigate the presence of Helicobacter sp. in the gastric juice, dental plaque, and saliva of marine mammals living in a controlled environment. Five dolphins (Tursiops gephyreus), one killer whale (Orcinus orca), one false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens), three sea lions (Otaria flavescens), two elephant seals (Mirounga leonina), and two fur seals (Arctocephalus australis) were studied. Saliva, dental plaque, and gastric juice samples were examined for Helicobacter sp. using polymerase chain reaction. None of the gastric juice or saliva samples were positive for Helicobacter sp. However, Helicobacter sp. DNA was detected in dental plaque from two dolphins, suggesting the oral cavity might be a reservoir of this bacterium.Fil: Goldman, Cinthia Gabriela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; ArgentinaFil: Loureiro, Julio D.. Fundación Mundo Marino; ArgentinaFil: Quse, Viviana. Fundación Mundo Marino; ArgentinaFil: Corach, Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; ArgentinaFil: Calderon, Enrique. Fundación Mundo Marino; ArgentinaFil: Caro, Ricardo A.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; ArgentinaFil: Boccio, José. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; ArgentinaFil: Heredia, Sergio Rodríguez. Fundación Mundo Marino; ArgentinaFil: Di Carlo, Maria Beatriz. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; ArgentinaFil: Zubillaga, Marcela Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; Argentin

Hypothesis: Somatic Mosaicism and Parkinson Disease

Letter to the EditorFil: Perandones, Carlos Edgardo. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Hospital de Clínicas General San Martín; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; ArgentinaFil: Pellene, L. A. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Hospital de Clínicas General San Martín; ArgentinaFil: Giugni, J. C.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Hospital de Clínicas General San Martín; ArgentinaFil: Calvo, D. S.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Hospital de Clínicas General San Martín; ArgentinaFil: Raina, G. B.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Hospital de Clínicas General San Martín; ArgentinaFil: Cuevas, S. M.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Hospital de Clínicas General San Martín; ArgentinaFil: Mata, I. F.. University of Washington; Estados UnidosFil: Zabetian, C. P.. University of Washington; Estados UnidosFil: Caputo, Mariela. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Servicio de Huellas Digitales Genéticas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; ArgentinaFil: Corach, Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Servicio de Huellas Digitales Genéticas; ArgentinaFil: Micheli, Federico. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Servicio de Huellas Digitales Genéticas; ArgentinaFil: Radrizzani Helguera, Martin. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Escuela de Ciencia y Tecnología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; Argentin

Letter to the Editor: Hypothesis: Somatic Mosaicism and Parkinson Disease

Fil: Perandones, Claudia. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Dirección Científico Técnica; Argentina.Fil: Pellene, Luis A. Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Clínicas. Programa de Parkinson y Movimientos Anormales; Argentina.Fil: Giugni, J. C. Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Clínicas. Programa de Parkinson y Movimientos Anormales; Argentina.Fil: Calvo, D. S. Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Clínicas. Programa de Parkinson y Movimientos Anormales; Argentina.Fil: Raina, G. B. Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Clínicas. Programa de Parkinson y Movimientos Anormales; Argentina.Fil: Cuevas, S. M. Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Clínicas. Programa de Parkinson y Movimientos Anormales; Argentina.Fil: Mata, Ignacio F. University of Washington and VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, Washington; Estados Unidos.Fil: Zabetian, Cyrus P. University of Washington and VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, Washington; Estados Unidos.Fil: Caputo, Mariela. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Escuela de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Servicio de Huellas Digitales Genéticas; Argentina.Fil: Corach, Daniel. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Escuela de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Servicio de Huellas Digitales Genéticas; Argentina.Fil: Micheli, Federico E. Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Clínicas. Programa de Parkinson y Movimientos Anormales; Argentina.Fil: Radrizzani, Martin. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Escuela de Ciencia y Tecnología. Centro de Estudios en Salud y Medio Ambiente. Laboratorio de Citogenética Neuro y Molecular; Argentina

DNA Methods to Identify Missing Persons

Human identification by DNA analysis in missing person cases typically involves comparison of two categories of sample: a reference sample, which could be obtained from intimate items of the person in question or from family members, and the questioned sample from the unknown person-usually derived from the bones, teeth, or soft tissues of human remains. Exceptions include the analysis of archived tissues, such as those held by hospital pathology departments, and the analysis of samples relating to missing, but living persons. DNA is extracted from the questioned and reference samples and well-characterized regions of the genetic code are amplified from each source using the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), which generates sufficient copies of the target region for visualization and comparison of the genetic sequences obtained from each sample. If the DNA sequences of the questioned and reference samples differ, this is normally sufficient for the questioned DNA to be excluded as having come from the same source. If the sequences are identical, statistical analysis is necessary to determine the probability that the match is a consequence of the questioned sequence coming from the same individual who provided the reference sample or from a randomly occurring individual in the general population. Match probabilities that are currently achievable are frequently greater than 1 in 1 billion, allowing identity to be assigned with considerable confidence in many cases

Reconstructing Native American Population History

The peopling of the Americas has been the subject of extensive genetic, archaeological and linguistic research; however, central questions remain unresolved1–5. One contentious issue is whether the settlement occurred via a single6–8 or multiple streams of migration from Siberia9–15. The pattern of dispersals within the Americas is also poorly understood. To address these questions at higher resolution than was previously possible, we assembled data from 52 Native American and 17 Siberian groups genotyped at 364,470 single nucleotide polymorphisms. We show that Native Americans descend from at least three streams of Asian gene flow. Most descend entirely from a single ancestral population that we call “First American”. However, speakers of Eskimo-Aleut languages from the Arctic inherit almost half their ancestry from a second stream of Asian gene flow, and the Na-Dene-speaking Chipewyan from Canada inherit roughly one-tenth of their ancestry from a third stream. We show that the initial peopling followed a southward expansion facilitated by the coast, with sequential population splits and little gene flow after divergence, especially in South America. A major exception is in Chibchan-speakers on both sides of the Panama Isthmus, who have ancestry from both North and South America

Mosaicism of alpha-synuclein gene rearrangements: report of two unrelated cases of early-onset parkinsonism

Fil: Perandones, Claudia. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Dirección Científico Técnica; Argentina.Fil: Giugni, J. C. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Clínicas. Programa de la Enfermedad de Parkinson y Desórdenes del Movimiento, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires; Argentina.Fil: Calvo, D. S. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Clínicas. Programa de la Enfermedad de Parkinson y Desórdenes del Movimiento, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires; Argentina.Fil: Raina, G. B. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Clínicas. Programa de la Enfermedad de Parkinson y Desórdenes del Movimiento, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires; Argentina.Fil: De Jorge Lopez, L. Hospitalet de Llobregat. Institut d’Investigació Biomédica de Bellvitge, Barcelona; España.Fil: Volpini, V. Hospitalet de Llobregat. Institut d’Investigació Biomédica de Bellvitge, Barcelona; España.Fil: Zabetian, Cyrus P. University of Washington and VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, Washington; Estados Unidos.Fil: Mata, Ignacio F. University of Washington and VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, Washington; Estados Unidos.Fil: Caputo, Mariela. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Servicio de Huellas Digitales Genéticas, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires; Argentina.Fil: Corach, Daniel. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Servicio de Huellas Digitales Genéticas, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires; Argentina.Fil: Radrizzani, Martin. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Laboratorio de Neuro y Molecular Citogenética; Argentina.Fil: Micheli, Federico E. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Clínicas. Programa de la Enfermedad de Parkinson y Desórdenes del Movimiento, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires; Argentina.In genetics, the term ‘mosaicism’ describes the situation in which groups of cells have a different genetic composition to other cells in an organism. Somatic gene rearrangements due to multiplication or deletion of genes (copy number variation) and/or sections of chromosomes can lead to mosaicism

Analysis of body fluid mixtures by mtDNA sequencing: An inter-laboratory study of the GEP-ISFG working group

The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) working group of the GEP-ISFG (Spanish and Portuguese Group of the International Society for Forensic Genetics) carried out an inter-laboratory exercise consisting of the analysis of mtDNA sequencing patterns in mixed stains (saliva/semen and blood/semen). Mixtures were prepared with saliva or blood from a female donor and three different semen dilutions (pure, 1:10 and 1:20) in order to simulate forensic casework. All labs extracted the DNA by preferential lysis and amplified and sequenced the first mtDNA hypervariable region (HVS-I). Autosomal and Y-STR markers were also analysed in order to compare nuclear and mitochondrial results from the same DNA extracts. A mixed stain prepared using semen from a vasectomized individual was also analysed. The results were reasonably consistent among labs for the first fractions but not for the second ones, for which some laboratories reported contamination problems. In the first fractions, both the female and male haplotypes were generally detected in those samples prepared with undiluted semen. In contrast, most of the mixtures prepared with diluted semen only yielded the female haplotype, suggesting that the mtDNA copy number per cell is smaller in semen than in saliva or blood. Although the detection level of the male component decreased in accordance with the degree of semen dilution, it was found that the loss of signal was not consistently uniform throughout each electropherogram. Moreover, differences between mixtures prepared from different donors and different body fluids were also observed. We conclude that the particular characteristics of each mixed stain can deeply influence the interpretation of the mtDNA evidence in forensic mixtures (leading in some cases to false exclusions). In this sense, the implementation of preliminary tests with the aim of identifying the fluids involved in the mixture is an essential tool. In addition, in order to prevent incorrect conclusions in the interpretation of electropherograms we strongly recommend: (i) the use of additional sequencing primers to confirm the sequencing results and (ii) interpreting the results to the light of the phylogenetic perspective.Fil: Montesino, M.. No especifíca;Fil: Sala, Adriana Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Crespillo, M.. Instituto Nacional de Toxicologia y Ciencias Forenses; EspañaFil: Albarrán, C.. Instituto Nacional de Toxicologia y Ciencias Forenses; EspañaFil: Alonso, A.. Universidad de Santiago de Compostela; EspañaFil: Álvarez Iglesias, V.. No especifíca;Fil: Cano, J. A.. No especifíca;Fil: Carvalho, M.. No especifíca;Fil: Corach, Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Cruz, C.. No especifíca;Fil: Di Lonardo, A.. No especifíca;Fil: Espinheira, R.. No especifíca;Fil: Farfán, M. J.. No especifíca;Fil: Filippini, S.. No especifíca;Fil: García Hirschfeld, J.. No especifíca;Fil: Hernández, A.. No especifíca;Fil: Lima, G.. No especifíca;Fil: López Cubría, C. M.. No especifíca;Fil: López Soto, M.. No especifíca;Fil: Pagano, S.. No especifíca;Fil: Paredes, M.. No especifíca;Fil: Pinheiro, M. F.. No especifíca;Fil: RodríguezMonge, A. M.. No especifíca;Fil: Sala, A.. No especifíca;Fil: Sóñora, S.. No especifíca;Fil: Sumita, D. R.. No especifíca;Fil: Vide, M. C.. No especifíca;Fil: Whittle, M. R.. No especifíca;Fil: Zurita, A.. No especifíca;Fil: Prieto, L.. No especifíca