Myiasis in domestic cats: A global review

Myiasis is an infestation caused by larvae of Diptera in humans and other vertebrates. In domestic cats, Felis silvestris catus L. (Carnivora: Felidae), four dipteran families have been reported as agents of obligatory and facultative myiasis: Oestridae, Calliphoridae, Sarcophagidae and Muscidae. Among agents of obligatory myiasis, the most frequent genus is Cuterebra Clark (Oestridae) and the most frequent species is Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel) (Calliphoridae). Among the agents of facultative myiasis, the most frequent species is Lucilia sericata (Meigen) (Calliphoridae). A survey of myiasis in cats reported in literature shows that the cases are distributed worldwide and linked to the geographical range of the dipteran species. Factors favouring the occurrence of myiasis in cats are prowling in infested areas, poor hygiene conditions due to diseases and/or neglect, and wounds inflicted during territorial or reproductive competition. The aim of the review is to provide an extended survey of literature on myiasis in cats, as general information and possible development of guidelines for veterinarians, entomologists and other researchers interested in the field

Apellidos, estructura genética y dinámica evolutiva de la Argentina

Los apellidos proporcionan una estimación de la estructura genética de las poblaciones humanas, de su consanguinidad y aislamiento. En este trabajo se analizó la distribución de los apellidos de 22,6 millones de electores, registrados en el Padrón Electoral Nacional (2000-2001) agrupados en 24 distritos, para cada uno de los cuales se calculó el coeficiente de consanguinidad por isonimia al azar (FST), el indicador de migración reciente (ν) y la diversidad de apellidos (α). Se calcularon las distancias isonímicas con las que se construyó un dendograma. Se encontraron 414.441 apellidos diferentes, siendo González el más común. Los apellidos más frecuentes de la Argentina son todos de origen ibérico, sin embargo, sólo 41 de ellos figuran entre los 100 más frecuentes en España. Los valores más elevados de FST se presentaron en La Rioja, Corrientes y Santiago del Estero, y los más bajos en Capital Federal, Río Negro, La Pampa, Buenos Aires y Santa Fé. La distribución geográfica de los valores de α presentó un gradiente decreciente desde el Atlántico hacia el sur y hacia los Andes lo que indicaría un gradiente temporal en el asentamiento de los inmigrantes. Los agrupamientos del dendograma coinciden con las grandes regiones geográficas de la Argentina. Los parámetros isonímicos empleados permiten describir adecuadamente la estructura genética de la Argentina y coinciden con las particularidades de su poblamiento.Asociación de Antropología Biológica de la República Argentin

Apellidos, estructura genética y dinámica evolutiva de la Argentina

Los apellidos proporcionan una estimación de la estructura genética de las poblaciones humanas, de su consanguinidad y aislamiento. En este trabajo se analizó la distribución de los apellidos de 22,6 millones de electores, registrados en el Padrón Electoral Nacional (2000-2001) agrupados en 24 distritos, para cada uno de los cuales se calculó el coeficiente de consanguinidad por isonimia al azar (FST), el indicador de migración reciente (ν) y la diversidad de apellidos (α). Se calcularon las distancias isonímicas con las que se construyó un dendograma. Se encontraron 414.441 apellidos diferentes, siendo González el más común. Los apellidos más frecuentes de la Argentina son todos de origen ibérico, sin embargo, sólo 41 de ellos figuran entre los 100 más frecuentes en España. Los valores más elevados de FST se presentaron en La Rioja, Corrientes y Santiago del Estero, y los más bajos en Capital Federal, Río Negro, La Pampa, Buenos Aires y Santa Fé. La distribución geográfica de los valores de α presentó un gradiente decreciente desde el Atlántico hacia el sur y hacia los Andes lo que indicaría un gradiente temporal en el asentamiento de los inmigrantes. Los agrupamientos del dendograma coinciden con las grandes regiones geográficas de la Argentina. Los parámetros isonímicos empleados permiten describir adecuadamente la estructura genética de la Argentina y coinciden con las particularidades de su poblamiento.Asociación de Antropología Biológica de la República Argentin

Modulation of clinical expression of plaque-induced gingivitis: Interleukin-1 gene cluster polymorphisms

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the present study was to determine the association of interleukin-1 (IL-1) gene polymorphisms with clinical parameters of gingivitis in a large experimental gingivitis trial and with each of two subgroups, high responders (HR) and low responders (LR), with distinct susceptibility to gingivitis. METHODS: Ninety-six systemically and periodontally healthy non-smokers, 46 males (mean age: 23.9+/-1.7) and 50 females (mean age: 23.3+/-1.6) were included in a randomized, split-mouth, localized 21-day experimental gingivitis trial. Plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), gingival crevicular fluid volume (GCF), and angulated bleeding score (AngBS) were recorded. Two subgroups were defined from the total study population (HR, LR) characterized by substantially different severity of gingival inflammation despite similar plaque accumulation rate. The study population was typed for interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1A+4845), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1B+3953, IL-1B-511), and IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RN, intron 2 variable number tandem repeats) gene polymorphisms. Gene variants were analyzed by amplifying the polymorphic region using polymerase chain reaction, followed by restriction-enzyme digestion and agarose gel electrophoresis. RESULTS: Neither IL-1A+4845, IL-1B+3953, or the combined (IL-1A+4845 x 2 - IL-1B+3953 x 2) genotype was associated with clinical parameters in the overall population. IL-1RN was significantly associated with test quadrant PI (P= 0.046), GCF (P= 0.05), and GI (P= 0.018). The genotype distribution in HR and LR subjects was significantly different for IL-1RN (P= 0.045) and for IL-1B-511 (P= 0.023). CONCLUSION: The results of the present study suggest an association between IL-1RN polymorphism and subject-based clinical behavior of the gingiva in response to de novo plaque accumulation, as well as a possible association between IL-1B-511 polymorphism and gingivitis susceptibility

Surnames in Texas: a population study through isonymy.

To study the isonymy structure of Texas, we analyzed the surname distributions of 3.6 million telephone users registered for the year 1996 in 232 towns distributed in the 7 regions of the state. The number of different surnames was 235,740. Matrices of isonymy distances between towns and between geographic regions were constructed and tested for correlation with geographic distance. We found that isonymy distances between the seven regions showed borderline or no correlation with geographic distance, with r = 0.089 +/- 0.232, r = 0.492 +/- 0.232, and r = 0.337 +/- 0.232 for Lasker's, Euclidean, and Nei's distances, respectively. Isonymy distances between towns were significantly correlated with geographic distance, with r = 0.249 +/- 0.006 for Lasker's distance, r = 0.338 +/- 0.006 for the Euclidean distance, and r = 0.418 +/- 0.006 for Nei's distance. Two dendrograms, one for the 7 regions and one for the 232 towns, were built from the matrices of Nei's distances. The dendrogram for regions indicates that a main surname differentiation exists between the East and West areas of Texas, with West Texas being predominantly Hispanic and East Texas being predominantly English-speaking. The dendrogram for the towns confirms in detail the differences identified by the matrix of distances between regions. Random inbreeding calculated from isonymy, F(ST), was highest in the west and in the south of the state. It was lowest in the area of Austin and Houston. Average Fisher's alpha for towns was 734, for regions it was 1,047, and for Texas as a whole it was 1,230. The geographic distribution of alpha in the state shows distinctly lower values in the traditionally Hispanic west and higher values in the east and on the Gulf of Mexico

Isonymy and Isolation by Distance in Italy

The isonymy structure of Italy was studied using the surname distribution of 5,043,580 private telephone users selected from a 1996 commercial CD-ROM that contains all 24 million users in the country. The users were distributed in 123 towns selected on a geographic basis. The 123 towns were either on the main communication roads of the country or at the ends of such roads. The shortest distance between nearest neighbor towns was 5.3 km (Carrara and Massa), and the largest distance was 1,136 km (Aosta and Castrignano del Capo). The number of different surnames found in the whole analysis was 215,623. Lasker’s distance, the negative value of the logarithm of random isonymy between localities, was linearly and significantly correlated with the logarithm of geographic distance, with r = 0.63 ± 0.008. A dendrogram was built from the matrix of isonymy distances, using UPGMA. It separates the Italian towns into 5 main clusters: 1 in the southern portion of the country, a second cluster toward the center, and 3 in the northern area of Italy. Within each cluster small subclusters with specific geographic distributions could be related to regional borders. Comparisons with the results of a previous analysis of Switzerland and Germany’s structures are given. From the present analysis isolation by distance emerges clearly, although it is less strong than in Switzerland and stronger than in Germany. The random component of inbreeding estimated from isonymy indicates that the southern area of Italy is on average more inbred than the northern area. In fact, the heterogeneity is greater in the northern area, particularly in the plain of the Po River, than anywhere else in Italy

ISONYMY AND ISOLATION BY DISTANCE IN ITALY

The isonymy structure of Italy was studied using the surname distribution of 5,043,580 private telephone users selected from a 1996 commercial CD-ROM that contains all 24 million users in the country. The users were distributed in 123 towns selected on a geographic basis. The 123 towns were either on the main communication roads of the country or at the ends of such roads. The shortest distance between nearest neighbor towns was 5.3 km (Carrara and Massa), and the largest distance was 1,136 km (Aosta and Castrignano del Capo). The number of different surnames found in the whole analysis was 215,623. Lasker's distance, the negative value of the logarithm of random isonymy between localities, was linearly and significantly correlated with the logarithm of geographic distance, with r = 0.63 +/- 0.008. A dendrogram was built from the matrix of isonymy distances, using UPGMA. It separates the Italian towns into 5 main clusters: 1 in the southern portion of the country, a second cluster toward the center, and 3 in the northern area of Italy. Within each cluster small subclusters with specific geographic distributions could be related to regional borders. Comparisons with the results of a previous analysis of Switzerland and Germany's structures are given. From the present analysis isolation by distance emerges clearly, although it is less strong than in Switzerland and stronger than in Germany. The random component of inbreeding estimated from isonymy indicates that the southern area of Italy is on average more inbred than the northern area. In fact, the heterogeneity is greater in the northern area, particularly in the plain of the Po River, than anywhere else in Ital

Isolation by distance in Germany

The isonymy structure of Germany has been studied by using the surname distributions in private telephone users. Germany was subdivided in 50 adjacent rectangles having side 115x80 kms; at least the largest town in the rectangle was selected and the private telephone users in its district were included in the analysis. The number of different surnames found in the whole analysis was 462,580. Lasker's distance was found to be linearly and significantly correlated with the geographic distance, with r=0.51±0.010. A dendrogram was built with the matrix of isonymy distance, using the UPGMA method. It separates the German towns in two main clusters, one in the southern half of the country and the other in the northern. The two main clusters correspond fairly well to the north-south division of german sublanguages (Nieder and Mitteldeutsch in the North vs. Frankish-Alemannisch in the South). The other clusters are related to minor sublanguages. Comparisons with the results of a previous analysis, show that isolation by distance in Germany is less strong than in Switzerland and indicate that this Country has a fairly homogeneous isonymy structure

Surnames in Texas: A Population Study Through Isonymy

To study the isonymy structure of Texas, we analyzed the surname distributions of 3.6 million telephone users registered for the year 1996 in 232 towns distributed in the 7 regions of the state. The number of different surnames was 235,740. Matrices of isonymy distances between towns and between geographic regions were constructed and tested for correlation with geographic distance. We found that isonymy distances between the seven regions showed borderline or no correlation with geographic distance, with r = 0.089 ± 0.232, r = 0.492 ± 0.232, and r = 0.337 ± 0.232 for Lasker’s, Euclidean, and Nei’s distances, respectively. Isonymy distances between towns were significantly correlated with geographic distance, with r = 0.249 ± 0.006 for Lasker’s distance, r = 0.338 ± 0.006 for the Euclidean distance, and r = 0.418 ± 0.006 for Nei’s distance. Two dendrograms, one for the 7 regions and one for the 232 towns, were built from the matrices of Nei’s distances. The dendrogram for regions indicates that a main surname differentiation exists between the East and West areas of Texas, with West Texas being predominantly Hispanic and East Texas being predominantly English-speaking. The dendrogram for the towns confirms in detail the differences identified by the matrix of distances between regions. Random inbreeding calculated from isonymy, FST , was highest in the west and in the south of the state. It was lowest in the area of Austin and Houston. Average Fisher’s α for towns was 734, for regions it was 1,047, and for Texas as a whole it was 1,230. The geographic distribution of α in the state shows distinctly lower values in the traditionally Hispanic west and higher values in the east and on the Gulf of Mexico

Elements of the surname structure of Austria

The isonymy structure of Austria was studied using the surname distributions in 1081002 private telephone users selected from about 4000000 registered in a 1996 commercial CD-ROM, which contains all Austrian users. The sample was distributed in 120 towns representing an approximately uniform distribution over the country. The number of different surnames found in the whole analysis was 140766. Lasker's distance, the negative value of the logarithm of isonymy between localities, was found to be linearly and significantly correlated with the log of geographic distance, with r = 0.565 +/- 0.011. A dendrogram was built with the matrix of isonymy distance, using the Unweighted Pair-Group Method using Arithmetic averages, UPGMA. It separates the Austrian towns in five main clusters, one along the central portion of the country, another one which occupies the northern region of central Austria; then comes a third cluster at the north-eastern part, a fourth cluster in the western region, and finally a small cluster towards the border with Slovenia. Within each, small subclusters with specific geographic distributions could be delimited. The main clusters correspond fairly well to the classic regions of Austria. The results were compared with those obtained in similar analyses of Switzerland, Germany, Italy and Venezuela. From the present analysis, isolation by distance emerges clearly, and it is stronger than in Germany but smaller than that observed in Italy, Switzerland and Venezuela. The random component of inbreeding estimated from isonymy, at the level of resolution used here, indicates that the inbreeding level in Austria is rather uniform