Unusual chromosome numbers and polyploidy in invasive fire ant populations

Fire ants (Solenopsis invicta Buren in J Ga Entomol Soc 7:1–26, 1972), an invasive alien ant species, first spread from South America to the United States in the 1930s, the southern part of the United States by the end of the twentieth century, Oceania, Taiwan, and China in the twenty-first century, and finally to Japan and South Korea in 2017. As these ants have significant negative economic, human health, and environmental impacts, the purpose of this research was to accumulate cytogenetic information regarding fire ants and provide basic data for developing management strategies for their control. Fire ants were collected from invasive populations from Taiwan, Florida (USA), and Buenos Aires (Argentina), and a native population from Puerto Iguazu (Argentina), their point of origination, and analyzed with regard to chromosome number, morphology, and polyploidy, silver-stained nucleolar organizer regions (Ag-NORs), and 18S rDNA and telomere fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The results showed that (1) fire ants from invaded populations differed in chromosome morphology compared to those from native populations; (2) the Florida and Taiwanese fire ant populations evinced greater variability in chromosome numbers and polyploidy variations; (3) the Taiwanese population exhibited significantly increased Ag-NOR signals in interphase cells, with signal number significantly positively correlating with distance from native populations; and (4) substantial diversity of signals was also apparent following 18S rDNA and telomere FISH analyses. Variation in these characteristics were hypothesized to be due to (1) the effect of hybridizations and interbreeding between closely related species or genetically distant populations, and (2) the potential effect of large amounts of insecticides sprayed for pest control.Fil: Murakami, Takahiro. Kyushu University; JapónFil: Paris, Carolina Ivon. Universidad de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Chirino, Monica Gabriela. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología. Laboratorio de Entomología Aplicada y Forense; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Sasa, Chifune. Hokkaido University; JapónFil: Sakamoto, Hironori. Hokkaido University; Japón. National Institute for Environmental Studies; JapónFil: Higashi, Seigo. Hokkaido University; JapónFil: Sato, Kazuki. Chiba Isobe High School; Japó

Pooled blood volume measured by final flat-panel detector computed tomography predicts outcome after endovascular thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke

Background: Pooled blood volume (PBV), measured in real-time in the angiography room using an angiography system, correlates with cerebral blood volume (CBV). We examined the usefulness of PBV in endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) for acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Methods: EVT for AIS in the anterior circulation (internal carotid artery (ICA) and middle cerebral artery (MCA)) was performed in 31 cases (13 males, 18 females, average age 75.7 years). PBV was acquired using a biplane flat-panel detector (FD) angiographic system. Then, we measured the average PBV value in the M1-6 regions similar to the Alberta Stroke Program Early CT score (ASPECTS) before and after EVT. We investigated factors associated with favorable outcome at 90 days after EVT. Results: There were 13 patients (41.9%) in the good outcome group (mRS (modified Rankin Scale) ≦2) and 18 patients (58.1%) in the poor outcome group (mRS>2). In univariate analysis, NIHSS (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale) (odds ratio [OR] 0.74, 95% CI 0.57–0.87, p < 0.0001) and post PBV value (odds ratio [OR] 1.13, 95% CI 1.03–1.29, p = 0.0086) were significantly associated with good outcome. The good outcome group had significantly higher post-thrombectomy PBV value (3.69 ± 0.32 ml/100 g versus 2.78 ± 0.93 ml/100 g, P = 0.002) compared to that of the poor outcome group. The relationship between pre-thrombectomy PBV value and outcome at 90 days was not significant. Conclusions: Post-operative PBV value measured by FD-CT (computed tomography) correlated with 90-day outcome after EVT for AIS. FD-CT-PBV would be one of the good predictors of clinical outcome