Suppression of cell-spreading and phagocytic activity on nano-pillared surface: in vitro experiment using hemocytes of the colonial ascidian Botryllus schlosseri.

Nano-scale nipple array on the body surface has been described from various invertebrates including endoparasitic and mesoparasitic copepods, but the functions of the nipple array is not well understood. Using the hydrophilized nanopillar sheets made of polystyrene as a mimetic material of the nipple arrays on the parasites\u2019 body surface, we assayed the cell spreading and phagocytosis of the hemocytes of the colonial ascidian Botryllus schlosseri. On the pillared surface, the number of spreading amebocytes and the number of phagocytizing hemocytes per unit area were always smaller than those on the flat surface (Mann-Whitney test, p < 0.05 - 0.001), probably because the effective area for the cell attachment on the pillared surface is much smaller than the area on the flat sheet. The present results supports the idea that the nipple array on the parasites' body surface reduces the innate immune reaction from the host hemocytes

Epidemiology of gastroschisis: A population-based study in California from 1995 to 2012.

BackgroundAlthough the incidence of gastroschisis is increasing, risk factors are not clearly identified.MethodsUsing the Linked Birth Database from the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development from 1995 to 2012, patients with gastroschisis were identified by ICD-9 diagnosis/procedure code or birth certificate designation. Logistic regressions examined demographics, birth factors, and maternal exposures on risk of gastroschisis.ResultsThe prevalence of gastroschisis was 2.7 cases per 10,000 live births. Patients with gastroschisis had no difference in fetal exposure to alcohol (p = 0.609), narcotics (p = 0.072), hallucinogenics (p = 0.239), or cocaine (p = 0.777), but had higher exposure to unspecified/other noxious substances (OR 3.27, p = 0.040; OR 2.02, p = 0.002). Gastroschisis was associated with low/very low birthweight (OR 5.08-16.21, p &lt; 0.001) and preterm birth (OR 3.26-10.0, p &lt; 0.001). Multivariable analysis showed lower risk in black (OR 0.44, p &lt; 0.001), Asian/Pacific Islander (OR 0.76, p = 0.003), and Hispanic patients (OR 0.72, p &lt; 0.001) compared to white patients. Risk was higher in rural areas (OR 1.24-1.76, p = 0.001). Compared to women age &lt; 20, risk decreased with advancing maternal age (OR 0.49-OR 0.03, p &lt; 0.001). Patients with gastroschisis had increased total charges ($336,270 vs.$9012, p &lt; 0.001) and length of stay (38.1 vs. 2.9 days, p &lt; 0.001). Mortality was 4.6%.ConclusionsThis is the largest population-based study summarizing current epidemiology of gastroschisis in California.Type of studyRetrospective comparative cohort study.Level of evidenceIII

Morfologia comparada das gônadas de pentatomídeos de importância agrícola.

Os percevejos fitófagos são de grande importância agrícola e afetam a produtividade de algumas culturas. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar o sistema reprodutor desses percevejos, e fazer uma análise comparativa para constatar se pode haver distinções morfológicas intra e inter-específicas

Avaliação dos estágios de desenvolvimento gonodal de percevejos fitófagos (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae).

O objetivo deste trabalho é avaliar o estádio de desenvolvimento das gônadas de diferentes espécies de percevejos fitófagos, caracterizando seu período de diapausa.Pôster - graduação

Orbital current mode in elliptical quantum dots

An orbital current mode peculiar to deformed quantum dots is theoretically investigated; first by using a simple model that allows to interpret analytically its main characteristics, and second, by numerically solving the microscopic equations of time evolution after an initial perturbation within the time-dependent local-spin-density approximation. Results for different deformations and sizes are shown.Comment: 4 REVTEX pages, 4 PDF figures, accepted in PRB:R

Locking of the Rotation of Disk-Accreting Magnetized Stars

We investigate the rotational equilibrium state of a disk accreting magnetized stars using axisymmetric magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations. In this ``locked'' state, the spin-up torque balances the spin-down torque so that the net average torque on the star is zero. We investigated two types of initial conditions, one with a relatively weak stellar magnetic field and a high coronal density, and the other with a stronger stellar field and a lower coronal density. We observed that for both initial conditions the rotation of the star is locked to the rotation of the disk. In the second case, the radial field lines carry significant angular momentum out of the star. However, this did not appreciably change the condition for locking of the rotation of the star. We find that in the equilibrium state the corotation radius $r_{co}$ is related to the magnetospheric radius $r_A$ as $r_{co}/r_A\approx 1.2-1.3$ for case (1) and $r_{co}/r_A\approx 1.4-1.5$ for case (2). We estimated periods of rotation in the equilibrium state for classical T Tauri stars, dwarf novae and X-ray millisecond pulsars.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures. Accepted by ApJ, will appear in vol. 634, 2005 December

Macrophage recruitment and epithelial repair following hair cell injury in the mouse utricle

The sensory organs of the inner ear possess resident populations of macrophages, but the function of those cells is poorly understood. In many tissues, macrophages participate in the removal of cellular debris after injury and can also promote tissue repair. The present study examined injury-evoked macrophage activity in the mouse utricle. Experiments used transgenic mice in which the gene for the human diphtheria toxin receptor (huDTR) was inserted under regulation of the Pou4f3 promoter. Hair cells in such mice can be selectively lesioned by systemic treatment with diphtheria toxin (DT). In order to visualize macrophages, Pou4f3-huDTR mice were crossed with a second transgenic line, in which one or both copies of the gene for the fractalkine receptor CX3CR1 were replaced with a gene for GFP. Such mice expressed GFP in all macrophages, and mice that were CX3CR1GFP/GFP lacked the necessary receptor for fractalkine signaling. Treatment with DT resulted in the death of ~70% of utricular hair cells within seven days, which was accompanied by increased numbers of macrophages within the utricular sensory epithelium. Many of these macrophages appeared to be actively engulfing hair cell debris, indicating that macrophages participate in the process of ‘corpse removal’ in the mammalian vestibular organs. However, we observed no apparent differences in injury-evoked macrophage numbers in the utricles of CX3CR1+/GFP mice vs. CX3CR1GFP/GFP mice, suggesting that fractalkine signaling is not necessary for macrophage recruitment in these sensory organs. Finally, we found that repair of sensory epithelia at short times after DT-induced hair cell lesions was mediated by relatively thin cables of F-actin. After 56 days recovery, however, all cell-cell junctions were characterized by very thick actin cables

Avaliação do dano de Heliothis virescens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) em algodão (Gossypium hirsutum).

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar dano de Heliothis virencens em algodão a partir do estádio fenológico F7.Pôster - pós-graduação