Species Composition And Seasonal Succession Of Saprophagous Calliphorids In A Rural Area Of Córdoba, Argentina

During 2004, four experiments were carried out, one each season, in order to determine the species composition and seasonal dynamics of Calliphoridae in a rural area of Córdoba (Argentina). Two pigs (Sus scrofa L.), weighing approximately 8 Kg each, were used in each experiment. They were killed with a blow to the head and immediately placed in a variant of the Schoenly et al. (1991) trap. One pig was exposed in the shade and the other one under direct sunlight. The insect fauna was collected daily during the four first weeks and every two or three days thereafter. A total of 16.609 adults of Calliphoridae were collected, and later on identified as one of the following seven species: Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemann), Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius), Phaenicia sericata (Meigen), Phaenicia eximia (Wiedemann), Cochliomyia macellaria (Fabricius), Sarconesia chlorogaster (Wiedemann) and Calliphora vicina Robineau-Desvoidy. C. albiceps was the dominant species in summer, autumn and spring, being replaced in winter by C. vicina, S. chlorogaster and P. sericata. The analysis of the seasonal distribution of the species revealed that the greater incidences are in the months of summer, autumn and spring.402163171BATTÁN HORENSTEIN, M., ARNALDOS, M.I., ROSSO, B., GARCÍA, M.D., Estudio preliminar de la comunidad sarcosaprófaga en Córdoba (Argentina): Aplicación a la entomología forense (2005) Anales de Biología, 27, pp. 191-201BAUMGARTNER, D.L., GREENBERG, B., Distribution of medical ecology of the blowflies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) of Peru (1985) Annals of Entomological Society of America, 78, pp. 565-587CARVALHO, L.M.L., LINHARES, A.X., Seasonality of insect seccession and pig carcass decomposition in a natural forest area in southeastern Brazil (2001) J Foren Sci, 46 (3), pp. 604-608CARVALHO, L.M.L., THYSSEN, P.J., LINDARES, A.X., PALHARES, F.A.B., A checklist of arthropods associated with pig carrion and human corpses in southeastern Brazil (2000) Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz, 95 (1), pp. 135-138CATTS, E.P., GOFF, M.L., Forensic Entomology in Criminal Investigation (1992) Annu Rev Entomol, 37, pp. 253-272CENTENO, N., MALDONADO, M., OLIVA, A., Seasonal patterns of arthropods ocurring on sheltered and unsheltered pig carcasses in Buenos Aires Province (Argentina) (2002) Forensic Sci Internat, 126, pp. 63-70FERREIRA, M.J.M., Sinantropía de dípteros muscóideos de Curitiba, Paraná. I: Calliphoridae (1978) Rev Bras Biol, 38, pp. 445-454FERREIRA, M.J.M., BARBOLA, I.F., Sinantropia de Califorídeos (Insecta: Diptera) de Curitiba, Paraná, Brasil (1998) Rev Brasil Biol, 58 (2), pp. 203-209FISCHER OL, MÁTLOVÁ, DVORSKÁ L, SVÁSTOVÁ P, BARTL J, MELICHÁREK I, WESTON RT, PAVLÍK I (2001) Diptera as vector of mycobacterial infections in cattle and pigs. Med Vet Entomol 15: 208-211GUIMARÃES, J.H., PRADO, A.P., LINHARES, A.X., Three newly introduced blowfly species in southern Brazil (Diptera: Calliphoridae) (1978) Rev Bras Ent, 22, pp. 53-60GUIMARÃES, J.H.G., PAPAVERO, N., PRADO, A.P., As miíases na região Neotropical: Identificação, biologia, bibliografia (1983) Rev Bras Zool, 1, pp. 239-416KUUSELA, S., HANSKI, I., The structure of carrion fly comminities: The size and the type of carrion (1982) Holartica Ecology, 5, pp. 337-348LINHARES, A.X., Synanthropy of Calliphoridae and Sarcophagidae (Diptera) in the city of Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil (1981) Rev Bras Ent, 25 (3), pp. 189-215MARILUIS, J.C., SCHNACK, J.A., Ecología de una taxocenosis de Calliphoridae del área platense (Provincia de Buenos Aires) (Insecta, Diptera) (1986) Ecosur, 12-13 (23-24), pp. 81-91MARILUIS, J.C., SCHNACK, J.A., Ecology of the blow flies of an eusynanthropic habitat near Buenos Aires (Diptera, Calliphoridae) (1989) Eos, 165, pp. 93-101MARILUIS, J.C., SCHNACK, J.A., CERVERERIZZO, I., QUINTANA, C., (1826) Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel, 1858) and Phaenicia sericata, 32, pp. 7-24. , Meigen, parasiting domestic animals in Buenos Aires and vicinities Diptera, Calliphoridae, Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 89: 139MARILUIS JC, SCHNACK JA (1996) Elenco específico y aspectos ecológicos de Calliphoridae (Insecta, Diptera) de San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina. Bol R Soc Esp Hist Nat (Sec. Biol.) 92: 1-4MOURA, M.O., CARVALHO, C.J.B., FILHO ELA, M., A preliminary analisis of insects of medico-legal importance in Curitiba, State of Paraná (1997) Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz, 92 (2), pp. 269-274NUORTEVA, P., Sarcosaprophagous insects as forensic indicators (1977) Forensic Medicine: A study in trauma and environmental hazards, 3, pp. 1072-1095. , TEDESCHI, C.G, ECKERT, W.G. & TEDESCHI, L.G, Eds, Philadelphia, London W.B. Saunders CoOLIVA, A., Insectos de Interés Forense de Buenos Aires (Argentina). Primera lista ilustrada y datos bionómicos. Revista de Museo argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia (1997) Entomología, Tomo VII, (2), pp. 13-59RICKLEFS, R., Invitación a la Ecología (1996) La economía de la naturaleza, , Editorial Médica Panamericana(1986) SAS User's guide: Statictics, , SAS INSTITUTE INC , 6 ed. Cary, North CarolinaSCHNACK, J.A., MARILUIS, J.C., CENTENO, N., MUZÓN, J., Composición específica, ecología y sinantropía de Calliphoridae (Insecta: Diptera) en el Gran Buenos Aires (1995) Rev Soc Entomol Argent, 54 (1-4), pp. 161-171SCHNACK, J.A., MARILUIS, J.C., SPINELLI, G.R., MUZÓN, J., Ecological aspects on urban blowflies in midwest Argentinean Patagonia (Diptera: Calliphoridae) (1998) Rev Soc Entomol Argent, 57 (1-4), pp. 127-130SCHOENLY, K., GRIEST, K., RHINE, S., An experimental field protocol for investigating the postmortem interval using multidisciplinary indicators (1991) J Forensic Sci JFSCA, 36 (5), pp. 1395-1415(1986) A manual of forensic entomology, , SMITH KGV (, The trustees of the British Museum Natural History, LondonSOUZA, A.M., LINHARES, A.X., Diptera and Coleoptera of potential forensic importance in southeastern Brazil: Relative abundance and seasonality (1997) Med Vet Entomol, 11, pp. 8-1

Perigenual anterior cingulate morphology covaries with perceived social standing

Low socioeconomic status (SES) increases the risk for developing psychiatric and chronic medical disorders. A stress-related pathway by which low SES may affect mental and physical health is through the perception of holding a low social standing, termed low subjective social status. This proposal implicates overlapping brain regions mediating stress reactivity and socioemotional behaviors as neuroanatomical substrates that could plausibly link subjective social status to health-related outcomes. In a test of this proposal, we used a computational structural neuroimaging method (voxel-based morphometry) in a healthy community sample to examine the relationships between reports of subjective social status and regional gray matter volume. Results showed that after accounting for potential demographic confounds, subclinical depressive symptoms, dispositional forms of negative emotionality and conventional indicators of SES, self-reports of low subjective social status uniquely covaried with reduced gray matter volume in the perigenual area of the anterior cingulate cortex (pACC)—a brain region involved in experiencing emotions and regulating behavioral and physiological reactivity to psychosocial stress. The pACC may represent a neuroanatomical substrate by which perceived social standing relates to mental and physical health

Droppings From Captive Coturnix coturnix (Galliformes: Phasianidae) as a Fly Breeding Resource

The aim of this study was to describe the fauna of flies associated with captive Coturnix coturnix (L.) (Galliformes: Phasianidae) droppings. Samples of 150 g of quail droppings were exposed in the quail house for 48 h in plastic containers to promote eventual access of flies, and then placed in emergence traps. The number of adults and species emerging was recorded daily. This procedure was carried out in spring 2008 and spring and autumn 2009. In total, 2,138 adults belonging to Muscidae, Calliphoridae, Piophilidae, Phoridae, Fanniidae, and Milichiidae families were collected. The most numerous family was Muscidae (representing >82% of the total specimens), with Musca domestica L. being the most abundant species followed by Ophyra aenescens (Wiedemann) (both Diptera: Muscidae). Quail breeding should include adequate droppings management policies to avoid potential sanitary issues related to fly productionFil: Battan Horenstein, Moira. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Cordoba. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecologia Animal; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Lynch Ianello, I.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinar de Biología Vegetal (p). Grupo Vinculado Centro de Relevamiento y Evaluacion de Recursos Agricolas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: de Dió, B.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinar de Biología Vegetal (p). Grupo Vinculado Centro de Relevamiento y Evaluacion de Recursos Agricolas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Gleiser, Raquel M.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinar de Biología Vegetal (p). Grupo Vinculado Centro de Relevamiento y Evaluacion de Recursos Agricolas y Naturales; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentin

Circulating CD34+ Cell Count is Associated with Extent of Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Asymptomatic Amish Men, Independent of 10-Year Framingham Risk

Background Bone-marrow derived progenitor cells (PCs) may play a role in maintaining vascular health by actively repairing damaged endothelium. The purpose of this study in asymptomatic Old Order Amish men (n = 90) without hypertension or diabetes was to determine if PC count, as determined by CD34+ cell count in peripheral blood, was associated with 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and measures of subclinical atherosclerosis. Methods and Results CD34+ cell count by fluorescence-activated cell sorting, coronary artery calcification (CAC) by electron beam computed tomography, and CVD risk factors were obtained. Carotid intimal-medial thickness (CIMT) also was obtained in a subset of 57 men. After adjusting for 10-year CVD risk, CD34+ cell count was significantly associated with CAC quantity ( p =0.03) and CIMT ( p < 0.0001). A 1-unit increase in natural-log transformed CD34+ cell count was associated with an estimated 55.2% decrease (95% CI: −77.8% to −9.3%) in CAC quantity and an estimated 14.3% decrease (95% CI: −20.1% to −8.1%) in CIMT. Conclusions Increased CD34+ cell count was associated with a decrease in extent of subclinical atherosclerosis in multiple arterial beds, independent of 10-year CVD risk. Further investigations of associations of CD34+ cell count with subclinical atherosclerosis in asymptomatic individuals could provide mechanistic insights into the atherosclerotic process

A Hydrophobic Gate in an Ion Channel: The Closed State of the Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor

The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) is the prototypic member of the `Cys-loop' superfamily of ligand-gated ion channels which mediate synaptic neurotransmission, and whose other members include receptors for glycine, gamma-aminobutyric acid, and serotonin. Cryo-electron microscopy has yielded a three dimensional structure of the nAChR in its closed state. However, the exact nature and location of the channel gate remains uncertain. Although the transmembrane pore is constricted close to its center, it is not completely occluded. Rather, the pore has a central hydrophobic zone of radius about 3 A. Model calculations suggest that such a constriction may form a hydrophobic gate, preventing movement of ions through a channel. We present a detailed and quantitative simulation study of the hydrophobic gating model of the nicotinic receptor, in order to fully evaluate this hypothesis. We demonstrate that the hydrophobic constriction of the nAChR pore indeed forms a closed gate. Potential of mean force (PMF) calculations reveal that the constriction presents a barrier of height ca. 10 kT to the permeation of sodium ions, placing an upper bound on the closed channel conductance of 0.3 pS. Thus, a 3 A radius hydrophobic pore can form a functional barrier to the permeation of a 1 A radius Na+ ion. Using a united atom force field for the protein instead of an all atom one retains the qualitative features but results in differing conductances, showing that the PMF is sensitive to the detailed molecular interactions.Comment: Accepted by Physical Biology; includes a supplement and a supplementary mpeg movie can be found at http://sbcb.bioch.ox.ac.uk/oliver/download/Movies/watergate.mp

Intelligent data analysis to interpret major risk factors for diabetic patients with and without ischemic stroke in a small population

This study proposes an intelligent data analysis approach to investigate and interpret the distinctive factors of diabetes mellitus patients with and without ischemic (non-embolic type) stroke in a small population. The database consists of a total of 16 features collected from 44 diabetic patients. Features include age, gender, duration of diabetes, cholesterol, high density lipoprotein, triglyceride levels, neuropathy, nephropathy, retinopathy, peripheral vascular disease, myocardial infarction rate, glucose level, medication and blood pressure. Metric and non-metric features are distinguished. First, the mean and covariance of the data are estimated and the correlated components are observed. Second, major components are extracted by principal component analysis. Finally, as common examples of local and global classification approach, a k-nearest neighbor and a high-degree polynomial classifier such as multilayer perceptron are employed for classification with all the components and major components case. Macrovascular changes emerged as the principal distinctive factors of ischemic-stroke in diabetes mellitus. Microvascular changes were generally ineffective discriminators. Recommendations were made according to the rules of evidence-based medicine. Briefly, this case study, based on a small population, supports theories of stroke in diabetes mellitus patients and also concludes that the use of intelligent data analysis improves personalized preventive intervention

Effects of APOC3 Heterozygous Deficiency on Plasma Lipid and Lipoprotein Metabolism.

Objective- Apo (apolipoprotein) CIII inhibits lipoprotein lipase (LpL)-mediated lipolysis of VLDL (very-low-density lipoprotein) triglyceride (TG) and decreases hepatic uptake of VLDL remnants. The discovery that 5% of Lancaster Old Order Amish are heterozygous for the APOC3 R19X null mutation provided the opportunity to determine the effects of a naturally occurring reduction in apo CIII levels on the metabolism of atherogenic containing lipoproteins. Approach and Results- We conducted stable isotope studies of VLDL-TG and apoB100 in 5 individuals heterozygous for the null mutation APOC3 R19X (CT) and their unaffected (CC) siblings. Fractional clearance rates and production rates of VLDL-TG and apoB100 in VLDL, IDL (intermediate-density lipoprotein), LDL, apo CIII, and apo CII were determined. Affected (CT) individuals had 49% reduction in plasma apo CIII levels compared with CCs ( P<0.01) and reduced plasma levels of TG (35%, P<0.02), VLDL-TG (45%, P<0.02), and VLDL-apoB100 (36%, P<0.05). These changes were because of higher fractional clearance rates of VLDL-TG and VLDL-apoB100 with no differences in production rates. CTs had higher rates of the conversion of VLDL remnants to LDL compared with CCs. In contrast, rates of direct removal of VLDL remnants did not differ between the groups. As a result, the flux of apoB100 from VLDL to LDL was not reduced, and the plasma levels of LDL-cholesterol and LDL-apoB100 were not lower in the CT group. Apo CIII production rate was lower in CTs compared with CCs, whereas apo CII production rate was not different between the 2 groups. The fractional clearance rates of both apo CIII and apo CII were higher in CTs than CCs. Conclusions- These studies demonstrate that 50% reductions in plasma apo CIII, in otherwise healthy subjects, results in a significantly higher rate of conversion of VLDL to LDL, with little effect on direct hepatic uptake of VLDL. When put in the context of studies demonstrating significant protection from cardiovascular events in individuals with loss of function variants in the APOC3 gene, our results provide strong evidence that therapies which increase the efficiency of conversion of VLDL to LDL, thereby reducing remnant concentrations, should reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease

Acute-Phase Serum Amyloid A: An Inflammatory Adipokine and Potential Link between Obesity and Its Metabolic Complications

BACKGROUND: Obesity is associated with low-grade chronic inflammation, and serum markers of inflammation are independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the molecular and cellular mechanisms that link obesity to chronic inflammation and CVD are poorly understood. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Acute-phase serum amyloid A (A-SAA) mRNA levels, and A-SAA adipose secretion and serum levels were measured in obese and nonobese individuals, obese participants who underwent weight-loss, and persons treated with the insulin sensitizer rosiglitazone. Inflammation-eliciting activity of A-SAA was investigated in human adipose stromal vascular cells, coronary vascular endothelial cells and a murine monocyte cell line. We demonstrate that A-SAA was highly and selectively expressed in human adipocytes. Moreover, A-SAA mRNA levels and A-SAA secretion from adipose tissue were significantly correlated with body mass index ( r = 0.47; p = 0.028 and r = 0.80; p = 0.0002, respectively). Serum A-SAA levels decreased significantly after weight loss in obese participants ( p = 0.006), as well as in those treated with rosiglitazone ( p = 0.033). The magnitude of the improvement in insulin sensitivity after weight loss was significantly correlated with decreases in serum A-SAA ( r = −0.74; p = 0.034). SAA treatment of vascular endothelial cells and monocytes markedly increased the production of inflammatory cytokines, e.g., interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1. In addition, SAA increased basal lipolysis in adipose tissue culture by 47%. CONCLUSIONS: A-SAA is a proinflammatory and lipolytic adipokine in humans. The increased expression of A-SAA by adipocytes in obesity suggests that it may play a critical role in local and systemic inflammation and free fatty acid production and could be a direct link between obesity and its comorbidities, such as insulin resistance and atherosclerosis. Accordingly, improvements in systemic inflammation and insulin resistance with weight loss and rosiglitazone therapy may in part be mediated by decreases in adipocyte A-SAA production