MR Imaging of the Midfoot and Forefoot

MR imaging is the diagnostic modality of choice for the evaluation of traumatic, inflammatory and neoplastic processes affecting the midfoot and forefoot soft tissue structures including muscles, ligaments, and tendons. MR imaging is also valuable in the diagnosis of occult bony trauma, stress reaction or fractures, and osteomyelitis. Exquisite contrast resolution, noninvasiveness, and multiplanar capabilities are unique features that make MR imaging a powerful diagnostic technique. The authors employ a basic protocol using T1‐weighted, fast spin echo proton density with and without frequency‐selective fat saturation, and fast spin echo T2‐weighted sequences as well as short‐tau inversion recovery (STIR) imaging. Additional imaging following intravenous gadolinium administration is indicated when osteomyelitis and neoplastic processes are suspected. Post‐contrast fat‐suppressed T1‐weighted sequences are necessary if intravenous or intra‐articular gadolinium is utilized.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/145401/1/cpmia2502.pd

The Effects of Suspended Sediment on Japanese Medaka (Oryzias latipes) and Mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) Metabolism

Sedimentation is recognized as a significant environmental stressor in aquatic ecosystems and high amounts of suspended sediments (SS) in streams are known to negatively affect aquatic organisms. In particular, it has been hypothesized that many fish species mayexhibit increased respiration rates when exposed to elevated SS. To evaluate this hypothesis, we evaluated the acute response (3 hour exposure) of two small, freshwater fish species exposed to high suspended sediment loads using experimental respirometry chambers which measure oxygen consumption as a proxy of metabolism. Our results indicate that Japanese Medaka (Oryzias latipes) did not exhibit a significantly greater oxygen consumption, as compared to control fish, when exposed to chamber sediment of 0.17 g/L (p-value of 0.41), though oxygen consumption was higher for sediment treatments. However, mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) exposed to 0.17 g/L did exhibit noticeably greater oxygen consumption compared to fish in no-sediment control test, but not at statistically significant levels (p-value of 0.07). Further study is needed with increased sample sizes and across SS levels to determine the threshold of increased metabolic rate among freshwater species exposed to SS

Determinants of vaccination coverage and consequences for rabies control in Bali, Indonesia

Maintaining high vaccination coverage is key to successful rabies control, but mass dog vaccination can be challenging and population turnover erodes coverage. Declines in rabies incidence following successive island-wide vaccination campaigns in Bali suggest that prospects for controlling and ultimately eliminating rabies are good. Rabies, however, has continued to circulate at low levels. In the push to eliminate rabies from Bali, high coverage needs to be maintained across all areas of the island. We carried out door-to-door (DTD) questionnaire surveys (n = 10,352 dog-owning households) and photographic mark–recapture surveys (536 line transects, 2,597 observations of free-roaming dogs) in 2011–2012 to estimate dog population sizes and assess rabies vaccination coverage and dog demographic characteristics in Bali, Indonesia. The median number of dogs per subvillage unit (banjar) was 43 (range 0–307) for owned dogs estimated from the DTD survey and 17 (range 0–83) for unconfined dogs (including both owned and unowned) from transects. Vaccination coverage of owned dogs was significantly higher in adults (91.4%) compared to juveniles (<1 year, 43.9%), likely due to insufficient targeting of pups and from puppies born subsequent to vaccination campaigns. Juveniles had a 10–70 times greater risk of not being vaccinated in urban, suburban, and rural areas [combined odds ratios (ORs): 9.9–71.1, 95% CI: 8.6–96.0]. Free-roaming owned dogs were also 2–3 times more likely to be not vaccinated compared to those confined (combined Ors: 1.9–3.6, 95% CI: 1.4–5.4), with more dogs being confined in urban (71.2%) than in suburban (16.1%) and rural areas (8.0%). Vaccination coverage estimates from transects were also much lower (30.9%) than household surveys (83.6%), possibly due to loss of collars used to identify the vaccination status of free-roaming dogs, but these unconfined dogs may also include dogs that were unowned or more difficult to vaccinate. Overall, coverage levels were high in the owned dog population, but for future campaigns in Bali to have the highest chance of eliminating rabies, concerted effort should be made to vaccinate free-roaming dogs particularly in suburban and rural areas, with advertising to ensure that owners vaccinate pups. Long-lasting, cheap, and quick methods are needed to mark vaccinated animals and reassure communities of the reach of vaccination campaigns

Male gametophyte specific expression helps identify a conserved gene associated with increased pollen fitness

GRMZM2G372877 was identified as a gene with potential function in the male gametophyte based on its strong expression in mature pollen relative to other maize tissues (Chettoor et al. 2014). Identification of a Ds insertion mutation in this gene from the Brutnell/Vollbrecht collection provided further support for this hypothesis, as initial data indicated the insertion was associated with a male-specific transmission defect. In this study, we confirmed the location of GRMZM2G372877 on chromosome 9, approximately 25 map units away from wx1. We used linkage of the Ds insertion to Wx1+, as well as PCR genotyping, to follow up on the initial results, confirming a male-specific transmission defect from mutant heterozygotes. Because the severity of the transmission defect varied with different crosses (2% to 13%), we tested the idea that the defect decreased pollen fitness when in competition with wild-type pollen. Consistent with this idea, we found that male transmission of the mutation increases in frequency when less pollen is applied to the silk (12% to 43%). Based on DNA sequence, we found GRMZM2G372877 was orthologous to a gene (delegen14) included in a 65-kb deletion associated with the rice no-pollen mutant (Osnop) (Jiang et al 2005), suggesting a conserved function for this gene in pollen. We have tentatively named the gene nop1*, and it encodes a protein with C2 and GRAM domains that are predicted to interact with calcium and phosphoinositides, respectively. Results from microscopy experiments, to visualize specific cellular defects, and to help better determine the function for this gene in pollen or pollen tube development, will also be presente

Identification of Robust Microsatellite Markers for Wild Pig Fecal DNA

Collection of fecal samples for use in a genetic capture-mark-recapture framework has become popular as a noninvasive method of monitoring wildlife populations. A major caveat to this process, however, is that fecal samples often yield low quality DNA that is prone to genotyping errors, potentially leading to biases in population parameter estimation. Therefore, considerable care is required to identify robust genetic markers, especially in hot or humid conditions that may accelerate DNA degradation. We identified microsatellite loci in wild pig (Sus scrofa) fecal samples that were robust and informative within warm, humid ecosystems. To examine how degradation affected genotyping success, we sampled pig feces across 5 days and calculated how the number of quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) cycles required to reach the fluorescent threshold (Ct) changed over time. We identified 17 microsatellite loci that had high polymorphism and amplification success and low genotyping error rates (0–0.050 per locus). In the degradation experiment, Ct increased over the 5 days, but in the absence of rain, the majority of samples produced accurate genotypes after 5 days (2,211/2,550 genotypes). Based on the high amplification success and low error rates, even after 5 days of exposure to warm, humid conditions, these loci are useful for estimating population parameters in pig fecal samples

Identification of Robust Microsatellite Markers for Wild Pig Fecal DNA

Collection of fecal samples for use in a genetic capture-mark-recapture framework has become popular as a noninvasive method of monitoring wildlife populations. A major caveat to this process, however, is that fecal samples often yield low quality DNA that is prone to genotyping errors, potentially leading to biases in population parameter estimation. Therefore, considerable care is required to identify robust genetic markers, especially in hot or humid conditions that may accelerate DNA degradation. We identified microsatellite loci in wild pig (Sus scrofa) fecal samples that were robust and informative within warm, humid ecosystems. To examine how degradation affected genotyping success, we sampled pig feces across 5 days and calculated how the number of quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) cycles required to reach the fluorescent threshold (Ct) changed over time. We identified 17 microsatellite loci that had high polymorphism and amplification success and low genotyping error rates (0–0.050 per locus). In the degradation experiment, Ct increased over the 5 days, but in the absence of rain, the majority of samples produced accurate genotypes after 5 days (2,211/2,550 genotypes). Based on the high amplification success and low error rates, even after 5 days of exposure to warm, humid conditions, these loci are useful for estimating population parameters in pig fecal samples

Processing and Transmission of Information

Contains reports on seven research projects

Scaling properties of protein family phylogenies

One of the classical questions in evolutionary biology is how evolutionary processes are coupled at the gene and species level. With this motivation, we compare the topological properties (mainly the depth scaling, as a characterization of balance) of a large set of protein phylogenies with a set of species phylogenies. The comparative analysis shows that both sets of phylogenies share remarkably similar scaling behavior, suggesting the universality of branching rules and of the evolutionary processes that drive biological diversification from gene to species level. In order to explain such generality, we propose a simple model which allows us to estimate the proportion of evolvability/robustness needed to approximate the scaling behavior observed in the phylogenies, highlighting the relevance of the robustness of a biological system (species or protein) in the scaling properties of the phylogenetic trees. Thus, the rules that govern the incapability of a biological system to diversify are equally relevant both at the gene and at the species level.Comment: Replaced with final published versio

Development of an Integrated Microfluidic Perfusion Cell Culture System for Real-Time Microscopic Observation of Biological Cells

This study reports an integrated microfluidic perfusion cell culture system consisting of a microfluidic cell culture chip, and an indium tin oxide (ITO) glass-based microheater chip for micro-scale perfusion cell culture, and its real-time microscopic observation. The system features in maintaining both uniform, and stable chemical or thermal environments, and providing a backflow-free medium pumping, and a precise thermal control functions. In this work, the performance of the medium pumping scheme, and the ITO glass microheater were experimentally evaluated. Results show that the medium delivery mechanism was able to provide pumping rates ranging from 15.4 to 120.0 μL·min−1. In addition, numerical simulation and experimental evaluation were conducted to verify that the ITO glass microheater was capable of providing a spatially uniform thermal environment, and precise temperature control with a mild variation of ±0.3 °C. Furthermore, a perfusion cell culture was successfully demonstrated, showing the cultured cells were kept at high cell viability of 95 ± 2%. In the process, the cultured chondrocytes can be clearly visualized microscopically. As a whole, the proposed cell culture system has paved an alternative route to carry out real-time microscopic observation of biological cells in a simple, user-friendly, and low cost manner

Molecular characterisation of protist parasites in human-habituated mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei), humans and livestock, from Bwindi impenetrable National Park, Uganda

Over 60 % of human emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic, and there is growing evidence of the zooanthroponotic transmission of diseases from humans to livestock and wildlife species, with major implications for public health, economics, and conservation. Zooanthroponoses are of relevance to critically endangered species; amongst these is the mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) of Uganda. Here, we assess the occurrence of Cryptosporidium, Cyclospora, Giardia, and Entamoeba infecting mountain gorillas in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (BINP), Uganda, using molecular methods. We also assess the occurrence of these parasites in humans and livestock species living in overlapping/adjacent geographical regions