Pheromones affecting flying beetles colonizing the polypores Fomes fomentarius and Fomitopsis pinicola

The existence of long-range pheromones in five beetle species breeding in polypore fruiting bodies was studied in a field experiment. Species included were: Dorcatoma robusta Strand (Anoblidae),Cis jacquemarti Mellie (Cisidae), and Bolitophagus reticulatus (L.) (Tenebrionidae) breeding in Fomes fomentarius (L. ex Fr.), as well as Dorcatoma punctulata Mulsant & Rey and Cis glabratus Mellie breeding in Fomitopsis pinicola Fr. (Karst). Catches of these species in window traps baited with pieces of polypores, together with females or males of the same species, were compared with catches in traps baited with only polypores. Catches of D. punctulata and C. jacquemarti were low, and no B. reticulatus were caught. Males of D. robusta were strongly attracted by conspecific females. In this species, only the females were attracted to host odour. No pheromone attraction was demonstrated in C. glabratus, in which males and females were about equally attracted to the odour of their host

Reconsidering Res Judicata: A Comparative Perspective

We aimed to prospectively investigate the paternal antigen-induced cytokine secretion by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in response to hormone treatment in women undergoing in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and to examine the predictive value of the cytokine secretion profile in the outcome of IVF treatment, in a pilot study. Twenty-five women were included and IVF treatment was successful for six and unsuccessful for 19 women. Blood samples were collected before IVF treatment, on four occasions during IVF and four weeks after embryo transfer. The numbers of Th1-, Th2- and Th17-associated cytokine-secreting cells and cytokine levels in cell supernatants were analysed by enzyme-linked immunospot-forming (ELISpot), enzyme-linked immune-sorbent (ELISA) or Luminex assay. None of the cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, IL-12, IL-13, IL-17, TNF and GM-CSF) had any predictive value regarding IVF outcome. The majority of the cytokines reached their peak levels at ovum pick-up, suggesting an enhancing influence of the hormonal stimulation. Pregnancy was associated with a high number of IL-4-, IL-5- and IL-13-secreting cells four weeks after ET. In conclusion, the results do not support our hypothesis of a more pronounced peripheral Th1 and Th17 deviation towards paternal antigens in infertile women with an unsuccessful IVF outcome, although this is based on a small number of observations. A larger study is required to confirm this conclusion. Higher numbers of Th2-associated cytokine-secreting cells in pregnant women four weeks after ET do corroborate the hypothesis of a Th2 deviation during pregnancy

Neurobiology of Sleep Disturbances in PTSD Patients and Traumatized Controls: MRI and SPECT Findings

OBJECTIVE: Sleep disturbances such as insomnia and nightmares are core components of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), yet their neurobiological relationship is still largely unknown. We investigated brain alterations related to sleep disturbances in PTSD patients and controls by using both structural and functional neuroimaging techniques. METHOD: Thirty-nine subjects either developing (n = 21) or not developing (n = 18) PTSD underwent magnetic resonance imaging and a symptom-provocation protocol followed by the injection of 99mTc-hexamethylpropyleneamineoxime. Subjects were also tested with diagnostic and self-rating scales on the basis of which a Sleep Disturbances Score (SDS; i.e., amount of insomnia/nightmares) was computed. RESULTS: Correlations between SDS and gray matter volume (GMV)/regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) were computed in the whole sample and separately in the PTSD and control groups. In the whole sample, higher sleep disturbances were associated with significantly reduced GMV in amygdala, hippocampus, anterior cingulate, and insula; increased rCBF in midbrain, precuneus, and insula; and decreased rCBF in anterior cingulate. This pattern was substantially confirmed in the PTSD group, but not in controls. CONCLUSION: Sleep disturbances are associated with GMV loss in anterior limbic/paralimbic, PTSD-sensitive structures and with functional alterations in regions implicated in rapid eye movement-sleep control, supporting the existence of a link between PTSD and sleep disturbance

Effects of management practices on legume productivity in smallholder farming systems in sub-Saharan Africa

Legumes play a key role in food and nutrition security, providing livestock feed and contributing to soil fertility, in mixed smallholder farms in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The environmental conditions under which smallholder farming is practiced are highly heterogeneous with large differences in management practices among farms resulting in variable legume productivity. A meta-analysis based on 128 publications was conducted to quantify the effects of intercropping, inoculation with rhizobia, minimum tillage and phosphorus application on legume grain and biomass yield and the amount of biological nitrogen fixation in a range of SSA contexts. To further explain the heterogeneity in the results, legume species, type of inoculant, P-application rate, altitude, rainfall, soil characteristics and non-legume companion crops were used as moderators. lntercropping as compared to sole cropping reduced legume biomass and grain yields to varying extents, although the total land equivalent ratio for the sum of the intercrops was higher than 1 (1.2-1.9)in all cases. Expressed as the relative land equivalent ratio (rLER) intercropping affected pigeonpea grain yield the least (rLER 0.9) and faba bean the most (rLER 0.3). The non-legume companion crops explained some of the heterogeneity where maize and sorghum significantly reduced the legume yields. Inoculation and P application increased legume grain and biomass yield and moderators such as legume species, type of inoculant, soil organic carbon and soil pH further explained the different effects of the management practices on legume productivity. Minimum tillage had no effect on legume productivity. although less data were available than for the other practices. We conclude that intercropping with legumes improves overall productivity and that application of P fertilizer and inoculants increase legume grain and biomass yield. The effect varies with crop species, soil type and other environmental conditions, and this needs to be factored into tailored recommendations supporting decision making in smallholder farming

Estimating density from presence/absence data in clustered populations

Inventories of plant populations are fundamental in ecological research and monitoring, but such surveys are often prone to field assessment errors. Presence/absence (P/A) sampling may have advantages over plant cover assessments for reducing such errors. However, the linking between P/A data and plant density depends on model assumptions for plant spatial distributions. Previous studies have shown, for example, how that plant density can be estimated under Poisson model assumptions on the plant locations. In this study, new methods are developed and evaluated for linking P/A data with plant density assuming that plants occur in clustered spatial patterns.New theory was derived for estimating plant density under Neyman-Scott-type cluster models such as the Matern and Thomas cluster processes. Suggested estimators, corresponding confidence intervals and a proposed goodness-of-fit test were evaluated in a Monte Carlo simulation study assuming a Matern cluster process. Furthermore, the estimators were applied to plant data from environmental monitoring in Sweden to demonstrate their empirical application.The simulation study showed that our methods work well for large enough sample sizes. The judgment of what is' large enough' is often difficult, but simulations indicate that a sample size is large enough when the sampling distributions of the parameter estimators are symmetric or mildly skewed. Bootstrap may be used to check whether this is true. The empirical results suggest that the derived methodology may be useful for estimating density of plants such as Leucanthemum vulgare and Scorzonera humilis.By developing estimators of plant density from P/A data under realistic model assumptions about plants' spatial distributions, P/A sampling will become a more useful tool for inventories of plant populations. Our new theory is an important step in this direction

Multiple drivers of large-scale lichen decline in boreal forest canopies

Thin, hair-like lichens (Alectoria, Bryoria, Usnea) form conspicuous epiphyte communities across the boreal biome. These poikilohydric organisms provide important ecosystem functions and are useful indicators of global change. We analyse how environmental drivers influence changes in occurrence and length of these lichens on Norway spruce (Picea abies) over 10 years in managed forests in Sweden using data from >6000 trees. Alectoria and Usnea showed strong declines in southern-central regions, whereas Bryoria declined in northern regions. Overall, relative loss rates across the country ranged from 1.7% per year in Alectoria to 0.5% in Bryoria. These losses contrasted with increased length of Bryoria and Usnea in some regions. Occurrence trajectories (extinction, colonization, presence, absence) on remeasured trees correlated best with temperature, rain, nitrogen deposition, and stand age in multinomial logistic regression models. Our analysis strongly suggests that industrial forestry, in combination with nitrogen, is the main driver of lichen declines. Logging of forests with long continuity of tree cover, short rotation cycles, substrate limitation and low light in dense forests are harmful for lichens. Nitrogen deposition has decreased but is apparently still sufficiently high to prevent recovery. Warming correlated with occurrence trajectories of Alectoria and Bryoria, likely by altering hydration regimes and increasing respiration during autumn/winter. The large-scale lichen decline on an important host has cascading effects on biodiversity and function of boreal forest canopies. Forest management must apply a broad spectrum of methods, including uneven-aged continuous cover forestry and retention of large patches, to secure the ecosystem functions of these important canopy components under future climates. Our findings highlight interactions among drivers of lichen decline (forestry, nitrogen, climate), functional traits (dispersal, lichen colour, sensitivity to nitrogen, water storage), and population processes (extinction/colonization)

Reinstating Vacated Findings in Employment Discrimination Class Actions: Reconciling General Telephone Co. v. Falcon With Hill v. Western Electric Co.

Type 2 T-helper cell (Th2)-skewed immunity is associated with successful pregnancy and the ability to easily direct immune responses to a Th2-polarised profile may be an evolutionary benefit. The Th2-like immunity associated with allergic disease might generate favourable effects for the maintenance of pregnancy, but could also promote development of Th2-like immune responses and allergic disease in the offspring. The aim of this study was to explore, by using IgE as a stable proxy for Th2, the Th1/Th2 balance in allergic and non-allergic women by measuring allergen-specific and total IgE antibody levels in plasma during pregnancy and after delivery. Specific and total IgE antibody levels were determined by ImmunoCAP technology at five occasions during pregnancy (gestational weeks 10-12, 15-16, 25, 35 and 39), as well as at 2 and 12 months after delivery. Thirty-six women without and 20 women with allergic symptoms were included, of whom 13 were sensitised with allergic symptoms and 30 were non-sensitised without allergic symptoms. The levels of total IgE, but not allergen-specific IgE, were increased during early pregnancy when compared to 12 months after delivery in the sensitised women with allergic symptoms, but not in the non-sensitised women without allergic symptoms (pandlt;0.01). This increase in total IgE levels during early pregnancy only in the sensitised women with allergic symptoms indicates that allergy is associated with an enhanced Th2 deviation during pregnancy.Original Publication: Martina Sandberg, Anne Frykman, Yvonne Jonsson, Marie Persson, Jan Ernerudh, Göran Berg, Leif Matthiesen, Christina Ekerfelt and Maria Jenmalm, Total and allergen-specific IgE levels during and after pregnancy in relation to maternal allergy, 2009, JOURNAL OF REPRODUCTIVE IMMUNOLOGY, (81), 1, 82-88. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jri.2009.04.003 Copyright: Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam. http://www.elsevier.com/</p

High expression of ZNF703 independent of amplification indicates worse prognosis in patients with luminal B breast cancer

Peer reviewe

Maternal Enterovirus Infection during Pregnancy as a Risk Factor in Offspring Diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes between 15 and 30 Years of Age

Maternal enterovirus infections during pregnancy may increase the risk of offspring developing type 1 diabetes during childhood. The aim of this study was to investigate whether gestational enterovirus infections increase the offspring's risk of type 1 diabetes later in life. Serum samples from 30 mothers without diabetes whose offspring developed type 1 diabetes between 15 and 25 years of age were analyzed for enterovirus-specific immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies and enterovirus genome (RNA), and compared to a control group. Among the index mothers, 9/30 (30%) were enterovirus IgM-positive, and none was positive for enterovirus RNA. In the control group, 14/90 (16%) were enterovirus IgM-positive, and 4/90 (4%) were positive for enterovirus RNA (n.s.). Boys of enterovirus IgM-positive mothers had approximately 5 times greater risk of developing diabetes (OR 4.63; 95% CI 1.22–17.6), as compared to boys of IgM-negative mothers (P < .025). These results suggest that gestational enterovirus infections may be related to the risk of offspring developing type 1 diabetes in adolescence and young adulthood