Variation in and Responses to Brood Pheromone of the Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)

Brood pheromone of the honey bee, (Apis mellifera) has been shown to elicit a wide array of primer and releaser effects on non‐foragers and foragers leading to the regulation of nursing, pollen foraging, and behavioral development such that the behavior of the colony may be regulated by the amount and condition of the larvae. To date, all studies into the effects of brood pheromone have either used uncharacterized whole extracts or a single blend of brood pheromone characterized from a population of honey bees in France. The variation in the relative proportions of the ten fatty‐acid ester components that characterize brood pheromone and some effects of this variation on pollen foraging and sucrose response thresholds were therefore observed. The objectives met in this dissertation were to determine whether changes in brood pheromone component proportions (blend) or amount communicates larval nutritional status and reports the results of observations of nurses and foragers in response to blends of brood pheromone from deprived and‐non deprived larvae, to measure how changes in brood pheromone blend changed pollen foraging behavior and if such changes could account for the pollen foraging differences between Africanized and European bees, and finally to observe the effects of exposure time on brood pheromone blend and to observe whether non‐foragers made contact with the pheromone. Brood pheromone was found to vary by larval rearing environment, but did not elicit the expected behaviors that would support a cue of nutritional status. Brood pheromone also varied significantly by mitochondrial lineage/population source and responses to brood pheromone appeared to be coadapted to blend, suggesting that brood pheromone may be important in race recognition. Finally, brood pheromone varied significantly over time and was found to be removed from sources by bees, suggesting possible mechanisms for loss of effect. Combined the results of this research indicate that brood pheromone blend differences lead to profound changes in colony behavior related to pollen foraging and food provisioning, providing novel tools for colony manipulation and mechanisms for understanding brood rearing division of labor and chemical communication

Brood Pheromone Effects on Colony Protein Supplement Consumption and Growth in the Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in a Subtropical Winter Climate

Fatty acid esters extractable from the surface of honey bee, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae), larvae, called brood pheromone, significantly increase rate of colony growth in the spring and summer when flowering plant pollen is available in the foraging environment. Increased colony growth rate occurs as a consequence of increased pollen intake through mechanisms such as increasing number of pollen foragers and pollen load weights returned. Here, we tested the hypothesis that addition of brood pheromone during the winter pollen dearth period of a humid subtropical climate increases rate of colony growth in colonies provisioned with a protein supplement. Experiments were conducted in late winter (9 February–9 March 2004) and mid-winter (19 January–8 February 2005). In both years, increased brood area, number of bees, and amount of protein supplement consumption were significantly greater in colonies receiving daily treatments of brood pheromone versus control colonies. Amount of extractable protein from hypopharyngeal glands measured in 2005 was significantly greater in bees from pheromone-treated colonies. These results suggest that brood pheromone may be used as a tool to stimulate colony growth in the southern subtropical areas of the United States where the package bee industry is centered and a large proportion of migratory colonies are overwintered.Keywords: winter colony growth, brood pheromone, honey be

Gothic visions of classical architecture in Hablot Knight Browne’s “dark” illustrations for the novels of Charles Dickens

In the early gothic literature of the eighteenth century danger lurked in the darkness beneath the pointed arches of gothic buildings. During the nineteenth century there was a progressive, although never complete, dislocation of gothic literary readings from gothic architecture. This article explores a phase in that development through discussion of a series of ‘dark’ illustrations produced by Hablot Knight Browne to illustrate novels by Charles Dickens. These show the way in which the rounded arches of neo-classical architecture were depicted in the mid-nineteenth century as locales of oppression and obscurity. Such depictions acted, in an age of political and moral reform, to critique the values of the system of power and authority that such architecture represented

Acute Achilles tendon rupture: minimally invasive surgery versus non operative treatment, with immediate full weight bearing. Design of a randomized controlled trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We present the design of an open randomized multi-centre study on surgical versus conservative treatment of acute Achilles tendon ruptures. The study is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of conservative treatment in reducing complications when treating acute Achilles tendon rupture.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>At least 72 patients with acute Achilles tendon rupture will be randomized to minimally invasive surgical repair followed by functional rehabilitation using tape bandage or conservative treatment followed by functional rehabilitation with use of a functional bracing system. Both treatment arms use a 7 weeks post-rupture rehabilitation protocol. Four hospitals in the Netherlands will participate. Primary end-point will be reduction in complications other than re-rupture. Secondary end-point will be re-rupturing, time off work, sporting activity post rupture, functional outcome by Leppilahti score and patient satisfaction. Patient follow-up will be 12 month.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>By making this design study we wish to contribute to more profound research on AT rupture treatment and prevent publication bias for this open-labelled randomized trial.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>ISRCTN50141196</p

Pirt, a TRPV1 Modulator, Is Required for Histamine-Dependent and -Independent Itch

Itch, or pruritus, is an important clinical problem whose molecular basis has yet to be understood. Recent work has begun to identify genes that contribute to detecting itch at the molecular level. Here we show that Pirt, known to play a vital part in sensing pain through modulation of the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channel, is also necessary for proper itch sensation. Pirt−/− mice exhibit deficits in cellular and behavioral responses to various itch-inducing compounds, or pruritogens. Pirt contributes to both histaminergic and nonhistaminergic itch and, crucially, is involved in forms of itch that are both TRPV1-dependent and -independent. Our findings demonstrate that the function of Pirt extends beyond nociception via TRPV1 regulation to its role as a critical component in several itch signaling pathways

Reference genes for gene expression studies in wheat flag leaves grown under different farming conditions

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Internal control genes with highly uniform expression throughout the experimental conditions are required for accurate gene expression analysis as no universal reference genes exists. In this study, the expression stability of 24 candidate genes from <it>Triticum aestivum </it>cv. Cubus flag leaves grown under organic and conventional farming systems was evaluated in two locations in order to select suitable genes that can be used for normalization of real-time quantitative reverse-transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) reactions. The genes were selected among the most common used reference genes as well as genes encoding proteins involved in several metabolic pathways.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>Individual genes displayed different expression rates across all samples assayed. Applying geNorm, a set of three potential reference genes were suitable for normalization of RT-qPCR reactions in winter wheat flag leaves cv. Cubus: <it>TaFNRII </it>(ferredoxin-NADP(H) oxidoreductase; AJ457980.1), <it>ACT2 </it>(actin 2; TC234027), and <it>rrn26 </it>(a putative homologue to RNA 26S gene; AL827977.1). In addition of these three genes that were also top-ranked by NormFinder, two extra genes: <it>CYP18-2 </it>(Cyclophilin A, AY456122.1) and <it>TaWIN1 </it>(14-3-3 like protein, AB042193) were most consistently stably expressed.</p> <p>Furthermore, we showed that <it>TaFNRII, ACT2</it>, and <it>CYP18-2 </it>are suitable for gene expression normalization in other two winter wheat varieties (Tommi and Centenaire) grown under three treatments (organic, conventional and no nitrogen) and a different environment than the one tested with cv. Cubus.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study provides a new set of reference genes which should improve the accuracy of gene expression analyses when using wheat flag leaves as those related to the improvement of nitrogen use efficiency for cereal production.</p

Long-Term Outcomes with Subcutaneous C1-Inhibitor Replacement Therapy for Prevention of Hereditary Angioedema Attacks

Background For the prevention of attacks of hereditary angioedema (HAE), the efficacy and safety of subcutaneous human C1-esterase inhibitor (C1-INH[SC]; HAEGARDA, CSL Behring) was established in the 16-week Clinical Study for Optimal Management of Preventing Angioedema with Low-Volume Subcutaneous C1-Inhibitor Replacement Therapy (COMPACT). Objective To assess the long-term safety, occurrence of angioedema attacks, and use of rescue medication with C1-INH(SC). Methods Open-label, randomized, parallel-arm extension of COMPACT across 11 countries. Patients with frequent angioedema attacks, either study treatment-naive or who had completed COMPACT, were randomly assigned (1:1) to 40 IU/kg or 60 IU/kg C1-INH(SC) twice per week, with conditional uptitration to optimize prophylaxis (ClinicalTrials.gov registration no. NCT02316353). Results A total of 126 patients with a monthly attack rate of 4.3 in 3 months before entry in COMPACT were enrolled and treated for a mean of 1.5 years; 44 patients (34.9%) had more than 2 years of exposure. Mean steady-state C1-INH functional activity increased to 66.6% with 60 IU/kg. Incidence of adverse events was low and similar in both dose groups (11.3 and 8.5 events per patient-year for 40 IU/kg and 60 IU/kg, respectively). For 40 IU/kg and 60 IU/kg, median annualized attack rates were 1.3 and 1.0, respectively, and median rescue medication use was 0.2 and 0.0 times per year, respectively. Of 23 patients receiving 60 IU/kg for more than 2 years, 19 (83%) were attack-free during months 25 to 30 of treatment. Conclusions In patients with frequent HAE attacks, long-term replacement therapy with C1-INH(SC) is safe and exhibits a substantial and sustained prophylactic effect, with the vast majority of patients becoming free from debilitating disease symptoms