Egg mimicry and allopaternal care: Two mate-attracting tactics by which nesting striped darter (Etheostoma virgatum) males enhance reproductive success

In a variety of fish species with paternal care of offspring, females prefer to spawn in nests that already contain eggs. This female preference has been hypothesized to explain egg thievery in male sticklebacks, allopaternal care of eggs in minnows, and the evolution of egg-mimicking body features in male cichlids and darters. Here we employ microsatellite-based parentage analyses to evaluate the reproductive success of striped darter (Etheostoma virgatum) males that appear to utilize two of these functionally related tactics to entice females to spawn in their nests. In an isolated population (Clear Creek, Ky.), we observed that breeding males develop conspicuous white spots on their pectoral fins. If these spots are egg mimics, as we suspect, then this represents the fourth independent evolutionary origin of egg mimicry documented to date in darters, the first based on pigmentation (as opposed to physical structures), and the first in which the egg mimics vary greatly in number among males. From direct counts of microsatellite genotypes in clutches of embryos, at least 3.8 females contributed to the progeny within a typical nest, and females tended to spawn preferentially with males that were larger and displayed more egg-mimic spots. In another population (Hurricane Creek, Tenn.) without egg mimics, the multi-locus genetic data document that allopaternal care is common, especially among the smallest males who sometimes tend nests containing their own as well as an earlier sire's offspring. Thus, these foster males had adopted egg-containing nests and then successfully spawned with subsequent females. Overall, the genetic data on paternity and maternity, in conjunction with field observations, suggest that egg mimicry and allopaternal care are two mate-attracting reproductive tactics employed by striped darter males to exploit female preferences for spawning in nests with 'eggs'

Update in diagnosis and management of interstitial lung disease

The field of interstitial lung disease (ILD) has undergone significant evolution in recent years, with an increasing incidence and more complex, ever expanding disease classification. In their most severe forms, these diseases lead to progressive loss of lung function, respiratory failure and eventually death. Despite notable advances, progress has been challenged by a poor understanding of pathological mechanisms and patient heterogeneity, including variable progression. The diagnostic pathway is thus being continually refined, with the introduction of tools such as transbronchial cryo lung biopsy and a move towards genetically aided, precision medicine. In this review, we focus on how to approach a patient with ILD and the diagnostic process

Platelet-derived transforming growth factor-β1 promotes keratinocyte proliferation in cutaneous wound healing.

Platelets are a recognised potent source of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGFβ1), a cytokine known to promote wound healing and regeneration by stimulating dermal fibroblast proliferation and extracellular matrix deposition. Platelet lysate has been advocated as a novel personalised therapeutic to treat persistent wounds, although the precise platelet-derived growth factors responsible for these beneficial effects have not been fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to investigate the specific role of platelet-derived TGFβ1 in cutaneous wound healing. Using a transgenic mouse with a targeted deletion of TGFβ1 in megakaryocytes and platelets (TGFβ1fl/fl .PF4-Cre), we show for the first time that platelet-derived TGFβ1 contributes to epidermal and dermal thickening and cellular turnover after excisional skin wounding. In vitro studies demonstrate that human dermal fibroblasts stimulated with platelet lysate containing high levels of platelet-derived TGFβ1 did not exhibit enhanced collagen deposition or proliferation, suggesting that platelet-derived TGFβ1 is not a key promoter of these wound healing processes. Interestingly, human keratinocytes displayed enhanced TGFβ1-driven proliferation in response to platelet lysate, reminiscent of our in vivo findings. In summary, our novel findings define and emphasise an important role of platelet-derived TGFβ1 in epidermal remodelling and regeneration processes during cutaneous wound healing

Effect of automated red cell exchanges on oxygen saturation on-air, blood parameters and length of hospitalization in sickle cell disease patients with acute chest syndrome

BACKGROUND: Red cell exchanges (RCEs) lead to improvement in tissue oxygenation and reduction in inflammatory markers in sickle cell disease (SCD) patients who present with acute chest syndrome (ACS). The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of automated-RCE (auto-RCE) on oxygen saturation (SpO2) on-air, blood counts, the time to correct the parameters and length of hospitalization after the exchange in SCD patients presenting with ACS. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This was 2 years study involving five SCD patients; the time for SpO2 on air to increase to ≥95% and chest symptoms to resolve, postprocedure, as well as the length of in-patient hospitalization was recorded. All data were entered into Statistical Package for Social Sciences Version 20.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) computer software for analyses. RESULTS: The study involved 4 (80%) hemoglobin (Hb) SS and 1 (20%) HbSC patients. The median time of SpO2 recovery was 24 h, ranging from 6 to 96 h. About 60% (3/5) of patients achieved optimal SpO2 within 24 h post-RCE, while discharge from intensive care unit was 24 h after auto-RCE in one patient. The Hb concentration was significantly higher, while the total white cell and absolute neutrophil counts were significantly lower at the time of resolution of symptoms, compared to before auto-RCE (P < 0.05). The average post auto-red cell transfusion symptoms duration was 105.6 (24-240) h while mean inpatient stay was 244.8 (144-456) h. CONCLUSION: Auto-RCE could reverse hypoxia in ACS within 24 h

Cuckoldry rates in the Molly Miller (Scartella cristata; Blenniidae), a hole-nesting marine fish with alternative reproductive tactics

Microsatellite markers were developed and employed to assess genetic maternity and paternity of embryos in nest-tended clutches of the Molly Miller (Scartella cristata), a marine fish in which alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs) by males were recently described from behavioral and morphological evidence. Genetic data gathered for 1,536 surveyed progeny, from 23 barnacle-nest holes in a single Floridian population, indicate that on average about 5.5 females (range 3-9) contributed to the pool of progeny within a nest. With regard to paternity, the microsatellite data demonstrate that most of the surveyed nests (82.6%) contained at least some embryos that had not been sired by the nest-tending (bourgeois) male, and overall that 12.4% of offspring in the population had been sired via "stolen" fertilizations by other males. These are among the highest values of cuckoldry documented to date in nest-tending fishes, and they support and quantify the notion that the nest-parasitic ART is reproductively quite successful in this species despite what would otherwise seem to be highly defensible nesting sites (the restricted interior space of a barnacle shell). Our estimated cuckoldry rates in this population of the Molly Miller are compared to those previously reported for local populations in other nest-tending fish species, with results discussed in the context of ecological and behavioral variables that may influence relative frequencies of nest parasitism. © Springer-Verlag 2005

Cluster Based Term Weighting Model for Web Document Clustering

The term weight is based on the frequency with which the term appears in that document. The term weighting scheme measures the importance of a term with respect to a document and a collection. A term with higher weight is more important than a term with lower weight. A document ranking model uses these term weights to find the rank of a document in a collection. We propose a cluster-based term weighting models based on the TF-IDF model. This term weighting model update the inter-cluster and intra-cluster frequency components uses the generated clusters as a reference in improving the retrieved relevant documents. These inter cluster and intra-cluster frequency components are used for weighting the importance of a term in addition to the term and document frequency components

Should the Ruptured Renal Allograft Be Removed?

During a 16-month period when 93 renal transplants were performed, eight kidney graft ruptures were detected within 18 days of transplantation, without evidence of venous obstruction. Six grafts were removed at the time of an exploratory operation for rupture and only one showed signs of probable irreversible rejection when examined by microscopy. Two graft ruptures were repaired and one of these grafts has had good long-term function 22 months later. These observations suggest that if bleeding at the site of graft rupture can be securely controlled and if the conditions of the patient and of the graft are favorable except for the rupture, it may be possible to save more than one of eight grafts. © 1979, American Medical Association. All rights reserved

Estradiol and testosterone levels in patients undergoing partial hepatectomy - A possible signal for hepatic regeneration?

In five adult male patients undergoing a 40-60% partial hepatectomy, serum sex hormone levels before and after hepatic resection were determined. Blood was drawn immediately prior to each surgical procedure and at specified time points postoperatively. Compared to hormone levels found prior to surgery, following major hepatic resection, estradiol levels increase at 24 and 48 hr, while testosterone levels decline, being significantly reduced at 96 and 144 hr. These data demonstrate that adult males who undergo a 40-60% partial hepatectomy experience alterations in their sex hormone levels similar to those observed in male rats following a 70% hepatectomy. These changes in sex hormone levels have been associated in animals with an alteration of the sex hormone receptor status of the liver that is thought to participate in the initiation of the regenerative response. These studies suggest, but do not prove, that in man, as in the case of the rat, sex hormones may participate in the initiation of or at least modulate in part the regenerative response that occurs following a major hepatic resection. © 1989 Plenum Publishing Corporation

Detection of metallic cobalt and chromium liver deposition following failed hip replacement using T2* and R2 magnetic resonance

BACKGROUND: Failed hip prostheses can cause elevated circulating cobalt and chromium levels, with rare reports of fatal systemic organ deposition, including cobalt cardiomyopathy. Although blood cobalt and chromium levels are easily measured, organ deposition is difficult to detect without invasive biopsy. The T2* magnetic resonance (MR) method is used to quantify tissue iron deposition, and plays an important role in the management of iron-loading conditions. Cobalt and chromium, like iron, also affect magnetism and are proposed MR contrast agents. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe a case of a 44-year-old male with a failed hip implant and very elevated blood cobalt and chromium levels. Despite normal cardiac MR findings, liver T2* and R2 values were abnormal, triggering tissue biopsy. Liver tissue analysis, including X-ray fluorescence, demonstrated heavy elemental cobalt and chromium deposition in macrophages, and no detectable iron. CONCLUSIONS: Our case demonstrates T2* and R2 quantification of liver metal deposition in a patient with a failed hip implant. Further work is needed to investigate the role of T2* and R2 MR in the detection of metal deposition from metal on metal hip prostheses

Biopsy-based calibration of T2* magnetic resonance for estimation of liver iron concentration and comparison with R2 Ferriscan.

BACKGROUND: There is a need to standardise non-invasive measurements of liver iron concentrations (LIC) so clear inferences can be drawn about body iron levels that are associated with hepatic and extra-hepatic complications of iron overload. Since the first demonstration of an inverse relationship between biopsy LIC and liver magnetic resonance (MR) using a proof-of-concept T2* sequence, MR technology has advanced dramatically with a shorter minimum echo-time, closer inter-echo spacing and constant repetition time. These important advances allow more accurate calculation of liver T2* especially in patients with high LIC. METHODS: Here, we used an optimised liver T2* sequence calibrated against 50 liver biopsy samples on 25 patients with transfusional haemosiderosis using ordinary least squares linear regression, and assessed the method reproducibility in 96 scans over an LIC range up to 42 mg/g dry weight (dw) using Bland-Altman plots. Using mixed model linear regression we compared the new T2*-LIC with R2-LIC (Ferriscan) on 92 scans in 54 patients with transfusional haemosiderosis and examined method agreement using Bland-Altman approach. RESULTS: Strong linear correlation between ln(T2*) and ln(LIC) led to the calibration equation LIC = 31.94(T2*)-1.014. This yielded LIC values approximately 2.2 times higher than the proof-of-concept T2* method. Comparing this new T2*-LIC with the R2-LIC (Ferriscan) technique in 92 scans, we observed a close relationship between the two methods for values up to 10 mg/g dw, however the method agreement was poor. CONCLUSIONS: New calibration of T2* against liver biopsy estimates LIC in a reproducible way, correcting the proof-of-concept calibration by 2.2 times. Due to poor agreement, both methods should be used separately to diagnose or rule out liver iron overload in patients with increased ferritin