SIZE-ASSORTATIVE MATING IN A NATURAL POPULATION OF VIVIPARUS ATER (GASTROPODA: PROSOBRANCHIA) IN LAKE ZÜRICH, SWITZERLAND

The number of mating pairs, the size of the mating partners, and the distribution of individuals of Vivi-parus ater on a grid in Lake Zürich were recorded during one breeding season in 1990. There was positive assortative mating with respect to shell size. The proportion of copulating individuals ranged from 1% to 6% (average 3%) of the active population at any one time. Individual snails copulated 60 times on average from April until November. Snails were abundant and copulated in shallow water close to the shore in Spring. They moved towards deeper areas in Autumn. V. ater copulated on all substrates at any depth (1-9 m)of the grid. The spatial distribution of copulations throughout the summer reflected the pattern of snail abundanc

Genetic structure of the high dispersal Atlanto-Mediterreanean sea star Astropecten aranciacus revealed by mitochondrial DNA sequences and microsatellite loci

To investigate the impact of potential marine barriers on gene-flow in high dispersal marine invertebrates, we assessed the population genetic structure of the sea star Astropecten aranciacus. Samples were obtained from nine locations within the Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea including populations east of the Siculo-Tunisian Strait. We obtained both DNA sequence data of the mitochondrial control region and genotype data at four microsatellite loci. Both markers were highly polymorphic and showed a great level of genetic diversity. Genetic differentiation between populations (F ST) was in general low, particularly for nuclear data, as is often the case in high dispersal marine invertebrates. Nevertheless, both marker sets indicated a significant genetic differentiation of the population from the island of Madeira to most other populations. Our results also demonstrate a clear pattern of isolation-by-distance supported by both mitochondrial and nuclear markers. Therefore, we conclude that larval dispersal of A. aranciacus is somewhat limited even within the basins of the Atlantic, the west Mediterranean and the east Mediterranean. Microsatellite loci further revealed genetic differentiation between the three basins; however, it is not clear whether this is truly caused by marine barriers. Genetic differentiation between basins might also be a result of isolation-by-distance allowing for any grouping to be significant as long as geographical neighbors are clustered together. Although levels of genetic differentiation were less pronounced in microsatellite data, both datasets were coherent and revealed similar patterns of genetic structure in A. aranciacu

Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia and Pulmonary Embolism: An Association to Consider.

Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) is increasingly recognized as a strong risk factor for venous thrombosis. However, there are currently no guidelines on thromboembolism prevention and management during AIHA. Here, we describe the case of a patient with AIHA and pulmonary embolism and resume the current knowledge on epidemiology, risk factors, treatment, and pathophysiology of thrombosis during AIHA, as well as new therapeutic perspectives to prevent thrombus formation during AIHA

Vaccination recommendations for adult patients with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases

BACKGROUND: The number of individuals with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases (AIIRDs) treated with immunosuppressive drugs is increasing steadily. The variety of immunosuppressive drugs and, in particular, biological therapies is also rising. The immunosuppressants, as well as the AIIRD itself, increase the risk of infection in this population. Thus, preventing infections by means of vaccination is of utmost importance. New Swiss vaccination recommendations for AIIRD patients were initiated by the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health and prepared by a working group of the Federal Commission for Vaccination Issues as well as by consultation of international experts. METHODS: A literature search was performed in electronic databases (Cochrane, Medline, PubMed, Embase). In addition, unpublished literature was identified through a targeted website search of relevant organisations and international conferences dealing with vaccination, infectious diseases and rheumatology. RESULTS: Although data are scarce, the following main points were retrieved from the literature. Inactivated vaccines are safe, but their immunogenicity may be reduced in AIIRD patients, especially if they are under immunosuppressive therapy. Rituximab and abatacept appear to reduce significantly immune responses after vaccination. Live vaccines are generally contraindicated under immunosuppressive therapy owing to safety concerns. Specific exceptions, as well as time intervals for the administration of live vaccines after interruption of an immunosuppressive therapy, have been formulated in this article. CONCLUSION: More evidence regarding the immunogenicity and safety of vaccinations in AIIRD patients under various therapies is needed. Vaccination recommendations should be updated on a regular basis, as more scientific data will become available

Churg-Strauss syndrome with cardiac involvement: case illustration and contribution of CMR in the diagnosis and clinical follow-up.

This report summarises three cases of Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS) illustrating the diagnostic challenges associated with the cardiac manifestation of this disease. Here, we illustrate the role of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) for diagnosis and follow-up of CSS with a focus on new non-contrast T <sub>2</sub> -weighted imaging sequences for quantification of myocardial scar tissue and quantitative T <sub>2</sub> mapping techniques, which allow the detection of myocardial edema

PHYSICAL ASPECTS OF REVERSIBLE INACTIVATION OF ENDOTOXIN *

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/74729/1/j.1749-6632.1966.tb52394.x.pd

Antibodies to <i>Chlamydia trachomatis</i> and reproductive health issues in women with SLE: a case-control study.

SLE is an autoimmune condition affecting predominantly women. Little is known regarding &lt;i&gt;Chlamydia trachomatis&lt;/i&gt; infection in women with SLE, which may drive autoimmunity and contribute to obstetrical and vascular complications. This single-centre, case-control study set primary endpoint in the comparative seropositivity rate to &lt;i&gt;C. trachomatis&lt;/i&gt; major outer membrane protein (MOMP) and chlamydial heat-shock protein-60 (cHSP60) in age-matched subjects. The secondary endpoints were obstetrical outcomes, cardiovascular events and results from screening procedures for cervical cancer. Eighty-four women with SLE and 50 age-matched controls were included. Seropositivity to &lt;i&gt;C. trachomatis&lt;/i&gt; did not differ significantly between groups (10% of cases positive for anti-MOMP vs 12% of controls; 43% of cases positive for anti-cHSP60 vs 32% of controls). Women with SLE were more often of non-Caucasian ethnicity and had lower educational level. They relied less frequently on oral contraception and resorted more frequently to elective pregnancy termination. Pre-eclampsia and ectopic pregnancy occurred only in SLE. Women with SLE also experienced more cardiovascular events. In SLE, antibodies to cHSP60 were associated with a history of pericarditis and abnormal screening tests for cervical cancer. Antibody titres to &lt;i&gt;C. trachomatis&lt;/i&gt; were not associated with disease activity or SLE treatment, nor were there associations with other gynaecological, obstetrical or vascular outcomes. Prevalence of antibodies to &lt;i&gt;C. trachomatis&lt;/i&gt; was not increased in women with SLE. No significant association was found between these antibodies and obstetrical or cardiovascular complications

Multicenter phase II trial of gefitinib first-line therapy followed by chemotherapy in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC): SAKK protocol 19/03

Background: Gefitinib is active in patients with pretreated non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We evaluated the activity and toxicity of gefitinib first-line treatment in advanced NSCLC followed by chemotherapy at disease progression. Patients and methods: In all, 63 patients with chemotherapy-naive stage IIIB/IV NSCLC received gefitinib 250 mg/day. At disease progression, gefitinib was replaced by cisplatin 80 mg/m2 on day 1 and gemcitabine 1250 mg/m2 on days 1, 8 for up to six 3-week cycles. Primary end point was the disease stabilization rate (DSR) after 12 weeks of gefitinib. Results: After 12 weeks of gefitinib, the DSR was 24% and the response rate (RR) was 8%. Median time to progression (TtP) was 2.5 months and median overall survival (OS) 11.5 months. Never smokers (n = 9) had a DSR of 56% and a median OS of 20.2 months; patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation (n = 4) had a DSR of 75% and the median OS was not reached after the follow-up of 21.6 months. In all, 41 patients received chemotherapy with an overall RR of 34%, DSR of 71% and median TtP of 6.7 months. Conclusions: First-line gefitinib monotherapy led to a DSR of 24% at 12 weeks in an unselected patients population. Never smokers and patients with EGFR mutations tend to have a better outcome; hence, further trials in selected patients are warrante

Characterization of soft x-ray echo-enabled harmonic generation free-electron laser pulses in the presence of incoherent electron beam energy modulations

Echo-enabled harmonic generation free-electron lasers (EEHG FELs) are promising candidates to produce fully coherent soft x-ray pulses by virtue of efficient high-harmonic frequency up-conversion from ultraviolet lasers. The ultimate spectral limit of EEHG, however, remains unclear, because of the broadening and distortions induced in the output spectrum by residual broadband energy modulations in the electron beam. We present a mathematical description of the impact of incoherent (broadband) energy modulations on the bunching spectrum produced by the microbunching instability through both the accelerator and the EEHG line. The model is in agreement with a systematic experimental characterization of the FERMI EEHG FEL in the photon energy range 130\u2013210 eV. We find that amplification of electron beam energy distortions primarily in the EEHG dispersive sections explains an observed reduction of the FEL spectral brightness proportional to the EEHG harmonic number. Local maxima of the FEL spectral brightness and of the spectral stability are found for a suitable balance of the dispersive sections\u2019 strength and the first seed laser pulse energy. Such characterization provides a benchmark for user experiments and future EEHG implementations designed to reach shorter wavelengths