World Health Organisation test applied on Culicoides: a multicentric study

The aim of this work is to organize a multicentric assay to compare susceptibilities of Culicoides populations to insecticides (i.e. C. imicola and C. obsoletus sensu stricto). The base line of the World Health Organisation test kit (WHO/VBC81.805) is to expose mosquitoes to papers impregnated with insecticides to detect the resistance of Anopheles (paludism vector) in the field. In a novel approach, the WHO test can be used on Culicoides to assess midges' susceptibility to insecticides. Information on the intrinsic susceptibilities to insecticides is required to assess correctly the existing (or new) formulations of insecticide. This multicentric assay will improve our capacity to experiment by networking and assess the population variability by comparing susceptibilities between different populations of Culicoides. Field-collected midges are trapped alive using an ultraviolet light trap (OVI model, South Africa) and replacing the collection jar with a fine mesh cage. To prevent desiccation, cages are covered with wet papers, wrapped in aluminium foil and retrieved at dawn. It is important to choose the site and period with abundant target species to improve robustness with more individuals. Experiments should be carried out in an insecticide-free environment with constant temperature and humidity, and started a few hours after collection. Insecticide-impregnated papers are rolled and fastened into the WHO kit test tube. About 30 Culicoides (approximately 20 nulliparous females) are collected and transferred to the tube. Tubes are maintained horizontally for an hour (exposure to insecticide). Mortalities are recorded 1 h and 24 h after exposure. One control is performed without insecticide to validate the test. Mortalities are analysed by probit regression to obtain LC50 and LC90 for each population. The test has to be run at least with four concentrations of insecticide, one control and four replicates with samples from the same population. Only nulliparous females are recorded. Insecticide concentrations are given in percentages (WHO standard). In this WHO test, the target species are C. imicola and C. obsoletus s.s., and the active ingredient used is deltamethrin at doses 0.005, 0.001, 0.0005 and 0.0001%. Data will be centralized and analysed by EID-Méditerranée (France), and results will be given back to the partners and published. Future studies could focus on comparing the four deltamethrin concentrations on other species and testing Culicoides susceptibility to other components. (Texte intégral

Biodiversity ecosystem functioning research in freshwater phytoplankton: A comprehensive review of trait-based studies

In an effort to reach a clearer mechanistic understanding of the influence of biological diversity on ecosystem functioning, research in the field is increasingly applying a trait-based approach. In this comprehensive review, I searched for and analyzed studies that focused on the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) using a trait-based approach in freshwater phytoplankton from lentic systems (lakes, ponds, reservoirs). I found that this type of studies is very rare and included a plethora of traits, diversity metrics, statistical analyses and study locations that contributed to the high variability in the results they obtained. Overall, trait-based diversity is not a very good predictor of ecosystem functioning in freshwater lentic ecosystems. Null relationships between trait-based diversity and ecosystem functioning in freshwater lentic systems were the more frequent outcome. When significant, the amount of variation in ecosystem functioning explained by trait-based diversity was small. Still, trait-based research remains a promising approach to increase the mechanistic understanding of BEF relationships. For this purpose, studies directly testing the underlying mechanistic rationale, exploring diversity effects on the temporal stability of ecosystem functions, including multiple functions at a time, focusing more in cell size and shape and confirming the relative importance of individual trait variation for ecosystem functioning are needed.

Acercamiento a la estructura y composición de la comunidad íctica arrecifal de la Isla de Malpelo, utilizando el censo visual rápido (RVC) en el mes de marzo de 2002

Biólogo (a)Pregrad

The EF-hand Ca²⁺-binding protein super-family: A genome-wide analysis of gene expression patterns in the adult mouse brain

In mice, 249 putative members of the superfamily of EF-hand domain Ca²⁺-binding proteins, manifesting great diversity in structure, cellular localization and functions have been identified. Three members in particular, namely, calbindin-D28K, calretinin and parvalbumin, are widely used as markers for specific neuronal subpopulations in different regions of the brain. The aim of the present study was to compile a comprehensive atlas of the gene-expression profiles of the entire EF-hand gene superfamily in the murine brain. This was achieved by a meticulous examination of the in-situ hybridization images in the Allen Brain Atlas database. Topographically, our analysis focused on the olfactory bulb, cerebral cortex (barrel cortex in the primary somatosensory area), basal ganglia, hippocampus, amygdala, thalamus, hypothalamus, cerebellum, midbrain, pons and medulla, and on clearly identifiable sub-structures within each of these areas. The expression profiles of four family-members, namely hippocalcin-like 4, neurocalcin-δ, plastin 3 and tescalcin, that have not been hitherto reported, at either the mRNA (in-situ-hybridization) or the protein (immunohistochemical) levels, are now presented for the first time. The fruit of our analysis is a document in which the gene-expression profiles of all members of the EF-hand family genes are compared, and in which future possible neuronal markers for specific cells/brain areas are identified. The assembled information could afford functional clues to investigators, conducive to further experimental pursuit

Polarity Sensitivity as a Potential Correlate of Neural Degeneration in Cochlear Implant Users.

Cochlear implant (CI) performance varies dramatically between subjects. Although the causes of this variability remain unclear, the electrode-neuron interface is thought to play an important role. Here we evaluate the contribution of two parameters of this interface on the perception of CI listeners: the electrode-to-modiolar wall distance (EMD), estimated from cone-beam computed tomography (CT) scans, and a measure of neural health. Since there is no objective way to quantify neural health in CI users, we measure stimulus polarity sensitivity, which is assumed to be related to neural degeneration, and investigate whether it also correlates with subjects' performance in speech recognition and spectro-temporal modulation detection tasks. Detection thresholds were measured in fifteen CI users (sixteen ears) for partial-tripolar triphasic pulses having an anodic or a cathodic central phase. The polarity effect was defined as the difference in threshold between cathodic and anodic stimuli. Our results show that both the EMD and the polarity effect correlate with detection thresholds, both across and within subjects, although the within-subject correlations were weak. Furthermore, the mean polarity effect, averaged across all electrodes for each subject, was negatively correlated with performance on a spectro-temporal modulation detection task. In other words, lower cathodic thresholds were associated with better spectro-temporal modulation detection performance, which is also consistent with polarity sensitivity being a marker of neural degeneration. Implications for the design of future subject-specific fitting strategies are discussed

Highest composition dissimilarity among phytoplankton communities at intermediate environmental distances across high-altitude tropical lakes

Tropical high-altitude lakes are vital freshwater ecosystems for the functioning and dynamics of tropical high-altitude wetlands called páramos, found at over 3300 m above sea level. They play a major role in the hydrogeological cycle and provide important hydrological services such as water storage, and yet they are understudied. Describing the patterns and processes of community composition in these lakes is required to better understand the consequences of their degradation by human activities. In this study we tested the geographical and environmental components of distance–decay relationships in the phytoplankton structure across 24 tropical high-altitude lakes from Southern Ecuador. Phytoplankton composition at the phyla level showed high among-lake variation in the tropical high-altitude lakes from Tres Lagunas. We found no links, however, between the geographic distance and phytoplankton composition. On the contrary, we observed some environmentally related patterns of community structure like redox potential, altitude, water temperature, and total phosphorus. The absence of support for the distance–decay relationship observed here can result from a conjunction of local niche-based effects and dispersal limitations. Phytoplankton community composition in the Tres Lagunas system or any other ecosystem may be jointly regulated by niche-based and neutral forces that still need to be explored. Despite not proving a mechanistic explanation for the observed patterns of community structure, we hope our findings provide understanding of these vulnerable and vital ecosystems. More studies in tropical high-altitude lakes are urgently required

Problemas otorrinolaringológicos y trastornos del habla en los niños con síndrome de Down: fisiopatología, rasgos clínicos, tratamientos

El aumento de la esperanza de vida de las personas con síndrome de Down ha hecho que aparecieran varios procesos patológicos que antes se desconocían. Entre ellos, los problemas otorrinolaringológicos (ORL) ocupan un puesto importante por su elevada incidencia y, a veces, por su gravedad. El conocimiento preciso de la fisiopatología que está en la base de los trastornos ORL (Ia dismorfia facial, las anomalías de los oídos y de las vías respiratorias superiores y la inmunodeficiencia) ayuda a comprender las razones por las que se forma la obstrucción de las vías respiratorias superiores, el síndrome de la apnea obstructiva del sueño, la estenosis subglótica, la sordera, el retraso en el habla y las infecciones ORL que ocurren frecuentemente en estos niños. La exploración hecha tempranamente y el tratamiento específico pueden conseguir que se eviten algunas de las secuelas a largo plazo, o al menos que mejores su pronóstico. Con el fin de ayudar a los profesionales sanitarios en su trabajo diario, hacemos una serie de recomendaciones que les ayuden a desarrollar un plan base para el manejo de los problemas ORL en las personas con síndrome de Down