Location and arrangement of campaniform sensilla in Drosophila melanogaster

Sensory systems provide input to motor networks on the state of the body and environment. One such sensory system in insects is the campaniform sensilla (CS), which detect deformations of the exoskeleton arising from resisted movements or external perturbations. When physical strain is applied to the cuticle, CS external structures are compressed, leading to transduction in an internal sensory neuron. In Drosophila melanogaster, the distribution of CS on the exoskeleton has not been comprehensively described. To investigate CS number, location, spatial arrangement, and potential differences between individuals, we compared the front, middle, and hind legs of multiple flies using scanning electron microscopy. Additionally, we imaged the entire body surface to confirm known CS locations. On the legs, the number and relative arrangement of CS varied between individuals, and single CS of corresponding segments showed characteristic differences between legs. This knowledge is fundamental for studying the relevance of cuticular strain information within the complex neuromuscular networks controlling posture and movement. This comprehensive account of all D. melanogaster CS helps set the stage for experimental investigations into their responsivity, sensitivity, and roles in sensory acquisition and motor control in a light-weight model organism

Adaptive load feedback robustly signals force dynamics in robotic model of Carausius morosus stepping

Animals utilize a number of neuronal systems to produce locomotion. One type of sensory organ that contributes in insects is the campaniform sensillum (CS) that measures the load on their legs. Groups of the receptors are found on high stress regions of the leg exoskeleton and they have significant effects in adapting walking behavior. Recording from these sensors in freely moving animals is limited by technical constraints. To better understand the load feedback signaled by CS to the nervous system, we have constructed a dynamically scaled robotic model of the Carausius morosus stick insect middle leg. The leg steps on a treadmill and supports weight during stance to simulate body weight. Strain gauges were mounted in the same positions and orientations as four key CS groups (Groups 3, 4, 6B, and 6A). Continuous data from the strain gauges were processed through a previously published dynamic computational model of CS discharge. Our experiments suggest that under different stepping conditions (e.g., changing “body” weight, phasic load stimuli, slipping foot), the CS sensory discharge robustly signals increases in force, such as at the beginning of stance, and decreases in force, such as at the end of stance or when the foot slips. Such signals would be crucial for an insect or robot to maintain intra- and inter-leg coordination while walking over extreme terrain

Extra patient movement during mammographic imaging : an experimental study

Objectives: To determine if movement external to the patient occurring during mammography may be a source of image blur. Methods: Four mammography machines with seven flexible and nine fixed paddles were evaluated. In the first stage, movement at the paddle was measured mechanically using two calibrated linear potentiometers. A deformable breast phantom was used to mimic a female breast. For each paddle, the movement in millimeters and change in compression force in Newton was recorded at 0.5 and 1 second intervals respectively for 40 seconds with the phantom in an initially compressed state under a load of 80N. In the second stage, clinical audit on 28 females was conducted on one mammography machine with the 18x24cm and 24x29cm flexible paddles. Results: Movement at the paddle followed an exponential decay with a settling period of approximately 40 seconds. The compression force readings for both fixed and flexible paddles decreased exponentially with time while fixed paddles have a larger drop in compression force than flexible paddles. There is a linear relationship between movement at the paddle and change in compression force. Conclusions: Movement measured at the paddle during an exposure can be represented by a second order system. The amount of extra-patient movement during the actual exposure can be estimated using the linear relationship between movement at the paddle and the change in compression force. Advances in knowledge: This research provides a possible explanation to mammography image blurring caused by extra patient movement and proposes a theoretical model to analyze the movement

Rapid detection of Ganoderma-infected oil palms by microwave ergosterol extraction with HPLC and TLC

Detection of basal stem rot (BSR) by Ganoderma of oil palms was based on foliar symptoms and production of basidiomata. Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays-Polyclonal Antibody (ELISA-PAB) and PCR have been proposed as early detection methods for the disease. These techniques are complex, time consuming and have accuracy limitations. An ergosterol method was developed which correlated well with the degree of infection in oil palms, including samples growing in plantations. However, the method was capable of being optimised. This current study was designed to develop a simpler, more rapid and efficient ergosterol method with utility in the field that involved the use of microwave extraction. The optimised procedure involved extracting a small amount of Ganoderma, or Ganoderma-infected oil palm suspended in low volumes of solvent followed by irradiation in a conventional microwave oven at 70 °C and medium high power for 30 s, resulting in simultaneous extraction and saponification. Ergosterol was detected by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and quantified using high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection. The TLC method was novel and provided a simple, inexpensive method with utility in the field. The new method was particularly effective at extracting high yields of ergosterol from infected oil palm and enables rapid analysis of field samples on site, allowing infected oil palms to be treated or culled very rapidly. Some limitations of the method are discussed herein. The procedures lend themselves to controlling the disease more effectively and allowing more effective use of land currently employed to grow oil palms, thereby reducing pressure to develop new plantations.This project was supported by the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS), administered through the Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia (Grant No: 5524175)

Social Networks and Friendships at School: Comparing Children With and Without ASD

Self, peer and teacher reports of social relationships were examined for 60 high-functioning children with ASD. Compared to a matched sample of typical children in the same classroom, children with ASD were more often on the periphery of their social networks, reported poorer quality friendships and had fewer reciprocal friendships. On the playground, children with ASD were mostly unengaged but playground engagement was not associated with peer, self, or teacher reports of social behavior. Twenty percent of children with ASD had a reciprocated friendship and also high social network status. Thus, while the majority of high functioning children with ASD struggle with peer relationships in general education classrooms, a small percentage of them appear to have social success

Shared Genetic Etiology Between Alcohol Dependence and Major Depressive Disorder

The clinical comorbidity of alcohol dependence (AD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) is well established, whereas genetic factors influencing co-occurrence remain unclear. A recent study using polygenic risk scores (PRS) calculated based on the first-wave Psychiatric Genomics Consortium MDD meta-analysis (PGC-MDD1) suggests a modest shared genetic contribution to MDD and AD. Using a (∼10 fold) larger discovery sample, we calculated PRS based on the second wave (PGC-MDD2) of results, in a severe AD case–control target sample. We found significant associations between AD disease status and MDD-PRS derived from both PGC-MDD2 (most informative P-threshold=1.0, P=0.00063, R2=0.533%) and PGCMDD1 (P-threshold=0.2, P=0.00014, R2=0.663%) metaanalyses; the larger discovery sample did not yield additional predictive power. In contrast, calculating PRS in a MDD target sample yielded increased power when using PGC-MDD2 (P-threshold=1.0, P=0.000038, R2=1.34%) versus PGC-MDD1 (P-threshold=1.0, P=0.0013, R2=0.81%). Furthermore, when calculating PGC-MDD2 PRS in a subsample of patients with AD recruited explicitly excluding comorbid MDD, significant associations were still found (n=331; P-threshold=1.0, P=0.042, R2=0.398%). Meanwhile, in the subset of patients in which MDD was not the explicit exclusion criteria, PRS predicted more variance (n=999; P-threshold=1.0, P=0.0003, R2=0.693%). Our findings replicate the reported genetic overlap between AD and MDD and also suggest the need for improved, rigorous phenotyping to identify true shared cross-disorder genetic factors. Larger target samples are needed to reduce noise and take advantage of increasing discovery sample size

Polymorphism screening and haplotype analysis of the tryptophan hydroxylase gene (TPH1) and association with bipolar affective disorder in Taiwan

BACKGROUND: Disturbances in serotonin neurotransmission are implicated in the etiology of many psychiatric disorders, including bipolar affective disorder (BPD). The tryptophan hydroxylase gene (TPH), which codes for the enzyme catalyzing the rate-limiting step in serotonin biosynthetic pathway, is one of the leading candidate genes for psychiatric and behavioral disorders. In a preliminary study, we found that TPH1 intron7 A218C polymorphism was associated with BPD. This study was designed to investigate sequence variants of the TPH1 gene in Taiwanese and to test whether the TPH1 gene is a susceptibility factor for the BPD. METHODS: Using a systematic approach, we have searched the exons and promoter region of the TPH1 gene for sequence variants in Taiwanese Han and have identified five variants, A-1067G, G-347T, T3804A, C27224T, and A27237G. These five variants plus another five taken from the literature and a public database were examined for an association in 108 BPD patients and 103 controls; no association was detected for any of the 10 variants. RESULTS: Haplotype constructions using these 10 SNPs showed that the 3 most common haplotypes in both patients and controls were identical. One of the fourth common haplotype in the patient group (i.e. GGGAGACCCA) was unique and showed a trend of significance with the disease (P = 0.028). However, the significance was abolished after Bonferroni correction thus suggesting the association is weak. In addition, three haplotype-tagged SNPs (htSNPs) were selected to represent all haplotypes with frequencies larger than 2% in the Taiwanese Han population. The defined TPH1 htSNPs significantly reduce the marker number for haplotype analysis thus provides useful information for future association studies in our population. CONCLUSION: Results of this study did not support the role of TPH1 gene in BPD etiology. As the current studies found the TPH1 gene under investigation belongs to the peripheral serotonin system and may link to a cardiac dysfunction phenotype, a second TPH gene that functions predominantly in the brain (i.e., nTPH or TPH2) should be the target for the future association study

The G-Protein β3 subunit 825 TT genotype is associated with epigastric pain syndrome-like dyspepsia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Although familial clustering of functional dyspepsia (FD) has been reported, the role of genetics in the susceptibility to FD is still not well understood. Several reports indicate an association between FD and G-protein β3 (GNB3) subunit gene polymorphism (C825T); however, these studies had small sample sizes and the findings are inconclusive. In the present study we clarified the association between GNB3 gene polymorphism and dyspepsia in a large population of Japanese subjects who visited a hospital for annual health check-up.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Subjects with significant upper gastrointestinal findings were excluded. Subjects with dyspeptic symptoms were divided into either a postprandial distress syndrome (PDS) group or an epigastric pain syndrome (EPS) group according to the Rome III criteria. The presence of the GNB3 C825T polymorphism was then evaluated and logistic regression analysis was used to test all variables.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The GNB3 genotype distribution in subjects without dyspepsia was 191 CC (25.1%), 368 TC (48.4%), and 202 TT (26.5%) and 17 CC (25.0%), 29 TC (42.6%), and 22 TT (32.4%) in subjects with dyspepsia. No significant correlation was found between the GNB3 825TT genotype and dyspepsia. However, the TT genotype was significantly associated with subjects with EPS-like symptoms (odds ratio (OR) = 2.00, 95% confidence interval (CI); 1.07-3.76) compared to the CT/CC genotype adjusted for gender and age. No significant correlation was found between GNB3 polymorphism and PDS-like symptoms (OR = 0.68, 95% CI; 0.31-1.51). With the exclusion of subjects with both EPS- and PDS-like symptoms, only the TT genotype was significantly associated with EPS-like symptoms (OR = 2.73, 95% CI; 1.23-5.91).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The homozygous GNB3 825T allele influences the susceptibility to EPS-like dyspepsia.</p

Functional polymorphisms of the brain serotonin synthesizing enzyme tryptophan hydroxylase-2

Many neuropsychiatric disorders are considered to be related to the dysregulation of brain serotonergic neurotransmission. Tryptophan hydroxylase-2 (TPH2) is the neuronal-specific enzyme that controls brain serotonin synthesis. There is growing genetic evidence for the possible involvement of TPH2 in serotonin-related neuropsychiatric disorders; however, the degree of genetic variation in TPH2 and, in particular, its possible functional consequences remain unknown. In this short review, we will summarize some recent findings with respect to the functional analysis of TPH2