Systematics, functional morphology and distribution of a bivalve (Apachecorbula muriatica gen. et sp. nov.) from the rim of the ‘Valdivia Deep’ brine pool in the Red Sea

The deep brine pools of the Red Sea comprise extreme, inhospitable habitats yet house microbial communities that potentially may fuel adjacent fauna. We here describe a novel bivalve from a deep-sea (1525 m) brine pool in the Red Sea, where conditions of high salinity, lowered pH, partial anoxia and high temperatures are prevalent. Remotely operated vehicle (ROV) footage showed that the bivalves were present in a narrow (20 cm) band along the rim of the brine pool, suggesting that it is not only tolerant of such extreme conditions but is also limited to them. The bivalve is a member of the Corbulidae and named Apachecorbula muriatica gen. et sp. nov. The shell is atypical of the family in being modioliform and thin. The semi-infaunal habit is seen in ROV images and reflected in the anatomy by the lack of siphons. The ctenidia are large and typical of a suspension feeding bivalve, but the absence of guard cilia and the greatly reduced labial palps suggest that it is non-selective as a response to low food availability. It is proposed that the low body mass observed is a consequence of the extreme habitat and low food availability. It is postulated that the observed morphology of Apachecorbula is a result of paedomorphosis driven by the effects of the extreme environment on growth but is in part mitigated by the absence of high predation pressures.

Aminobenzocoumarinylmehtyl esters as photoactive precursors for the release of butyric acid

The evaluation of the photorelease of a carboxylic acid drug, using butyric acid as a representative model, was carried out by using 7-amino-4-chloromethyl-2-oxo-2Hnaphtho[1,2-b] pyran, an aminobenzocoumarin, and its mono- and di-methylated or ethylated derivatives. This study was intended to improve the release of butyric acid from benzocoumarins by the addition of an amino group to the heterocycle by applying the knowledge of second-generation coumarinylmethyl-based photoremovable protecting groups. Photolysis studies were performed on the resultant ester cages by irradiation in a photochemical reactor at 254, 300, 350 and 419 nm, using methanol/HEPES buffer 80:20 solutions as solvent. The data obtained showed that these new fluorescent aminobenzocoumarins are superior to all the previously tested benzocoumarins with the same or different ring fusions. As well as the photolysis, the photophysics of the compounds were characterised by both steady state and time-resolved methods.

Photoactivation of butyric acid from 6-aminobenzocoumarin cages

A new benzocoumarin bearing an amino group is proposed as a photocleavable protecting group for carboxylic acids. The novel heterocycle, 6-amino-4-chloromethyl-2-oxo-2H-naphtho[1,2-b]pyran was used in the preparation of ester conjugates of butyric acid, and of the corresponding mono- and di-methylated or ethylated derivatives. The photolability of the ester conjugates was studied by irradiation at selected wavelengths in methanol/HEPES buffer (80:20) solutions, and the release of butyric acid was followed with HPLC/UV and 1H NMR monitoring. Release of the carboxylic acid was faster for the monoalkylated derivatives (approximately within 20 min), at the longer wavelengths of irradiation (350 and 419 nm). The photophysics of the heterocyclic conjugates was also evaluated by both steady state and time-resolved methods.

Inferior frontal gyrus white matter abnormalities in obsessive-compulsive disorder

The aim of the present study is to explore obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)-related abnormalities in white matter connectivity in OCD for a core region associated with inhibitory control [i.e. inferior frontal gyrus (IFG)]. Fifteen patients with OCD (11 men) and 15 healthy controls (nine men) underwent diffusion tensor imaging scanning to study four diffusivity indexes of white matter integrity [fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity and radial diffusivity (RD)]. The results showed that persons with OCD manifested significantly lower fractional anisotropy levels in the bilateral IFG as well as its parcellations in the pars opercularis, pars triangularis, and pars orbitalis. Significantly higher levels of MD, RD were evident for the OCD group in the IFG as a whole as well as in the bilateral subregions of the pars triangularis and pars opercularis (for MD and RD), the right side of the pars orbitalis (for RD), and the left side of the pars triangularis and right side pars opercularis (for axial diffusivity). Overall, the results suggest significant alterations in structural connectivity, probably associated with myelination and axonal abnormalities in the IFG of OCD patients.