The distribution and morphological characteristics of serotonergic cells in the brain of monotremes

The distribution and cellular morphology of serotonergic neurons in the brain of two species of monotremes are described. Three clusters of serotonergic neurons were found: a hypothalamic cluster, a cluster in the rostral brainstem and a cluster in the caudal brainstem. Those in the hypothalamus consisted of two groups, the periventricular hypothalamic organ and the infundibular recess, that were intimately associated with the ependymal wall of the third ventricle. Within the rostral brainstem cluster, three distinct divisions were found: the dorsal raphe nucleus (with four subdivisions), the median raphe nucleus and the cells of the supralemniscal region. The dorsal raphe was within and adjacent to the periaqueductal gray matter, the median raphe was associated with the midline ventral to the dorsal raphe, and the cells of the supralemniscal region were in the tegmentum lateral to the median raphe and ventral to the dorsal raphe. The caudal cluster consisted of three divisions: the raphe obscurus nucleus, the raphe pallidus nucleus and the raphe magnus nucleus. The raphe obscurus nucleus was associated with the dorsal midline at the caudal-most part of the medulla oblongata. The raphe pallidus nucleus was found at the ventral midline of the medulla around the inferior olive. Raphe magnus was associated with the midline of the medulla and was found rostral to both the raphe obscurus and raphe pallidus. The results of our study are compared in an evolutionary context with those reported for other mammals and reptiles. Copyright (C) 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Structural basis for the specificity of bipartite nuclear localization sequence binding by importin-α

Importin-alpha is the nuclear import receptor that recognizes cargo proteins carrying conventional basic monopartite and bipartite nuclear localization sequences (NLSs) and facilitates their transport into the nucleus. Bipartite NLSs contain two clusters of basic residues, connected by linkers of variable lengths. To determine the structural basis of the recognition of diverse bipartite NLSs by mammalian importin-alpha, we co-crystallized a non-autoinhibited mouse receptor protein with peptides corresponding to the NLSs from human retinoblastoma protein and Xenopus laevis phosphoprotein N1N2, containing diverse sequences and lengths of the linker. We show that the basic clusters interact analogously in both NLSs, but the linker sequences adopt different conformations, whereas both make specific contacts with the receptor. The available data allow us to draw general conclusions about the specificity of NLS binding by importin-alpha and facilitate an improved definition of the consensus sequence of a conventional basic/bipartite NLS (KRX10-12KRRK) that can be used to identify novel nuclear proteins.

The 1000 brightest hipass galaxies: The H I mass function and Omega(H I)

We present a new, accurate measurement of the H I mass function of galaxies from the HIPASS Bright Galaxy Catalog, a sample of 1000 galaxies with the highest H I peak flux densities in the southern (delta

Molecular characterization of the microbial species that colonize human ileal and colonic mucosa by using 16S rDNA sequence analysis

Aim: The aim of this study was to characterize the bacterial community adhering to the mucosa of the terminal ileum, and proximal and distal colon of the human digestive tract. Methods and Results: Pinch samples of the terminal ileum, proximal and distal colon were taken from a healthy 35-year-old, and a 68-year-old subject with mild diverticulosis. The 16S rDNA genes were amplified using a low number of PCR cycles, cloned, and sequenced. In total, 361 sequences were obtained comprising 70 operational taxonomic units (OTU), with a calculated coverage of 82.6%. Twenty-three per cent of OTU were common to the terminal ileum, proximal colon and distal colon, but 14% OTU were only found in the terminal ileum, and 43% were only associated with the proximal or distal colon. The most frequently represented clones were from the Clostridium group XIVa (24.7%), and the Bacteroidetes (Cytophaga-Flavobacteria-Bacteroides ) cluster (27.7%). Conclusion: Comparison of 16S rDNA clone libraries of the hindgut across mammalian species confirms that the distribution of phylogenetic groups is similar irrespective of the host species. Lesser site-related differences within groups or clusters of organisms, are probable. Significance and Impact: This study provides further evidence of the distribution of the bacteria on the mucosal surfaces of the human hindgut. Data contribute to the benchmarking of the microbial composition of the human digestive tract.

The prevalence of childhood obesity in primary school children in urban Khon Kaen, Northeast Thailand

Childhood obesity is a serious public health problem because of its strong association with adulthood obesity and the related adverse health consequences. The published literature indicates a rising prevalence of childhood obesity in both developed and developing countries. However no data exists on the prevalence in Northeast Thailand, one of the poorest regions of the country and one that has experienced a recent economic transition. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of obesity in seven to nine year old children in urban Khon Kaen, Northeast Thailand. A cross-sectional school based survey was conducted to determine the prevalence of obesity in children of urban Khon Kaen, Thailand. Multi-staged cluster sampling was used to select 12 school clusters of 72 children each between the ages of 7 and 9 years, in primary school grades 1, 2 and 3 from government, private and demonstration schools. A total of 864 seven to nine year old school children were studied. Anthropometric measurements of standing height and weight were taken for all subjects to the nearest tenth of a centimetre and tenth of a kilogram respectively. Childhood obesity was defined as a weight-for-height Z-score above 2.0 standard deviations of the National Center for Health Statistics/World Health Organisation reference population median. The prevalence of childhood obesity was 10.8% (95% CI: 7.6, 13.9). Obesity was significantly more prevalent in boys than girls. The biggest difference was observed between the three school types, with the highest prevalence of obesity found at teacher training demonstration schools and the lowest at the government schools. This study provides the first data on childhood obesity prevalence in Northeast Thailand. The prevalence of 10.8 per cent is lower than that found in two other urban areas of Thailand but slightly higher than expected for this relatively poor region. If this prevalence rate increases, as observed in other countries in economic transition, the incidence of non-communicable diseases associated with obesity is also likely to increase, thus raising cause for concern and reason for intervention to both control and prevent obesity during childhood.

Moravecia australiensis n. g., n. sp (Dracunculoidea : Guyanemidae) from the gills of the green porcupine fish Tragulichthys jaculiferus (Cuvier) in Australia

A new dracunculoid genus and species, Moravecia australiensis, is described from gill-filaments of the green porcupine fish Tragulichthys jaculiferus (Cuvier) (Tetraodontiformes: Diodontidae) from Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. Abundant mobile larvae and a few adult males with females occurred in the gill-filament between the epithelial basement membrane and efferent artery. Gills of all 69 fish examined contained larvae. Eleven harboured adult nematodes of a previously undescribed species belonging to the family Guyanemidae. The new species is placed within a newly proposed genus because it differs from the four existing genera in the family in possessing fine cuticular transverse striations, two forward protruding cephalic elevations, a circumoral elevation, a small triangular mouth surrounded by six cephalic papillae arranged in two lateral clusters of three each and a pair of large lateral amphids. Males have two pairs of pedunculate caudal papillae supporting the caudal alae. A key to the genera of the Guyanemidae is presented.

Intergalactic H II regions discovered in SINGG

A number of very small isolated H II regions have been discovered at projected distances up to 30 kpc from their nearest galaxy. These H II regions appear as tiny emission-line objects in narrowband images obtained by the NOAO Survey for Ionization in Neutral Gas Galaxies (SINGG). We present spectroscopic confirmation of four isolated H II regions in two systems; both systems have tidal H I features. The results are consistent with stars forming in interactive debris as a result of cloud-cloud collisions. The Halpha luminosities of the isolated H II regions are equivalent to the ionizing flux of only a few O stars each. They are most likely ionized by stars formed in situ and represent atypical star formation in the low-density environment of the outer parts of galaxies. A small but finite intergalactic star formation rate will enrich and ionize the surrounding medium. In one system, NGC 1533, we calculate a star formation rate of 1.5 x 10(-3) M-. yr(-1), resulting in a metal enrichment of similar to 1 x 10(-3) solar for the continuous formation of stars. Such systems may have been more common in the past and a similar enrichment level is measured for the metallicity floor'' in damped Lyalpha absorption systems.

Large-scale velocity structures in the Horologium-Reticulum supercluster

We present 547 optical redshifts obtained for galaxies in the region of the Horologium-Reticulum supercluster (HRS) using the 6 degrees field (6dF) multifiber spectrograph on the UK Schmidt Telescope at the Anglo-Australian Observatory. The HRS covers an area of more than 12 degrees x 12 degrees on the sky centered at approximately alpha = 03(h)19(m), delta = 50 degrees 02'. Our 6dF observations concentrate on the intercluster regions of the HRS, from which we describe four primary results. First, the HRS spans at least the redshift range from 17,000 to 22,500 km s(-1). Second, the overdensity of galaxies in the intercluster regions of the HRS in this redshift range is estimated to be 2.4, or delta rho/(rho) over bar similar to 1: 4. Third, we find a systematic trend of increasing redshift along a southeast-northwest spatial axis in the HRS, in that the mean redshift of HRS members increases by more than 1500 km s(-1) from southeast to northwest over a 12 degrees region. Fourth, the HRS is bimodal in redshift with a separation of similar to 2500 km s(-1) (35 Mpc) between the higher and lower redshift peaks. This fact is particularly evident if the above spatial-redshift trend is fitted and removed. In short, the HRS appears to consist of two components in redshift space, each one exhibiting a similar systematic spatial-redshift trend along a southeast-northwest axis. Lastly, we compare these results from the HRS with the Shapley supercluster and find similar properties and large-scale features.

Role of smoking in global and regional cancer epidemiology: current patterns and data needs

Although smoking is widely recognized as a major cause of cancer, there is little information on how it contributes to the global and regional burden of cancers in combination with other risk factors that affect background cancer mortality patterns. We used data from the American Cancer Society's Cancer Prevention Study II (CPS-II) and the WHO and IARC cancer mortality databases to estimate deaths from 8 clusters of site-specific cancers caused by smoking, for 14 epidemiologic subregions of the world, by age and sex. We used lung cancer mortality as an indirect marker for accumulated smoking hazard. CPS-II hazards were adjusted for important covariates. In the year 2000, an estimated 1.42 (95% CI 1.27-1.57) million cancer deaths in the world, 21% of total global cancer deaths, were caused by smoking. Of these, 1.18 million deaths were among men and 0.24 million among women; 625,000 (95% CI 485,000-749,000) smoking-caused cancer deaths occurred in the developing world and 794,000 (95% CI 749,000-840,000) in industrialized regions. Lung cancer accounted for 60% of smoking-attributable cancer mortality, followed by cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract (20%). Based on available data, more than one in every 5 cancer deaths in the world in the year 2000 were caused by smoking, making it possibly the single largest preventable cause of cancer mortality. There was significant variability across regions in the role of smoking as a cause of the different site-specific cancers. This variability illustrates the importance of coupling research and surveillance of smoking with that for other risk factors for more effective cancer prevention. (C) 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

PKC-alpha-mediated remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton is involved in constitutive albumin uptake by proximal tubule cells

One key role of the renal proximal tubule is the reabsorption of proteins from the glomerular filtrate by constitutive receptor-mediated endocytosis. In the opossum kidney (OK) renal proximal tubule cell line, inhibition of protein kinase C (PKC) reduces albumin uptake, although the isoforms involved and mechanisms by which this occurs have not been identified. We used pharmacological and molecular approaches to investigate the role of PKC-α in albumin endocytosis. We found that albumin uptake in OK cells was inhibited by the pan-PKC blocker bisindolylmaleimide-1 and the isoform-specific PKC blockers Go-6976 and 2',3,3',4,4'-hexahydroxy-1,1'-biphenyl-6,6'-dimethanol dimethyl ether, indicating a role for PKC-α. Overexpression of a kinase deficient PKC-α(K368R) but not wild-type PKC-α significantly reduced albumin endocytosis. Western blot analysis of fractionated cells showed an increased association of PKC-α-green fluorescent protein with the membrane fraction within 10-20 min of exposure to albumin. We used phalloidin to demonstrate that albumin induces the formation of clusters of actin at the apical surface of OK cells and that these clusters correspond to the location of albumin uptake. These clusters were not present in cells grown in the absence of albumin. In cells treated either with PKC inhibitors or overexpressing kinase-deficient PKC-α(K368R) this actin cluster formation was significantly reduced. This study identifies a role for PKC-α in constitutive albumin uptake in OK cells by mediating assembly of actin microfilaments at the apical membrane.

Galaxy groups : Proceedings from a Swinburne University workshop

We present the proceedings from a two-day workshop held at Swinburne University on 2005 May 24-25. The workshop participants highlighted current Australian research on both theoretical and observational aspects of galaxy groups. These proceedings include short one-page summaries of a number of the talks presented at the workshop. The talks presented ranged from reconciling N-body simulations with observations, to the Hi content of galaxies in groups and the existence of 'dark galaxies'. The formation and existence of ultra-compact dwarfs in groups, and a new supergroup in Eridanus were also discussed.

The evolving role of research consortia in East Asia

Research consortia have played an important role in the economic success of several East Asian countries. This paper looks at the ways these consortia - which are created for strategic rather than cost-saving purposes - have evolved over time. Three models for institutional learning are suggested, and three case studies are presented of research consortia in each model. The cases demonstrate the centrality of learning in facilitating the development then transition from innovation diffusion capabilities to innovation generation capabilities in East Asian firms. Cases are provided of the Samsung Electronics in Korea, the clusters of firms that are associated with ITRI in Taiwan, and the technological development of Ericsson China. Reference is made to the use of institutional innovations in the East Asian context such as patent pools that supplement more conventional forms of R&D collaboration.

Diverse members of the Ralstonia solanacearum species complex cause bacterial wilts of banana

The bacterial wilts of banana known as Moko disease, Bugtok disease and blood disease are caused by members of the R. solanacearum species complex. R. solanacearum is a heterogeneous species which has been divided into 4 genetic groups known as phylotypes. Within the R. solanacearum species complex, strains that cause Moko and Bugtok diseases belong to phylotype II. The blood disease bacterium, the cause of blood disease, belongs to phylotype IV. This study employs phylogenetic analysis of partial endoglucanase gene sequences to further assess the evolutionary relationships between strains of R. solanacearum causing Moko disease and Bugtok disease and the relationship of the blood disease bacterium to other R. solanacearum strains within phylotype IV of the R. solanacearum species complex. These analyses showed that R. solanacearum Moko disease-causing strains are polyphyletic, forming four related, but distinct, clusters of strains. One of these clusters is a previously unrecognised group of R. solanacearum Moko disease-causing strains. It was also found that R. solanacearum strains that cause Bugtok disease are indistinguishable from strains causing Moko disease in the Philippines. Phylogenetic analysis of partial endoglucanase gene sequences of the strains of the blood disease confirms a close relationship of these strains to R. solanacearum strains within phylotype IV of the R. solanacearum species complex.

Expressed sequence tag analysis of genes expressed during development of the tropical abalone Haliotis asinina

The tropical abalone. Haliotis asinina. is,in ideal species to investigate the molecular mechanisms that control development. growth, reproduction and shell formation in all cultured haliotids. Here we describe the analysis of 232 expressed sequence tags (EST) obtained front a developmental H. asinina cDNA library intended for future microarray studies. From this data set we identified 183 unique gene Clusters. Of these, 90 clusters showed significant homology with sequences lodged in GenBank, ranging in function from general housekeeping to signal transduction, gene regulation and cell-cell communication. Seventy-one clusters possessed completely novel ORFs greater than 50 codons in length, highlighting the paucity of sequence data from molluscs and other lophotrochozoans. This study of developmental gene expression in H. asinina provides the foundation for further detailed analyses of abalone growth, development and reproduction.

The identification and characterisation of alleles of sucrose phosphate synthase gene family III in sugarcane

Little is known about the extent of allelic diversity of genes in the complex polyploid, sugarcane. Using sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) Gene (SPS) Family III as an example, we have amplified and sequenced a 400 nt region from this gene from two sugarcane lines that are parents of a mapping population. Ten single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified within the 400 nt region of which seven were present in both lines. In the elite commercial cultivar Q165(A), 10 sequence haplotypes were identified, with four haplotypes recovered at 9% or greater frequency. Based on SNP presence, two clusters of haplotypes were observed. In IJ76-514, a Saccharum officinarum accession, 8 haplotypes were identified with 4 haplotypes recovered at 13% or greater frequency. Again, two clusters of haplotypes were observed. The results suggest that there may be two SPS Gene Family III genes per genome in sugarcane, each with different numbers of different alleles. This suggestion is supported by sequencing results in an elite parental sorghum line, 403463-2-1, in which 4 haplotypes, corresponding to two broad types, were also identified. Primers were designed to the sugarcane SNPs and screened over bulked DNA from high and low Sucrose-containing progeny from a cross between Q165(A) and IJ76-514. The SNP frequency did not vary in the two bulked DNA samples, suggesting that these SNPs from this SPS gene family are not associated with variation in sucrose content. Using an ecotilling approach, two of the SPS Gene Family III haplotypes were mapped to two different linkage groups in homology group 1 in Q165(A). Both haplotypes mapped near QTLs for increased sucrose content but were not themselves associated with any sugar-related trait.