The spread of incompatibility-inducing parasites in sub-divided host populations.

BACKGROUND:Maternally transmitted symbionts have evolved a variety of ways to promote their spread through host populations. One strategy is to hamper the reproduction of uninfected females by a mechanism called cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). CI occurs in crosses between infected males and uninfected females and leads to partial to near-complete infertility. CI-infections are under positive frequency-dependent selection and require genetic drift to overcome the range of low frequencies where they are counter-selected. Given the importance of drift, population sub-division would be expected to facilitate the spread of CI. Nevertheless, a previous model concluded that variance in infection between competing groups of breeding individuals impedes the spread of CI.RESULTS:In this paper we derive a model on the spread of CI-infections in populations composed of demes linked by restricted migration. Our model shows that population sub-division facilitates the invasion of CI. While host philopatry (low migration) favours the spread of infection, deme size has a non-monotonous effect, with CI-invasion being most likely at intermediate deme size. Individual-based simulations confirm these predictions and show that high levels of local drift speed up invasion but prevent high levels of prevalence across the entire population. Additional simulations with sex-specific migration rates further show that low migration rates of both sexes are required to facilitate the spread of CI.CONCLUSION:Our analyses show that population structure facilitates the invasion of CI-infections. Since some level of sub-division is likely to occur in most natural populations, our results help to explain the high incidence of CI-infections across species of arthropods. Furthermore, our work has important implications for the use of CI-systems in order to genetically modify natural populations of disease vectors.

Ross procedure: is the root replacement technique superior to the sub-coronary implantation technique? Long-term results.

There is controversy over the use of the Ross procedure with regard to the sub-coronary and root replacement technique and its long-term durability. A systematic review of the literature may provide insight into the outcomes of these two surgical subvariants. A systematic review of reports between 1967 and February 2013 on sub-coronary and root replacement Ross procedures was undertaken. Twenty-four articles were included and divided into (i) sub-coronary technique and (ii) root replacement technique. The 10-year survival rate for a mixed-patient population in the sub-coronary procedure was 87.3% with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 79.7-93.4 and 89.1% (95% CI, 85.3-92.1) in the root replacement technique category. For adults, it was 94 vs 95.3% (CI, 88.9-98.1) and in the paediatric series it was 90 vs 92.7% (CI, 86.9-96.0), respectively. Freedom from reoperation at 10 years was, in the mixed population, 83.3% (95% CI, 69.9-93.4) and 93.3% (95% CI, 89.4-95.9) for sub-coronary versus root replacement technique, respectively. In adults, it was 98 vs 91.2% (95% CI, 82.4-295.8), and in the paediatric series 93.3 vs 92.0% (95% CI, 86.1-96.5) for sub-coronary versus root replacement technique, respectively. The Ross procedure arguably has satisfactory results over 5 and 10 years for both adults and children. The results do not support the advantages of the sub-coronary technique over the root replacement technique. Root replacement was of benefit to patients undergoing reoperations on neoaorta and for long-term survival in mixed series.

Gene duplication, population genomics, and species-level differentiation within a tropical mountain shrub.

Gene duplication leads to paralogy, which complicates the de novo assembly of genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) data. The issue of paralogous genes is exacerbated in plants, because they are particularly prone to gene duplication events. Paralogs are normally filtered from GBS data before undertaking population genomics or phylogenetic analyses. However, gene duplication plays an important role in the functional diversification of genes and it can also lead to the formation of postzygotic barriers. Using populations and closely related species of a tropical mountain shrub, we examine 1) the genomic differentiation produced by putative orthologs, and 2) the distribution of recent gene duplication among lineages and geography. We find high differentiation among populations from isolated mountain peaks and species-level differentiation within what is morphologically described as a single species. The inferred distribution of paralogs among populations is congruent with taxonomy and shows that GBS could be used to examine recent gene duplication as a source of genomic differentiation of nonmodel species.

Sub-acute delayed failure of subthalamic DBS in Parkinson's disease: the role of micro-lesion effect.

OBJECTIVE: To study delayed failure after subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulation in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. METHODS: Out of 56 consecutive bilaterally STN-implanted PD patients, we selected subjects who, after initial clinical improvement (1 month after surgery), lost benefit (delayed failure, DF). RESULTS: Five patients developed sub-acutely severe gait disorders (DF). In 4/5 DF patients, a micro-lesion effect, defined as improvement without stimulation, was observed; immediate post-operative MRI demonstrated electrode located above or behind to the STN. CONCLUSIONS: Patients presenting micro-lesion effect should be carefully monitored, as this phenomenon can mask electrodes misplacement and evolution in DF

Dual-wavelength digital holographic microscopy with sub-nanometer axial accuracy

We present dual-wavelength Digital Holographic Microscopy (DHM) measurements on a certified 8.9 nm high Chromium thin step sample and demonstrate sub-nanometer axial accuracy. We introduce a modified DHM Reference Calibrated Hologram (RCH) reconstruction algorithm taking into account amplitude contributions. By combining this with a temporal averaging procedure and a specific dual-wavelength DHM arrangement, it is shown that specimen topography can be measured with an accuracy, defined as the axial standard deviation, reduced to at least 0.9 nm. Indeed, it is reported that averaging each of the two wavefronts recorded with real-time dual-wavelength DHM can provide up to 30% spatial noise reduction for the given configuration, thanks to their non-correlated nature. ©2008 COPYRIGHT SPIE

Thermal energetics of the New-Guinean moss-forest rat (Rattus niobe) in comparison with other tropical murid rodents.

The thermal energetics of rodents from cool, wet tropical highlands are poorly known. Metabolic rate, body temperature and thermal conductance were measured in the moss-forest rat, Rattus niobe (Rodentia), a small murid endemic to the highlands of New Guinea. These data were evaluated in the context of the variation observed in the genus Rattus and among tropical murids. In 7 adult R. niobe, basal metabolic rate (BMR) averaged 53.6±6.6mLO2h(-1), or 103% of the value predicted for a body mass of 42.3±5.8g. Compared to other species of Rattus, R. niobe combines a low body temperature (35.5±0.6°C) and a moderately low minimal wet thermal conductance cmin (5.88±0.7mLO2h(-1)°C(-1), 95% of predicted) with a small size, all of which lead to reduced energy expenditure in a constantly cool environment. The correlations of mean annual rainfall and temperature, altitude and body mass with BMR, body temperature and cmin were analyzed comparatively among tropical Muridae. Neither BMR, nor cmin or body temperature correlated with ambient temperature or altitude. Some of the factors which promote high BMR in higher latitude habitats, such as seasonal exposure to very low temperature and short reproductive season, are lacking in wet montane tropical forests. BMR increased with rainfall, confirming a pattern observed among other assemblages of mammals. This correlation was due to the low BMR of several desert adapted murids, while R. niobe and other species from wet habitats had a moderate BMR.

Neuropathies diabétiques: tableaux cliniques, détection précoce et appel au spécialiste [Diabetic neuropathies: clinical sub-types, early detection and asking help from the specialist].

In diabetes mellitus, it is expected to see a common, mainly sensitive, distal symmetrical polyneuropathy (DPN) involving a large proportion of diabetic patients according to known risk factors. Several other diabetic peripheral neuropathies are recognized, such as dysautonomia and multifocal neuropathies including lumbosacral radiculoplexus and oculomotor palsies. In this review, general aspects of diabetic neuropathies are examined, and it is discussed why and how the general practionner has to perform a yearly examination. At the present time, some consensuses emerge to ask help from the specialist when faced to other forms of peripheral neuropathies than distal symmetrical DPN.

Energy consumption of European and African shrews

Is the extremely high oxygen consumption of shrews due to an unusually high basal metabolism? In an attempt to answer this long-standing question, we have measured the oxygen consumption of 13 species of shrews of different origin: from Europe - Sorex araneus, S. Minutus, Neomys fodiens, Crocidura russula, and Suncus etruscus; from Africa - Crocidura bottegi, C. bicolor, C. jouvenetae; C. poensis, C. theresae, C. Wimmeri, C. flavescens, and C. giffardi, The measurements, taken over a period of 20-30 minutes, were made in small, closed-system chambers at 25°C. The metabolic rat our shrews of the subfamily Soricinae lies between the eman and minimum values of the Soricini (M=126.2 W0.52 cal/h and M=82.6 W0.53 cal/h, respectively), as recorded in the literature. Zhe average for the African Crocidurinae is much lower (M= 43.6 W0.67). The metabolic rate of the European Croccidura russula agrees with that of the African species. Thus, the Crocidurinae are characterized by a relatively low metabolic rate; the Soricinae, and in particular the tribe of the Soricini, by an extremely high metabolic rate. The tribes Neomyini and Blarinini occupy an intermediate position. These differences are also to be found at the level of the basal metabolism. This main difference between the two sub-families can most likely be explained by evolution in geographical isolation under differential climatic conditions: the Crocidurinae having evolved in tropical Africa and the Soricinae in temperate Eurasia

Functional Sub-Types

The paper argues that a functional reduction of ordinary psychology to neuropsychology is possible by means of constructing fine-grained functional, mental sub-types that are coextensive with neuropsychological types. We establish this claim by means of considering as examples the cases of the disconnection syndrome and schizophrenia. We point out that the result is a conservative reduction, vindicating the scientific quality of the mental types of ordinary psychology by systematically linking them with neuroscience. That procedure of conservative reduction by means of functional sub-types is in principle repeatable down to molecular neuroscience.

Polypes et cancers colo-rectaux par sous-localisation: données épidémiologiques genevoises et vaudoises [Colorectal polyps and cancers by sub-site: epidemiologic findings in Geneva and Vaud].

The present study is a comparative analysis of the adenomatous polyps and colorectal cancers, registered during a determined period within the population of the cantons of Geneva and Vaud. The analysis is particularly based on the polyp/cancer ratio by sub-site. Histological type as well as age and sex of the patient are taken into consideration.