Lepocreadiid (Digenea) species from members of the marine teleost family Cheilodactylidae from south-western Australia, including four new genera and five new species

The following lepocreadiid species are described from Cheilodactylidae from south-western Australia. Cliveus peroni n. g., n. sp, from Nemadactylus valenciennesi is characterised by its attenuated forebody and C. acaenodera n. sp. from Dactylophora nigricans by its attenuated forebody, the pattern of forebody spination and the large cirrus-sac. Jericho chojeri n. g., n. sp. from N. valenciennesi has a large infundibuliform oral sucker and paired ani. Rugocavum n. g. is distinguished by the possession of a blind, wrinkled glandular pit on the postero-ventral surface of the forebody. R. nemadactyli n. sp. from N. valenciennesi has its vitelline field restricted to the hindbody, whereas in R. morwong n. sp, from N. valenciennesi the vitelline field reaches into the forebody. Paraneocreadium australiense Kruse, 1978 from N. valenciennesi is redescribed and its coiled internal seminal vesicle and lobed gonads are considered distinctive features. Scaphatrema nemadactyli (Kurochkin & Korotaeva, 1972) n. g., n. comb. from N. valenciennesi has a wrinkled, boat-shaped body, a 'Lepidapedon-like' cirrus-sac and multiple testes; it was originally placed in the genus Multitestis, but these characters suggest that a new genus should be erected for it within the subfamily Lepidapedinae.

De novo copy number variants identify new genes and loci in isolated sporadic tetralogy of Fallot

Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), the most common severe congenital heart malformation, occurs sporadically, without other anomaly, and from unknown cause in 70% of cases. Through a genome-wide survey of 114 subjects with TOF and their unaffected parents, we identified 11 de novo copy number variants (CNVs) that were absent or extremely rare (<0.1%) in 2,265 controls. We then examined a second, independent TOF cohort (n = 398) for additional CNVs at these loci. We identified CNVs at chromosome 1q21.1 in 1% (5/512, P = 0.0002, OR = 22.3) of nonsyndromic sporadic TOF cases. We also identified recurrent CNVs at 3p25.1, 7p21.3 and 22q11.2. CNVs in a single subject with TOF occurred at six loci, two that encode known (NOTCH1, JAG1) disease-associated genes. Our findings predict that at least 10% (4.5-15.5%, 95% confidence interval) of sporadic nonsyndromic TOF cases result from de novo CNVs and suggest that mutations within these loci might be etiologic in other cases of TOF.

Ticks Infesting Wildlife Species in Northeastern Brazil With New Host and Locality Records

From September 2008 to March 2010, 397 ticks (315 larvae, 33 nymphs, 23 females, and 26 males) were collected from captive and free-living wildlife species in northeastern Brazil. Six tick species were identified, including Amblyomma auricularium (Conil) on Tamandua tetradactyla (L.),Amblyomma dubitalum Neumann on Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris (L.), Nectomys rattus (Pelzen) and T. tetradactyla, Amblyomma parvim A ragao on T. tatradactyla, Amblyomma rotundatum Koch on Boa constrictor L., Chelonoidis carbonaria (Spix), Kinosternon scorpioides (L.) and Rhinella jimi (Stevaux), Amblyomma cerium Koch on Bradypus variegatus Schinz, and Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Latreille) on Lycalopex vetulus (Lund). Nectomys rattus and T. tetradactyla are new hosts for A. dubitatum This study extends the known distribution of A. dubitatum in South America and provides evidence that its geographical range has been underestimated because of the lack of research. Four (A. dubitatum, A. parvum, A. rotundatum, and R. sanguineus) of six tick species identified in this study have previously been found on humans in South America, some of them being potentially involved in the transmission of pathogens of zoonotic concern.

Prevalence and diagnostic workup of primary aldosteronism: new knowledge and new approaches

No Abstract

The dorsomedial visual areas in New World and Old World monkeys: homology and function

The extrastriate cortex near the dorsal midline has been described as part of an 'express' pathway that provides visual input to the premotor cortex. This pathway is considered important for the integration of sensory information about the visual field periphery and the skeletomotor system, especially in relation to the control of arm movements. However, a better understanding of the functional contributions of different parts of this complex has been hampered by the lack of data on the extent and boundaries of its constituent visual areas. Recent studies in macaques have provided the first detailed view of the topographical organization of this region in Old World monkeys. Despite differences in nomenclature, a comparison of the visuotopic organization, myeloarchitecture and connections of the relevant visual areas with those previously studied in New World monkeys reveals a remarkable degree of similarity and helps to clarify the subdivision of function between different areas of the dorsomedial complex. A caudal visual area, named DM or V6, appears to be important for the detection of coherent patterns of movement across wide regions of the visual field, such as those induced during self-motion. A rostral area, named M or V6A, is more directly involved with visuomotor integration. This area receives projections both from DM/V6 and from a separate motion analysis channel, centred on the middle temporal visual area (or V5), which detects the movement of objects in extrapersonal space. These results support the suggestion, made earlier on the basis of more fragmentary evidence, that the areas rostral to the second visual area in dorsal cortex are homologous in all simian primates. Moreover, they emphasize the importance of determining the anatomical organization of the cortex as a prerequisite for elucidating the function of different cortical areas.