Contributions to the knowledge of Banasa Stål (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Pentatomidae): Banasa chaca Thomas

Contributions to the knowledge of Banasa Stål (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Pentatomidae): Banasa chaca Thomas. The male of Banasa chaca Thomas is described with emphasis on external and internal genitalia and the female internal genitalia is described. Banasa chaca is newly recorded from Buenos Aires Province (Argentina).

Experimental evidence of inbreeding avoidance in the hermaphroditic snail Physa acuta

Inbreeding depression should select for inbreeding avoidance behaviours. Here we test this hypothesis in two populations of the simultaneous hermaphroditic freshwater snail Physa acuta. We recorded the copulatory behaviour of 288 pairs of sib-mates, non-kin mates from the same population, or non-kin mates from two different populations. We find that kin discriminatory behaviours exist in this species, exclusively expressed by individuals playing the female role. We discuss the relevance of our finding in the context of the evolution of recognition systems and the consequences of such a behaviour in natural populations.

Male and female reproductive systems of Stolas conspersa (Germar) (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Cassidinae)

Male and female reproductive systems of Stolas conspersa (Germar) (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Cassidinae). The male and female reproductive systems of Stolas conspersa (Germar, 1824) are described and illustrated for the first time. The male reproductive system shows no difference from the subfamily pattern, which is a tubular well-developed median lobe; "Y", "V" or T-shaped tegmen; reduced pygidium; internal sac membranous and tubular; flagellum generally well developed needle-like structured and gastral spiculum absent. However, the female differs from the pattern proposed for Stolas in two aspects: ovary with 28 ovarioles and a reduced ampulla with indistinct velum.

The striking species Apsil pennata Malloch (Diptera, Muscidae)

The striking species Apsil pennata Malloch (Diptera, Muscidae). Apsil pennata Malloch, 1934 is a singular species of a small group of predaceous muscids endemic to Patagonia and southern Chile. We present for the first time the description of the female, illustration of male and female terminalia, notes on their habitat and new records.

Description of the male of Eburella pinima Martins and notes on the geographical distribution of Eburodacrys aenigma Galileo & Martins and Eburodacrys lanei Zajciw (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae)

Description of the male of Eburella pinima Martins and notes on the geographical distribution of Eburodacrys aenigma Galileo & Martins and Eburodacrys lanei Zajciw (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae). The male of Eburella pinima Martins, 1997 is described and illustrated for the first time. Information on Eburodacrys aenigma Galileo & Martins, 2006, previously known only from the female holotype, which lacked locality label, is herein complemented. This species is recorded from Brazil and the male is depicted for the first time. The geographical distribution of Eburodacrys lanei Zajciw, 1958 is further restricted here as some previous records are confirmed to result from misidentifications of E. aenigma.

Fitness and the level of homozygosity in a social insect.

To date very few studies have addressed the effects of inbreeding in social Hymenoptera, perhaps because the costs of inbreeding are generally considered marginal owing to male haploidy whereby recessive deleterious alleles are strongly exposed to selection in males. Here, we present one of the first studies on the effects of queen and worker homozygosity on colony performance. In a wild population of the ant Formica exsecta, the relative investment of single-queen colonies in sexual production decreased with increased worker homozygosity. This may either stem from increased homozygosity decreasing the likelihood of diploid brood to develop into queens or a lower efficiency of more homozygous workers at feeding larvae and thus a lower proportion of the female brood developing into queens. There was also a significant negative association between colony age and the level of queen but not worker homozygosity. This association may stem from inbreeding affecting queen lifespan and/or their fecundity, and thus colony survival. However, there was no association between queen homozygosity and colony size, suggesting that inbreeding affects colony survival as a result of inbred queens having a shorter lifespan rather than a lower fecundity. Finally, there was no significant association between either worker or queen homozygosity and the probability of successful colony founding, colony size and colony productivity, the three other traits studied. Overall, these results indicate that inbreeding depression may have important effects on colony fitness by affecting both the parental (queen) and offspring (worker)generations cohabiting within an ant colony.

Compartmentalized secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor expression and hormone responses along the reproductive tract of postmenopausal women

Immunity and hormonal responses in the reproductive tissues of postmenopausal women are poorly understood. Secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI), a multifunctional antimicrobial protein expressed at mucosal surfaces, is thought to play a key role in infectious and inflammatory contexts. The aim of this study was to measure SLPI production along the female reproductive tract in postmenopausal women with and without hormonal treatment. We additionally quantified estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) and progesterone receptor A (PRA) in these tissues. Expression of SLPI was decreased in the vagina and ectocervix of women under hormonal treatment. Endocervical ERα mRNA expression was increased while this did not reach significance at the protein level. SLPI expression in the endometrium was not influenced by hormonal treatment. We observed attenuated ERα expression in the cervix and endometrium of hormonally treated women, whereas vaginal expression was increased. PRA expression was augmented in the cervix and endometrium and unchanged in the vagina. Taken together, our results indicate that hormonal responses and receptor expression are differentially regulated in vaginal tissue compared with the cervix and endometrium.

Mucosal but not parenteral immunization with purified human papillomavirus type 16 virus-like particles induces neutralizing titers of antibodies throughout the estrous cycle of mice.

We have recently shown that nasal immunization of anesthetized mice with human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) virus-like particles (VLPs) is highly effective at inducing both neutralizing immunoglobulin A (IgA) and IgG in genital secretions, while parenteral immunization induced only neutralizing IgG. Our data also demonstrated that both isotypes are similarly neutralizing according to an in vitro pseudotyped neutralization assay. However, it is known that various amounts of IgA and IgG are produced in genital secretions along the estrous cycle. Therefore, we have investigated how this variation influences the amount of HPV16 neutralizing antibodies induced after immunization with VLPs. We have compared parenteral and nasal protocols of vaccination with daily samplings of genital secretions of mice. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay analysis showed that total IgA and IgG inversely varied along the estrous cycle, with the largest amounts of IgA in proestrus-estrus and the largest amount of IgG in diestrus. This resulted in HPV16 neutralizing titers of IgG only being achieved during diestrus upon parenteral immunization. In contrast, nasal vaccination induced neutralizing titers of IgA plus IgG throughout the estrous cycle, as confirmed by in vitro pseudotyped neutralization assays. Our data suggest that mucosal immunization might be more efficient than parenteral immunization at inducing continuous protection of the female genital tract.

Iowa Department of Corrections Report to the Board of Corrections, Women Offenders, 2006

This report goes beyond documentation of the population growth and needs of women offenders to describe how the Iowa Department of Corrections is addressing treatment needs of the female offender population. Except where noted, information was obtained from the Iowa Corrections Offender Network (ICON) with many of the reports obtained via the Iowa Justice Data Warehouse.

A CT-based study investigating the relationship between pedicle screw placement and stimulation threshold of compound muscle action potentials measured by intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring.

PURPOSE: Neurophysiological monitoring aims to improve the safety of pedicle screw placement, but few quantitative studies assess specificity and sensitivity. In this study, screw placement within the pedicle is measured (post-op CT scan, horizontal and vertical distance from the screw edge to the surface of the pedicle) and correlated with intraoperative neurophysiological stimulation thresholds. METHODS: A single surgeon placed 68 thoracic and 136 lumbar screws in 30 consecutive patients during instrumented fusion under EMG control. The female to male ratio was 1.6 and the average age was 61.3 years (SD 17.7). Radiological measurements, blinded to stimulation threshold, were done on reformatted CT reconstructions using OsiriX software. A standard deviation of the screw position of 2.8 mm was determined from pilot measurements, and a 1 mm of screw-pedicle edge distance was considered as a difference of interest (standardised difference of 0.35) leading to a power of the study of 75 % (significance level 0.05). RESULTS: Correct placement and stimulation thresholds above 10 mA were found in 71 % of screws. Twenty-two percent of screws caused cortical breach, 80 % of these had stimulation thresholds above 10 mA (sensitivity 20 %, specificity 90 %). True prediction of correct position of the screw was more frequent for lumbar than for thoracic screws. CONCLUSION: A screw stimulation threshold of >10 mA does not indicate correct pedicle screw placement. A hypothesised gradual decrease of screw stimulation thresholds was not observed as screw placement approaches the nerve root. Aside from a robust threshold of 2 mA indicating direct contact with nervous tissue, a secondary threshold appears to depend on patients' pathology and surgical conditions.

Mechanisms involved in the maintenance of inbreeding depression in gynodioecious "Silene vulgaris" (Caryophyllaceae): an experimental investigation

Summary Gynodioecy, the joint occurrence of females and hermaphrodites within natural populations, is a widely studied mating system ever since Darwin (1877). It is an exceptional mating system because continuous selection is necessary to maintain it. Since females only reproduce through ovules whereas hermaphrodites transmit genes through ovules and pollen, larger female fitness, in terms of seed output, is required to allow their maintenance. Two non-exclusive mechanisms can account for the maintenance of females. First, as females do not produce pollen they can reallocate their resources towards a higher ovule production. Second, hermaphrodites can self- and cross-fertilize whereas females are obligate outcrossers. Thus hermaphrodites should partly suffer from inbreeding depression (i.e.: the fitness decline of inbred relative to outbred individuals) and thereby produce less fit progeny than females. This thesis investigated the effects of self- and cross-fertilization of heimaphrodites over two consecutive generations. Inbreeding depression increased across the successive stages of the life- cycle (i.e.: from "seed traits" to "reproductive traits") displaying large inbreeding depression estimates (up to 0.76). This investigation not only detected large inbreeding depression estimates but also detected mechanisms involved in the maintenance of inbreeding depression. For instance cryptic self-incompatibility which is here a larger in vivo pollen performance of distant pollen compared to self-pollen; the expression of inbreeding depression especially in late life-cycle stages, and the appearance of females in the progeny of selfed hermaphrodites. The female biased sex ratio in the progeny of selfed hermaphrodites was a surprising result and could either come from the sex determining mechanisms (complex nucleo-cytoplasmic interaction(s)) and/or from inbreeding depression. Indeed, we not only got females and hermaphrodites but also partial male-sterile (PMS) individuals (i.e.: individuals with differing number of viable stamens). We detected that inbred pollen bearing plants (excluding females) have less viable stamens per flower than outbred plants. A positive correlation was detected between inbreeding depression for the number of viable stamens per flower and the difference in sex ratio between inbred and outbred individuals. A positive relationship was also detected between inbreeding depression for pollen viability and inbreeding depression for number of viable stamens per flower. Each correlation can either account for pleiotropic effects (a major gene acting on the two considered traits) or linkage disequilibrium between genes controlling each of the two related traits. If we hypothesize that these correlations are due to a major gene with pleiotropic effects, the positive relationship between inbreeding depression for number of viable stamens per flower and inbreeding depression for pollen viability showed that deleterious alleles present on a major gene coding for pollen production and viability depressed male fitness within inbred plants. The positive relationship between sex ratio difference between inbred and outbred individuals and inbreeding depression for number of viable stamens per flower indicates that (1) either number of viable stamens per flower is, in addition to inbreeding, also affected by the loci coding for sex determinism or, (2) the presence of females within the progeny of selfed hermaphrodites is a consequence of large inbreeding depression inhibiting pollen production, or (3) sex is here determined by a combination of loci coding for sex expression and inbreeding depression for male reproductive traits. In conclusion, Silene vulgaris has been shown to be a good model for understanding the evolution of mating systems that promote outbreeding. Résumé La gynodïoécie est définie comme étant la présence simultanée d'hermaphrodites et de femelles au sein de populations naturelles d'une même espèce. Ce système de reproduction a toujours fasciné le monde scientifique depuis Darwin, comme en témoigne ses écrits (1876, 1877) sur les systèmes de reproduction chez les plantes. Les femelles ne transmettent leurs gènes qu'à travers leurs ovules alors que les hermaphrodites transmettent leurs gènes à la fois par la voie mâle (le pollen) et la voie femelle (les ovules). La condition pour que la gynodïoécie se maintienne nécessite donc une fitness de la fonction femelle plus élevée chez les femelles que chez les hermaphrodites. Deux mécanismes mutuellement non exclusifs peuvent expliquer le maintien des femelles au sein de ces populations gynodioïques. D'une part, les femelles peuvent réallouer les ressources non utilisées pour la production de pollen et peuvent par conséquent produire plus d'ovules. D'autre part, la reproduction des femelles ne peut se faire que par allo-fécondation alors que les hermaphrodites, peuvent se reproduire à la fois par auto- et allo-fécondation. L'autofécondation s'accompagne en général d'une diminution de fitness de la descendance relativement à la progéniture issue d'allo-fécondation ; ce phénomène est connu sous le nom de dépression de consanguinité. Cette thèse avait pour but de mettre en évidence une éventuelle dépression de consanguinité chez Silene vulgaris, une espèce gynodioïque. Des hermaphrodites, issus de trois vallées alpines, ont été auto- et allo¬fécondés sur deux générations successives. La dépression de consanguinité pouvant s'exprimer à tous les stades de vie d'un individu, plusieurs traits de fitness, allant du nombre de graines par fruit à la production de gamètes ont été mesurés sur différents stades de vie successifs. L'estimation de la dépression de consanguinité totale atteignait des valeurs allant de 0.52 à 0.76 selon la vallée considérée, ce qui indiquerait que les hermaphrodites ont tout intérêt à limiter l'autofécondation et que les femelles ne devraient pas avoir de peine à subsister dans les vallées étudiées. Par la même occasion des mécanismes diminuant la purge potentielle du fardeau génétique, et permettant ainsi le maintien du « niveau » de dépression de consanguinité et par conséquence le maintien de la gynodïoécie ont été mis en évidence. En effet, nos résultats montrent que la dépression de consanguinité s'exprimait tard dans le cycle de vie permettant ainsi à un certain nombre individus consanguins de transmettre leurs allèles délétères à la génération suivante. D'autre part, la croissance in vivo des tubes polliniques d'auto-pollen était plus lente que celle de l'allo-pollen et donc en situation de compétition directe, les ovules devraient plutôt être issus d'allo-fécondation, diminuant ainsi les chances de purges d'allèles délétères. Enfin, l'apparition de femelles dans la progéniture d'hermaphrodites autofécondés diminue aussi les chances de purge d'allèles délétères. Il nous a été impossible de déterminer si l'apparition de femelles dans la descendance d'hermaphrodites autofécondés était due au déterminisme génétique du sexe ou si la différence de sexe ratio entre la descendance auto- et allo-fécondée était due à une éventuelle dépression de consanguinité inhibant la production de pollen. Nous avons observé que S. vulgaris ne présentaient pas uniquement des hermaphrodites et des femelles mais aussi toute sorte d'individus intermédiaires avec un nombre variable d'étamines viables. Nous avons pu mettre' en évidence des corrélations positives entre (1) la différence de sexe ratio (la proportion d'individus produisant du pollen) entre individus consanguins et non consanguins et une estimation de la dépression de consanguinité pour le nombre d'étamines viables d'individus produisant du pollen, ainsi qu'entre (2) la dépression de consanguinité pour le nombre d'étamines viables et celle estimée pour la viabilité du pollen. Chaque corrélation indique soit l'effet d'un (ou plusieurs) gène(s) pléiotropique(s), soit un déséquilibre de liaison entre les gènes. En considérant que ces corrélations sont le résultat d'effet pléiotropiques, la relation entre le nombre d'étamines viables par fleur et la viabilité du pollen, indiquerait un effet négatif de la consanguinité sur la production et la viabilité du pollen due partiellement à un gène majeur. La seconde corrélation indiquerait soit que les gènes responsables de la détermination du sexe agissent aussi sur l'expression de la fonction mâle soit que l'expression du sexe est sujette à la dépression de consanguinité, ou encore un mélange des deux. Aux regards de ces résultats, Silene vulgaris s'est avéré être un bon modèle de compréhension de l'évolution des systèmes de reproduction vers la séparation des sexes.

Estrogen receptor level determines sex-specific in vitro transcription from the Xenopus vitellogenin promoter.

Female-specific expression of the Xenopus laevis vitellogenin gene was reconstituted in vitro by addition of recombinant vaccinia-virus-produced estrogen receptor to nuclear extracts from male livers, in which this gene is silent. Transcription enhancement was at least 30 times and was selectively restricted to vitellogenin templates containing the estrogen-responsive unit. Thus, in male hepatocytes, estrogen receptor is the limiting regulatory factor that in the female liver controls efficient and accurate sex-specific expression of the vitellogenin gene. Furthermore, the Xenopus liver factor B, which is essential in addition to the estrogen receptor for the activation of this gene, was successfully replaced in the Xenopus extract by purified human nuclear factor I, identifying factor B of Xenopus as a functional homolog of this well-characterized human transcription factor.

Tissue distribution of the Ankara strain of vaccinia virus (MVA) after mucosal or systemic administration.

MVA is a candidate vector for vaccination against pathogens and tumors. Little is known about its behaviour in mucosal tissues. We have investigated the fate and biosafety of MVA, when inoculated by different routes in C57BL/6 mice. Intranasal inoculation targeted the virus to the nasal associated lymphoid tissue and the lungs, whereas systemic inoculation led to distribution of MVA in almost all lymphoid organs, lungs and ovaries. Intravaginal, intrarectal and intragastric inoculations failed to induce efficient infection. After 48 h no virus was detectable any more in the organs analyzed. Upon intranasal inoculation, no inflammatory reactions were detected in the central nervous system as well as the upper and lower airways. These results show the tropism of MVA and indicate that high doses of recombinant MVA are safe when nasally administered, a vaccination route known to elicit strong cellular and humoral immune responses in the female genital tract.

A new species of Austrofilius (Crustacea, Isopoda, Janiridae) from the Western Mediterranean

A new species of janiridean isopod, Austrofilius mediterraneus sp. nov., from the Columbretes Islands (Castellón de la Plana), Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula, is described, given it is the first record of the genus in the Northern Hemisphere. It is mainly distinguished from the other two species of the genus by the male pleopod 1, which is wider at the apex and with hooked lateral lobes, curved and nearly surpassing medial lobes. Furthermore, the female operculum shows only four distolateral setae. The rostrum of Austrofilius mediterraneus sp. nov. is extended into single frontolateral tips but is shorter than in A. furcatus Hodgson, 1910.

Identifying the parent-of-origin of de novo SNVs in schizophrenia

Several studies over the last few years have shown that newly arising (de novo) mutations contribute to the genetics of schizophrenia (SZ), autism (ASD) and other developmental disorders. The strongest evidence comes from studies of de novo Copy Number Variation (CNV), where the rate of new mutations is shown to be increased in cases when compared to controls [23, 24]. Research on de novo point mutations and small insertion-deletions (indels) has been more limited, but with the development of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology, such studies are beginning to provide preliminary evidence that de novo single-nucleotide mutations (SNVs) might also increase risk of SZ and ASD [25, 26] Advanced paternal age is a major source of new mutations in human beings [27] and could thus be associated with increased risk for developing SZ, ASD or other developmental disorders. Indeed, advanced paternal age is found to be a risk factor for developing SZ and ASD in the offspring [28, 29] and new mutations related to advanced paternal age have been implicated as a cause of sporadic cases in several autosomal dominant diseases, some neurodevelopmental diseases, including SZ and ASD, and social functioning. New single-base substitutions occur at higher rates at males compared to females and this difference increases with paternal age. This is due to the fact that sperm cells go through a much higher number of cell divisions (~840 by the age of 50), which increases the risk for DNA copy errors in the male germ line [30] . By contrast, the female eggs (oocytes) undergo only 24 cell divisions and all but the last occur during foetal life. The aim of my project is to determine the parent-of-origin of de novo SNVs, using large samples of parent-offspring trios affected with schizophrenia (SZ). From whole exome sequencing of 618 Bulgarian proband-offspring trios affected, nearly 1000 de novo (SNVs or small indels) have been identified and from these, the parent-of-origin of at least 60% of the mutations (N=600) can be established. This project is contained in a main one that consists on the determination of the parental origin of different types of de novo mutations (SNVs, small indels and large CNVs).