Enhanced kangaroo mother care for heel lance in preterm neonates: a crossover trial.

OBJECTIVE: To test if enhancing maternal skin-to-skin contact, or kangaroo mother care (KMC) by adding rocking, singing and sucking is more efficacious than simple KMC for procedural pain in preterm neonates. STUDY DESIGN: Preterm neonates (n=90) between 32 0/7 and 36 0/7 weeks' gestational age participated in a single-blind randomized crossover design. The infant was held in KMC with the addition of rocking, singing and sucking or the infant was held in KMC without additional stimulation. The Premature Infant Pain Profile was the primary outcome with time to recover as the secondary outcome. A repeated-measures analysis of covariance was employed for analyses. RESULT: There were no significant differences in any of the 30 s time periods over the 2 min of blood sampling nor in time to return to baseline. Compared to historical controls of the same age in incubator, the pain scores were lower and comparable to other studies of KMC. There were site differences related to lower scores with the use of sucrose in one site and higher scores in younger, sicker infants in another site. CONCLUSION: The sensorial stimulations from skin-to-skin contact that include tactile, olfactory sensations from the mother are sufficient to decrease pain response in premature neonates. Other studies showing that rocking, sucking and music were efficacious were independent of skin-to-skin contact, which, when used alone has been shown to be effective as reported across studies.

Comparative genomic analysis of the odorant-binding protein family in 12 Drosophila genomes: purifying selection and birth-and-death evolution

Background: Chemoreception is a widespread mechanism that is involved in critical biologic processes, including individual and social behavior. The insect peripheral olfactory system comprises three major multigene families: the olfactory receptor (Or), the gustatory receptor (Gr), and the odorant-binding protein (OBP) families. Members of the latter family establish the first contact with the odorants, and thus constitute the first step in the chemosensory transduction pathway.Results: Comparative analysis of the OBP family in 12 Drosophila genomes allowed the identification of 595 genes that encode putative functional and nonfunctional members in extant species, with 43 gene gains and 28 gene losses (15 deletions and 13 pseudogenization events). The evolution of this family shows tandem gene duplication events, progressive divergence in DNA and amino acid sequence, and prevalence of pseudogenization events in external branches of the phylogenetic tree. We observed that the OBP arrangement in clusters is maintained across the Drosophila species and that purifying selection governs the evolution of the family; nevertheless, OBP genes differ in their functional constraints levels. Finally, we detect that the OBP repertoire evolves more rapidly in the specialist lineages of the Drosophila melanogaster group (D. sechellia and D. erecta) than in their closest generalists.Conclusion: Overall, the evolution of the OBP multigene family is consistent with the birth-and-death model. We also found that members of this family exhibit different functional constraints, which is indicative of some functional divergence, and that they might be involved in some of the specialization processes that occurred through the diversification of the Drosophila genus.

Regional and cellular patterns of reelin mRNA expression in the forebrain of the developing and adult mouse

The reelin gene encodes an extracellular protein that is crucial for neuronal migration in laminated brain regions. To gain insights into the functions of Reelin, we performed high-resolution in situ hybridization analyses to determine the pattern of reelin expression in the developing forebrain of the mouse. We also performed double-labeling studies with several markers, including calcium-binding proteins, GAD65/67, and neuropeptides, to characterize the neuronal subsets that express reelin transcripts. reelinexpression was detected at embryonic day 10 and later in the forebrain, with a distribution that is consistent with the prosomeric model of forebrain regionalization. In the diencephalon, expression was restricted to transverse and longitudinal domains that delineated boundaries between neuromeres. During embryogenesis,reelin was detected in the cerebral cortex in Cajal-Retzius cells but not in the GABAergic neurons of layer I. At prenatal stages, reelin was also expressed in the olfactory bulb, and striatum and in restricted nuclei in the ventral telencephalon, hypothalamus, thalamus, and pretectum. At postnatal stages, reelin transcripts gradually disappeared from Cajal-Retzius cells, at the same time as they appeared in subsets of GABAergic neurons distributed throughout neocortical and hippocampal layers. In other telencephalic and diencephalic regions,reelin expression decreased steadily during the postnatal period. In the adult, there was prominent expression in the olfactory bulb and cerebral cortex, where it was restricted to subsets of GABAergic interneurons that co-expressed calbindin, calretinin, neuropeptide Y, and somatostatin. This complex pattern of cellular and regional expression is consistent with Reelin having multiple roles in brain development and adult brain function.

Neuroecology: a fly's bug detector.

Drosophila avoid food contaminated by pathogenic bacteria and fungi using an olfactory pathway that is exquisitely tuned to a single microbial odour.

The puzzles of the prokineticin 2 pathway in human reproduction.

Prokineticin, 1 (PROK1) and prokineticin 2 (PROK2), are two closely related proteins that were identified as the mammalian homologs of their two amphibian homologs, mamba intestinal toxin (MIT-1) and Bv8. MIT-1 was initially identified as a non-toxic constituent in the venom of the black mamba snake (Dendroaspis polylepis) (Joubert and Strydom, 1980) while Bv8 was identified in the skin secretion of the toad, Bombina variegate (Mollay et al., 1999). All three homologs stimulate gastrointestinal motility thus accounting for their family name "prokineticins" (Schweitz et al., 1990, 1999). However, since its initial description, both PROK1 and PROK2 have been found to regulate a dazzling array of biological functions throughout the body. In particular, PROK1 acts as a potent angiogenic mitogen on endocrine vascular epithelium, thus earning its other name, Endocrine gland-vascular endothelial factor (EG-VEGF) (LeCouter et al., 2002). In contrast, the PROK2 signaling pathway is a critical regulator of olfactory bulb morphogenesis and sexual maturation in mammals and this function is the focus of this review.

Immunolocalization of GLUTX1 in the testis and to specific brain areas and vasopressin-containing neurons.

GLUTX1 or GLUT8 is a newly characterized glucose transporter isoform that is expressed at high levels in the testis and brain and at lower levels in several other tissues. Its expression was mapped in the testis and brain by using specific antibodies. In the testis, immunoreactivity was expressed in differentiating spermatocytes of type 1 stage but undetectable in mature spermatozoa. In the brain, GLUTX1 distribution was selective and localized to a variety of structures, mainly archi- and paleocortex. It was found in hippocampal and dentate gyrus neurons as well as amygdala and primary olfactory cortex. In these neurons, its location was close to the plasma membrane of cell bodies and sometimes in proximal dendrites. High GLUTX1 levels were detected in the hypothalamus, supraoptic nucleus, median eminence, and the posterior pituitary. Neurons of these areas synthesize and secrete vasopressin and oxytocin. As shown by double immunofluorescence microscopy and immunogold labeling, GLUTX1 was expressed only in vasopressin neurons. By immunogold labeling of ultrathin cryosections microscopy, GLUTX1 was identified in dense core vesicles of synaptic nerve endings of the supraoptic nucleus and secretory granules of the vasopressin positive neurons. This localization suggests an involvement of GLUTX1 both in specific neuron function and endocrine mechanisms.

Brain Connectivity Analysis in Children. Effects of Prematurity. and Prenatal Growth Restriction

Introduction: Survival of children born prematurely or with very low birth weight has increased dramatically, but the long term developmental outcome remains unknown. Many children have deficits in cognitive capacities, in particular involving executive domains and those disabilities are likely to involve a central nervous system deficit. To understand their neurostructural origin, we use DTI. Structurally segregated and functionally regions of the cerebral cortex are interconnected by a dense network of axonal pathways. We noninvasively map these pathways across cortical hemispheres and construct normalized structural connection matrices derived from DTI MR tractography. Group comparisons of brain connectivity reveal significant changes in fiber density in case of children with poor intrauterine grown and extremely premature children (gestational age<28 weeks at birth) compared to control subjects. This changes suggest a link between cortico-axonal pathways and the central nervous system deficit. Methods: Sixty premature born infants (5-6 years old) were scanned on clinical 3T scanner (Magnetom Trio, Siemens Medical Solutions, Erlangen, Germany) at two hospitals (HUG, Geneva and CHUV, Lausanne). For each subject, T1-weighted MPRAGE images (TR/TE=2500/2.91,TI=1100, resolution=1x1x1mm, matrix=256x154) and DTI images (30 directions, TR/TE=10200/107, in-plane resolution=1.8x1.8x2mm, 64 axial, matrix=112x112) were acquired. Parent(s) provided written consent on prior ethical board approval. The extraction of the Whole Brain Structural Connectivity Matrix was performed following (Cammoun, 2009 and Hagmann, 2008). The MPARGE images were registered using an affine registration to the non-weighted-DTI and WM-GM segmentation performed on it. In order to have equal anatomical localization among subjects, 66 cortical regions with anatomical landmarks were created using the curvature information, i.e. sulcus and gyrus (Cammoun et al, 2007; Fischl et al, 2004; Desikan et al, 2006) with freesurfer software (http://surfer.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu/). Tractography was performed in WM using an algorithm especially designed for DTI/DSI data (Hagmann et al., 2007) and both information were then combined in a matrix. Each row and column of the matrix corresponds to a particular ROI. Each cell of index (i,j) represents the fiber density of the bundle connecting the ROIs i and j. Subdividing each cortical region, we obtained 4 Connectivity Matrices of different resolution (33, 66, 125 and 250 ROI/hemisphere) for each subject . Subjects were sorted in 3 different groups, namely (1) control, (2) Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR), (3) Extreme Prematurity (EP), depending on their gestational age, weight and percentile-weight score at birth. Group-to-group comparisons were performed between groups (1)-(2) and (1)-(3). The mean age at examination of the three groups were similar. Results: Quantitative analysis were performed between groups to determine fibers density differences. For each group, a mean connectivity matrix with 33ROI/hemisphere resolution was computed. On the other hand, for all matrix resolutions (33,66,125,250 ROI/hemisphere), the number of bundles were computed and averaged. As seen in figure 1, EP and IUGR subjects present an overall reduction of fibers density in both interhemispherical and intrahemispherical connections. This is given quantitatively in table 1. IUGR subjects presents a higher percentage of missing fiber bundles than EP when compared to control subjects (~16% against 11%). When comparing both groups to control subjects, for the EP subjects, the occipito-parietal regions seem less interhemispherically connected whilst the intrahemispherical networks present lack of fiber density in the lymbic system. Children born with IUGR, have similar reductions in interhemispherical connections than the EP. However, the cuneus and precuneus connections with the precentral and paracentral lobe are even lower than in the case of the EP. For the intrahemispherical connections the IUGR group preset a loss of fiber density between the deep gray matter structures (striatum) and the frontal and middlefrontal poles, connections typically involved in the control of executive functions. For the qualitative analysis, a t-test comparing number of bundles (p-value<0.05) gave some preliminary significant results (figure 2). Again, even if both IUGR and EP appear to have significantly less connections comparing to the control subjects, the IUGR cohort seems to present a higher lack of fiber density specially relying the cuneus, precuneus and parietal areas. In terms of fiber density, preliminary Wilcoxon tests seem to validate the hypothesis set by the previous analysis. Conclusions: The goal of this study was to determine the effect of extreme prematurity and poor intrauterine growth on neurostructural development at the age of 6 years-old. This data indicates that differences in connectivity may well be the basis for the neurostructural and neuropsychological deficit described in these populations in the absence of overt brain lesions (Inder TE, 2005; Borradori-Tolsa, 2004; Dubois, 2008). Indeed, we suggest that IUGR and prematurity leads to alteration of connectivity between brain structures, especially in occipito-parietal and frontal lobes for EP and frontal and middletemporal poles for IUGR. Overall, IUGR children have a higher loss of connectivity in the overall connectivity matrix than EP children. In both cases, the localized alteration of connectivity suggests a direct link between cortico-axonal pathways and the central nervous system deficit. Our next step is to link these connectivity alterations to the performance in executive function tests.

An evaluation of volume-based morphometry for prediction of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease.

Voxel-based morphometry from conventional T1-weighted images has proved effective to quantify Alzheimer's disease (AD) related brain atrophy and to enable fairly accurate automated classification of AD patients, mild cognitive impaired patients (MCI) and elderly controls. Little is known, however, about the classification power of volume-based morphometry, where features of interest consist of a few brain structure volumes (e.g. hippocampi, lobes, ventricles) as opposed to hundreds of thousands of voxel-wise gray matter concentrations. In this work, we experimentally evaluate two distinct volume-based morphometry algorithms (FreeSurfer and an in-house algorithm called MorphoBox) for automatic disease classification on a standardized data set from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. Results indicate that both algorithms achieve classification accuracy comparable to the conventional whole-brain voxel-based morphometry pipeline using SPM for AD vs elderly controls and MCI vs controls, and higher accuracy for classification of AD vs MCI and early vs late AD converters, thereby demonstrating the potential of volume-based morphometry to assist diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease.

Domicola lithodesi n.gen n.sp. (Amphipoda: Calliopiidae), inhabitant of thepleonal cavity of a South African lithodid crab

Domicola lithodesi, a new genus and species of gammaridean amphipod is described. It is placed in the family Calliopiidae. Two specimens, a male and a preparatory female, were collected in August 1990 from the pleonal cavity of the lithodid crab Lithodes ferox (Filhol, 1885), an anomuran crab caught at 300 m depth from off Namibia. The more relevant characters are: anophtalmous; body smooth, gammarid-like, male smaller than female, urosomite 1 with a prepeduncular spine; telson broad, entire, unlobed and unarmed; short rostrum; accessory flagellum scale-like, calceoli absent; lower lip without inner lobes; coxa 4 posteriorly excavated; gnathopods basic, subequal, with numerous palmar spines; dactyls on P3-7 with specialized adhesive organs; coxal gill 7 present; uropods eusirid type.

Degradation of pheromone and plant volatile components by a same Odorant-Degrading Enzyme in the cotton leafworm, Spodoptera littoralis

Background: Odorant-Degrading Enzymes (ODEs) are supposed to be involved in the signal inactivation step within the olfactory sensilla of insects by quickly removing odorant molecules from the vicinity of the olfactory receptors. Only three ODEs have been both identified at the molecular level and functionally characterized: two were specialized in the degradation of pheromone compounds and the last one was shown to degrade a plant odorant. Methodology: Previous work has shown that the antennae of the cotton leafworm Spodoptera littoralis , a worldwide pest of agricultural crops, express numerous candidate ODEs. We focused on an esterase overexpressed in males antennae, namely SlCXE7. We studied its expression patterns and tested its catalytic properties towards three odorants, i.e. the two female sex pheromone components and a green leaf volatile emitted by host plants. Conclusion: SlCXE7 expression was concomitant during development with male responsiveness to odorants and during adult scotophase with the period of male most active sexual behaviour. Furthermore, SlCXE7 transcription could be induced by male exposure to the main pheromone component, suggesting a role of Pheromone-Degrading Enzyme. Interestingly, recombinant SlCXE7 was able to efficiently hydrolyze the pheromone compounds but also the plant volatile, with a higher affinity for the pheromone than for the plant compound. In male antennae, SlCXE7 expression was associated with both long and short sensilla, tuned to sex pheromones or plant odours, respectively. Our results thus suggested that a same ODE could have a dual function depending of it sensillar localisation. Within the pheromone-sensitive sensilla, SlCXE7 may play a role in pheromone signal termination and in reduction of odorant background noise, whereas it could be involved in plant odorant inactivation within the short sensilla.

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.

Association atypique d'une démence sémantique, d'un syndrome cortico-basal et d'une tauopathie 4R = [Atypical association of semantic dementia, corticobasal syndrome and 4R tauopathy]

Enjeu et contexte de la recherche La dégénérescence lobaire fronto-temporale (DLFT) est une pathologie neurodégénérative aussi fréquente que la maladie d'Alzheimer parmi les adultes de moins de 65 ans. Elle recouvre une constellation de syndromes neuropsychiatriques et moteurs dont les caractéristiques cliniques et anatomo-pathologiques se recoupent partiellement. La plupart des cas de démence sémantique ne présentent pas de troubles moteurs et révèlent à l'autopsie des lésions ubiquitine-positives. Son association à un syndrome cortico-basal et à une tauopathie 4R est donc très inhabituelle. Le cas que nous présentons est le premier à disposer d'une description clinique complète, tant sur le plan cognitif que moteur, et d'une analyse génétique et histopathologique. Résumé de l'article Il s'agit d'un homme de 57 ans, sans antécédents familiaux, présentant une démence sémantique accompagnée de symptômes inhabituels dans ce contexte, tels qu'une dysfonction exécutive et en mémoire épisodique, une désorientation spatiale et une dyscalculie. Le déclin physique et cognitif fut rapidement progressif. Une année et demie plus tard, il développait en effet des symptômes moteurs compatibles initialement avec un syndrome de Richardson, puis avec un syndrome cortico-basal. Son décès survint à l'âge de 60 ans des suites d'une pneumonie sur broncho-aspiration. L'autopsie cérébrale mit en évidence une perte neuronale et de nombreuses lésions tau-4R-positives dans les lobes frontaux, pariétaux et temporaux, les ganglions de la base et le tronc cérébral. Aucune mutation pathologique n'a été décelée dans le gène MAPT (microtubule-associated protein tau). L'ensemble de ces éléments sont discutés dans le cadre des connaissances actuelles sur la DLFT. Conclusions et perspectives Ce cas illustre le recoupement important des différents syndromes de la DLFT, parfois appelée le « complexe de Pick ». De plus, la démence sémantique pourrait s'avérer cliniquement moins homogène que prévu. Les définitions actuelles de la démence sémantique omettent la description des symptômes cognitifs extra-sémantiques malgré l'accumulation de preuves de leur existence. La faible prévalence de la démence sémantique, ainsi que des différences dans les examens neuropsychologiques, peuvent expliquer en partie la raison de cette omission. La variabilité histopathologique de chaque phénotype de DLFT peut également induire des différences dans leur expression clinique. Dans un domaine aussi mouvant que la DLFT, la co- occurrence ou la succession de plusieurs syndromes cliniques est en outre probablement la règle plutôt que l'exception.

Transient neuronal populations are required to guide callosal axons: a role for semaphorin 3C.

The corpus callosum (CC) is the main pathway responsible for interhemispheric communication. CC agenesis is associated with numerous human pathologies, suggesting that a range of developmental defects can result in abnormalities in this structure. Midline glial cells are known to play a role in CC development, but we here show that two transient populations of midline neurons also make major contributions to the formation of this commissure. We report that these two neuronal populations enter the CC midline prior to the arrival of callosal pioneer axons. Using a combination of mutant analysis and in vitro assays, we demonstrate that CC neurons are necessary for normal callosal axon navigation. They exert an attractive influence on callosal axons, in part via Semaphorin 3C and its receptor Neuropilin-1. By revealing a novel and essential role for these neuronal populations in the pathfinding of a major cerebral commissure, our study brings new perspectives to pathophysiological mechanisms altering CC formation.

Dyslexia in a French-Spanish bilingual girl: behavioural and neural modulations following a visual attention span intervention.

We report the case study of a French-Spanish bilingual dyslexic girl, MP, who exhibited a severe visual attention (VA) span deficit but preserved phonological skills. Behavioural investigation showed a severe reduction of reading speed for both single items (words and pseudo-words) and texts in the two languages. However, performance was more affected in French than in Spanish. MP was administered an intensive VA span intervention programme. Pre-post intervention comparison revealed a positive effect of intervention on her VA span abilities. The intervention further transferred to reading. It primarily resulted in faster identification of the regular and irregular words in French. The effect of intervention was rather modest in Spanish that only showed a tendency for faster word reading. Text reading improved in the two languages with a stronger effect in French but pseudo-word reading did not improve in either French or Spanish. The overall results suggest that VA span intervention may primarily enhance the fast global reading procedure, with stronger effects in French than in Spanish. MP underwent two fMRI sessions to explore her brain activations before and after VA span training. Prior to the intervention, fMRI assessment showed that the striate and extrastriate visual cortices alone were activated but none of the regions typically involved in VA span. Post-training fMRI revealed increased activation of the superior and inferior parietal cortices. Comparison of pre- and post-training activations revealed significant activation increase of the superior parietal lobes (BA 7) bilaterally. Thus, we show that a specific VA span intervention not only modulates reading performance but further results in increased brain activity within the superior parietal lobes known to housing VA span abilities. Furthermore, positive effects of VA span intervention on reading suggest that the ability to process multiple visual elements simultaneously is one cause of successful reading acquisition.

Sensory response of the egg parasitoid Telenomus podisi to stimuli from the bug Euschistus heros

The objective of this work was to study the foraging behavior of Telenomus podisi Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) in the presence of stimuli from its host, Euschistus heros (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae). The stimuli selected were: egg mass; virgin males and females; volatile extracts of sexually mature males and females; components of male sex pheromone; a component of the alarm pheromone, hexane and an empty cage as control. In a closed arena, the parasitoids were given the choice between single and combined stimuli presented to them simultaneously. To find the host egg, T. podisi primarily uses the sensory cues released from the male insects. The orientation toward odors of male chemical extract indicates that a source of kairomone was detected. Gas chromatographic analyses of this substance showed peak of methyl 2,6,10-trimethyltridecanoate, the main component of male sexual pheromone. The sensory response to methyl 2,6,10-trimethyltridecanoate confirms that this compound may act as a kairomone to find host eggs. Females and egg mass stimuli were weakly attractive to the parasitoid.