A Three-Dimensional Stereotaxic MRI Brain Atlas of the Cichlid Fish Oreochromis mossambicus

The African cichlid Oreochromis mossambicus (Mozambique tilapia) has been used as a model system in a wide range of behavioural and neurobiological studies. The increasing number of genetic tools available for this species, together with the emerging interest in its use for neurobiological studies, increased the need for an accurate hodological mapping of the tilapia brain to supplement the available histological data. The goal of our study was to elaborate a three-dimensional, high-resolution digital atlas using magnetic resonance imaging, supported by Nissl staining. Resulting images were viewed and analysed in all orientations (transverse, sagittal, and horizontal) and manually labelled to reveal structures in the olfactory bulb, telencephalon, diencephalon, optic tectum, and cerebellum. This high resolution tilapia brain atlas is expected to become a very useful tool for neuroscientists using this fish model and will certainly expand their use in future studies regarding the central nervous system.

Contacto pele-a-pele e amamentação na primeira hora de vida

Enquadramento – O contacto pele-a-pele na primeira hora de vida tem benefícios para a mãe e para o recém-nascido, bem como um papel importante no estabelecimento da amamentação. Objetivos – Analisar a evidência científica dos benefícios do contacto pele-a-pele e amamentação na primeira hora de vida; determinar a prevalência do contacto pele-a-pele e da amamentação na primeira hora de vida; verificar quais são os fatores (variáveis sociodemográficas, contextuais da gravidez e do parto, e variáveis relativas ao recémnascido) que interferem nas práticas do contacto pele-a-pele e amamentação na primeira hora de vida. Método – Revisão sistemática da literatura no estudo empírico I. Efetuou-se uma pesquisa na PUBMED, The Cochrane Library, Scielo e Google Académico, estudos publicados entre janeiro de 2011 e dezembro de 2014. Destes foram selecionados 4 estudos, posteriormente analisados, que tiveram em consideração os critérios de inclusão previamente estabelecidos. Dois revisores avaliaram a qualidade dos estudos a incluir utilizando a grelha para avaliação crítica de um estudo descrevendo um ensaio clínico prospetivo, aleatório e controlado de Carneiro (2008). No estudo empírico II seguiu-se um tipo de estudo quantitativo e descritivo simples, de coorte transversal, desenvolvido no serviço de Obstetrícia do Centro Hospitalar Cova da Beira, segundo um processo de amostragem não probabilística por conveniência (n = 382). A recolha de dados efetuou-se através da consulta dos processos clínicos, entre janeiro e dezembro de 2014, das mulheres com idade ≥ 18 anos que tiveram um parto vaginal com feto vivo após as 37 semanas de gestação. Resultados – Evidência de que o contacto precoce pele-a-pele, imediatamente após o parto, é um potencial estímulo sensorial, que abrange o aquecimento do recém-nascido e a estimulação tátil e olfativa, maior estabilização da temperatura, frequência respiratória e nível de glicémia, com diminuição do choro. Está associado à promoção espontânea da amamentação. Na amostra constituída por 382 mulheres, dos 18 aos 46 anos, verificou-se que o contacto pele-a-pele ocorreu em apenas 26,6% da amostra. Cerca de 92,6% da amostragem deu de mamar na primeira hora de vida. No grupo de mulheres em que houve contacto pele-a-pele e amamentação, prevalecem as que têm idade igual ou inferior a 34 anos (66,3%) e predomínio das mulheres que tiveram 5 ou mais consultas (95,9%) de vigilância da gravidez. Conclusão – Face a estes resultados e com base na evidência científica disponível que recomenda o contacto pele-a-pele imediatamente após o parto e promoção da amamentação na primeira hora de vida, assume-se como indispensável que os profissionais invistam na sua formação e assumam um papel importante para a realização deste contacto, estimulando e facilitando esta prática, assim como a realização de mais estudos científicos com contributos para o estabelecimento e manutenção desta prática. Palavras-chave: Contacto pele-a-pele; amamentação; primeira hora de vida.

Characterization of the Neospora caninum NcROP40 and NcROP2Fam-1 rhoptry proteins during the tachyzoite lytic cycle.

Virulence factors from the ROP2-family have been extensively studied in Toxoplasma gondii, but in the closely related Neospora caninum only NcROP2Fam-1 has been partially characterized to date. NcROP40 is a member of this family and was found to be more abundantly expressed in virulent isolates. Both NcROP2Fam-1 and NcROP40 were evaluated as vaccine candidates and exerted a synergistic effect in terms of protection against vertical transmission in mouse models, which suggests that they may be relevant for parasite pathogenicity. NcROP40 is localized in the rhoptry bulbs of tachyzoites and bradyzoites, but in contrast to NcROP2Fam-1, the protein does not associate with the parasitophorous vacuole membrane due to the lack of arginine-rich amphipathic helix in its sequence. Similarly to NcROP2Fam-1, NcROP40 mRNA levels are highly increased during tachyzoite egress and invasion. However, NcROP40 up-regulation does not appear to be linked to the mechanisms triggering egress. In contrast to NcROP2Fam-1, phosphorylation of NcROP40 was not observed during egress. Besides, NcROP40 secretion into the host cell was not successfully detected by immunofluorescence techniques. These findings indicate that NcROP40 and NcROP2Fam-1 carry out different functions, and highlight the need to elucidate the role of NcROP40 within the lytic cycle and to explain its relative abundance in tachyzoites.

Novel antennal lobe substructures revealed in the small hive beetle Aethina tumida

The small hive beetle, Aethina tumida, is an emerging pest of social bee colonies. A. tumida shows a specialized life style for which olfaction seems to play a crucial role. To better understand the olfactory system of the beetle, we used immunohistochemistry and 3-D reconstruction to analyze brain structures, especially the paired antennal lobes (AL), which represent the first integration centers for odor information in the insect brain. The basic neuroarchitecture of the A. tumida brain compares well to the typical beetle and insect brain. In comparison to other insects, the AL are relatively large in relationship to other brain areas, suggesting that olfaction is of major importance for the beetle. The AL of both sexes contain about 70 olfactory glomeruli with no obvious size differences of the glomeruli between sexes. Similar to all other insects including beetles, immunostaining with an antiserum against serotonin revealed a large cell that projects from one AL to the contralateral AL to densely innervate all glomeruli. Immunostaining with an antiserum against tachykinin-related peptides (TKRP) revealed hitherto unknown structures in the AL. Small TKRP-immunoreactive spherical substructures are in both sexes evenly distributed within all glomeruli. The source for these immunoreactive islets is very likely a group of about 80 local AL interneurons. We offer two hypotheses on the function of such structures.

Review of diesel odor and toxic vapor emissions. Final report.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Office of Research and Development, Washington, D.C.

An experimental study of the rest period in plants.

"Second report"--T.p.

2007 application guidelines : Community Development Assistance Program : economic development.

The following activities are considered ineligible. 1. Construction of buildings, or portions thereof, used predominantly for general conduct of government (e.g. city halls, courthouses, jails, police stations, etc.) 2. General government expenses. 3. Costs of operating and maintaining public facilities and services (e.g. mowing parks and replacing street light bulbs). 4. Servicing or refinancing existing debt.

2008 application guidelines : Community Development Assistance Program : economic development.

The following activities are considered ineligible. 1. Construction of buildings, or portions thereof, used predominantly for general conduct of government (e.g. city halls, courthouses, jails, police stations, etc.) 2. General government expenses. 3. Costs of operating and maintaining public facilities and services (e.g. mowing parks and replacing street light bulbs). 4. Servicing or refinancing existing debt.

2008 application guidelines : Community Development Assistance Program : competitive housing rehabilitation.

The following activities are specifically identified as ineligible. 1. Construction of buildings, or portions thereof, used predominantly for the general conduct of government (e.g., city halls, courthouses, jails, police stations). 2. General government expenses. 3. Costs of operating and maintaining public facilities and services (e.g., mowing parks, replacing street light bulbs). 4. Servicing or refinancing of existing debt.

2009 application guidelines : Community Development Assistance Program : competitive design engineering.

The following activities are specifically identified as ineligible. 1. Design Engineering costs of water storage tanks/towers. 2. Construction of buildings, or portions thereof, used predominantly for the general conduct of government (e.g., city halls, courthouses, jails, police stations). 3. General government expenses. 4. Costs of operating and maintaining public facilities and services (e.g., mowing parks, replacing street light bulbs). 5. Servicing or refinancing of existing debt.

2009 application guidelines : Community Development Assistance Program : competitive housing rehabilitation.

The following activities are specifically identified as ineligible. 1. Construction of buildings, or portions thereof, used predominantly for the general conduct of government (e.g., city halls, courthouses, jails, police stations). 2. General government expenses. 3. Costs of operating and maintaining public facilities and services (e.g., mowing parks, replacing street light bulbs). 4. Servicing or refinancing of existing debt.

Alcoholic neurobiology: Changes in dependence and recovery

This article presents the proceedings of a symposium held at the meeting of the International Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism (ISBRA) in Mannheim, Germany, in October, 2004. Chronic alcoholism follows a fluctuating course, which provides a naturalistic experiment in vulnerability, resilience, and recovery of human neural systems in response to presence, absence, and history of the neurotoxic effects of alcoholism. Alcohol dependence is a progressive chronic disease that is associated with changes in neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, neural gene expression, psychology, and behavior. Specifically, alcohol dependence is characterized by a neuropsychological profile of mild to moderate impairment in executive functions, visuospatial abilities, and postural stability, together with relative sparing of declarative memory, language skills, and primary motor and perceptual abilities. Recovery from alcoholism is associated with a partial reversal of CNS deficits that occur in alcoholism. The reversal of deficits during recovery from alcoholism indicates that brain structure is capable of repair and restructuring in response to insult in adulthood. Indirect support of this repair model derives from studies of selective neuropsychological processes, structural and functional neuroimaging studies, and preclinical studies on degeneration and regeneration during the development of alcohol dependence and recovery from dependence. Genetics and brain regional specificity contribute to unique changes in neuropsychology and neuroanatomy in alcoholism and recovery. This symposium includes state-of-the-art presentations on changes that occur during active alcoholism as well as those that may occur during recovery-abstinence from alcohol dependence. Included are human neuroimaging and neuropsychological assessments, changes in human brain gene expression, allelic combinations of genes associated with alcohol dependence and preclinical studies investigating mechanisms of alcohol induced neurotoxicity, and neuroprogenetor cell expansion during recovery from alcohol dependence.

Distinct types of glial cells populate the Drosophila antenna

Background: The development of nervous systems involves reciprocal interactions between neurons and glia. In the Drosophila olfactory system, peripheral glial cells arise from sensory lineages specified by the basic helix- loop- helix transcription factor, Atonal. These glia wrap around the developing olfactory axons early during development and pattern the three distinct fascicles as they exit the antenna. In the moth Manduca sexta, an additional set of central glia migrate to the base of the antennal nerve where axons sort to their glomerular targets. In this work, we have investigated whether similar types of cells exist in the Drosophila antenna. Results: We have used different P( Gal4) lines to drive Green Fluorescent Protein ( GFP) in distinct populations of cells within the Drosophila antenna. Mz317:: GFP, a marker for cell body and perineural glia, labels the majority of peripheral glia. An additional similar to 30 glial cells detected by GH146:: GFP do not derive from any of the sensory lineages and appear to migrate into the antenna from the brain. Their appearance in the third antennal segment is regulated by normal function of the Epidermal Growth Factor receptor and small GTPases. We denote these distinct populations of cells as Mz317- glia and GH146- glia respectively. In the adult, processes of GH146- glial cells ensheath the olfactory receptor neurons directly, while those of the Mz317- glia form a peripheral layer. Ablation of GH146- glia does not result in any significant effects on the patterning of the olfactory receptor axons. Conclusion: We have demonstrated the presence of at least two distinct populations of glial cells within the Drosophila antenna. GH146- glial cells originate in the brain and migrate to the antenna along the newly formed olfactory axons. The number of cells populating the third segment of the antenna is regulated by signaling through the Epidermal Growth Factor receptor. These glia share several features of the sorting zone cells described in Manduca.

Mechanisms of axon guidance in the developing nervous system

The human brain assembles an incredible network of over a billion neurons. Understanding how these connections form during development in order for the brain to function properly is a fundamental question in biology. Much of this wiring takes place during embryonic development. Neurons are generated in the ventricular zone, migrate out, and begin to differentiate. However, neurons are often born in locations some distance from the target cells with which they will ultimately form connections. To form connections, neurons project long axons tipped with a specialized sensing device called a growth cone. The growing axons interact directly with molecules within the environment through which they grow. In order to find their targets, axonal growth cones use guidance molecules that can either attract or repel them. Understanding what these guidance cues are, where they are expressed, and how the growth cone is able to transduce their signal in a directionally specific manner is essential to understanding how the functional brain is constructed. In this chapter, we review what is known about the mechanisms involved in axonal guidance. We discuss how the growth cone is able to sense and respond to its environment and how it is guided by pioneering cells and axons. As examples, we discuss current models for the development of the spinal cord, the cerebral cortex, and the visual and olfactory systems. (c) 2005, Elsevier Inc.

A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of macrolide in the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis

Objectives: The antiinflammatory effect of macrolide antibiotics has been well-established, as has their role in the treatment of certain disorders of chronic airway inflammation. Several studies have suggested that long-term, low-dose macrolides may be efficacious in the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis; however, these studies have lacked a control group. To date, this effect has not been tested in a randomized, placebo-controlled study. Method: The authors conducted a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial on 64 patients with chronic rhinosinusitis. Subjects received either 150 mg roxithromycin daily for 3 months or placebo. Outcome measures included the Sinonasal Outcome Test-20 (SNOT-20), measurements of peak nasal inspiratory flow, saccharine transit time, olfactory function, nasal endoscopic scoring, and nasal lavage assays for interleukin-8, fucose, and a2-macroglobulin. Results. There were statistically significant improvements in SNOT-20 score, nasal endoscopy, saccharine transit time, and IL-8 levels in lavage fluid (P < .05) in the macrolide group. A correlation was noted between improved outcome measures and low IgE levels. No significant improvements were noted for olfactory function, peak nasal inspiratory flow, or lavage levels for fucose and a2-macroglobulin. No improvement in any outcome was noted in the placebo-treated patients. Conclusion: These findings suggest that macrolides may have a beneficial role in the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis, particularly in patients with low levels of IgE, and supports the in vitro evidence of their antiinflammatory activity. Additional studies are required to assess their place in clinical practice.