Does Petrolisthes armatus (Anomura, Porcellanidae) form a Species Complex or Are We Dealing with Just One Widely Distributed Species?

Fernando L. Mantelatto, Leonardo G. Pileggi, Ivana Miranda, and Ingo S. Wehrtmann (2011) Does Petrolisthes armatus (Anomura, Porcellanidae) form a species complex or are we dealing with just one widely distributed species? Zoological Studies 50(3): 372-384. Petrolisthes armatus has the widest distribution known among members of the family Porcellanidae and is one of the most ubiquitous and locally abundant intertidal decapods along the Atlantic coast of the Americas. Considering its geographical distribution and morphological plasticity, several authors postulated the existence of a P. armatus species complex. In the present study we used genetic data from the mitochondrial 16S ribosomal gene to determine the genetic variability of P. armatus from selected locations within its eastern tropical Pacific and western Atlantic distributions. Our phylogenic analysis included 49 specimens represented by 26 species of the genus Petrolisthes and 16 specimens from 10 species and 4 related genera. Genetic distances estimated among the analyzed Petrolisthes species ranged from 2.6%-22.0%; varied between 0%-5.7% for 16S. Additionally, the revision of P. armatus specimens from Pacific Costa Rica and Brazilian Waters showed no geographically significant morphological variations among the analyzed specimens. Therefore, our morphological and genetic data do not support the hypothesis of a P. armatus complex within the specimens studied herein from the Americas, but convincingly confirm the monophyly and non-separateness of the members assigned as P. armatus. http://zoolstud.sinica.edu.tw/Journals/50.3/372.pdf

'We're not going to take it!' - Academics on the rampage

What are the social factors that can change apathy to action? Two survey-based field studies were conducted with National Tertiary Education Union members, to investigate the interplay between individual and group-based psychological processes in union support. The first study was conducted in an industrially calm context and the second, following a national strike in the Australian university sector. Drawing on social identity theory, the studies investigated both individual and group-related factors including: (a) instrumental and ideological attitudes; (b) employee identity; (c) perceptions of employment-related threat, and of relations with management; and (d) normative support for the union amongst fellow employees. Consistent with predictions, groupbased factors (i.e., perceived context and normative support) moderated the role of instrumental and ideological beliefs in the behavioural expression of union support. A subset of participants, who responded at both times, provided additional evidence for the importance of contextually activated group-processes to changes in union behaviour.

Why fear snakes and spiders? Evidence for a learning-based account of fear-relevant stimulus-processing

Fear-relevant stimuli, such as snakes, spiders and heights, preferentially capture attention as compared to nonfear-relevant stimuli. This is said to reflect an encapsulated mechanism whereby attention is captured by the simple perceptual features of stimuli that have evolutionary significance. Research, using pictures of snakes and spiders, has found some support for this account; however, participants may have had prior fear of snakes and spiders that influenced results. The current research compared responses of snake and spider experts who had little fear of snakes and spiders, and control participants across a series of affective priming and visual search tasks. Experts discriminated between dangerous and nondangerous snakes and spiders, and expert responses to pictures of nondangerous snakes and spiders differed from those of control participants. The current results dispute that stimulus fear relevance is based purely on perceptual features, and provides support for the role of learning and experience.

The neurosurgical training curriculum in Australia and New Zealand is changing. Why?

The Neurosurgical Advanced Training curriculum of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) is currently undergoing change. Given the high standard of neurosurgery in Australia and New Zealand, it may be questioned why such change is necessary. However, the curriculum has not kept pace with developments in professional practice, educational practice or educational theory, particularly in the assessment of medical competence and performance. The curriculum must also adapt to the changing training environment, particularly the effects of reduced working hours, reducing caseloads due to shorter inpatient hospital stays and restricted access to public hospital beds and operating theatres, and the effects of subspecialisation. A formal review of the curriculum is timely. (c) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Expression of the iron regulatory peptide hepcidin is reduced in patients with chronic liver disease

Disturbances in iron metabolism often accompany liver disease in humans and hepatic iron deposition is a frequent finding. Since the peptide hepcidin, a major regulator of body iron homeostasis, is synthesised in the liver, alterations in hepcidin expression could be responsible for these effects. To investigate this possibility, we studied hepcidin expression in liver biopsies from patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and hemochromatosis (HC). Total RNA was extracted from the liver tissue of 24 HCV, 17 NASH and 5 HC patients, and 17 liver transplant donors (controls). The levels of mRNA for hepcidin and several other molecules involved in iron metabolism (DMT1, Dcytb, hephaestin, ferroportin, TfR1, TfR2, HFE and HJV) were examined by ribonuclease protection assay and expressed relative to the housekeeping gene GAPDH. The expression of hepcidin was significantly decreased in HCV and NASH patients relative to control liver (109±16 and 200±44 versus 325±26 respectively; P=0.008 and 0.02). We have previously reported similar findings in patients with HC, and this was confirmed in the current analysis (176±21; P=0.003). In both HCV and NAFLD patients the expression of the iron reductase Dcytb and the transferrin binding regulatory molecule TfR2 was also decreased, while the cellular iron exporter ferroportin showed a significant increase. Levels of the mRNA for the iron oxidase hephaestin were lower in HCV patients alone, while expression of the major transferrin binding molecule TfR1 was decreased only in NAFLD patients. Of particular interest was the finding that the expression of HJV (which is mutated in patients with juvenile HC) was significantly increased in NAFLD patients. No changes were seen in the expression of the iron importer DMT1 or the regulatory molecule HFE. Decreased expression of hepcidin in patients with HCV and NAFLD provides an explanation why iron homeostasis could be perturbed in these disorders. Reduced hepcidin levels would increase intestinal iron absorption and iron release from macrophages, which could contribute to hepatic iron accumulation. This in turn could lead to alterations in the expression of various proteins involved in iron transport and its regulation. Indeed most of the changes in the expression of such molecules observed in this study are consistent with this. However, the mechanisms leading to changes in the expression of hepcidin in these diseases remain to be elucidated.

Genetic covariance between indices of body condition and immunocompetence in a passerine bird

Background: Condition-dependence is a ubiquitous feature of animal life histories and has important implications for both natural and sexual selection. Mate choice, for instance, is typically based on condition-dependent signals. Theory predicts that one reason why condition-dependent signals may be special is that they allow females to scan for genes that confer high parasite resistance. Such explanations require a genetic link between immunocompetence and body condition, but existing evidence is limited to phenotypic associations. It remains unknown, therefore, whether females selecting males with good body condition simply obtain a healthy mate, or if they acquire genes for their offspring that confer high immunocompetence. Results: Here we use a cross-foster experimental design to partition the phenotypic covariance in indices of body condition and immunocompetence into genetic, maternal and environmental effects in a passerine bird, the zebra finch Taeniopygia guttata. We show that there is significant positive additive genetic covariance between an index of body condition and an index of cell-mediated immune response. In this case, genetic variance in the index of immune response explained 56% of the additive genetic variance in the index of body condition. Conclusion: Our results suggest that, in the context of sexual selection, females that assess males on the basis of condition-dependent signals may gain genes that confer high immunocompetence for their offspring. More generally, a genetic correlation between indices of body condition and imuunocompetence supports the hypothesis that parasite resistance may be an important target of natural selection. Additional work is now required to test whether genetic covariance exists among other aspects of both condition and immunocompetence.

Can we start to think about consensus-oriented clinical practices?

Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute

Search for Chronic Beryllium Disease Among Sarcoidosis Patients in Ontario, Canada

Chronic beryllium disease (CBD) is clinically similar to other granulomatous diseases such as sarcoidosis. It is often misdiagnosed if a thorough occupational history is not taken. When appropriate, a beryllium lymphocyte proliferation tests (BeLPT) need to be performed. We aimed to search for CBD among currently diagnosed pulmonary sarcoidosis patients and to identify the occupations and exposures in Ontario leading to CBD. Questionnaire items included work history and details of possible exposure to beryllium. Participants who provided a history of previous work with metals underwent BeLPTs and an ELISPOT on the basis of having a higher pretest probability of CBD. Among 121 sarcoid patients enrolled, 87 (72%) reported no known previous metal dust or fume exposure, while 34 (28%) had metal exposure, including 17 (14%) with beryllium exposure at work or home. However, none of these 34 who underwent testing had positive test results. Self-reported exposure to beryllium or metals was relatively common in these patients with clinical sarcoidosis, but CBD was not confirmed using blood assays in this population.

Morphometric Study on the Anatomy of the Fetal Cricoid Cartilage and Comparison Between Its Inner Diameter and Endotracheal Tube Sizes

Objectives: The high incidence of respiratory disorders is one of the main problems in perinatal medical care. With the increased use of intubation, the incidence of laryngeal injury causing stenosis has also increased. The principal constriction point in the infant`s larynx is the midcricoid area. We sought to provide detailed morphometric data on the anatomy of the cricoid cartilage and its relationship with growth and body characteristics of fetuses at 5 to 9 months of gestational age. Methods: Nineteen larynges obtained from 17 stillborn infants and 2 newborn infants ranging in gestational age from 5 to 9 months were studied. Measurements of the cricoid cartilage were made with a millimeter-graded caliper. Results: Weight was the variable most correlated with cricoid measurements. The cricoid lumen configuration showed an almost elliptic shape and did not change with gestational age. The mean inner subglottic cricoid area was 19.27 +/- 9.62 mm(2) and was related to weight and body surface area. Cricoid growth was more pronounced at the outer portion of the cartilage. Conclusions: The cricoid lumen configuration was elliptic, and its mean area was smaller than that of available endotracheal tubes. This lumen area was most influenced by weight and height.

Long-Term Prospective, Randomized, Controlled Study Using Repetitive Education at Six-Month Intervals and Monitoring for Adherence in Heart Failure Outpatients The REMADHE Trial

Background-The effectiveness of heart failure disease management proarams in patients under cardiologists` care over long-term follow-up is not established. Methods and Results-We investigated the effects of a disease management program with repetitive education and telephone monitoring on primary (combined death or unplanned first hospitalization and quality-of-life changes) and secondary end points (hospitalization, death, and adherence). The REMADHE [Repetitive Education and Monitoring for ADherence for Heart Failure] trial is a long-term randomized, prospective, parallel trial designed to compare intervention with control. One hundred seventeen patients were randomized to usual care, and 233 to additional intervention. The mean follow-up was 2.47 +/- 1.75 years, with 54% adherence to the program. In the intervention group, the primary end point composite of death or unplanned hospitalization was reduced (hazard ratio, 0.64; confidence interval, 0.43 to 0.88; P=0.008), driven by reduction in hospitalization. The quality-of-life questionnaire score improved only in the intervention group (P<0.003). Mortality was similar in both groups. Number of hospitalizations (1.3 +/- 1.7 versus 0.8 +/- 1.3, P<0.0001), total hospital days during the follow-up (19.9 +/- 51 versus 11.1 +/- 24 days, P<0.0001), and the need for emergency visits (4.5 +/- 10.6 versus 1.6 +/- 2.4, P<0.0001) were lower in the intervention group. Beneficial effects were homogeneous for sex, race, diabetes and no diabetes, age, functional class, and etiology. Conclusions-For a longer follow-up period than in previous studies, this heart failure disease management program model of patients under the supervision of a cardiologist is associated with a reduction in unplanned hospitalization, a reduction of total hospital days, and a reduced need for emergency care, as well as improved quality of life, despite modest program adherence over time. (Circ Heart Fail. 2008;1:115-124.)

Bladder Compliance What Does it Represent: Can We Measure it, and is it Clinically Relevant?

Aims: To report the conclusion of the Think Thank 8 on Compliance Discussions during the second ICI-RS meeting in 2010. Methods: During a 3-day meeting a group of specialists discussed bladder compliance, what it represents, how it can be measured and if it is clinically relevant. Results: Bladder compliance is the result of a mathematical calculation of the volume required for a unit rise of pressure measured during a cystometric filling. It gives an indication on how the different mechanisms in the bladder wall react on stretching. There is a need of standardization of measurement and suggestions for this are given in the text. Pitfalls are described and how to avoid them. There is a wide range of compliance values in healthy volunteers and groups of patients. Poor compliance needs to be defined better as it can have significant clinical consequences. Prevention and treatment are discussed. Conclusion: If compliance is correctly measured and interpreted, it has importance in urodynamic testing and gives information relevant for clinical management. Neurourol. Urodynam. 30:714-722, 2011. (C) 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.