Clustering of HCV coinfections on HIV phylogeny indicates domestic and sexual transmission of HCV.

BACKGROUND: HCV coinfection remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality among HIV-infected individuals and its incidence has increased dramatically in HIV-infected men who have sex with men(MSM). METHODS: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection in the Swiss HIV Cohort Study(SHCS) was studied by combining clinical data with HIV-1 pol-sequences from the SHCS Drug Resistance Database(DRDB). We inferred maximum-likelihood phylogenetic trees, determined Swiss HIV-transmission pairs as monophyletic patient pairs, and then considered the distribution of HCV on those pairs. RESULTS: Among the 9748 patients in the SHCS-DRDB with known HCV status, 2768(28%) were HCV-positive. Focusing on subtype B(7644 patients), we identified 1555 potential HIV-1 transmission pairs. There, we found that, even after controlling for transmission group, calendar year, age and sex, the odds for an HCV coinfection were increased by an odds ratio (OR) of 3.2 [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.2, 4.7) if a patient clustered with another HCV-positive case. This strong association persisted if transmission groups of intravenous drug users (IDUs), MSMs and heterosexuals (HETs) were considered separately(in all cases OR>2). Finally we found that HCV incidence was increased by a hazard ratio of 2.1 (1.1, 3.8) for individuals paired with an HCV-positive partner. CONCLUSIONS: Patients whose HIV virus is closely related to the HIV virus of HIV/HCV-coinfected patients have a higher risk for carrying or acquiring HCV themselves. This indicates the occurrence of domestic and sexual HCV transmission and allows the identification of patients with a high HCV-infection risk.

Importance and evolution of sexual dimorphism in different families of Collembola (Hexapoda)

A bibliographic revision of sexual dimorphism in different families of Collembola was performed in order to determine the most common patterns in each group. We list several examples of the sexual dimorphism in different families of Collembola, which illustrate from some of the smallest differences between males and females to major differences between both sexes in some families. We show different cases of sexual dimorphism in Spinactaletes, Sminthurides, and the remarkable morphology of Guthriella muskegis. It seems that most of the cases of strong sexual dimorphism are related to aquatic habitats or behaviour still not fully understood. Species belonging to primarily aquatic families (fresh water or marine water) have the most evolved morphology, where males have clasping antennae to attach the females in order to avoid loosing them with the movement of the water.

Habitat fragmentation, ecology and sexual selection in forest bird species in Monteverde, Costa Rica

Abstract Forest fragmentation is often associated with local extinction and changes in species abundance patterns. The main topic of this thesis is the effect of forest fragmentation on birds in Monteverde, Costa Rica. This thesis also studies aspects of sexual selection and ecology of Long-tailed Manakins, Chiroxiphia Linearis. Chapter 1 investigates bird species assemblages in two degrees of forest fragmentation. It is shown that the distribution, abundance and diversity of forest bird species are strongly influenced by the amount of forest in the landscape matrix. Presence of cattle within the forest influences the presence of some bird species. The prevalence and intensity of ticks and blood parasites on birds in relation to fragmentation is described in Chapter 2. Overall tick prevalence is 3%. Understory birds are significantly more infested with ticks than species at intermediate heights. Tick prevalence on birds does not differ significantly between two degrees of forest fragmentation and individual tick loads tend to be higher in High- than in Low-fragmentation sites. Infestations by the blood parasites Haemoproteus sp. was low except in white-eared ground sparrow, Melozone leucotis, that is 28% and is significantly higher in High- than in Low-fragmentation sites. In chapter 3 results on the ecology and habitat movements of the Bare-necked Umbrellabird, Cephalopterus glabricollis, are presented. The abundance of umbrellabirds at high elevations during the breeding season coincides with the highest peak of fruit abundance. Birds leave the protected area during the non-breeding season moving to unprotected forest fragments. In chapter 4 ontogenetic changes in feather morphology through sexual maturity in Long-tailed Manakins are described. In adult males, rectrices length is positively correlated to testis volume. Changes in male morphology during ontogeny in the long-tailed manakin appear to be associated with their specific-display behaviours. Significant interpopulation differences in the morphology of Long-tailed Manakins are shown in chapter 5. These differences are more accentuated in morphological traits related to flight displays. A field experiment demonstrates that long rectrices impose flying costs for males and females. A reduction in flying ability was found to be strongest in males from a population presenting the highest degree of sexual dimorphism. Résumé La fragmentation des forêts est souvent associée avec des modifications dans l'abondance des espèces et des extinctions locales. Le thème principale de cette thèse est l'étude de l'effet de la fragmentation des forêts sur les oiseaux de Monteverde, Costa Rica. Elle décrit par ailleurs certains aspects de la sélection sexuelle et l'écologie du manakin à longue queue, Chiroxiphia linearis. Dans le Chapitre 1 je montre que la distribution, l'abondance et la diversité des assemblages d'oiseaux vivant dans la forêt sont fortement influencées pas le degré de fragmentation de celle ci. Par ailleurs, la présence ou l'absence de bétail dans les forêts influence la présence de certaines espèces d'oiseaux. Dans le chapitre 2 j'ai étudié la prévalence et l'intensité d'infestation par des tiques ainsi que la présence de parasites sanguins chez les oiseaux en relation avec la fragmentation des forêts. La prévalence globale de tiques est de 3 %, les oiseaux vivant au niveau du sol étaient plus souvent infectés par des tiques que les espèces se déplaçant à un niveau plus élevé. La prévalence de tiques sur les oiseaux n'était pas significativement différente entre les paysages avec différentes fragmentations. Les parasites sanguins du genre Haemoproteus sp. étaient présents à très basse fréquence à l'exception chez Melozone leucotis ou la prevalence était de 28% et significativement plus élevée chez les oiseaux vivant dans les forêts à forte fragmentation. Dans le Chapitre 3 je présente des résultats sur l'écologie et les mouvements entre habitats chez le "Bare-necked umbrellabird", Cephalopterus glabricollis. Cette espèce endémique du Costa Rica niche à haute altitude durant la période d'abondance des fruits et réalise une migration altitudinale vers des zones basses durant la saison de non reproduction. Dans le chapitre 4 je présente les changements ontogénétiques dans la morphologie du plumage des manakins à longue queue. Chez les mâles, les changements de morphologie semblent être associés avec leurs comportements de parade spécifiques. Dans le chapitre 5 je présente des différences morphologiques significative entre deux populations chez le manakin à longue queue et je montre que la capacité de vols chez les mâles est plus fortement influencée dans la population avec le degré de dimorphisme sexuel le plus prononcé.

Isca tóxica e disrupção sexual no controle da mosca-da-fruta sul-americana e da mariposa-oriental em pessegueiro

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o emprego simultâneo de isca tóxica e da técnica de disrupção sexual, com uso de feromônio sexual, para o controle de Anastrepha fraterculus e Grapholita molesta, em pomar comercial de pessegueiro. Foram utilizados três pomares de 0,5 ha, com os seguintes tratamentos: pomar 1, manejo com isca tóxica (Biofruit 3% + Malathion 500 CE a 200 mL por 100 L), aplicada nas plantas da borda do pomar quando o nível de controle era atingido, e uso da disrupção sexual por meio da aplicação de feromônio (Splat Grafo) em 1.000 pontos por ha; pomar 2, manejo convencional, constituído por pulverizações com inseticidas de contato e ingestão de 2 a 3 vezes ao ano; pomar 3, testemunha, sem controle. A população de adultos das duas espécies e o dano em ponteiros e frutos foram monitorados nas safras 2007/2008 e 2008/2009. O uso simultâneo da isca tóxica e da técnica de disrupção sexual reduziu em mais de 90% a captura de adultos de A. fraterculus e G. molesta. Nas duas safras, os danos reduziram de 62-85% em ponteiros, e de 98-99% nos frutos, em comparação à testemunha sem controle.

MHC Class II Transactivator Is an In Vivo Regulator of Osteoclast Differentiation and Bone Homeostasis Co-opted From Adaptive Immunity.

The molecular networks controlling bone homeostasis are not fully understood. The common evolution of bone and adaptive immunity encourages the investigation of shared regulatory circuits. MHC Class II Transactivator (CIITA) is a master transcriptional co-activator believed to be exclusively dedicated for antigen presentation. CIITA is expressed in osteoclast precursors, and its expression is accentuated in osteoporotic mice. We thus asked whether CIITA plays a role in bone biology. To this aim, we fully characterized the bone phenotype of two mouse models of CIITA overexpression, respectively systemic and restricted to the monocyte-osteoclast lineage. Both CIITA-overexpressing mouse models revealed severe spontaneous osteoporosis, as assessed by micro-computed tomography and histomorphometry, associated with increased osteoclast numbers and enhanced in vivo bone resorption, whereas osteoblast numbers and in vivo bone-forming activity were unaffected. To understand the underlying cellular and molecular bases, we investigated ex vivo the differentiation of mutant bone marrow monocytes into osteoclasts and immune effectors, as well as osteoclastogenic signaling pathways. CIITA-overexpressing monocytes differentiated normally into effector macrophages or dendritic cells but showed enhanced osteoclastogenesis, whereas CIITA ablation suppressed osteoclast differentiation. Increased c-fms and receptor activator of NF-κB (RANK) signaling underlay enhanced osteoclast differentiation from CIITA-overexpressing precursors. Moreover, by extending selected phenotypic and cellular analyses to additional genetic mouse models, namely MHC Class II deficient mice and a transgenic mouse line lacking a specific CIITA promoter and re-expressing CIITA in the thymus, we excluded MHC Class II expression and T cells from contributing to the observed skeletal phenotype. Altogether, our study provides compelling genetic evidence that CIITA, the molecular switch of antigen presentation, plays a novel, unexpected function in skeletal homeostasis, independent of MHC Class II expression and T cells, by exerting a selective and intrinsic control of osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption in vivo. © 2014 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

The Evolution of Sexual Dysfunction in Young Men Aged 18-25 Years

PURPOSE: To assess the evolution of sexual dysfunctions among young males after an average of 15 months follow-up to determine the predictive factors for this evolution and the characteristics differentiating young males who continue reporting a sexual dysfunction from those who do not. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study in two Swiss military recruitment centers mandatory for all Swiss national males aged 18-25 years. A total of 3,700 sexually active young males filled out a questionnaire at baseline (T0) and follow-up (T1: 15.5 months later). Main outcome measures were self-reported premature ejaculation (PE) and erectile dysfunction (ED). RESULTS: Overall, 43.9% of young males who reported (PE) and 51% of those reporting (ED) at T0 still reported it at T1. Moreover, 9.7% developed a PE problem and 14.4% developed an ED problem between T0 and T1. Poor mental health, depression, and consumption of medication without prescription were predictive factors for PE and ED. Poor physical health, alcohol consumption, and less sexual experience were predictive factors for PE. ED persistence was associated with having multiple sexual partners. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first longitudinal study to examine sexual dysfunctions among young males. Our results show high prevalence rates among young males for maintaining or developing a sexual dysfunction over time. Consequently, when consulting with young males, health professionals should inquire about sexual dysfunctions as part of their routine psychosocial assessment and leave the subject open for discussion. Future research should examine in more detail the relationship between sexual dysfunctions and poor mental health.

Plac8 is required for white adipocyte differentiation in vitro and cell number control in vivo.

Plac8 belongs to an evolutionary conserved family of proteins, mostly abundant in plants where they control fruit weight through regulation of cell number. In mice, Plac8 is expressed both in white and brown adipose tissues and we previously showed that Plac8(-/-) mice develop late-onset obesity, with abnormal brown fat differentiation and reduced thermogenic capacity. We also showed that in brown adipocytes, Plac8 is an upstream regulator of C/EBPβ expression. Here, we first assessed the role of Plac8 in white adipogenesis in vitro. We show that Plac8 is induced early after induction of 3T3-L1 adipocytes differentiation, a process that is prevented by Plac8 knockdown; similarly, embryonic fibroblasts obtained from Plac8 knockout mice failed to form adipocytes upon stimulation of differentiation. Knockdown of Plac8 in 3T3-L1 was associated with reduced expression of C/EBPβ, Krox20, and Klf4, early regulators of the white adipogenic program, and we show that Plac8 could transactivate the C/EBPβ promoter. In vivo, we show that absence of Plac8 led to increased white fat mass with enlarged adipocytes but reduced total number of adipocytes. Finally, even though Plac8(-/-) mice showed impaired thermogenesis due to brown fat dysfunction, this was not associated with changes in glycemia or plasma free fatty acid and triglyceride levels. Collectively, these data indicate that Plac8 is an upstream regulator of C/EBPβ required for adipogenesis in vitro. However, in vivo, Plac8 is dispensable for the differentiation of white adipocytes with preserved fat storage capacity but is required for normal fat cell number regulation.

Testing differentiation in diploid populations.

We examine the power of different exact tests of differentiation for diploid populations. Since there is not necessarily random mating within populations, the appropriate hypothesis to construct exact tests is that of independent sampling of genotypes. There are two categories of tests, FST-estimator tests and goodness of fit tests. In this latter category, we distinguish "allelic statistics", which account for the nature of alleles within genotypes, from "genotypic statistics" that do not. We show that the power of FST-estimator tests and of allelic goodness of fit tests are similar when sampling is balanced, and higher than the power of genotypic goodness of fit tests. When sampling is unbalanced, the most powerful tests are shown to belong to the allelic goodness of fit group.

Coneixements sobre salut sexual i reproductiva en estudiants de Farmàcia (Treball Final de Grau)

Se presenta un TFG (Trabajo de Final de Grado) que se realizó durante el curso académico 2011-12 en el Grado de Farmacia de la UB. Su objetivo fue describir los conocimientos y opiniones de los estudiantes del Grado de Farmacia-UB, respecto a la prevención de enfermedades de transmisión sexual y embarazos no deseados.

Unicoloniality, recognition and genetic differentiation in a native Formica ant.

Some ants have an extraordinary form of social organization, called unicoloniality, whereby individuals mix freely among physically separated nests. This mode of social organization has been primarily studied in introduced and invasive ant species, so that the recognition ability and genetic structure of ants forming unicolonial populations in their native range remain poorly known. We investigated the pattern of aggression and the genetic structure of six unicolonial populations of the ant Formica paralugubris at four hierarchical levels: within nests, among nests within the same population, among nests of populations within the Alps or Jura Mountains and among nests of the two mountain ranges. Ants within populations showed no aggressive behaviour, but recognized nonnestmates as shown by longer antennation bouts. Overall, the level of aggression increased with geographic and genetic distance but was always considerably lower than between species. No distinct behavioural supercolony boundaries were found. Our study provides evidence that unicoloniality can be maintained in noninvasive ants despite significant genetic differentiation and the ability to discriminate between nestmates and nonnestmates.

Differentiation towards regulatory DC is maintained during RSV infection in airway epithelial cells

Airway epithelial cells have been shown to drive differentiation of monocytes into dendritic cells (DC) with suppressive phenotype. In this study we investigated the impact of virus-induced inflammatory mediator production on DC development. Monocyte differentiation into functional DC, as reflected by the expression of CD11c, CD123, BDCA-4 and DC-SIGN and the capacity to activate T cells, was similar for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)- and mock-infected BEAS-2B and A549 cells. RSV-conditioned culture media resulted in a partially mature DC phenotype, but failed to upregulate CD80, CD83, CD86 and CCR7 and failed to release pro-inflammatory mediators upon TLR triggering. Nevertheless, these DCs were able to maintain an antiviral response by the release of type I IFN. Collectively, these data indicate that the airway epithelium maintains an important suppressive DC phenotype under inflammatory conditions induced by RSV infection.