Search

Many coastal communities depend on ecosystems for goods and services that contribute to human well‐being. As long‐standing interactions between people and nature are modified by global environmental change, dynamic and diversified livelihood strategies that enable seasonal adaptation will be critical for vulnerable coastal communities. However, the success of such strategies depends on a range of poorly understood influences. Gleaning, the hand‐based collection of marine organisms from littoral habitats, provides an interesting case study of dynamic change in social‐ecological interactions. It is an important coastal livelihood strategy, yet seasonal gleaning dynamics have not been empirically explored in contemporary communities. We examined seasonal gleaning in eight coastal communities on Atauro Island, Timor‐Leste, using household surveys and satellite‐derived maps of shallow‐water benthic habitats. Our analysis explored the factors affecting household decisions to glean in each season, the relationship between gleaning and seafood consumption, and seasonal gleaning pressure on near‐shore coastal resources. Dynamic marine harvesting strategies differed among households and gleaning activity was seasonally heterogeneous. Not all gleaning households gleaned during the season characterised by rough sea conditions despite rough season gleaning being associated with greater seafood consumption stability among seasons. Households also gleaned less regularly, and catches were smaller, in the rough season. Differences in seasonal participation in gleaning were explained mostly by type and extent of shallow habitat proximate to a community. In the calm season, household gleaning was positively related to the total area of shallow habitat, and in the rough season the percentage of hard‐bottom shallow habitat was also an important predictor of gleaning activity. Our findings illustrate how changes in the biophysical environment mediate human–nature interactions at fine scales through time and space. Consequently, this research highlights the importance of context‐specific perspectives for understanding drivers and dynamics in fishing pressure on littoral ecosystems, access to ecosystem benefits and limits to adaptation. Factors influencing when livelihood activities are feasible and desirable are important for evaluating the social impacts of climate change, particularly in the context of rural communities in the Global South. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

Neotropical seasonally dry forests (NSDFs) are widely distributed and possess high levels of species richness and endemism; however, their biogeography remains only partially understood. Using species distribution modelling and parsimony analysis of endemicity, we analysed the distributional patterns of the NSDF avifauna in order to identify their areas of endemism and provide a better understanding of the historical relationships among those areas. The strict consensus trees revealed 17 areas of endemism for NSDFs, which involve four large regions: Baja California, Caribbean-Antilles islands, Mesoamerica and South America. These well-resolved clades are circumscribed by geographical and ecological barriers associated with the Gulf of California, the leading edge of the Caribbean plate, the Tehuantepec Isthmus, the Polochic-Motagua fault, the Nicaragua Depression, the Chocó forest, the Amazon basin and the Andean Cordillera. Relationships among groups of NSDFs found here suggest that evolution of their avifauna involved a mixture of vicariance and dispersal events. Our results support the idea of independent diversification patterns and biogeographical processes in each region, including those previously associated with the Pleistocene Arc Hypothesis for NSDFs of south-eastern South America. This study provides a biogeographical framework to open new lines of research related to the biotic diversification of NSDFs.

We evaluated geographic variation and subspecific taxonomy in the Le Conte's Thrasher (Toxostoma lecontei) by analyzing DNA sequences from 16 nuclear loci, one mitochondrial DNA locus, and four study skin characters, and compared these data sets with previously published data on plumage coloration and different mtDNA genes. Morphological support for the southernmost taxon, T. l. arenicola, is relatively weak: multivariate analyses of morphometrics or back coloration do not provide diagnostic support, although one color character differs statistically. However, combined DNA analyses indicate that T. l. arenicola is diagnosable and reciprocally monophyletic, diverging from T. l. lecontei at least 140,000 years ago. Little to no past introgression across a very short geographic distance despite the long period of isolation is strong evidence of independently evolving taxa. We suggest that the lack of morphological divergence in traits related to niche use has prevented the two taxa from invading each other's range. Despite relatively weak morphological differences we suggest that these two deeply divergent lineages merit species status, and we suggest Vizcaino Thrasher for the common name corresponding to T. l. arenicola. The population size of T. l. arenicola is small and the taxon is in need of preservation attention. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

AIM: A fundamental problem in evolutionary biology has been understanding the role of environmental factors in the process of genetic diversification. Our main goal was to define the ecological niches of two Boa imperator lineages, in order to assess if environmental drivers could be associated with the divergence and genetic variation between them. We quantified the environmental niches at two evolutionary and geographical scales: regional‐historical (lineages) and local‐ecological (individuals within lineages). LOCATION: Neotropical region of Mexico and mainland Central America. METHODS: We performed ecological niche modelling (ENM) methods by defining the accessibility area per B. imperator lineage, based on their geographic ranges, to analyse ecological and geographical distributions. We applied statistics of niche overlap, interpredictability, equivalency and similarity. We tested the niche‐centrality hypothesis within lineages by evaluating the relationship between genetic metrics and the distance to ecological and geographical centroids. RESULTS: Temperature seasonality, precipitation and elevation were the most informative environmental variables (GARP and MaxEnt). Ecological interprediction and niche similarity and equivalency tests revealed a dynamic process of niche evolution, where the niches of the two lineages are not identical but still showed a signature of niche conservatism. Correlation analyses between genetic variability and structure showed negative correlations with distance to ecological and geographical centroids at the local level. MAIN CONCLUSIONS: Our results support the role of environmental variables as significant and highly accurate predictors of lineage distribution and divergence, in agreement with the boa's evolutionary history. The niches of the two lineages are not identical, sharing environmental niche space but not all ecological variables. A historically more recent signal of genetic structure within lineages was evident, where the quality of the ecological niche further influences genetic distribution patterns within populations. Our results illustrate how ENM may validate evolutionary patterns from a biogeographical and phylogeographical framework.

As two lineages diverge from one another, mitochondrial DNA should evolve fixed differences more rapidly than nuclear DNA due to its smaller effective population size and faster mutation rate. As a consequence, molecular systematists have focused on the criteria of reciprocal monophyly in mitochondrial DNA for delimiting species boundaries. However, mitochondrial gene trees do not necessarily reflect the evolutionary history of the taxa in question, and even mitochondrial loci are not expected to be reciprocally monophyletic when the speciation event happened very recently. The goal of this study was to examine mitochondrial paraphyly within the Orchard Oriole complex, which is composed of Icterus spurius (Orchard Oriole) and Icterus fuertesi (Fuertes' Oriole). We increased the geographic sampling, added four nuclear loci, and used a range of population genetic and coalescent methods to examine the divergence between the taxa. With increased taxon sampling, we found evidence of clear structure between the taxa for mitochondrial DNA. However, nuclear loci showed little evidence of population structure, indicating a very recent divergence between I. spurius and I. fuertesi. Another goal was to examine the genetic variation within each taxon to look for evidence of a past founder event within the I. fuertesi lineage. Based on the high amounts of genetic variation for all nuclear loci, we found no evidence of such an event – thus, we found no support for the possible founding of I. fuertesi through a change in migratory behavior, followed by peripheral isolates speciation. Our results demonstrate that these two taxa are in the earliest stages of speciation, at a point when they have fixed differences in plumage color that are not reflected in monophyly of the mitochondrial or nuclear DNA markers in this study. This very recent divergence makes them ideal for continued studies of species boundaries and the earliest stages of speciation.

Wilson's warbler comprises three subspecies separated into two geographic groups: C. p. pusilla that breeds in eastern North America; and C. p. pileolata and C. p. chryseola that breed in western North America. Given the differences between the groups in genetics, morphology, habitat use, and population decline, we tested for ecological niche similarity in both their breeding and wintering distribution using niche modeling based on temperature and precipitation data. We first conducted an inter-prediction approach considering the percent of summer and winter localities of one group that are predicted by the potential distribution of the alternate group. We also applied a null model approach that compares self-predictions and pseudoreplicates of each group to indicate similarity, divergence, or indeterminate niche overlap. Finally, we compared ecological distances between and within groups using the Gower similarity equation. We found that the western group had an ecological niche of broader climatic conditions, while the eastern group had a narrower ecological niche. The inter-prediction approach showed that, for both summering and wintering ranges, ecological niche models of the western group predicted ∼50% of the observed distribution of the eastern group, whereas eastern group models predicted < 18% of the western group distribution. The null model approach found that similarity in ecological niches was indeterminate, possibly due to the large area occupied by the two groups; but it suggests a more restricted set of climatic conditions of the eastern group distribution. However, the Gower coefficients demonstrated that the ecological distance between the two geographic groups was larger than the ecological distance within groups, indicating distinct ecological niches. Overall, our results support the hypothesis that the eastern and western groups of Wilson's warbler are two cryptic species; this should be taken into consideration for future analyses, particularly with respect to vulnerability categorization and conservation efforts.

Climate change (CC) and sea level rise (SLR) are phenomena that could have severe impacts on the distribution of coastal dune vegetation. To explore this we modeled the climatic niches of six coastal dunes plant species that grow along the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico and the Yucatan Peninsula, and projected climatic niches to future potential distributions based on two CC scenarios and SLR projections. Our analyses suggest that distribution of coastal plants will be severely limited, and more so in the case of local endemics (Chamaecrista chamaecristoides, Palafoxia lindenii, Cakile edentula). The possibilities of inland migration to the potential 'new shoreline' will be limited by human infrastructure and ecosystem alteration that will lead to a 'coastal squeeze' of the coastal habitats. Finally, we identified areas as future potential refuges for the six species in central Gulf of Mexico, and northern Yucatán Peninsula especially under CC and SLR scenarios.

Conservation and management of species require basic knowledge on their geographic distribution and abundance. Here, we propose a novel approach, based on the theory of the ecological niche, to model the spatial patterns of the white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus population density in two regions of central Mexico (Balsas Basin and TehuacanCuicatlan Valley). We used an ecological niche model to generate binary geographic distribution maps of the white-tailed deer in each region based on occurrence data and a set of environmental variables. Then, the centroid of the distributions was calculated in ecological space (niche centroid) and the multidimensional Euclidian ecological distance of each pixel to the niche centroid was estimated. Finally, for each region the distance to the niche centroid (DNC) was regressed against 14 independent occurrence points in each site containing white-tailed deer density information to determine the function describing the DNC-density relationship, which was used to generate maps describing the distribution of white-tailed deer density. Our results indicated an inverse DNC-density relationship in both regions (Balsas Basin: r 2  0.90 and TehuacanCuicatlan: r 2  0.76) that was validated via bootstrapping resulting in a predicting capacity of near 62% for Balsas Basin and 65% for Tehuacan-Cuicatlan Valley. Our results suggest that the distance to the niche centroid method is a robust, science-based correlative approach that resulted useful to predict the population density of the white-tailed deer in a spatially explicit fashion. The proposed approach is suitable for predicting the distribution of density for white-tailed deer for which occurrence data with accompanying density information exists, but relative abundance can also be estimated when no abundance data are available.

Static fracture analyses in two-dimensional linear magnetoelectroelastic (MEE) solids is studied by means of the extended finite element method (X-FEM). In the X-FEM, crack modeling is facilitated by adding a discontinuous function and the crack-tip asymptotic functions to the standard finite element approximation using the framework of partition of unity. In this study, media possessing fully coupled piezoelectric, piezomagnetic and magnetoelectric effects are considered. New enrichment functions for cracks in transversely isotropic MEE materials are derived, and the computation of fracture parameters using the domain form of the contour interaction integral is presented. The convergence rates in energy for topological and geometric enrichments are studied. Excellent accuracy of the proposed formulation is demonstrated on benchmark crack problems through comparisons with both analytical solutions and numerical results obtained by the dual boundary element method. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The quantification of colocalizing signals in multichannel fluorescence microscopy images depends on the reliable segmentation of corresponding regions of interest, on the selection of appropriate colocalization coefficients, and on a robust statistical criterion to discriminate true from random colocalization. Here, we introduce a confined displacement algorithm based on image correlation spectroscopy in combination with Manders colocalization coefficients M1(ROI) and M2(ROI) to quantify true and random colocalization of a given florescence pattern. We show that existing algorithms based on block scrambling exaggerate the randomization of fluorescent patterns with resulting inappropriately narrow probability density functions and false significance of true colocalization in terms of p values. We further confine our approach to subcellular compartments and show that true and random colocalization can be analysed for model dendrites and for GABA(B) receptor subunits GABA(B)R1/2 in cultured hippocampal neurons. Together, we demonstrate that the confined displacement algorithm detects true colocalization of specific fluorescence patterns down to subcellular levels.

Tiburon Island is a land-bridge island in the Gulf of California, separated from mainland Sonora by 3 km. The shallow channel (13 m) separating the island and mainland is thought to have formed 10 000 years ago. Although the majority of avian resident species are not taxonomically differentiated, six species are represented by endemic subspecies (cactus wren, gila woodpecker, black-tailed gnatcatcher, Gambel's quail, canyon towhee, northern cardinal), of which all but one (black-tailed gnatcatcher) possess a pallid, ash-gray coloration compared to those on the mainland. We compared mtDNA sequences of five of the endemic subspecies (we lacked samples of northern cardinal) and one more widespread subspecies (verdin) present on the island from sequences previously published for mainland populations. For most populations, we discovered no genetic differentiation between the island and the mainland, thus questioning the taxonomic validity of the endemic subspecies. The canyon towhee and the verdin showed significant mitochondrial DNA differentiation, although neither was reciprocally monophyletic. We modeled the ecological niche for the mainland populations of the study species (plus the curve-billed thrasher, which was studied earlier) and determined if species’ occurrence on the island was predicted. We found no ecological differences for the four species that showed no genetic differences and one of the species that did (verdin). In contrast, some ecological differentiation was detected for the canyon towhee and the curve-billed thrasher. We conclude that the ecological differences leading to paler plumages in Tiburon Island endemics are sufficiently subtle as to not be discovered in our ecological models, although they are likely influenced by variation in rainfall, temperature and the vegetation. In addition, the black-tailed gnatcatcher is not paler, and therefore might respond to different ecological variables. We simulated sequence data and showed that if the populations on Tiburon Island have been isolated for 10 000 years, there ought to be greater differences than we observed for black-tailed gnatcatcher, Gambel's quail, cactus wren, and gila woodpecker, suggesting that there has been gene flow connecting the mainland and island populations. If so, then the paler coloration of these Tiburon Island subspecies (excluding black-tailed gnatcatcher) has been maintained by natural selection despite gene flow. In any case, the pale coloration apparently evolved within the past 10 000 years.

Background The association with Parkinson’s disease is increased with allergic rhinitis. Increasing evidence supports an important role of central and peripheral inflammation in driving Parkinson’s (PD) initiation and progression. The link between peripheral inflammation and neurodegeneration in PD patients has been revealed in several clinical reports. In addition, gut inflammation mediated by Th2 responses occurs in PD patients. However, the evaluation and study of allergic symptoms was not commonly performed in patients with Parkinson (PD).

The digestion, absorption and post absorptive metabolism of a radiolabelled triacylglycerol (TAG; triolein) and a free fatty acid (FFA; oleic acid), delivered by tube feeding, was studied in herring Clupea harengus larvae, using metabolic chambers and video analysis. In general, a large amount of the delivered lipid was evacuated. Most of the evacuation occurred between 2 and 6 h after tube feeding although a group of larvae responded by rapidly evacuating the lipid (>50% before 2 h). The volume of the tube-fed lipid affected its utilization. A small volume of triolein (9.2 nl, representing c. 6% of gut filling capacity) resulted in a lower proportion of fast evacuating larvae and improved utilization (lower evacuation and higher absorption: body incorporation and catabolism) compared with 50.6 nl (c. 17% of gut filling capacity). Increases in the volume of tube fed triolein enhanced only marginally label absorption and led to a steep rise in evacuation. At a comparable high volume (50.6 nl), oleic acid, which does not require digestion, was better absorbed and less evacuated than triolein. The video observation of the lipid digestive process revealed a considerable gut contractile activity that appeared effective in processing the tube fed lipid. Also, the gut wall seemed very sensitive to physical pressure. Signs of chemical degradation during lipid digestion were also noted. The metabolic studies, together with video image analysis, suggested that the limiting step for the utilization of high dietary lipid levels may have been the lipid absorption into the enterocytes and transport into the body, rather than lipid digestion. The results support the notion that the rate of lipid digestion and absorption in fishes is slower than that of mammals.

In this work we present a model for calculating the power radiated by an excited molecule close to metallic objects of spherical or cylindrical shapes. For the case of a molecule near metallic surfaces, we represent it as an oscillating dipole which couples electromagnetically to multipolar moments induced over the corresponding surfaces, and use a formalism similar to that previously developed by the authors for studying SERS. For the interaction of the molecule with a metallic cylinder, the electromagnetic coupling is solved using Green functions. By calculating the local field acting upon the molecule we find signal enhancements of over five orders of magnitude in the radiated power with respect to the radiation of an isolated molecule. (© 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Background: Oral prevalence studies are important to know the state of health and the needs of treatment. Our aim was to determine the prevalence of oral mucosal lesions and associated factors among aging Chileans. Methods: A random sample by age, gender, and socioeconomic status was obtained, comprising 889 individuals older than 65 years. Individuals were interviewed and examined in Santiago, the capital of Chile, according to the World Health Organization guidelines. Results: The prevalence of one or more oral mucosal lesions in the sample was 53%. Logistic regression model revealed that denture use increased the probability of one or more oral mucosal lesions by threefold, while age, gender, smoking, medication use, xerostomia, and social or cultural factors had no effect. The most common lesion was denture stomatitis (22.3%), followed by irritative hyperplasia (9.4%), oral mucosal varicosities (9%), solitary pigmented lesions (4%), traumatic ulcer (3.5%), angular cheilitis (2.9%), multiple pigmented lesions (2.8%), hemangioma (2.3%), lichen planus (2.1%), leukoplakia (1.7%), recurrent aphthous stomatitis (1.4%), nicotine stomatitis (1.3%), median rhomboid glossitis (0.9%), actinic cheilitis (0.9%), pyogenic granuloma (0.7%), oral squamous papiloma (0.6%), and mucocele (0.2%). One case of oral cancer was observed. Different factors increased the probability of specific oral mucosal pathologies. Conclusions: We can conclude that oral mucosal lesions are common in elderly people in Santiago, suggesting the necessity for improved standards of prevention, and diagnostic and opportune treatment of these lesions.

Aim To analyse the distributional patterns of the Baja California Peninsula's resident avifauna, and to generate a regionalization based on a method that uses a parsimony analysis (parsimony analysis of endemicity, PAE) of point data and modelled potential distributions. Location The Baja California Peninsula, Mexico. Methods A data base was constructed containing records of 113 species of resident terrestrial birds present in the Baja California Peninsula. Records and localities were obtained from the literature and from specimens housed in scientific collections world-wide. Raw data points and potential distribution maps obtained using the software Genetic Algorithms for Rule-set Prediction (GARP), were analysed with PAE. Results The data base consisted of 4164 unique records (only one combination of species/locality) belonging to 113 terrestrial resident bird species, in a total of 809 localities. From the point distribution matrix, the analysis generated 500 equally parsimonious trees, from which a strict consensus cladogram with 967 steps was obtained. The cladogram shows a basal polytomy and some geographical correspondence of a few resolved groups obtained in the analysis. These results do not allow the recognition of areas defined by avifaunistic associations. From the potential distribution matrix, the analysis generated 501 equally parsimonious trees, and a strict consensus cladogram of 516 steps was obtained. The cladogram shows a higher resolution because of the number of resolved groups with better geographical correspondence and therefore regions are well-defined. Main conclusions The correspondence of some groupings of species suggest their validity as areas with biogeographical (historical and/or ecological) meaning. This regionalization in the Baja California avifauna seems to be consistent with previous regionalizations for other groups. Hence, PAE is a useful tool for area categorization if reliable point records and prediction tools are available. Our results suggest that the geographical definition is much better using potential data generated by GARP, particularly when they are contrasted with the results from point data. Thus, this is an excellent alternative for developing biogeographical studies, as well as for improving the use of data from scientific collections and other sources of biodiversity information.

At 7 days after first feeding (DAFF), the peptide hormone cholecystokinin (CCK) content (fmol individual -1 ) and the tryptic activity [μmol arginine-methyl-coumarinyl-7-amide (MCA) min -1 individual -1 ] per individual gut of Atlantic halibut Hippoglossus hippoglossus larvae were low: 0.2 ± 0.1 and 0.14 ± 0.10, respectively. Thereafter, both parameters increased with the increase in gut mass and reached 19.67 ± 5.58 and 2.71 ± 0.64 at 26 DAFF, respectively. Due to the small sample size, the dry mass (M G , mg) of the individual gut could not be determined accurately at 7 DAFF. At 13 DAFF M G represented 5.5% of whole body dry mass (M w , mg) while at 26 DAFF it had increased to 23%. The mass specific tryptic activity [μmol MCA min -1 per mg dry mass (M)] in the gut increased from 2.74±1.98 at 13 DAFF to 5.00 ± 0.78 at 26 DAFF. There was more individual variation in the mass specific CCK content (fmol M -1 ) but no significant differences were found, although the data indicated an increase (from 23.38 ± 11.26 at 13 DAFF to 36.27 ± 8.96 fmol M -1 at 26 DAFF). At 7 DAFF the CCK content of the gut represented c. 2% of the whole body CCK content while it increased to c. 62% of the whole body CCK content at 26 DAFF. This demonstrates that it is necessary to separate neural and gastrointestinal sources of CCK in order to determine its alimentary role in fish larvae. Trypsin activity was only found in the gut compartment. In larvae aged 45 DAFF dietary proteins delivery into the gut by tube-feeding appeared to stimulate post-prandial secretion of CCK from the gut as well as stimulate pancreatic trypsin secretion, suggesting that both factors contribute to protein digestion.

Mango fruit has a relatively short storage life of about 2 to 3 weeks at 13C. In order to prolong the storage life of 'Haden' mangoes, fruit were coated with 3 concentrations (8, 16 and 24 g.L(-1)) of the edible coating film "Semperfresh" and then stored at 13C and 85% RH. Fruit were then evaluated every 4 days for up to 32 days for total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), pH, firmness, weight loss, color of the skin, and ascorbic acid content. All 3 concentrations applied to the fruit affected fruit ripening. TA, firmness, and green color were higher in coated fruit, and weight loss, SST, and pH were lower compared with the noncoated fruit. "Semperfresh" had no effect on decay development. Ascorbic acid decreased in all stored fruit, but this decrease was slower in coated fruit, and there were no significant differences between the different "Semperfresh" concentrations.

Induced by unprecedented growth, invasion of for-profit organizations in the nonprofit domain, and high-profile cases of mismanagement in the nonprofit sector, a recent surge in the literature suggests ample opportunities for research to compare the organizational effectiveness of for-profit and nonprofit organizations. This article presents a literature review of nonprofit organizational effectiveness from which four models of organizational effectiveness are selected. These models are discussed and analyzed because they apply to both for-profit and nonprofit organizations.

Background It has been proposed that allergy may be considered as one of the common associated conditions, like irritable bowel syndrome or migraine in fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is a clinical entity classified by the presence of chronic widespread pain in at least 11 of the 18 specified tender points and associated with symptoms like fatigue, irritable bowel, sleep disorder, chronic headaches, jaw pain, cognitive or memory impairment, etc.The aim of this study was to evaluate the presences of food allergy symptoms in Fibromyalgia patients.

Objective: To determine the efficacy of strict glycemic control in women with pregestational insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Methods: The records of 62 pregnant women with pregestational IDDM who had attended the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Virgen de las Nieves General Hospital, Granada, Spain, between 1982 and 1992, were reviewed. The women had received several daily doses of a mixture of rapid action (regular) and intermediate action insulin with the aim of keeping preprandial glucose levels lower than 95 mg/dl and postprandial glucose levels lower than 120 mg/dl. Perinatal outcomes were compared with those of a control group consisting of 96 randomly selected, normal, pregnant women who gave birth at approximately the same time. Results: Mean glycemic profile in the first assay at an insulin dose of 33.1 ± 15.9 IU/day was 153.7 ± 52.3 mg/dl and the HbAIc was 7.7 ± 2.3%. In the last assay before delivery patients received an insulin dose of 68.2 ± 30.7 IU/day and had a mean glycemic profile of 94.4 ± 18.1 mg/dl and an HbAIc of 5.9 ± 1.4% (P < 0.001 for all parameters). The perinatal mortality of newborn infants of the diabetic mothers was 48 per 1000, and 11.3 per 1000 had some congenital malformations. Conclusions: Our results verify that strict glycemic control decreases the elevated perinatal mortality normally suffered by IDDM patients. However, if it is to reduce the number of congenital malformations, it must be initiated before the early gestational stages.

A marked, relatively rapid retrograde peristaltic activity was observed in the pyloric region of Atlantic halibut Hippoglossus hippoglossus in vitro and in vivo. This could provide a mechanism for filling the pyloric caeca, and the retrograde contraction could also be involved in mixing the chyme with digestive secretions in the region of the pyloric caeca.

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha) has been implicated as a principal mediator in the pathogenesis of septic shock. TNF-alpha was measured by immunoradiometric assay in serum samples from 23 full-term infants with sepsis (15 with severe infection and 8 with septic shock) and in 20 healthy full-term newborns. Serum TNF-alpha levels were significantly higher in the group with sepsis, at the time of admission to the neonatal intensive care unit, than in the healthy neonates. The highest TNF levels were found in those newborns with septic shock, particularly in those who died. Although the method is far too slow for any clinical routine work, our results suggest that the presence of elevated serum TNF-alpha levels could be considered a sensitive and specific test for predicting septic shock and its clinical outcome.

Antidisialosyl antibodies have been previously associated to chronic and acute ataxic neuropathies. We studied the presence of these antibodies in nine patients with acute self-limiting ataxic neuropathy (ASLAN) using ELISA and TLC immunodetection. One patient showed serum IgG immunoreactivity against gangliosides GD3 and GQlb. The patient's IgG was able to bind to the nodes of Ranvier on frozen human dorsal root. Our studies confirmed that antidisialosyl reactivity is associated to ataxic neuropathy and its specific binding to the dorsal root could explain the predominant sensory involvement. Nevertheless, the low incidence of this reactivity indicates that a different pathogenic mechanism should be involved in most ASLAN patients.

A review of the clinical, radiologic, and histologic features of 25 cases of long bone adamantinoma is presented. To answer some questions concerning the nature of these tumors, relevant tissue markers were analyzed in seven cases using immunohistochemical assays. This study confirmed the epithelial nature of long bone adamantinomas irrespective of their wide-ranging morphologic patterns that can mimic tumors of various origin. On the basis of distinct radiologic, histologic, and immunohistochemical patterns, a new type of adamantinoma termed "differentiated adamantinoma" could be distinguished from the classic long bone adamantinomas. The diagnostic features characteristic of the differentiated adamantinoma include: patient age (first two decades), intracortical location of the entire lesion, uniform predominance of an osteofibrous dysplasia-like pattern, and scattered positivity of epithelial elements for cytokeratin. We postulate that the predominance of an osteofibrous dysplasia-like pattern in differentiated adamantinoma is the result of a secondary reparative process overgrowing matured and regressing tumor tissue. It is possible that this process may lead to the total elimination of recognizable tumor cells from the lesion. Therefore, osteofibrous dysplasia (ossifying fibroma) of long bones, which has a similar anatomic location, age distribution, and radiologic appearance as differentiated adamantinoma, may, in some cases, represent the evolution of an underlying adamantinoma. Our analysis suggests that long bone adamantinoma could be another member of the unique family of tumors that may regress spontaneously.

Seven normal human peripheral blood cell fractions (buffy coat, mononuclear cells, non-T, T, Fc-IgM receptor-depleted T-lymphocyte, Fc-IgG receptor-depleted T-lymphocyte, and autologous rosette-forming T-cell-depleted T-lymphocyte subpopulations) treated with phytohemagglutinin (PHA) were examined for the production of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating activity (CSA). It was found that medium conditioned by a T-lymphocyte subpopulation depleted of autologous rosette-forming T-cells (Tar cells, a postthymic precursor subpopulation that inhibits Ig synthesis) stimulated colony-forming units of granulocyte and macrophages (CFU-GM) to a greater extent than did the other conditioned media (CM) analyzed. Based on this finding, CM from an enriched Tar subpopulation was prepared and thus showed that PHA-treated Tar cells release a factor capable of inhibiting CFU-GM growth. The inhibitory activity of this factor persisted-after heat inactivation, suggesting that cause of the colony-inhibiting activity (CIA) is other than interferon. Further studies revealed that Tar-derived inhibitory factor acts either directly upon CFU-GM or via monocytes/macrophages (M phi/Ma), enhancing CIA, and not the level of CSA production by M phi/Ma. The overall data are interpreted as demonstrating the presence of CIA in a specific T-lymphocyte subpopulation that may represent a new relationship between lymphocytic and myelocytic systems in the human.

A comparative immunocytochemical study on the cerebellar cortex with X–chromosome–linked copper malabsorption (X–cLCM) and granule cell type cerebellar degeneration (gc–CD) was carried out by using specific monoclonal antibodies to synaptophysin (SY) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). In X–cLCM cases, marked depletion of SY–immunoreactivity (IR) and reduction in number of SY–positive glomeruli were seen in the molecular and granular layers, respectively. Abnormal Purkinje cells occasionally showed moderately strong SY–IR having a fine granular pattern. Proliferation of GFAP–positive cells was observed in the granular and Purkinje cell layers. In the gc–CD case, SY–positive materials were coarsely distributed in a less dense fashion in the molecular layer as compared to a normal control. Purkinje cell perikarya did not show SY–IR. In the gc–CD granular layer, SY–IR appeared to have a coarsely punctate pattern, whereas immunoreactive glomeruli were almost completely absent. A number of GFAP–positive Bergmann cells was observed in the Purkinje cell layer and their fibres were densely and irregularly distributed in the molecular layer, whereas the granular layer was devoid of GFAP–positive cells. We present an immunocytochemical study of the X–cLCM and gc–CD cerebellar cortices, discuss the possible pathogenic mechanisms occurring in these diseases and discuss the usefulness of the SY–immunostaining technique for visualization of axon terminal involvement in these pathological conditions.