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Solid organ transplantation is an accepted therapy for end-stage diseases of the kidneys, liver, heart, and lungs. Unfortunately, transplantation is associated with infectious complications. Here, we present a case report of Prototheca wickerhamii olecranon bursitis and review all of the cases in solid organ transplant ( SOT) recipients published in the literature to date. In our patient, the infection resolved with surgical therapy and limited antifungal therapy, and no symptoms have recurred over 24 months of follow-up. A review of the literature suggests that 50% of SOT recipients with Prototheca infection present with disseminated infection, and the overall mortality is 75%. More studies are required to determine the optimal management of protothecosis in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial memory in rodents can be erased following the infusion of zeta inhibitory peptide (ZIP) into the dorsal hippocampus via indwelling guide cannulas. It is believed that ZIP impairs spatial memory by reversing established late-phase long-term potentiation (LTP). However, it is unclear whether other forms of hippocampus-dependent memory, such as recognition memory, are also supported by hippocampal LTP. In the current study, we tested recognition memory in rats following hippocampal ZIP infusion. In order to combat the limited targeting of infusions via cannula, we implemented a stereotaxic approach for infusing ZIP throughout the dorsal, intermediate, and ventral hippocampus. Rats infused with ZIP 3–7 days after training on the novel object recognition task exhibited impaired object recognition memory compared to control rats (those infused with aCSF). In contrast, rats infused with ZIP 1 month after training performed similar to control rats. The ability to form new memories after ZIP infusions remained intact. We suggest that enhanced recognition memory for recent events is supported by hippocampal LTP, which can be reversed by hippocampal ZIP infusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims To delimit areas of endemism in the Patagonian steppe using endemicity analysis (EA), which evaluates areas of endemism by means of an endemicity index, and to compare the resulting endemic areas with those proposed for the Patagonian steppe by previous authors. Location The Patagonian steppe, a region of South America found approximately below parallel 36° S to the east of the Andes Mountains. Methods Distributional data for 159 species of insects collected in the Patagonian steppe, and consisting of 1317 georeferenced samples were used to identify areas of endemism. A data grid of presence and absence (with cells of 1° × 1°) was constructed. Initially, two different types of EA were performed, seeking areas defined by ‘four or more’ species. A first analysis was performed without taking into consideration those quadrats where no species had been recorded (empty quadrats), which in many cases meant a discontinuous distribution. The second analysis was performed assuming a continuous distribution for each species. A third analysis, assuming continuous distributions, was performed using ‘three or more’ as the number of species necessary for an area to be identified as an endemic area. Results In the first two analyses, EA recognized the same five areas of endemism: western Patagonia, south-western Payunia, northern Suabandean, southern Subandean and Austral Patagonia. The results of the third analysis allowed the identification of three more areas of endemism: northern Payunia, Chubutian and Santacrucian. Main conclusions We identified five areas of endemism for the Patagonian steppe, some of which have been defined in previous contributions. These areas are: Western Patagonia, Payunia and Subandean Patagonia (which can be divided into septentrional and meridional), Central Patagonia (Chubutence and Santacrucense) and Austral Patagonia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Larvae of the scarabaeoid generaGermarostesPaulian,CyphopisthesGestro,PaulianostesBallerio,CeratocanthusWhite,PterorthochaetesGestro,MadrasostesPaulian,AstaenomoechusMartínez&Pereira (Ceratocanthidae) andHybosorusMacleay,PhaeochrousCastelnau, andAnaidesWestwood (Hybosoridae) are described, keyed and illustrated with fifty-seven drawings. A phylogenetic analysis of these two families based on larval morphology is presented. Fifty-four larval morphological and three biological characters from twenty-seven taxa revealed nineteen equally parsimonious cladograms. The monophyly of (Ceratocanthidae + Hybosoridae) is supported by four unambiguous unique synapomorphies: dorsal medial endocarina on cranium extended anteriorly into frontal sclerite; presence of large membranous spot on apical antennomere; labium dorsally with four pores in centre (secondarily reduced to two pores in some groups); and presence of stridulatory organ on fore- and middle legs (secondarily reduced in some groups). Our analysis suggests that the family Hybosoridae is paraphyletic with respect to Ceratocanthidae. The clade comprising the hybosorid generaHybosorusandPhaeochrousis the sister group of the remaining Hybosoridae plus Ceratocanthidae. It is supported by two unambiguous synapomorphies: two apical antennomeres completely joined and the stridulatory organ represented by seven to nine large teeth anteriorly on the middle leg. The hybosorid genusAnaidesis a sister group to the remaining Hybosoridae plus Ceratocanthidae (withoutHybosorusandPhaeochrous) and the ceratocanthid genusGermarostesis a sister group to the remaining Hybosoridae plus Ceratocanthidae (withoutHybosorus,PhaeochrousandAnaides). The ceratocanthid generaCyphopisthes,Astaenomoechus,Paulianostes,Pterorthochaetes, andMadrasostesconstitute a sister group to the hybosorid genusCryptogeniusand are supported by the presence of two reversions: two dorsal pores on labium and completely reduced stridulatory organs on fore- and middle legs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The depositional and diagenetic history of Cretaceous–Tertiary (KT) impact ejecta deposited 360 km from the Chicxulub crater, at Albion Island, Belize, has been investigated using integrated cathodoluminescence and isotopic analyses. A quarry exposes 26 m of Upper Cretaceous Barton Creek Formation dolomitized marine limestone overlain by 16 m of dolomitized Albion Formation impact ejecta. The Albion Formation consists of a lower fine-grained ≈1-m-thick spheroid bed and an upper 15-m-thick coarse conglomeratic diamictite bed. A 14-event paragenetic sequence has been documented and used as a temporal framework to interpret chemostratigraphic trends in bulk rock δ18 O, δ13 C and 87 Sr/86 Sr. The uppermost surface of the Barton Creek Formation was subaerially exposed before the KT impact, as indicated by a brecciated palaeosol that caps upsection decreases in δ13 C and δ18 O. Small 1-cm-diameter spheroids in the spheroid bed exhibit vermicular crystalline textures but lack the concentric zonations common to accretionary lapilli. These spheroids are hypothesized originally to have been impact glass or reactive Ca and Mg oxide dusts that adhered to water vapour particles condensing from the cooling impact vapour cloud. The spheroids were dolomitized soon after deposition. The earliest dolomitization in the matrix sediments of the Albion Formation was also post-depositional, replacing clays formed by devitrification of impact glass. Dolomite and clay 87 Sr/86 Sr exhibit a distinct symmetrical distribution in the spheroid bed ranging from 0·707745 to 0·707872. Although unproven, this may represent primary changes in the chemical composition of the impact glass. The limestone clasts in the diamictite bed were dolomitized before the KT impact and exhibit upsection decreases in bulk rock 87 Sr/86 Sr. This suggests that... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]