Aggregation behavior
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Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) provide a unique opportunity to understand speciation and host-associated divergence in parasites. Recently, two sympatric but genetically distinct lineages of C. lectularius were identified: one associated with humans and one associated with bats. We investigated two mechanisms that could maintain genetic differentiation in the field: reproductive compatibility (via mating crosses) and aggregation fidelity (via two-choice sheltering assays). Effects were assessed at the intra-lineage level (within human-associated bed bugs), inter-lineage level (between human- and bat-associated bed bugs), and inter-species level (between C. lectularius and Cimex pipistrelli [bat bug]). Contrary to previous reports, bed bugs were found to be reproductively compatible at both the intra- and inter-lineage levels, but not at the inter-species level (although three hybrids were produced, one of which developed into an adult). Lineage- and species-specific aggregation fidelity was only detected in 8% (4 out of 48) of the aggregation fidelity assays run. These results indicate that under laboratory conditions, host-associated lineages of bed bugs are reproductively compatible, and aggregation pheromones are not capable of preventing gene flow between lineages.
- MeSH
- chování zvířat fyziologie MeSH
- rozdělení chí kvadrát MeSH
- rozmnožování genetika fyziologie MeSH
- štěnice genetika fyziologie MeSH
- tok genů genetika fyziologie MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural MeSH
- Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. MeSH
We report the first evidence that boron-containing nucleoside conjugates have a tendency to associate in water solutions. The size, charge, and exoskeletal pattern of the boron cluster can strongly influence the aggregation. The aggregation of nucleosides with attached boron clusters was observed using light scattering and atomic force microscopy techniques. Although the species containing either the bulky amphiphilic [3-cobalt(III) bis(1,2-dicarbollide)]- anion or the electroneutral dicarba-closo-dodecaboranyl moiety tend to form stable nanoparticles in aqueous solutions, the compounds bearing the smaller, negatively charged dicarba-nido-undecaboranyl moiety as well as the unmodified nucleosides do not aggregate. The light scattering measurements also showed that the aggregated species can interact with nonionic surfactant Triton X-100 in solution. The partition coefficients P in the water-octanol system correlate fairly well with the aggregation tendency observed by light scattering measurements. This finding allows us to predict the association behavior of boron-cluster-containing nucleosides on a qualitative level. The observed phenomenon can contribute to a better understanding of biological properties of boronated nucleosides and the design of boronated nucleoside-based drugs such as boron carriers for boron neutron capture therapy of tumors (BNCT) and antiviral agents.
Neurons in anterior cingulate and prefrontal cortex (ACC/PFC) carry information about behaviorally relevant target stimuli. This information is believed to affect behavior by exerting a top-down attentional bias on stimulus selection. However, attention information may not necessarily be a biasing signal but could be a corollary signal that is not directly related to ongoing behavioral success, or it could reflect the monitoring of targets similar to an eligibility trace useful for later attentional adjustment. To test this suggestion we quantified how attention information relates to behavioral success in neurons recorded in multiple subfields in macaque ACC/PFC during a cued attention task. We found that attention cues activated three separable neuronal groups that encoded spatial attention information but were differently linked to behavioral success. A first group encoded attention targets on correct and error trials. This group spread across ACC/PFC and represented targets transiently after cue onset, irrespective of behavior. A second group encoded attention targets on correct trials only, closely predicting behavior. These neurons were not only prevalent in lateral prefrontal but also in anterior cingulate cortex. A third group encoded target locations only on error trials. This group was evident in ACC and PFC and was activated in error trials "as if" attention was shifted to the target location but without evidence for such behavior. These results show that only a portion of neuronaly available information about attention targets biases behavior. We speculate that additionally a unique neural subnetwork encodes counterfactual attention information.
- MeSH
- akční potenciály fyziologie MeSH
- analýza rozptylu MeSH
- časové faktory MeSH
- cingulární gyrus cytologie MeSH
- Macaca mulatta MeSH
- neurony klasifikace fyziologie MeSH
- podněty MeSH
- pozornost fyziologie MeSH
- prefrontální mozková kůra cytologie MeSH
- reakční čas fyziologie MeSH
- světelná stimulace MeSH
- vnímání prostoru fyziologie MeSH
- výběrové chování fyziologie MeSH
- zkreslení výsledků (epidemiologie) MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
BACKGROUND: Bed bugs (Heteroptera: Cimicidae) are a group of blood-feeding ectoparasites. They mainly specialize on bats and birds, but a few species are important human pests. They exhibit several unique adaptations for their parasitic lifestyle. Among those, bed bug aggregations represent a striking example of a sub-social structure. However, their benefits for the bed bugs as well as their potential for bed bug control are largely unexplored. Young nymphs are known to disperse from the aggregations much less than older ones or adults. We therefore found possible that the aggregation age structure is connected with success in finding host and tested the effect of presence of adults on nymphal feeding success. RESULTS: We tested the effect of presence of adults on feeding success of first-instar nymphs using an artificial feeding system. We found that presence of fed adults causes larger proportion of nymphs to feed. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our data, fed bed bugs seem to trigger the young nymphs to actively forage. Since the first instar is much less viable than later stages, our finding points to an adaptive behavior that economizes on foraging energy cost. In the context of bed bug control, knowledge on such behavior emphasizes the prevention of fed bed bugs from returning to harborages. Bed bug traps may thus be used not just as means of bed bug monitoring, but also as means of control.
- MeSH
- nymfa fyziologie MeSH
- štěnice fyziologie MeSH
- stravovací zvyklosti * MeSH
- věkové faktory MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with the formation and deposition of amyloid fibrils of the protein alpha-synuclein (AS). It has been proposed that oligomeric intermediates on the pathway to fibrilization rather than the fibrils themselves are the pathogenic agents of PD, but efficient methods for their detection are lacking. We have studied the interfacial properties of wild-type AS and the course of its aggregation in vitro using electrochemical analysis and dynamic light scattering. The oxidation signals of tyrosine residues of AS at carbon electrodes and the ability of fibrils to adsorb and catalyze hydrogen evolution at hanging mercury drop electrodes (HMDEs) decreased during incubation. HMDEs were particularly sensitive to pre-aggregation changes in AS. Already after 1 h of a standard aggregation assay in vitro (stirring at 37 degrees C), the electrocatalytic peak H increased greatly and shifted to less negative potentials. Between 3 and 9 h of incubation, an interval during which dynamic light scattering indicated AS oligomerization, peak H diminished and shifted to more negative potentials, and AS adsorbability decreased. We tentatively attribute the very early changes in the interfacial behavior of the protein after the first few hours of incubation to protein destabilization with disruption of long-range interactions. The subsequent changes can be related to the onset of oligomerization. Our results demonstrate the utility of electrochemical methods as new and simple tools for the investigation of amyloid formation.
Prevence chorob oběhového systému intervencí rizikových faktorů zaznamenala podstatné úspěchy. Přesto jsou kardiovaskulární choroby nejčastější příčinou přijetí k hospitalizaci i úmrtnosti ve vyspělém světě. Současné možnosti předcházení komplikací aterosklerózy lze využívat lépe. Cestou k dalšímu zlepšení výsledků preventivních programů je snaha o maximální ovlivnění co největšího počtu rizikových faktorů. Důsledná léčba dyslipidémie, arteriální hypertenze, poruchy glukózového metabolizmu, protrombogenního stavu a dalších ovlivnitelných faktorů u všech rizikových osob může přinést další pokles incidence kardiovaskulárních příhod a v konečném důsledku i pokles nákladů spojených s léčbou kardiovaskulárních chorob. V textu je uveden přehled současných klinicky ověřených a využitelných možností ke snížení výskytu komplikací aterosklerózy.
- MeSH
- antikoagulancia terapeutické užití MeSH
- diabetes mellitus terapie MeSH
- dietoterapie MeSH
- hyperlipidemie komplikace terapie MeSH
- hypertenze komplikace terapie MeSH
- inhibitory agregace trombocytů terapeutické užití MeSH
- kardiovaskulární nemoci epidemiologie prevence a kontrola MeSH
- rizikové faktory MeSH
- zdravé chování MeSH
- Publikační typ
- přehledy MeSH
BACKGROUND: Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) ε4 genotype is the most prevalent risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Although ApoE4 differs from its non-pathological ApoE3 isoform only by the C112R mutation, the molecular mechanism of its proteinopathy is unknown. METHODS: Here, we reveal the molecular mechanism of ApoE4 aggregation using a combination of experimental and computational techniques, including X-ray crystallography, site-directed mutagenesis, hydrogen-deuterium mass spectrometry (HDX-MS), static light scattering and molecular dynamics simulations. Treatment of ApoE ε3/ε3 and ε4/ε4 cerebral organoids with tramiprosate was used to compare the effect of tramiprosate on ApoE4 aggregation at the cellular level. RESULTS: We found that C112R substitution in ApoE4 induces long-distance (> 15 Å) conformational changes leading to the formation of a V-shaped dimeric unit that is geometrically different and more aggregation-prone than the ApoE3 structure. AD drug candidate tramiprosate and its metabolite 3-sulfopropanoic acid induce ApoE3-like conformational behavior in ApoE4 and reduce its aggregation propensity. Analysis of ApoE ε4/ε4 cerebral organoids treated with tramiprosate revealed its effect on cholesteryl esters, the storage products of excess cholesterol. CONCLUSIONS: Our results connect the ApoE4 structure with its aggregation propensity, providing a new druggable target for neurodegeneration and ageing.
While economic inequality continues to rise within countries, efforts to address it have been largely ineffective, particularly those involving behavioral approaches. It is often implied but not tested that choice patterns among low-income individuals may be a factor impeding behavioral interventions aimed at improving upward economic mobility. To test this, we assessed rates of ten cognitive biases across nearly 5000 participants from 27 countries. Our analyses were primarily focused on 1458 individuals that were either low-income adults or individuals who grew up in disadvantaged households but had above-average financial well-being as adults, known as positive deviants. Using discrete and complex models, we find evidence of no differences within or between groups or countries. We therefore conclude that choices impeded by cognitive biases alone cannot explain why some individuals do not experience upward economic mobility. Policies must combine both behavioral and structural interventions to improve financial well-being across populations.
Cílem sdělení je poskytnout čtenáři současnou představu o příčinách vzniku, průběhu, léčbě a sekundární prevenci akutních koronárních syndromů. Důraz klademe na včasnou diagnózu, stratifikaci rizika, indikaci a načasování intervenční léčby. Sdělení si naopak neklade za cíl přinést vyčerpávající a detailní přehled klinických studií, které v poslední době na poli akutních koronárních syndromů proběhly.
The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive actual overview of the current approach to acute coronary syndromes diagnostics, therapeutics and secondary prevention. Authors stress early diagnosis, risk stratification, indication and timing of interventional therapy. It is not an intention to provide detailed description of all clinical studies implemented recently in the field of acute coronary syndromes.
- MeSH
- antikoagulancia terapeutické užití MeSH
- elektrokardiografie využití MeSH
- infarkt myokardu diagnóza prevence a kontrola terapie MeSH
- inhibitory agregace trombocytů terapeutické užití MeSH
- kobalt diagnostické užití MeSH
- koronární nemoc diagnóza klasifikace terapie MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- náhlé příhody MeSH
- reperfuze myokardu metody využití MeSH
- srdeční katetrizace metody využití MeSH
- troponin diagnostické užití MeSH
- zdravé chování MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
The thermoregulation behavior of Lucilia sericata larvae (Diptera: Calliphoridae), a necrophagous species that feeds on vertebrate cadavers, was investigated. These larvae require high heat incomes to develop, and can elevate temperatures by forming large aggregates. We hypothesized that L. sericata larvae should continue to feed at temperatures up to 38 °C, which can be reached inside larval masses. Thermal regulation behavior such as movement between a hot food spot and colder areas was also postulated. The hypotheses were tested by tracking for 1 h the activity of single, starved third instar larvae in a Petri dish containing 1 food spot (FS) that was heated to a constant temperature of 25 °C, 34 °C or 38 °C with an ambient temperature of 25 °C. The influence of previous conspecific activity in the food on larval behavior was also tested. The crops of larvae were dissected to monitor food content in the digestive systems. Based on relative crop measurements, larvae fed at all food temperatures, but temperature strongly affected larval behavior and kinematics. The total time spent by larvae in FS and the duration of each stay decreased at high FS temperature. Previous activity of conspecifics in the food slightly increased the time spent by larvae in FS and also decreased the average distance to FS. Therefore, necrophagous L. sericata larvae likely thermoregulate during normal feeding activities by adjusting to local fluctuations in temperature, particularly inside maggot masses. By maintaining a steady internal body temperature, larvae likely reduce their development time.
- MeSH
- Diptera růst a vývoj fyziologie MeSH
- larva růst a vývoj fyziologie MeSH
- stravovací zvyklosti MeSH
- termoregulace * MeSH
- vysoká teplota MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
