The role of mesopontine NGF in sleep and wakefulness.

The microinjection of nerve growth factor (NGF) into the cat pontine tegmentum rapidly induces rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. To determine if NGF is involved in naturally-occurring REM sleep, we examined whether it is present in mesopontine cholinergic structures that promote the initiation of REM sleep, and whether the blockade of NGF production in these structures suppresses REM sleep. We found that cholinergic neurons in the cat dorso-lateral mesopontine tegmentum exhibited NGF-like immunoreactivity.

Hypocretinergic neurons are activated in conjunction with goal-oriented survival-related motor behaviors.

Hypocretinergic neurons are located in the area of the lateral hypothalamus which is responsible for mediating goal-directed, survival-related behaviors. Consequently, we hypothesize that the hypocretinergic system functions to promote these behaviors including those patterns of somatomotor activation upon which they are based. Further, we hypothesize that the hypocretinergic system is not involved with repetitive motor activities unless they occur in conjunction with the goal-oriented behaviors that are governed by the lateral hypothalamus.

A restricted parabrachial pontine region is active during non-rapid eye movement sleep.

The principal site that generates both rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and wakefulness is located in the mesopontine reticular formation, whereas non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep is primarily dependent upon the functioning of neurons that are located in the preoptic region of the hypothalamus. In the present study, we were interested in determining whether the occurrence of NREM might also depend on the activity of mesopontine structures, as has been shown for wakefulness and REM sleep. Adult cats were maintained in one of the following states: quiet wakefulness (QW), alert wakefulness (AW), NREM, or REM sleep induced by microinjections of carbachol into the nucleus pontis oralis (REM-carbachol).

Five vicariant genera from Gondwana: the Velloziaceae as shown by molecules and morphology [corrected].

Background And Aims: The amount of data collected previously for Velloziaceae neither clarified relationships within the family nor helped determine an appropriate classification, which has led to huge discordance among treatment by different authors. To achieve an acceptable phylogenetic result and understand the evolution and roles of characters in supporting groups, a total evidence analysis was developed which included approx. 20 % of the species and all recognized genera and sections of Velloziaceae, plus outgroups representatives of related families within Pandanales.

Evolutionary time-scale of the begomoviruses: evidence from integrated sequences in the Nicotiana genome.

Despite having single stranded DNA genomes that are replicated by host DNA polymerases, viruses in the family Geminiviridae are apparently evolving as rapidly as some RNA viruses. The observed substitution rates of geminiviruses in the genera Begomovirus and Mastrevirus are so high that the entire family could conceivably have originated less than a million years ago (MYA). However, the existence of geminivirus related DNA (GRD) integrated within the genomes of various Nicotiana species suggests that the geminiviruses probably originated >10 MYA.

'In sight, out of mind': the experiences of the compliantly engaged community psychiatric out-patient.

Research on engagement within community-based psychiatric services in the UK has mainly focussed on factors related to those 'at risk' of non-attendance or non-compliance, with the tacit assumption that those in regular attendance are largely content and hence not a priority. The present study systematically explored the experiences and views of 25 people with severe and enduring mental illness who had regularly attended out-patient settings for more than 5 years. Regular attendance at consultations was not synonymous with satisfaction-in fact it masked varying levels of unmet needs and 'de-humanisation'.

ED patients with vertigo: can we identify clinical factors associated with acute stroke?

Background: Vertigo is a common emergency department (ED) complaint with benign and serious etiologies with overlapping features. Misdiagnosis of acute stroke may result in significant morbidity and mortality. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is superior to computer tomography (CT) for diagnosis of acute stroke but is costly with limited availability.

Altered gene expression and ecological divergence in sibling allopolyploids of Dactylorhiza (Orchidaceae).

Background: Hybridization and polyploidy are potent forces that have regularly stimulated plant evolution and adaptation. Dactylorhiza majalis s.s.

Use of whole genome sequencing to estimate the mutation rate of Mycobacterium tuberculosis during latent infection.

Tuberculosis poses a global health emergency, which has been compounded by the emergence of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) strains. We used whole-genome sequencing to compare the accumulation of mutations in Mtb isolated from cynomolgus macaques with active, latent or reactivated disease. We sequenced 33 Mtb isolates from nine macaques with an average genome coverage of 93% and an average read depth of 117×.

Next generation sequencing reveals genome downsizing in allotetraploid Nicotiana tabacum, predominantly through the elimination of paternally derived repetitive DNAs.

We used next generation sequencing to characterize and compare the genomes of the recently derived allotetraploid, Nicotiana tabacum (<200,000 years old), with its diploid progenitors, Nicotiana sylvestris (maternal, S-genome donor), and Nicotiana tomentosiformis (paternal, T-genome donor). Analysis of 14,634 repetitive DNA sequences in the genomes of the progenitor species and N. tabacum reveal all major types of retroelements found in angiosperms (genome proportions range between 17-22.

Proposed modifications to the conceptual model of coaching efficacy and additional validity evidence for the Coaching Efficacy Scale II-High School Teams.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether theoretically relevant sources of coaching efficacy could predict the measures derived from the Coaching Efficacy Scale II-High School Teams (CES II-HST). Data were collected from head coaches of high school teams in the United States (N=799). The analytic framework was a multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis with ordered-categorical indicators and observed covariates.

Molecular phylogenetics of Hypoxidaceae--evidence from plastid DNA data and inferences on morphology and biogeography.

Phylogenetic relationships of the monocot family Hypoxidaceae (Asparagales), which occurs mainly in the Southern Hemisphere, were reconstructed using four plastid DNA regions (rbcL, trnL intron, trnL-F intergenic spacer, and trnS-G intergenic spacer) for 56 ingroup taxa including all currently accepted genera and seven species of the closely related families Asteliaceae, Blandfordiaceae, and Lanariaceae. Data were analyzed by applying parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods. The intergenic spacer trnS-G--only rarely used in monocot research--contributed a substantial number of potentially parsimony informative characters.

Phylogenetic relationships among arecoid palms (Arecaceae: Arecoideae).

Background And Aims: The Arecoideae is the largest and most diverse of the five subfamilies of palms (Arecaceae/Palmae), containing >50 % of the species in the family. Despite its importance, phylogenetic relationships among Arecoideae are poorly understood. Here the most densely sampled phylogenetic analysis of Arecoideae available to date is presented.

Projection neurons from the central nucleus of the amygdala to the nucleus pontis oralis.

The present retrograde labeling study was designed to determine the presence and pattern of projections from individual subdivisions of the central nucleus of the amygdala (CNA) to the nucleus pontis oralis (NPO), which is a critical brainstem site involved in the generation and maintenance of active (REM) sleep. Projections from the CNA were labeled with the retrograde tracer cholera toxin B-subunit (CTB), which was injected, unilaterally, via microiontophoresis, into the NPO. Sections of the amygdala were immunostained in order to identify CTB-labeled CNA neurons and CNA neurons that contained CTB plus the vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (VGLUT2), which is a marker for glutamatergic neurons.

Phylogeography of a pan-Atlantic abyssal protobranch bivalve: implications for evolution in the Deep Atlantic.

The deep sea is a vast and essentially continuous environment with few obvious barriers to gene flow. How populations diverge and new species form in this remote ecosystem is poorly understood. Phylogeographical analyses have begun to provide some insight into evolutionary processes at bathyal depths (<3000 m), but much less is known about evolution in the more extensive abyssal regions (>3000 m).

Coaching competency and satisfaction with the coach: a multi-level structural equation model.

The purpose of this initial predictive validity study was to determine the ability of measures derived from the Athletes' Perceptions of Coaching Competency Scale II - High School Teams (APCCS II-HST) to predict satisfaction with the head coach. Specification of the statistical model was informed by the mediational model of coach-athlete interactions. The technical quality of the satisfaction measure was evaluated before testing the predictive validity of the coaching competency measures.

A model for using a concept inventory as a tool for students' assessment and faculty professional development.

This essay describes how the use of a concept inventory has enhanced professional development and curriculum reform efforts of a faculty teaching community. The Host Pathogen Interactions (HPI) teaching team is composed of research and teaching faculty with expertise in HPI who share the goal of improving the learning experience of students in nine linked undergraduate microbiology courses. To support evidence-based curriculum reform, we administered our HPI Concept Inventory as a pre- and postsurvey to approximately 400 students each year since 2006.

Nitrergic ventro-medial medullary neurons activated during cholinergically induced active (rapid eye movement) sleep in the cat.

The rostral ventro-medial medullary reticular formation is a complex structure that is involved with a variety of motor functions. It contains glycinergic neurons that are activated during active (rapid eye movement (REM)) sleep (AS); these neurons appear to be responsible for the postsynaptic inhibition of motoneurons that occurs during this state. We have reported that neurons in this same region contain nitric oxide (NO) synthase and that they innervate brainstem motor pools.

Molecular phylogenetics of Ruscaceae sensu lato and related families (Asparagales) based on plastid and nuclear DNA sequences.

Background: Previous phylogenetics studies of Asparagales, although extensive and generally well supported, have left several sets of taxa unclearly placed and have not addressed all relationships within certain clades thoroughly (some clades were relatively sparsely sampled). One of the most important of these is sampling within and placement of Nolinoideae (Ruscaceae s.l.

The injection of hypocretin-1 into the nucleus pontis oralis induces either active sleep or wakefulness depending on the behavioral state when it is administered.

Study Objectives: We previously reported that the microinjection of hypocretin (orexin) into the nucleus pontis oralis (NPO) induces a behavioral state that is comparable to naturally occurring active (rapid eye movement) sleep. However, other laboratories have found that wakefulness occurs following injections of hypocretin into the NPO. The present study tested the hypothesis that the discrepancy in behavioral state responses to hypocretin injections is due to the fact that hypocretin was not administered during the same states of sleep or wakefulness.

Genomic analysis of oceanic cyanobacterial myoviruses compared with T4-like myoviruses from diverse hosts and environments.

T4-like myoviruses are ubiquitous, and their genes are among the most abundant documented in ocean systems. Here we compare 26 T4-like genomes, including 10 from non-cyanobacterial myoviruses, and 16 from marine cyanobacterial myoviruses (cyanophages) isolated on diverse Prochlorococcus or Synechococcus hosts. A core genome of 38 virion construction and DNA replication genes was observed in all 26 genomes, with 32 and 25 additional genes shared among the non-cyanophage and cyanophage subsets, respectively.

Thiamine deficiency in critically ill patients with sepsis.

Objective: The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of absolute thiamine deficiency (TD) in critically ill patients with sepsis and to examine the association between thiamine levels and lactic acidosis.

Design: This was a prospective, observational study.

Setting: The setting was an urban, tertiary care center with approximately 50,000 emergency department visits per year and intensive care units numbering approximately 50 total beds.

EspA acts as a critical mediator of ESX1-dependent virulence in Mycobacterium tuberculosis by affecting bacterial cell wall integrity.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) requires the ESX1 specialized protein secretion system for virulence, for triggering cytosolic immune surveillance pathways, and for priming an optimal CD8+ T cell response. This suggests that ESX1 might act primarily by destabilizing the phagosomal membrane that surrounds the bacterium. However, identifying the primary function of the ESX1 system has been difficult because deletion of any substrate inhibits the secretion of all known substrates, thereby abolishing all ESX1 activity.