, a new species of Cyclophoridae (Gastropoda: Caenogastropoda), discovered and described on a field course to Kuala Belalong rainforest, Brunei.

Background: Terrestrial Caenogastropoda form an important but threatened component of the Borneo tropical rainforest malacofauna, where the group is nearly as rich in species as the Stylommatophora. They are, however, more sensitive to drought, temperature extremes and forest degradation.

New Information: On a field course at Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre in Brunei Darussalam (Borneo), a new caenogastropod species, belonging to the genus , was discovered by the course participants.

Discovery of functional non-coding conserved regions in the α-synuclein gene locus.

Several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and the Rep-1 microsatellite marker of the α-synuclein ( SNCA) gene have consistently been shown to be associated with Parkinson's disease, but the functional relevance is unclear. Based on these findings we hypothesized that conserved cis-regulatory elements in the SNCA genomic region regulate expression of SNCA, and that SNPs in these regions could be functionally modulating the expression of SNCA, thus contributing to neuronal demise and predisposing to Parkinson's disease. In a pair-wise comparison of a 206kb genomic region encompassing the SNCA gene, we revealed 34 evolutionary conserved DNA sequences between human and mouse.

Evaluation of meniscal click for detecting meniscal tears in stifles with cranial cruciate ligament disease.

Objective: To assess the diagnostic efficacy of palpable meniscal click by evaluating the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and diagnostic accuracy of preoperative palpable meniscal click compared with examination during surgery.

Study Design: Prospective case series.

Sample Population: Dogs (n = 56) with cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) injury.

Skin punch biopsy explant culture for derivation of primary human fibroblasts.

Tissues and cell lines derived from an individual with disease are ideal sources to study disease-related cellular phenotypes. Patient-derived fibroblasts in this protocol have been successfully used in the derivation of induced pluripotent stem cells to model disease(1). Early passages of these fibroblasts can also be used for cell-based functional assays to study specific disease pathways, mechanisms(2) and subsequent drug screening approaches.

In vitro evaluation of the effect of fracture configuration on the mechanical properties of standard and novel interlocking nail systems in bending.

Objective: To investigate the effect of fracture configuration on the mechanical properties of standard interlocking nails (ILNs) and a novel angle-stable ILN (ILNn) in bending.

Study Design: In vitro experimental study.

Sample Population: Synthetic tibial gap fracture bone models.

In vitro mechanical comparison of screwed, bolted, and novel interlocking nail systems to buttress plate fixation in torsion and mediolateral bending.

Objective: To compare standard interlocking nails (ILN) with a newly designed ILN featuring an angle-stable locking mechanism (ILNn).

Study Design: Six experimental groups.

Sample Population: Bone models (n=48) treated with 6 and 8 mm nails locked with screws or bolts (ILN6s, ILN8s, ILN6b, ILN8b, respectively), ILNn, and a 3.

Mechanical comparison of an interlocking nail locked with conventional bolts to extended bolts connected with a type-IA external skeletal fixator in a tibial fracture model.

Objective: To compare the structural properties of interlocking nails (ILNs) locked with bolts (ILNb) to ILN locked with extended bolts connected with a type-IA external skeletal fixator (ILN-ESF) in a fracture gap model.

Study Design: Experimental study.

Sample Population: Synthetic tibial bone substitutes.