The role of the NGDO Coordination Group for the Elimination of Onchocerciasis.

The NGDO Coordination Group for the Control of Onchocerciasis was launched in 1992, and with the paradigm shift from control of disease to elimination of onchocerciasis transmission, the Group shifted its orientation to that new paradigm in 2013. It also changed its name, replacing 'control' with 'elimination.' In doing so, the Group has repositioned itself to build on the successes of the past to finish the job it began over 25 years ago.

Variations on a Theme: Antennal Lobe Architecture across Coleoptera.

Beetles comprise about 400,000 described species, nearly one third of all known animal species. The enormous success of the order Coleoptera is reflected by a rich diversity of lifestyles, behaviors, morphological, and physiological adaptions. All these evolutionary adaptions that have been driven by a variety of parameters over the last about 300 million years, make the Coleoptera an ideal field to study the evolution of the brain on the interface between the basic bauplan of the insect brain and the adaptions that occurred.

Morphological and Transcriptomic Analysis of a Beetle Chemosensory System Reveals a Gnathal Olfactory Center.

Background: The red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum is an emerging insect model organism representing the largest insect order, Coleoptera, which encompasses several serious agricultural and forest pests. Despite the ecological and economic importance of beetles, most insect olfaction studies have so far focused on dipteran, lepidopteran, or hymenopteran systems.

Results: Here, we present the first detailed morphological description of a coleopteran olfactory pathway in combination with genome-wide expression analysis of the relevant gene families involved in chemoreception.

The insect central complex as model for heterochronic brain development-background, concepts, and tools.

The adult insect brain is composed of neuropils present in most taxa. However, the relative size, shape, and developmental timing differ between species. This diversity of adult insect brain morphology has been extensively described while the genetic mechanisms of brain development are studied predominantly in Drosophila melanogaster.

Neglected Tropical Diseases, Cross-Cutting Issues Workshop, 4-6 February 2015, Utrecht, the Netherlands: meeting report.

In the last decade, work on neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) has gained momentum. This was accelerated by the London Declaration on NTDs in January 2012. Work on NTDs has expanded worldwide and many countries have set up NTD control and elimination programs.

Novel antennal lobe substructures revealed in the small hive beetle Aethina tumida.

The small hive beetle, Aethina tumida, is an emerging pest of social bee colonies. A. tumida shows a specialized life style for which olfaction seems to play a crucial role.

17β-Estradiol induces supernumerary primordial germ cells in embryos of the polychaete Platynereis dumerilii.

In the polychaete Platynereis dumerilii exactly four primordial germ cells (PGCs) arise in early development and are subject to a transient mitotic arrest until the animals enter gametogenesis. In order to unravel the mechanisms controlling the number of PGCs in Platynereis, we tested whether the steroid 17β-estradiol (E2) is able to induce PGC proliferation, as it had been described in other species. Our data provide strong support for such a mechanism, showing that E2 significantly increases the occurrence of larvae with supernumerary PGCs in Platynereis in a dose dependent manner.

11 Years of experience in vitreoretinal surgery training in Nairobi, Kenya, from 2000 to 2010.

Objective: We aim to demonstrate that vitreoretinal surgery can be established in Nairobi, Kenya, by intermittent short visits of experienced surgeons combined with clinical/surgical observerships over a longer period of cooperation. This strategy might be a model for other developing countries.

Design: Time series over 11 years.

Neuropeptidome of Tribolium castaneum antennal lobes and mushroom bodies.

Neuropeptides are a highly diverse group of signaling molecules that affect a broad range of biological processes in insects, including development, metabolism, behavior, and reproduction. In the central nervous system, neuropeptides are usually considered to act as neuromodulators and cotransmitters that modify the effect of "classical" transmitters at the synapse. The present study analyzes the neuropeptide repertoire of higher cerebral neuropils in the brain of the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum.

Cockchafer larvae smell host root scents in soil.

In many insect species olfaction is a key sensory modality. However, examination of the chemical ecology of insects has focussed up to now on insects living above ground. Evidence for behavioral responses to chemical cues in the soil other than CO(2) is scarce and the role played by olfaction in the process of finding host roots below ground is not yet understood.

Neuropeptides in insect mushroom bodies.

Owing to their experimental amenability, insect nervous systems continue to be in the foreground of investigations into information processing in - ostensibly - simple neuronal networks. Among the cerebral neuropil regions that hold a particular fascination for neurobiologists are the paired mushroom bodies, which, despite their function in other behavioral contexts, are most renowned for their role in learning and memory. The quest to understand the processes that underlie these capacities has been furthered by research focusing on unraveling neuroanatomical connections of the mushroom bodies and identifying key players that characterize the molecular machinery of mushroom body neurons.

Brain organization in Collembola (springtails).

Arthropoda is comprised of four major taxa: Hexapoda, Crustacea, Myriapoda and Chelicerata. Although this classification is widely accepted, there is still some debate about the internal relationships of these groups. In particular, the phylogenetic position of Collembola remains enigmatic.

Revisiting the anatomy of the central nervous system of a hemimetabolous model insect species: the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum.

Aphids show a marked phenotypic plasticity, producing asexual or sexual and winged or wingless morphs depending on environmental conditions and season. We describe here the general structure of the brain of various morphs of the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum. This is the first detailed anatomical study of the central nervous system of an aphid by immunocytochemistry (synapsin, serotonin, and several neuropeptides), ethyl-gallate staining, confocal laser scanning microscopy, and three-dimensional reconstructions.

Confocal laser scanning microscopy method for quantitative characterization of silica monolith morphology.

We present a fast, nondestructive, and quantitative approach to characterize the morphology of capillary silica-based monolithic columns by reconstruction from confocal laser scanning microscopy images. The method comprises column pretreatment, image acquisition, image processing, and statistical analysis of the image data. The received morphological data are chord length distributions for the bulk macropore space and skeleton of the silica monolith.

3D Standard Brain of the Red Flour Beetle Tribolium Castaneum: A Tool to Study Metamorphic Development and Adult Plasticity.

The red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum is emerging as a further standard insect model beside Drosophila. Its genome is fully sequenced and it is susceptible for genetic manipulations including RNA-interference. We use this beetle to study adult brain development and plasticity primarily with respect to the olfactory system.

The influence of central corneal thickness on intraocular pressure measured by goldmann applanation tonometry among selected Ethiopian communities.

Background: Estimates of intraocular pressure (IOP) are influenced directly by the central corneal thickness (CCT). We assume and apply a single value for CCT (520 μm) in applanation tonometry estimates, although there is compelling evidence that CCT varies between individuals.

Objective: To determine the influence of CCT and other factors on IOP among Ethiopians.

Discovery of a novel insect neuropeptide signaling system closely related to the insect adipokinetic hormone and corazonin hormonal systems.

Neuropeptides and their G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) play a central role in the physiology of insects. One large family of insect neuropeptides are the adipokinetic hormones (AKHs), which mobilize lipids and carbohydrates from the insect fat body. Other peptides are the corazonins that are structurally related to the AKHs but represent a different neuropeptide signaling system.