The Drosophila circadian clock gene cycle controls the development of clock neurons.

Daily behavioral and physiological rhythms are controlled by the brain's circadian timekeeping system, a synchronized network of neurons that maintains endogenous molecular oscillations. These oscillations are based on transcriptional feedback loops of clock genes, which in Drosophila include the transcriptional activators Clock (Clk) and cycle (cyc). While the mechanisms underlying this molecular clock are very well characterized, the roles that the core clock genes play in neuronal physiology and development are much less understood.

Partial pressure of carbon dioxide/pH interaction and its association with mortality among patients mechanically ventilated in the emergency department.

Objectives: There is currently conflicting data as to the effects of hypercapnia on clinical outcomes among mechanically ventilated patients in the emergency department (ED). These conflicting results may be explained by the degree of acidosis. We sought to test the hypothesis that hypercapnia is associated with increased in-hospital mortality and decreased ventilator-free days at lower pH, but associated with decreased in-hospital mortality and increased ventilator-free days at higher pH, among patients requiring mechanical ventilation in the emergency department (ED).

Spontaneous Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak in a Patient with Asymptomatic Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension.

Background: Spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks occur when there is a tear in the dura mater. Spontaneous CSF leaks are rare, and often associated with conditions like intracranial hypertension, connective tissue disorders, or congenital defects in the dura mater.

Case Report: The patient was a 66-year-old woman who presented to the Emergency Department with clear, positional nasal discharge from her left nostril for 1 week.

The effects of early-life and intergenerational stress on the brain.

Stress experienced during ontogeny can have profound effects on the adult phenotype. However, stress can also be experienced intergenerationally, where an offspring's phenotype can be moulded by stress experienced by the parents. Although early-life and intergenerational stress can alter anatomy, physiology, and behaviour, nothing is known about how these stress contexts interact to affect the neural phenotype.

Technological and Rehabilitative Concerns: Perspectives of Cochlear Implant Recipients Who Are Musicians.

In these perspectives, we share the experiences of eight cochlear implant (CI) recipients who are musicians, and their efforts within and outside of audiological appointments to achieve satisfying music experiences. Their experiences were previously shared in a panel discussion as part of the 3 Music and Cochlear Implant Symposium hosted at The University of Cambridge, United Kingdom. Following the symposium, the panel members and moderator developed and completed a follow-up questionnaire to facilitate a formal analysis of the following questions: (a) What forms of support for optimizing music exist within clinical CI appointments, including counseling, mapping, assessment, and rehabilitation? (b) What forms of support do CI users who are interested in music desire? (c) What self-initiated approaches can be used to improve music perception, enjoyment, and participation? Using qualitative methodology, the questionnaire data were coded, aggregated into themes, and then into core categories.

Infection in Ticks and Tick-Derived Cells.

Leprosy is a zoonosis in the southern United States involving humans and wild armadillos. The majority of patients presenting with zoonotic strains of note extensive outdoor activity but only rarely report any history of direct contact with wild armadillos. Whether is transmitted to new vertebrate hosts through the environment independently or with the aid of other organisms, e.

Primary prostatic squamous cell carcinoma.

Primary prostate squamous cell malignancies are rare and very aggressive. A 65-year-old man presented to our institution with clinical and radiographic findings concerning for advanced prostatic malignancy. Surgical pathology of the tumor revealed poorly differentiated carcinoma with squamous differentiation, and histopathological markers were positive for markers of squamous differentiation negative for all urothelial and prostatic markers.

Morphology and Anabolic Response of Skeletal Muscles Subjected to Eccentrically or Concentrically Biased Exercise.

Context: Long-term eccentric exercise is known to promote muscle growth better than concentric exercise, but its acute effect on muscle is not well understood because of misinterpreted modeling and in situ and in vitro stretch protocols. Knowing if the initial bout of eccentric exercise promotes muscle growth and limits damage is critical to understanding the effect of this mode of exercise.

Objective: To directly evaluate the immediate effects of eccentric and concentric exercises on untrained muscle when fiber strains were physiological and exercise doses were comparable.

Regression of Keratoconus After Gastric Sleeve Surgery.

Purpose: To report a case of regression of keratoconus by corneal topography after gastric sleeve surgery.

Methods: Case report.

Results: A patient with a history of bilateral progressive keratoconus was observed before and after bariatric surgery for morbid obesity.

Practices and Attitudes That Enhance Music Engagement of Adult Cochlear Implant Users.

Background: Cochlear implants (CIs) are auditory prostheses designed to support spoken communication in persons with severe to profound hearing loss. Many post-lingually deaf adult CI users achieve good speech recognition in quiet; unfortunately, CI technology conveys a degraded representation of pitch and timbre, essential components of music. Not surprisingly, most CI users achieve significantly poorer perception and enjoyment of music compared with normal hearing listeners.

Obtaining plasma to measure baseline corticosterone concentrations in reptiles: How quick is quick enough?

There is growing interest in the use of glucocorticoid (GC) hormones to understand how wild animals respond to environmental challenges. Blood is the best medium for obtaining information about recent GC levels; however, obtaining blood requires restraint and can therefore be stressful and affect GC levels. There is a delay in GCs entering blood, and it is assumed that blood obtained within 3 min of first disturbing an animal reflects a baseline level of GCs, based largely on studies of birds and mammals.

Glucocorticoids do not influence a secondary sexual trait or its behavioral expression in eastern fence lizards.

Secondary sexual traits and associated behaviors can be influenced by environmental factors such as exposure to stressors. Such effects may be mediated by the physiological stress response, which is typified by the release of glucocorticoid hormones. The effects of glucocorticoids on sexual traits such as plumage and display coloration have most commonly been studied in isolation rather than in conjunction with other pertinent aspects of signalling, such as behavior and habitat use, though these have substantial potential to alter signal perception.

Population history with invasive predators predicts innate immune function response to early-life glucocorticoid exposure in lizards.

Early-life stress can suppress immune function, but it is unclear whether transgenerational stress exposure modulates the immune consequences of early stress. In populations where, historically, the immune system is frequently activated, e.g.

Presence of an invasive species reverses latitudinal clines of multiple traits in a native species.

Understanding the processes driving formation and maintenance of latitudinal clines has become increasingly important in light of accelerating global change. Many studies have focused on the role of abiotic factors, especially temperature, in generating clines, but biotic factors, including the introduction of non-native species, may also drive clinal variation. We assessed the impact of invasion by predatory fire ants on latitudinal clines in multiple fitness-relevant traits-morphology, physiological stress responsiveness, and antipredator behavior-in a native fence lizard.

Synthesis of Acridines through Alkyne Addition to Diarylamines.

A new synthesis of substituted acridines is achieved by palladium-catalyzed addition of terminal acetylenes between the aryl rings of bis(2-bromophenyl)amine. By including a diamine base and elevating the temperature, the reaction pathway favors the formation of acridine over a double Sonogashira reaction to form bis(tolan)amine. This method is demonstrated with several aryl-alkynes and alkyl-alkynes.

Paraproteinemic keratopathy in monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance treated with primary keratoprosthesis: Case report, histopathologic findings, and world literature review.

Rationale: We report a case of paraproteinemic keratopathy associated with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, treated with keratoprosthesis as a primary penetrating procedure. Histopathological findings and a world literature review are presented.

Patient Concerns: A 74 year old female recently diagnosed with monoclonal gammopathy undetermined significance presented with progressive blurry vision bilaterally.

Novel Spiroplasma Spp. Cultured From Brains and Lymph Nodes From Ruminants Affected With Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy.

Spiroplasma spp., tiny filterable wall-less bacteria, are consistently associated with the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE). Spiral forms have been transiently isolated from TSE-affected brain tissues in SP4 growth media designed for isolation of Spiroplasma spp.

Ancestry trumps experience: Transgenerational but not early life stress affects the adult physiological stress response.

Exposure to stressors can affect an organism's physiology and behavior as well as that of its descendants (e.g. through maternal effects, epigenetics, and/or selection).

How do duration, frequency, and intensity of exogenous CORT elevation affect immune outcomes of stress?

Stress is typically characterized as "acute" (lasting from minutes to hours) or "chronic" (lasting from days to months). These terms are of limited use as they are inconsistently used and only encompass one aspect of the stressor (duration). Short and long duration stress are generally thought to produce specific outcomes (e.

Immune responses of eastern fence lizards (Sceloporus undulatus) to repeated acute elevation of corticosterone.

Prolonged elevations of glucocorticoids due to long-duration (chronic) stress can suppress immune function. It is unclear, however, how natural stressors that result in repeated short-duration (acute) stress, such as frequent agonistic social encounters or predator attacks, fit into our current understanding of the immune consequences of stress. Since these types of stressors may activate the immune system due to increased risk of injury, immune suppression may be reduced at sites where individuals are repeatedly exposed to potentially damaging stressors.

Idiopathic peripheral necrotizing keratitis after femtosecond laser in situ keratomileusis.

Unlabelled: We report a case of necrotizing peripheral keratitis after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) using the low-energy Femto LDV femtosecond laser in a 31-year-old helicopter pilot with no history of medical or ocular disease. The severe peripheral flap inflammation resulted in stromal necrosis that was unresponsive to intensive topical steroid but improved rapidly on oral prednisone. The uncorrected distance visual acuity was maintained at 20/15 in both eyes, and the flaps were left undisturbed rather than attempting a more aggressive intervention such as a flap lift with culture and antibiotic irrigation.

The impacts of invaders: basal and acute stress glucocorticoid profiles and immune function in native lizards threatened by invasive ants.

As anthropogenic stressors increase exponentially in the coming decades, native vertebrates will likely face increasing threats from these novel challenges. The success or failure of the primary physiological mediator of these stressors--the HPA axis--will likely involve numerous and chaotic outcomes. Among the most challenging of these new threats are invasive species.