Clinical manifestations of Rickettsia rickettsii in a familial outbreak in Panama.

We report an isolated outbreak of Rickettsia rickettsii in the Ngäbe-Buglé indigenous region, located 750 m (tropical wet) above sea level, in a jungle and mountainous area of Western Panama. Seven members of a family were infected simultaneously, resulting in four deaths. Family outbreaks have been previously described and are responsible for 4-8% of the cases described [1-4].

Deep ecomorphological and genetic divergence in Steller's Jays (, Aves: Corvidae).

The relationship between ecology and morphology is a cornerstone of evolutionary biology, and quantifying variation across environments can shed light on processes that give rise to biodiversity. Three morphotypes of the Steller's Jay () occupy different ecoregions in western North America, which vary in climate and landcover. These morphotypes (Coastal, Interior, Rocky Mountain) differ in size, plumage coloration, and head pattern.

The Effect of Immunomodulatory Treatments on Anti-Dystrophin Immune Response After AAV Gene Therapy in Dystrophin Deficient mdx Mice.

Background: AAV-based gene therapy is an attractive approach to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients. Although the long-term consequences of a gene therapy approach for DMD are unknown, there is evidence in both DMD patients and animal models that dystrophin replacement by gene therapy leads to an anti-dystrophin immune response that is likely to limit the long-term use of these therapeutic strategies.

Objective: Our objective is to test whether the anti-dystrophin immune response is affected by immunomodulatory drugs in mdx mice after rAAV gene therapy.

Effects of Chronic, Maximal Phosphorodiamidate Morpholino Oligomer (PMO) Dosing on Muscle Function and Dystrophin Restoration in a Mouse Model of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Background: Phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomer (PMO)-mediated exon skipping is currently used in clinical development to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), with four exon-skipping drugs achieving regulatory approval. Exon skipping elicits a truncated, but semi-functional dystrophin protein, similar to the truncated dystrophin expressed in patients with Becker Muscular dystrophy (BMD) where the disease phenotype is less severe than DMD. Despite promising results in both dystrophic animal models and DMD boys, restoration of dystrophin by exon skipping is highly variable, leading to contradictory functional outcomes in clinical trials.

Dominance Hierarchies in Marine Invertebrates.

AbstractDominance hierarchies have been well studied in myriad terrestrial animals, but surprisingly little is known about hierarchies in marine invertebrates; examples are limited to a few species of decapod crustaceans and cephalopods. Is the marine environment less conducive to the establishment of dominance hierarchy structures, or does this just underline the lack of detailed behavioral information about most marine invertebrates? In this review, we highlight the published information about marine invertebrate dominance hierarchies, which involve ranks established through fights or displays. We focus on the method of hierarchy formation, examine the ecological implications of this population structure, and compare the habitat and behavioral characteristics of species that exhibit this behavior.

Morpholino-induced exon skipping stimulates cell-mediated and humoral responses to dystrophin in mdx mice.

Exon skipping is a promising genetic therapeutic strategy for restoring dystrophin expression in the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The potential for newly synthesized dystrophin to trigger an immune response in DMD patients, however, is not well established. We have evaluated the effect of chronic phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomer (PMO) treatment on skeletal muscle pathology and asked whether sustained dystrophin expression elicits a dystrophin-specific autoimmune response.

Effect of impact factor and discipline on journal data sharing policies.

Data sharing is crucial to the advancement of science because it facilitates collaboration, transparency, reproducibility, criticism, and re-analysis. Publishers are well-positioned to promote sharing of research data by implementing data sharing policies. While there is an increasing trend toward requiring data sharing, not all journals mandate that data be shared at the time of publication.

Skeletal, cardiac, and respiratory muscle function and histopathology in the P448Lneo- mouse model of FKRP-deficient muscular dystrophy.

Background: Fukutin-related protein (FKRP) mutations are the most common cause of dystroglycanopathies known to cause both limb girdle and congenital muscular dystrophy. The P448Lneo- mouse model has a knock-in mutation in the FKRP gene and develops skeletal, respiratory, and cardiac muscle disease.

Methods: We studied the natural history of the P448Lneo- mouse model over 9 months and the effects of twice weekly treadmill running.

Chronic Intermittent Ethanol Exposure Modulation of Glutamatergic Neurotransmission in Rat Lateral/Basolateral Amygdala is Duration-, Input-, and Sex-Dependent.

The basolateral amygdala (BLA) controls numerous behaviors, like anxiety and reward seeking, via the activity of glutamatergic principal neurons. These BLA neurons receive excitatory inputs primarily via two major anatomical pathways - the external capsule (EC), which contains afferents from lateral cortical structures, and the stria terminalis (ST), containing synapses from more midline brain structures. Chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) exposure/withdrawal produces distinct alterations in these pathways.

Enthalpic Effects of Chain Length and Unsaturation on Water Permeability across Droplet Bilayers of Homologous Monoglycerides.

A deeper understanding of unassisted passive transport processes can better delineate basic lipid dynamics in biological membranes. A droplet interface bilayer (DIB) is made by contacting two aqueous droplets covered with a lipid monolayer, and has increasingly been employed as a model artificial biological membrane. In this study, we have investigated the effect of acyl chain structure of amphiphilic monoglycerides on the osmotic permeability of water across DIB membranes composed of these monoglycerides, where the acyl chain length (C14-C24), number of double bonds (1-4), and the position of double bond are varied systematically along the acyl chains.

[Burden of salmonellosis and shigellosis in four departments of Guatemala, 2010].

Objective: Estimate the burden of disease from Salmonella spp. and Shigella spp. in four departments of Guatemala in 2010.

Chronic ethanol exposure increases voluntary home cage intake in adult male, but not female, Long-Evans rats.

The current experiment examined the effects of 10 days of chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) exposure on anxiety-like behavior and home cage ethanol intake using a 20% intermittent access (M, W, F) paradigm in male and female Long-Evans rats. Withdrawal from alcohol dependence contributes to relapse in humans and increases in anxiety-like behavior and voluntary ethanol consumption in preclinical models. Our laboratory has shown that 10 days of CIE exposure produces both behavioral and neurophysiological alterations associated with withdrawal in male rats; however, we have yet to examine the effects of this exposure regime on ethanol intake in females.

Factors Correlated to Protective and Risk Dietary Patterns in Immigrant Latino Mothers in Non-metropolitan Rural Communities.

Immigrant Latinos face conditions which over time negatively impact their nutritional behaviors and health outcomes. Our objective was to evaluate associations between environmental and lifestyle factors and both protective dietary patterns (e.g.

Pre-pubertal gonadectomy and the social consequences of acute ethanol in adolescent male and female rats.

It has previously been shown that pre-pubertal or adult gonadectomy (GX) increases ethanol intake in male rats. This study examined whether this sex-selective increase reflects a GX-induced maintenance in males of more adolescent-typical responsiveness to ethanol characterized by enhanced sensitivity to positive (e.g.

Conditioned taste aversion to ethanol in a social context: impact of age and sex.

Given that human adolescents place a high value on social interactions-particularly while consuming alcohol-the current study utilized a novel social drinking paradigm to examine rewarding and aversive properties of ethanol in non-water deprived rats that were housed and tested in groups of five same-sex littermates. On postnatal day P34 (adolescents) or P69 (adults), rats were habituated to the testing apparatus for 30 min. On the next day, animals were placed into the test apparatus and given 30 min access to a supersaccharin solution (3% sucrose; 0.

The effects of an acute challenge with the NMDA receptor antagonists, MK-801, PEAQX, and ifenprodil, on social inhibition in adolescent and adult male rats.

Rationale: NMDA antagonists consistently produce social inhibition in adult animals, although effects of these manipulations on social behavior of adolescents are relatively unknown.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess potential age differences in the socially inhibitory effects of the non-competitive NMDA antagonist, MK-801, as well as NR2 subunit selective effects, given the regional and developmental differences that exist for the NR2 subunit during ontogeny.

Methods: In separate experiments, adolescent and adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated acutely with MK-801 (0, 0.

Effects of the kappa opioid receptor antagonist, nor-binaltorphimine, on ethanol intake: impact of age and sex.

The kappa opioid receptor (KOR) antagonist, nor-binaltorphimine (nor-BNI), was used to investigate the role of the KOR system in mediating ethanol intake. On P25 (adolescent) or P67 (adult) male and female rats were individually housed and given ad libitum access to food and water. The experimental procedure was initiated on P28 or P70: animals were given 30 min/day access to a 10% ethanol/supersaccharin solution every other day (3 baseline exposures).

Anxiolytic effects of the GABA(A) receptor partial agonist, L-838,417: impact of age, test context familiarity, and stress.

The partial α2,3,5 GABA(A) receptor agonist, L-838,417 has been reported to have anxiolytic effects in adult rodents. Although maturational differences exist for the GABA(A) receptor subunits, the anxiolytic effects of L-838,417 have not been tested in younger animals. The goal of the present experiments was to determine whether L-838,417 reverses anxiety-like behavior induced by either an unfamiliar environment (Experiment 1) or repeated restraint stress (Experiment 2) differentially in adolescent and adult, male and female Sprague-Dawley rats using a modified social interaction test.

Low doses of the NMDA receptor antagonists, MK-801, PEAQX, and ifenprodil, induces social facilitation in adolescent male rats.

Adolescents display high levels of interactions with peers relative to other age groups, with these interactions further enhanced by ethanol under some circumstances. Understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying these high levels of social interactions is important given that alcohol use is initiated during adolescence and adolescents tend to report drinking for social reasons. Given that ethanol's effects are associated in part with functional antagonism of the NMDA receptor system, the current experiment explored the role of NMDA antagonists for facilitating adolescent social behavior.

Pharmacological activation of kappa opioid receptors: aversive effects in adolescent and adult male rats.

Rationale: The dynorphin (DYN)/kappa opioid receptor (KOR) system is involved in the dysphoric properties of drugs of abuse. Given that adolescents show reduced sensitivity to aversive effects of many drugs, alterations in the DYN/KOR system may contribute to the prevalence of drug use during adolescence.

Objectives: The present study was designed to assess dysphoric properties of a selective kappa agonist, U62,066, in adolescent and adult rats using both conditioned taste aversion (CTA) and conditioned place aversion (CPA) paradigms.

Differences in sensitivity to ethanol-induced conditioned taste aversions emerge after pre- or post-pubertal gonadectomy in male and female rats.

We have previously demonstrated that gonadectomy either prior to (early) or after (late) puberty elevated ethanol consumption in males to levels similar to intact adult females-effects that were attenuated by testosterone replacement. To assess whether alterations in the aversive effects of ethanol might contribute to gonadectomy-associated increases in ethanol intake in males, the present study examined the impact of gonadectomy on conditioned taste aversions (CTA) to ethanol in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. Animals were gonadectomized, received sham surgery (SH) or non-manipulated (NM) on postnatal (P) day 23 (early) or 67 (late) and tested for CTA to ethanol in adulthood.

Evidence for conditioned place preference to a moderate dose of ethanol in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats.

The present series of experiments examined affective properties of a moderate dose of ethanol using the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm in ethanol-naïve, adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. The apparatus and the procedure used were both unbiased. In Experiment 1, rats were given four 30 min conditioning sessions with 1.