A chromosomal inversion unique to the northern white-cheeked gibbon.

The gibbon family belongs to the superfamily Hominoidea and includes 15 species divided into four genera. Each genus possesses a distinct karyotype with chromosome numbers varying from 38 to 52. This diversity is the result of numerous chromosomal changes that have accumulated during the evolution of the gibbon lineage, a quite unique feature in comparison with other hominoids and most of the other primates.

Is the new primate genus rungwecebus a baboon?

Background: In 2005, a new primate species from Tanzania, the kipunji, was described and recognized as a member of the mangabey genus Lophocebus. However, molecular investigations based upon a number of papionins, including a limited sample of baboons of mainly unknown geographic origin, identified the kipunji as a sister taxon to Papio and not as a member of Lophocebus. Accordingly, the kipunji was separated into its own monotypic genus, Rungwecebus.

Absolute frequency measurement of the 40Ca+ 4s(2)S_(1/2)-3d(2)D_(5/2) clock transition.

We report on the first absolute transition frequency measurement at the 10;{-15} level with a single, laser-cooled 40Ca+ ion in a linear Paul trap. For this measurement, a frequency comb is referenced to the transportable Cs atomic fountain clock of LNE-SYRTE and is used to measure the 40Ca+ 4s ;{2}S_{1/2}-3d ;{2}D_{5/2} electric-quadrupole transition frequency. After the correction of systematic shifts, the clock transition frequency nu_{Ca;{+}}=411 042 129 776 393.

A common variant in PNPLA3, which encodes adiponutrin, is associated with liver fat content in humans.

Aims/hypothesis: It has recently been suggested that the rs738409 G allele in PNPLA3, which encodes adiponutrin, is strongly associated with increased liver fat content in three different ethnic groups. The aims of the present study were as follows: (1) to try to replicate these findings in European individuals with quantitative measures of hepatic fat content; (2) to study whether the polymorphism influences hepatic and adipose tissue insulin sensitivity; and (3) to investigate whether PNPLA3 expression is altered in the human fatty liver.

Methods: We genotyped 291 Finnish individuals in whom liver fat had been measured using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Transvaginal ultrasound measurement of cervical length in the supine and upright positions versus Bishop score in predicting successful induction of labor at term.

Objectives: To examine the predictive value of cervical length as measured by transvaginal sonography (TVS) in supine and upright maternal positions for the mode of delivery and induction-to-delivery interval after induction of labor at term, and to compare these measurements with the Bishop score and its predictive value.

Methods: TVS for cervical length measurement in the supine and upright positions and digital examination of the cervix were performed in 68 nulliparous and 34 parous women before induction of labor at term. In assessing the predictive value of the Bishop score and TVS parameters for a vaginal delivery after labor induction only nulliparous women were included in the analysis, since all the parous women delivered vaginally.

Retropositional events consolidate the branching order among New World monkey genera.

Due to contradicting relationships obtained from various morphological and genetic studies, phylogenetic relationships among New World monkey genera are highly disputed. In the present study, we analyzed the presence/absence pattern of 128 SINE integrations in all New World monkey genera. Among them, 70 were specific for only a single genus, whereas another 18 were present in all New World monkey genera.

Comparing chromosomal and mitochondrial phylogenies of sportive lemurs (Genus Lepilemur, Primates).

In recent years several new sportive lemur species (genus Lepilemur) have been described. In contrast to other lemur taxa, the genus shows comparatively high chromosomal variability, which, in addition to molecular data, can be used to infer phylogenetic relationships within the genus. By comparing R-banding patterns and fluorescence in-situ hybridization data, we detected chromosomal rearrangements that occurred during speciation within the genus.

Reproductive parameters in Guizhou snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus brelichi).

In this study, we present data on reproductive parameters and birth seasonality of Guizhou snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus brelichi). Our analyses are based on data from a small captive population collected over 15 years and on 5 years of observations of free-ranging snub-nosed monkeys. Captive females (n=4) mature at an age of 70.

A PCR-based marker to simply identify Saimiri sciureus and S. boliviensis boliviensis.

Squirrel monkeys, mainly Saimiri sciureus and S. boliviensis, are common in zoos and widely used in biomedical research. However, an exact species identification based on morphological characteristics is difficult.

Common missense variant in the glucokinase regulatory protein gene is associated with increased plasma triglyceride and C-reactive protein but lower fasting glucose concentrations.

Objective: Using the genome-wide association approach, we recently identified the glucokinase regulatory protein gene (GCKR, rs780094) region as a novel quantitative trait locus for plasma triglyceride concentration in Europeans. Here, we sought to study the association of GCKR variants with metabolic phenotypes, including measures of glucose homeostasis, to evaluate the GCKR locus in samples of non-European ancestry and to fine- map across the associated genomic interval.

Research Design And Methods: We performed association studies in 12 independent cohorts comprising >45,000 individuals representing several ancestral groups (whites from Northern and Southern Europe, whites from the U.

Mitochondrial phylogeny, taxonomy and biogeography of the silvered langur species group (Trachypithecus cristatus).

With a distribution ranging from mainland Southeast Asia to the Sunda region, the silvered langur species group is the most widely distributed species complex of the genus Trachypithecus. However, the systematic classification of its members and the phylogenetic relationships among them are less understood, leading to different classification schemes and proposed distribution zones. To address these issues, we sequenced a 573 bp long fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene from 115 silvered langurs (68 individuals from known origin).

Polymorphisms associated with cholesterol and risk of cardiovascular events.

Background: Common single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are associated with blood low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol modestly affect lipid levels. We tested the hypothesis that a combination of such SNPs contributes to the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Methods: We studied SNPs at nine loci in 5414 subjects from the cardiovascular cohort of the Malmö Diet and Cancer Study.

Phylogenetic position of the langur genera Semnopithecus and Trachypithecus among Asian colobines, and genus affiliations of their species groups.

Background: The evolutionary history of the Asian colobines is less understood. Although monophyly of the odd-nosed monkeys was recently confirmed, the relationships among the langur genera Presbytis, Semnopithecus and Trachypithecus and their position among Asian colobines remained unclear. Moreover, in Trachypithecus various species groups are recognized, but their affiliations are still disputed.

Six new loci associated with blood low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol or triglycerides in humans.

Blood concentrations of lipoproteins and lipids are heritable risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Using genome-wide association data from three studies (n = 8,816 that included 2,758 individuals from the Diabetes Genetics Initiative specific to the current paper as well as 1,874 individuals from the FUSION study of type 2 diabetes and 4,184 individuals from the SardiNIA study of aging-associated variables reported in a companion paper in this issue) and targeted replication association analyses in up to 18,554 independent participants, we show that common SNPs at 18 loci are reproducibly associated with concentrations of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and/or triglycerides. Six of these loci are new (P < 5 x 10(-8) for each new locus).

Peri-coronary epicardial adipose tissue is related to cardiovascular risk factors and coronary artery calcification in post-menopausal women.

Aims: To determine whether peri-coronary epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is associated with vascular risk factors and coronary atherosclerosis.

Methods And Results: In this study, 573 healthy post-menopausal women underwent a cardiac CT scan to assess coronary calcification. Peri-coronary EAT thickness was measured in the areas of right coronary artery (RCA), left anterior descending (LAD) artery, and left circumflex (LCX) coronary artery.

Insulin resistance and self-rated symptoms of depression in Swedish women with risk factors for diabetes: the Women's Health in the Lund Area study.

Previous studies have suggested that depression increases the risk for diabetes and that this may be mediated through insulin resistance. The study aimed to analyze if self-rated symptoms of depression are related to insulin resistance among middle-aged and older Swedish women with features of the metabolic syndrome and being at risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus. We analyzed data from 1047 Swedish women aged 50 to 64 years without a history of diabetes and living in the southern part of Sweden.

State space modeling of yeast gene expression dynamics.

Combined interaction of all the genes forms a central part of the functional system of a cell. Thus, especially the data-based modeling of the gene expression network is currently one of the main challenges in the field of systems biology. However, the problem is an extremely high-dimensional and complex one, so that normal identification methods are usually not applicable specially if aiming at dynamic models.

Spatio-genetic population structure in mustached tamarins, Saguinus mystax.

Dispersal and philopatry influence gene flow and thus the spatio-genetic structure within and between populations. In callitrichids the flexible social and mating system corresponds with a variable migration pattern where both sexes might be philopatric or might disperse. We investigated the relationship between the spatio-genetic structure and migration patterns in a population of mustached tamarins, Saguinus mystax.

Genotyping and segregation analyses indicate the presence of only two functional MIC genes in rhesus macaques.

MIC molecules are stress-inducible ligands of the activating receptor NKG2D, which is expressed on natural killer cells and subsets of T lymphocytes. In rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), three different MIC sequences (MIC1, MIC2, MIC3) have been described that are closely related to but, according to phylogenetic analysis, do not represent orthologues of the human MICA and MICB genes. Although a single haplotype of the rhesus macaque Mhc (Mamu) has been completely sequenced, it remained unknown so far whether these three sequences are derived from two or three Mamu-MIC genes.

Molecular phylogeny and evolutionary history of Southeast Asian macaques forming the M. silenus group.

The 12 presently recognized taxa forming the Macaca silenus group represent the most diverse lineage within the genus Macaca. The present study was set up to clarify the phylogenetic relationships of the extant members of the M. silenus group and to explain their geographical distribution patterns seen today.

Phylogenetic relationships among the Lorisoidea as indicated by craniodental morphology and mitochondrial sequence data.

The phylogeny of the Afro-Asian Lorisoidea is controversial. While postcranial data attest strongly to the monophyly of the Lorisidae, most molecular analyses portray them as paraphyletic and group the Galagidae alternately with the Asian or African lorisids. One of the problems that has bedevilled phylogenetic analysis of the group in the past is the limited number of taxa sampled for both ingroup families.

Process tomography of ion trap quantum gates.

A crucial building block for quantum information processing with trapped ions is a controlled-NOT quantum gate. In this Letter, two different sequences of laser pulses implementing such a gate operation are analyzed using quantum process tomography. Fidelities of up to 92.

The nature and predictors of stroke knowledge amongst at risk elderly persons in Brisbane, Australia.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate the nature, extent, and predictors of stroke knowledge amongst people at risk of stroke.

Method: A total of 273 questionnaires were distributed to three types of sites in metropolitan Brisbane (retirement villages, senior citizens and bowls clubs), and this strategy yielded a response rate of 37%. Of the surveys returned, 75 were retained in this study on the basis that: (a) participants met our criteria for being at risk of stroke (i.