Home visits in rural general practice: what does the future hold?

Introduction: Declining house-call rates have been documented worldwide; however, up-to-date data on current rates are lacking, particularly in rural settings. Systematic reviews in this area are inconsistent; however, other work, principally qualitative research, demonstrates benefits for both doctors and patients. The aim of this study was to establish the current rate of, and reasons for, home visits in a rural general practice setting.

Odorant-receptor-mediated regulation of chemosensory gene expression in the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae.

Mosquitoes locate and approach humans based on the activity of odorant receptors (ORs) expressed on olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs). Olfactogenetic experiments in Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes revealed that the ectopic expression of an AgOR (AgOR2) in ORNs dampened the activity of the expressing neuron. This contrasts with studies in Drosophila melanogaster in which the ectopic expression of non-native ORs in ORNs confers ectopic neuronal responses without interfering with native olfactory physiology.

Diet Drugs Trick Mosquitoes into Feeling Full.

After a bloodmeal, Aedesaegypti mosquitoes lose interest in bloodfeeding. Duvall et al. (Cell 2019;176:687-701) determined that the neuropeptide Y (NPY)-like receptor 7 (NPYLR7) controls mosquito satiety and also identified six NPYLR7 drug targets that suppress biting.

Olfactory Neurons and Brain Centers Directing Oviposition Decisions in Drosophila.

The sense of smell influences many behaviors, yet how odors are represented in the brain remains unclear. A major challenge to studying olfaction is the lack of methods allowing activation of specific types of olfactory neurons in an ethologically relevant setting. To address this, we developed a genetic method in Drosophila called olfactogenetics in which a narrowly tuned odorant receptor, Or56a, is ectopically expressed in different olfactory neuron types.

Independent Effects of γ-Aminobutyric Acid Transaminase (GABAT) on Metabolic and Sleep Homeostasis.

Breakdown of the major sleep-promoting neurotransmitter, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), in the GABA shunt generates catabolites that may enter the tricarboxylic acid cycle, but it is unknown whether catabolic by-products of the GABA shunt actually support metabolic homeostasis. In Drosophila, the loss of the specific enzyme that degrades GABA, GABA transaminase (GABAT), increases sleep, and we show here that it also affects metabolism such that flies lacking GABAT fail to survive on carbohydrate media. Expression of GABAT in neurons or glia rescues this phenotype, indicating a general metabolic function for this enzyme in the brain.

Heating and cooling the clock.

Most biological phenomena are under control of a circuit known as the 'molecular circadian clock.' Over the past forty years of research in , studies have made significant advances in our understanding of the molecular timing mechanism of this circuit, which is determined by a core inhibitory feedback loop. While the timing mechanism of the molecular circadian clock is endogenous, it is well established that exogenous cues such as light and temperature modulate its timing.

Natural Populations of Drosophila melanogaster Reveal Features of an Uncharacterized Circadian Property: The Lower Temperature Limit of Rhythmicity.

Most cyclic biological processes are under control of a circadian molecular timing system that synchronizes these phenomena to the 24-h day. One generic property of circadian-controlled processes is that they operate within a specific temperature range, below which the manifestation of rhythm ceases. Little is known about the evolutionary relevance of the lower temperature limit of rhythmicity or about the mechanism underlying the loss of overt circadian behavior below this lower limit, especially in one model organism of chronobiology, Drosophila melanogaster.

Social brains in context: lesions targeted to the song control system in female cowbirds affect their social network.

Social experiences can organize physiological, neural, and reproductive function, but there are few experimental preparations that allow one to study the effect individuals have in structuring their social environment. We examined the connections between mechanisms underlying individual behavior and social dynamics in flocks of brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater). We conducted targeted inactivations of the neural song control system in female subjects.