Presumptive Origin Research Articles

Laryngeal and oropharyngeal adenocarcinoma with pulmonary metastases in a common raven (Corvus corax).

A captive 15-year-old male common raven (Corvus corax) was presented for post-mortem examination. It had been previously presented to a local veterinarian due to a 3-4 weeks long history of abnormal respiratory sounds. Upon admission, the bird demonstrated severe dyspnea and a massive amount of mucous in the oropharynx. After symptomatic treatment, dyspnea deteriorated dramatically, and euthanasia was elicited because of poor prognosis. The necropsy revealed a 2.65 x 2.15 x 2.18 cm expansile and poorly delineated cauliflower-shaped mass around the glottis and extending inside the tracheal lumen. Additionally, a dilated salivary gland in the adjacent tissue and multifocal reddish-fleshy areas in the lung parenchyma were detected. Histopathological examination identified the mass as moderately differentiated, tubular adenocarcinoma with invasive growth and moderate to marked cellular atypia and numerous mitoses. The presumptive origin of the neoplasia was one of the salivary glands. Multiple metastases were identified in the lung both macroscopically and histologically. Bacterial culture and molecular testing for West Nile and Usutu viruses were negative. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of metastatic laryngeal and oropharyngeal adenocarcinoma in a common raven.

Dopamine-induced pruning in monocyte-derived-neuronal-like cells (MDNCs) from patients with schizophrenia

The long lapse between the presumptive origin of schizophrenia (SCZ) during early development and its diagnosis in late adolescence has hindered the study of crucial neurodevelopmental processes directly in living patients. Dopamine, a neurotransmitter consistently associated with the pathophysiology of SCZ, participates in several aspects of brain development including pruning of neuronal extensions. Excessive pruning is considered the cause of the most consistent finding in SCZ, namely decreased brain volume. It is therefore possible that patients with SCZ carry an increased susceptibility to dopamine’s pruning effects and that this susceptibility would be more obvious in the early stages of neuronal development when dopamine pruning effects appear to be more prominent. Obtaining developing neurons from living patients is not feasible. Instead, we used Monocyte-Derived-Neuronal-like Cells (MDNCs) as these cells can be generated in only 20 days and deliver reproducible results. In this study, we expanded the number of individuals in whom we tested the reproducibility of MDNCs. We also deepened the characterization of MDNCs by comparing its neurostructure to that of human developing neurons. Moreover, we studied MDNCs from 12 controls and 13 patients with SCZ. Patients’ cells differentiate more efficiently, extend longer secondary neurites and grow more primary neurites. In addition, MDNCs from medicated patients expresses less D1R and prune more primary neurites when exposed to dopamine. Haloperidol did not influence our results but the role of other antipsychotics was not examined and thus, needs to be considered as a confounder.

Палеогенетический анализ жителей подола Московского Кремля XIV в. (по материалам раскопок в Тайницком саду)

Introduction. The article presents the results of paleogenetic studies of medieval human remains of three people found in a closed archaeological complex (building 32) revealed during the excavations in 2007 in the Taynitsky Garden of the Moscow Kremlin (supervisor of excavations: N.A. Makarov). Previous studies on the dating of the complex links it to the devastation of Moscow by the troops of Tokhtamysh Khan in August 1382. The archaeological layer was formed at a time as a result of a fire and contained the remains of two adults and a 3-4 year old child who remained unburied. The aim of this work was the genetic study of the ancient DNA of the remains of people who died in the 14th century, clarification of their gender, determination of kinship and presumptive origin. Material and methods. For genetic examination, teeth were selected (permanent for adults, primary for a child). The laboratory research algorithm included a set of measures to protect archaeological DNA from contamination, sample preparation and extraction of DNA from dental remains, analysis of STR markers of the Y chromosome in males, analysis of ALU markers of autosomal chromosomes, targeted NGS sequencing of hyper-variable segments of mitochondrial DNA. Results and conclusion. Using the methods of molecular genetic research, it was possible to confirm that a man, a young woman and a child (boy) died in the fire. Based on the analysis of autosomal markers, with a high degree of probability (99.9%), a close biological relationship between a woman and a child (mother-son) was revealed. The man was not a relative of either the woman or the child. The mtDNA haplogroups and STR markers of the male specific Y chromosome identified in all three individuals are generally characteristic of the Slavic population of modern Europe. The mt haplogroup J1c, found in mother and child, is now most characteristic of the inhabitants of Europe. The man has a mitochondrial haplogroup K2, which is found mainly in Northwestern Europe.

SEAL OF NOYON CHIMET

In recent years, letters from the Kalmyk nobility of the 18th and 19th centuries have been introduced into scientific use, as well as the seals impressed on these letters. The study provides a reading of the legend on the seal of Chimet, a great-uncle of the fa-mous Kalmyk ruler Ayuki Khan. The article is aimed at introducing the sphragistic data on the Chimet seal into scientific use, and tracing its origin. Materials. The material was a re-cently published letter from Chimet of 1708, as well as the samples of seals from the Ber-lin Turfan collection of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities and the Catalog of seals from Ladakh. Results. The study clarified the content of the inscrip-tion on the seal of Chimet and its presumptive origin.

Population structure of a nest parasite of Darwin’s finches within its native and invasive ranges

Invasive species are one of the greatest threats to biodiversity, with endemic species on islands being at particular risk. Management programs can help to minimize these impacts, but such programs are most successful when they are well-informed. In the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, a recently introduced avian parasitic fly, Philornis downsi, has had strong negative effects on the survival of multiple endemic bird species, including several species of Darwin’s finches. The fly now populates most of the major islands within the Archipelago and the need to better understand the population structure and connectivity patterns of this invasive fly has become increasingly apparent as various management efforts are being considered. Here, we use genomic and phylogenetic approaches to estimate population structure and connectivity for P. downsi collected from five islands within the Galapagos Islands and several sites in mainland Ecuador, which is the presumptive origin of the invasive population. Genomic data showed very little genetic differentiation between island populations of P. downsi relative to the mainland. Phylogenetic analyses, which used more conservative genetic markers than the genomics approach, showed that island and mainland populations of flies were highly related. Our study provides some of the first results using genetic data to quantify differentiation among mainland and island populations of P. downsi. In addition, our study found very little genetic differentiation between island populations of flies, suggesting that there may be considerable gene flow among islands; however, further sampling is needed to determine the extent to which this could be occurring. As management techniques aimed at controlling the impact of this parasite on endemic bird populations are being considered, our study provides important insights into the history of P. downsi’s invasion to the Galapagos Islands and current population connectivity patterns.

Comparison of the Epidemiological Aspects of Imported Dengue Cases between Korea and Japan, 2006–2010

To compare the epidemiological characteristics of dengue cases imported by travelers or immigration in both Korea and Japan, we determined dengue incidence and related risk factors. During 2006–2010, 367 and 589 imported dengue cases were reported in Korea and Japan, respectively. In Korea, the presumptive origins for the dengue infections were Southeast Asia (82.6%), Southern Asia (13.9%), Eastern Asia (1.1%), South America (0.3%), Central America (0.3%), Africa (0.3%), and other countries (1.6%). In Japan, the origins of the infections were Southeast Asia (69.8%), Southern Asia (20.0%), Eastern Asia (1.7%), South America (2.5%), Central America (1.2%), Africa (1.2%), Oceania (2.4%), and other countries (1.2%). In both countries, more dengue cases were reported for men than for women (p < 0.01), and those aged 20–30 years accounted for > 60% of the total cases. The frequency of imported cases in summer and autumn (∼70% of total cases) was similar in both countries. This study demonstrates that there is a similar pattern of imported dengue cases in Korea and Japan. Therefore, there is a risk of an autochthonous dengue outbreak in Korea, as indicated by the recent outbreak in Japan in 2014.

Occurrence of neuropeptides and tyrosine hydroxylase in the olfactory epithelium of the lesser-spotted catshark ( Scyliorhinus canicula Linnaeus, 1758)

Immunohistochemical studies using antisera against various neuropeptides (Substance P, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, and cholecystokinin octapeptide) and tyrosine hydroxylase revealed both olfactory sensory neuron (OSN) polymorphisms and transepithelial–subepithelial nerves in the olfactory epithelium of the cartilaginous fish, Scyliorhinus canicula. This study provides the first evidence of three morphological types of OSNs within the olfactory epithelium of cartilaginous fish that are similar to those found in the teleosts. In fishes there is evidence that OSNs differ functionally, including their differential olfactory bulb projections and molecular properties. The Substance P positive olfactory neurons in S. canicula may have a separate bulbar projection site that is not known, but may indicate a characteristic found in olfactory neuron subtypes in both lampreys and teleost fish. Numerous Substance P immunopositive nerves are found at the base of and in the olfactory epithelium. Some of them were observed to extend outwards almost reaching the epithelial surface. Their presumptive origin from the trigeminal nerve and their interrelationship with chemosensory cells in the nasal passages of vertebrates are discussed.

Demography and Phylogenetic Utility of Numt Pseudogenes in the Southern Red-Backed Vole (Myodes gapperi)

Abstract Nuclear copies of mitochondrial DNA fragments (numts) have been reported in a number of mammalian taxa. The inclusion of these numt pseudogenes within mitochondrial data sets can unknowingly compromise the integrity of phylogenetic, systematic, and biogeographic studies. Here, we evaluate 6 unique cytochrome-b numt sequences isolated in the southern red-backed vole (Myodes [formerly Clethrionomys] gapperi). Each sequence contains features characteristic of numt pseudogenes including premature stop codons, insertions–deletions (indels), frame-shift substitutions, and transposable element insertions. Mitochondrial and nuclear sequences are evolving at different rates. Molecular dating indicates that this group of mitochondrial transfers originated ∼4.6 million years ago, which predates the presumptive origin of the genus. Phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear sequences suggest that the numts are the result of at least 1 nuclear insertion followed by subsequent duplication events, but p...

The Methanosarcina barkeri Genome: Comparative Analysis with Methanosarcina acetivorans and Methanosarcina mazei Reveals Extensive Rearrangement within Methanosarcinal Genomes

We report here a comparative analysis of the genome sequence of Methanosarcina barkeri with those of Methanosarcina acetivorans and Methanosarcina mazei. The genome of M. barkeri is distinguished by having an organization that is well conserved with respect to the other Methanosarcina spp. in the region proximal to the origin of replication, with interspecies gene similarities as high as 95%. However, it is disordered and marked by increased transposase frequency and decreased gene synteny and gene density in the distal semigenome. Of the 3,680 open reading frames (ORFs) in M. barkeri, 746 had homologs with better than 80% identity to both M. acetivorans and M. mazei, while 128 nonhypothetical ORFs were unique (nonorthologous) among these species, including a complete formate dehydrogenase operon, genes required for N-acetylmuramic acid synthesis, a 14-gene gas vesicle cluster, and a bacterial-like P450-specific ferredoxin reductase cluster not previously observed or characterized for this genus. A cryptic 36-kbp plasmid sequence that contains an orc1 gene flanked by a presumptive origin of replication consisting of 38 tandem repeats of a 143-nucleotide motif was detected in M. barkeri. Three-way comparison of these genomes reveals differing mechanisms for the accrual of changes. Elongation of the relatively large M. acetivorans genome is the result of uniformly distributed multiple gene scale insertions and duplications, while the M. barkeri genome is characterized by localized inversions associated with the loss of gene content. In contrast, the short M. mazei genome most closely approximates the putative ancestral organizational state of these species.

Microembolization Distal to a Basilar Artery Aneurysm Treated with Detachable Coils: A Case Study

Introduction Since 1991, treatment of cerebral saccular aneurysms with coils by means of an endovascular approach has become increasingly used as an alternative to surgery. After this procedure, thromboembolic complications of stroke and transient ischemic attack, as well as silent embolic events seen on MRI, have been reported. The detection of microemboli (MES) in the cerebral circulation in a variety of conditions has been well established and has been observed in asymptomatic and symptomatic patients. We present a case of a 41-year-old man with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) from a vertebrobasilar junction aneurysm treated with Guglielmi detachable coils. Multiple MES were detected in the basilar artery during serial transcranial Power M-mode Doppler (PMD) studies. A battery of tests was done to establish the source of embolization from the coiled aneurysm. Methods By use of conventional techniques, diagnostic TCD studies to determine the presence of vasospasm were performed using a Neuroguard Neuroflow (Medasonics, Freemont, CA). PMD, a new technique for the detection of emboli, was then performed using Spencer Technologies TCD100M (Seattle, WA). The TCD100M is a digital Doppler and displays Doppler power as intensity in an M-mode format. PMD signals are further colored red or blue according, to direction. MES are seen as high-power tracks in the PMD image as described by Moehring et al (Ultrasound Med Biol. 2002;28:49–57). Results Because of the possibility of multiple sources of embolization, our efforts were aimed at proving that the source of the embolization was the coiled aneurysm. Echocardiography, bubble studies, carotid duplex ultrasonography, and emboli monitoring of both middle cerebral and vertebral arteries did not show any MES. Power M-mode examination pointed to a depth of 85 mm in the basilar artery as the point where embolization began. This battery of tests strongly supports the presumptive origin and source of MES to be the coiled aneurysm of the vertebrobasilar junction. Conclusions Our case presentation demonstrates continuous silent microembolization from a previously coiled aneurysm. TCD has an important role in assessing patients with cerebral aneurysms for the detection of MES.

Pathology of Radium-Induced Bone Tumors: New Aspects of Histopathology and Histogenesis

A revision of bone tumor pathology in patients treated with multiple injections of the short-lived alpha-particle emitter radium-224, predominantly for tuberculosis and ankylosing spondylitis, revealed an unexpectedly high proportion of bone sarcomas of the fibrous connective tissue type. This included the first case of malignant fibrous histiocytoma of bone described after internal irradiation. A comparison of bone tumor types in the radium-224 patients and bone sarcoma after incorporation of radium-226 and radium-228 and external irradiation and in tumors arising at sites of pre-existing bone lesions showed the same spectrum of tumors. The high incidence of bone tumors of the fibroblastic and fibrohistiocytic type was observed in all these "secondary" bone sarcomas. These results suggest that a close histogenetic relationship exists between disorder of the local milieu caused by deterministic radiation damage accompanied by disturbances of the remodeling process. The reactive proliferation of the predominantly fibroblastic tissue could be the presumptive origin of these special types of radiation-induced bone sarcomas.

Nucleotide Sequence of Ddp1, a High Copy Number Nuclear Plasmid of Dictyostelium discoideum

The complete nucleotide sequence of Ddp1, a high copy number 13.7-kbp endogenous nuclear plasmid of Dictyostelium discoideum is presented. Previous studies have shown nine transcripts which map to five different regions of Ddp1, suggesting alternative transcription initiation sites and/or post-transcriptional processing. The sequence presented here shows five long open reading frames corresponding to previously known transcribed regions, as well as an additional reading frame, in the region of the presumed origin of replication. Two of the predicted proteins from the Ddp1 reading frames have potential leader sequences and transmembrane domains, while the rest, if translated, would encode soluble proteins. One of these has both leucine zipper and zinc finger-like motifs. Sequences upstream of the reading frames show strong similarities to chromosomal promoter elements, suggesting that transcription of at least some of the plasmid-encoded genes is regulated by factors which regulate chromosomal transcription in this organism. The region containing the presumptive origin or replication contains the promoters of the major growth-specific gene, as well as a second gene: thus, the processes of transcription and replication of Ddp1 may be intimately linked. The origin-encompassing region has a long homopurine/homopyrimidine stretch, which is similar to sequences shown in vitro to be capable of forming a triple helix structure through Hoogsteen base pairing. Possible roles for these sequences and the products of the ORFs in plasmid maintenance are discussed.

The DNa-protein relaxation complex of the plasmid RK2: Location of the site-specific nick in the region of the proposed origin of transfer

The broad jost range plasmid, RK2, has been isolated as a DNA-protein relaxation complex. Nicking of the plasmid DNA in the relaxation complex occurs at a single specific site (rlx) located approximately 20 kb away from the origin of DNA replication. A cis-acting function required for plasmid transfer, the presumptive origin of transfer, maps in the same region as rlx. The region of RK2 encompassing rlx has been cloned onto pBR322 and shown to promote mobilization of the hybrid plasmid by an RK2 derivative. These results indicate that the RK2 relaxation complex nicks at or near the origin of transfer of the RK2 plasmid.

Determination of restriction sites and the nucleotide sequence surrounding the relaxation site of ColE1

The relaxation site of ColE1 has been located within the restriction fragment HpaII L, which is 148 base-pairs in length. Restriction mapping data indicate that the relaxation nick (the presumptive origin of transfer) of ColE1 is located at a distance of 250 to 300 nucleotides away from the replication origin, downstream in the direction of replication. This result is consistent with the observation made by Inselburg (1977), that the relaxation phenomenon probably does not play a direct role in vegetative replication of ColE1. The sequence of 185 nucleotides surrounding the relaxation site has been determined and this contains a translational symmetry and several 2-fold rotational symmetries. These symmetric elements may be recognition sites for proteins involved in the conjugal transfer of ColE1. The sequence further demonstrates that the relaxation site, unlike the cis A nicking site of φX174, is located in an intercistronic region. The site of the relaxation break has a 2-fold rotational symmetry.

Some characteristics of repeated sickness absence

Abstract Ferguson, D. (1972).Brit. J. industr. Med.,29, 420-431. Some characteristics of repeated sickness absence. Several studies have shown that frequency of absence attributed to sickness is not distributed randomly but tends to follow the negative binomial distribution, and this has been taken to support the concept of `proneness' to such absence. Thus, the distribution of sickness absence resembles that of minor injury at work demonstrated over 50 years ago. Because the investigation of proneness to absence does not appear to have been reported by others in Australia, the opportunity was taken, during a wider study of health among telegraphists in a large communications undertaking, to analyse some characteristics of repeated sickness absence. The records of medically certified and uncertified sickness absence of all 769 telegraphists continuously employed in all State capitals over a two-and-a-half-year period were compared with those of 411 clerks and 415 mechanics and, in Sydney, 380 mail sorters and 80 of their supervisors. All telegraphists in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, and all mail sorters in Sydney, who were available and willing were later medically examined. From their absence pattern repeaters (employees who had had eight or more certified absences in two and a half years) were separated into three types based on a presumptive origin in chance, recurrent disease and symptomatic non-specific disorder. The observed distribution of individual frequency of certified absence over the full two-and-a-half-year period of study followed that expected from the univariate negative binomial, using maximum likelihood estimators, rather than the poisson distribution, in three of the four occupational groups in Sydney. Limited correlational and bivariate analysis supported the interpretation of proneness ascribed to the univariate fit. In the two groups studied, frequency of uncertified absence could not be fitted by the negative binomial, although the numbers of such absences in individuals in successive years were relatively highly correlated. All types of repeater were commoner in Sydney than in the other capital city offices, which differed little from each other. Repeaters were more common among those whose absence was attributed to neurosis, alimentary and upper respiratory tract disorder, and injury. Out of more than 90 health, personal, social, and industrial attributes determined at examination, only two (ethanol habit and adverse attitude to pay) showed any statistically significant association when telegraphist repeaters in Sydney were compared with employees who were rarely absent. Though repeating tended to be associated with chronic or recurrent ill health revealed at examination, one quarter of repeaters had little such ill health and one quarter of rarely absent employees had much. It was concluded that, in the population studied, the fitting of the negative binomial to frequency of certified sickness absence could, in the circumstances of the study, reasonably be given an interpretation of proneness. In that population also repeating varies geographically and occupationally, and is poorly associated with disease and other attributes uncovered at examination, with the exception of the ethanol habit. Repeaters are more often neurotic than employees who are rarely absent but also are more often stable double jobbers. The repeater should be identified for what help may be given him, if needed, otherwise it would seem more profitable to attack those features in work design and organization which influence motivation to come to work. Social factors which predispose to repeated absence are less amenable to modification.

Taxonomy of House Sparrows and Their Allies in the Mediterranean Basin

Approximately 3600 years ago there occurred a significant movement of northern European agricultural man into southern European and Mediterranean regions (establishment of the Lake Dwellers in northern Italy, see Brea 1946 et seq.). Seemingly also with man came his newly-acquired commensal, the House Sparrow (Passer domesticus), which had been living with man in northern Europe since its presumptive origins in the Near East, perhaps some 5500 years earlier. Indigenous sparrows in Italy, probably also commensal in 1600 BC and almost certainly Willow Sparrows (conventionally considered a species by most taxonomists as Passer hispaniolensis), shared a common ancestry with House Sparrows but were phenotypically distinct. Interbreeding of the two phenetic kinds ensued, followed by establishment of populations of phenetic heterogeneity throughout the Italian peninsula. Similar instances of commingling of gene pools occurred in other places in and around the Mediterranean, but on the Balearic Islands only House Sparrows became established and on Sardinia only Willow Sparrows. Later, only 300 to 400 years ago, there occurred persistent cold weather, the Little Ice Age, sufficient to close Alpine passes for most of each year, with the result that the sparrows of the Italian peninsula were cut off from mainland European sparrows for many tens of generations. This short period of fairly stringent isolation presumably allowed the ongoing processes of selective reassortment of Italian sparrow genotypes to proceed toward relative stability more quickly than they would have otherwise, and upon re-establishment of Alpine contact gene flow between Italian sparrows and House Sparrows did not occur as freely as formerly. These events, or some such similar set, have given us a remarkable complex of sparrows around the Mediterranean Sea, and their variable geographic, phenetic, and genetic characteristics provide a continual challenge to understanding present relationships (e.g., Brehm 1842; Chigi 1914; Meise 1936; Macke 1965). One of the most intriguing aspects of the biology of these sparrows is that geographically disjunct populations may be phenetically much alike. This has suggested that they may also be genetically similar, but experimental verification of this hypothesis is lacking. It is known that the phenotypic feather coat of the sparrows has a highly polygenic basis (see below), and it is thus entirely possible that similar phenotypes can have different genotypes, and vice versa. Polygenic control of gross phenotype may well be the expected condition, but we need not merely assume it for Mediterranean sparrows; Macke (1965; see also table 7) has shown that the F1 of the cross, House Sparrow x Willow Sparrow, may include a sampling of nearly the entire range of intermediate phenotypes, hence of genotypes. The importance of this finding cannot be exaggerated. It means at one level that wherever there is a restricted range of phenotypes (= genotypes) the action of selection or restricted founder genefrequencies is strongly implied. But, if clines in phenotypes occur, then clines in genefrequencies occur, and these can only be responses to differential selection pressures. It means also, but conversely, that we must be prepared to find populations in which a wide range of phenotypes occurs. Consequent opportunities for hybrid swarms or for geographically-oriented spectra of phenotypes, or for intermediate conditions, have been only in part realized, owing variously to coincident gene frequencies in founder populations, selection of coincident characters, gene-flow, absence of gene-flow, etc. Current distribution of phenotypes and possible causal factors for such distributions are set forth below.

M. Raoul Pictet's Corpuscular Theory of Gravitation

I BELIEVE that I can remove M. Pictet's uncertainties regarding the credibility of the presumptive origin of attractive force in the undirected motion of an all-pervading material ether, without adopting the desponding alternative to which he appears to be obliged (in perhaps needless extremities) to betake himself, that it might be conceded “without its being possible to explain it.” My reasons for accepting the proposition without any doubt or question, would at least, I believe, if they could be submitted to him in a form of faultless coherence and completeness, relieve him from pursuing the laborious purpose, which I am perfectly assured from my own apprehension of the real character of the equivalence, and of the mode of establishment which, it admits of, would fail in its intended object, of undertaking a series of pendulum experiments to prove it.