Genetic structure and evolution of Alpine polyploid complexes: Ranunculus kuepferi (Ranunculaceae) as a case study.

The alpine white-flowered buttercup, Ranunculus kuepferi Greuter & Burdet, is a polyploid complex with diploids endemic to the southwestern Alps and polyploids - which have been previously described as apomictic - widespread throughout European mountains. Due to the polymorphic status of both its ploidy level and its reproductive mode, R. kuepferi represents a key species for understanding the evolution of polyploid lineages in alpine habitats. To disentangle the phylogeography of this polyploid taxon, we used cpDNA sequences and AFLP (amplified fragment length polymorphism) markers in 33 populations of R. kuepferi representative of its ploidy level and distribution area. Polyploid individuals were shown to be the result of at least two polyploidization events that may have taken place in the southwestern Alps. From this region, one single main migration of tetraploids colonized the entire Alpine range, the Apennines and Corsica. Genetic recombination among tetraploids was also observed, revealing the facultative nature of the apomictic reproductive mode in R. kuepferi polyploids. Our study shows the contrasting role played by diploid lineages mostly restricted to persistent refugia and by tetraploids, whose dispersal abilities have permitted their range extension all over the previously glaciated Alpine area and throughout neighbouring mountain massifs.

Accelerated growth without prepubertal obesity in nutritionally programmed microswine offspring.

Poor fetal growth and associated prepubertal growth acceleration are linked to increased risk of cardiometabolic dysfunction in later life, but whether obesity is integral to 'catch-up' growth and its ensuing risks are unknown. In microswine offspring exposed to perinatal maternal protein restriction (MPR), we measured body and organ sizes (during MPR); linear growth and weight gain (birth to 5 months of age); feed intake and utilization efficiency (5-14 weeks); and body composition at 6 and 11 weeks of age (by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, DEXA). During MPR, low protein offspring (LPO) showed asymmetric growth restriction with reduced body weight (Wt):length (Lth) at birth and elevated heart Wt:liver Wt ratio by 2 weeks of age. In LPO, after slow early postnatal growth (0-5 weeks), subsequent linear growth on ad libitum normal feed was absolutely accelerated (cm/week; P < 0.001) over 6-11 weeks but normal thereafter, whereas absolute weight gain (kg/week) was similar to controls but accelerated relative to lower LPO nadir weights. Concurrently, rates of fat and lean tissue accrual in LPO over 6-11 weeks were similar to normal protein offspring in absolute terms (g/5 weeks) but increased relative to lower mass at 6 weeks, yielding normal lean:Lth but reduced fat:Lth ratios at 11 weeks. LPO had higher relative feed intake (g/kg/meal) in both sexes and higher feed efficiency in females over 5-11 weeks of age. Findings suggest that postnatal linear growth acceleration preserved thinness in juvenile LPO. Given separately reported abnormalities of vascular (Bagby et al., 2011) and adipocyte function in juvenile LPO, (DuPriest et al., 2011) findings demonstrate that perinatal MPR programs catch-up growth and cardiovascular abnormalities independently of obesity.

Altered adipocyte structure and function in nutritionally programmed microswine offspring.

Adipose tissue (AT) dysfunction links obesity of any cause with cardiometabolic disease, but whether early-life nutritional deficiency can program adipocyte dysfunction independently of obesity is untested. In 3-5-month-old juvenile microswine offspring exposed to isocaloric perinatal maternal protein restriction (MPR) and exhibiting accelerated prepubertal fat accrual without obesity, we assessed markers of acquired obesity: adiponectin and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) levels and adipocyte size in intra-abdominal (ABD-AT) and subcutaneous (SC-AT) adipose tissues. Plasma cortisol, leptin and insulin levels were measured in fetal, neonatal and juvenile offspring. In juvenile low-protein offspring (LPO), adipocyte size in ABD-AT was reduced 22% (P = 0.011 v. controls), whereas adipocyte size in SC-AT was increased in female LPO (P = 0.05) and normal in male LPO; yet, adiponectin mRNA in LPO was low in both sexes and in both depots (P < 0.001). Plasma leptin (P = 0.004) and cortisol (P < 0.05) were reduced only in neonatal LPO during MPR. In juveniles, correlations between % body fat and adiponectin mRNA, TNF-α mRNA or plasma leptin were significant in normal-protein offspring (NPO) but absent in LPO. Plasma glucose in juvenile LPO was increased in males but decreased in females (interaction, P = 0.023); plasma insulin levels and insulin sensitivity were unaffected. Findings support nutritional programming of adipocyte size and gene expression and subtly altered glucose homeostasis. Reduced adiponectin mRNA and adipokine dysregulation in juvenile LPO following accelerated growth occurred independently of obesity, adipocyte hypertrophy or inflammatory markers; thus, perinatal MPR and/or growth acceleration can alter adipocyte structure and disturb adipokine homeostasis in metabolically adverse patterns predictive of enhanced disease risk.

[Pain--from the physiological and internal medicine viewpoint]. / Der Schmerz--aus physiologischer und internistischer Sicht.

Physiology of pain is a manifold and very complex phenomenon that is far from being understood. It cannot be explained without reference to psychosocial conditions. Pain has the function of a warning system, but the system is far from perfect, because a number of chronic diseases (e.g., arterial hypertension or malignant neoplasms) begin slowly and nearly painless. The role of pain in internal medicine will be exemplified by thoracic and abdominal pain. With regard to diagnoses both types of pain represent ambiguous symptoms. Their anatomic and physiologic substrates often cannot be ascertained completely by anamnestic means (according to localization, quality, trigger factors, time structure, and concomitant symptoms of pain). Visceral pain is regularly characterized by the phenomenon of the so-called "transferred pain": that means that the perception of pain is not restricted to the place of its origin but is also found in distant regions of the body, primarily in well defined dermatomes ("Head's areas"). This makes the differential diagnosis of internal diseases very difficult because of the parallel connection of nociceptive afferences from the skin and deeper-seated strata on identical spinal segments. Statements according to the pharmacotherapeutic aspects of pain primarily focus on the causal therapy of the prethoracic pain. In this regard differential-therapeutic aspects of angina pectoris, pericarditis, pleurisy, gastro-esophageal reflux, and vertebragenic, myogenic, and neurogenic disturbances are well to the fore.

[Women live longer--biological, medical and sociologic causes]. / Frauen werden älter--Biologische, medizinische und soziologische Ursachen.

The results of studies concerning the mortality rates of both sexes are of great similarity in all industrial countries. For underdeveloped countries, little information is available, but analogue proportions can be supposed. In the nations of the industrialized world males have a significantly higher mortality rate, which shortens their life expectancy in comparison with that of woman. Since about 1970 a deceleration of this development has been observed. The diseases responsible for this fact are ischemic heart disease, lung cancer, accidents, and other traumatic incidences, but also infectious diseases. Concerning the origins of ischemic heart disease, the influence of sex hormones especially on the lipid profile are being discussed; nevertheless, for the enhanced coronary risk of males environmental and behavioral factors seem to be more important than biological reasons. As for carcinosis being a reason for the mortality of males, lung cancer is in the foremost position. Cigarette consumption, as well as the higher exposure to cancerogenic substances related to typically male professions, are held responsible for this. As for other types of cancer, environmental factors depending on gender are strongly considered as a reason for different rates of mortality. Furthermore, sociological explanations for these differing frequencies are being discussed. Occupational differences and the different positions held in working life by each gender are believed to be responsible for the higher rate of mortality among males. Also, risktaking behavior seems to be found more often among males, than among females. A variety of hypotheses based on genetics have been given to explain the different gender-specific rates of mortality, but none of them has yet been proven correct.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Phylogenetic use of noncoding regions in the genus Gentiana L.: chloroplast trnL (UAA) intron versus nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer sequences.

Sequence divergence was estimated within noncoding sequences of both chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) trnL (UAA) intron and nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) internal transcribed spacer sequences (ITS1 and ITS2) for 10 species of the genus Gentiana L. (Gentianaceae). Comparisons of evolutionary rates among these sequences (cpDNA versus nrDNA, ITS1 versus ITS2) were performed. It appears that sequence divergence is on average two to three times higher in ITSs than in the trnL intron sequences and higher in ITS1 than in ITS2. Both the cpDNA intron and ITSs of nrDNA give concordant phylogenetic trees. However, the ITS-based phylogeny displays higher bootstrap values. At the intrageneric level, at least in Gentiana, ITSs (especially ITS2) sequences seem to be more appropriate in the assessment of plant phylogenies. Nevertheless, the cpDNA trnL intron seems to be preferable at the intergeneric level.

Conflicting phylogenies of balsaminoid families and the polytomy in Ericales: combining data in a Bayesian framework.

The balsaminoid Ericales, namely Balsaminaceae, Marcgraviaceae, Tetrameristaceae, and Pellicieraceae have been confidently placed at the base of Ericales, but the relations among these families have been resolved differently in recent analyses. Sister to this basal group is a large polytomy comprising all other families of Ericales, which is associated with short internodes. Because there are more than 13 kb of sequences for a large sampling of representatives, a thorough examination of the available data with novel methods seemed in place. Because of its computational speed, Bayesian phylogenetics allows for the use of parameter-rich models that can accommodate differences in the evolutionary process between partitions in a simultaneous analysis. In addition, there are recently proposed Bayesian strategies of assessing incongruence between partitions. We have applied these methods to the current problems in Ericales phylogeny, taking into account reported pitfalls in Bayesian analysis such as model selection uncertainty. Based on our results we infer several, previously unresolved relationships in the order Ericales. In balsaminoid families, we find that the closest relatives of Balsaminaceae are Marcgraviaceae. In the Ericales polytomy, we find strong support for Pentaphylacaceae sensu APG II as the sister group of Maesaceae. In addition, Symplocaceae receive a position as sister to Theaceae and these families form a monophyletic group together with Styracaceae-Diapensiaceae. At the base of this clade are Actinidiaceae and Clethraceae. The positions of Ebenaceae and Lecythidaceae remain uncertain.