Radiographically guided femoral neck osteosynthesis with cannulated compressive titanium screw and anti-rotational component in a Brown Howler Monkey (Alouatta guariba clamitans).

A Brown Howler Monkey presented with a femoral neck fracture was successfully treated with a cannulated compressive screw and an anti-rotational component inserted with radiographically guided technique. Complete bone consolidation and functional recovery were observed 9 weeks after the surgery, and the monkey was released to his place of origin.

Systems genetics reveals a transcriptional network associated with susceptibility in the maize-grey leaf spot pathosystem.

We used a systems genetics approach to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of the responses of maize to grey leaf spot (GLS) disease caused by Cercospora zeina, a threat to maize production globally. Expression analysis of earleaf samples in a subtropical maize recombinant inbred line population (CML444 × SC Malawi) subjected in the field to C. zeina infection allowed detection of 20 206 expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs). Four trans-eQTL hotspots coincided with GLS disease QTLs mapped in the same field experiment. Co-expression network analysis identified three expression modules correlated with GLS disease scores. The module (GY-s) most highly correlated with susceptibility (r = 0.71; 179 genes) was enriched for the glyoxylate pathway, lipid metabolism, diterpenoid biosynthesis and responses to pathogen molecules such as chitin. The GY-s module was enriched for genes with trans-eQTLs in hotspots on chromosomes 9 and 10, which also coincided with phenotypic QTLs for susceptibility to GLS. This transcriptional network has significant overlap with the GLS susceptibility response of maize line B73, and may reflect pathogen manipulation for nutrient acquisition and/or unsuccessful defence responses, such as kauralexin production by the diterpenoid biosynthesis pathway. The co-expression module that correlated best with resistance (TQ-r; 1498 genes) was enriched for genes with trans-eQTLs in hotspots coinciding with GLS resistance QTLs on chromosome 9. Jasmonate responses were implicated in resistance to GLS through co-expression of COI1 and enrichment of genes with the Gene Ontology term 'cullin-RING ubiquitin ligase complex' in the TQ-r module. Consistent with this, JAZ repressor expression was highly correlated with the severity of GLS disease in the GY-s susceptibility network.

RNA-Seq analysis of resistant and susceptible sub-tropical maize lines reveals a role for kauralexins in resistance to grey leaf spot disease, caused by Cercospora zeina.

BACKGROUND: Cercospora zeina is a foliar pathogen responsible for maize grey leaf spot in southern Africa that negatively impacts maize production. Plants use a variety of chemical and structural mechanisms to defend themselves against invading pathogens such as C. zeina, including the production of secondary metabolites with antimicrobial properties. In maize, a variety of biotic and abiotic stressors induce the accumulation of the terpenoid phytoalexins, zealexins and kauralexins. RESULTS: C. zeina-susceptible line displayed pervasive rectangular grey leaf spot lesions, running parallel with the leaf veins in contrast to C. zeina-resistant line that had restricted disease symptoms. Analysis of the transcriptome of both lines indicated that genes involved in primary and secondary metabolism were up-regualted, and although different pathways were prioritized in each line, production of terpenoid compounds were common to both. Targeted phytoalexin analysis revealed that C. zeina-inoculated leaves accumulated zealexins and kauralexins. The resistant line shows a propensity toward accumulation of the kauralexin B series metabolites in response to infection, which contrasts with the susceptible line that preferentially accumulates the kauralexin A series. Kauralexin accumulation was correlated to expression of the kauralexin biosynthetic gene, ZmAn2 and a candidate biosynthetic gene, ZmKSL2. We report the expression of a putative copalyl diphosphate synthase gene that is induced by C. zeina in the resistant line exclusively. DISCUSSION: This study shows that zealexins and kauralexins, and expression of their biosynthetic genes, are induced by C. zeina in both resistant and susceptible germplasm adapted to the southern African climate. The data presented here indicates that different forms of kauralexins accumulate in the resistant and susceptible maize lines in response to C. zeina, with the accumulation of kauralexin B compounds in a resistant maize line and kauralexin A compounds accumulating in the susceptible line.

Administrator Perspectives of Advantages and Challenges of Employing Part-Time Faculty in Nursing Education Programs: Two Sides of the Same Coin.

AIM: The purpose of this qualitative research was to explore perspectives of administrators (n = 581) regarding advantages and challenges of employing part-time nurse faculty (PTNF) in schools of nursing in the United States. BACKGROUND: The nursing faculty shortage has resulted in increased reliance on PTNF who are clinical experts but often inexperienced as educators. A broader evidence base is necessary to develop effective strategies to support and retain these faculty members. METHOD: Deans and directors of schools of nursing were invited to complete an online survey with two open-ended questions about the use of PTNF. RESULTS: Five themes emerged from the qualitative descriptive analysis: clinical practice as primary role, diversity of educational approaches, effects on full-time faculty role, economic impact, and contracted educator role. Both positive and negative aspects of each theme were identified. CONCLUSION: Results of this study support specific efforts to provide professional development and support to PTNF.

Early adolescent MK-801 exposure impairs the maturation of ventral hippocampal control of basolateral amygdala drive in the adult prefrontal cortex.

The adolescent susceptibility to the onset of psychiatric disorders is only beginning to be understood when factoring in the development of the prefrontal cortex (PFC). The functional maturation of the PFC is dependent upon proper integration of glutamatergic inputs from the ventral hippocampus (vHipp) and the basolateral amygdala (BLA). Here we assessed how transient NMDAR blockade during adolescence alters the functional interaction of vHipp-BLA inputs in regulating PFC plasticity. Local field potential recordings were used to determine changes in long-term depression (LTD) and long-term potentiation (LTP) of PFC responses resulting from vHipp and BLA high-frequency stimulation in adult rats that received repeated injections of saline or the NMDAR antagonist MK-801 from postnatal day 35 (P35) to P40. We found that early adolescent MK-801 exposure elicited an age- and input-specific dysregulation of vHipp-PFC plasticity, characterized by a shift from LTD to LTP without altering the BLA-induced LTP. Data also showed that the vHipp normally resets the LTP state of BLA transmission; however, this inhibitory regulation is absent following early adolescent MK-801 treatment. This deficit was reminiscent of PFC responses seen in drug-naive juveniles. Notably, local prefrontal upregulation of GABAAα1 function completely restored vHipp functionality and its regulation of BLA plasticity in MK-801-treated rats. Thus, NMDAR signaling is critical for the periadolescent acquisition of a GABA-dependent hippocampal control of PFC plasticity, which enables the inhibitory control of the prefrontal output by the vHipp. A dysregulation of this pathway can alter PFC processing of other converging afferents such as those from the BLA.

An Educational Initiative to Affect Poverty and Social Determinants of Health-Related Knowledge and Attitudes in Primary Care Settings.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the poverty-related knowledge and attitudes of primary care providers and staff following an educational initiative focused on poverty and social determinants of health (SDoH). METHODS: A descriptive posttest-only design was used. All providers and staff in three outpatient primary care clinics (including one medical home and one women's health clinic) received education (two sessions, one hour in length) on poverty and SDoH. The educational initiative's effectiveness was evaluated by measuring perceptions of (a) knowledge/understanding related to SDoH and low SES and (b) preparedness to serve patients of low SES. RESULTS: Thirty-two of the 55 participants in the educational sessions completed the survey (58%). Average post-education ratings for perceptions of both preparedness and knowledge/understanding were significantly higher than for the corresponding pre-education items (p < .001), with large effect sizes. Study limitations and implications are presented.

Multilocus phylogeny of the parasitic wasps in the tribe Euphorini (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) with revised generic classifications.

BACKGROUND: Parasitic wasps in the family Braconidae are important regulators of insect pests, particularly in forest and agroecosystems. Within Braconidae, wasps in the tribe Euphorini (Euphorinae) attack economically damaging plant bugs (Miridae) that are major pests of field and vegetable crops. However, the evolutionary relationships of this tribe have been historically problematic. Most generic concepts have been based on ambiguous morphological characters which often leads to misidentification, complicating their use in biological control. METHODS: Using a combination of three genes (COI, 28S, and CAD) and 80 taxa collected worldwide, we conducted Bayesian inference using MrBayes, and maximum likelihood analyses using RAxML and IQ-Tree on individual gene trees as well as the concatenated dataset. RESULTS: The monophyly of the tribe Euphorini and the two genera Peristenus and Leiophron were confirmed using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference. The subgeneric classifications of Leiophron sensu lato were not supported, and the monotypic genus Mama was also not supported. DISCUSSION: Euphoriella, Euphoriana, Euphorus, and Mamasyn. n, have been synonymized under Leiophron. Mama mariaesyn. n was placed as a junior synonym of Leiophron reclinator. The generic concepts of Peristenus and Leiophron were refined to reflect the updated phylogeny. Further we discuss the need for revising Euphorini given the number of undescribed species within the tribe.