Trophic transfer efficiency in the Lake Superior food web: assessing the impacts of non-native species.

Ecosystem-based management relies on understanding how perturbations influence ecosystem structure and function (e.g., invasive species, exploitation, abiotic changes). However, data on unimpacted systems are scarce, therefore, we often rely on impacted systems to make inferences about 'natural states.' Among the Laurentian Great Lakes, Lake Superior provides a unique case study to address non-native species impacts because the food web is dominated by native species. Additionally, Lake Superior is both vertically (benthic versus pelagic) and horizontally (nearshore versus offshore) structured by depth, providing an opportunity to compare the function of these sub-food webs. We developed an updated Lake Superior EcoPath model using data from the 2005/2006 lake-wide multi-agency surveys covering multiple trophic levels. We then compared trophic transfer efficiency (TTE) to previously published EcoPath models. Finally, we compared ecosystem function of the 2005/2006 ecosystem to that with non-native linkages removed and compared native versus non-native species-specific approximations of TTE and trophic flow. Lake Superior was relatively efficient (TTE = 0.14) compared to systems reported in a global review (average TTE = 0.09) and the microbial loop was highly efficient (TTE > 0.20). Non-native species represented a very small proportion (<0.01%) of total biomass and were generally more efficient and had higher trophic flow compared to native species. Our results provide valuable insight into the importance of the microbial loop and represent a baseline estimate of non-native species impacts on Lake Superior. Finally, this work is a starting point for further model development to predict future changes in the Lake Superior ecosystem.

Impaired contraction and decreased detrusor innervation in a female rat model of pelvic neuropraxia.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: Bilateral pelvic nerve injury (BPNI) is a model of post-radical hysterectomy neuropraxia, a common sequela. This study assessed the time course of changes to detrusor autonomic innervation, smooth muscle (SM) content and cholinergic-mediated contraction post-BPNI. METHODS: Female Sprague-Dawley rats underwent BPNI or sham surgery and were evaluated 3, 7, 14, and 30 days post-BPNI (n = 8/group). Electrical field-stimulated (EFS) and carbachol-induced contractions were measured. Gene expression was assessed by qPCR for muscarinic receptor types 2 (M2) and 3 (M3), collagen type 1α1 and 3α1, and SM actin. Western blots measured M2 and M3 protein expression. Bladder sections were stained with Masson's trichrome for SM content and immunofluorescence staining for nerve terminals expressing vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS). RESULTS: Bilateral pelvic nerve injury caused larger bladders with less SM content and increased collagen type 1α1 and 3α1 gene expression. At early time points, cholinergic-mediated contraction increased, whereas EFS-mediated contraction decreased and returned to baseline by 30 days. Protein and gene expression of M3 was decreased 3 and 7 days post-BPNI, whereas M2 was unchanged. TH nerve terminals surrounding the detrusor decreased in all BPNI groups, whereas VAChT and nNOS terminals decreased 14 and 30 days post-BPNI. CONCLUSIONS: Bilateral pelvic nerve injury increased bladder size, impaired contractility, and decreased SM and autonomic innervation. Therapeutic strategies preventing nerve injury-mediated decline in neuronal input and SM content may prevent the development of a neurogenic bladder and improve quality of life after invasive pelvic surgery.

Recent outbreaks of infectious syphilis, United Kingdom, January 2012 to April 2014.

Six outbreaks of infectious syphilis in the United Kingdom, ongoing since 2012, have been investigated among men who have sex with men (MSM) and heterosexual men and women aged under 25 years. Interventions included case finding and raising awareness among healthcare professionals and the public. Targeting at-risk populations was complicated as many sexual encounters involved anonymous partners. Outbreaks among MSM were influenced by the use of geospatial real-time networking applications that allow users to locate other MSM within close proximity.

Enhanced apoptosis in retinal pigment epithelium under inflammatory stimuli and oxidative stress.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a neurodegenerative disease that causes irreversible central vision loss in the elderly. Retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) has been found to be a key component in AMD pathogenesis. The Ccl2(-/-)/Cx3cr1(-/-) (DKO) mouse on Crb1(rd8) background is created as an AMD model, developing AMD-like retinal lesions. Our study aimed to examine RPE apoptosis in DKO mouse and human ARPE-19 cell line. DKO RPE expressed higher apoptotic proteins when compared with age-matched wild type (WT) RPE in physiological conditions. Apoptosis of primary cultured mouse RPE was evaluated under stimulation with lipopolysaccharide for inflammatory stimulation and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin or H(2)O(2) for oxidative stress. Compared with WT RPE, DKO RPE was more susceptible to Fas ligand (FasL)-mediated apoptosis under both inflammatory and oxidative stress, with less cell viability and higher expression of apoptotic transcripts and proteins. Decreased cell viability was also observed in ARPE-19 cells under each stimulus. Furthermore, we also investigated the anti-apoptotic effects of decoy receptor 3 (DcR3), a decoy receptor for FasL, on ARPE-19 cells under inflammatory and oxidative stress. DcR3 pre-incubated ARPE-19 cells showed decreased apoptosis, with increased cell viability and decreased expression of apoptotic transcripts and proteins under the stimuli. On the contrary, knockdown of DcR3 in ARPE-19 cells showed totally opposite results. Our study demonstrates that FasL-mediated RPE apoptosis may play a pivotal role in AMD pathogenesis.

Suggestive association between PLA2G12A single nucleotide polymorphism rs2285714 and response to anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy in patients with exudative age-related macular degeneration.

PURPOSE: The use of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy, with drugs such as ranibizumab and bevacizumab, to treat neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) produces an effective but widely variable response. Identifying markers that predict differentiated response could serve as a valuable assay in developing more personalized medicine. This study aimed to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that influence the outcome of treatment with anti-VEGF therapy for AMD. METHODS: One hundred six patients with nAMD were treated with either ranibizumab or bevacizumab as needed over a period of 12 months. Visual acuity and the presence of macular fluid were measured with optical coherence tomography at baseline, six months, and 12 months. Patients were then classified as good or poor responders based on change in visual acuity and macular fluid on follow-up visits. DNA extracted from blood was genotyped with a TaqMan-based allelic discrimination SNP assay for 21 SNPs in six candidate genes (PLAG12A, IL23R, STAT3, VEGFA, KDR, and HIF1A). The SNPs were primarily selected based on previously reported associations with AMD and functional involvement in angiogenesis pathways. SNPs shown to be promising for association with anti-VEGF therapy were then assessed in an independent AMD case-control cohort. RESULTS: Of the 106 patients with nAMD, 77 were classified as good responders and 29 as poor responders. For rs2285714 (PLA2G12A), the frequency of minor allele T was 40.1% for good responders compared to 51.7% for poor responders (odds ratio: 1.60, 95% confidence interval of odds ratio: 0.87-2.94, p=0.13). Genetic model analysis of rs2285714 (PLA2G12A) demonstrated an association between rs2285714 (PLA2G12A) and therapy response in a dominant genotypic model. Patients carrying at least one T allele of rs2285714 were 2.79 times (95% confidence interval=1.02-7.69, p<0.05) more likely to be poor responders (79.3% of poor responders) than good responders (57.3% of good responders). However, after adjusting for multiple testing by the false discovery rate or Bonferroni correction, the initially observed association was no longer statistically significant. No association was identified between the remaining SNPs and response status. The SNP rs2285714 of PLA2G12A was not significantly associated with AMD in an independent AMD case-control cohort. CONCLUSIONS: Data suggest a possible weak association between rs2285714 (PLA2G12A) and response to anti-VEGF therapy, but the association must be confirmed in additional cohorts with larger patient samples. Identifying factors that predict the differentiated response could provide a valuable assay for developing approaches in personalized medicine.

Safety and Efficacy of Inflatable Penile Prostheses for the Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction: Evidence to Date.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common problem, and prevalence rates are expected to rise as life expectancy increases worldwide. In more severe cases of ED, penile prosthesis implantation has been an excellent option for patients. Over the past few decades, significant design improvements have been made to the penile prosthesis and modifications to surgical technique to improve clinical outcomes. The purpose of this review is to summarize the safety and efficacy of FDA-approved penile implants in the US market. Design modifications have greatly improved the safety and reliability of the implant. Development of improved surgical techniques has decreased intraoperative injuries and reservoir-related complications. With its high overall satisfaction rates and low risk of complications, the inflatable penile prosthesis remains an excellent option for patients with erectile dysfunction.

Molecular biomarkers for the diagnosis of primary vitreoretinal lymphoma.

Primary vitreoretinal lymphoma (PVRL) or primary intraocular lymphoma, a subtype of primary central nervous system lymphoma, often masquerades as uveitis. The diagnosis of PVRL requires identification of lymphoma cells inside the eye, which is often challenging due to the frequent necrosis and admixing of PVRL cells with reactive lymphocytes. Therefore, detection of immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) and T-cell receptor (TCR) gene rearrangements provide molecular diagnosis of B- and T-cell lymphoma, respectively. We retrospectively evaluated 208 cases with a clinical diagnosis of masquerade syndrome from 1998 to 2010. In 200 cases with molecular analyses using microdissection and polymerase chain reaction, we found that 110 cases had IgH gene rearrangement, 5 cases had TCR gene rearrangement, and 85 cases were negative for these two gene arrangements. The molecular data corroborated the cytopathological diagnoses of PVRL and uveitis in the majority of cases. Cytokine above the detected levels in the specimens were also measured in 80 of the 208 cases. A ratio of vitreous IL-10 to IL-6 greater than 1, suggesting PVRL, was found in 56/80 cases; 53/56 had the correct diagnosis. A ratio less than 1, suggesting uveitis, was found in 24/80 cases; 17/24 correctly confirmed the diagnosis. Moreover, the molecular data corresponded well with the clinical course of the diseases. The sensitivity and specificity of these molecular biomarkers for the diagnosis of PVRL are higher than 95%.

Age-related radical-induced DNA damage is linked to prostate cancer.

We measured concentrations and ratios of mutagenic (8-OH) lesions to putatively nonmutagenic formamidopyrimidine (Fapy) lesions of adenine (Ade) and guanine (Gua) to elucidate radical (.OH)-induced changes in DNA of normal, normal from cancer, and cancer tissues of the prostate. The relationship between the lesions was expressed using the mathematical model log(10)[(8-OH-Ade + 8-OH-Gua)/(FapyAde + FapyGua)]. Logistic regression analysis of the log ratios for DNA of normal and cancer tissues discriminated between the two tissue groups with high sensitivity and specificity. Correlation analysis of log ratios for normal prostates revealed a highly significant increase in the proportion of mutagenic base lesions with age. Data from correlation analysis of the log ratios for normal tissues from cancer were consistent with an age-dependent, dose-response relationship. The slopes for both correlations intersected at approximately 61 years, an age when prostate cancer incidence is known to rise sharply. The age-related increase in the proportion of.OH-induced mutagenic base lesions is likely a significant factor in prostate cancer development.

Factors critical to the design and execution of epidemiologic studies and description of an innovative technology to follow the progression from normal to cancer tissue.

The results obtained from experimental studies of estrogen carcinogenesis need validation in epidemiologic studies. Such studies present additional challenges, however, because variations in human populations are much greater than those in experimental systems and in animal models. Because epidemiologic studies are often used to evaluate modest differences in risk factors, it is essential to minimize sources of errors and to maximize sensitivity, reproducibility, and specificity. In the first part of this chapter, critical factors in designing and executing epidemiologic studies, as well as the influence of sample collection, processing, and storage on data reliability, are discussed. One of the most important requirements is attaining sufficient statistical power to assess small genetic effects and to evaluate interactions between genetic and environmental factors. The second part of this chapter describes innovative technology, namely, Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectra of DNA that reveal major structural differences at various stages of the progression from normal to cancer tissue. The structural differences become evident from wavenumber-by-wavenumber statistical comparisons of the mean FT-IR spectra of DNA from normal to cancer tissues. This analysis has allowed distinguishing benign tissues from cancer and metastatic tissues in human breast, prostate, and ovarian cancers. This analysis, which requires less than 1 microg of DNA, is predicted to be used for detecting early cancer-related changes at the level of DNA, rather than at the cellular level.

Increased PA-inhibitor levels in the postoperative period--no cause-effect relation with increased cortisol.

It has been reported that the level of PA-inhibitor increases in postoperative patients and on the other hand that glucocorticoids increase the PA-inhibitor level in cell culture. Because surgery is associated with increased plasma cortisol level, a relation between the postoperative increase in plasma cortisol and PA-inhibitor levels was looked for. Blood samples were collected from 8 patients undergoing extensive abdominal surgery, before operation and postoperatively at 2 hr, 4 hr, 24 hr and daily for 7 days. Plasma cortisol and PA-inhibitor were increased 2 hr after surgery, when there was a significant correlation (p less than 0.05). The maximum increase was at 24 hr and the values fell to normal on day 6. An increase in t-PA related antigen (t-PA R:Ag) and a decrease in euglobulin fibrinolytic activity (EFA) also occurred. In 7 controls 0.25 mg ACTH was given intravenously and blood was collected after 1/2, 1, 2, 4, 6 hr. Although the increase in plasma cortisol level following ACTH was comparable to that observed after surgery the increase was not associated with significant change in PA-inhibitor level, t-PA R:Ag or EFA. A cause-effect relationship between the increased plasma cortisol and PA-inhibitor level could not be shown. The mechanism of the postoperative increase in PA-inhibitor thus remains unknown.

HLA class II haplotype associations with inflammatory bowel disease in Jewish (Ashkenazi) and non-Jewish caucasian populations.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) are the clinical entities comprising idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Previous studies on the association of IBD and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II genes suggested a role for HLA in this disease. Here we present HLA class II (DRB1, DQB1, DQA1, DPB1) allele and haplotype distributions determined using the polymerase chain reaction and sequence-specific oligonucleotide probe methods. A total of 578 UC and CD Caucasian patients and controls from Jewish (Ashkenazi) and non-Jewish populations was examined. Our previously reported association of DR1-DQ5 with CD was attributable to DRB1*0103. A dramatic association with IBD and the highly unusual DRB1*0103-DQA1*0501-DQB1*0301 haplotype (OR = 6.6, p = 0.036) was found. The more common DR1 haplotype, DRB1*0103-DQA1*0101-DQB1*0501, was also associated with IBD (OR = 3.1, p = 0.014), a result suggesting that interaction between DR and DQ may determine the extent of disease risk. Our previously reported association of DR2 with UC was attributable to DRB1*1502 (OR = 2.6, p = 0.006). At the DPB1 locus, a significant association of DPB1*0401 with CD was observed for the combined populations (OR = 1.85, p = 0.007). These observations indicate that some class II alleles and haplotypes confer susceptibility to both UC and CD, implying common immunogenetic mechanisms of pathogenesis, while others confer risk to only one of these diseases, and illustrate the value of DNA HLA typing in disease susceptibility analyses.

Urinary electrolyte excretion after frusemide, amiloride and a combination of these drugs: an open, crossover study.

Urinary volume and electrolyte excretion were monitored for 24 hours in 12 elderly, catheterized patients with mild congestive cardiac failure. Five timed collections (0 to 3, 3 to 6, 6 to 9, 9 to 12 and 12 to 24 hours) were made after single doses of 40 mg frusemide, 5 mg amiloride and a combination tablet containing both 40 mg frusemide and 5 mg amiloride. Patients received each therapy according to a Latin Square design, with a 6-day washout phase separating the three study periods. The study periods consisted of a 24-hour control urinary collection, immediately followed by diuretic and a further 24-hour urine collection. Diuretics were not administered immediately prior to the study or during the washout phases. Amiloride, as expected, showed mild diuretic and natriuretic properties, but in the 12 to 24-hour period it induced a greater diuresis (p less than 0.05) than did frusemide or the combination. Frusemide and the combination tablet both produced a rapid and powerful diuresis in the 0 to 3-hour post-dose period and did not differ significantly in urine output at any time point. However, a difference in natriuretic activity was seen between frusemide and the combination, with the latter producing a significantly greater sodium excretion in the 12 to 24-hour period (p less than 0.05). Potassium-retaining activity throughout the 24 hours was marked after amiloride, with potassium excretion being significantly less (p less than 0.05) than either control, frusemide or the combination.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Extended care and nursing home staff attitudes toward restraints. Moderately positive attitudes exist.

1. The average score on the Restraint Questionnaire for Staff indicated that the extended care and nursing home staff members in the study presented had moderately positive attitudes toward using restraints. 2. There were no significant differences in attitude scores based on gender, position, education, or clinical experience. 3. Collaborating with another professional, especially a physician, was related to a more positive attitude toward restraints; this effect approached statistical significance. 4. Sixty-five percent of the staff could offer no alternatives to restraining a patient; for those who could offer an alternative, increasing staff size was cited most frequently.

Institutional policy: use of restraints in extended care and nursing homes.

1. The percentage of patients restrained on these nursing home and extended care units was 32%, similar to that for other nursing home studies. 2. The archetypical restrained patient was older, new on the unit, had altered thought processes and a high potential for injury, and required extensive nursing care. Typically, the type of restraint a patient wore was a vest posey, on the day shift while in his room. 3. The most frequent rationale given by nurses for applying restraints was to prevent patient falls; however, half the time, this rationale was not charted. 4. Upon examining institutional restraint policy, nurses should be prepared to implement changes in documentation format, provide staff education regarding restraint use and alternatives available, institute a rehabilitative and restorative nursing care and fall prevention program, redesign the physical environment, and designate adequate resources for an effective diversion activity program.

Patient and family perceptions of restraints.

Based on a holistic philosophy that aging persons' most primary need is that of autonomy and freedom, this qualitative descriptive study examined patients' and their family members' perceptions of the restraint procedure. Twenty-five restrained patients were interviewed, and 19 of their family members completed mailed surveys to describe their perceptions about restraints. Results indicated that the majority of patients (52%) expressed negative feelings about being restrained. Family members expressed a wide variety of feelings and were ambivalent about seeing a loved one restrained. Implications are that nursing needs to become committed to the philosophy of autonomy and freedom for elderly persons.

[Acute intrahepatic lithiasic cholecystitis. Apropos of a case]. / Cholécystites aiguës lithiasiques intra-hépatiques. A propos d'un cas.

Pre-operative diagnosis in a case of acute intrahepatic lithiasic cholecystitis was an intrahepatic cystic formation. Treatment was by cholecystectomy. A review of the published literature demonstrated that the usual pre-operative diagnosis in these cases was either a cystic formation or an intrahepatic tumor. When cholecystectomy is not possible, therapy involves extraction of all gallbladder stones and main biliary tract drainage.

Relationship among eye and muzzle temperatures measured using digital infrared thermal imaging and vaginal and rectal temperatures in hair sheep and cattle.

Digital infrared thermal imaging (DITI) using a thermal camera has potential to be a useful tool for the production animal industry. Thermography has been used in both humans and a wide range of animal species to measure body temperature as a method to detect injury or inflammation. The objective of these experiments was to compare the temperature of the eye (EYE) or muzzle (MUZ) measured using DITI to vaginal (VT) and rectal temperature (RT) as measures of core body temperature in hair sheep and beef cattle. In Exp.1 EYE, VT and RT were measured in lactating, multiparous hair sheep ewes (St. Croix White, n = 10, and Dorper × St. Croix White, n = 10) in a non-febrile state 5 times over a 48-h period. Data loggers were used to measure VT and a digital veterinary thermometer was used to measure RT. There was a high correlation (P < 0.001) between VT and RT (r = 0.95), EYE and RT (r = 0.76) and EYE and VT (r = 0.77). In Exp. 2 EYE, MUZ, VT and RT were measured in multiparous, lactating ewes (St. Croix White, n = 2, and Barbados Blackbelly, n = 12) at -12, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12, 24, 36, and 48 h after being administered lipopolysaccharide (LPS; n = 7; 0.2 µg/kg BW, i.v.) or saline (n = 7; 0.5 mL, i.v.). Data loggers were used to measure VT and a digital veterinary thermometer was used to measure RT. When data were combined across treatments (LPS and saline) there was a high correlation (P < 0.001) between VT and RT (r = 0.96), EYE and RT (r = 0.82), MUZ and RT (r = 0.72), and EYE and VT (r = 0.93). In Exp. 3 EYE, MUZ, VT and RT were measured in multiparous, non-lactating, pregnant Senepol cattle (n = 44) between 0900 and 1200 h on a single day. A digital veterinary thermometer was used to measure both VT and RT. There was a high correlation (P < 0.001) between VT and RT (r = 0.78), a moderate correlation (P < 0.001) between VT and EYE (r = 0.52), RT and EYE (r = 0.58) and EYE and MUZ (r = 0.48). There was no correlation (P > 0.10) between RT or VT and MUZ. The findings of these three studies indicate that temperature of the eye, measured using DITI, can be used as an indicator of core body temperature in hair sheep and beef cattle as an alternative to using vaginal or rectal temperature.

The effect of a split feeding regimen and breed on body temperature of hair sheep ewes in the tropics.

Lactating St. Croix White and Dorper×St. Croix White ewes were used to evaluate the effect of breed and feeding a split ration on body temperature during the cool (March-April) and warm (July-August) seasons in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Within each season ewes were assigned to treatments (n=8/treatment) based on breed, age, and number of lambs. Treatments consisted of individually feeding ewes daily 0.9 kg concentrate (16.4% CP and 68% TDN) in the morning (AM) or afternoon (PM), 0.45 kg in the morning and afternoon (AM-PM), or no feed (Control) for 56 d beginning on d 7 (lambing=d 0). Ewes were fitted with intravaginal temperature data loggers, set to record vaginal temperature (VT) at 5-min intervals, for 48 h in wk 2 (d 8-14), 5 (d 29-35), and 8 (d 50-56) postpartum. Repeated measures analysis of VT was conducted using a model including treatment, season, and breed as fixed effects. There was no effect of season so data were pooled across season. The interaction of breed with treatment or season was not significant so breed comparisons were made using data pooled across treatments and season. The mean temperature, relative humidity, and temperature-humidity index during the cool and warm seasons were 25.8°C, 85.9%, and 76.1 and 28.3°C, 86.7%, and 80.6, respectively. There was no effect of season or the breed×treatment×season interaction on VT (P>0.10) so all data were pooled across season and breed for analysis of the treatment effect. During wk 2 there was no difference (P>0.10) in VT among treatment groups. During wk 5 the AM-PM ewes had higher (P<0.01) VT than AM, PM, or Control ewes. During wk 8 the AM-PM and PM ewes had higher VT (P<0.01) than either the AM or Control ewes. To evaluate breed effect, data were pooled across treatments and seasons and analyzed using breed as the single main effect. Dorper×St. Croix White ewes had higher (P<0.0001) VT than St. Croix White ewes. The results show that body temperature of ewes can be influenced by time of feeding and breed. The local breed of sheep, St. Croix White, had a lower body temperature than Dorper×St. Croix White sheep. Ewes that were fed in the afternoon for an extended time during the postpartum period developed elevated body temperatures, which could make them more susceptible to heat stress.

HLA class I (A, B, C) and class II (DRB1, DQA1, DQB1, DPB1) alleles and haplotypes in the Han from southern China.

In this study, polymerase chain reaction-sequence-specific oligonucleotide prode (SSOP) typing results for the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I (A, B, and C) and class II (DRB1, DQA1, DQB1, and DPB1) loci in 264 individuals of the Han ethnic group from the Canton region of southern China are presented. The data are examined at the allele, genotype, and haplotype level. Common alleles at each of the loci are in keeping with those observed in similar populations, while the high-resolution typing methods used give additional details about allele frequency distributions not shown in previous studies. Twenty distinct alleles are seen at HLA-A in this population. The locus is dominated by the A*1101 allele, which is found here at a frequency of 0.266. The next three most common alleles, A*2402, A*3303, and A*0203, are each seen at frequencies of greater than 10%, and together, these four alleles account for roughly two-thirds of the total for HLA-A in this population. Fifty alleles are observed for HLA-B, 21 of which are singleton copies. The most common HLA-B alleles are B*4001 (f= 0.144), B*4601 (f= 0.119), B*5801 (f= 0.089), B*1301 (f= 0.068), B*1502 (f= 0.073), and B*3802 (f= 0.070). At the HLA-C locus, there are a total of 20 alleles. Four alleles (Cw*0702, Cw*0102, Cw*0801, and Cw*0304) are found at frequencies of greater than 10%, and together, these alleles comprise over 60% of the total. Overall, the class II loci are somewhat less diverse than class I. Twenty-eight distinct alleles are seen at DRB1, and the most common three, DRB1*0901, *1202, and *1501, are each seen at frequencies of greater than 10%. The DR4 lineage also shows extensive expansion in this population, with seven subtypes, representing one quarter of the diversity at this locus. Eight alleles are observed at DQA1; DQA1*0301 and 0102 are the most common alleles, with frequencies over 20%. The DQB1 locus is dominated by four alleles of the 03 lineage, which make up nearly half of the total. The two most common DQB1 alleles in this population are DQB1*0301 (f= 0.242) and DQB1*0303 (f= 0.15). Eighteen alleles are observed at DPB1; DPB1*0501 is the most common allele, with a frequency of 37%. The class I allele frequency distributions, expressed in terms of Watterson's (homozygosity) F-statistic, are all within expectations under neutrality, while there is evidence for balancing selection at DRB1, DQA1, and DQB1. Departures from Hardy-Weinberg expectations are observed for HLA-C and DRB1 in this population. Strong individual haplotypic associations are seen for all pairs of loci, and many of these occur at frequencies greater than 5%. In the class I region, several examples of HLA-B and -C loci in complete or near complete linkage disequilibrium (LD) are present, and the two most common, B*4601-Cw*0102 and B*5801-Cw*0302 account for more than 20% of the B-C haplotypes. Similarly, at class II, nearly all of the most common DR-DQ haplotypes are in nearly complete LD. The most common DRB1-DQB1 haplotypes are DRB1*0901-DQB1*0303 (f= 0.144) and DRB1*1202-DQB1*0301 (f= 0.131). The most common four locus class I and class II combined haplotypes are A*3303-B*5801-DRB1*0301-DPB1*0401 (f= 0.028) and A*0207-B*4601-DRB1*0901-DPB1*0501 (f= 0.026). The presentation of complete DNA typing for the class I loci and haplotype analysis in a large sample such as this can provide insights into the population history of the region and give useful data for HLA matching in transplantation and disease association studies in the Chinese population.

Biodiversity of stream insects: variation at local, basin, and regional scales.

We review the major conceptual developments that have occurred over the last 50 years concerning the factors that influence insect biodiversity in streams and examine how well empirical descriptions and theory match. Stream insects appear to respond to both spatial and temporal variation in physical heterogeneity. At all spatial scales, the data largely support the idea that physical complexity promotes biological richness, although exceptions to this relationship were found. These exceptions may be related to how we measure habitat complexity at finer spatial scales and to factors that influence regional richness, such as biogeographic history, at broader spatial scales. However, the degree to which local stream insect assemblages are influenced by regional processes is largely unknown.