Thyroid function in patients with selenium deficiency exhibits high free T4 to T3 ratio.

Selenium, one of the essential trace minerals, is present in vivo in form of selenoproteins. Iodothyronine deiodinase, a selenoprotein, is involved in the activation and inactivation of thyroid hormone. Therefore, patients with selenium deficiency may present changes in thyroid hormone levels due to inhibition of T4 to T3 conversion; however, this assumption is still under debate. In the present study, we retrospectively investigated the thyroid function in 22 patients with selenium deficiency. Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and free T4 (FT4) levels were increased in 3 (14%) and 5 (23%) patients, respectively, and free T3 (FT3) levels were decreased in 6 (27%) patients. The FT4/FT3 ratio was significantly higher in patients with selenium deficiency than that in the control group. There appeared to be a positive correlation between the decreased rate of selenium levels and FT4/FT3 ratio, thereby indicating that patients with severe selenium deficiency also exhibited abnormal thyroid hormone levels. Furthermore, when selenium was supplemented in seven patients with abnormal thyroid hormone levels, the TSH, FT4, and FT4/FT3 ratio were significantly decreased and FT3 levels were increased. Collectively, patients with selenium deficiency could present the characteristics of not only low FT3 but also high FT4 and FT4/FT3 ratio.

Feasibility, benefits, and cost-effectiveness of adding universal hepatitis B and syphilis testing to routine antenatal care services in Thai Nguyen province, Vietnam.

Pregnant women in Vietnam have a high prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and low prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and syphilis. This study aims to assess the feasibility and benefit of universal testing for HIV, HBV and syphilis in antenatal care (ANC) services. A pilot project was conducted in the Thai Nguyen province of Vietnam between 2012 and 2014. HIV, HBV and syphilis testing were offered to pregnant women. Interventions to eliminate mother-to child-transmission (MTCT) of the three pathogens were provided to infected mothers and their infants. Descriptive analysis was conducted, and the number of infections averted from integrating hepatitis B tests into ANC was estimated. Testing coverage for HIV, HBV and syphilis for the cohort of pregnant women during the pilot project was 98%. Prevalence of HIV, HBV and syphilis infections in this cohort was 0.14%, 7.8%, and 0.03%, respectively. No infant was infected with HIV or syphilis, while HBV infection was diagnosed in 27 infants (13.9%). An estimated 23 mother to child HBV infections were prevented by integrated interventions. The triple prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, HBV and syphilis is feasible. Investment in the expansion of the integrated approach is required to achieve the goal of eliminating MTCT.

Genetic consequences of being a dwarf: do evolutionary changes in life-history traits influence gene flow patterns in populations of the world's smallest goldenrod?

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Contrasting life-history traits can evolve through generations of dwarf plant ecotypes, yet such phenotypic changes often involve decreased plant size and reproductive allocation, which can configure seed dispersal patterns and, subsequently, population demography. Therefore, evolutionary transitions to dwarfism can represent good study systems to test the roles of life-history traits in population demography by comparing genetic structure between related but phenotypically divergent ecotypes. METHODS: In this study, we examined an ecotypic taxon pair of the world's smallest goldenrod (stem height 2.6 cm) in alpine habitats and its closely related lowland taxon (30-40 cm) found on Yakushima Island, Japan. Genetic variation in chloroplast DNA sequences, nuclear microsatellites and genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphisms were used to investigate 197 samples from 16 populations, to infer the population genetic demography and compare local genetic structure of the ecotypes. KEY RESULTS: We found a pronounced level of genetic differentiation among alpine dwarf populations, which were much less geographically isolated than their lowland counterparts. In particular, several neighbouring dwarf populations (located ~500 m apart) harboured completely different sets of chloroplast haplotypes and nuclear genetic clusters. Demographic modelling revealed that the dwarf populations have not exchanged genes at significant levels after population divergence. CONCLUSIONS: These lines of evidence suggest that substantial effects of genetic drift have operated on these dwarf populations. The low-growing stature and reduced fecundity (only 3.1 heads per plant) of the dwarf plants may have reduced gene flow and rare long-distance seed dispersal among habitat patches, although the effects of life-history traits require further evaluation using ecological approaches.

Phylogeographic analysis of the East Asian goldenrod (Solidago virgaurea complex, Asteraceae) reveals hidden ecological diversification with recurrent formation of ecotypes.

Background and Aims: The processes and mechanisms underlying lineage diversification are major topics in evolutionary biology. Eurasian goldenrod species of the Solidago virgaurea complex show remarkable morphological and ecological diversity in the Japanese Archipelago, with ecotypic taxa well adapted to specific environments (climate, edaphic conditions and disturbance regimes). The species complex is a suitable model to investigate the evolutionary processes of actively speciating plant groups, due to its ability to evolve in relation to environmental adaptation and its historical population dynamics. Methods: Two chloroplast markers, 18 nuclear microsatellite markers and ddRAD-sequencing were used to infer population genetic demography of S. virgaurea complex with its related species/genera. Key Results: Our analysis showed that populations in Japan form an evolutionary unit, which was genetically diverged from adjacent continental populations. The phylogenetic structure within the archipelago strongly corresponds to the geography, but interestingly there is no concordance between genetic structure and ecotypic boundaries; neighbouring populations of distinct ecotypes share a genetic background. Conclusions: We propose that the traits specific to the ecotypic entities are maintained by natural selection or are very recently generated and have little effect on the genomes, making genome-wide genetic markers unsuitable for detecting ecotypic differentiation. Furthermore, some sporadically distributed taxa (found as rheophytes and alpine plants) were repeatedly generated from a more widespread taxon in geographically distant areas by means of selection. Overall, this study showed that the goldenrod complex has a high ability to evolve, enabling rapid ecological diversification over a recent timeframe.

Simultaneous evaluation of the effects of geographic, environmental and temporal isolation in ecotypic populations of Solidago virgaurea.

Early stages of ecological speciation can create populations with an ecology and reproduction timing distinct from those of related populations. Landscape genetic models incorporating environmental heterogeneity and population-specific reproductive traits enable the processes of population genetic differentiation to be inferred. We investigated genome-wide genetic variation in ecotypic populations of Solidago virgaurea sensu lato, a herbaceous plant inhabiting a wide range of habitats (woodlands, serpentine barrens and alpine grasslands) and displaying remarkable variation in flowering time. Simultaneous evaluation of environmental factors revealed an overwhelming effect of soil type differences on neutral genetic differentiation, compared with elevational differences. This result probably reflects the abrupt environmental changes generated by geological boundaries, whereas mountain slopes exhibit clinal changes, facilitating gene exchange between neighbouring populations. Temporal isolation was positively associated with genetic differentiation, with some early-flowering serpentine populations having allele frequencies distinct from adjacent nonserpentine populations. Overall, this study highlights the importance of ecological processes and of evolution of flowering time to promote genetic differentiation of S. virgaurea populations in a complex landscape.

Integrating HIV, hepatitis B and syphilis screening and treatment through the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health platform to reach global elimination targets.

Every year, an estimated 180 000 babies in the Western Pacific Region are infected by hepatitis B, 13 000 by syphilis and 1400 by HIV through mother-to-child transmission. (1) These infections can be largely prevented by antenatal screening, treatment and timely vaccination for newborns. Despite challenges in controlling each disease, major achievements have been made. National immunization programmes have reduced the regional hepatitis B prevalence from over 8% in 1990 to 0.93% among children born in 2012. In addition, HIV testing and treatment have helped keep the regional prevalence of HIV infections at 0.1%. In contrast, the number of maternal syphilis cases is still high in the Western Pacific Region, with an estimated 45 million cases in 2012. Elimination of mother-to-child transmission of these infections cannot be achieved through vertically applied programming and require using and augmenting to the shared Maternal, Newborn and Child Health platform to coordinate, integrate and enable cost efficiencies for these elimination efforts. The Regional Framework for Triple Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV, Hepatitis B and Syphilis in Asia and the Pacific 2018-2030 offers such a coordinated approach towards achieving the triple elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, hepatitis B and syphilis and provides guidance for decision-makers, managers and health professionals working in programmes addressing maternal, newborn and child health, HIV, hepatitis, sexually transmitted infections and immunization.

A hypothesis on the origin of genetic heterozygosity in diploids and triploids in Japanese Cayratia japonica species complex (Vitaceae).

We previously reported the occurrence of triploid strains in Japanese populations of Cayratia japonica (Thunb.) Gagnep. Interestingly, the triploid and most diploid strains had variably reduced pollen fertility. Two questions emerged from this earlier work: (1) How do triploids arise, and are they allotriploids or autotriploids? and (2) Why is there low pollen fertility in some diploid plants? We used a molecular genetic approach to determine the phylogenetic origins of triploids in C. japonica and the closely related species Cayratia tenuifolia (Wight & Arn.) Gagnep. In our analysis, we compared the sequences of the nuclear single-copy genes LEAFY and ASYMMETRIC LEAVES1. As a result, most triploids and diploids were heterozygous for the loci examined; the triploid genome shared an allele with the diploid genome, but other alleles differed between the ploidies. Therefore, Japanese populations of C. japonica and C. tenuifolia almost certainly arose from repeated hybridization events among genetically differentiated strains. Using our sequence data, we discuss possible scenarios accounting for the occurrence of triploids in the two species of Cayratia.

Evaluation of morphological and molecular variation in Plantago asiatica var. densiuscula, with special reference to the systematic treatment of Plantago asiatica var. yakusimensis.

Morphological and molecular variations in Plantago asiatica L. var. densiuscula Pilg. were analyzed to evaluate the genetic basis for recognizing the dwarf variety P. asiatica var. yakusimensis (Masam.) Ohwi. Considerable variation in the leaf size of P. asiatica var. densiuscula was observed, and no morphological discontinuities were found between the dwarf types of P. asiatica var. densiuscula and P. asiatica var. yakusimensis. Morphological analysis of plants grown under standardized conditions revealed that both environmental plasticity and genetic differentiation contributed to the dwarfisms. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions and the SUC1 locus encoding a sucrose transporter revealed that P. asiatica var. yakusimensis was genetically unique although the differentiation level was low. From the above results, we concluded that P. asiatica var. yakusimensis should be reduced to a form of P. asiatica var. densiuscula. Furthermore, the geographic distribution of the SUC1 genotype suggested multiple origins of dwarves, and possible hypotheses for the origins of dwarves are discussed.