Effect of corn residue harvest method with ruminally undegradable protein supplementation on performance of growing calves and fiber digestibility.

Two experiments evaluated the effects of corn residue harvest method on animal performance and diet digestibility. Experiment 1 was designed as a 2 × 2 + 1 factorial arrangement of treatments using 60 individually fed crossbred steers (280 kg [SD 32] initial BW; = 12). Factors were the corn residue harvest method (high-stem and conventional) and supplemental RUP at 2 concentrations (0 and 3.3% diet DM). A third harvest method (low-stem) was also evaluated, but only in diets containing supplemental RUP at 3.3% diet DM because of limitations in the amount of available low-stem residue. Therefore, the 3 harvest methods were compared only in diets containing supplemental RUP. In Exp. 2, 9 crossbred wethers were blocked by BW (42.4 kg [SD 7] initial BW) and randomly assigned to diets containing corn residue harvested 1 of 3 ways (low-stem, high-stem, and conventional). In Exp. 1, steers fed the low-stem residue diet had greater ADG compared with the steers fed conventionally harvested corn residue ( = 0.03; 0.78 vs. 0.63 kg), whereas steers fed high-stem residue were intermediate ( > 0.17; 0.69 kg), not differing from either conventional or low-stem residues. Results from in vitro OM digestibility suggest that low-stem residue had the greatest ( < 0.01) amount of digestible OM compared with the other 2 residue harvest methods, which did not differ ( = 0.32; 55.0, 47.8, and 47.1% for low-stem, high-stem, and conventional residues, respectively). There were no differences in RUP content (40% of CP) and RUP digestibility (60%) among the 3 residues ( ≥ 0.35). No interactions were observed between harvest method and the addition of RUP ( ≥ 0.12). The addition of RUP tended to result in improved ADG (0.66 ± 0.07 vs. 0.58 ± 0.07 for supplemental RUP and no RUP, respectively; = 0.08) and G:F (0.116 ± 0.006 vs. 0.095 ± 0.020 for supplemental RUP and no RUP, respectively; = 0.02) compared with similar diets without the additional RUP. In Exp. 2, low-stem residue had greater DM and OM digestibility and DE ( < 0.01) than high-stem and conventional residues, which did not differ ( ≥ 0.63). Low-stem residue also had the greatest NDF digestibility (NDFD; < 0.01), whereas high-stem residue had greater NDFD than conventional residue ( < 0.01). Digestible energy was greatest for low-stem residue ( < 0.05) and did not differ between high-stem and conventional residues ( = 0.50). Reducing the proportion of stem in the bale through changes in the harvest method increased the nutritive quality of corn residue.

Anal phyllodes tumor in a male patient: a unique case presentation and literature review.

Lesions of anogenital mammary-like glands are rare, and only 44 female cases have been reported. Herein, we describe a particularly rare case of phyllodes tumor of anogenital mammary-like glands in a 41-year-old male presenting anal bleeding. Papillectomy was performed. The excised tumor was circumscribed in shape, and after it was sliced into sections, it was noted that there were leaf-like slits on the surface of cut side. Under the microscope, the tumor was found to be biphasic, with a bland glandular epithelium and low-to-intermediate cellular stroma, which together created the leaf-like slits. Gynecomastoid hyperplasia was evident at the periphery. The epithelium showed immuno-activity for ER, PR(focal), AR, and GCDFP-15. The stromal cells showed positive staining for CD34 and vimentin. The morphology and immunophenotype were similar to benign phyllodes tumors of breast. To the best of our knowledge, this case report represents the first case of phyllodes tumor of anogenital mammary-like glands with gynecomastoid hyperplasia at the periphery in a male patient. To make a diagnosis, we had to differentiate this lesion from hidradenoma papilliferum of skin appendage, phyllodes tumor of ectopic prostatic tissue, and other tumors of anogenital mammary-like glands analogous to the breast tumor (e.g., fibroadenoma phyllodes, periductal stromal sarcoma, and spindle cell carcinoma). While gynecomastia of male breast is usually a result of hormone imbalance, our patient's tumor did not seem to be related to peripheral hormone status in the anogenital mammary-like glands. Nevertheless, because hormone imbalance has been strongly related to male breast cancer, hormone levels may need to be followed in male patients who have this rare malady. VIRTUAL SLIDES: The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/1509145815899177.

Presacral teratocarcinoma presenting as anal fistula and rectal adenocarcinoma: a unique case presentation and literature review.

Somatic malignancy arising from presacral or retroperitoneal primary teratoma is extremely rare. We report the case of a 37-year-old male patient with adenocarcinoma of respiratory type arising from primary presacral teratoma, but which first presented as anal fistula and rectal adenocarcinoma. The two tumors show the same morphology and immunophenotype (CK7-CK20+CDx2+). Malignant adenocarcinoma transformations from the normal respiratory epithelium are also found. To the best of our knowledge, this is the second case of respiratory type adenocarcinoma arising from primary presacral mature cystic teratoma.

The influence of clonal diversity and intensity-dependence on trematode infections in an amphipod.

Individual animals are often infected not only by different parasite species, but also by multiple genotypes of the same parasite species. Genetic relatedness among parasites sharing a host is expected to modulate their strategies of resource exploitation, growth and virulence. We experimentally examined the effects that genetic diversity and infection intensity had on host mortality, infectivity and growth of the marine trematode Maritrema novaezealandensis in amphipod hosts. The presence of 2 versus 1 parasite genotype during infection did not influence subsequent host mortality, had different effects on infectivity among genotypes and did not influence growth or variation in parasite growth. Density-dependent growth reductions revealed that the number of parasites infecting a host was more important than their genetic relatedness. Temperature, host size, and host sex influenced the degree to which density-dependent factors affected parasite growth. Our results suggest that the effects of parasite relatedness vary among parasite genotypes in this trematode species, and reveal that many factors play an important role during parasite development and transmission.

Effects of interspecific competition on asexual proliferation and clonal genetic diversity in larval trematode infections of snails.

Interactions among different parasite species within hosts can be important factors shaping the evolution of parasite and host populations. Within snail hosts, antagonistic interactions among trematode species, such as competition and predation, can influence parasite abundance and diversity. In the present study we examined the strength of antagonistic interactions between 2 marine trematodes (Maritrema novaezealandensis and Philophthalmus sp.) in naturally infected Zeacumantus subcarinatus snails. We found approximately the same number of snails harbouring both species as would be expected by chance given the prevalence of each. However, snails infected with only M. novaezealandensis and snails with M. novaezealandensis and Philophthalmus sp. co-occurring were smaller than snails harbouring only Philophthalmus sp. In addition, the number of Philophthalmus sp. rediae was not affected by the presence of M. novaezealandensis sporocysts and the within-host clonal diversity of M. novaezealandensis was not influenced by the presence of Philophthalmus sp. Our results suggest that antagonistic interactions may not be a major force influencing the evolution of these trematodes and that characteristics such as host size and parasite infection longevity are shaping their abundance and population dynamics.

Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci from the yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes).

Twelve microsatellite loci were isolated and characterized in the endangered yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes) using enriched genomic libraries. Polymorphic loci revealed two to eight alleles per locus and observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.21 to 0.77. These loci will be suitable for assessing current and historical patterns of genetic variability in yellow-eyed penguins.

The effect of lopinavir/ritonavir on the renal clearance of tenofovir in HIV-infected patients.

We determined the effects of lopinavir/ritonavir on tenofovir renal clearance. Human immunodeficiency virus-infected subjects taking tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) were matched on age, race, and gender and were enrolled into one of the following two groups: group 1: subjects taking TDF plus lopinavir/ritonavir plus other nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs); group 2: subjects taking TDF plus NRTIs and/or non-NRTIs but no protease inhibitors. Twenty-four-hour blood and urine collections were carried out in subjects for tenofovir quantification. Drug transporter genotype associations with tenofovir pharmacokinetics were examined. In 30 subjects, median (range) tenofovir apparent oral clearance, renal clearance, and fraction excreted in urine were 34.6 l/h (20.6-89.5), 11.3 l/h (6.2-22.6), and 0.33 (0.23-0.5), respectively. After adjusting for renal function, tenofovir renal clearance was 17.5% slower (P=0.04) in subjects taking lopinavir/ritonavir versus those not taking a protease inhibitor, consistent with a renal interaction between these drugs. Future studies should clarify the exact mechanism and whether there is an increased risk of nephrotoxicity.

Promotor genotype of the platelet-derived growth factor receptor-alpha gene shows population stratification but not association with spina bifida meningomyelocele.

Neural tube defects (NTDs) constitute a major group of congenital malformations with an overall incidence of approximately 1-2 in 1,000 live births in the United States. Hispanic Americans have a 2.5 times higher risk than the Caucasian population. Spina bifida meningomyelocele (SBMM) is a major clinical presentation of NTDs resulting from lack of closure of the spinal cord caudal to the head. In a previous study of spina bifida (SB) patients of European Caucasian descent, it was suggested that specific haplotypes of the platelet-derived growth factor receptor-alpha (PDGFRA) gene P1 promoter strongly affected the rate of NTD genesis. In our study, we evaluated the association of PDGFRA P1 in a group of 407 parent-child triads (167 Caucasian, 240 Hispanics) and 164 unrelated controls (89 Caucasian, 75 Hispanic). To fully evaluate the association of PDGFRA P1, we performed both transmission-disequilibrium test (TDT) and association analyses to test the hypotheses that PDGFRA P1 was (1) transmitted preferentially in SBMM affected children and (2) associated with the condition of SBMM comparing affected children to unaffected controls. We did find that there was a different allelic and genotypic distribution of PDGFRA P1 when comparing Hispanics and Caucasians. However, neither ethnic group showed strong association between SBMM and the PDGFRA P1 region. These findings suggest that PDGFRA P1 does not have a major role in the development of SBMM.

Phylogeographical disjunction in abundant high-dispersal littoral gastropods.

Abstract Phylogeographical disjunctions in high-dispersal marine taxa are variously ascribed to palaeogeographical conditions or contemporary ecological factors. Associated biogeographical studies, however, seldom incorporate the sampling design required to confidently discriminate among such competing hypotheses. In the current study, over 7800 gastropod specimens were examined for operculum colour, and 129 specimens genetically, to test ecological and historical biogeographical hypotheses relating to biogeographical disjunction in the Southern Hemisphere, and to southern Australia in particular. Mitochondrial DNA sequence analysis of the high-dispersal intertidal gastropod Nerita atramentosa in southern Australia (88 specimens; 18 localities) revealed an east-west phylogeographical split involving two highly divergent clades (26.0 +/- 1.9%) exhibiting minimal geographical overlap in the southeast. The eastern clade of Nerita atramentosa is also widespread in northern New Zealand (43 specimens, 10 localities), but no significant genetic differentiation is explained by the Tasman Sea, a 2000-km-wide oceanic barrier. Spatial genetic structure was not detected within either clade, consistent with the species' dispersive planktotrophic phase lasting for 5-6 months. Digital analysis of operculum colouration revealed substantial differences between eastern (tan) and western (black) specimens. Genetic analysis and visual inspection of 88 Australian specimens revealed a completely nonrandom association between mtDNA data and operculum colouration. Independent examination of a further 7822 specimens from 14 sites in southern Australia revealed both colour morphs at all localities, but reinforced the phylogeographical data by indicating a marked turnover in colour morph abundance associated with a palaeogeographical barrier: Wilsons Promontory. This sharp biogeographical disjunction is in marked contrast to the species' high dispersal abilities. The genetic similarity of Nerita morio (Easter Island) and the eastern Australian + New Zealand lineage (1.1 +/- 0.3%) provides further evidence of long-distance dispersal in southern Nerita. Phylogenetic relationships of nine species (four genera) of Neritidae, an almost exclusively tropical gastropod family, are consistent with the hypothesis that southern temperate black nerites comprise a monophyletic radiation.

International Genetic Epidemiology Society: commentary on Darkness in El Dorado by Patrick Tierney.

The International Genetic Epidemiology Society (IGES) has examined the charges against James V. Neel and his colleagues contained in the recently published book by Patrick Tierney entitled Darkness in El Dorado: How Scientists and Journalists Devastated the Amazon (W.W. Norton, 2000). The book implicates Neel in causing or promoting an epidemic of measles among the Yanomamö Indians of Venezuela in 1968 leading to "hundreds if not thousands" of deaths by using a "dinosaur" vaccine (Edmonston B) as a deliberate "experiment" to test his "eugenic" theories. Tierney also attempts to link this research, funded by the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), with a broader tapestry of human radiation experiments. To investigate these serious charges, the IGES undertook a thorough examination of most source documents referenced in Tierney's book, Neel's field logs, notes, first-hand reports, contemporary writings, film sound tracks, etc., and conducted interviews with many relevant persons. The IGES finds that these allegations are false. Neel was not a eugenicist and was in fact highly critical of both the scientific basis of eugenics and its coercive social policies. In this regard, Tierney has grossly misrepresented Neel's views on a wide range of social implications of modern civilization for the long-term health of the gene pool. Far from causing an epidemic of measles, Neel did his utmost to protect the Yanomamö from the ravages of the impending epidemic by a vaccination program using a vaccine that was widely used at the time and administered in an appropriate manner. There was nothing experimental about the vaccination program, which in fact severely hindered the primary scientific objectives of the expedition. Although the research was funded in large part by the AEC, there was no element of radiation research and the work had no connection with the ethical abuses that have been reported from AEC-sponsored radiation research, such as studies of heavy isotopes. Neel's seminal contributions to a broad range of topics in human genetics have been extensively chronicled elsewhere. His research on the Yanomamö in particular has provided unique insights into the evolutionary biology of our species, the role of sociocultural practices, such as kinship relationships and selective pressures in shaping the genetic diversity of primitive population isolates, as well as the general picture of health in such populations. The IGES decries the damage done to the reputation of one of its founders and its first President and the misperception this book may have caused about the conduct of research in genetic epidemiology. Ethical issues about scientific research in primitive populations deserve serious and wide discussion, but the IGES condemns the gross misrepresentation of the facts and demonization of the principal characters in this book.

Heritability of life span in the Old Order Amish.

Although a familial contribution to human longevity is recognized, the nature of this contribution is largely unknown. We have examined the familial contribution to life span in the Old Order Amish (OOA) population of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Analyses were conducted on 1,655 individuals, representing all those born prior to 1890 and appearing in the most widely available genealogy, surviving until at least age 30 years, and with known date of death. Mean age at death (+/-SD) in this population was 70.7 +/- 15.6 years, and this did not change appreciably over time. Parental and offspring ages at death were significantly correlated, as were ages of death among siblings. Offspring longevity was correlated with longevity of both parents, and in more or less additive fashion. For example, mean offspring age at death was 69.4 +/- 15.3 years in individuals for whom both parents died before the age of 75 years (n = 280) and increased to 73.5 +/- 16.0 years in individuals for whom neither parent died before the age of 75 years (n = 311). These differences were highly significant (P = 0.006). We estimated heritability of life span to be 25% +/- 5%, suggesting that the additive effects of genes account for one quarter of the total variability in life span in the OOA. We conclude that longevity is moderately heritable in the OOA, that the genetic effects are additive, and that genetic influences on longevity are likely to be expressed across a broad range of ages. Published 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Assessing linkage of monoamine oxidase B in a genome-wide scan using a univariate variance components approach.

We report results when one alcoholism related quantitative trait, monoamine oxidase B (MAOB), is analyzed by the variance components approach for linkage [Amos, 1994; Amos et al., 1996] using the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism data set provided for the Genetic Analysis Workshop 11. We used two different covariate models, one with age at interview, sex, ethnicity, and smoking status and the other with age at interview, sex, and ethnicity. The univariate analysis showed 24 markers on four different chromosomes (1, 4, 9, and 12) to have evidence for linkage with the quantitative trait (single-point and multipoint linkage). However, when outliers for MAOB were removed, the significant evidence for linkage disappeared.

Assessment of estimation procedures for risk and onset hazard with dependent data.

Analysis of the role of candidate genes as risk factors for age-dependent hereditary conditions often ignores the importance of dependence among sibships or other family clusters for age of onset. We examined the performance of several methods of survival analysis with dependent data using Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism families as submitted for GAW11. Additionally, an arbitrary truncation of cluster size was performed to explore the potential impact of heterogeneity of family size on the resulting inferences concerning the role of candidate genes. Our results showed substantial differences in attribution of risk to candidate genes according to whether the method utilized allowed for dependence in onset age and according to whether the sample was truncated or arbitrarily stratified. Further work needs to be done to clarify the importance of properly accounting for dependent data in age-dependent phenotypes and in integrating these methods into widely used genetic analysis computer programs.

Familial analysis of event related potentials.

This report summarizes our analysis of the auditory and visual event related evoked potentials. These data were collected as a component of the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism and distributed as a part of the data available for the Genetic Analysis Workshop 11. For this analysis, we collapsed the data collected from eight leads using principal components methods. Using four collapsed variables derived from the principal components, we used regression analysis to adjust for environmental and demographic variables. We then fit the best fitting regression model and calculated the residuals. Using the residuals, we performed segregation analysis using S.A.G.E. Finally, we applied Markov chain Monte Carlo reverse jump methods to identify areas with potential quantitative trait loci. Our findings indicate that there may be an underlying genetic component to the potentials.

Genome scans for genetic predisposition to alcoholism by use of transmission disequilibrium test analyses.

We report the results of the analysis of three measures of alcoholism and six associated symptoms using transmission disequilibrium (TDT) analysis on data from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism data set. Implementation of identity-by-state (IBS) routines for error checking revealed 10 reported full siblings that were rejected as a full sibling to all of their purported full siblings with p < 0.05. TDT analysis revealed two loci with significant transmission disequilibrium (p < 0.001) on chromosomes 1 and 7. Analysis by parental origin found alleles at three loci displaying significant disequilibrium in the transmission of the paternal alleles for at least three of the nine tested traits. These loci are on chromosomes 6, 9, and 13. Analyses of Caucasian families alone and the use of a single affected individual from each family also yielded significant results for the loci on chromosomes 6, 9, and 13.

A genome-wide search for susceptibility genes linked to alcohol dependence.

We performed two-point linkage analysis during a genome-wide search for susceptibility genes that predispose to alcohol dependence with the Collaborative Study on the Genetics on Alcoholism (COGA) data made available for the Genetic Analysis Workshop 11 (GAW11). For chromosomes 1 and 4 our findings supported results reported by Reich et al. [1998] based on the same data. We found similarity between our findings in regions on chromosomes 8 and 10 and reported results for schizophrenia linkage studies. Differences between our results with COGA data and those obtained by Reich et al. [1998] are due to our use of a lod score method versus their use of the affected relative pair (sib pair) method.

The effect of inbreeding on early childhood mortality: twelve generations of an Amish settlement.

An unresolved issue in research on child survival is the extent to which familial mortality risk in infancy is due to biological influences net of sociodemographic and economic factors. We examine the effect of consanguinity on early childhood mortality in an Old Order Amish settlement by using the inbreeding coefficient, an explicit measure of the degree of relatedness in one's ancestry. Inbreeding has a net positive effect on neonatal and postneonatal deaths. We find social, demographic, and population-based sociocultural explanations for this effect among the Amish population which is known to experience certain genetically transmitted defects associated with mortality.

Epidemic nephritis and streptococcal infections in South Trinidad - a twenty year study

The present study began in 1965 when South Trinidad experienced the third major epidemic of acute nephritis and extends over a twenty year period