Mycoplasma conjunctivae in insect vectors and anatomic locations related to transmission and persistence

Iris pigment epithelial (IPE) cysts are a subset of iris cysts that arise from the IPE. They are spontaneously erupting epithelial-lined cavities that are found in various anatomic locations of the iris, including the iris pupillary margin, midzone, periphery, and free floating in the vitreous or anterior chamber. We report the case of an asymptomatic 13-year-old boy with an incidental finding of a dislodged anterior chamber cyst diagnosed on routine examination. Modern multimodal image analysis of the cyst including anterior segment optical coherence tomography and ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) was utilized to characterize the microstructural anatomy of the lesion. The patient was managed conservatively without complications. Cysts of the IPE typically do not affect vision or ocular health and can be monitored and observed after ascertaining no associated malignancy. Initial diagnostic investigation can include UBM and anterior segment optical coherence tomography. Intervention should be reserved only for cases where the cyst growth leads to obstruction of the visual axis and/or other secondary complications.

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Insect vectors and their relationship with sustainable development indicators in neighborhoods of Natal, Northeastern Brazil

Gaia Scientia ◽

10.21707/gs.v10.n04a15 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 182-194

Author(s):

Paulo Sérgio Fagundes Araujo ◽

Maria Cristiana da Silva Souto ◽

Paulo Roberto Medeiros de Azevedo ◽

Maria de Fatima Freire de Melo Ximenes

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Social Indicators ◽

Northeastern Brazil ◽

Insect Vectors ◽

Sand Flies ◽

High Positive Correlation ◽

Breeding Sites ◽

Development Indicators ◽

Sustainable Development Indicators ◽

Sustainability Index

This study aimed to correlate sustainable development indicators with the occurrence of mosquitoes from the genus Aedes and phlebotominae sand flies, vectors of dengue fever, American visceral leishmaniasis and American tegumentary leishmaniasis, in order to establish a relationship between infestation indices and sustainability conditions in southern and northern neighborhoods of Natal, Brazil, adjacent to environmental protection zones 5 and 9, respectively. Data were obtained on Aedes aegypti and A. albopictus breeding sites and captures of phlebotominae sand flies of the genus Lutzomyia in the study area between 2006 and 2008, from the Center of Zoonosis Control of the Municipal Health Secretariat, and correlated with environmental and social indicators. Factorial analysis was applied to transform these indicators into a sustainability index for each neighborhood studied (Neighborhood Sustainability Index – NSI). Relating these indices with the occurrence of insect vectors at these sites shows a high positive correlation between SID and the Breteau index of A. aegypti (p=0.028) and with the index of household infestation by phlebotominae sand flies (p=0.01). This reveals a pattern allowing the association of sustainability conditions in the study areas with the occurrence of these insects. Analyses demonstrate the occurrence of a larger number of A. aegypti breeding sites and higher indices of household infestation by phlebotominae sand flies in neighborhoods with lower sustainability indices. Knowledge of the relationship between sustainable development indicators and the occurrence of zoonotic vectors may contribute to public health programs as well as to a restructuring of public policies in the study areas.

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EPEN-21. IMPAIRED NEURONAL-GLIAL FATE SPECIFICATION IN PEDIATRIC EPENDYMOMA REVEALED BY SINGLE-CELL RNA-SEQ

Neuro-Oncology ◽

10.1093/neuonc/noaa222.158 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 22 (Supplement_3) ◽

pp. iii311-iii312

Author(s):

Bernhard Englinger ◽

Johannes Gojo ◽

Li Jiang ◽

Jens M Hübner ◽

McKenzie L Shaw ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dna Methylation ◽

Single Cell ◽

Regulatory Networks ◽

Target Genes ◽

Target Identification ◽

Rna Seq ◽

Cell Models ◽

Pediatric Ependymoma ◽

Glial Fate ◽

Anatomic Locations

Abstract Ependymoma represents a heterogeneous disease affecting the entire neuraxis. Extensive molecular profiling efforts have identified molecular ependymoma subgroups based on DNA methylation. However, the intratumoral heterogeneity and developmental origins of these groups are only partially understood, and effective treatments are still lacking for about 50% of patients with high-risk tumors. We interrogated the cellular architecture of ependymoma using single cell/nucleus RNA-sequencing to analyze 24 tumor specimens across major molecular subgroups and anatomic locations. We additionally analyzed ten patient-derived ependymoma cell models and two patient-derived xenografts (PDXs). Interestingly, we identified an analogous cellular hierarchy across all ependymoma groups, originating from undifferentiated neural stem cell-like populations towards different degrees of impaired differentiation states comprising neuronal precursor-like, astro-glial-like, and ependymal-like tumor cells. While prognostically favorable ependymoma groups predominantly harbored differentiated cell populations, aggressive groups were enriched for undifferentiated subpopulations. Projection of transcriptomic signatures onto an independent bulk RNA-seq cohort stratified patient survival even within known molecular groups, thus refining the prognostic power of DNA methylation-based profiling. Furthermore, we identified novel potentially druggable targets including IGF- and FGF-signaling within poorly prognostic transcriptional programs. Ependymoma-derived cell models/PDXs widely recapitulated the transcriptional programs identified within fresh tumors and are leveraged to validate identified target genes in functional follow-up analyses. Taken together, our analyses reveal a developmental hierarchy and transcriptomic context underlying the biologically and clinically distinct behavior of ependymoma groups. The newly characterized cellular states and underlying regulatory networks could serve as basis for future therapeutic target identification and reveal biomarkers for clinical trials.

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Identification of candidate insect vectors of Grapevine red blotch virus by means of an artificial feeding diet

Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology ◽

10.1080/07060661.2021.1930174 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Dieter Kahl ◽

José Ramón Úrbez-Torres ◽

Joel Kits ◽

Miranda Hart ◽

Amanda Nyirfa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Artificial Feeding ◽

Insect Vectors

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Tettigoniella viridis and Clovia conifer are potential insect vectors of sugarcane white leaf phytoplasma

Tropical Plant Pathology ◽

10.1007/s40858-021-00442-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Wen-Feng Li ◽

Xiao-Yan Wang ◽

Xiao-Yan Cang ◽

Rong-Yue Zhang ◽

Hong-Li Shan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Insect Vectors ◽

White Leaf ◽

Sugarcane White Leaf ◽

Sugarcane White Leaf Phytoplasma

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Surveying Potential Vectors of Apple Proliferation Phytoplasma: Faunistic Analysis and Infection Status of Selected Auchenorrhyncha Species

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects12010012 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 12

Author(s):

Stefanie Fischnaller ◽

Martin Parth ◽

Manuel Messner ◽

Robert Stocker ◽

Christine Kerschbamer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New Records ◽

Regional Scale ◽

Insect Vectors ◽

Infection Status ◽

Apple Proliferation ◽

Population Densities ◽

South Tyrol ◽

Candidatus Phytoplasma Mali ◽

Cacopsylla Melanoneura

Apple proliferation (AP) is one of the economically most important diseases in European apple cultivation. The disease is caused by the cell-wall-less bacterium ’ Candidatus Phytoplasma mali’, which is transmitted by Cacopsylla picta (Foerster) and Cacopsylla melanoneura (Foerster) (Hemiptera: Psylloidea). In South Tyrol (Italy), severe outbreaks were documented since the 1990s. Infestation rates of AP do not always correlate with the population densities of the confirmed vectors, implying the presence of other, so far unknown, hemipterian vectors. By elucidating the species community of Auchenorrhyncha (Insecta: Hemiptera) at a regional scale, more than 31,000 specimens were captured in South Tyrolean apple orchards. The occurrence of 95 species was confirmed, whereas fourteen species are new records for this territory. Based on the faunistical data, more than 3600 individuals out of 25 species were analyzed using quantitative PCR to assess the presence of AP phytoplasma. The pathogen was sporadically detected in some individuals of different species, for example in Stictocephala bisonia Kopp and Yonk (Hemiptera: Membracidae). However, the concentration of phytoplasma was much lower than in infected C. picta and C. melanoneura captured in the same region, confirming the role of the latter mentioned psyllids as the main insect vectors of AP- phytoplasma in South Tyrol.

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Plant begomoviruses subvert ubiquitination to suppress plant defenses against insect vectors

PLoS Pathogens ◽

10.1371/journal.ppat.1007607 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

pp. e1007607 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Ping Li ◽

Chao Liu ◽

Wen-Hao Deng ◽

Dan-Mei Yao ◽

Li-Long Pan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Plant Defenses ◽

Insect Vectors

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Macromolecular Interactions in Cartilage Extracellular Matrix Vary According to the Cartilage Type and Location

Cartilage ◽

10.1177/19476035211000811 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 194760352110008

Author(s):

Manula S. B. Rathnayake ◽

Brooke L. Farrugia ◽

Karyna Kulakova ◽

Colet E. M. ter Voert ◽

Gerjo J. V. M. van Osch ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Extracellular Matrix ◽

Dry Weight ◽

Extraction Methods ◽

Auricular Cartilage ◽

Nasal Cartilage ◽

Sulfated Glycosaminoglycan ◽

Cartilage Extracellular Matrix ◽

Matrix Interactions ◽

Anatomic Locations ◽

Extracellular Matrix Interactions

Objective To investigate GAG-ECM (glycosaminoglycan–extracellular matrix) interactions in different cartilage types. To achieve this, we first aimed to determine protocols for consistent calculation of GAG content between cartilage types. Design Auricular cartilage containing both collagen and elastin was used to determine the effect of lyophilization on GAG depletion activity. Bovine articular, auricular, meniscal, and nasal cartilage plugs were treated using different reagents to selectively remove GAGs. Sulfated glycosaminoglycan (sGAG) remaining in the sample after treatment were measured, and sGAG loss was compared between cartilage types. Results The results indicate that dry weight of cartilage should be measured prior to cartilage treatment in order to provide a more accurate reference for normalization. Articular, meniscal, and nasal cartilage lost significant amounts of sGAG for all reagents used. However, only hyaluronidase was able to remove significant amount of sGAG from auricular cartilage. Furthermore, hyaluronidase was able to remove over 99% of sGAG from all cartilage types except auricular cartilage where it only removed around 76% of sGAG. The results indicate GAG-specific ECM binding for different cartilage types and locations. Conclusions In conclusion, lyophilization can be performed to determine native dry weight for normalization without affecting the degree of GAG treatment. To our knowledge, this is the first study to compare GAG-ECM interactions of different cartilage types using different GAG extraction methods. Degree of GAG depletion not only varied with cartilage type but also the same type from different anatomic locations. This suggests specific structure-function roles for GAG populations found in the tissues.

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