Insights into the lower torso in late Miocene hominoidOreopithecus bambolii

Oreopithecus bambolii(8.3–6.7 million years old) is the latest known hominoid from Europe, dating to approximately the divergence time of thePan-hominin lineages. Despite being the most complete nonhominin hominoid in the fossil record, theO. bamboliiskeleton IGF 11778 has been, for decades, at the center of intense debate regarding the species’ locomotor behavior, phylogenetic position, insular paleoenvironment, and utility as a model for early hominin anatomy. Here we investigate features of the IGF 11778 pelvis and lumbar region based on torso preparations and supplemented by otherO. bamboliimaterial. We correct several crucial interpretations relating to the IGF 11778 anterior inferior iliac spine and lumbar vertebrae structure and identifications. We find that features of the early homininArdipithecus ramidustorso that are argued to have permitted both lordosis and pelvic stabilization during upright walking are not present inO. bambolii. However,O. bamboliialso lacks the complete reorganization for torso stiffness seen in extant great apes (i.e., living members of the Hominidae), and is more similar to large hylobatids in certain aspects of torso form. We discuss the major implications of theO. bamboliilower torso anatomy and howO. bamboliiinforms scenarios of hominoid evolution.

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The First Transcriptome Assembly of Yenyuan Stream Salamander (Batrachuperus yenyuanensis) Provides Novel Insights into Its Molecular Evolution

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms20071529 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (7) ◽

pp. 1529 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jianli Xiong ◽

Yunyun Lv ◽

Yong Huang ◽

Qiangqiang Liu

Keyword(s):

Sequence Similarity ◽

Transcriptome Assembly ◽

Repetitive Sequences ◽

Divergence Time ◽

Gene Families ◽

Single Copy ◽

Phylogenetic Position ◽

Interesting Insight ◽

Chinese Giant Salamander ◽

Lineage Divergence

The Yenyuan stream salamander (Batrachuperus yenyuanensis) has been previously evaluated with regards to phylogeny, population genetics, and hematology, but genomic information is sparse due to the giant genome size of salamanders which contain highly repetitive sequences, thus resulting in the lack of a complete reference genome. This study evaluates the encoding genetic sequences and provides the first transcriptome assembly of Yenyuan stream salamander based on mixed samples from the liver, spermary, muscle and spleen tissues. Using this transcriptome assembly and available encoding sequences from other vertebrates, the gene families, phylogenetic status, and species divergence time were compared or estimated. A total of 13,750 encoding sequences were successfully obtained from the transcriptome assembly of Yenyuan stream salamander, estimated to contain 40.1% of the unigenes represented in tetrapod databases. A total of 88.79% of these genes could be annotated to a biological function by current databases. Through gene family clustering, we found multiple possible isoforms of the Scribble gene—whose function is related to regeneration—based on sequence similarity. Meanwhile, we constructed a robust phylogenetic tree based on 56 single-copy orthologues, which indicates that based on phylogenetic position, the Yenyuan stream salamander presents the closest relationship with the Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus) of the investigated vertebrates. Based on the fossil-calibrated phylogeny, we estimated that the lineage divergence between the ancestral Yenyuan stream salamander and the Chinese giant salamander may have occurred during the Cretaceous period (~78.4 million years ago). In conclusion, this study not only provides a candidate gene that is valuable for exploring the remarkable capacity of regeneration in the future, but also gives an interesting insight into the understanding of Yenyuan stream salamander by this first transcriptome assembly.

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Phylogenetic relationships among Callosciurus squirrels in the Indochina Peninsula: phylogenetic position of C. pygerythrus from Myanmar

Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae ◽

10.17109/azh.67.1.87.2021 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 67 (1) ◽

pp. 87-98

Author(s):

Tatsuo Oshida ◽

Wynn Than ◽

Thida Oo ◽

Khin Yu Yu Swe ◽

Hiroaki Saito ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cytochrome B ◽

Phylogenetic Relationships ◽

Divergence Time ◽

Divergence Times ◽

Phylogenetic Position ◽

Mitochondrial Cytochrome ◽

Indochina Peninsula ◽

Mitochondrial Cytochrome B ◽

Global Cooling ◽

Mitochondrial Cytochrome B Gene

The phylogenetic relationships among seven Callosciurus species from the Indochina Peninsula, including the C. honkhoaiensis which is endemic to Hon Khoai Island, were studied using complete mitochondrial cytochrome b gene sequences (1140 bases). We primarily focused on the phylogenetic position of C. pygerythrus, which is distributed in the western part of the peninsula. We identified two main lineages: 1) C. caniceps, C. honkhoaiensis, C. inornatus, C. phayrei and C. pygerythrus, and 2) C. erythraeus and C. finlaysonii. Estimated divergence time between the two lineages was at the junction of the Zanclean and Piacenzian in the Pliocene. Within the first linage, the divergence time of sub-lineages corresponded to the Pliocene-Pleistocene boundary, although phylogenetic relationships were unclear. These two divergence times estimated in the present study correspond to episodes of global cooling, suggesting that climate may have contributed to the divergence of these Callosciurus squirrels.

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Talar trochlear morphology may not be a good skeletal indicator of locomotor behavior in humans and great apes

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-03429-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Shuhei Nozaki ◽

Motoharu Oishi ◽

Naomichi Ogihara

Keyword(s):

Geometric Morphometrics ◽

Statistical Difference ◽

Morphological Characteristics ◽

Great Apes ◽

Locomotor Behavior ◽

Bipedal Locomotion ◽

Apical Angle ◽

Interspecific Differences ◽

Fossil Hominins ◽

Locomotor Behaviors

AbstractTo reconstruct locomotor behaviors of fossil hominins and understand the evolution of bipedal locomotion in the human lineage, it is important to clarify the functional morphology of the talar trochlea in humans and extant great apes. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the interspecific-differences of the talar trochlear morphology among humans, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans by means of cone frustum approximation to calculate an apical angle and geometric morphometrics for detailed variability in the shape of the talar trochlea. The apical angles in gorillas and orangutans were significantly greater than those in humans and chimpanzees, but no statistical difference was observed between humans and chimpanzees, indicating that the apical angle did not necessarily correspond with the degree of arboreality in hominoids. The geometric morphometrics revealed clear interspecific differences in the trochlear morphology, but no clear association between the morphological characteristics of the trochlea and locomotor behavior was observed. The morphology of the trochlea may not be a distinct skeletal correlate of locomotor behavior, possibly because the morphology is determined not only by locomotor behavior, but also by other factors such as phylogeny and body size.

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Society of Physicians at Kazan University. Surgical section. Meeting 20/11-29

Kazan medical journal ◽

10.17816/kazmj80039 ◽

1929 ◽

Vol 25 (7-8) ◽

pp. 852-854

Author(s):

I. Tsimkhes

Keyword(s):

Spinal Cord ◽

Back Pain ◽

Spinal Cord Compression ◽

Spinal Injury ◽

Lumbar Vertebrae ◽

Cord Compression ◽

Spinal Fracture ◽

Lumbar Region ◽

Urine Retention ◽

Spinous Processes

Doctor. V. I. Nizner. Demonstration of the patient after laminectomy for a spinal fracture. B-th, a worker, 35 years old, fell from a staircase 372 meters high. Dizziness, vomiting, back pain, stulag and urine retention. Swelling in the area of the spinous processes of the 12th thoracic and 1st lumbar vertebrae. Spinal cord compression and spinal injury in the lumbar region are suspected.

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Phylogenetic position of Neotropical Bursera-specialist mistletoes: the evolution of deciduousness and succulent leaves in Psittacanthus (Loranthaceae)

Botanical Sciences ◽

10.17129/botsci.1961 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 96 (3) ◽

pp. 443 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Andrés Ernesto Ortiz-Rodriguez ◽

Eydi Yanina Guerrero ◽

Juan Francisco Ornelas

Keyword(s):

Phylogenetic Relationships ◽

Evolutionary History ◽

Morphological Evolution ◽

Divergence Time ◽

Molecular Dating ◽

Phylogenetic Position ◽

Long Time ◽

History Of ◽

Nuclear Its ◽

Divergence Timing

Background: The phylogenetic relationships of the Bursera-host specialist Psittacanthus nudus, P. palmeri and P. sonorae (Loranthaceae) remain uncertain. These mistletoe species exhibit morphological and phenological innovations probably related to their dry habitats, so that determining their phylogenetic position is key to the understanding of factors associated with the morphological evolution within Psittacanthus.Questions: (1) Is the evolution of some morphological innovations in the Bursera-host specialists associated with the ecological conditions linked to host diversification? (2) Does time of diversification in both lineages coincide?Study species: Fourteen species of Psittacanthus.Methods: Sequences of nuclear (ITS) and plastid (trnL-trnF) markers are analyzed with Bayesian inference, maximum likelihood and maximum parsimony methods, and molecular dating under a Bayesian approach estimated to elucidate the phylogenetic position and divergence timing of the Bursera-host specialists.Results: The Bursera-host specialists form a strongly supported clade, named here the ‘Bursera group’. The divergence time for the Bursera-host specialists was estimated at 7.89 Ma. Interestingly, phylogenetic relationships between P. nudus and P. palmeri, as currently circumscribed, were not fully resolved, making P. palmeri paraphyletic.Conclusions: Based on these results, the plants collected by type locality of P. nudus in Honduras should be named P. palmeri. The seasonal deciduousness of P. palmeri (including P. nudus) and morphology of P. sonorae (small size, fleshy leaves) are clearly adaptations to dry ecosystems where these species have lived for a long time. In parallel, the evolutionary history of these mistletoes seems to be correlated with the evolutionary history and diversification patterns of Bursera.

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To the casuistry of rare hernias

Kazan medical journal ◽

10.17816/kazmj46429 ◽

1903 ◽

Vol 3 (9-10) ◽

pp. 553-554

Author(s):

N. M. Teremenkov ◽

S. P. Fedorov

Keyword(s):

Lumbar Vertebrae ◽

Lumbar Region

In the lumbar region, limited by the line of the lumbar vertebrae, the 12th rib and the end of the II-nd, perpendicular, pubescent from here on crist. os. il. and later, hernia may appear.

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Divergence time analyses suggest a Miocene origin of the narrow Amazonian endemic rheophytic Ceratolejeunea temnantha (Spruce) Reiner-Drehwald (Porellales, Lejeuneaceae)

Bryophyte Diversity and Evolution ◽

10.11646/bde.40.2.4 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 40 (2) ◽

pp. 55

Author(s):

ADRIEL M. SIERRA ◽

JULIA BECHTELER ◽

DOMINGOS CARDOSO ◽

CHARLES E. ZARTMAN ◽

JUAN CARLOS VILLARREAL

Keyword(s):

Phylogenetic Analyses ◽

Divergence Time ◽

Original Description ◽

Phylogenetic Position ◽

Ecological Niches ◽

Divergence Time Estimates ◽

Potential Habitat ◽

The North ◽

Time Estimates ◽

Rio Negro

The recent rediscovery of the rheophytic endemic Ceratolejeunea temnantha ~130 years after its original description, on the upper Rio Negro in the Brazilian Amazon, has enabled the assessment of its enigmatic phylogenetic position, estimates of its divergence time, and updates on its distribution and potential habitat threats. Phylogenetic analyses strongly supported its placement in the genus Ceratolejeunea in a geographically disparate clade including a Madagascar endemic C. saroltae and two Neotropical taxa, C. confusa and C. caducifolia. Divergence time estimates date the clade’s stem age to the late Miocene (8.92 [HPD: 12.39–6.04] Ma) offering further evidence that the evolution of rheophytes in northern South America is correlated with the expansion of cryptogams into novel ecological niches promoted by dramatic landscape changes during the Miocene. Major geomorphological and hydrological transformations contributing to such diversification are most likely the changing dynamics of the inundated mega lake system to the establishment of the Amazon River due to the Andean orogeny and the subsequent cessation of marine influences in the north-western portion of the Basin. Until recently, this rheophyte of seasonally inundated black-water forests was only known from its type collection from the Rio Negro near São Gabriel da Cachoeira (Brazil) as described by Richard Spruce in 1884. These new collections extend the distribution of this rare narrow endemic to the middle Rio Uaupés, a tributary of the upper Rio Negro near the Columbian border.

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Phylogenetic position, systematic status, and divergence time of the Procarididea (Crustacea: Decapoda)

Zoologica Scripta ◽

10.1111/j.1463-6409.2009.00410.x ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 39 (2) ◽

pp. 198-212 ◽

Cited By ~ 38

Author(s):

Heather D. Bracken ◽

Sammy De Grave ◽

Alicia Toon ◽

Darryl L. Felder ◽

Keith A. Crandall

Keyword(s):

Divergence Time ◽

Phylogenetic Position ◽

Systematic Status

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Disc spaces, vertebral dimensions, and angle values at the lumbar region: a radioanatomical perspective in spines with L5–S1 transitions

Journal of Neurosurgery Spine ◽

10.3171/2011.6.spine11113 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 15 (4) ◽

pp. 371-379 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Niladri Kumar Mahato

Keyword(s):

Low Back Pain ◽

Morphological Changes ◽

Lumbar Vertebrae ◽

Lumbar Region ◽

Low Back ◽

Normal Morphology ◽

Mean Values ◽

Linear Dimensions ◽

The Mean ◽

Vertebral Dimensions

Object Low-back pain (LBP) has been associated with lumbar spines of normal morphology as well as those with L5–S1 “transitional” vertebrae. It is hard to find literature that quantifies the overall morphological changes in lumbar spines as related to transitional states. The object of this study was to investigate lumbar spine changes resulting from the presence of these transitional states. Methods The author quantified dimensions and angles and statistically compared the morphology of lumbar spines with or without L5–S1 transitions in the context of LBP. Anteroposterior and lateral radiographs were obtained from 50 patients suffering from LBP without transitional anomalies at the L5–S1 junction. These radiographs were compared with anteroposterior and lateral radiographs from patients suffering from LBP with L5–S1 transitional states involving accessory L5–S1 articulations, and with anteroposterior and lateral radiographs from patients with L5–S1 unilateral or bilateral fusions. Twelve linear dimensions from the anteroposterior views and 8 angles from the lateral radiographs were measured. Results The mean values of linear dimensions differed in 1) disc heights, 2) vertebral heights and widths, 3) pedicles and interpedicular distances, 4) angle values, and 5) overall configuration of the lumbar curvatures. Conclusions The L5–S1 accessory articulations led to increased lordotic curves, L-5 vertebral heights, and pedicle and angular dimensions. The L5–S1 fusions were related to smaller disc heights at all spaces, short and wide L-5 pedicles, taller and less wide transverse processes, and overall straighter spines with the least measures for all lumbar angles. Dimensional differences provided in this study may help in placing instrumentation at the lumbar vertebrae and working on intervertebral disc replacements in spines with specific L5–S1 transitional anomalies.

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Deep Learning based Segmentation of Lumbar Vertebrae from CT Images

10.29007/vt7v ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Rens Janssens ◽

Guoyan Zheng

Keyword(s):

Automatic Segmentation ◽

Lumbar Vertebrae ◽

Ct Images ◽

Lumbar Region ◽

Dice Coefficient ◽

Convolutional Networks ◽

Surface Distance ◽

Fully Convolutional Networks ◽

Symmetric Surface ◽

Class Segmentation

We present a method to address the challenging problem of automatic segmentation of lumbar vertebrae from CT images acquired with varying fields of view. Our method is based on cascaded 3D Fully Convolutional Networks (FCNs) consisting of a localization FCN and a segmentation FCN. More specifically, in the first step we train a regression 3D FCN (we call it “LocalizationNet”) to find the bounding box of the lumbar region. After that, a 3D U-net like FCN (we call it “SegmentationNet”) is then developed, which after training, can perform a pixel-wise multi-class segmentation to map a cropped lumber region volumetric data to its volume-wise labels. Evaluated on publicly available datasets, our method achieved an average Dice coefficient of 95.77 ± 0.81% and an average symmetric surface distance of 0.37 ± 0.06 mm.

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