Harmozica zangezurica (Gastropoda, Pulmonata, Hygromiidae) - a cryptic species of land molluscs from southern Armenia

Additional material collected in September 2019 made it possible to clarify the range of conchological variability of Harmozica zangezurica recently described from the Syunik region of Armenia, which largely overlaps with that of Harmozica pisiformis thus rendering impossible the reliable identification of empty shells. At the same time the stability has been proven of a diagnostic feature of H. zangezurica - very long vaginal appendages whose length is approximately equal to the total length of the penis and epiphallus. This character allows reliable distinguishing of H. zangezurica not only from the conchologically similar species H. pisiformis , but also from other representatives of the genus Harmozica . Some data on the ecology and life cycle of H. zangezurica were obtained.

Changes in blood cell deformability in Chorea-Acanthocytosis and effects of treatment with dasatinib or lithium

Misshaped red blood cells (RBCs), characterized by thorn-like protrusions known as acanthocytes, are a key diagnostic feature in Chorea-Acanthocytosis (ChAc), a rare neurodegenerative disorder. The altered RBC morphology likely influences their biomechanical properties which are crucial for the cells to pass the microvasculature. Here, we investigated blood cell deformability of 5 ChAc patients compared to healthy controls during up to one-year individual off-label treatment with the tyrosine kinases inhibitor dasatinib or several weeks with lithium. Measurements with two microfluidic techniques allowed us to assess RBC deformability under different shear stresses. Furthermore, we characterized leukocyte stiffness at high shear stresses. The results show that blood cell deformability - including both RBCs and leukocytes - in general is altered in ChAc patients compared to healthy donors. Therefore, this study shows for the first time an impairment of leukocyte properties in ChAc. During treatment with dasatinib or lithium, we observe alterations in RBC deformability and a stiffness increase for leukocytes. The hematological phenotype of ChAc patients hints at a reorganization of the cytoskeleton in blood cells which partly explains the altered mechanical properties observed here. These findings highlight the need for a systematic assessment of the contribution of impaired blood cell mechanics to the clinical manifestation of ChAc.

Locus-Specific Methylation of GSTP1, RNF219, and KIAA1539 Genes with Single Molecule Resolution in Cell-Free DNA from Healthy Donors and Prostate Tumor Patients: Application in Diagnostics

The locus-specific methylation of three genes (GSTP1, RNF219, and KIAA1539 (also known as FAM214B)) in the blood plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) of 20 patients with prostate cancer (PCa), 18 healthy donors (HDs), and 17 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) was studied via the MiSeq platform. The methylation status of two CpGs within the same loci were used as the diagnostic feature for discriminating the patient groups. Many variables had good diagnostic characteristics, e.g., each of the variables GSTP1.C3.C9, GSTP1.C9, and GSTP1.C9.T17 demonstrated an 80% sensitivity at a 100% specificity for PCa patients vs. the others comparison. The analysis of RNF219 gene loci methylation allowed discriminating BPH patients with absolute sensitivity and specificity. The data on the methylation of the genes GSTP1 and RNF219 allowed discriminating PCa patients, as well as HDs, with absolute sensitivity and specificity. Thus, the data on the locus-specific methylation of cfDNA (with single-molecule resolution) combined with a diagnostic approach considering the simultaneous methylation of several CpGs in one locus enabled the discrimination of HD, BPH, and PCa patients.

Saliency in Context: The Effect of Context on the Diagnosticity of Facial Features

<p>How might faces we have learned be represented in our memory? Researchers believe that our memory for faces is based on building a robust averaged representation comprised of the stable aspects of the face (i.e., eyes, nose, mouth). However, anecdotal evidence suggests this one size fits all approach to face representations may not be correct. A new theory suggests our representation for faces is instead based on a dynamic weighting, wherein what is seen as most diagnostic during learning will be encoded to a greater extent than other features in the face. One factor that may be especially important for a weighted representation is the context in which a face is initially viewed. Dependent on the context of learning, certain features may appear more distinctive than others and therefore be deemed diagnostic and receive representational weight. The current study had participants learn four faces with one manipulated to appear distinctive in the experimental context by having a unique hair colour (Experiment 1), or eye colour (Experiment 2) compared to the other faces. Participants then completed a recognition task where the feature of interest (i.e., hair or eye colour) was either available or unavailable (i.e., bald and eye closed conditions) for recognition. Findings suggested recognition was disrupted when the diagnostic feature was unavailable compared to when that feature was available, across both distinctive and typical faces. Interestingly, Experiment 2 showed a distinctiveness performance advantage compared to Experiment 1, most likely because neighbouring features may be more diagnostic than others during recognition. In addition, further exploratory analysis showed the order of the test could further affect what was encoded.</p>

Saliency in Context: The Effect of Context on the Diagnosticity of Facial Features

<p>How might faces we have learned be represented in our memory? Researchers believe that our memory for faces is based on building a robust averaged representation comprised of the stable aspects of the face (i.e., eyes, nose, mouth). However, anecdotal evidence suggests this one size fits all approach to face representations may not be correct. A new theory suggests our representation for faces is instead based on a dynamic weighting, wherein what is seen as most diagnostic during learning will be encoded to a greater extent than other features in the face. One factor that may be especially important for a weighted representation is the context in which a face is initially viewed. Dependent on the context of learning, certain features may appear more distinctive than others and therefore be deemed diagnostic and receive representational weight. The current study had participants learn four faces with one manipulated to appear distinctive in the experimental context by having a unique hair colour (Experiment 1), or eye colour (Experiment 2) compared to the other faces. Participants then completed a recognition task where the feature of interest (i.e., hair or eye colour) was either available or unavailable (i.e., bald and eye closed conditions) for recognition. Findings suggested recognition was disrupted when the diagnostic feature was unavailable compared to when that feature was available, across both distinctive and typical faces. Interestingly, Experiment 2 showed a distinctiveness performance advantage compared to Experiment 1, most likely because neighbouring features may be more diagnostic than others during recognition. In addition, further exploratory analysis showed the order of the test could further affect what was encoded.</p>

Validating Three Common Self-Report Measures of Social Functioning: Implications for Autism Research

Social functioning difficulties are a core diagnostic feature of autism spectrum condition (ASC) and are commonly assessed in ASC research. Many measures have been created to assess the various dimensions of social functioning; thus, it is important to evaluate how each scale captures these latent constructs in order to integrate results from studies using different measures. The current brief report assessed the convergent validity (at the subscale level) of three commonly used social functioning scales in ASC research: The Autism Quotient, the Multidimensional Social Competence Scale, and the Social Responsiveness Scale. Amongst a sample of nonclinical adults, the scales showed robust convergent validity between theoretically related subscales, indicating sensitivity to variation in social functioning abilities across diagnostic labels.

Glenoid fossa position in skeletal class-II malocclusion due to retrognathic mandible and skeletal class-I malocclusion in Pakistani population

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Different dental and skeletal abnormalities interact with each other to cause multiple malocclusions of various areas of the dentofacial region. Association of the mandible and cranial base influence the malocclusions in anteroposterior and vertical dimensions that influences the evaluation of the skeletal components of a particular patient, so the relationship of glenoid fossa to adjacent craniofacial components must be taken into account. This research is conducted for the comparison of glenoid fossa position in subjects presenting with class II skeletal malocclusion due to retrognathic mandible and class I skeletal malocclusion. METHODOLOGY: Standardized lateral cephalograms of 130 patients were selected according to inclusion criteria from the orthodontic department. These radiographs were traced, and different angular and linear measurements were recorded. Then the position of glenoid fossa was compared in subjects of class II malocclusion with retrognathic mandible and class I malocclusion. SPSS version 17 was used for data analysis. Cephalometric measurements were analyzed, and glenoid fossa position was compared in both groups by using student’s t-test. Statistical level of significance using student t test was p< 0.05 RESULTS: Position of glenoid fossa in subjects with class II malocclusion is more distal and posterior as compared to the subjects with class I malocclusion. The effective parameters for the measurements of glenoid fossa are GF-S on FH, GF-Ptm on FH, and GF-FMN with p value 0.0001. CONCLUSION: A distally and posteriorly placed glenoid fossa is an important diagnostic feature of Class II skeletal malocclusion with the retrognathic mandible.

Male terminalia morphology of sixteen species of the Drosophila saltans group Sturtevant (Diptera, Drosophilidae)

Male terminalia in insects with internal fertilization evolve more rapidly than other structures. The aedeagus is the most variable structure, making it a valuable diagnostic feature to distinguish species. The saltans group Sturtevant of Drosophila Fallén contains sibling species, that can be distinguished by their aedeagi. Here, we revised and illustrated the morphology of the male terminalia of the following species: Drosophila prosaltans Duda, 1927; D. saltans Sturtevant, 1916; D. lusaltans Magalhães, 1962; D. austrosaltans Spassky, 1957; D. septentriosaltans Magalhães, 1962; D. nigrosaltans Magalhães, 1962; D. pseudosaltans Magalhães, 1956; D. sturtevanti Duda, 1927; D. lehrmanae Madi-Ravazzi et al., 2021; D. dacunhai Mourão & Bicudo, 1967; D. milleri Magalhães, 1962; D. parasaltans Magalhães, 1956; D. emarginata Sturtevant, 1942; D. neoelliptica Pavan & Magalhães in Pavan, 1950; D. neosaltans Pavan & Magalhães in Pavan, 1950 and D. neocordata Magalhães, 1956. We found that phallic structures (e.g., the aedeagus) evolve more rapidly than periphallic structures (e.g., epandrium), being completely different among the subgroups and within them. This rapid evolution may be due to the action of sexual selection or to the potential role of those structures in speciation.

The sooner the better: clinical and neural correlates of impulsive choice in Tourette disorder

Reward sensitivity has been suggested as one of the central pathophysiological mechanisms in Tourette disorder. However, the subjective valuation of a reward by introduction of delay has received little attention in Tourette disorder, even though it has been suggested as a trans-diagnostic feature of numerous neuropsychiatric disorders. We aimed to assess delay discounting in Tourette disorder and to identify its brain functional correlates. We evaluated delayed discounting and its brain functional correlates in a large group of 54 Tourette disorder patients and 31 healthy controls using a data-driven approach. We identified a subgroup of 29 patients with steeper reward discounting, characterised by a higher burden of impulse-control disorders and a higher level of general impulsivity compared to patients with normal behavioural performance or to controls. Reward discounting was underpinned by resting-state activity of a network comprising the orbito-frontal, cingulate, pre-supplementary motor area, temporal and insular cortices, as well as ventral striatum and hippocampus. Within this network, (i) lower connectivity of pre-supplementary motor area with ventral striatum predicted a higher impulsivity and a steeper reward discounting and (ii) a greater connectivity of pre-supplementary motor area with anterior insular cortex predicted steeper reward discounting and more severe tics. Overall, our results highlight the heterogeneity of the delayed reward processing in Tourette disorder, with steeper reward discounting being a marker of burden in impulsivity and impulse control disorders, and the pre-supplementary motor area being a hub region for the delay discounting, impulsivity and tic severity.