Molecular and Functional Characterization of Pyrokinin-like Peptides in the Western Tarnished Plant Bug Lygus hesperus (Hemiptera: Miridae)

The pyrokinin (PK) family of insect neuropeptides, characterized by C termini consisting of either WFGPRLamide (i.e., PK1) or FXPRLamide (i.e., PK2), are encoded on the capa and pk genes. Although implicated in diverse biological functions, characterization of PKs in hemipteran pests has been largely limited to genomic, transcriptomic, and/or peptidomic datasets. The Lygus hesperus (western tarnished plant bug) PK transcript encodes a prepropeptide predicted to yield three PK2 FXPRLamide-like peptides with C-terminal sequences characterized by FQPRSamide (LyghePKa), FAPRLamide (LyghePKb), and a non-amidated YSPRF. The transcript is expressed throughout L. hesperus development with greatest abundance in adult heads. PRXamide-like immunoreactivity, which recognizes both pk- and capa-derived peptides, is localized to cells in the cerebral ganglia, gnathal ganglia/suboesophageal ganglion, thoracic ganglia, and abdominal ganglia. Immunoreactivity in the abdominal ganglia is largely consistent with capa-derived peptide expression, whereas the atypical fourth pair of immunoreactive cells may reflect pk-based expression. In vitro activation of a PK receptor heterologously expressed in cultured insect cells was only observed in response to LyghePKb, while no effects were observed with LyghePKa. Similarly, in vivo pheromonotropic effects were only observed following LyghePKb injections. Comparison of PK2 prepropeptides from multiple hemipterans suggests mirid-specific diversification of the pk gene.

The Relationship Between Onset Time and Outcome Patients Intra Cerebral Ganglia Basalis EC Stroke Hemorrhagic Operations at Dr. Mohammad Hoesin General Hospital Palembang

Background: Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage is the second most common stroke subtype defined as non-traumatic hemorrhage to the brain parenchyma, which can extend to the ventricles and into the subarachnoid space. Advances in innovations in the field of surgical intervention compared to conservative therapy are more beneficial in preventing disability in patients. The surgical methods that are often used in nontraumatic intra cerebral bleeding interventions are craniotomy and craniectomy. Many factors influence postoperative patient outcome. The level of patient awareness, the extent of the hematoma are the main predictive factors for patient outcome. Glasgow Outcome Scale is often used to measure the outcome of intracranial bleeding patient care. Method: The study is a case series studies which was conducted by tracing 70 medical records of patients with intra-cerebral ganglia basal hemorrhage due to stroke hemorrhagic who had met the study inclusion criteria from January 2018 to December 2020 who were operated on at the Neurosurgery Installation of RSUP Dr. Mohammad Hoesin Palembang. Results: The mean ICH age in the study was 40 - 60 years (54.23 ± 13.09), male gender were 41 samples (58.6%), mean GCS was 10.93 ± 2.48 (3-15), pressure systolic blood 171.33 ± 24.09 (120 - 240), diastolic blood pressure 98.8 ± 13.46 (70 - 140), most patients ICH with a history of hypertension 68 people (97.1%), 60 people (85.7%) without a history of DM, 57.1% with craniotomy, 59 people with a bleeding volume of 30-60 cc (84.3%), surgery onset ≥ 8 hours (68.6%), uncal herniation (57.1%). Craniotomy and craniectomy were not significantly associated with the prognostic assessment of GOS on ICH (p value = 0.502). Uncal herniation was significantly associated with the incidence of ICH (p value = 0.000). The correlation was strong between time of onset and patient prognosis (p 0.000). Conclusion: There was a significant relationship between onset time and patient outcomes, meaning that the correlation between onset time and patient outcomes was quite strong. The longer the onset time, the more likely it is to have a bad outcome (GOS score 4-5), whereas the faster the onset time, the more likely it is to have a good outcome (GOS score 1-3).

Neuroanatomy of a Dactylogyrid monogenean, from gold fish Carassius auratus, Nilsson, from Meerut (U. P.), India

Chemical named 5-bromo indoxyl acetate has been used to describe the nervous system of anoviparous Dactylogyridmonogenean PellucidhaptorPrice and Mizelle (1964), a gill parasite of Carassius auratus. Central nervous system consists of paired cerebral ganglia from which anterior and posterior neuronal pathways arise. These neuronal pathways are interlinked by cross connectives and commissures. Paired dorsal, ventral and lateral nerve cords emanate from the cerebral ganglia, connected at intervals by transverse connectives. Huge arrangement of dorsal, ventral and lateral nerve cords and their innervations have been examined. Peripheral nervous system (PNS) includes innervations of the alimentary tract, reproductive organs and attachment organs (anterior adhesive areas and haptor). Both the CNS and PNS are bilaterally symmetrical, and better developed ventrally than laterally and dorsally.

Transcriptome assembly and expression profiling of the molecular responses to cadmium toxicity in cerebral ganglia of wolf spider Pardosa pseudoannulata (Araneae: Lycosidae)

Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal that can cause irreversible toxicity to animals, and is an environmental pollutant in farmlands. Spiders are considered to be an excellent model for investigating the impacts of heavy metals on the environment. To date, the changes at the molecular level in the cerebral ganglia of spiders are poorly understood. Cd exposure leads to strong damage in the nervous system, such as apoptosis and necrosis of nerve cells, therefore we conducted a transcriptomic analysis of Pardosa pseudoannulata cerebral ganglia under Cd stress to profile differential gene expression (DGE). We obtained a total of 123,328 assembled unigenes, and 1441 Cd stress-associated DEGs between the Cd-treated and control groups. Expression profile analysis demonstrated that many genes involved in calcium signaling, cGMP—PKG signaling, tyrosine metabolism, phototransduction–fly, melanogenesis and isoquinoline alkaloid biosynthesis were up-regulated under Cd stress, whereas oxidative phosphorylation-related, nervous disease-associated, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease-associated, and ribosomal-associated genes were down-regulated. Here, we provide a comprehensive set of DEGs influenced by Cd stress, and heavy metal stress, and provide new information for elucidating the neurotoxic mechanisms of Cd stress in spiders.

GODS AND GHOST-LIGHT: ANCIENT EGYPT, ELECTRICITY, AND X-RAYS

In 1892 the celebrated physicistand chemist William Crookes commented on the existence of “an almost infinite range of ethereal vibrations or electrical rays,” which he believed could revolutionize telegraphic communications (174). A few years later, and aided by Crookes's experiments with vacuums, the German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen successfully produced X-rays, a hitherto unrecorded form of electromagnetic radiation, which he tantalizingly described as “a new kind of invisible light” (Röntgen 413; Warner 256). Crookes was quick to speculate as to “the possibility of links between roentgen rays and the cerebral ganglia,” that an undiscovered organ in the brain might be “capable of transmitting and receiving . . . electrical rays” (Lyons 105; Crookes 176). X-rays, he thought, might prove a psychic counterpart to higher wavelength radio waves, allowing the transmission of messages telepathically rather than telegraphically, and even communication with the world of the spirits (Lyons 105). Crookes theorized that the parapsychological was intimately entwined with the findings of contemporary physics, occupying different zones of the same electromagnetic spectrum. An ardent Spiritualist, he believed that the ether, the “impalpable, invisible entity, by which all space is supposed to be filled” and which contained countless “channels of communication” also sustained “ghost-light . . . invisible to the naked eye” and acted as a medium that allowed “ethereal bodies to rise up” (Crookes 174; Warner 253–56). In other words, the matter through which light and electrical signals passed was envisaged as the same substance which allowed the spirits to fluctuate between visible and invisible forms. These links between the electromagnetic field and the occult, endorsed by Crookes and certain other members of his circles such as the Society for Psychical Research, anticipated turn-of-the-century associations between electricity, radiation and ancient Egypt which, through its reputation as the birthplace of magic, was central to Victorian conceptions of the supernatural.

Gliocyte and synapse analyses in cerebral ganglia of the Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis: ultrastructural study

The Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis is an economically important aquatic species in China. Many studies on gene structure, breeding, and diseases of the crab have been reported. However, knowledge about the organization of the nerve system of the crab remains largely unknown. To study the ultrastructure of the cerebral ganglia of E. sinensis and to compare the histological findings regarding the nerve systems of crustaceans, the cerebral ganglia were observed by transmission electron microscopy. The results showed that four types of gliocytes, including type I, II, III, and IV gliocytes were located in the cerebral ganglia. In addition, three types of synapses were present in the cerebral ganglia, including unidirectional synapses, bidirectional synapses, and combined type synapses.Â