Examination of the Montastraea annularis Species Complex (Cnidaria: Scleractinia) Using ITS and COI Sequences

: The Caribbean coral Montastraea annularis has recently been proposed to be a complex of at least three sibling species. To test the validity of this proposal, we sequenced the ITS region of the nuclear ribosomal RNA gene family (ITS-1, 5.8S, and ITS-2), and a portion of the mitochondrial DNA gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) from the three proposed species (M. annularis, M. faveolata, and M. franksi) from Florida reefs. The ITS fragment was 665 nucleotides long and had 19 variable sites, of which 6 were parsimony-informative sites. None of these sites was fixed within the proposed species. The COI fragment was 658 nucleotides long with only two sites variable in one individual. Thus, under both the biological species concept and the phylogenetic species concept, the molecular evidence gathered in this study indicates the Montastraea annularis species complex to be a single evolutionary entity as opposed to three distinct species. The three proposed Montastraea species can interbreed, ruling out prezygotic barriers to gene flow (biological species concept), and the criterion of monophyly is not satisfied if hybridization is occurring among taxa (phylogenetic species concept).

[Brief psychoanalytic point of view on assisted reproduction]

Some psychological mechanisms, regarding the new techniques of ART are reported in this work. A short overview of Freudian theory of psychosexual development of the child is given. The narcissistic wound induced by the diagnosis of sterility is quite important but quite different for men and women. It seems that oocyte donation may "cure" fantasmatically some female sterilities, given that this technique allows some women to get pregnant and to deliver a child, which was until then out of their biological "fate". Whether the anonymity of gamete donation is adapted to the psychic structure of recipients, donors, and medical teams is a question that should be considered. Very few works have been reported about the fantasies of the medical teams on this topic. The importance of infantile sexual theries is stressed again.

[Oocyte donation -- embryo donation]

From 1993 to 1995, 82 donors have permitted the retrieval of 810 oocytes allowing to obtain 411 embryos. 95 receiving couples have been included : 30 obtained a pregnancy, 7 abandoned and 38 are waiting for a transfer. The rate of pregnancies by transfer is superior to the one observed with the transfer of frozen embryos (40.5% versus 27%).

Salvage of extensively burned upper limbs by a pedicled latissimus dorsi flap

Very deep burns of the arm and elbow lead to soft tissue necrosis and infection with exposure of important structures. Aggressive debridement should be performed as early as possible to cut the vicious circle, and the defect, which may be extensive, should be covered by well-vascularized tissues. The reliability and versatility of the pedicled latissimus dorsi muscle or musculocutaneous flap make it our first choice in the management of this problem. A retrospective study of three patients for whom salvage of the upper limb has been achieved by the use of a pedicled latissimus dorsi flap is presented, illustrating the advantages of this technique.

Psychological aspects in anonymous and non-anonymous oocyte donation

A study, in which 110 patients were screened by a psychoanalyst, included 69 recipients who chose non-anonymous oocyte donation, i.e. they received oocytes from a known donor, most frequently a sister or a close relative. Another 41 recipients received anonymous oocytes, but had to bring a donor. Psychological motivations for either choice are reported, and significant topics such as attitudes towards confidentiality and links to the child are compared. No specific psychopathology is reported at this stage. An additional study on children born by these techniques is ongoing.

Sibling Species in Montastraea annularis, Coral Bleaching, and the Coral Climate Record

Measures of growth and skeletal isotopic ratios in the Caribbean coral Montastraea annularis are fundamental to many studies of paleoceanography, environmental degradation, and global climate change. This taxon is shown to consist of at least three sibling species in shallow waters. The two most commonly studied of these show highly significant differences in growth rate and oxygen isotopic ratios, parameters routinely used to estimate past climatic conditions; unusual coloration in the third may have confused research on coral bleaching. Interpretation or comparison of past and current studies can be jeopardized by ignoring these species boundaries.

Mechanism of insulin-induced activation of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase in isolated rat soleus muscle

Insulin augments Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase activity in skeletal muscles. It has been proposed that the sequence of events is activation of Na(+)-H+ antiporter, increased intracellular Na+ concentration ( [Na+]i), and stimulation of Na(+)-K+ pump. We have used isolated rat soleus muscles to test this hypothesis. Insulin increased the ouabain-suppressible K+ uptake in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The maximal effect was observed at 50-100 mU/ml insulin. Stimulation of K+ uptake was accompanied by increased specific [3H]ouabain binding and lowered [Na+]i. The ionophore monensin, which promotes Na(+)-H+ exchange, also increased the rate of ouabain-suppressible K+ uptake in soleus muscle, with a maximal effect obtained at 10-100 microM ionophore. However, this increase was accompanied by an elevation of [Na+]i. In the presence of 10-100 microM monensin, addition of 100 mU/ml insulin further increased K+ uptake but reduced [Na+]i. The effect on K+ uptake was additive. Ouabain (10(-3) M) completely suppressed the effect of insulin on [Na+]i. Insulin had no effect on the magnitude or the time course of insulin stimulation of K+ uptake. Thus equal stimulation of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase by insulin was observed when [Na+]i was elevated (under monensin) or lowered (under amiloride). These data suggest that activation of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase in soleus muscle by insulin is not secondary to stimulation of Na(+)-H+ antiporter.

Ecological Effects of a Major Oil Spill on Panamanian Coastal Marine Communities

In 1986 more than 8 million liters of crude oil spilled into a complex region of mangroves, seagrasses, and coral reefs just east of the Caribbean entrance to the Panama Canal. This was the largest recorded spill into coastal habitats in the tropical Americas. Many population of plants and animals in both oiled and unoiled sites had been studied previously, thereby providing an unprecedented measure of ecological variation before the spill. Documenation of the spread of oil and its biological begun immediately. Intertidal mangroves, algae, and associated invertebrates were covered by oil and died soon after. More surprisingly, there was also extensive mortality of shallow subtidal reef corals and infauna of seagrass beds. After 1.5 years only some organisms in areas exposed to the open sea have recovered.

Fetal and adult human liver differ markedly in the fluidity and lipid composition of their microsomal membranes

The fluidity and lipid composition of the human hepatic microsomal membrane were studied in 11 livers from 16- to 21-week-old fetuses and in 5 adult livers, and compared with those of fetal and adult rat liver microsomes. Membrane fluidity was analyzed by measurement of fluorescence polarization using the fluorophore 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene. The lipid apparent microviscosity (eta) of human fetal liver microsomes was 2.17 +/- 0.13 poise, as compared with 1.08 +/- 0.08 poise in adult liver (p less than 0.001). Similar differences in fluidity were found between fetal and adult rat liver microsomes. The more "fluid" adult microsomes had higher phospholipid/cholesterol and phosphatidylcholine/sphingomyelin molar ratios than those of the more "rigid" fetal microsomes. The degree of unsaturation of the adult microsomal lipids was much higher than that of the fetal lipids. The ratios of unsaturated/saturated fatty acids in microsomal lipids highly correlated with the eta values obtained for the combined group of fetal and adult human livers, suggesting that the developmental increase in degree of unsaturation of the microsomal lipids is a major determinant of the increased fluidity of adult as compared with fetal liver microsomes. These differences in fluidity and lipid composition between fetal and adult human liver microsomes may be a critical factor in the regulation of hepatic microsomal drug and carcinogen metabolizing enzyme activity, and could so determine the extent of toxicity and teratogenicity of drugs and/or their metabolites in the developing human fetus.

Glucocorticoids increase the fluidity of the fetal-rat liver microsomal membrane in the perinatal period

Dexamethasone, a synthetic glucocorticoid, was administered to pregnant rats during the last week of pregnancy in order to examine its effects on the fluidity of the developing fetal-rat liver microsomal membrane. This early prenatal exposure to dexamethasone, which preceded the natural appearance of fetal corticosteroids, markedly accelerated the normal perinatal course of fluidization of this membrane. The lipid apparent microviscosity, which was determined by measurement of fluorescence polarization, decreased in 21-days-old treated fetuses to values that were indistinguishable from those of untreated newborn rats. This dexamethasone-mediated acceleration of membrane fluidization was associated with an increase in the index of unsaturation of the fatty acyl moiety of microsomal lipids. Dexamethasone caused a significant increase in the microsomal content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (arachidonic and linoleic acid), which was accompanied by a decrease in content of monoenoic fatty acids (oleic and palmitoleic acid). This early exposure in utero to dexamethasone precociously induced the changes in fatty acid composition of fetal-rat liver microsomal lipids that normally occur between the last day of pregnancy and the first day of extra-uterine life. These results suggest that endogenous glucocorticoids play a major role in the perinatal fluidization of the rat liver microsomal membrane.