Biomedical subjects

C Juan

Publications and source records attributed to C Juan.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

Color and duplex Doppler sonography of hemangiopericytoma.

We report the color Doppler sonographic features in a case of hemangiopericytoma of the thigh in a 52-year-old woman. Color Doppler sonography demonstrated the vascularity of the tumor, and spectral analysis showed waveform changes that suggested the presence of intratumoral arteriovenous shunting. The color Doppler findings correlated well with angiographic findings. Color Doppler sonography can demonstrate intratumoral arteriovenous shunting in hemangiopericytoma and may be used to help avoid profuse bleeding when performing a preoperative biopsy.

Angiography↗

PubMed2000

The evolutionary history of the genus Timarcha (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) inferred from mitochondrial COII gene and partial 16S rDNA sequences.

The apterous genus Timarcha consists of three subgenera and more than 100 species in its Palearctic distribution, with specialized feeding on few plant families. Fifty-four sequences sampled from 31 taxa of the genus plus three outgroup leaf beetles were studied for their complete cytochrome oxidase II (COII) and a fragment of 16S rDNA mitochondrial genes, representing a total of about 1200 bp. Phylogenetic analyses using maximum-parsimony and distance methods for each gene separately and for the combined data set gave compatible topologies. The subgenus Metallotimarcha consistently appears in a basal position and is well differentiated from the remaining Timarcha, but no clear monophyletic grouping of Timarchostoma and Timarcha s. str. subgenera can be deduced from our analysis. Calibration of the molecular clock has been done using the opening of the Gibraltar Strait after the Messinian salinity crisis (about 5.5 MYA) as the biogeographic event causing disjunction of two particular taxa. Accordingly, the COII evolutionary rate has been estimated to be of 0.76 x 10(-8) substitution/site/year in Timarcha. Relation between phylogeny and host-plant use indicates widening of trophic regime as a derived character in Timarcha.

Animals↗

PubMed2000

Sequence, secondary structure and phylogenetic analyses of the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) in the Timarcha leaf beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae).

Internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) sequences of the nuclear rDNA in forty-seven specimens (thirty-four species) of the leaf beetle genus Timarcha have been studied. Timarcha ITS2 (523 bp on average) share some sequence features with other Chrysomeloidea relatives (Chrysolina, Diabrotica and Bruchus) but have no clear similarity with any other arthropod ITS2 sequences. Interspecific divergences are in the range 0.002-0.166, and 0.124-0.206 in the comparisons between subgenera. No evidence of intragenomic divergent ITS2 sequences has been found. Secondary structures are concordant with the four-domain model proposed for vertebrates and yeast, but differs from those proposed for dipterans. Phylogenetic analysis of the ITS2 data confirms the results of a previous study based on mitochondrial sequences, as the basality of the Metallotimarcha subgenus and the absence of phylogenetic support for the Timarchostoma subgenus.

Animals↗

PubMed2000

Nested cladistic analysis, phylogeography and speciation in the Timarcha goettingensis complex (Coleoptera, chrysomelidae).

The Timarcha goettingensis complex is a monophyletic assemblage of closely related leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae), distributed from the north half of the Iberian Peninsula to Central Europe. Oligophagy, mountainous habitat and apterism are factors which are assumed to promote speciation in these beetles. We have used cytochrome oxidase subunit II mitochondrial DNA genealogies obtained from 31 sampling localities and a nested geographical distance analysis to assess the population structure and demographic factors explaining the geographical distributions of the mtDNA haplotypes in the T. goettingensis complex. The results show that there is a significant association between genetic structuring and geography. Inferences about the historical population processes in the species complex are discussed, being in general in accordance with contiguous range expansions and past fragmentations. The use of the cohesion species concept approach suggests the existence of several systematic ranks among the different T. goettingensis populations, which is in part supported by ecological traits such as trophic selection and altitudinal distribution.

Animals↗

PubMed2000

Comparative study of satellite sequences and phylogeny of five species from the genus Palorus (Insecta, Coleoptera).

Major satellite sequences are analysed in the three tenebrionid beetles Palorus cerylonoides, P. genalis, and P. ficicola, and compared with the ones from P. ratzeburgii and P. subdepressus reported elsewhere. All of them are A+T rich, pericentromerically located, and with lengths of about 150 bp, either in the form of monomers or formed by more complex repeating units. A preliminary phylogenetic analysis of Palorus species using the 3' end of the mitochondrial Cytochrome Oxidase I gene shows that the five Palorus species have been diverging for a considerable amount of evolutionary time, with the pair P. ratzeburgii and P. genalis being the most closely related. Only these two taxa showed some similarity between their respective high-copy-number satellite sequences, while other satellites are mutually unrelated and might have originated independently. However, all the satellites have in common tertiary structure induced by intrinsic DNA curvature, a characteristic which is conserved within the genus. Palorus major satellites were previously detected in the genomes of congeneric species as low-copy-number clusters (Mestrović et al., Mol. Biol. Evol. 15: 1062-1068. 1998). Given the divergences between the analysed species, the substitution rate deduced from high- and low-copy-number repeats is unexpectedly low. The presence of sequence-induced DNA curvature in all Palorus satellites and similar satellite DNAs in the species pair P. ratzeburgii and P. genalis suggest (i) that constraints are at the tertiary structure; and (ii) that the satellite DNA evolutionary turnover can be dependent on the history of the taxa under study, resulting in retention of similar satellites in related taxa.

Animals↗

PubMed1999

Mitochondrial DNA phylogeny and the evolution of host-plant use in palearctic Chrysolina (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) leaf beetles.

The genus Chrysolina consists of specialized phytophagous leaf-beetles (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) with feed on several plant families. There is no explicit phylogenetic hypothesis available for this genus, which includes 65 subgenera and more than 400 species with a wide distribution. We obtained 839-bp sequence data from the 16S rDNA and cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) mitochondrial genes. Thirty Chrysolina taxa representing eight host-plant affiliations, two species of the closely related genus Oreina, and two outgroups were sampled. These data sets were used separately and combined to obtain the mitochondrial cladogram of the group using maximum-parsimony and maximum-likelihood criteria. The results were compared to current proposals for Chrysolina systematics that are based on morphological, ecological, and karyological data. The trees obtained were in the most part congruent with the proposed ancestral association of Chrysolina to Lamiaceae based on chromosome number in several lineages. A minimum of five host-plant switches from the ancestral state inferred at the family level and two at the subclass level suggests the absence of parallel evolution of beetles and their host plants. Another switch leading to oligophagy at the family level was deduced to have occurred in the lineage of the subgenus Chrysolina s.str.

Animals↗

PubMed1999

Interactive image-guided surgery system with high-performance computing capabilities on low-cost workstations: a prototype.

We present a new frameless stereotatic system prototype that has been initially validated in functional neurosurgery operations and that makes use of an optical position tracker for image-guided neurosurgery. Several devices for tracking different surgical instruments have been designed and manufactured. These devices include an array of infrared light-emitting diodes that are tracked by three charge-coupled device cameras. The system presents several new approaches for surgery planning. For high-quality 3D images of the patient's anatomy, we have developed a parallel version of a volume-rendering algorithm, thus enabling real-time 3D anatomy manipulation on low-cost PC workstations. In order to test the accuracy of the system, the localization of the target by means of a stereotatic frame has been compared with frameless techniques, obtaining a difference of about 1 +/- 1 mm.

Algorithms↗

PubMed1999

A system for the simulation and planning of orthodontic treatment using a low cost 3D laser scanner for dental anatomy capturing.

The detection and correction of malocclusions and other dental abnormalities is a significant area of work in orthodontic diagnosis. To assess the quality of occlusion between the teeth the orthodontist has to estimate distances between specific points located on the teeth of both arches. Distance measuring is based on the observation, by the orthodontist, of a plaster model of the mouth. Gathering of information required to make the diagnosis is a time consuming and costly operation. On the other hand, obtaining and manipulation of plaster casts constitute a huge problem in clinics, due to both the large space needed and high costs associated with plaster casts manufacturing. For this problem we present a new system for three-dimensional orthodontic treatment planning and movement of teeth. We describe a computer vision technique for the acquisition and processing of three-dimensional images of the profile of hydrocolloids dental imprints taken by mean of a own developed 3D laser scanner. Profile measurement is based on the triangulation method which detects deformation of the projection of a laser line on the dental imprints. The system is computer-controlled and designed to achieve depth and lateral resolutions of 0.1 mm and 0.2 mm, respectively, within a depth range of 40 mm. The developed diagnosis software system (named MAGALLANES) and the 3D laser scanner (named 3DENT) are both commercially available and have been designed to replace manual measurement methods, which use costly plaster models, with computer measurements methods and teeth movement simulation using cheap hydrocolloid dental wafers. This procedure will reduce the cost and acquisition time of orthodontic data and facilitate the conduct of epidemiological studies.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

The phylogeography of the darkling beetle, Hegeter politus, in the eastern Canary Islands.

We investigated the phylogeography of Hegeter politus, a saprophagous, flightless darkling beetle endemic to the eastern Canary Islands, using a fragment of the mitochondrial COI gene. Distance and parsimony based gene trees of the mitotypes identified revealed a striking association between mitotype clades and sampling locations. The branching order of the clades suggested that the colonization of the islands by Hegeter politus proceeded from the southern part of Fuerteventura in a north-northeast direction to Lanzarote and the smaller islands. Based on this, a colonization scenario compatible with the reported geological ages and volcanisms of the various parts of the islands has been proposed. The high divergence of the beetles collected from the extreme south of Fuerteventura (the Jandía peninsula) from all other samples has led us to propose that they may be from a new species that has not been described previously. The ecological isolation of Jandía from the rest of Fuerteventura by the sand dunes that cover its narrow isthmus in the north, and the existence of many plant and animal endemisms unique to Jandía, lend supportive evidence to our proposal. The similarities between the evolution of island endemics in the Hawaiian and Canary archipelagos have been discussed. We conclude that many endemics in the Canary archipelago, like the Hawaiian Islands, are most likely to have originated from post-colonization differentiation and divergence.

Animals↗

PubMed1997

Conservation of satellite DNA in species of the genus Pimelia (Tenebrionidae, Coleoptera).

Satellite DNA has been characterized in six allopatric species from the genus Pimelia: P. interjecta, P. integra, P. variolosa and P. baetica, inhabiting Iberian Peninsula, and P. elevata and P. criba, endemic to Balearic Islands Ibiza and Mallorca, respectively. All species show the presence of a single satellite DNA of a basic monomer length of 357 bp and A+T content of 69%, comprising a considerable amount of the genome (39%-45%, corresponding to about 4.5 x 10(5) copies per haploid genome). The sequence analysis of 22 cloned repeats reveals very high intra- and interspecific sequence similarity. Phylogenetic analysis separates the satellite sequences into two clusters, each comprising clones from three species exclusively. Within the clusters, satellite clones are not grouped species-specifically, except those of P. integra where species-diagnostic nt substitutions are detected with a pattern that could be produced by gene conversion. Such high sequence conservation could be related to preservation of satellite DNA curvature, resulting in a higher order helical structure, proposed to act as a specific protein binding domain.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

Mitochondrial DNA sequence variation and phylogeography of Pimelia darkling beetles on the island of Tenerife (Canary Islands).

Four morphological taxa of the beetle genus Pimelia (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae) are known to exist on the Atlantic island of Tenerife. We have obtained DNA sequences for 61 individuals from these taxa across the island for a 200 bp long fragment of the mitochondrial COI gene. In addition, a restriction site polymorphism in the nuclear rRNA ITS-1 sequence was identified and screened in a sample of these individuals using the enzyme Kpn2I. The results were analysed using approaches which allow inferences to be made about the population genetic structure and the mitochondrial genealogy of these closely related beetles. The mtDNA haplotype distribution and the estimates of sequence divergence revealed the presence of two ancient mtDNA lineages which coincide with the disjunct volcanic evolution of the island. The ITS-1 polymorphism was found to be diagnostic of these two lineages. However, the morphological and mitochondrial phylogenies were found to be discordant. We argue that this is possibly the result of rapid morphological change, produced by selection in different habitats, which has been recently superimposed on an older mitochondrial DNA divergence.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

Phylogeny of the genus Hegeter (Tenebrionidae, Coleoptera) and its colonization of the Canary Islands deduced from Cytochrome Oxidase I mitochondrial DNA sequences.

The genus Hegeter comprises 23 species of darkling beetles (Tenebrionidae) endemic to the Macaronesian archipelagos, with 21 of them exclusive to the Canary Islands. We have sequenced 438 bp of the mitochondrial Cytochrome Oxidase I gene in 17 species (24 taxa) of Canarian Hegeter. Estimates of nucleotide composition, transition/transversion ratios and nucleotide change frequencies are very similar to those found in another tenebrionid Canarian genus Pimelia, indicating that similar molecular mechanisms are driving the sequence evolution. The sequence variation found allows phylogenetic analyses of the genus and the deduction of colonization patterns. These involve sequential island invasion with more rapid establishment and radiation than found in the related beetles of the genus Pimelia.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

Mitochondrial DNA phylogeny and sequential colonization of Canary Islands by darkling beetles of the genus Pimelia (Tenebrionidae).

Fifteen species of the darkling beetle genus Pimelia (Tenebrionidae: Coleoptera) have been sequenced for a 365 b.p. portion of the mitochondrial Cytochrome Oxidase I gene. Thirteen of these are endemic species inhibiting the Canarian archipelago in the Atlantic and the other two are continental conspecifics. This data set has been phylogenetically analysed by maximum parsimony and distance approaches and the resulting trees used to deduce sequential interisland colonization. This suggests patterns compatible with the geological dating of the islands, but with increasing uncertainty when older events are considered. A colonization sequence from Fuerteventura to Tenerife followed by Tenerife to Gran Canarian and La Gomera, and from the latter to La Palma and then to El Hierro is proposed for the genus. A relatively recent secondary colonization from Gran Canaria to Gomera is deduced.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

Tenebrio obscurus satellite DNA is resistant to cleavage by restriction endonucleases in situ.

Satellite DNA from the mealworm beetle, Tenebrio obscurus, is composed of 344 bp long monomers of high AT content (68%), and represents 15% of the total DNA. In situ hybridization reveals the positions of the satellite on the pericentromeric heterochromatin of all T. obscurus chromosomes. To compare restriction enzyme (RE) effects with those on naked DNA, fixed chromosomes were digested with REs having recognition sites in most of the satellite monomers, and also with enzymes having target sites present only partially, or very rarely in the satellite units. All enzymes produce similar C-like banding patterns showing heterochromatin resistance to digestion regardless of the enzyme used. In situ nick translation suggests the inability of REs to cleave satellite DNA rather than the inefficient extraction of DNA fragments. DNA in heterochromatin was only extensively digested when the chromosomes were preincubated with proteinase K, indicating that accessibility of REs to DNA is increased by the removal of chromosomal proteins. This is in contrast to recently obtained results in Tenebrio molitor, where cleavage of satellite DNA is equally efficient in both fixed chromosomes and in naked DNA. The satellite DNAs of the two congeneric species differ in their AT content, and their primary and higher order structure, which could influence both heterochromatin structure and the accessibility of REs to satellite DNA.

Animals↗

PubMed1993

Localization of tandemly repeated DNA sequences in beetle chromosomes by fluorescent in situ hybridization.

In situ hybridization to chromosomes and nuclei of Tenebrio molitor shows the massive presence of a species-specific satellite DNA in all chromosomes and six sites of rDNA in mitotic chromosomes. These sites are located in two autosomal pairs and in the X and Y chromosomes. In a related species, Misolampus goudoti, in which two different families of highly repetitive DNA have been previously characterized, one family is located in centromeric regions of all chromosomes with the exception of chromosome Y, while the other repeated DNA family is present both in centromeric and distal regions of all chromosomes. rRNA genes in this species are present in a medium-sized autosomal pair only. These results show that molecular cytogenetics can be applied to coleopteran chromosomes and open the way for a physical mapping of DNA sequences in these organisms. The results also provide insights into the type of meiotic association of the X and Y chromosomes in Coleoptera and the distribution of repeated DNAs within the genome of these insects.

Animals↗

PubMed1993

Presence of highly repetitive DNA sequences in Tribolium flour-beetles.

Digestion of genomic DNA from seven species of Tribolium (Coleoptera) with Sau3AI, TaqI and ClaI restriction enzymes shows the presence of remarkable amounts of highly repetitive DNA sequences in these species. In Tribolium freemani the sequences are tandemly repeated with a satellite monomer of 166 bp, A-T rich (70.5 per cent), representing 31 per cent of the total genome and located in centromeric chromosome areas as demonstrated by in situ hybridization. The sequence has the potential to form secondary structures such as stems or cruciforms due to the presence of frequent inverted repeats. Tribolium castaneum, T. anaphe and T. madens show homologous sequences to T. freemani satellite DNA but T. confusum, T. audax, T. brevicornis and other tenebrionid beetles, such as Tenebrio molitor and Misolampus goudoti, do not. A phylogenetic dendrogram, based on the homology and abundance of highly repetitive sequences deduced by dot-blot hybridization, chemotaxonomic and karyological characters, is proposed for the seven studied species of Tribolium.

Animals↗

PubMed1993

Characterization of the heterochromatin of the darkling beetle Misolampus goudoti: cloning of two satellite DNA families and digestion of chromosomes with restriction enzymes.

The darkling beetle Misolampus goudoti Er. has 58% of C-banded chromosome material. In this paper we deal with the study of the heterochromatin of this insect both by molecular and cytogenetical methods. Two different satellite DNA families have been characterized in Misolampus goudoti by agarose gel electrophoresis of EcoRI and PstI restriction fragments, respectively. The EcoRI family is composed of a monomeric unit of 196 bp (64.3% A-T rich) DNA sequence, representing about 120,000 copies per haploid genome. The presence of frequent intermediate-size satellite variants and an internal direct repetition of 61 bp in the EcoRI repetitive main monomer suggest that the evolution of this satellite proceeded by unequal crossing-over, occurring both within and between the 196 bp unit. Another highly repetitive sequence, defined by digestion of genomic DNA with PstI, has a more complex unit of 1.2 kb with about 70,000 copies per haploid genome. In situ digestion of M. goudoti chromosomes with restriction enzymes shows a non-specific chromosome DNA extraction from pericentromeric positions with EcoRI and chromosome specific extraction of DNA with PstI and HinfI. This is discussed in relation to the chromosomal location of both satellites.

Animals↗

PubMed1993

Satellite DNA and heterochromatin of the flour beetle Tribolium confusum.

The chromosomes of Tribolium confusum have conspicuous bulks of pericentromeric constitutive heterochromatin. The amount of heterochromatin measured by C-banding in metaphase chromosomes is estimated to be 40-45%. It is composed of an A + T rich DNA according to the distamycin A/diamidinophenylindol staining of chromosomes. Restriction analysis of isolated T. confusum genomic DNA shows that this species has a satellite DNA that constitutes about 40% of the genome. Cloning and sequencing experiments reveal a monomer length of 158 base pairs and a copy number of 5.77 x 10(5) per haploid genome. Its sequence is A + T rich (73%), with direct and inverted repeats, one of them with a possibility of forming stable cruciform structure. The abundance, monomer length, and the mutation rate are similar to those found in other satellite families from different species of Tenebrionidae, but no sequence homology has been found among them. No retarded mobility of satellite DNA, characteristic for molecules with sequence-induced curvature, has been detected by electrophoresis on nondenaturing polyacrylamide gels. In situ digestions with restriction enzymes and in situ hybridization show that this satellite DNA is located in pericentromeric positions of all chromosomes coinciding with C-bands.

Animals↗