OBJECTIVE To design a bidimensional facial movement measuring tool and study its reliability. METHODS We utilized the free video-analysis software Kinovea that can track preselected points during movements and measure two-point distances off-line. Three raters positioned facial markers on 10 healthy individuals and video-taped them during maximal bilateral contractions of frontalis, corrugato...

Bos frontalis, which consumes bamboo and weeds, may have evolved unique gastrointestinal microorganisms that digest cellulase. A Paenibacillus sp. YD236 strain was isolated from B. frontalis feces, from which a GH8 endoglucanase gene, pglue8 (1107 bp, 54.5 % GC content), encoding a 368-residue polypeptide (PgluE8, 40.4 kDa) was cloned. PgluE8 efficiently hydrolyzed barley-β-d-glucan followed by...

Synchronous flashing occurs in certain species of Southeast Asian and North American fireflies. Most Southeast Asian synchrony involves stationary congregating fireflies, but North American synchrony occurs in flying fireflies that do not congregate. Southeast Asian synchrony is usually continuous, but North American synchrony is interrupted. Photuris frontalis, the only member of the North Ame...

Servicio de Dermatologia, Complejo Asistencial Universitario de Salamanca (CAUSA), Centro de Investigación de Enfermedades Tropicales de la Universidad de Salamanca (CIETUS), Instituto de Investigación Biomedica de Salamanca (IBSAL), Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain; Servicio de Medicina Interna, Seccion de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Complejo Asistencial Universitario de Salamanca (CAU...

AIMS The aim of the study was to evaluate the results of the frontalis sling operation using silicone rod for the correction of ptosis in chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia patients. METHODS Chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia patients who received the frontalis sling operation using silicone rods from 1999 to 2006 were included in this study. The medical records were retro...

The genetic structure of present-day populations has been highly affected by glacial periods and physical oceanographic forcing, particularly with respect to species distributions and population gene-flow patterns. We assessed the current genetic composition of the Jasus frontalis population in the southeastern Pacific Islands off the coast of Chile to evaluate their connectivity modulated by c...

Facial mimicry is the tendency to imitate the emotional facial expressions of others. Increasing evidence suggests that the perception of dynamic displays leads to enhanced facial mimicry, especially for happiness and anger. However, little is known about the impact of dynamic stimuli on facial mimicry for fear and disgust. To investigate this issue, facial EMG responses were recorded in the co...

Coral snakes (Micrurus spp.) are the main representatives of the Elapidae in South America. However, bites by these snakes are uncommon. We retrospectively reviewed the data from 11 individuals bitten by coral snakes over a 20-year period; four were confirmed (snake brought for identification) and seven were highly suspected (neuromuscular manifestations) cases of elapid envenoming. The cases w...