Alterations in osteoclast morphology following osteoprotegerin administration in the magnesium-deficient mouse

In the present study, we used osteoprotegerin (OPG), which blocks osteoclastogenesis, to correct and thus explain the hypercalcemia that is seen during dietary Mg deficiency in the mouse. Control and Mg-deficient mice received injections for 12 days of either OPG or vehicle only. Serum Ca was similar in Mg-deficient mice treated with OPG and in control mice receiving OPG (9.2±0.3 mg/dl vs. 9.2±0.5). Both groups had significantly higher serum Ca than controls or Mg-deficient animals receiving vehicle alone. Surprisingly, Mg-depleted mice that received OPG in doses that inhibit osteoclastic bone resorption remained hypercalcemic. Because mature osteoclasts still present in the marrow might be hyperactive, we examined osteoclast morphology at the light microscopic and ultrastructural level. Light microscopic examination of trabecular bone showed few osteoclasts in OPG-treated mice. Ultrastructural examination revealed that osteoclasts in OPG-treated mice have decreased contact with the endosteal bone surface and absence of a ruffled border. Because the morphology of the existing pool of mature osteoclasts did not enhance resorption, another mechanism, such as increased intestinal absorption of Ca in Mg-deficient mice, likely contributes to the hypercalcemia observed during Mg deficiency.     

Parasexuality and Ploidy Change in Candida tropicalis

Candida species exhibit a variety of ploidy states and modes of sexual reproduction. Most species possess the requisite genes for sexual reproduction, recombination, and meiosis, yet only a few have been reported to undergo a complete sexual cycle including mating and sporulation. Candida albicans, the most studied Candida species and a prevalent human fungal pathogen, completes its sexual cycle via a parasexual process of concerted chromosome loss rather than a conventional meiosis. In this study, we examine ploidy changes in Candida tropicalis, a closely related species to C. albicans that was recently revealed to undergo sexual mating. C. tropicalis diploid cells mate to form tetraploid cells, and we show that these can be induced to undergo chromosome loss to regenerate diploid forms by growth on sorbose medium. The diploid products are themselves mating competent, thereby establishing a parasexual cycle in this species for the first time. Extended incubation (>120 generations) of C. tropicalis tetraploid cells under rich culture conditions also resulted in instability of the tetraploid form and a gradual reduction in ploidy back to the diploid state. The fitness levels of C. tropicalis diploid and tetraploid cells were compared, and diploid cells exhibited increased fitness relative to tetraploid cells in vitro, despite diploid and tetraploid cells having similar doubling times. Collectively, these experiments demonstrate distinct pathways by which a parasexual cycle can occur in C. tropicalis and indicate that nonmeiotic mechanisms drive ploidy changes in this prevalent human pathogen.     

Apodemia mormo in Canada: population genetic data support prior conservation ranking

Like many species, the Mormon Metalmark butterfly (Apodemia mormo) has been given conservation ranking in Canada based on limited data. This species is widespread across western North America, but has only two populations in Canada: an “endangered” population in the Similkameen valley of British Columbia, and a “threatened” population in Grasslands National Park (GNP) in Saskatchewan. Here we present genetic data from 1498 base pairs of the cytochrome oxidase I gene sequence and six novel microsatellite loci in order to assess (1) whether the two populations are related, (2) the degree to which they are genetically diverse and demographically stable, and (3) what their relationships are to the nearest unranked populations of A. mormo across the Canada-United States border. Our principal conclusion is that the two populations are not closely related genetically. We also found that the British Columbia population is genetically depauperate and, with the exception of the nearest neighboring populations across the border, not recently genetically connected to other populations in the Pacific Northwest. In comparison, the Saskatchewan population is genetically diverse, and gene flow occurs with several other eastern populations. Population structure was not detected within either the British Columbia or the Saskatchewan populations. This research supports the prior conservation rankings of both populations and provides new insight that will help to inform future management decisions for the Canadian populations of this charismatic butterfly.     

Biodiversity of Actinomycetes Associated with Caribbean Sponges and Their Potential for Natural Product Discovery

Marine actinomycetes provide a rich source of structurally unique and bioactive secondary metabolites. Numerous genera of marine actinomycetes have been isolated from marine sediments as well as several sponge species. In this study, 16 different species of Caribbean sponges were collected from four different locations in the coastal waters off Puerto Rico in order to examine diversity and bioactive metabolite production of marine actinomycetes in Caribbean sponges. Sediments were also collected from each location, in order to compare actinomycete communities between these two types of samples. A total of 180 actinomycetes were isolated and identified based on 16S rRNA gene analysis. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the presence of at least 14 new phylotypes belonging to the genera Micromonospora, Verruscosispora, Streptomyces, Salinospora, Solwaraspora, Microbacterium and Cellulosimicrobium. Seventy-eight of the isolates (19 from sediments and 59 from sponges) shared 100 % sequence identity with Micromonospora sp. R1. Despite having identical 16S rRNA sequences, the bioactivity of extracts and subsequent fractions generated from the fermentation of both sponge- and sediment-derived isolates identical to Micromonospora sp. R1 varied greatly, with a marked increase in antibiotic metabolite production in those isolates derived from sponges. These results indicate that the chemical profiles of isolates with high 16S rRNA sequence homology to known strains can be diverse and dependent on the source of isolation. In addition, seven previously reported dihydroquinones produced by five different Streptomyces strains have been purified and characterized from one Streptomyces sp. strain isolated in this study from the Caribbean sponge Agelas sceptrum.     

Improving medication adherence in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a systematic review

Adherence to medication among individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is suboptimal and has negative impacts on survival and health care costs. No systematic review has examined the effectiveness of interventions designed to improve medication adherence. Electronic databases Medline and Cochrane were searched using a combination of MeSH and keywords. Eligible studies were interventions with a primary or secondary aim to improve medication adherence among individuals with COPD published in English. Included studies were assessed for methodological quality using the Effective Practice and Organisation of Care (EPOC) criteria. Of the 1,186 papers identified, seven studies met inclusion criteria. Methodological quality of the studies was variable. Five studies identified effective interventions. Strategies included: brief counselling; monitoring and feedback about inhaler use through electronic medication delivery devices; and multi-component interventions consisting of self-management and care co-ordination delivered by pharmacists and primary care teams. Further research is needed to establish the most effective and cost effective interventions. Special attention should be given to increasing patient sample size and using a common measure of adherence to overcome methodological limitations. Interventions that involve caregivers and target the healthcare provider as well as the patient should be further explored.     

Safety and immunomodulatory effects of allogeneic canine adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells transplanted into the region of the lacrimal gland,the gland of the third eyelid and the knee joint

Background aimsMesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have been extensively studied as a cellular therapeutic for various pathologic conditions. However, there remains a paucity of data regarding regional and systemic safety of MSC transplantations, particularly with multiple deliveries of allogeneic cells. The purpose of this study was to investigate the safety and systemic immunomodulatory effects of repeated local delivery of allogeneic MSCs into the region of the lacrimal gland, the gland of the third eyelid and the knee joint in dogs.MethodsAllogeneic adipose tissue-derived canine MSCs were delivered to the regions of the lacrimal gland and the third eyelid gland as well as in the knee joints of six healthy laboratory beagles as follows: six times with 1-week intervals for delivery to the lacrimal gland and the third eyelid gland regions and three to four times with 1- to 2-week intervals for intra-articular transplantations. Dogs were sequentially evaluated by clinical examination. At the conclusion of the study, dogs were humanely euthanized, and a complete gross and histopathologic examination of all organ systems was performed. Mixed leukocyte reactions were also performed before the first transplantation and after the final transplantation.ResultsClinical and pathologic examinations found no severe consequences after repeated MSC transplantations. Results of mixed leukocyte reactions demonstrated suppression of T-cell proliferation after MSC transplantations.ConclusionsThis is the first study to demonstrate regional and systemic safety and systemic immunomodulatory effects of repeated local delivery of allogeneic MSCs in vivo.     

Influence of Plasma Processing on Recovery and Analysis of Circulating Nucleic Acids

Circulating nucleic acids (CNAs) are under investigation as a liquid biopsy in cancer. However there is wide variation in blood processing and methods for isolation of circulating free DNA (cfDNA) and microRNAs (miRNAs). Here we compare the extraction efficiency and reproducibility of 4 commercially available kits for cfDNA and 3 for miRNA using spike-in of reference templates. We also compare the effects of increasing time between venepuncture and centrifugation and differential centrifugation force on recovery of CNAs. cfDNA was quantified by TaqMan qPCR and targeted deep sequencing. miRNA profiles were assessed with TaqMan low-density arrays and assays. The QIAamp^® DNA Blood Mini and Circulating nucleic acid kits gave the highest recovery of cfDNA and efficient recovery (>90%) of a 564bp spike-in. Moreover, targeted sequencing revealed overlapping cfDNA profiles and variant depth, including detection of HER2 gene amplification, using the Ion AmpliSeq™Cancer Hotspot Panel v2. Highest yields of miRNA and the synthetic Arabidopsis thaliana miR-159a spike-in were obtained using the miRNeasy Serum/Plasma kit, with saturation above 200 µl of plasma. miRNA profiles showed significant variation with increasing time before centrifugation (p<0.001) and increasing centrifugation force, with depletion of platelet associated miRNAs, whereas cfDNA was unaffected. However, sample replicates showed excellent reproducibility on TaqMan low density arrays (ρ = 0.96, p<0.0001). We also successfully generated miRNA profiles for plasma samples stored > 12 years, highlighting the potential for analysis of stored sample biobanks. In the era of the liquid biopsy, standardisation of methods is required to minimise variation, particularly for miRNA.     

Deep Brain Stimulation Imposes Complex Informational Lesions

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy has become an essential tool for treating a range of brain disorders. In the resting state, DBS is known to regularize spike activity in and downstream of the stimulated brain target, which in turn has been hypothesized to create informational lesions. Here, we specifically test this hypothesis using repetitive joint articulations in two non-human Primates while recording single-unit activity in the sensorimotor globus pallidus and motor thalamus before, during, and after DBS in the globus pallidus (GP) GP-DBS resulted in: (1) stimulus-entrained firing patterns in globus pallidus, (2) a monophasic stimulus-entrained firing pattern in motor thalamus, and (3) a complete or partial loss of responsiveness to joint position, velocity, or acceleration in globus pallidus (75%, 12/16 cells) and in the pallidal receiving area of motor thalamus (ventralis lateralis pars oralis, VLo) (38%, 21/55 cells). Despite loss of kinematic tuning, cells in the globus pallidus (63%, 10/16 cells) and VLo (84%, 46/55 cells) still responded to one or more aspects of joint movement during GP-DBS. Further, modulated kinematic tuning did not always necessitate modulation in firing patterns (2/12 cells in globus pallidus; 13/23 cells in VLo), and regularized firing patterns did not always correspond to altered responses to joint articulation (3/4 cells in globus pallidus, 11/33 cells in VLo). In this context, DBS therapy appears to function as an amalgam of network modulating and network lesioning therapies.     

The Discovery of a Reciprocal Relationship between Tyrosine-Kinase Signaling and Cullin Neddylation

While neddylation is known to activate cullin (CUL)-RING ubiquitin ligases (CRLs), its role in regulating T cell signaling is poorly understood. Using the investigational NEDD8 activating enzyme (NAE) inhibitor, MLN4924, we found that neddylation negatively regulates T cell receptor (TCR) signaling, as its inhibition increases IL-2 production, T cell proliferation and Treg development in vitro. We also discovered that loss of CUL neddylation occurs upon TCR signaling, and CRLs negatively regulate IL-2 production. Additionally, we found that tyrosine kinase signaling leads to CUL deneddylation in multiple cell types. These studies indicate that CUL neddylation is a global regulatory mechanism for tyrosine kinase signaling.     

Alterations of Red Cell Membrane Properties in Nneuroacanthocytosis

Neuroacanthocytosis (NA) refers to a group of heterogenous, rare genetic disorders, namely chorea acanthocytosis (ChAc), McLeod syndrome (MLS), Huntington’s disease-like 2 (HDL2) and pantothenate kinase associated neurodegeneration (PKAN), that mainly affect the basal ganglia and are associated with similar neurological symptoms. PKAN is also assigned to a group of rare neurodegenerative diseases, known as NBIA (neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation), associated with iron accumulation in the basal ganglia and progressive movement disorder. Acanthocytosis, the occurrence of misshaped erythrocytes with thorny protrusions, is frequently observed in ChAc and MLS patients but less prevalent in PKAN (about 10%) and HDL2 patients. The pathological factors that lead to the formation of the acanthocytic red blood cell shape are currently unknown. The aim of this study was to determine whether NA/NBIA acanthocytes differ in their functionality from normal erythrocytes. Several flow-cytometry-based assays were applied to test the physiological responses of the plasma membrane, namely drug-induced endocytosis, phosphatidylserine exposure and calcium uptake upon treatment with lysophosphatidic acid. ChAc red cell samples clearly showed a reduced response in drug-induced endovesiculation, lysophosphatidic acid-induced phosphatidylserine exposure, and calcium uptake. Impaired responses were also observed in acanthocyte-positive NBIA (PKAN) red cells but not in patient cells without shape abnormalities. These data suggest an “acanthocytic state” of the red cell where alterations in functional and interdependent membrane properties arise together with an acanthocytic cell shape. Further elucidation of the aberrant molecular mechanisms that cause this acanthocytic state may possibly help to evaluate the pathological pathways leading to neurodegeneration.