Risk Factors and Relationship of Cutaneous and Uveal Melanocytic Lesions in Monozygotic and Dizygotic Twin Pairs

BackgroundThe similar genetic background of a pair of twins, and the similar environmental impacts to which they are exposed allow an exact and objective investigation of various constitutional and environmental factors in naevus development. As far as we are aware, this is the first published survey that simultaneously examines cutaneous and ocular pigmented lesions in an appreciable sample of identical and non-identical twins.Methods172 pairs of twins of Caucasian origin were included in this study. A whole-body skin examination and a detailed ophthalmological examination were performed to determine the density of melanocytic lesions. A standardized questionnaire was used to assess the data relating to constitutional, sun exposure and other variables.ResultsA notably high proportion of the subjects (36.78%) manifested one or more clinically atypical melanocytic naevi (CAMNs), and approximately one-third (31.4%) of them at least one benign uveal pigmented lesion (BUPL). The incidence of iris freckles (IFs), iris naevi (INs) and choroidal naevi (CHNs) proved to be 25.35%, 5.98% and 3.52%, respectively. The interclass correlation coefficients for common melanocytic naevi (CMNs), CAMNs, and INs were 0.77, 0.76 and 0.86 in monozygotic twins, as compared with 0.5, 0.27 and 0.25 in dizygotic twin pairs, respectively. A statistically significant correlation was found between the prevalence of CAMNs and that of INs.ConclusionsThis significant correlation suggests the existence of a subgroup of Caucasian people with an increased susceptibility to both cutaneous and ocular naevus formation. There is accumulating evidence that, besides the presence of cutaneous atypical naevi, INs can serve as a marker of a predisposed phenotype at risk of uveal melanoma. The correlation between cutaneous and ocular pigmented lesions underlines the need for the adequate ophthalmological screening of subjects with CAMNs and INs.     

The nutritional value of narrow-leafed lupine (Lupinus angustifolius) for fattening pigs

The aim of this study was to determine the nutrient digestibility of seeds of four varieties of narrow-leafed lupines (Lupinus angustifolius) and the possibility of soya bean meal (SBM) substitution by lupine seeds alone and in combination with rapeseed meal (RSM) in the diets of pigs. The seeds of the lupine varieties Kalif, Sonet, Zeus and Boruta were analysed. The apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) was determined on 50 cross-bred pigs using the difference method with titanium dioxide as a marker. The substitution of SBM by lupine seeds alone (at 0 – 100%) was tested on 60 pigs (20–105 kg body weight (BW)) and by a combination of lupine seeds and RSM on 180 fattening pigs (35–80 kg BW). The chemical composition of lupine seeds differed considerably, especially in terms of crude protein and mineral content. All seeds contained less than 0.05% alkaloids and 9.3% oligosaccharides in dry matter. The ATTD of protein ranged from 70% to 74%, those of ether extract from 36% to 55% and those of gross energy from 77% to 84%. The entire replacement of SBM by lupine seeds (var. Sonet) did not have a negative effect on the performance of grower and fattener pigs. The substitution of SBM by a combination of lupines and RSM reduced the performance of growing and finishing pigs significantly.     

Demographic and tumour prevalence data for juvenile green turtles at the Coastal-Marine Protected Area of Cerro Verde,Uruguay

Marine Protected Areas are increasingly considered in coastal areas as an instrument to preserve threatened fauna and fragile habitats from the detrimental effects of human activities. For this reason baseline data are of utmost importance for the evaluation of the outcomes of ongoing conservation efforts. Along the Uruguayan coast, the area of Cerro Verde (declared protected since 2011) represents the most important foraging and development area for green turtles (Chelonia mydas). Between 2002 and 2009, a long-term capture-mark-recapture programme for green turtles was developed to gather data on demography, ecology and status of the species in the area. Turtles captured were juveniles ranging from 28.8 to 64.3?cm in length over the curve of the carapace (n?=?514), and results indicated a size-based habitat segregation. Tumour prevalence was 5.3% (n?=?27) and was positively correlated with carapace length. The mean body condition index was 1.25?±?0.14 (n?=?494). From the total number of tagged turtles 10.6% were recaptured during the study period. Green turtles showed high site fidelity; 81% of the turtles were recaptured within the same season and 76% were recaptured in different seasons but were found at the original capture spot. Mean annual growth rate was 1.6?±?0.9?cm year^?1. The catch per unit effort of 2008 differed from 2009, higher in 2009, but also significantly different between capture spots. The present study constitutes a baseline dataset for future monitoring of green turtles in the area and provides valuable information for wider analyses of population dynamics in the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean.     

Fracture Healing Is Delayed in Immunodeficient NOD/scid??IL2Rγ?cnull Mice

Following bone fracture, the repair process starts with an inflammatory reaction at the fracture site. Fracture healing is disturbed when the initial inflammation is increased or prolonged, whereby, a balanced inflammatory response is anticipated to be crucial for fracture healing, because it may induce down-stream responses leading to tissue repair. However, the impact of the immune response on fracture healing remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated bone healing in NOD/scid-IL2Rγ_c^null mice, which exhibit severe defects in innate and adaptive immunity, by biomechanical testing, histomorphometry and micro-computed tomography. We demonstrated that NOD/scid-IL2Rγ_c^null mice exhibited normal skeletal anatomy and a mild bone phenotype with a slightly reduced bone mass in the trabecular compartment in comparison to immunocompetent Balb/c mice. Fracture healing was impaired in immunodeficient NOD/scid-IL2Rγ_c^null mice. Callus bone content was unaffected during the early healing stage, whereas it was significantly reduced during the later healing period. Concomitantly, the amount of cartilage was significantly increased, indicating delayed endochondral ossification, most likely due to the decreased osteoclast activity observed in cells isolated from NOD/scid-IL2Rγ_c^null mice. Our results suggest that—under aseptic, uncomplicated conditions—the immediate immune response after fracture is non-essential for the initiation of bone formation. However, an intact immune system in general is important for successful bone healing, because endochondral ossification is delayed in immunodeficient NOD/scid-IL2Rγ_c^null mice.     

Penetration ofCampylobacter jejuni at different storage temperatures in membranes and contents of cracked eggs

Summary Campylobacter jejuni 79-193 penetrates the inner, outer membrane and ultimately the contents of cracked eggs more at 4°C (after equilibration at 42°C for 10 min) than at 42°C or 25°C. The number of eggs showing penetration byC. jejuni decreased with time.

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Pénétration de Campylobacter jejuni à différentes températures dans les membranes et contenus d'oeux félés

Résumé Campylobacter jejuni pénètre les membranes externe, interne et finalement le contenu d'oeux félés davantage à 4°C (après équilibration à 42°C pendant 10 min.) qu'à 25 ou 42°C. Le nombre d'oeux montrant la pénétration parC. jejuni décroît avec le temps.

     

Cytokeratins and cytokeratin filaments in subpopulations of cultured human and rodent cells of nonepithelial origin: modes and patterns of formation

Using immunofluorescence microscopy, we observed that in several established cell culture lines derived from different nonepithelial tissues and species, cells spontaneously emerge, usually at low frequencies, which contain cytoplasmic structures decorated by antibodies specific for cytokeratins 8 and 18. This phenomenon was further examined at both the protein (gel electrophoreses of cytoskeletal proteins, followed by immunoblotting) and the RNA (Northern blots, "nuclear run-on" analysis, in situ hybridization) level. Positive cell lines included simian virus (SV40)-transformed human fibroblasts (HF-SV80, WI-38 VA13), human astrocytic glioma cells (U333 CG/343MG), rat (RVF-SMC) and hamster (BHK-21/13) cells derived from vascular smooth muscle and murine sarcoma MS-180 cells. In two cell lines (HF-SV80 and BHK-21/13), the frequency of the cytokeratin-containing cells and of the cytokeratin fibril arrays per cell was drastically increased upon treatment with 5-azacytidine. The structural appearance of the cytokeratins was variable in the different cell lines but could also differ among cells of the same culture: While small granular or comma-shaped structures or bizarrely shaped filament arrays prevailed in WI-38, RVF and normally grown BHK-21 cells, most of the other lines revealed extended normal-looking, fibrillar arrays. In one line (MS-180), the appearance of cytokeratins was associated with a morphological change, as it was only found in a subpopulation of cells that had lost their typical elongated and spindle-shaped phenotype and assumed a rounded ("coccoid") shape. Our results show that the expression of the genes encoding cytokeratins 8 and 18 is not necessarily restricted to programs of epithelial differentiation and that factors stochastically effective appear in cultured cell lines that allow the synthesis of these cytoskeletal components. Mechanisms possibly involved in this spontaneous and selective advent of cytokeratins 8 and 18 and implications for tumor diagnosis are discussed.     

Growth characteristics,nutrient allocation and photosynthesis ofCarex species from floating fens

Summary The purpose of this study was to investigate various growth parameters, dry matter and nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium allocation and photosynthesis ofCarex acutiformis, C. rostrata andC. diandra growing in fens with, in this order, decreasing nutrient availability and decreasing aboveground productivity. Plants were grown from cuttings at optimum nutrient conditions in a growth chamber. Growth analysis at sequential harvests revealed that the species had no inherently different relative growth rates which could explain their different productivity, but that their LAR (LWR and SLA) decreased in the orderC. acutiformis, C. rostrata, C. diandra and their NAR increased in this order. All growth parameters decreased during plant growth even under the controlled conditions of the experiment.C. acutiformis allocated relatively much dry matter to the leaves,C. rostrata to the rhizomes andC. diandra to the roots. This may, in part, explain the higher aboveground biomass production ofC. acutiformis in the field. Nitrogen, but not phosphorus and potassium, allocation patterns were different for the three species.C. diandra, the species from the nitrogen-poorest site, had the highest leaf N content of the three species and also a higher chlorophyll content. Related to this, this species had the highest photosynthetic activity of whole plants both when collected from the field and when grown in the growth chamber. The nitrogen productivity was similar for the three species and the photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency, determined forC. acutiformis andC. diandra, was similar for these two species.C. diandra had the most finely branched root system, i.e., the highest specific root length of the three species and its root surface area to leaf surface area ratio was also the highest. All three species showed higher nitrate reductase activity in the leaves than in the roots when grown on nutrient solution. The growth ofC. diandra at a relatively nutrient-poor site and a rather open low vegetation is assumed to be adapted to its habitat by a relatively high NAR made possible by a high rate of photosynthesis concurrent with a high leaf N content. The growth ofC. acutiformis at a relatively nutrient-rich site and a more dense and higher vegetation is adapted to its habitat by a high LAR.     

Stage-dependent appearance of sulfhydryl oxidase during spermatogenesis in the testis of rat and hamster. An immunohistochemical study

Sulfhydryl oxidase (SOx), an enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of sulfhydryl compounds, appears in the spermatogenic cells of rat and hamster testes in a stage-dependent manner. It first appears in pachytene spermatocytes at stage I in both the animal species studied. SOx immunoreactivity is associated with mitochondria of these cells. The fate of such mitochondria is species-dependent. In rat, the immunoreactive mitochondria aggregate during maturation phase and are retained in the residual bodies. Spermatozoa free of SOx are released into the lumen. On the other hand, in hamster, the immunoreactive mitochondria arrange themselves around the midpiece of spermatozoa. In such a case, residual bodies lack SOx. The appearance of SOx coincides with the appearance of LDH-X in the spermatogenic cells. Like many other proteins such as LDH-X, RSA-1 and cytochrome ct, SOx provides yet another example of differential gene activation associated with a developmental process of gametes.     

Phenotypic analyses of lymphokine-activated killer cells that release interferon γ and tumor necrosis factor α

Summary We recently reported that interleukin-2(IL-2)-activated peripheral blood lymphocytes and CD3⁺, lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cell clones release tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interferon (IFN) when stimulated with K562 erythroleukemia cells. We examined the phenotype of IL-2-activated peripheral blood leukocytes that secrete TNF and IFN when stimulated with K562 cells and demonstrated that TNF secretion is not due to the presence of contaminating mononuclear phagocytes. Further, we demonstrate that IL-2-activated natural killer (NK) cells release only IFN when stimulated with K562 cells while T lymphocytes exposed to monoclonal anti-CD3 and K562 cells secrete both TNF and IFN. However, T cells stimulated only with K562 cells did not release IFN or TNF while the admixture of these T cells with NK cells, when stimulated with K562 cells, released levels of TNF comparable to those produced by the unseparated cells. At present it is unclear whether only one or both effector cell types respond to K562 by releasing TNF or why the presence both cell types is needed.This work was supported by grants from the national Institutes of Health (CA 23074 and CA 17094) and the Arizona Disease Commission (8277-000000-1-0-YR-9301)