Alberto Sols, teacher and mentor of spanish biochemists (1917-1989)

Biochemistry in Spain owes much to the figure of Alberto Sols. In words of Nobel Prize winner Severo Ochoa: "He has been the first scientist to establish successfully biochemistry in Spain." His intellectual rigour, care in experimental design, emphasis on quality, and attention to the presentation of results permeated far beyond his inner circle to the then fledging Spanish biochemical community. It would be difficult to find some Spanish biochemist of the generation that now starts to retire who has not been influenced in a way or another by the work of Sols. However, it is also likely that the new generations of biochemists and molecular biologists in the country ignore who was Sols and what their field owns to him. The following lines try to highlight some key points of his scientific biography, the circumstances in which they took place and the state of the corresponding research area at that moment.     

Noël Bernard (1874–1911): orchids to symbiosis in a dozen years,one century ago

Noël Bernard, the famous discoverer of the symbiotic germination of orchid seeds, died a one hundred years ago in 1911, at the age of 37. Here we remember his life, personality, training and contributions to science. He studied at the Ecole Normale Supérieure and took courses on microbiology at the Pasteur institute. He was also an admirer of Darwin. We briefly summarize some of his inspiring research in botany, plant physiology and symbiosis, especially that on orchid seed germination and tuber formation, published over a period of only 12 years. We briefly consider his legacy and the research that has recently been published in Symbiosis, which extends the various fields of research that Noël Bernard pioneered.     

综述与专论: 纳米酶在肿瘤催化诊疗方面的应用

作为一个特殊的交叉学科前沿,纳米酶在近几年来引起了科学界的广泛关注。自2007年首次发现四氧化三铁纳米材料具有类似辣根过氧化物酶的催化特性以来,纳米酶的研究迅速兴起。其特殊的在纳米尺度的理化性质赋予它们优越的催化性能,以用于各方面的应用,例如癌症的诊断和治疗。本文重点介绍近年来催化化学的发展所促进的纳米医学在肿瘤诊疗方面的应用,以及纳米酶的研究现状和未来的展望。通过合理地将催化化学与临床纳米诊疗医学相结合,这些新型的纳米酶及其在肿瘤成像和治疗方面优越的催化性能,将会极大地促进纳米医学新子学科的产生。     

Oral health knowledge,beliefs and practices of a sample of Chinese elders in Inner London,UK, aged 54 years and over: a pilot investigation.

Objectives: To explore the self-reported oral health and health behaviours of a sample of Inner London Chinese elders and the impact of their sell-reported oral health on their social functioning and eating ability. Design: Cross sectional. Setting: Luncheon clubs in Central and East London, UK. Subjects: 54 Chinese elders aged 54–81 years. Intervention: A structured questionnaire, administered by two interviewers in Cantonese. Main outcome measures: Knowledge and beliefs about the causes and prevention of tooth decay and gum disease, the oral conditions experienced in the previous twelve months and the impact of these conditions. Results: Overall health was rated more positively than oral health, although those who reported below average oral health were more likely to report below average overall health. Whilst over half thought that sugar and sweet food could cause tooth decay, only 19% thought that poor oral hygiene could cause gum disease. Over half thought that “hot air” caused gum disease. Three quarters brushed their teeth at least twice a day. Two thirds had experienced at least one oral condition in the previous twelve months, with the more elderly being more likely to report this. Social impacts affected 41% of the sample whilst 44% of suffered at least one dietary impact. Conclusions: The burden of oral conditions is substantial, especially on the more elderly members, impacting on the performance of social functions. These burdens indicate a need for oral health services. Beliefs in the traditional Chinese explanation of “hot air” as a cause of gum disease were common. Health promotion effort should consider these when developing health messages.     

Research ethics: the case with the tule (kuna), Urabbá, Colombia

An ethical analysis was performed during the development of a research project titled "Culture, nourishment and malaria in the Kuna aboriginals of Urabá, Colombia." This project had 2 objectives; (1) to investigate the prevalence of malaria and its relationship with hypovitaminosis A and nutritional status, and (2) to understand the community's conceptions and practices towards malaria. The current paper summarizes reflections concerning the application of ethical principles and moral values during the course of the malaria research project. Two intercultural relationships were clearly defined: the culture of the Tule (Kuna) Indians, with a traditional medical system, and the culture of the research group, focused on the biomedical model. The rationale and the discussion proposed during the writing of the project proposal was presented as well as the dilemmas that developed during the project within the communities. These problems required rapid decision-making in situations for which the scientists had not been adequately prepared. A need was indicated for application of ethical principles to permeate the analysis throughout the research process in a horizontal manner, such that the human dignity of the participants and the ethnicity of the community are preserved above the purposes of the project. In the research process, mediation between the ethics of conviction and the ethics of consequences must take precedence, with both outcomes tied to an informed consent in place during the process. The establishment of national and local research ethics committees was indicated as necessary to preserve the lifestyle and culture of the ethnic groups. These values were seen as endangered given the trading pressures and health policies in a globalized world.     

A comparison of high-speed power training and traditional slow-speed resistance training in older men and women

Muscle power, the product of force × velocity, is a critical determinant of function in older adults. Resistance training (RT) at high speed has been shown to improve peak muscle power in this population; however, different functional tasks may benefit from the improvement of power at values other than "peak" values, for example, tasks that require a greater velocity component or a greater force component. This study compared the effect of high-speed RT on muscle performance (peak power [PP] and its components [PP force and PP velocity] and overall peak velocity [VEL]) across a broad range of external resistances. Thirty-eight older men and women were randomized to high-speed power training at 40% of the 1-repetition maximum (1RM) (n = 13 [74.1 ± 6.4 years]); traditional RT at 80% 1RM (n = 13 [70.1 ± 7.0 years]); or control (n = 12 [72.8 ± 4.1 years]). Measures of muscle performance were obtained at baseline and after the 12-week training intervention. Muscle power and 1RM strength improved similarly with both high-speed and traditional slow-speed RT. However, speed-related muscle performance characteristics, PP velocity and overall VEL, were most positively impacted by high-speed power training, especially at lower external resistances. Because gains in speed-related measures with high-speed training compared to traditional RT do not come at the expense of other muscle performance outcomes, we recommend using an RT protocol in older adults that emphasizes high-speed movements at low external resistances.     

Coral reef distribution, status and geomorphology–biodiversity relationship in Kuna Yala (San Blas) archipelago, Caribbean Panama

Most of the knowledge of the reef geomorphology and benthic communities of Kuna Yala coral reefs (Caribbean Panama) comes from the western side of the archipelago, a few tens of kilometers around Punta San Blas (Porvenir). To bridge the gap between Porvenir and the Colombia–Panama border, we investigated with Landsat images the extent and geomorphological diversity of the entire Kuna Yala to provide geomorphologic maps of the archipelago in 12 classes. In addition to remote sensing data, in situ survey conducted in May–June 2001 provided a Kuna Yala-wide first synoptic vision of reef status, in terms of benthic diversity (number of species of coral, octocorals, and sponges) and reef health (coral versus algal cover). For a total reef system estimated to cover 638 km² along 480 km of coastline, 195 km² include coral dominated areas and only 35 km² can be considered covered by corals. A total of 69 scleractinian coral, 38 octocoral, and 82 sponge species were recorded on the outer slopes of reef formations, with a slightly higher diversity in the area presenting the most abundant and diverse reef formations (western Kuna Yala). Attempts to relate benthic diversity and geomorphological diversity provided only weak relationships regardless of the taxa, and suggest that habitat heterogeneity within geomorphological areas explain better the patterns of coral diversity. This study confirms the potential of combined remote sensing and in situ surveys for regional scale assessment, and we suggest that similar approaches should be generalized for reef mapping and assessment for other reef sites.     

How "Caucasoids" got such big crania and why they shrank. From Morton to Rushton

In the 19th century measurements of cranial capacity by Morton and others supported a "Caucasoid>Mongoloid>Negroid" hierarchy of intelligence. This continued through most of the 20th century but was challenged by a nonhierarchical view originating with Boas. Beginning in the 1980s Rushton correlated cranial and IQ measurements and presented a hierarchy with "Mongoloids" at the top. Each of these periods relates to its social context: the 19th-century hierarchy paralleled the height of European world domination; the nonhierarchy of the 20th century reflected world wars, worldwide depression, and the breakup of empires; the "Mongoloid>Caucasoid>Negroid" hierarchy followed the economic success of several Asian nations. Morton's cranial ranking was the result of his sampling error and his acceptance of the hierarchical thinking of his time. But how is it possible for Rushton to support the M>C>N ordering while using the data of several anthropologists who have rejected racial hierarchies on empirical grounds? The answer to this question involves a critique of Rushton's use of the race concept, his aggregation of diverse populations into three traditional races, his claim to explain differences in "cultural achievements" on the basis of variation in brain size, and a number of other problems. The study concludes by noting that the major consequence of these hierarchies is the apparent justification for the exploitation of those at the bottom.     

Studies on familial hypotransferrinemia: unique clinical course and molecular pathology.

Some unsolved problems--late onset of anemia and growth retardation (at age 7 years), healthy siblings showing very low transferrin (TF) level, and unexplained mode of inheritance--were found in family members of a congenital atransferrinemia already reported in 1972. The long-term clinical, laboratory, and developmental observations revealed that after 5 years of apo-TF supplementary therapy the patient's anemia gradually disappeared, and he started to grow again without further therapy. Immunoelectrophoretic study disclosed a severe deficiency of both TF and haptoglobin in the patient. The recovery from his anemia and the resumption of his physical development were dependent only on his TF level: that is, from a negligible level it increased to 10-20 mg/dl (normal, 205-370 mg/dl), a level similar to that of his TF-deficient siblings, who had been in good health since birth. The TF analysis of the patient and his family suggests that the minimum TF requisite in this family may be close to 10-20 mg/dl; subjects with more than 20 mg/dl are apparently healthy; with less than 10 mg/dl they may develop severe growth retardation and anemia, and extreme deficiency may be lethal. Also, coexisting haptoglobin deficiency might alleviate hemosiderosis. Further, the isoelectric focusing study disclosed that there was only a small amount of TF variant in these siblings including the patient. The study of the family confirmed that this variant was produced by an allelic gene derived from their father. So, the original diagnosis of congenital atransferrinemia should be revised as familial hypotransferrinemia transmitted with autosomal recessive mode, and the subjects with a recessive character may be compound heterozygotes of the "variant" allele and the "null" allele.     

Pieter Nieuwkoop's contributions to the understanding of meso-endoderm induction and neural induction in chordate development

Pieter Nieuwkoop, who died September 18, 1996, at age 79 in Utrecht, The Netherlands, is remembered by developmental biologists for his numerous research contributions and integrative hypotheses over the past 50 years, especially in the areas of neural induction, meso-endoderm induction, and germ cell induction in chordates. Most of his experimentation was done on the embryos of amphibia, the preferred vertebrate embryo of the early years of the 20th century. One of his last publications contains a comparison of the experimental advantages and disadvantages of anuran and urodele amphibians (Nieuwkoop, 1996). The significance of his findings and interpretations for developmental biology can be estimated from the fact that researchers of many laboratories worldwide continue to work on the phenomena he first described and to extend the hypotheses he first formulated. The aim of this article is to review Nieuwkoop's main contributions and to cite the recent extensions by others.     

A New Zamia Species from the Panama Canal Area

There are four terrestrial, above-ground stemmed Zamia taxa in Panama, the species delimitations of which have been a matter of controversy or misplacement at one time or the other (Schutzman et. al., 1998; Stevenson, 1993; Taylor, 1999a, b, 2002). All are allopatrically distributed. Two are in western Panama in Chiriquí province. One of these, Z. pseudomonticola, is found in the northwest of the province at altitudes above 1000 m, while the other, Z. fairchildiana, is found in a relatively small patch of forest in southwestern Chiriquí province. The other two taxa are found around the Canal area or farther east. The species described in this paper is found near the Canal area, and the last of the group, Z. elegantissima, occurs north of the Canal area in the province of Colon and also some distance to the east, including part of the Dule or Kuna aboriginal homeland known as Kuna Yala. After 16 years of research on the new taxon, we have decided to describe it as a new species, pointing out its similarity to Z. elegantissima and its distinctness from Z. pseudomonticola and Z . fairchildiana. The two western species are more alike in structure compared with the eastern species, and the latter are more alike between themselves compared to the western taxa. Even so, there are differences in vegetative and reproductive structures to clearly separate each species. There are even differences in the pollinators, these being, in all cases found, species of the weevil genus Rhopalotria and the snubbed-nosed beetle Pharaxonotha.     

Five years of experience teaching pathology to dental students using the WebMicroscope

Background

We describe development and evaluation of the user-friendly web based virtual microscopy - WebMicroscope for teaching and learning dental students basic and oral pathology. Traditional students microscopes were replaced by computer workstations.

Methods

The transition of the basic and oral pathology courses from light to virtual microscopy has been completed gradually over a five-year period. A pilot study was conducted in academic year 2005/2006 to estimate the feasibility of integrating virtual microscopy into a traditional light microscopy-based pathology course. The entire training set of glass slides was subsequently converted to virtual slides and placed on the WebMicroscope server. Giving access to fully digitized slides on the web with a browser and a viewer plug-in, the computer has become a perfect companion of the student.

Results

The study material consists now of over 400 fully digitized slides which covering 15 entities in basic and systemic pathology and 15 entities in oral pathology. Digitized slides are linked with still macro- and microscopic images, organized with clinical information into virtual cases and supplemented with text files, syllabus, PowerPoint presentations and animations on the web, serving additionally as material for individual studies. After their examinations, the students rated the use of the software, quality of the images, the ease of handling the images, and the effective use of virtual slides during the laboratory practicals. Responses were evaluated on a standardized scale. Because of the positive opinions and support from the students, the satisfaction surveys had shown a progressive improvement over the past 5 years. The WebMicroscope as a didactic tool for laboratory practicals was rated over 8 on a 1-10 scale for basic and systemic pathology and 9/10 for oral pathology especially as various students’ suggestions were implemented. Overall, the quality of the images was rated as very good.

Conclusions

An overwhelming majority of our students regarded a possibility of using virtual slides at their convenience as highly desirable. Our students and faculty consider the use of the virtual microscope for the study of basic as well as oral pathology as a significant improvement over the light microscope.

     

Evolutionary embryology resurrected in Japan with a new molecular basis: Nori Satoh and the history of ascidian studies originating in Kyoto during the 20th century

This article briefly summarizes the scientific contributions of Nori Satoh, the winner of the 2005 edition of the Kowalevsky Medal, to Developmental Biology and especially to Evo-Devo with his 30 years of research on tunicates - a primitive chordate species. His research began with his pure developmental interest in the clock mechanism of cell differentiation and later expanded into various aspects of evolutionary and developmental phenomena. He is not only known as a founder of molecular biology-based tunicate studies, but also for his world-wide service to education and his prestigious publications in international scientific journals.     

Life-time contributions of Joop Ringelberg to new approaches in aquatic ecology, father of modern aquatic ecology in the Netherlands

This dedication marks the retirement of Prof. Dr J. Ringelberg from the University of Amsterdam. In this article his contributions to the aquatic ecology in the Netherlands are reviewed. After his Ph.D. study on The positively phototactic reaction of Daphnia magna Straus, a contribution to the understanding of diurnal vertical migration (1964), Joop Ringelberg became associate professor at the Laboratory of Animal Physiology of the University of Amsterdam. He started at the university the research group of Experimental Hydrobiology. From 1965 to the 1980s he played a very important role in the development of experimental ecology and ecosystem research in the aquatic habitats in the Netherlands. During the last ten or twelve years of his scientific career (1985- to date) Dr Ringelberg returned to his old hobby horse the Diel Vertical Migration (DVM) of zooplankton, especially daphnids. Intensive field and laboratory studies during these later years, helped him and his students to get a deeper insight into DVM behaviour of the daphnids, in response to the rates of changes in light intensity in close conjunction with release of predator (fish) kairomones. In addition, Ringelberg initiated the use of micro-ecosystems and was leader of a team that has developed a flowcytometer, especially for quantitative and pigment analyses of phytoplankton. His other landmark achievements, national and international, included the chairmanship of the Dutch Hydrobiological Society and of the Aquatic Ecology division of BION (Biological Research in the Netherlands). He was a national representative of SIL (International Association of Theoretical and Applied Limnology) and during ten years a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Max Planck Institute for Limnology at Plön, Germany. As a guest scientist he is still continuing his scientific pursuits at the Centre of Limnology, Nieuwersluis.     

Relaxation: Mapping an uncharted world

Nine hundred and forty practitioners of massage, abbreviated progressive muscle relaxation (PMR), yoga stretching, breathing, imagery, meditation, and various combination treatments described their technique experiences on an 82-item wordlist. Factor analysis yielded 10 interpretable relaxation categories: Joyful Affects and Appraisals (Joyful), Distant, Calm, Aware, Prayerful, Accepted, Untroubled, Limp, Silent, and Mystery. The relaxation response and cognitive/somatic specificity models predict Calm and Limp, which account for only 5.5% of the variance of relaxation experience. Unlike much of previous relaxation research, we found important technique differences. PMR and massage are associated with Distant and Limp; yoga stretching, breathing, and meditation with Aware; meditation with Prayerful, and all techniques except PMR with Joyful. Results are consistent with cognitive-behavioral relaxation theory and have implications for relaxation theory, treatment, training, assessment, and research. We close with a revised model of relaxation that posits three global dimensions: tension-relief, passive disengagement, and passive engagement.This article is based in part on the doctoral dissertation of Alberto Amutio at the University of Deusto in Bilbao, Spain and the Masters Thesis of John Anderson at Roosevelt University in Chicago. We wish to thank Keenan Ferrell, Psy.D., for data on 154 yoga practitioners supplied from his doctoral dissertation at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, and Susan Burroughs and Sharon Gale for help in collecting data. We especially wish to thank Jerome Fleming, Ph.D., for his help on the statistics, and SYSTAT for statistical advice. Authors are listed according to degree of contribution, with JPA and LA contributing primarily to data collection and input.For information on acquiring the Smith Relaxation Inventory (SRI), an experimental version of a questionnaire designed to measure relaxation factor categories, contact the first author.     

Improvement of pain and regional osteoporotic changes in the foot and ankle by low-dose bisphosphonate therapy for complex regional pain syndrome type I: a case series

Introduction

Complex regional pain syndrome is characterized by pain, allodynia, hyperalgesia, edema, signs of vasomotor instability, movement disorders, joint stiffness, and regional osteopenia. It is recognized to be difficult to treat, despite various methods of treatment, including physiotherapy, calcitonin, corticosteroids, sympathetic blockade, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Pathophysiologically, complex regional pain syndrome reveals enhanced regional bone resorption and high bone turnover, and so bisphosphonates, which have a potent inhibitory effect on bone resorption, were proposed for the treatment of complex regional pain syndrome.

Case presentation

A 48-year-old Japanese man with complex regional pain syndrome type I had severe right ankle pain with a visual analog scale score of 59 out of 100 regardless of treatment with physiotherapy and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for five months. Radiographs showed marked regional osteoporotic changes and bone scintigraphy revealed a marked increase in radioactivity in his ankle. One month after the start of oral administration of risedronate (2.5 mg per day), his bone pain had fallen from a VAS score of 59 out of 100 to 18 out of 100. Bone scintigraphy at 12 months showed a marked reduction in radioactivity to a level comparable to that in his normal, left ankle. On the basis of these results, the treatment was discontinued at 15 months. At 32 months, our patient had almost no pain and radiographic findings revealed that the regional osteoporotic change had returned to normal.A second 48-year-old Japanese man with complex regional pain syndrome type I had severe right foot pain with a visual analog scale score of 83 out of 100 regardless of treatment with physiotherapy and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for nine months. Radiographs showed regional osteoporotic change in his phalanges, metatarsals, and tarsals, and bone scintigraphy revealed a marked increase in radioactivity in his foot. One month after the start of oral administration of alendronate (35 mg per week), his bone pain had fallen from a visual analog scale score of 83 out of 100 to 30 out of 100 and, at nine months, was further reduced to 3 out of 100. The treatment was discontinued at 15 months because of successful pain reduction. At 30 months, our patient had no pain and the radiographic findings revealed marked improvement in regional osteoporotic changes.

Conclusions

We believe low-dose oral administration of bisphosphonate is worth considering for the treatment of idiopathic complex regional pain syndrome type I accompanied by regional osteoporotic change.