The Inside Story

How We Think They Think: Anthropological Approaches to Cognition, Memory, and Literacy. Maurice E. F. Bloch. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1997.205 pp.
Explaining Culture:. Naturalistic Approach. Dan Sperber. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 1996. 175 pp.
Cognitive Theory of Cultural Meaning. Claudia Strauss and Naomi Quinn. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998. 323 pp.
Mind as Action. James V. Wertsch. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. 203 pp.     

Turning Cancer Stem Cells Inside Out: An Exploration of Glioma Stem Cell Signaling Pathways

Tumors are complex collections of heterogeneous cells with recruited vasculature, inflammatory cells, and stromal elements. Neoplastic cells frequently display a hierarchy in differentiation status. Recent studies suggest that brain tumors have a limited population of neoplastic cells called cancer stem cells with the capacity for sustained self-renewal and tumor propagation. Brain tumor stem cells contribute to therapeutic resistance and tumor angiogenesis. In this minireview, we summarize recent data regarding critical signaling pathways involved in brain tumor stem cell biology and discuss how targeting these molecules may contribute to the development of novel anti-glioma therapies.Cancers can be considered organ systems with aberrant activation of developmental and wound response pathways. Recent evidence suggests that within some tumors there is a cell subpopulation with the special capacity for sustained self-renewal and tumor propagation in vivo. Cells fulfilling these criteria were originally reported in acute myeloid leukemia (1), but similar populations were soon successively identified within various solid tumors (2). The proper terminology regarding these cells remains unsettled, with most groups using terms such as CSCs,² tumor-initiating/propagating cells, and stem-like cancer cells. Although CSCs are a source of controversy, the concept recognizes the well described heterogeneity of tumor cells. Many critics contest the hypothesis on the grounds of a potential stem cell origin, challenge of current markers, or CSC frequency, none of which are implicit requirements of the CSC hypothesis (3).Malignant gliomas are essentially universally lethal despite conventional therapy, with surgical resection and chemoradiation limited to palliation. Glioma CSCs were among the first solid tumor CSCs described (4) and remain one of the most widely used CSC models. Glioma CSCs share significant similarities with normal NSCs, including the expression of stem cell markers (CD133, Nestin, Musashi, and Sox2) and the capacity to differentiate into multiple lineages (5), but the overlap is incomplete. Notably, glioma CSCs are also highly resistant to chemoradiotherapies (5, 6), underscoring the importance of developing more efficient therapies against CSCs and prompting researchers to elucidate the molecular mechanisms regulating CSCs. Here, we summarize recent findings regarding the signaling pathways that are critical to glioma CSC biology.     

Jaws: The Inside Story. The Metabolism of Elasmobranch Fishes

Elasmobranchs are of metabolic interest for several reasons, including their primitive evolutionary position, their osmotic strategy and their low incidence of neoplasia. Some aspects of the metabolism of elasmobranch fishes are unique when compared with those of the other vertebrates. Although many features of their metabolism can be attributed to their primitive evolutionary position (e.g., fewer isoforms of enzymes and other proteins), some unique features appear to be related to the unusual solute system (urea and methylamines) used by elasmobranchs. The solute system exerts widespread effects, which has an impact on the metabolism of lipids, ketone bodies and amino acids and the structure of proteins and membranes. Effects of urea on the transport of lipid may influence aspects of lipid metabolism, reducing extrahepatic lipid catabolism via effects on nonesterified fatty acid transport and enhancing a need for reliance on ketone bodies. Amino acid metabolism of elasmobranchs is also heavily influenced by the need for continuous synthesis of urea with glutamine as the nitrogen donor. These effects, in turn, may play a role in their low incidence of cancer. Specifically, the reduced availability of glutamine (an important nutrient for rapidly growing cells) coupled with the low levels of nonesterified fatty acids in the blood reduces the availability of molecules essential for tumor growth. This metabolic design may thus provide marine elasmobranchs with a “systemic” resistance to cancer.     

Working from the Inside Out: Fostering Intrinsic Motivation and Expanding Our Criteria for Conservation Success

Primatological research is often associated with understanding animals and their habitats, yet practical conservation depends entirely on human actions. This encompasses the activities of Indigenous and local people, conservationists, and NGOs working on the ground, as well as more remote funders and policymakers. In this paper we explore what it means to be a conservationist in the 2020s. While many primatologists accept the benefits of more socially inclusive dimensions of research and conservation practice, in reality there remain many challenges. We discuss the role primatologists can play to enhance interdisciplinary working and their relationships with communities living in and around their study sites, and examine how increased reflexivity and consideration of one’s positionality can improve primatological practice. Emphasis on education and stakeholder consultation may still echo colonial, top-down dialogues, and the need for greater emphasis on genuine knowledge-sharing among all stakeholders should be recognised. If we are sincere about this approach, we might need to redefine how we see, consider, and define conservation success. We may also have to embrace more compromises. By evaluating success in conservation we explore how reflexive engagements with our positionality and equitable knowledge-sharing contribute to fostering intrinsic motivation and building resilience.