A comparison of five effects of ultraviolet light on the Arbacia egg

The demonstration of five different effects of ultraviolet radiation on the sea urchin's egg indicates that more than one basic photochemical process goes on there. Photorecovery is observed in only one of these. The need for caution in interpreting such effects is obvious. Evidence for a different mechanism for the timing of cleavage in eggs activated by ultraviolet radiation as compared to normally fertilized eggs is presented. The bearing of these studies on survival curves for microorganisms is discussed.     

Association of common variation in the <Emphasis Type="Italic">PPARA</Emphasis>gene with incident myocardial infarction in individuals with type 2 diabetes: A Go-DARTS study

Background

Common variants of the PPARA gene have been found to associate with ischaemic heart disease in non diabetic men. The L162V variant was found to be protective while the C2528G variant increased risk. L162V has also been associated with altered lipid measures. We therefore sought to determine the effect of PPARA gene variation on susceptibility to myocardial infarction in patients with type 2 diabetes. 1810 subjects with type 2 diabetes from the prospective Go-DARTS study were genotyped for the L162V and C2528G variants in the PPARA gene and the association of the variants with incident non-fatal myocardial infarction was examined. Cox's proportional hazards was used to interrogate time to event from recruitment, and linear regression for analysing association of genotype with quantitative clinical traits.

Results

The V162 allele was associated with decreased risk of non-fatal myocardial infarction (HR = 0.31, 95%CI 0.10–0.93 p = 0.037) whereas the C2528 allele was associated with increased risk (HR = 2.77 95%CI 1.34–5.75 p = 0.006). Similarly V162 was associated with a later mean age of diagnosis with type 2 diabetes and C2582 an earlier age of diagnosis. C2528 was also associated with increased total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, which did not account for the observed increased risk. Haplotype analysis demonstrated that when both rare variants occurred on the same haplotype the effect of each was abrogated.

Conclusion

Genetic variation at the PPARA locus is important in determining cardiovascular risk in both male and female patients with diabetes. This genotype associated risk appears to be independent of the effect of these genotypes on lipid profiles and age of diagnosis with diabetes.

     

Development and standardization of multiplexed antibody microarrays for use in quantitative proteomics

BACKGROUND: Quantitative proteomics is an emerging field that encompasses multiplexed measurement of many known proteins in groups of experimental samples in order to identify differences between groups. Antibody arrays are a novel technology that is increasingly being used for quantitative proteomics studies due to highly multiplexed content, scalability, matrix flexibility and economy of sample consumption. Key applications of antibody arrays in quantitative proteomics studies are identification of novel diagnostic assays, biomarker discovery in trials of new drugs, and validation of qualitative proteomics discoveries. These applications require performance benchmarking, standardization and specification. RESULTS: Six dual-antibody, sandwich immunoassay arrays that measure 170 serum or plasma proteins were developed and experimental procedures refined in more than thirty quantitative proteomics studies. This report provides detailed information and specification for manufacture, qualification, assay automation, performance, assay validation and data processing for antibody arrays in large scale quantitative proteomics studies. CONCLUSION: The present report describes development of first generation standards for antibody arrays in quantitative proteomics. Specifically, it describes the requirements of a comprehensive validation program to identify and minimize antibody cross reaction under highly multiplexed conditions; provides the rationale for the application of standardized statistical approaches to manage the data output of highly replicated assays; defines design requirements for controls to normalize sample replicate measurements; emphasizes the importance of stringent quality control testing of reagents and antibody microarrays; recommends the use of real-time monitors to evaluate sensitivity, dynamic range and platform precision; and presents survey procedures to reveal the significance of biomarker findings.     

PEDAL AND OPERCULAR SECRETORY GLANDS OF POMATIAS, BITHYNIA AND LITTORINA

The histochemical properties of the pedal and opercular glandcells of three prosobranchs from different habitats were examined.The suprapedal gland of Pomatias elegans contained 3 gland celltypes producing mucoprotein, protein and sulphated muco-polysaccharide.The ventral surfaces of the foot were devoid of gland cellsexcept in the median furrow in which two cell types producea neutral and a sulphated mucopolysacharide. The dorsal surfaceof the foot possesses 5 cell types which produce a variety ofmucosubstances. The anterior pedal gland of Bithynia tentaculata produces neutraland weakly acidic mucoprotein from one cell type. The ventralsurface of the foot is generally populated by gland cells oftwo types producing acid mucopolysaccharide and protein. A furthercell type producing carboxylated mucopolysaccharide is restrictedto a transverse band mid-way down the foot. The dorsal surfaceof the foot is covered by mucus from three cell types producinga variety of mucosubstances. The anterior pedal gland of Littorina littorea possesses twocell types both of which secrete mucoprotein. The ventral surfaceof the foot secretes sulphated and carboxylated mucopolysaccharideand a mucoprotein from three cell types which form a thick subepi-dermalglandular layer. The dorsal surface is lubricated by a sulphatedmucopolysaccharide and a mucoprotein. The secretory cells of the dorsal surface extend into the operculargroove and disc whose specialised cells generally secrete mucopolysaccharideand at least two differently staining proteins. ^*Present address: Department of Zoology, University of Durham,Durham City, U.K. (Received 19 August 1986;     

Diurnal periodicity of fight in some Delphacidae and Cicadellidae associated with rice

Abstract. 1. The diurnal periodicity of flight of delphacids and cicadellids associated with rice was assessed by suction trapping.
2. All the delphacids examined and most cicadellids showed a bimodal, crepuscular pattern of flight, the major peak occurring in the evening.
3. Some cicadellids showed a unimodal crepuscular pattern of flight activity with the peak occurring in the evening, whereas flight activity of Cofana spectra and Cunimaculata continued throughout the night.
4. Changes in the periodicity of flight activity of Nilaparvata lugens, Sogatella furcifera, Recilia dorsalis and Macrosteles striifrons were observed in relation to phases of the moon and the nature of the habitat.
5. Periodicity of take-off for N.lugens, Sfurcifera and R.dorsalis assessed by canopy net traps also showed a bimodal, crepuscular pattern with the major peak occurring in the evening.
6. The significance of diurnal periodicity is discussed in relation to the flight behaviour of the insects studied.     

Fetal microchimerism in kidney biopsies of lupus nephritis patients may be associated with a beneficial effect

IntroductionMicrochimeric male fetal cells (MFCs) have been associated with systemic lupus erythematosus, and published studies have further correlated MFC with lupus nephritis (LN). In the present study, we evaluated the frequency of MFC in the renal tissue of patients with LN.MethodsTwenty-seven renal biopsies were evaluated: Fourteen were from women with clinical and laboratory findings of LN, and thirteen were from controls. Genomic DNA was extracted from kidney biopsies, and the male fetal DNA was quantified using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reactions for the detection of specific Y chromosome sequences.ResultsMFCs were detected in 9 (64%) of 14 of patients with LN, whereas no MFCs were found in the control group (P = 0.0006). No differences in pregnancy history were found between patients with LN and the control group. Significantly higher amounts of MFCs were found in patients with LN with serum creatinine ≤1.5 mg/dl. Furthermore, women with MFCs had significantly better renal function at the time of biopsy (P = 0.03). In contrast, patients with LN without MFCs presented with more severe forms of glomerulonephritis (World Health Organization class IV = 60% and class V = 40%).ConclusionsOur data indicate a high prevalence of MFCs in renal biopsy specimens from women with LN, suggesting a role for MFCs in the etiology of LN. The present report also provides some evidence that MFCs could have a beneficial effect in this disease.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13075-015-0615-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.