Medication by Proxy: The Devolution of Psychiatric Power and Shared Accountability to Psychopharmaceutical Use Among Soldiers in America’s Post-9/11 Wars

Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry - With the United States military stretched thin in the “global war on terror,” military officials have embraced psychopharmaceuticals in the...     

Characterization of Burkholderia pseudomallei infection and identification of novel virulence factors using a Caenorhabditis elegans host system

The environmental saphrophyte Burkholderia pseudomallei is the causative agent of melioidosis, a systemic, potentially life-threatening condition endemic to many parts of south-east Asia and northern Australia. We have used the soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a model host to characterize the mechanisms by which this bacterium mounts a successful infection. We find that C. elegans is susceptible to a broad range of Burkholderia species, and that the virulence mechanisms used by this pathogen to kill nematodes may be similar to those used to infect mammals. We also find that the specific dynamics of the C. elegans-B. pseudomallei host-pathogen interaction can be highly influenced by environmental factors, and that nematode killing results at least in part from the presence of a diffusible toxin. Finally, by screening for bacterial mutants attenuated in their ability to kill C. elegans, we genetically identify several new potential virulence factors in B. pseudomallei. The use of C. elegans as a model host should greatly facilitate future investigations into how B. pseudomallei can interact with host organisms.     

The nuclear localization signal and the C-terminal region of FHY1 are required for transmission of phytochrome A signals

Plants use the family of phytochrome photoreceptors to sense their light environment in the red/far-red region of the spectrum. Phytochrome A (phyA) is the primary photoreceptor that regulates germination and early seedling development. This phytochrome mediates seedling de-etiolation for the developmental transition from heterotrophic to photoauxotrophic growth. High intensity far-red light provides a way to specifically assess the role of phyA in this process and was used to isolate phyA-signaling intermediates. fhy1 and pat3 (renamed fhy1-3) are independently isolated alleles of a gene encoding a phyA signal transduction component. FHY1 is a small 24 kDa protein that shows no homology to known functional motifs, besides a small conserved septin-related domain at the C-terminus, a putative nuclear localization signal (NLS) and a putative nuclear exclusion signal (NES). Here we demonstrate that the septin-related domain is important for FHY1 to transmit phyA signals. Moreover, the putative NLS and NES of FHY1 are indeed involved in its nuclear localization and exclusion. Nuclear localization of FHY1 is needed for it to execute responses downstream of phyA. Together with the results from global expression analysis, our findings point to an important role of FHY1 in phyA signaling through its nuclear translocation and induction of gene expression.     

Growth-dependent factors in the regulation of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase activities of Tetrahymena pyriformis.

Changes in phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase (L-phenylalanine : tRNAPhe ligase, EC 6.1.1.20) and leucyl-tRNA synthetase (L-leucine : tRNALeu ligase. EC 6.1.1.4) activities were studied during the growth cycle of Tetrahymena pyriformis. High levels of charged tRNA observed during exponential growth were associated with elevated aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase activities. Low levels of charges tRNA in the stationary phase culture were associated with decreased aminoacyl-tRNA synthethase activities together with a concomitant accumulation of factor(s) which inhibited the enzyme activities. The inhibitory factor(s) has been partially purified and evidence is presented to rule out RNA, RNAases, proteases and ATPases as the responsible inhibitory factor(s) of the aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases.     

A new self-assembled peroxisomal vesicle required for efficient resealing of the plasma membrane

The Woronin body is a membrane-bound organelle that has been observed in over 50 species of filamentous fungi. However, neither the composition nor the precise function of the Woronin body has yet been determined. Here we purify the Woronin body from Neurospora crassa and isolate Hex1, a new protein containing a consensus sequence known as peroxisome-targeting signal-1 (PTS1). We show that Hex1 is localized to the matrix of the Woronin body by immunoelectron microscopy, and that a green fluorescent protein- (GFP-)Hex1 fusion protein is targeted to yeast peroxisomes in a PTS1- and peroxin-dependent manner. The expression of the HEX1 gene in yeast generates hexagonal vesicles that are morphologically similar to the native Woronin body, implying a Hex1-encoded mechanism of Woronin-body assembly. Deletion of HEX1 in N. crassa eliminates Woronin bodies from the cytoplasm and results in hyphae that exhibit a cytoplasmic-bleeding phenotype in response to cell lysis. Our results show that the Woronin body represents a new category of peroxisome with a function in the maintenance of cellular integrity.     

Law and ‘race’ in the citizenship spaces of Myanmar: spatial strategies and the political subjectivity of the Burmese Chinese

As Myanmar undergoes political and societal transition, observers are asking questions about citizenship and ethnic identity. How does one think about citizenship and people's negotiations with law in political-legal regimes that do not subscribe to liberal democratic norms? This paper investigates how law marginalizes the Burmese Chinese minority in Myanmar and the nature of their legal participation. Since law asserts cultural power impacting the way people think and behave, we engage with the concept of legal consciousness to understand how perceptions of legal vulnerability shape political subjectivity ambivalently. The paper highlights the spatial strategies and everyday practices that the Burmese Chinese deploy to navigate oppressive laws, but signals that internal social divisions and geopolitical considerations deter collective action towards rights assertion. It argues that studying the multiple sites and scales through which law is engaged contributes towards recovering citizenship aspirations where engagement with power and authority are articulated differently from Western norms.     

Concentration of plasminogen activators and inhibitor in the human endometrium at different phases of the menstrual cycle.

The concentrations of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), urokinase plasminogen activator (u-PA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1) have been determined in endometrial curettings obtained from 46 subfertile women during proliferative, early or late secretory phases of the menstrual cycle. t-PA activity and antigen concentrations was significantly higher (P < 0.001) in late secretory endometrium than in proliferative or early secretory endometrium. Higher concentrations of PAI-1 antigen (P < 0.05) were also noted in late secretory phase than in proliferative and early secretory endometrium. However, u-PA concentration was not significantly different and no PAI activity could be demonstrated in the menstrual phases studied. Zymography studies confirmed the presence of both t-PA and u-PA in the endometrium. Ovarian hormonal patterns may therefore influence the activity of plasminogen activators especially of t-PA in the endometrium during various phases of the menstrual cycle.     

Development of High‐Level Omega‐3 Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) Production from Phaeodactylum tricornutum

Phaeodactylum tricornutum is a lipid‐rich marine diatom that contains a high level of omega‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). In an effort to reduce costs for large‐scale cultivation of this microalga, this study first established a New BBM medium (0.3 x strength BBM with only 3% of the initial phosphate level) to replace the traditional F/2 medium. Phaeodactylum tricornutum could grow in extremely low phosphate concentrations (25 µM), without compromising the EPA content. In the presence of sea salts, silicate addition was not necessary for high rate growth, high EPA content, or lipid accumulation in this species. Using urea as the sole nitrogen source tended to increase EPA contents per dry biomass (by 24.7%) while not affecting growth performance. The use of sea salts, rather than just sodium chloride, led to significantly improved biomass yields (20% increase) and EPA contents of total fatty acid (46–52% increase), most likely because it supplied sufficient essential elements such as magnesium. A salinity level of 35 led to significantly higher biomass yields compared with 20, but salinity had no significant influence on EPA content. EPA became the dominant fatty acid with average levels of 51.8% of total fatty acids during the exponential growth phase at 20 ppt in New BBM medium with sea salts.     

Arabidopsis histone methyltransferase SET DOMAIN GROUP2 is required for regulation of various hormone responsive genes

Histone modifications are known to play important roles in plant development through epigenetic regulation of gene expression. How these modifications regulate downstream targets in response to various environmental cues and developmental stimuli is still largely unknown. Here, we provide evidence that Arabidopsis histone H3K4 methyltransferase SET DOMAIN GROUP2 (SDG2) is required for full activation of hormone responsive genes upon hormone treatment. The pleiotropic phenotypes of sdg2 were closely related to those of auxin deficient mutants and RNA analysis revealed that expression of early hormone responsive genes was significantly reduced in sdg2-5. By ChIP analyses we found that H3K4 tri-methylations on chromatin region of hormone responsive genes such as SAUR27, KIN1 and GASA6 were enriched in WT upon hormone treatments whereas these enrichments were largely abolished in sdg2-5. After hormone treatment, chromatin regions of responsive genes that accumulated H3K4me3 in WT overlapped with those displaying decreased H3K4me3 levels in sdg2-5. Histone H3K4 di-methylation levels on tested genes were increased rather than decreased in sdg2-5, suggesting that SDG2 mediates transition of H3K4me2 to H3K4me3. Taken together, we conclude that the SDG2 activity is required to regulate the expression of hormone responsive genes via histone H3K4 tri-methylation.