OCP3 is an important modulator of NPR1-mediated jasmonic acid-dependent induced defenses in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis</Emphasis>

Background  

Upon appropriate stimulation, plants increase their level of resistance against future pathogen attack. This phenomenon, known as induced resistance, presents an adaptive advantage due to its reduced fitness costs and its systemic and broad-spectrum nature. In Arabidopsis, different types of induced resistance have been defined based on the signaling pathways involved, particularly those dependent on salicylic acid (SA) and/or jasmonic acid (JA).     

Physiological tonicity improves human chondrogenic marker expression through nuclear factor of activated T-cells 5 <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vitro</Emphasis>

Introduction  

Chondrocytes experience a hypertonic environment compared with plasma (280 mOsm) due to the high fixed negative charge density of cartilage. Standard isolation of chondrocytes removes their hypertonic matrix, exposing them to nonphysiological conditions. During in vitro expansion, chondrocytes quickly lose their specialized phenotype, making them inappropriate for cell-based regenerative strategies. We aimed to elucidate the effects of tonicity during isolation and in vitro expansion on chondrocyte phenotype.     

Comparative morphology of the sagittal otolith in Serranus spp.

Variations in the morphology of saccular otoliths (sagittae) among three sympatric species of the genus Serranus ( S. atricauda , S. cabrilla and S. scriba ) from the Canary Islands were investigated. Although the otolith gross morphology was similar among species, S. scriba was distinct in having a rostrum which had a slight turning at the tip and a more funnel‐like ostium. The shallower water species ( S. scriba ) had otolith and sulcus areas which were smaller than the deeper water species ( S. cabrilla and S. atricauda ). The sulcus acusticus and ostium size were correlated with the habit depth of the species, with the highest values in the deepest species, S. cabrilla . The otolith outline shape indices changed with size (total length) of the species, and allowed the separation of the species by means of a discriminate function.     

Cytochemical demonstration of hydrogen peroxide in polymorphonuclear leukocyte phagosomes

Phagocytosis by polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) is accompanied by specific morphological and metabolic events which may result in the killing of internalized micro-organism. Hydrogen peroxide is produced in increased amounts during phagocytosis (17) and in combination with myeloperoxidase and halide ions constitute a potent, microbicidal mechanism (8,9,11). There can be direct iodination of micro-organisms (10), or alternatively, other intermediate reaction products, i.e. chloramines and aldehydes (21), can exert a microbicidal effect. The H2O2-peroxidase-halide system is presumed to operate within the phagocytic vacuole (12,18). Myeloperoxidase, present in the primary granules of PMN, enters the phagocytic vacuole during degranulation (1,4,7), and halide ions are probably derived from the extracellular medium or are present in the PMN (see 11, 18). For the operation of this system in intact cells, the presence of H2O2 in the phagocytic vacuole is necessary, and indeed this has been suggested by the work of several investigators (12, 18, 21). In the present investigation, the diaminobenzidine reaction of Graham and Karnovsky (5), modified to utilize endogenous myeloperoxidase and hydrogen peroxide, has been applied to actively phagocytizing PMN to demonstrate cytochemically the presence of H2O2 in the phagocytic vacuole.     

Duodenal mucosal risk markers in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis: effects of celecoxib/ursodeoxycholic acid co-treatment and comparison with patient controls

Background

Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is a disease characterized by the development of hundreds to thousands of adenomatous polyps in the colorectum early in life. Virtually all patients with FAP will develop colorectal cancer before the age of 40 to 50 years, unless prophylactic colectomy is performed, which significantly improves their prognosis. The mortality pattern has changed and duodenal cancer now is one of the main cancer-related causes of death in these patients. Practically all patients with FAP develop premalignant duodenal adenomas, which may develop to duodenal cancer in approximately 3-7% of patients. Duodenal cancer in patients with FAP has a poor prognosis. The clinical challenge is to identify patients at high-risk for duodenal carcinoma. Chemoprevention would be desirable to avoid duodenectomy. The main goal of this study is to identify risk markers in normal duodenal mucosa of patients with FAP, that could help identify patients at increased risk for malignant transformation.

Methods

Messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of glutathione S-transferase A1 (GSTA1), glutathione S-transferase P1 (GSTP1), KIAA1199, E-cadherin, peroxisome proliferative activated receptor δ (PPARδ), caspase-3, cyclin D1, β-catenin, and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) were measured in duodenal mucosa, using the QuantiGene 2.0 Plex assay. Levels in normal appearing mucosa of patients with FAP (n?=?37) were compared with levels in non-FAP patient controls (n?=?16). In addition, levels before and after treatment with either celecoxib & ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA, n?=?14) or celecoxib & placebo (n?=?13) were evaluated in patients with FAP.

Results

mRNA levels of glutathione S-transferase A1 (28.16% vs. 38.24%, p?=?0.008) and caspase-3 (3.30% vs. 5.31%, p?=?0.001) were significantly lower in patients with FAP vs. non-FAP patient controls, respectively. COX-2 mRNA levels in normal duodenal mucosa of patients with FAP were found to be unexpectedly low. None of the potential risk markers was influenced by celecoxib or celecoxib & UDCA.

Conclusions

Protection against toxins and carcinogens (GSTA1) and apoptosis (caspase-3) is low in patients with FAP, which could contribute to increased susceptibility for malignant transformation of duodenal mucosa.

Trial registration

http://ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT00808743

     

The phylogenetic affinities of the chaetognaths: a molecular analysis

The chaetognaths, or arrowworms, constitute a small and enigmatic phylum of marine invertebrates whose phylogenetic affinities have long been uncertain. A popular hypothesis is that the chaetognaths are the sister group of the major deuterostome phyla: chordates, hemichordates, and echinoderms. Here we attempt to determine the affinities of the chaetognaths by using molecular sequence data. We describe the isolation and nucleotide sequence determination of 18S ribosomal DNA from one species of chaetognath and one acanthocephalan. Extensive phylogenetic analyses employing a suite of phylogenetic reconstruction methods (maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, evolutionary parsimony, and two distance methods) suggest that the hypothesized relationship between chaetognaths and the deuterostomes is incorrect. In contrast, we propose that the lineage leading to the chaetognaths arose prior to the advent of the coelomate metazoa.      

Longitudinal proxy measurements in multiple sclerosis: patient-proxy agreement on the impact of MS on daily life over a period of two years

Background  

The use of self-report measurements in clinical settings is increasing. However, in patients with limitations that interfere with reliable self-assessment such as cognitive impairment or mood disturbances, as may be the case in multiple sclerosis (MS), data collection might be problematic. In these situations, information obtained from proxy respondents (e.g. partners) may replace self-ratings. The aim of this study was to examine the value of proxy ratings at separate points in time and to assess patient-proxy agreement on possible changes in disease impact of MS.