Chromosome 1 in human colorectal tumors

Summary The significance of short and long arm anomalies of chromosome 1 was investigated in 55 colorectal tumors comprising 41 carcinomas and 14 adenomas. The tumors were at various stages of transformation from adenoma to carcinoma. Our investigation was prompted by the observation of a p32-pter deletion on the short arm of chromosome 1 in a case of benign tubulovillous adenoma with mild dysplasia, as well as by frequent reports that chromosome 1 is involved in many neoplastic processes. Long arm anomalies were found in seven of the 41 carcinomas, six of which were in stage B2, and short arm anomalies in ten carcinomas at various stages. Three of the adenomas exhibited chromosome 1 anomalies, which in one case comprised a 1p32-pter deletion only. Overall, short arm anomalies especially concerned the p32–36 region. These results suggest that the cytogenetic anomalies respectively located on the short and long arms of chromosome 1 should be considered separately. Damage to the long arm might constitute a late non-specific event, whereas damage to the p32-pter region of the short arm might be involved in triggering colorectal tumor development.     

Foehnlike wind,pollination and allergic symptoms in French basque country

Summary The South wind in North Basque country is a foehnlike wind. Many patients hold it responsible for the temporary aggravation of their allergic symptoms, especially for the respiratory ones (rhinitis or asthma for example). Here, the oceanic climate, mild and temperate, favours the development of an abundant vegetation of trees and grass lands. The South wind plays an important role in releasing pollen grains, as it appears on the graphs drawn up during a study aiming at estimating its responsibility.     

Mariner Mos1 transposase dimerizes prior to ITR binding

The mariner Mos1 synaptic complex consists of a tetramer of transposase molecules that bring together the two ends of the element. Such an assembly requires at least two kinds of protein-protein interfaces. The first is involved in "cis" dimerization, and consists of transposase molecules bound side-by-side on a single DNA molecule. The second, which is involved in "trans" dimerization, consists of transposase molecules bound to two different DNA molecules. Here, we used biochemical and genetic methods to enhance the definition of the regions involved in cis and trans-dimerization in the mariner Mos1 transposase. The cis and trans-dimerization interfaces were both found within the first 143 amino acid residues of the protein. The cis-dimerization activity was mainly contained in amino acids 1-20. The region spanning from amino acid residues 116-143, and containing the WVPHEL motif, was involved in the cis- to trans-shift as well as in trans-dimerization stabilization. Although the transposase exists mainly as a monomer in solution, we provide evidence that the transposase cis-dimer is the active species in inverted terminal repeat (ITR) binding. We also observed that the catalytic domain of the mariner Mos1 transposase modulates efficient transposase-transposase interactions in the absence of the transposon ends.     

Diagnostic d'une anéjaculation: à propos de 72 patients

Introduction

Anejaculation is the inability to ejaculate through the urethral meatus despite the presence of adequate erection and sexual stimulation.

Material and Methods

From January 1997 to July 2002, 72 patients (age: 17 to 72 years, mean age: 43 years, 65% under the age of 50) consulted the same urologist because of anejaculation.

Results

Forty seven patients (65%) were unable to achieve orgasm (anorgasmia). Twenty five patients were able to achieve orgasm: retrograde ejaculation (9 cases) or dry ejaculation (7 cases) (depending on the presence or absence spermatozoa in the urine after orgasm), indeterminate anejaculation (7 cases) and sluggish ejaculation (2 cases). Psychological risk factors were detected in 30 patients (42%), neurological risk factors were detected in 34 patients (47%) (especially peripheral neuropathy after pelvic or retroperitoneal surgery or diabetes mellitus) and pharmacological risk factors were detected in 16 patients (22%) (especially selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors). Men with anorgasmia presented psychological risk factors in 57% of cases, neurological risk factors in 36% of cases and pharmacological risk factors in 34% of cases. The percentages of these risk factors in patients with other forms of anejaculation were 12%, 68% and 0%, respectively. Twenty five patients (35%) presented several risk factors with a psychological predominance in 14 of them. No risk factors were detected in 11 patients (5 with retrograde ejaculation and 6 with anorgasmia), but a psychological aetiology appeared likely in 6 patients with anorgasmia, as they were able to achieve orgasm during masturbation. 70% of cases of anorgasmia therefore presented psychological risk factors or aetiologies (primary anorgasmia: 100%, secondary anorgasmia: 63%) versus 12% of patients with other forms of anejaculation.

Conclusion

1. The diagnosis of anejaculation must include the type of anejaculation.
2. The aetiological diagnosis is based on clinical interview.
3. Risk factors and aetiologies are often psychological, but sometimes neurological or pharmacological in patients with anorgasmia, and often neurological in other forms of anejaculation.
4. The term “psychological anejaculation” should be reserved for cases of primary anorgasmia.
5. Anorgasmia requires psychological assessment.

     

Structural Determinants for Protein adsorption/non-adsorption to Silica Surface

The understanding of the mechanisms involved in the interaction of proteins with inorganic surfaces is of major interest in both fundamental research and applications such as nanotechnology. However, despite intense research, the mechanisms and the structural determinants of protein/surface interactions are still unclear. We developed a strategy consisting in identifying, in a mixture of hundreds of soluble proteins, those proteins that are adsorbed on the surface and those that are not. If the two protein subsets are large enough, their statistical comparative analysis must reveal the physicochemical determinants relevant for adsorption versus non-adsorption. This methodology was tested with silica nanoparticles. We found that the adsorbed proteins contain a higher number of charged amino acids, particularly arginine, which is consistent with involvement of this basic amino acid in electrostatic interactions with silica. The analysis also identified a marked bias toward low aromatic amino acid content (phenylalanine, tryptophan, tyrosine and histidine) in adsorbed proteins. Structural analyses and molecular dynamics simulations of proteins from the two groups indicate that non-adsorbed proteins have twice as many π-π interactions and higher structural rigidity. The data are consistent with the notion that adsorption is correlated with the flexibility of the protein and with its ability to spread on the surface. Our findings led us to propose a refined model of protein adsorption.     

The ability of aquatic macrophytes to increase root porosity and radial oxygen loss determines their resistance to sediment anoxia

Radial oxygen loss (ROL) has been suggested to be a major process to protect plants exposed to root anaerobic stress. In the present study, we aimed to test the importance of root porosity and radial oxygen loss on the aquatic macrophyte resistance to sediment anoxia. We expected that species living in eutrophic environments characterized by anaerobic conditions in sediments exhibited higher root porosity and radial oxygen loss than species restrained to oligotrophic environments. In this way, we compared the responses to sediment anoxia of two hydrophyte species growing under meso-eutrophic conditions in the field (Myriophyllum spicatum L. and Vallisneria spiralis L.) and three species growing under oligotrophic conditions (Potamogeton coloratus Horne, Elodea canadensis Michx and Sparganium emersum Michx.). Under laboratory conditions, ROL, root porosity, plant metabolism (aerobic respiration, photosynthesis, root fermentative activity) and plant growth were analysed after 3?months of acclimation in anaerobic sediments and compared with control values obtained from aerobic sediments. The results showed that two meso-eutrophic species (M. spicatum and V. spiralis) survived in anaerobic sediments and maintained similar photosynthesis rates than those measured under aerobic conditions. In contrast, the three oligotrophic species (P. coloratus, E. canadensis and S. emersum) suffered net biomass loss and depressed their photosynthesis rates under anaerobic conditions. All variables associated with plant tolerance to anaerobic conditions (maintenance of photosynthesis, aerobic respiration and growth rate, and limitation of root fermentative activity) were positively linked to root porosity and ROL. According to our hypothesis, species that could survive to anaerobic conditions were the species able to increase their root porosity and ROL under these conditions. Thus, in ecological studies, it would be useful to use the root porosity and ROL plasticity as biological traits in order to model the distribution of macrophytes in river floodplains.     

beta-Nerve growth factor participates in an auto/paracrine pathway of regulation of the meiotic differentiation of rat spermatocytes

NGF appears to be involved in spermatogenesis. However, mice lacking NGF or TrkA genes do not survive more than a few days whereas p75(NTR) knockout mice are viable and fertile. Therefore, we addressed the effect of betaNGF on spermatogenesis by using the systems of rat germ cell culture we established previously. betaNGF did not modify the number of Sertoli cells, pachytene spermatocytes, secondary spermatocytes nor the half-life of round spermatids, but increased the number of secondary meiotic metaphases and decreased the number of round spermatids formed in vitro. These effects of betaNGF were reversible and maximal at about 4 x 10(-11) M. Conversely, K252a, a Trk-specific kinase inhibitor, enhanced the number of round spermatids above that of control cultures. The presence of betaNGF and its receptors TrkA and p75(NTR) was investigated in testis sections, in Sertoli cell and germ cell fractions, and in germ cell and Sertoli cell co-cultures. betaNGF was detected only in germ cells from pachytene spermatocytes of stages VII up to spermatids of stages IX-X. TrkA and p75(NTR) were detected in Sertoli cells and in these germ cells. Taken together, these results indicate that betaNGF should participate in an auto/paracrine pathway of regulation of the second meiotic division of rat spermatocytes in vivo.     

Developmental changes in emotion recognition from full-light and point-light displays of body movement

To date, research on the development of emotion recognition has been dominated by studies on facial expression interpretation; very little is known about children's ability to recognize affective meaning from body movements. In the present study, we acquired simultaneous video and motion capture recordings of two actors portraying four basic emotions (Happiness Sadness, Fear and Anger). One hundred and seven primary and secondary school children (aged 4-17) and 14 adult volunteers participated in the study. Each participant viewed the full-light and point-light video clips and was asked to make a forced-choice as to which emotion was being portrayed. As a group, children performed worse than adults for both point-light and full-light conditions. Linear regression showed that both age and lighting condition were significant predictors of performance in children. Using piecewise regression, we found that a bilinear model with a steep improvement in performance until 8.5 years of age, followed by a much slower improvement rate through late childhood and adolescence best explained the data. These findings confirm that, like for facial expression, adolescents' recognition of basic emotions from body language is not fully mature and seems to follow a non-linear development. This is in line with observations of non-linear developmental trajectories for different aspects of human stimuli processing (voices and faces), perhaps suggesting a shift from one perceptual or cognitive strategy to another during adolescence. These results have important implications to understanding the maturation of social cognition.     

How to identify Raoultella spp. including R. ornithinolytica isolates negative for ornithine decarboxylase? The reliability of the chromosomal bla gene

Although Raoultella planticola and Raoultella ornithinolytica were described more than 20 years ago, identifying them remains difficult. The reliability of the chromosomal bla gene for this identification was evaluated in comparison with that of the 16S rDNA and rpoB genes in 35 Raoultella strains from different origins. Of the 26 strains previously identified as R. planticola by biochemical tests alone or in association with molecular methods, 21 harboured a bla gene with 99.8% identity with the bla gene of two reference R. ornithinolytica strains (bla(ORN) gene) and 5 harboured a bla gene with 99.2% identity with the bla gene of two reference R. planticola strains (bla(PLA) gene). The 9 isolates previously identified as R. ornithinolytica harboured a bla(ORN) gene. The bla gene-based identification was confirmed by 16S rDNA and rpoB sequencing. The 21 isolates newly identified as R. ornithinolytica had a test negative for ornithine decarboxylase (ODC). Molecular experiments suggested one copy of ODC-encoding gene in both ODC-negative R. ornithinolytica and R. planticola strains and two copies in ODC-positive R. orninthinolytica strains. Analysis of the 35 bla genes allowed us (i) to confirm an identity of only 94% between the bla genes of the two Raoultella species while this identity was > 98% for rpoB and > 99% for 16S rDNA genes and (ii) to develop and successfully apply a bla PCR RFLP assay for Raoultella spp. identification. Overall, this study allowed us to discover ODC-negative R. ornithinolytica and to provide a reliable Raoultella identification method widely available as not requiring sequencing equipment.