Polymorphisms in the glucocorticoid receptor gene that modulate glucocorticoid sensitivity are associated with rheumatoid arthritis

Introduction  

The glucocorticoid receptor (GR) plays an important regulatory role in the immune system. Four polymorphisms in the GR gene are associated with differences in glucocorticoid (GC) sensitivity; the minor alleles of the polymorphisms N363 S and BclI are associated with relative hypersensitivity to GCs, while those of the polymorphisms ER22/23EK and 9β are associated with relative GC resistance. Because differences in GC sensitivity may influence immune effector functions, we examined whether these polymorphisms are associated with the susceptibility to develop Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and RA disease severity.     

Aspects of early arthritis. Definition of disease states in early arthritis: remission versus minimal disease activity

With regard to rheumatoid arthritis, remission as currently used in the literature can have two meanings: either a state with persistent absence of clinical and radiological signs of disease activity without being treated for a specific time period, or it may point to a disease state with minimal disease activity during antirheumatic treatment. A risk factor for the first is absence of autoantibodies, with the anti-CCP-antibodies as best predictors, whereas risk factors for achieving a drug-induced state of minimal disease activity are not well defined. These definitions of remission refer to different disease states; therefore, we propose that the term remission is reserved for patients that are not treated with antirheumatic drugs.     

Breeding success in cooperative meerkats: effects of helper number and maternal state

Studies of cooperatively breeding birds and mammals generallyconcentrate on the effects that helpers have on the number ofreproductive attempts females have per year or on the numberand size of offspring that survive from hatching/weaning toindependence. However, helpers may also influence breeding successbefore hatching or weaning. In the present study, we used anultrasound imager to determine litter sizes close to birth,and multivariate statistics to investigate whether helpers influencefemale fecundity, offspring survival to weaning, and offspringsize at weaning in cooperative meerkats, Suricata suricatta.We found that the number of helpers in a group was correlatedwith the number of litters that females delivered each year,probably because females in large groups gave birth earlierand had shorter interbirth intervals. In addition, althoughpup survival between birth and weaning was primarily influencedby maternal dominance status, helper number may also have asignificant positive effect. By contrast, we found no evidenceto suggest that helpers have a direct effect on either littersizes at birth or pup weights at weaning, which were both significantlyinfluenced by maternal weight at conception. However, becausedifferences in maternal weight were associated with differencesin helper number, helpers have the potential to influence maternalfecundity and offspring size within reproductive attempts indirectly.These results suggest that future studies may need to considerdirect and indirect helper effects on female fecundity and investmentbefore assessing helper effects on reproductive success in societiesof cooperatively breeding vertebrates.     

Costs of cooperative behaviour in suricates (Suricata suricatta).

Functional interpretations of helping behaviour suggest that it has evolved because helpers increase their direct or indirect fitness by helping. However, recent critiques have suggested that helping may be an unselected extension of normal parental behaviour, pointing to evidence that all mature individuals commonly respond to begging young (whether they are parents, relatives or non-relatives) as well as to the lack of evidence that cooperative activities have appreciable costs to helpers. Here we provide an example of one form of cooperative behaviour that is seldom performed by parents and has substantial energetic costs to helpers. In the cooperative mongoose, Suricata suricatta, non-breeding adults commonly babysit young pups at the natal burrow for a day at a time, foregoing feeding for 24 hours. Parents rarely contribute to babysitting, and babysitting has substantial energetic costs to helpers. Members of small groups compensate for the reduced number of participants by babysitting more frequently, and neither the proportion of time that babysitters are present nor the survival of litters vary with group size.     

Bioaccumulation of selected metals in the gill,liver and muscle tissue of rednose labeo Labeo rosae from two impoundments on the Olifants River,Limpopo river system,South Africa

Metal concentrations in the gill, muscle and liver tissues of Labeo rosae from two impoundments, Loskop and Flag Boshielo dams on the Olifants River, were evaluated in 2011 to detect patterns in metal associations between tissues and impoundments. Elevated concentrations of Ba, Zn, B, Al, Si and Fe, relative to a pristine site in the catchment, were found in the muscle, liver and gill tissues at both impoundments. Molybdenum concentrations were exceptionally high in all tissues at Loskop Dam and in liver at Flag Boshielo Dam. No definite pattern in the ratio metal concentrations within, or between, fish tissues was identified. The expected trend, liver > gills > muscle, was found at both impoundments, but was less prominent at Loskop Dam. Metal concentrations in muscle of Loskop Dam fish were significantly higher than in those at Flag Boshielo Dam. The inverse was true for liver. The long-term impact of elevated metal concentrations on fish health at both impoundments raises concern.     

Practical and reliable FRET/FLIM pair of fluorescent proteins

Background  

In spite of a great number of monomeric fluorescent proteins developed in the recent years, the reported fluorescent protein-based FRET pairs are still characterized by a number of disadvantageous features, complicating their use as reporters in cell biology and for high-throughput cell-based screenings.     

Stable coexistence of two <Emphasis Type="Italic">Caldicellulosiruptor</Emphasis> species in a <Emphasis Type="Italic">de novo</Emphasis> constructed hydrogen-producing co-culture

Background  

Mixed culture enrichments have been used frequently for biohydrogen production from different feedstock. In spite of the several advantages offered by those cultures, they suffer poor H₂ yield. Constructing defined co-cultures of known H₂ producers may offer a better performance than mixed-population enrichments, while overcoming some of the limitations of pure cultures based on synergies among the microorganisms involved.