Malignant mesothelioma: facts, myths, and hypotheses

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is a neoplasm arising from mesothelial cells lining the pleural, peritoneal, and pericardial cavities. Over 20 million people in the US are at risk of developing MM due to asbestos exposure. MM mortality rates are estimated to increase by 5–10% per year in most industrialized countries until about 2020. The incidence of MM in men has continued to rise during the past 50 years, while the incidence in women appears largely unchanged. It is estimated that about 50–80% of pleural MM in men and 20–30% in women developed in individuals whose history indicates asbestos exposure(s) above that expected from most background settings. While rare for women, about 30% of peritoneal mesothelioma in men has been associated with exposure to asbestos. Erionite is a potent carcinogenic mineral fiber capable of causing both pleural and peritoneal MM. Since erionite is considerably less widespread than asbestos, the number of MM cases associated with erionite exposure is smaller. Asbestos induces DNA alterations mostly by inducing mesothelial cells and reactive macrophages to secrete mutagenic oxygen and nitrogen species. In addition, asbestos carcinogenesis is linked to the chronic inflammatory process caused by the deposition of a sufficient number of asbestos fibers and the consequent release of pro‐inflammatory molecules, especially HMGB‐1, the master switch that starts the inflammatory process, and TNF‐alpha by macrophages and mesothelial cells. Genetic predisposition, radiation exposure and viral infection are co‐factors that can alone or together with asbestos and erionite cause MM. J. Cell. Physiol. 227: 44–58, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Anxiolytic effects of a novel herbal treatment in mice models of anxiety

AimsAnxiety and stress disorders are currently among the ten most important public health concerns, and in recent years, have reached epidemic proportions. The current success rate of treatments for anxiety disorders is not high, reaching 50% at most. These treatments are also associated with a wide variety of side effects. The aim of the present study was to investigate the anxiolytic properties of a novel herbal treatment produced in our laboratory compared to a conventional treatment for anxiety disorders, namely SSRIs.Main methodsAnxiety-like behavior was evaluated in adult mice exposed to stress during childhood following 1, 2 and 3 weeks of treatment with the novel herbal treatment or escitalopram, using the novel open field and the elevated plus maze paradigms. The behavioral evaluation in these mice was followed by a biochemical assessment of their brain hippocampal BDNF levels and blood corticosterone levels.Key findingsThe study showed that (1) the novel herbal treatment reduced anxiety-like behaviors in both behavioral tests. Interestingly, this reduction was observed only following a 3-week treatment; (2) following the novel treatment, corticosterone levels in the plasma of treated mice were reduced and this reduction was similar to the one observed following escitalopram treatment; and (3) BDNF levels in the hippocampus of mice treated both with the novel herbal treatment and escitalopram were increased.SignificanceThese behavioral and biological findings indicate that our novel herbal compound has the potential of being highly efficacious in treating anxiety disorders.     

Comparison and correlation of binding mode of ATP in the kinase domains of Hexokinase family

Hexokinases (HKs) are the enzymes that catalyses the ATP dependent phosphorylation of Hexose sugars to Hexose-6-Phosphate (Hex-6-P). There exist four different forms of HKs namely HK-I, HK-II, HK-III and HK-IV and all of them share a common ATP binding site core surrounded by more variable sequence that determine substrate affinities. Although they share a common binding site but they differ in their kinetic functions, hence the present study is aimed to analyze the binding mode of ATP. The analysis revealed that the four ATP binding domains are showing 13 identical, 7 similar and 6 dissimilar residues with similar structural conformation. Molecular docking of ATP into the kinase domains using Molecular Operating Environment (MOE) soft ware tool clearly showed the variation in the binding mode of ATP with variable docking scores. This probably explains the variable phosphorylation rates among hexokinases family.     

The signaling function of an extra‐floral display: what selects for signal development?

The vertical inflorescences of the Mediterranean annual Salvia viridis carry many small, colorful flowers, and are frequently terminated by a conspicuous tuft of colorful leaves ('flag') that attracts insect visitors. Insects may use the flags as indicators of food rewards in the inflorescences below, as long-distance cues for locating and choosing flowering patches, or both. Clipping of all flags from patches of inflorescences in the field reduced the number of arriving insects, but not the total number of inflorescences and flowers visited by them. The number of flowers visited per inflorescence increased with inflorescence size, and inflorescence and flower visits rates significantly increased with patch size. Six percent of the plants in the study population did not develop any flag during blooming, yet suffered no reduction in seed set as compared to flag-bearing neighboring individuals. Removal of flags from all inflorescences in a patch reduced seed set in comparison with untreated controls, while flag clipping from ten randomly selected inflorescences in a patch did not decrease seed production. These results suggest that flags signal long-distance information to potential pollinators (possibly indicating patch location or size), while flower-related cues may indicate inflorescence quality.
Plants that do not develop flags probably benefit from the flag signals displayed by their neighbors, without bearing the costs of signal production. Greenhouse-grown S. viridis plants allocated a low proportion of their biomass to flags. Plants grown under water stress did not reduce biomass allocation to flags as compared to irrigated controls. Water loss rates of picked flags were lower than those of picked leaves. These findings suggest that the expenses of flag production and maintenance are modest, reducing the selective advantage of individuals that do not carry flags. We discuss additional potential evolutionary mechanisms that may select for flag production.     

Waste recycling: utilization of coffee grounds and kitchen waste in vermicomposting

Vermicomposting using Lumbricus rubellus for 49 days was conducted after 21 days of pre-composting. Three different combination of treatments were prepared with eight replicates for each treatment namely cow dung: kitchen waste in 30:70 ratio (T(1)), cow dung: coffee grounds in 30:70 ratio (T(2)), and cow dung: kitchen waste: coffee grounds in 30:35:35 ratio (T(3)). The multiplication of earthworms in terms of numbers and weight were measured at the end of vermicomposting. Consequently, only T(2) showed significant increase (from it initial stage) compared to other treatments. The presence of coffee grounds in T(2) and T(3) showed higher percentage of nutrient elements in vermicompost produced. The data reveal that coffee grounds can be decomposed through vermicomposting and help to enhance the quality of vermicompost produced rather than sole use of kitchen waste in vermicomposting.