Oestrogenic activity of CPRG (chlorophenol red-β-D-galactopyranoside), a β-galactosidase substrate commonly used in recombinant yeast oestrogenic assays

The finding that a variety of chemicals display oestrogenic activity has resulted in the development of in vitro and in vivo assays to assess oestrogenic activity. One such assay, the yeast oestrogen assay (YES) makes use of recombinant yeast cells that harbour an oestrogen receptor expression cassette and a reporter construct, coding for bgalactosidase. The induction mechanism starts with the binding of oestrogenic compounds to the oestrogen receptor. This complex activates the production of β-galactosidase. The β-galactosidase activity is thus a measure of the oestrogenic activity of chemical compounds. In the YES assay, the β-galactosidase activity may be quantified with the chromogenic substrate chlorophenol red-β-d-galactopyranoside (CPRG). In the present study it is reported that CPRG or its β-galactosidase degradation product chlorophenol red act in the YES as an oestrogenic compound itself. The implications of this finding are described. It is especially argued that chlorophenol red production after prolonged incubation of the assay might be misinterpreted as an oestrogenic effect of the test compound.     

A Model for the Early Identification of Sources of Airborne Pathogens in an Outdoor Environment

Background

Source identification in areas with outbreaks of airborne pathogens is often time-consuming and expensive. We developed a model to identify the most likely location of sources of airborne pathogens.

Methods

As a case study, we retrospectively analyzed three Q fever outbreaks in the Netherlands in 2009, each with suspected exposure from a single large dairy goat farm. Model input consisted only of case residential addresses, day of first clinical symptoms, and human population density data. We defined a spatial grid and fitted an exponentially declining function to the incidence-distance data of each grid point. For any grid point with a fit significant at the 95% confidence level, we calculated a measure of risk. For validation, we used results from abortion notifications, voluntary (2008) and mandatory (2009) bulk tank milk sampling at large (i.e. >50 goats and/or sheep) dairy farms, and non-systematic vaginal swab sampling at large and small dairy and non-dairy goat/sheep farms. In addition, we performed a two-source simulation study.

Results

Hotspots – areas most likely to contain the actual source – were identified at early outbreak stages, based on the earliest 2–10% of the case notifications. Distances between the hotspots and suspected goat farms varied from 300–1500 m. In regional likelihood rankings including all large dairy farms, the suspected goat farms consistently ranked first. The two-source simulation study showed that detection of sources is most clear if the distance between the sources is either relatively small or relatively large.

Conclusions

Our model identifies the most likely location of sources in an airborne pathogen outbreak area, even at early stages. It can help to reduce the number of potential sources to be investigated by microbial testing and to allow rapid implementation of interventions to limit the number of human infections and to reduce the risk of source-to-source transmission.     

Serum proteomics in amnestic mild cognitive impairment

We have explored proteins related to mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The serum proteome of 35 amnestic MCI patients and 35 cognitively healthy persons was investigated by LC MS. We identified 108 differentially expressed peptides between MCI patients and controls, belonging to 39 proteins. Eight proteins were selected for further investigation by quantitative protein measurements using a MRM assay; apolipoprotein E, carboxypeptidase N subunit 2, complement factor B (CFAB), galectin‐3 binding protein (LG3BP), lumican, serum amyloid A‐4 protein (SAA4), serum amyloid P‐component, and sex hormone binding globulin. Results of the quantitative protein measurements showed significantly decreased levels of carboxypeptidase N subunit 2, CFAB, LG3BP, SAA4, and serum amyloid P‐component in serum from amnestic MCI patients compared with cognitive healthy controls (two‐sided t‐test; p < 0.05). Apolipoprotein E and lumican showed no significant difference in protein levels, sex hormone binding globulin could not be quantified since the MRM assay did not reach the required sensitivity. A model based on the three most significantly decreased proteins (CFAB, LG3BP, and SAA4) showed a sensitivity and specificity of 73 and 66%, respectively, for the initial sample set. A small external validation set yielded 77% sensitivity and 75% specificity.     

Immunohistochemical analysis of macroautophagy

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is an indispensable standard method to monitor macroautophagy in tissue samples. Because TEM is time consuming and not suitable for daily routine, many groups try to identify macroautophagy in tissue by conventional immunohistochemistry. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether immunohistochemical assessment of macroautophagy-related marker proteins such as LC3, ATG5, CTSD/cathepsin D, BECN1/Beclin 1 or SQSTM1/p62 is feasible and autophagy-specific. For this purpose, livers from starved mice were used as a model because hepatocytes are highly sensitive to autophagy induction. ATG7-deficient mouse livers served as negative control. Our findings indicate that unambiguous immunodetection of LC3 in paraffin-embedded tissue specimens was hampered due to low in situ levels of this protein. Maximum sensitivity could only be obtained using high-quality, isoform-specific antibodies, such as antibody 5F10, in combination with Envision+ signal amplification. Moreover, LC3 stains were optimal in neutral-buffered formalin-fixed tissue, immersed in citrate buffer during antigen retrieval. However, even when using this methodology, LC3 monitoring required overexpression of the protein, e.g., in GFP-LC3 transgenic mice. This was not only the case for the liver but also for other organs including heart, skeletal muscle, kidney and gut. Immunohistochemical detection of the autophagy-related proteins ATG5, CTSD or BECN1 is not recommendable for monitoring autophagy, due to lack of differential gene expression or doubtful specificity. SQSTM1 accumulated in autophagy-deficient liver, thus it is not a useful marker for tissue with autophagic activity. We conclude that TEM remains an indispensable technique for in situ evaluation of macroautophagy, particularly in clinical samples for which genetic manipulation or other in vitro techniques are not feasible.     

Routine versus aggressive upstream rhythm control for prevention of early atrial fibrillation in heart failure: background, aims and design of the RACE 3 study

Background

Rhythm control for atrial fibrillation (AF) is cumbersome because of its progressive nature caused by structural remodelling. Upstream therapy refers to therapeutic interventions aiming to modify the atrial substrate, leading to prevention of AF.

Objective

The Routine versus Aggressive upstream rhythm Control for prevention of Early AF in heart failure (RACE 3) study hypothesises that aggressive upstream rhythm control increases persistence of sinus rhythm compared with conventional rhythm control in patients with early AF and mild-to-moderate early systolic or diastolic heart failure undergoing electrical cardioversion.

Design

RACE 3 is a prospective, randomised, open, multinational, multicenter trial. Upstream rhythm control consists of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and/or angiotensin receptor blockers, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, statins, cardiac rehabilitation therapy, and intensive counselling on dietary restrictions, exercise maintenance, and drug adherence. Conventional rhythm control consists of routine rhythm control therapy without cardiac rehabilitation therapy and intensive counselling. In both arms, every effort is made to keep patients in the rhythm control strategy, and ion channel antiarrhythmic drugs or pulmonary vein ablation may be instituted if AF relapses. Total inclusion will be 250 patients. If upstream therapy proves to be effective in improving maintenance of sinus rhythm, it could become a new approach to rhythm control supporting conventional pharmacological and non-pharmacological rhythm control.     

Differences in Body Fat Distribution Play a Role in the Lower Levels of Elevated Fasting Glucose amongst Ghanaian Migrant Women Compared to Men

Background

Despite higher levels of obesity, West African migrant women appear to have lower rates of type 2 diabetes than their male counterparts. We investigated the role of body fat distribution in these differences.

Methods

Cross-sectional study of Ghanaian migrants (97 men, 115 women) aged 18–60 years in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Weight, height, waist and hip circumferences were measured. Logistic regression was used to explore the association of BMI, waist and hip measurements with elevated fasting glucose (glucose≥5.6 mmol/L). Linear regression was used to study the association of the same parameters with fasting glucose.

Results

Mean BMI, waist and hip circumferences were higher in women than men while the prevalence of elevated fasting glucose was higher in men than in women, 33% versus 19%. With adjustment for age only, men were non-significantly more likely than women to have an elevated fasting glucose, odds ratio (OR) 1.81, 95% CI: 0.95, 3.46. With correction for BMI, the higher odds among men increased and were statistically significant (OR 2.84, 95% CI: 1.32, 6.10), but with consideration of body fat distribution (by adding both hip and waist in the analysis) differences were no longer significant (OR 1.56 95% CI: 0.66, 3.68). Analysis with fasting glucose as continuous outcome measure showed somewhat similar results.

Conclusion

Compared to men, the lower rates of elevated fasting glucose observed among Ghanaian women may be partly due to a more favorable body fat distribution, characterized by both hip and waist measurements.     

A Comprehensive Molecular Phylogeny of Dalytyphloplanida (Platyhelminthes: Rhabdocoela) Reveals Multiple Escapes from the Marine Environment and Origins of Symbiotic Relationships

In this study we elaborate the phylogeny of Dalytyphloplanida based on complete 18S rDNA (156 sequences) and partial 28S rDNA (125 sequences), using a Maximum Likelihood and a Bayesian Inference approach, in order to investigate the origin of a limnic or limnoterrestrial and of a symbiotic lifestyle in this large group of rhabditophoran flatworms. The results of our phylogenetic analyses and ancestral state reconstructions indicate that dalytyphloplanids have their origin in the marine environment and that there was one highly successful invasion of the freshwater environment, leading to a large radiation of limnic and limnoterrestrial dalytyphloplanids. This monophyletic freshwater clade, Limnotyphloplanida, comprises the taxa Dalyelliidae, Temnocephalida, and most Typhloplanidae. Temnocephalida can be considered ectosymbiotic Dalyelliidae as they are embedded within this group. Secondary returns to brackish water and marine environments occurred relatively frequently in several dalyeliid and typhloplanid taxa. Our phylogenies also show that, apart from the Limnotyphloplanida, there have been only few independent invasions of the limnic environment, and apparently these were not followed by spectacular speciation events. The distinct phylogenetic positions of the symbiotic taxa also suggest multiple origins of commensal and parasitic life strategies within Dalytyphloplanida. The previously established higher-level dalytyphloplanid clades are confirmed in our topologies, but many of the traditional families are not monophyletic. Alternative hypothesis testing constraining the monophyly of these families in the topologies and using the approximately unbiased test, also statistically rejects their monophyly.     

Detecting Cheaters without Thinking: Testing the Automaticity of the Cheater Detection Module

Evolutionary psychologists have suggested that our brain is composed of evolved mechanisms. One extensively studied mechanism is the cheater detection module. This module would make people very good at detecting cheaters in a social exchange. A vast amount of research has illustrated performance facilitation on social contract selection tasks. This facilitation is attributed to the alleged automatic and isolated operation of the module (i.e., independent of general cognitive capacity). This study, using the selection task, tested the critical automaticity assumption in three experiments. Experiments 1 and 2 established that performance on social contract versions did not depend on cognitive capacity or age. Experiment 3 showed that experimentally burdening cognitive resources with a secondary task had no impact on performance on the social contract version. However, in all experiments, performance on a non-social contract version did depend on available cognitive capacity. Overall, findings validate the automatic and effortless nature of social exchange reasoning.