Viability and acrosome integrity of rabbit spermatozoa processed in a gelatin-supplemented extender

The effect of gelatin addition to the semen extender on the viability and acrosome integrity of rabbit spermatozoa was studied. Pooled semen samples were processed in a boar semen extender with or without gelatin addition. Semen samples were stored at 5 °C for 72 h. Viability and acrosome integrity was evaluated by light microscope. Results showed that gelatin addition had a significant positive effect on the quality of the stored semen.     

The molecular biology and immunology of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) with the presentation of an immunotherapy protocol for a clinical trial

After a short explanatory Introduction, an immunotherapy protocol is presented for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). GBM is considered to be an incurable tumor; tumor-free survival over 2 to 3 years is so rare that when it happens the original diagnosis is questioned. It is known that the type of the genetic mutation that a given GBM tumor harbors strongly influences the length of survival. However, most patients with GBM are receiving treatment without the preparation of a microarray gene map of their tumors. It is possible that the reason for a rare and exceptional long survival was not the treatment that the patient received, but the type of gene mutations that the tumor was exposed to. It is recognized that any therapeutic approach should ideally be evaluated against the background of all prognostic factors of each individual case, prominent among them the microarray gene map of the tumor. In practice, this is not easily achieved, while the patient is in need of, and is expecting, prompt therapy. Insurance companies do not reimburse the patient, or the clinical investigators, or their institutions for investigational diagnostic tests, or such treatment modalities. A temporary compromise is possible. The emergence of empirically administered treatment modalities with extraordinary efficacy has occasionally been recorded in the history of medical oncology. In some of these rare clinical trials, the control groups were discontinued (to the dismay of the statisticians), and the control patients were enrolled in the treatment groups so to escape doom and share the benefit of the unfolding high remission inductions experienced in the treatment group. Chemo-radiotherapy of Hodgkin's disease and cisplatin therapy of certain testicular carcinomas provided the first éclat examples. More recently, the rapidly approved and marketed imitanib mesylate for Ph-chromosome-positive chronic myelogenous leukemia and the anti-HER2/neu monoclonal antibody trastuzumab, and the not yet marketed double tyrosine kinase (ErbB1/2) inhibitor lapatinib (Tykerb, GlaxoSmithKline) for a subgroup of breast carcinoma patients excelled. Thus, a clinical trial for GBM, but without precise pre-identification of all its prognostic factors, however with a great deal of evidence-based empirical expectations of benefits, for patients with rapid advarcement toward a fatal outcome, implying an element of urgency, appears to be justified.     

Obtaining accurate measurements of the size and volume of insects fed to nestlings from video recordings

Video recordings are commonly used to study the types, amount, and size of food items provided to nestling birds. However, the accuracy and repeatability of estimates of the size of food items from video recordings has not been examined. We assessed three aspects of the reliability of measuring prey size from video recordings of Great Tits (Parus major) provisioning nestlings. To test the accuracy of measurements of prey size (length and width) used to determine prey volume, we molded artificial plasticine caterpillars and compared their size and volume as determined using measurements of length and width on screenshots of video recordings (using the vertical diameter of nest‐box entrance holes as a size reference) to their actual size and volume. We also examined within‐ and among‐observer repeatability of measurements of the size and volume of actual prey items delivered to nestlings by adult Great Tits. We found that observers were able to accurately measure prey size and determine volume, with high agreement between the actual size and volume of plasticine caterpillars and the size and volume as determined from measurements made on screenshots from video recordings (r_ICC = 0.99). In addition, within‐ and among‐observer repeatability were also high (r_ICC = 0.98 and 0.93, respectively). Overall, our results suggest that the size of prey items delivered to nestlings by adults in video recordings can be accurately measured and those measurements, in turn, can be used to accurately determine the volume of those insect prey.     

Clinical significance of serum thyroglobulin and antithyroglobulin antibody in differentiated thyroid cancer after thyroid ablation

Serum thyroglobulin (Tg) is a suitable marker for differentiated thyroid carcinoma following total thyroid ablation. Between 1998 and 2003, serum samples from 715 papillary and 179 follicular tumor patients treated with total/nearly total thyroidectomy and radioiodine ablation therapy were collected. According to the "Guidelines for Oncotherapy in Hungary", serum Tg, antithyroglobulin antibody (TgAb), TSH and FT4 levels were measured in periods of 3 months following the first treatment and of 6 months after 2 years. In the present work the prognostic value of Tg and TgAb data of cancer patients with hormone substitution therapy were evaluated individually and retrospectively. Serum Tg and TgAb concentrations were measured with a highly sensitive immunoradiometric (IRMA) method, and with a second generation, broad epitope specificity competitive radioimmunoassay, respectively. TSH levels determined by fourth generation LIAISON kit were in a range of 0.05-0.10 mIU/L. Accuracy of measuring of Tg <1 ng/ml made it possible to select the low cut-off level (Tg <2 ng/ml) following total thyroidectomy. In the predominant part of TSH-suppressed patients (746/774, 96%) the serum Tg concentration was below the cut-off level of 2 ng/ml. The sensitivity of Tg determination in 59 TSH-suppressed thyroid cancer patients with lung and bone metastases was as high as 86 to 100%. On the contrary, the number of false negative data was high in cases with lymph node metastases of papillary cancer, and sensitivity did not exceed 62%. Specificity and sensitivity of Tg in TgAb negative patients were 91 to 100%. Based on our results it could be concluded that measuring of Tg and TgAb, using a current IRMA method and a second generation RIA kit, proved to be effective tools for the postoperative monitoring of differentiated thyroid tumours. It has to be noted that determination of TgAb is highly recommended for the adequate interpretation of serum Tg levels. Persistently high and/or increasing serum TgAb concentration with low Tg result had a diagnostic value during the follow-up and can be connected with the recurrence or persistence of the differentiated thyroid cancer.     

The place of viruses in the "tree of life"

Ribozymal entry into vesicle containing autocatalytically replicating oligopeptides engendered RNA proliferation and enzyme synthesis within units whose RNA genomes derived from ancestors of viroids. There is good reason to consider the coexistence of proto- or spheroplastic forms of ancient prokaryotes and archaeons. Predecessors of extant mycoplasmavirus L3 or archaeal fuselloviruses could induce cell fusions among these entities. The possibility that the first eukaryotic cells arose consequentially to virally mediated fusions of prokaryotic and archaeal proto- or spheroplasts is presented. Retrotransposons and endogenous retroviruses might have emerged in theropod dinosaurs when Aves evolved; and directed the development of syncytiotrophoblasts in the placentae of the first mammals. As viruses coevolved with their hosts descendants of ancient viruses diverged from one another. Certain phenotypical features could connect extant phages and eukaryotic viruses to common ancestors.     

TRAF6 is functional in inhibition of TLR4-mediated NF-κB activation by resveratrol

Resveratrol was suggested to inhibit Toll-like receptor (TLR)4-mediated activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and Toll/interleukin-1 receptor domain-containing adaptor inducing interferon-β (TRIF)–(TANK)-binding kinase 1, but the myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88–tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6) pathway is not involved in this effect. However, involvement of TRAF6 in this process is still elusive since cross talk between TRIF and TRAF6 has been reported in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced signaling. Using RAW 264.7 macrophages, we determined the effect of resveratrol on LPS-induced TRAF6 expression, ubiquitination as well as activation of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases and Akt in order to elucidate its involvement in TLR4 signaling. LPS-induced transient elevation in TRAF6 mRNA and protein expressions is suppressed by resveratrol. LPS induces the ubiquitination of TRAF6, which has been reported to be essential for Akt activation and for transforming growth factor-β activated kinase-1–NAP kinase kinase 6 (MKK6)-mediated p38 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activation. We found that resveratrol diminishes the effect of LPS on TRAF6 ubiquitination and activation of JNK and p38 MAP kinases, while it has no effect on the activation of extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2. The effect of resveratrol on MAP kinase inhibition is significant since TRAF6 activation was reported to induce activation of JNK and p38 MAP kinase while not affecting ERK1/2. Moreover, Akt was identified previously as a direct target of TRAF6, and we found that, similarly to MAPKs, phosphorylation pattern of Akt followed the activation of TRAF6, and it was inhibited by resveratrol at all time points. Here, we provide the first evidence that resveratrol, by suppressing LPS-induced TRAF6 expression and ubiquitination, attenuates the LPS-induced TLR4–TRAF6, MAP kinase and Akt pathways that can be significant in its anti-inflammatory effects.