Cross-talk between signaling pathways leading to defense against pathogens and insects

In nature, plants interact with a wide range of organisms, some of which are harmful (e.g. pathogens, herbivorous insects), while others are beneficial (e.g. growth-promoting rhizobacteria, mycorrhizal fungi, and predatory enemies of herbivores). During the evolutionary arms race between plants and their attackers, primary and secondary immune responses evolved to recognize common or highly specialized features of microbial pathogens (Chisholm et al., 2006), resulting in sophisticated mechanisms of defense

How the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) Prepares One for Working in a Residential Youth Care Setting:A Thematic Analysis of Youth workers’ Experiences in the Netherlands

The aim of this study is to gain insight into the experiences of social work practitioners’, on how a social work bachelor’s degree program prepares them for working in residential youth care settings. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore experiences of social workers. The interviews were thematically analyzed and three themes were identified: theoretical knowledge, practical skills and work setting. Participants reported that the theoretical knowledge they gained during their education was very valuable, but that the relevance of this knowledge depended on the specific work setting. Participants further wished they had received more practical training during their education, especially regarding dealing with severe problem behavior like aggression. Concerning the work setting, participants often felt insufficiently informed on and ill-prepared for understaffing, high turnover rates, the extensive list of tasks, and irregular working hours. Finally, findings imply a need to enrich the curriculum using role-playing and addressing gaps between education and the specific work setting by offering continued education after graduation in a flexible and modular way. Adjustments to the BSW curriculum may help social workers to be better prepared for the demanding workplace and thereby contributes to better outcomes of residential youth care.</p

How the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) Prepares One for Working in a Residential Youth Care Setting:A Thematic Analysis of Youth workers’ Experiences in the Netherlands

The aim of this study is to gain insight into the experiences of social work practitioners’, on how a social work bachelor’s degree program prepares them for working in residential youth care settings. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore experiences of social workers. The interviews were thematically analyzed and three themes were identified: theoretical knowledge, practical skills and work setting. Participants reported that the theoretical knowledge they gained during their education was very valuable, but that the relevance of this knowledge depended on the specific work setting. Participants further wished they had received more practical training during their education, especially regarding dealing with severe problem behavior like aggression. Concerning the work setting, participants often felt insufficiently informed on and ill-prepared for understaffing, high turnover rates, the extensive list of tasks, and irregular working hours. Finally, findings imply a need to enrich the curriculum using role-playing and addressing gaps between education and the specific work setting by offering continued education after graduation in a flexible and modular way. Adjustments to the BSW curriculum may help social workers to be better prepared for the demanding workplace and thereby contributes to better outcomes of residential youth care.</p

CaMKII controls neuromodulation via neuropeptide gene expression and axonal targeting of neuropeptide vesicles

Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) regulates synaptic plasticity in multiple ways, supposedly including the secretion of neuromodulators like brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Here, we show that neuromodulator secretion is indeed reduced in mouse α- and βCaMKII-deficient (αβCaMKII double-knockout [DKO]) hippocampal neurons. However, this was not due to reduced secretion efficiency or neuromodulator vesicle transport but to 40% reduced neuromodulator levels at synapses and 50% reduced delivery of new neuromodulator vesicles to axons. αβCaMKII depletion drastically reduced neuromodulator expression. Blocking BDNF secretion or BDNF scavenging in wild-type neurons produced a similar reduction. Reduced neuromodulator expression in αβCaMKII DKO neurons was restored by active βCaMKII but not inactive βCaMKII or αCaMKII, and by CaMKII downstream effectors that promote cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB) phosphorylation. These data indicate that CaMKII regulates neuromodulation in a feedback loop coupling neuromodulator secretion to βCaMKII- and CREB-dependent neuromodulator expression an

Munc18-1: sequential interactions with the fusion machinery stimulate vesicle docking and priming

Exocytosis of secretory or synaptic vesicles is executed by a mechanism including the SNARE (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor) proteins. Munc18-1 is a part of this fusion machinery, but its role is controversial because it is indispensable for fusion but also inhibits the assembly of purified SNAREs in vitro. This inhibition reflects the binding of Munc18-1 to a closed conformation of the target-SNARE syntaxin1. The controversy would be solved if binding to closed syntaxin1 were shown to be stimulatory for vesicle fusion and/or additional essential interactions were identified between Munc18-1 and the fusion machinery. Here, we provide evidence for both notions by dissecting sequential steps of the exocytotic cascade while expressing Munc18 variants in the Munc18-1 null background. In Munc18-1 null chromaffin cells, vesicle docking is abolished and syntaxin levels are reduced. A mutation that diminished Munc18 binding to syntaxin1 in vitro attenuated the vesicle-docking step but rescued vesicle priming in excess of docking. Conversely, expressing the Munc18-2 isoform, which also displays binding to closed syntaxin1, rescued vesicle docking identical with Munc18-1 but impaired more downstream vesicle priming steps. All Munc18 variants restored syntaxin1 levels at least to wild-type levels, showing that the docking phenotype is not caused by syntaxin1 reduction. None of the Munc18 variants affected vesicle fusion kinetics or fusion pore duration. In conclusion, binding of Munc18-1 to closed syntaxin1 stimulates vesicle docking and a distinct interaction mode regulates the consecutive priming step. Copyright © 2007 Society for Neuroscience

Histological evaluation disqualifies IMT and calcification scores as surrogates for grading coronary and aortic atherosclerosis

__Background/objectives__ Carotid intimal media thickness (IMT) and coronary calcium scores (CCS) are thought to reflect atherosclerotic burden. The validity of this assumption for IMT is challenged by recent meta-analyses; for CCS by absence of a relationship between negative scores, and freedom of future events. As such, we considered evaluation of the relationship between tissue IMT and CCS, and extend of atherosclerotic disease relevant. __Methods__ Analyses were performed on donor aortas obtained during renal graft procurement, and on coronary arteries collected during heart valve procurement for tissue donation. Movat pentachrome and Hematoxylin staining was performed, and the degree of atherosclerosis histologically graded. IMT and presence of calcium deposits were quantified on graded tissue sections. __Results__ 304 aortas and 185 coronary arteries covering the full atherosclerotic spectrum were evaluated. Aortas and coronaries showed similar relationships between tissue IMT and degree of atherosclerosis, with gradual increase in tissue IMT during earlier phases of atherosclerosis (r = 0.68 and r = 0.30, P < 0.00001 for aorta and coronaries respectively), followed by plateauing of the curve in intermediate and advanced stages. Results for tissue IMT reveal high variability, resulting in wide confidence intervals. Results for CCS are similar for aorta and coronaries, with calcium depositions limited to advanced lesions. __Conclusions__ Histological IMT measurements for the aorta and coronaries show large variations around the trend and plateauing of, and possibly reductions in IMT in late stage atherosclerotic disease. These observations for the aorta and coronaries may (partly) explain the limited benefit of including carotid IMT in risk prediction algorithms