Cerebellar granule neuron progenitors are the source of Hk2 in the postnatal cerebellum

A response to Leprince: The role of Bergmann glial cells in cerebellar development. Cancer & Metabolism 2013, 1:14 We recently demonstrated that developmentally regulated aerobic glycolysis is integral to the normal process of postnatal neurogenesis and becomes co-opted in medulloblastoma. In our work, we concluded that Hexokinase 2 (Hk2), which we found to be required for Shh-induced aerobic glycolysis, was expressed specifically by cerebellar granule neuron progenitors (CGNPs). We observed altered migration of CGNPs in hGFAP-cre;Hk2f/f mice and attributed this aspect of the phenotype to premature differentiation of CGNPs caused by loss of aerobic glycolysis. In response to our work, LePrince draws attention to the role of Bergmann glia in cerebellar development

Assessing the effects of single and binary exposures of copper and lead on Mytilus galloprovincialis: Physiological and genotoxic approaches

It is becoming increasingly recognised that contaminants are not isolated in their threats to the aquatic environment, with recent shifts towards studying the effects of chemical mixtures. In this study, adult marine mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) were exposed to two aqueous concentrations of the essential trace metal, Cu (5 and 32 μg L-1), and the non-essential metal, Pb (5 and 25 μg L-1), both individually and in binary mixtures. After a 14-day exposure, metal accumulation was determined in the digestive gland, gill and mantle tissues by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry following acid digestion, and a number of biochemical, neurotoxic and physiological markers were assessed. These included measurements of DNA damage using comet assay, total glutathione concentration, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and clearance rate. Metal accumulation was greater in the digestive gland and gill than in the mantle, and based on computed free ion concentrations, was greater for Pb than for Cu. Copper exhibited an inhibitory effect on Pb accumulation but Pb did not appear to affect Cu accumulation. Comet assay results revealed DNA damage (i.e., genotoxic effects) in all treatments but differences between the exposures were not significant (p > 0.05), and there were no significant differences in AChE activities between treatments. The most distinctive impacts were a reduction in clearance rate resulting from the higher concentration of Cu, with and without Pb, and an increase in glutathione in the gill resulting from the higher concentration of Cu without Pb. Multivariate analysis facilitated the development of a conceptual model based on the current findings and previously published data on the toxicity and intracellular behaviour of Cu and Pb that will assist in the advancement of regulations and guidelines regarding multiple metal contaminants in the environment

Conservative management versus open reduction and internal fixation for mid-shaft clavicle fractures in adults - The Clavicle Trial: Study protocol for a multicentre randomized controlled trial

Background: Clavicle fractures account for around 4% of all fractures and up to 44% of fractures of the shoulder girdle. Fractures of the middle third (or mid-shaft) account for approximately 80% of all clavicle fractures. Management of this group of fractures is often challenging and the outcome can be unsatisfactory. In particular it is not clear whether surgery produces better outcomes than non-surgical management. Currently there is much variation in the use of surgery and a lack of good quality evidence to inform our decision.Methods/Design: We aim to undertake a multicentre randomised controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness and safety of conservative management versus open reduction and internal fixation for displaced mid-shaft clavicle fractures in adults. Surgical treatment will be performed using the Acumed clavicle fixation system. Conservative management will consist of immobilisation in a sling at the side in internal rotation for 6 weeks or until clinical or radiological union. We aim to recruit 300 patients. These patients will be followed-up for at least 9 months. The primary endpoint will be the rate of non-union at 3 months following treatment. Secondary endpoints will be limb function measured using the Constant-Murley Score and the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) Score at 3 and 9 months post-operatively.Discussion: This article presents the protocol for a multicentre randomised controlled trial. It gives extensive details of, and the basis for, the chosen methods, and describes the key measures taken to avoid bias and to ensure validity.Trial Registration: United Kingdom Clinical Research Network ID: 8665. The date of registration of the trial is 07/09/2006. The date the first patient was recruited is 18/12/2007. © 2011 Longo et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

Precursor reaction kinetics control compositional grading and size of CdSe1-xSx nanocrystal heterostructures

We report a method to control the composition and microstructure of CdSe1-xSx nanocrystals by the simultaneous injection of sulfide and selenide precursors into a solution of cadmium oleate and oleic acid at 240 degrees C. Pairs of substituted thio- and selenoureas were selected from a library of compounds with conversion reaction reactivity exponents (k(E)) spanning 1.3 x 10(-5) s(-1) to 2.0 x 10(-1) s(-1). Depending on the relative reactivity (k(Se)/k(S)), core/shell and alloyed architectures were obtained. Growth of a thick outer CdS shell using a syringe pump method provides gram quantities of brightly photoluminescent quantum dots (PLQY = 67 to 90%) in a single reaction vessel. Kinetics simulations predict that relative precursor reactivity ratios of less than 10 result in alloyed compositions, while larger reactivity differences lead to abrupt interfaces. CdSe1-xSx alloys (k(Se)/k(S) = 2.4) display two longitudinal optical phonon modes with composition dependent frequencies characteristic of the alloy microstructure. When one precursor is more reactive than the other, its conversion reactivity and mole fraction control the number of nuclei, the final nanocrystal size at full conversion, and the elemental composition. The utility of controlled reactivity for adjusting alloy microstructure is discussed

Hexokinase-2-mediated aerobic glycolysis is integral to cerebellar neurogenesis and pathogenesis of medulloblastoma

Abstract Background While aerobic glycolysis is linked to unconstrained proliferation in cancer, less is known about its physiological role. Why this metabolic program that promotes tumor growth is preserved in the genome has thus been unresolved. We tested the hypothesis that aerobic glycolysis derives from developmental processes that regulate rapid proliferation. Methods We performed an integrated analysis of metabolism and gene expression in cerebellar granule neuron progenitors (CGNPs) with and without Sonic Hedgehog (Shh), their endogenous mitogen. Because our analysis highlighted Hexokinase-2 (Hk2) as a key metabolic regulator induced by Shh, we studied the effect of conditional genetic Hk2 deletion in CGNP development. We then crossed Hk2 conditional knockout mice with transgenic SmoM2 mice that develop spontaneous medulloblastoma and determined changes in SmoM2-driven tumorigenesis. Results We show that Shh and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling combine to induce an Hk2-dependent glycolytic phenotype in CGNPs. This phenotype is recapitulated in medulloblastoma, a malignant tumor of CGNP origin. Importantly, cre-mediated ablation of Hk2 abrogated aerobic glycolysis, disrupting CGNP development and Smoothened-induced tumorigenesis. Comparing tumorigenesis in medulloblastoma-prone SmoM2 mice with and without functional Hk2, we demonstrate that loss of aerobic glycolysis reduces the aggressiveness of medulloblastoma, causing tumors to grow as indolent lesions and allowing long-term survival of tumor bearing mice. Conclusions Our investigations demonstrate that aerobic glycolysis in cancer derives from developmental mechanisms that persist in tumorigenesis. Moreover, we demonstrate in a primary tumor model the anti-cancer potential of blocking aerobic glycolysis by targeting Hk2

Habitat and forage associations of a naturally colonising insect pollinator, the Tree Bumblebee Bombus hypnorum

Bumblebees (Bombus species) are major pollinators of commercial crops and wildflowers but factors affecting their abundance, including causes of recent population declines, remain unclear. Investigating the ecology of species with expanding ranges provides a potentially powerful means of elucidating these factors. Such species may also bring novel pollination services to their new ranges. We therefore investigated landscape-scale habitat use and foraging preferences of the Tree Bumblebee, B. hypnorum, a recent natural colonist that has rapidly expanded its range in the UK over the past decade. Counts of B. hypnorum and six other Bombus species were made in March-June 2012 within a mixed landscape in south-eastern Norfolk, UK. The extent of different landscape elements around each transect was quantified at three scales (250 m, 500 m and 1500 m). We then identified the landscape elements that best predicted the density of B. hypnorum and other Bombus species. At the best fitting scale (250 m), B. hypnorum density was significantly positively associated with extent of both urban and woodland cover and significantly negatively associated with extent of oilseed rape cover. This combination of landscape predictors was unique to B. hypnorum. Urban and woodland cover were associated with B. hypnorum density at three and two, respectively, of the three scales studied. Relative to other Bombus species, B. hypnorum exhibited a significantly higher foraging preference for two flowering trees, Crataegus monogyna and Prunus spinosa, and significantly lower preferences for Brassica napus, Glechoma hederacea and Lamium album. Our study provides novel, quantitative support for an association of B. hypnorum with urban and woodland landscape elements. Range expansion in B. hypnorum appears to depend, on exploitation of widespread habitats underutilised by native Bombus species, suggesting B. hypnorum will readily co-exist with these species. These findings suggest that management could target bumblebee species with distinctive habitat requirements to help maintain pollination service

Length of carotid stenosis predicts peri-procedural stroke or death and restenosis in patients randomized to endovascular treatment or endarterectomy.

BACKGROUND: The anatomy of carotid stenosis may influence the outcome of endovascular treatment or carotid endarterectomy. Whether anatomy favors one treatment over the other in terms of safety or efficacy has not been investigated in randomized trials. METHODS: In 414 patients with mostly symptomatic carotid stenosis randomized to endovascular treatment (angioplasty or stenting; n = 213) or carotid endarterectomy (n = 211) in the Carotid and Vertebral Artery Transluminal Angioplasty Study (CAVATAS), the degree and length of stenosis and plaque surface irregularity were assessed on baseline intraarterial angiography. Outcome measures were stroke or death occurring between randomization and 30 days after treatment, and ipsilateral stroke and restenosis ≥50% during follow-up. RESULTS: Carotid stenosis longer than 0.65 times the common carotid artery diameter was associated with increased risk of peri-procedural stroke or death after both endovascular treatment [odds ratio 2.79 (1.17-6.65), P = 0.02] and carotid endarterectomy [2.43 (1.03-5.73), P = 0.04], and with increased long-term risk of restenosis in endovascular treatment [hazard ratio 1.68 (1.12-2.53), P = 0.01]. The excess in restenosis after endovascular treatment compared with carotid endarterectomy was significantly greater in patients with long stenosis than with short stenosis at baseline (interaction P = 0.003). Results remained significant after multivariate adjustment. No associations were found for degree of stenosis and plaque surface. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing stenosis length is an independent risk factor for peri-procedural stroke or death in endovascular treatment and carotid endarterectomy, without favoring one treatment over the other. However, the excess restenosis rate after endovascular treatment compared with carotid endarterectomy increases with longer stenosis at baseline. Stenosis length merits further investigation in carotid revascularisation trials

Nanoscale atoms in solid-state chemistry

Reports Conventional binary solid-state compounds, A x B y , are infinite, crystalline arrays of atoms A and B. Here we describe analogous binary solids in which the "atomic" building blocks are pseudo-spherical molecular clusters rather than simply atoms [for reviews on molecular clusters, see (1-3)]. We prepare these new solids by simply combining independently synthesized molecular clusters (4-6). The internal structures of the constituent clusters remain unchanged, but charge is transferred between them, forming ionic solids analogous to NaCl. We report three new solids: [ [C 60 ]. The former two assemble into a superatomic relative of the CdI 2 structure type, and the latter forms a simple rock-salt crystal. Despite their ready availability, molecular clusters have been used infrequently as electronic materials. Noteworthy examples of success in this area are the organic-inorganic hybrid materials reported by Batail and Mitzi (7-11). Nanocrystals have been assembled into striking superlattices (12-14), but they do not have discrete structural, electronic and magnetic properties and cannot be regarded as genuine artificial atoms. Here, we combine independently prepared electronically and structurally complementary molecular cluster building blocks to form atomically precise binary solid-state compounds. When the building blocks are atoms (ions), binary solids assemble into simple crystalline arrays such as the rock-salt and CdI 2 lattices [for an authoritative text on solid-state inorganic chemistry, see (15)]. We show that when similarlysized clusters combine the same lattice results, albeit at the dramatically increased length scale of nanometers rather than Angstroms. The constituent clusters interact to produce collective properties such as electrically conducting networks and magnetic ordering. Our strategy was to use constituent molecular clusters that have the same, roughly spherical, shape but very different electronic properties in order to encourage reaction and subsequent structural association. By analogy to "atomic" solid-state chemistry, we reasoned that the in situ transfer of charge would produce ions (or the equivalent) that could then form an ordered solid. Thus, we sought cluster pairs in which one cluster is relatively electron-poor and the other is relatively electron-rich. C 60 carbon clusters are good electron acceptors (16). The electrically neutral metal chalcogenide clusters Co 6 Se 8 (PEt 3 ) We combined 1 and two equivalents of C 60 in toluene and obtained black crystals after ~12 hours. Single-crystal x-ray diffraction (SCXRD) revealed that this solid is a 1:2 stoichiometric combination of 1 and C 60 (1•2C 60 ) Nanoscale Atoms in Solid-State Chemistry We measured how much charge was transferred between the components in the solid-state material using Raman spectroscopy. The A 2 g pentagonal pinch mode of C 60 (1468 cm -1 for pristine C 60 ) shifts to lower energy by 6 cm -1 per electron transferred to C 60 independent of the dopant or the crystal structure [see, for example, (19); for a review on discrete fulleride anions, see •− (20). Cluster 1 has four weak transitions between 350 and 700 nm that were observed in 1•2C 60 but not in 2•2C 60 . We can compare these solids to traditional simple M 2+ X 1-2 solids. The CdI 2 structure type (21) is formed by a hexagonally close-packed array of monoanions with half of the octahedral interstitial sites occupied by dications. The cations are ordered such that along the crystallographic c-direction the cation layers are alternatively empty and fully occupied, and the layers are held together by van der Waals bonding between anions of neighboring layers. The structures of compounds 1•2C 60 and 2•2C 60 can be appreciated in these same terms. Wireframe representation of 1•2C 60 are shown i