The Genetic Basis of Hepatosplenic T-cell Lymphoma

Hepatosplenic T cell lymphoma (HSTL) is a rare and lethal lymphoma; the genetic drivers of this disease are unknown. Through whole exome sequencing of 68 HSTLs, we define recurrently mutated driver genes and copy number alterations in the disease. Chromatin modifying genes including SETD2, INO80 and ARID1B were commonly mutated in HSTL, affecting 62% of cases. HSTLs manifest frequent mutations in STAT5B (31%), STAT3 (9%), and PIK3CD (9%) for which there currently exist potential targeted therapies. In addition, we noted less frequent events in EZH2, KRAS and TP53. SETD2 was the most frequently silenced gene in HSTL. We experimentally demonstrated that SETD2 acts as a tumor suppressor gene. In addition, we found that mutations in STAT5B and PIK3CD activate critical signaling pathways important to cell survival in HSTL. Our work thus defines the genetic landscape of HSTL and implicates novel gene mutations linked to HSTL pathogenesis and potential treatment targets

Are Algae Relevant to the Detritus-Based Food Web in Tank-Bromeliads?

We assessed the occurrence of algae in five species of tank-bromeliads found in contrasting environmental sites in a Neotropical, primary rainforest around the Nouragues Research Station, French Guiana. The distributions of both algal abundance and biomass were examined based on physical parameters, the morphological characteristics of bromeliad species and with regard to the structure of other aquatic microbial communities held in the tanks. Algae were retrieved in all of the bromeliad species with mean densities ranging from ∼102 to 104 cells/mL. Their biomass was positively correlated to light exposure and bacterial biomass. Algae represented a tiny component of the detrital food web in shaded bromeliads but accounted for up to 30 percent of the living microbial carbon in the tanks of Catopsis berteroniana, located in a highly exposed area. Thus, while nutrient supplies are believed to originate from wind-borne particles and trapped insects (i.e., allochtonous organic matter), our results indicate that primary producers (i.e., autochtonous organic matter) are present in this insectivorous bromeliad. Using a 24-h incubation of size-fractionated and manipulated samples from this plant, we evaluated the impact of mosquito foraging on algae, other microorganisms and rotifers. The prey assemblages were greatly altered by the predation of mosquito larvae. Grazing losses indicated that the dominant algal taxon, Bumilleriopsis sp., like protozoa and rotifers, is a significant part of the diet of mosquito larvae. We conclude that algae are a relevant functional community of the aquatic food web in C. berteroniana and might form the basis of a complementary non-detrital food web

School performance and lead poisoning among Chicago public school children.

School performance and lead poisoning among Chicago public school children

DE L'INFORMALITÉ À LA GESTION ALTERNATIVE D'UNE VILLE SOUTENABLE : LE CAS DE CANAAN

International audienceLa gestion de la ville obéit classiquement à une logique d'administration publique. Elle s'avère un exercice complexe, la ville étant le produit d'une multiplicité d'acteurs aux intérêts divergents. Dans les pays du Sud économique confrontés à une croissance urbaine galopante, la gestion de l'espace citadin représente un défi considérable pour les politiques urbaines qui ont montré leurs limites dans divers pays. Haïti présente un développement urbain non encadré par les autorités publiques, de caractère informel et désorganisé. Le séisme de 2010 a clairement révélé cette faiblesse étatique en termes de gestion et aménagement urbains. En 2010 en effet, le laisser-faire de l'Etat donna naissance à Canaan, aujourd'hui vaste bidonville de plus de 200 000 habitants livrés à eux-mêmes. Ce désengagement étatique incita la population à se structurer en associations pour gérer l'organisation spatiale et les besoins des habitants en termes de services urbains. A travers l'étude du cas de Canaan, cet article a pour objectif de montrer comment une communauté organise son cadre de vie dans un contexte de défaillance étatique, de questionner les mécanismes classiques de gestion urbaine et de voir les possibilités d'associer une approche alternative de gestion à la démarche de développement « soutenable » de la ville

Making Waves in the Heartland: How Illinois' Experience with Residential Real-Time Pricing Can Be a National Model

ABSTRACT As the debates in California on smart meters, smart thermostats and critical peak pricing continue, an alternative model of residential real-time pricing is gaining momentum. In Illinois the innovative work of CNT Energy paved the way for legislation to expand the option to residential customers state-wide. Meanwhile, residential real-time pricing pilots are getting underway in Washington DC and elsewhere. This paper will document how residential real-time pricing has emerged in Illinois as a means to provide customer choice in a deregulated state, and report on the first year of state-wide availability. Illinois policy makers view real-time pricing as one key strategy that reduces peak demand and prices and in doing so can be a tool to reduce costs for all consumers. It is also emerging as a platform for future technological innovations ranging from home automation to internet-based tools. From its start as a pilot program in 2003 (the Energy-Smart Pricing Plan SM ) to its emergence as full scale programs in 2007 (Power Smart Pricing and the Residential Real Time Pricing Program), real-time pricing has demonstrated that it cuts peak demand, reduces bills, lowers overall consumption and creates satisfied consumers. This paper will update the findings presented at the 2006 ACEEE Summer Study Conference with a comparison of the two programs, and will focus on the role that real-time pricing will play in the evolution of regulatory policies that create meaningful options and value to customers, the electric grid and the environment

The Impact of Low-Level Lead Toxicity on School Performance among Hispanic Subgroups in the Chicago Public Schools

Background: Environmental lead exposure detrimentally affects children’s educational performance, even at very low blood lead levels (BLLs). Among children in Chicago Public Schools (CPS), the severity of the effects of BLL on reading and math vary by racial subgroup (White vs. Hispanic vs. non-Hispanic Black). We investigated the impact of BLL on standardized test performance by Hispanic subgroup (Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Other Hispanic). Methods: We examined 12,319 Hispanic children born in Chicago between 1994 and 1998 who were tested for BLL between birth and 2006 and enrolled in the 3rd grade at a CPS school between 2003 and 2006. We linked the Chicago birth registry, the Chicago Blood Lead Registry, and 3rd grade Illinois Standard Achievement Test (ISAT) scores to examine associations between BLL and school performance. Primary analyses were restricted to children with BLL below 10 µg/dL (0.483 µmol/L). Results: BLLs below 10 µg/dL (0.483 µmol/L) were inversely associated with reading and math scores in all Hispanic subgroups. Adjusted Relative Risks (RRadj) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for reading and math failure were 1.34 (95% CI = 1.25, 1.63) and 1.53 (95% CI = 1.32, 1.78), respectively, per each additional 5 µg/dL of lead exposure for Hispanic children; RRadj did not differ across subgroups. We estimate that 7.0% (95% CI = 1.8, 11.9) of reading and 13.6% (95% CI = 7.7, 19.2) of math failure among Hispanic children can be attributed to exposure to BLLs of 5–9 µg/dL (0.242 to 0.435 µmol/L) vs. 0–4 µg/dL (0–0.193 µmol/L). The RRadj of math failure for each 5 µg/dL (0.242 µmol/L) increase in BLL was notably (p = 0.074) stronger among black Puerto Rican children (RRadj = 5.14; 95% CI = 1.65–15.94) compared to white Puerto Rican children (RRadj = 1.50; 95% CI = 1.12–2.02). Conclusions: Early childhood lead exposure is associated with poorer achievement on standardized reading and math tests in the 3rd grade for Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Other Hispanic children enrolled in Chicago Public Schools. While we did not see interactions between BLL and ISAT performance by Hispanic subgroup, the stronger association between BLL and math failure for Black Puerto Rican children is intriguing and warrants further study