Circadian regulation of intracellular G-protein signalling mediates intercellular synchrony and rhythmicity in the suprachiasmatic nucleus

Synchronous oscillations of thousands of cellular clocks in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the circadian centre, are coordinated by precisely timed cell–cell communication, the principle of which is largely unknown. Here we show that the amount of RGS16 (regulator of G protein signalling 16), a protein known to inactivate Gαi, increases at a selective circadian time to allow time-dependent activation of intracellular cyclic AMP signalling in the SCN. Gene ablation of Rgs16 leads to the loss of circadian production of cAMP and as a result lengthens circadian period of behavioural rhythm. The temporally precise regulation of the cAMP signal by clock-controlled RGS16 is needed for the dorsomedial SCN to maintain a normal phase-relationship to the ventrolateral SCN. Thus, RGS16-dependent temporal regulation of intracellular G protein signalling coordinates the intercellular synchrony of SCN pacemaker neurons and thereby defines the 24 h rhythm in behaviour

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements

31st Annual Meeting and Associated Programs of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC 2016) : part two

Background The immunological escape of tumors represents one of the main ob- stacles to the treatment of malignancies. The blockade of PD-1 or CTLA-4 receptors represented a milestone in the history of immunotherapy. However, immune checkpoint inhibitors seem to be effective in specific cohorts of patients. It has been proposed that their efficacy relies on the presence of an immunological response. Thus, we hypothesized that disruption of the PD-L1/PD-1 axis would synergize with our oncolytic vaccine platform PeptiCRAd. Methods We used murine B16OVA in vivo tumor models and flow cytometry analysis to investigate the immunological background. Results First, we found that high-burden B16OVA tumors were refractory to combination immunotherapy. However, with a more aggressive schedule, tumors with a lower burden were more susceptible to the combination of PeptiCRAd and PD-L1 blockade. The therapy signifi- cantly increased the median survival of mice (Fig. 7). Interestingly, the reduced growth of contralaterally injected B16F10 cells sug- gested the presence of a long lasting immunological memory also against non-targeted antigens. Concerning the functional state of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), we found that all the immune therapies would enhance the percentage of activated (PD-1pos TIM- 3neg) T lymphocytes and reduce the amount of exhausted (PD-1pos TIM-3pos) cells compared to placebo. As expected, we found that PeptiCRAd monotherapy could increase the number of antigen spe- cific CD8+ T cells compared to other treatments. However, only the combination with PD-L1 blockade could significantly increase the ra- tio between activated and exhausted pentamer positive cells (p= 0.0058), suggesting that by disrupting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis we could decrease the amount of dysfunctional antigen specific T cells. We ob- served that the anatomical location deeply influenced the state of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. In fact, TIM-3 expression was in- creased by 2 fold on TILs compared to splenic and lymphoid T cells. In the CD8+ compartment, the expression of PD-1 on the surface seemed to be restricted to the tumor micro-environment, while CD4 + T cells had a high expression of PD-1 also in lymphoid organs. Interestingly, we found that the levels of PD-1 were significantly higher on CD8+ T cells than on CD4+ T cells into the tumor micro- environment (p < 0.0001). Conclusions In conclusion, we demonstrated that the efficacy of immune check- point inhibitors might be strongly enhanced by their combination with cancer vaccines. PeptiCRAd was able to increase the number of antigen-specific T cells and PD-L1 blockade prevented their exhaus- tion, resulting in long-lasting immunological memory and increased median survival

SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL ATTRIBUTES OF WASTE ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT (WEEE) RECYCLING IN ASIA

Due to ever increasing demand, the electronics industry has been growing at a rapid pace, and therefore handling and management of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) has become one of the key problems in the modern world. Improper handling and management of WEEE in developing countries can cause a huge environmental damage and threats on human health. In some developed countries, policies have been set up and strategies have been implemented by aiming recuperation of materials from WEEE while conserving resources and controlling environmental pollution. For instance, in Japan, the home appliance recycling law like strategies have been implemented for achieving a recycling-oriented society. In this study, socio-economic and environmental effects from end-of-life home appliances recycling such as washing machines, Refrigerators, Air conditioners and Televisions have been assessed. Recycling mechanism of end-of-life home appliances in Fokuoka Prefecture under Japan’s home appliances recycling law was evaluated via life cycle assessment perspective. Life cycle based methodology was developed for the assessment considering all the phases life cycle of WEEE recycling such as collection, primary and secondary transportation, pre-processing (dismantling), recycling and material recovery. Net greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and net resource savings potentials were quantified as the key indicators to measure the major environmental impacts while green jobs creation potential and income based community well-being was quantified to assess the socioeconomic attributes of end-of-life home appliances recycling. Further, recycling mechanism in India was assessed and the results obtained from the case studies was compared for identifying the most appropriate approach of recycling and then for supporting policy making process. In the case of Japan, the results demonstrated that it would be possible to avoid more than 50% of GHG emissions and 55-80% of abiotic resource consumption as for all kind WEEE recycling that would some way or another happen through the production of the equivalent amount of materials from conventional processes. Further, 165 employment opportunities have been created and an annual income of 686 million Japanese yen can be generated due to handling and managing of 700,000 units of WEEE. In the case of India WEEE management activities are shown lower GHG emissions potential from recycling process and therefore, it would positively contribute for more GHG savings and fossil resource savings by recuperating significant amount of materials from WEEE. The authors argue that this kind of tangible information will be helpful for decision and policy-making process and for strengthening and implementing a set of comprehensive policies and legislation for achieving a recycling-oriented society in Japan as well as other countries.&nbsp

Congenital urethrovaginal fistula associated with imperforate hymen causing fetal urinary ascites and abdominal cystic lesions: A case report and literature review

A primipara presented to our hospital due to fetal ascites, bilateral hydronephrosis and hydrometrocolpos. The female baby had two giant abdominal cysts, a single atrium and foot polydactyly. Absence of the vaginal orifice was noticed, and the hymen was broken through; the left cyst collapsed after fluid drainage. The right cyst was punctured and drained, which improved the hydronephrosis. Contrast imaging showed medium pouring into the abdominal cavity via the uterine tube; the right cyst was a 6 × 5 cm closed cavity. Vaginal uroplania persisted even after hospital discharge. At the age of 4 years, cystoscopy showed a fistulous opening on the urethra 5 mm distal from the internal urethral orifice. A catheter inserted via the opening was found in the vagina. In our case, urine poured into the abdominal cavity through the fistula and uterine tube; following obstruction of the uterine tube, giant hydrometrocolpos and hydrosalpinx appeared. Three cases of congenital urethrovaginal fistula (CUVF) with imperforate hymen have been reported. A remnant of communication between the uterovaginal primordium and urogenital sinus may be responsible for CUVF