Relative property A and relative amenability for countable groups

We define a relative property A for a countable group with respect to a finite family of subgroups. Many characterizations for relative property A are given. In particular a relative bounded cohomological characterization shows that if a group has property A relative to a family of subgroups, each of which has property A, then the group has property A. This result leads to new classes of groups that have property A. In particular, groups are of property A if they act cocompactly on locally finite property A spaces of bounded geometry with at least one stabilizer of property A. Specializing the definition of relative property A, an analogue definition of relative amenability for discrete groups are introduced and similar results are obtained.Comment: Updated to include a strengthening of the relative amenability characterizatio

Plant-RRBS, a bisulfite and next-generation sequencing-based methylome profiling method enriching for coverage of cytosine positions

Background: Cytosine methylation in plant genomes is important for the regulation of gene transcription and transposon activity. Genome-wide methylomes are studied upon mutation of the DNA methyltransferases, adaptation to environmental stresses or during development. However, from basic biology to breeding programs, there is a need to monitor multiple samples to determine transgenerational methylation inheritance or differential cytosine methylation. Methylome data obtained by sodium hydrogen sulfite (bisulfite)-conversion and next-generation sequencing (NGS) provide genome- wide information on cytosine methylation. However, a profiling method that detects cytosine methylation state dispersed over the genome would allow high-throughput analysis of multiple plant samples with distinct epigenetic signatures. We use specific restriction endonucleases to enrich for cytosine coverage in a bisulfite and NGS-based profiling method, which was compared to whole-genome bisulfite sequencing of the same plant material. Methods: We established an effective methylome profiling method in plants, termed plant-reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (plant-RRBS), using optimized double restriction endonuclease digestion, fragment end repair, adapter ligation, followed by bisulfite conversion, PCR amplification and NGS. We report a performant laboratory protocol and a straightforward bioinformatics data analysis pipeline for plant-RRBS, applicable for any reference-sequenced plant species. Results: As a proof of concept, methylome profiling was performed using an Oryza sativa ssp. indica pure breeding line and a derived epigenetically altered line (epiline). Plant-RRBS detects methylation levels at tens of millions of cytosine positions deduced from bisulfite conversion in multiple samples. To evaluate the method, the coverage of cytosine positions, the intra-line similarity and the differential cytosine methylation levels between the pure breeding line and the epiline were determined. Plant-RRBS reproducibly covers commonly up to one fourth of the cytosine positions in the rice genome when using MspI-DpnII within a group of five biological replicates of a line. The method predominantly detects cytosine methylation in putative promoter regions and not-annotated regions in rice. Conclusions: Plant-RRBS offers high-throughput and broad, genome- dispersed methylation detection by effective read number generation obtained from reproducibly covered genome fractions using optimized endonuclease combinations, facilitating comparative analyses of multi-sample studies for cytosine methylation and transgenerational stability in experimental material and plant breeding populations

CSF Otorrhea Resulting from Osteoradionecrosis of the Temporal Bone in a Patient with Recurrent Meningioma

Osteoradionecrosis of the temporal bone is a very rare but potentially lethal complication of radiotherapy for head and neck or skull base tumors. Only two cases of osteoradionecrosis of the temporal bone complicating cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) otorrhea have been reported in the literature. This report describes a case of CSF otorrhea and osteoradionecrosis of the temporal bone in a patient with meningioma who was treated with tympanomastoid surgery and autologous fat obliteration in the mastoid

Coronary-artery Calcium Scores Using Electron Beam CT in Patients with Chronic Renal Failure

We evaluated the risk of coronary-artery disease in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) by measuring the coronary-artery calcium scores with electron beam CT (EBCT). A total of 81 CRF patients were divided into three groups; pre-dialysis (group I, n=35), hemodialysis (group II, n=31) and peritoneal dialysis (group III, n=15). The several serum biochemical markers and calcium score levels by EBCT were determined. The Ca×P products were significantly higher in groups II (p<0.05) and III (p<0.01) than in group I. The serum calcium levels were significantly higher in group III than in both group I (p<0.01) and II (p<0.05). The serum calcium level in 15 patients with a calcium score > 400 was significantly higher than the 66 patients with a score ≤400 (p<0.01). The calcium score was significantly higher in the 15 patients with cardiovascular complications than in the 66 patients without cardiovascular complications (628.9±904.8 vs. 150.4±350.9, p<0.01). EBCT seemed to be a good diagnostic tool for evaluating the risk of coronary-artery disease "non-invasively" in CRF patients who are at increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality

Intravascular Ultrasound-Guided Troubleshooting in a Large Hematoma Treated With Fenestration Using a Cutting Balloon

Intramural hematoma formation is not a well-studied complication of percutaneous coronary intervention. We describe a patient with stable angina who developed an intramural hematoma during elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in the right coronary artery (RCA). Total occlusion with dense dye staining developed a long way from the distal RCA, near the posterior descending artery bifurcation site. The true lumen was compressed by the enlarged, tense, false lumen. The patient was successfully treating with intravascular ultrasound-guided fenestration using a cutting balloon, and a stent was implanted in the distal RCA

Leading twist nuclear shadowing phenomena in hard processes with nuclei

We present and discuss the theory and phenomenology of the leading twist theory of nuclear shadowing which is based on the combination of the generalization of the Gribov-Glauber theory, QCD factorization theorems, and the HERA QCD analysis of diffraction in lepton-proton deep inelastic scattering (DIS). We apply this technique for the analysis of a wide range of hard processes with nuclei---inclusive DIS on deuterons, medium-range and heavy nuclei, coherent and incoherent diffractive DIS with nuclei, and hard diffraction in proton-nucleus scattering---and make predictions for the effect of nuclear shadowing in the corresponding sea quark and gluon parton distributions. We also analyze the role of the leading twist nuclear shadowing in generalized parton distributions in nuclei and in certain characteristics of final states in nuclear DIS. We discuss the limits of applicability of the leading twist approximation for small x scattering off nuclei and the onset of the black disk regime and methods of detecting it. It will be possible to check many of our predictions in the near future in the studies of the ultraperipheral collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Further checks will be possible in pA collisions at the LHC and forward hadron production at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). Detailed tests will be possible at an Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) in the USA and at the Large Hadron-Electron Collider (LHeC) at CERN.Comment: 253 pages, 103 figures, 7 tables. The final published versio

Increased mitochondrial NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4) expression in aging is a causative factor in aortic stiffening

Aging is characterized by increased aortic stiffness, an early, independent predictor and cause of cardiovascular disease. Oxidative stress from excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) production increases with age. Mitochondria and NADPH oxidases (NOXs) are two major sources of ROS in cardiovascular system. We showed previously that increased mitochondrial ROS levels over a lifetime induce aortic stiffening in a mouse oxidative stress model. Also, NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4) expression and ROS levels increase with age in aortas, aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and mitochondria, and are correlated with age-associated aortic stiffness in hypercholesterolemic mice. The present study investigated whether young mice (4 months-old) with increased mitochondrial NOX4 levels recapitulate vascular aging and age-associated aortic stiffness. We generated transgenic mice with low (Nox4TG605; 2.1-fold higher) and high (Nox4TG618; 4.9-fold higher) mitochondrial NOX4 expression. Young Nox4TG618 mice showed significant increase in aortic stiffness and decrease in phenylephrine-induced aortic contraction, but not Nox4TG605 mice. Increased mitochondrial oxidative stress increased intrinsic VSMC stiffness, induced aortic extracellular matrix remodeling and fibrosis, a leftward shift in stress-strain curves, decreased volume compliance and focal adhesion turnover in Nox4TG618 mice. Nox4TG618 VSMCs phenocopied other features of vascular aging such as increased DNA damage, increased premature and replicative senescence and apoptosis, increased proinflammatory protein expression and decreased respiration. Aortic stiffening in young Nox4TG618 mice was significantly blunted with mitochondrial-targeted catalase overexpression. This demonstration of the role of mitochondrial oxidative stress in aortic stiffness will galvanize search for new mitochondrial-targeted therapeutics for treatment of age-associated vascular dysfunction

GOLPH2 protein expression as a novel tissue biomarker for prostate cancer: implications for tissue-based diagnostics

GOLPH2 is coding the 73-kDa type II Golgi membrane antigen GOLPH2/GP73. Upregulation of GOLPH2 mRNA has been recently reported in expression array analyses of prostate cancer. As GOLPH2 protein expression in prostate tissues is currently unknown, this study aimed at a comprehensive analysis of GOLPH2 protein in benign and malignant prostate lesions. Immunohistochemically detected GOLPH2 protein expression was compared with the basal cell marker p63 and the prostate cancer marker α-methylacyl-CoA racemase (AMACR) in 614 radical prostatectomy specimens. GOLPH2 exhibited a perinuclear Golgi-type staining pattern and was preferentially seen in prostatic gland epithelia. Using a semiquantitative staining intensity score, GOLPH2 expression was significantly higher in prostate cancer glands compared with normal glands (P<0.001). GOLPH2 protein was upregulated in 567 of 614 tumours (92.3%) and AMACR in 583 of 614 tumours (95%) (correlation coefficient 0.113, P=0.005). Importantly, GOLPH2 immunohistochemistry exhibited a lower level of intratumoral heterogeneity (25 vs 45%). Further, GOLPH2 upregulation was detected in 26 of 31 (84%) AMACR-negative prostate cancer cases. These data clearly suggest GOLPH2 as an additional ancillary positive marker for tissue-based diagnosis of prostate cancer

Goat and buffalo milk fat globule membranes exhibit better effects at inducing apoptosis and reduction the viability of HT-29 cells

Bovine milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) has shown many health benefits, however, there has not been much study on non-cattle MFGMs. The purpose of this study was to compare the anti-proliferation effects and investigate the mechanisms of MFGMs from bovine, goat, buffalo, yak and camel milk in HT-29 cells. Results showed that protein content in MFGM of yak milk is the highest among five MFGM. All MFGMs inhibited cellular proliferation which was in agreement with cell morphology and apoptosis. However, the number of cells in S-phase from 24 h to 72 h was increased significantly by treatment with goat, buffalo and bovine MFGMs (100 μg/mL), but not yak and camel. All MFGMs treatment significantly reduced the mitochondrial membrane potential (with an order of goat>buffalo>bovine>camel>yak) and Bcl-2 expression, but increased the expression of both Bax and Caspase-3. Taken together, the results indicate that all MFGMs, especially goat and buffalo MFGMs, showed better effects at inducing apoptosis and inhibition of the proliferation of HT-29 cells. The mechanism might be arresting the cell cycle at S phase, depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential, down-regulation of Bcl-2 expression and increase of Bax and Caspase-3 expression