Spatiotemporal Diversity of Alpine Snow Algae Communities in the Pacific Northwest

Snow algae are the dominant primary producers of snowy alpine environments and have recently been thrust into the public spotlight for contributing to glacial melt by decreasing snow albedo. These microbial communities are subject to extreme temperature regimes, high irradiance, low nutrient levels, and freeze-thaw cycles on daily, seasonal, and even long-term climatological changes. Although snow algae have been described on every continent, the spatiotemporal diversity of snow algae communities across snowy habitats has not been addressed. The natural geography and climate of the Pacific Northwest provides diverse snowy alpine ecosystems to study the effects of latitude, elevation, and precipitation on snow algae communities. Using meta-amplicon sequencing of the 18S small subunit ribosomal gene, I describe patterns in the community structure of snow algae communities in the Pacific Northwest Cascade Mountains. Collectively, the amplicon data suggest that snow algae communities can be classified in distinct assemblages of both algal and heterotrophic communities that are distributed across the Cascades. I observe a general seasonal algal succession from early season Chloromonas spp. dominant communities to late season Chlamydomonas spp. dominant communities in both large geographic context and within a single basin. Additionally, I observe a late season increase in the relative abundance of heterotrophic taxa and an increase in overall community diversity. My data suggest that algae community structure may vary in accordance with the dynamic environment in which they live and thus the community of snow microbes are selected for by the environment or microhabitat in which they live. The algal assemblages that I describe give insight to these understudied ecosystems which are extremely important in our warming climate

Relaxing the Noose Around Tying Arrangements: \u3cem\u3eReifert v. South Central Wisconsin MLS Corp.\u3c/em\u3e Exposes Problems with the \u3cem\u3ePer Se\u3c/em\u3e Analysis

The U.S. Supreme Court has employed the per se standard for illegality of tying arrangements under antitrust laws for some sixty years. The tying arrangement, once reviled by the House of Representatives as one of the greatest agencies and instrumentalities of monopoly ever devised by man, is now understood by many to have potentially redeeming, as well as condemning, qualities. As a result, scholars and judges alike have decried the per se standard as ineffective and called for its abandonment. However, the Supreme Court continues to endorse the per se standard when assessing tying arrangements. The Seventh Circuit, like other circuits, has struggled in applying the Supreme Court\u27s per se tying analysis; this is evident in its recent decision, Reifert v. South Central MLS Corp. While all three judges hearing the case agreed on the outcome, Judge Wood contended that the majority misstated the Supreme Court\u27s per se analysis by adding a factor (the economic interest requirement) never recognized by the Court as a requisite for per se illegality of tying arrangements. This Comment examines and critiques the Supreme Court\u27s per se tying standard, and assesses whether the per se test provides room for the additional factor approved by the Seventh Circuit\u27s Reifert majority

A Reevaluation of Sexual Dimorphism in the Postcranium of the Chasmosaurine Ceratopsid Chasmosaurus belli (Dinosauria: Ornithischia)

The sexual dimorphism attributed to Chasmosaurus belli by Sternberg (1927) is revisited and reevaluated. A reexamination of the two specimens originally considered by Sternberg reveals that they are less complete than first suggested, with only a moderate amount of overlapping material between them. Only a few of the postcranial elements (humeri, sternal plates, and presacral vertebrae) show evidence of dimorphism, the significance of which is either doubtful or equivocal. Instead of representing sexual dimorphs, it is likely that the two specimens belong to separate species, C. belli and C. russelli, as evidenced by their distinct frill morphologies and by their stratigraphic segregation within the Dinosaur Park Formation of Alberta. These findings emphasize the need to remain sceptical about claims advocating sexual dimorphism in the fossil record in the absence of statistical significance or stratigraphic control

Prevalence, Knowledge, and Influence of Whey Protein and Other Supplements on Athletes

In volume 4, Issue 1 of the JSMAHS you will find Professional Research Abstracts, as well as Bachelor Student Research Abstracts and Case Reports. Thank you for viewing this 4th Annual OATA Special Editio

Expression of RUNX1 correlates with poor patient prognosis in triple negative breast cancer

The RUNX1 transcription factor is widely recognised for its tumour suppressor effects in leukaemia. Recently a putative link to breast cancer has started to emerge, however the function of RUNX1 in breast cancer is still unknown. To investigate if RUNX1 expression was important to clinical outcome in primary breast tumours a tissue microarray (TMA) containing biopsies from 483 patients with primary operable invasive ductal breast cancer was stained by immunohistochemistry. RUNX1 was associated with progesterone receptor (PR)-positive tumours (P<0.05), more tumour CD4+(P<0.05) and CD8+(P<0.01) T-lymphocytic infiltrate, increased tumour CD138+plasma cell (P<0.01) and more CD68+macrophage infiltrate (P<0.001). RUNX1 expression did not influence outcome of oestrogen receptor (ER)-positive or HER2-positive disease, however on univariate analysis a high RUNX1 protein was significantly associated with poorer cancer-specific survival in patients with ER-negative (P<0.05) and with triple negative (TN) invasive breast cancer (P<0.05). Furthermore, multivariate Cox regression analysis of cancer-specific survival showed a trend towards significance in ER-negative patients (P<0.1) and was significant in triple negative patients (P<0.05). Of relevance, triple negative breast cancer currently lacks good biomarkers and patients with this subtype do not benefit from the option of targeted therapy unlike patients with ER-positive or HER2-positive disease. Using multivariate analysis RUNX1 was identified as an independent prognostic marker in the triple negative subgroup. Overall, our study identifies RUNX1 as a new prognostic indicator correlating with poor prognosis specifically in the triple negative subtype of human breast cancer

The relationship between members of the canonical NF-κB pathway, components of tumour microenvironment and survival in patients with invasive ductal breast cancer

The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between tumour NF-κB activation, tumour microenvironment including local inflammatory response (LIR) and cancer-specific survival in patients with operable ductal breast cancer. Immunohistochemistry (tissue microarray of 376 patients) and western blotting (MCF7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells) was performed to assess expression of key members of the canonical NF-κB pathway (inhibitory kappa B kinase (IKKβ) and phosphorylated p65 Ser-536 (p-p65)). Following silencing of IKKβ, cell viability and apoptosis was assessed in both MCF7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines. P-p65 was associated with cancer-specific survival (CSS) (nuclear P=0.042 and total P=0.025). High total p-p65 was associated with increase grade tumour grade (P=0.010), ER positivity (P=0.023), molecular subtype (P=0.005), lower Klintrup- Makinen grade (P=0.013) and decreased CD138 count (P=0.032). On multivariate analysis, total p-p65 expression independently associated with poorer CSS (P=0.020). In vitro work demonstrated that the canonical NF-κB pathway was inducible by exposure to TNFα in ER-positive MCF7 cells and to a lesser extent in ER-negative MDAMB- 231 cells. Reduction of IKKβ expression by siRNA transfection increased levels of apoptosis and reduced cell viability in both MCF7 (P= 0.001, P=0.002, respectively). This is consistent with the hypothesis that canonical IKKβ-NF-κB signalling drives tumour survival. These results suggest that activation of the canonical NF-κB pathway is an important determinant of poor outcome in patients with invasive ductal breast cancer

Deep subcutaneous application of poly-L-lactic acid as a filler for facial lipoatrophy in HIV-infected patients

Introduction: Facial lipoatrophy is a crucial problem of HIV-infected patients undergoing highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Poly-L-lactic acid (PLA), provided as New-Fill(R)/Sculptra(TM), is known as one possible treatment option. In 2004 PLA was approved by the FDA as Sculptra(TM) for the treatment of lipoatrophy of the face in HIV-infected patients. While the first trials demonstrated relevant efficacy, this was to some extent linked to unwanted effects. As the depth of injection was considered relevant in this context, the application modalities of the preparation were changed. The preparation was to be injected more deeply into subcutaneous tissue, after increased dilution. Material and Methods: To test this approach we performed a pilot study following the new recommendations in 14 patients. Results: While the efficacy turned out to be about the same, tolerability was markedly improved. The increase in facial dermal thickness was particularly obvious in those patients who had suffered from lipoatrophy for a comparatively small period of time. Conclusion: With the new recommendations to dilute PLA powder and to inject it into the deeper subcutaneous tissue nodule formation is a minor problem. However, good treatment results can only be achieved if lipoatrophy is not too intense; treatment intervals should be about 2 - 3 weeks. Copyright (C) 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel

The failure of suicide prevention in primary care: family and GP perspectives - a qualitative study

Background Although Primary care is crucial for suicide prevention, clinicians tend to report completed suicides in their care as non-preventable. We aimed to examine systemic inadequacies in suicide prevention from the perspectives of bereaved family members and GPs.Methods Qualitative study of 72 relatives or close friends bereaved by suicide and 19 General Practitioners who have experienced the suicide of patients.Results Relatives highlight failures in detecting symptoms and behavioral changes and the inability of GPs to understand the needs of patients and their social contexts. A perceived overreliance on anti-depressant treatment is a major source of criticism by family members. GPs tend to lack confidence in the recognition and management of suicidal patients, and report structural inadequacies in service provision.Conclusions Mental health and primary care services must find innovative and ethical ways to involve families in the decision-making process for patients at risk of suicide

Poor survival outcomes in HER2 positive breast cancer patients with low grade, node negative tumours

We present a retrospective analysis on a cohort of low-grade, node-negative patients showing that human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status significantly affects the survival in this otherwise very good prognostic group. Our results provide support for the use of adjuvant trastuzumab in patients who are typically classified as having very good prognosis, not routinely offered standard chemotherapy, and who as such do not fit current UK prescribing guidelines for trastuzumab