NANO-PARTICLE/QUANTUM DOT BASED OPTICAL DODE

A particle based optical diode having at least two cavities or at least two regions of a single cavity, wherein the regions contain different types of particles

Self assembled nanoparticle aggregates from line focused femtosecond laser ablation

In this paper we present the use of a line focused femtosecond laser beam that is rastered across a 2024 T3 aluminum surface to produce nanoparticles that self assemble into 5-60 micron diameter domed and in some cases sphere-shaped aggregate structures. Each time the laser is rastered over initial aggregates their diameter increases as new layers of nanoparticles self assemble on the surface. The aggregates are thus composed of layers of particles forming discrete layered shells inside of them. When micron size aggregates are removed, using an ultrasonic bath, rings are revealed that have been permanently formed in the sample surface. These rings appear underneath, and extend beyond the physical boundary of the aggregates. The surface is blackened by the formation of these structures and exhibits high light absorption

Prevalence of the HOXB13 G84E prostate cancer risk allele in men treated with radical prostatectomy

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/106912/1/bju12522.pd

Generation and characterisation of Friedreich ataxia YG8R mouse fibroblast and neural stem cell models

This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.Background: Friedreich ataxia (FRDA) is an autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disease caused by GAA repeat expansion in the first intron of the FXN gene, which encodes frataxin, an essential mitochondrial protein. To further characterise the molecular abnormalities associated with FRDA pathogenesis and to hasten drug screening, the development and use of animal and cellular models is considered essential. Studies of lower organisms have already contributed to understanding FRDA disease pathology, but mammalian cells are more related to FRDA patient cells in physiological terms. Methodology/Principal Findings: We have generated fibroblast cells and neural stem cells (NSCs) from control Y47R mice (9 GAA repeats) and GAA repeat expansion YG8R mice (190+120 GAA repeats). We then differentiated the NSCs in to neurons, oligodendrocytes and astrocytes as confirmed by immunocytochemical analysis of cell specific markers. The three YG8R mouse cell types (fibroblasts, NSCs and differentiated NSCs) exhibit GAA repeat stability, together with reduced expression of frataxin and reduced aconitase activity compared to control Y47R cells. Furthermore, YG8R cells also show increased sensitivity to oxidative stress and downregulation of Pgc-1α and antioxidant gene expression levels, especially Sod2. We also analysed various DNA mismatch repair (MMR) gene expression levels and found that YG8R cells displayed significant reduction in expression of several MMR genes, which may contribute to the GAA repeat stability. Conclusions/Significance: We describe the first fibroblast and NSC models from YG8R FRDA mice and we confirm that the NSCs can be differentiated into neurons and glia. These novel FRDA mouse cell models, which exhibit a FRDA-like cellular and molecular phenotype, will be valuable resources to further study FRDA molecular pathogenesis. They will also provide very useful tools for preclinical testing of frataxin-increasing compounds for FRDA drug therapy, for gene therapy, and as a source of cells for cell therapy testing in FRDA mice. © 2014 Sandi et al

Calcineurin Controls Voltage-Dependent-Inactivation (VDI) of the Normal and Timothy Cardiac Channels

Ca2+-entry in the heart is tightly controlled by Cav1.2 inactivation, which involves Ca2+-dependent inactivation (CDI) and voltage-dependent inactivation (VDI) components. Timothy syndrome, a subtype-form of congenital long-QT syndrome, results from a nearly complete elimination of VDI by the G406R mutation in the α11.2 subunit of Cav1.2. Here, we show that a single (A1929P) or a double mutation (H1926A-H1927A) within the CaN-binding site at the human C-terminal tail of α11.2, accelerate the inactivation rate and enhances VDI of both wt and Timothy channels. These results identify the CaN-binding site as the long-sought VDI-regulatory motif of the cardiac channel. The substantial increase in VDI and the accelerated inactivation caused by the selective inhibitors of CaN, cyclosporine A and FK-506, which act at the same CaN-binding site, further support this conclusion. A reversal of enhanced-sympathetic tone by VDI-enhancing CaN inhibitors could be beneficial for improving Timothy syndrome complications such as long-QT and autism

CAG Repeats Determine Brain Atrophy in Spinocerebellar Ataxia 17: A VBM Study

Abnormal repeat length has been associated with an earlier age of onset and more severe disease progression in the rare neurodegenerative disorder spinocerebellar ataxia 17 (SCA17).To determine whether specific structural brain degeneration and rate of disease progression in SCA17 might be associated with the CAG repeat size, observer-independent voxel-based morphometry was applied to high-resolution magnetic resonance images of 16 patients with SCA17 and 16 age-matched healthy controls. The main finding contrasting SCA17 patients with healthy controls demonstrated atrophy in the cerebellum bilaterally. Multiple regression analyses with available genetic data and also post-hoc correlations revealed an inverse relationship again with cerebellar atrophy. Moreover, we found an inverse relationship between the CAG repeat length and rate of disease progression.Our results highlight the fundamental role of the cerebellum in this neurodegenerative disease and support the genotype-phenotype relationship in SCA17 patients. Genetic factors may determine individual susceptibility to neurodegeneration and rate of disease progression

Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 79 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks, 1990-2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015

SummaryBackground The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2015 provides an up-to-date synthesis of the evidence for risk factor exposure and the attributable burden of disease. By providing national and subnational assessments spanning the past 25 years, this study can inform debates on the importance of addressing risks in context. Methods We used the comparative risk assessment framework developed for previous iterations of the Global Burden of Disease Study to estimate attributable deaths, disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), and trends in exposure by age group, sex, year, and geography for 79 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks from 1990 to 2015. This study included 388 risk-outcome pairs that met World Cancer Research Fund-defined criteria for convincing or probable evidence. We extracted relative risk and exposure estimates from randomised controlled trials, cohorts, pooled cohorts, household surveys, census data, satellite data, and other sources. We used statistical models to pool data, adjust for bias, and incorporate covariates. We developed a metric that allows comparisons of exposure across risk factors—the summary exposure value. Using the counterfactual scenario of theoretical minimum risk level, we estimated the portion of deaths and DALYs that could be attributed to a given risk. We decomposed trends in attributable burden into contributions from population growth, population age structure, risk exposure, and risk-deleted cause-specific DALY rates. We characterised risk exposure in relation to a Socio-demographic Index (SDI). Findings Between 1990 and 2015, global exposure to unsafe sanitation, household air pollution, childhood underweight, childhood stunting, and smoking each decreased by more than 25%. Global exposure for several occupational risks, high body-mass index (BMI), and drug use increased by more than 25% over the same period. All risks jointly evaluated in 2015 accounted for 57·8% (95% CI 56·6–58·8) of global deaths and 41·2% (39·8–42·8) of DALYs. In 2015, the ten largest contributors to global DALYs among Level 3 risks were high systolic blood pressure (211·8 million [192·7 million to 231·1 million] global DALYs), smoking (148·6 million [134·2 million to 163·1 million]), high fasting plasma glucose (143·1 million [125·1 million to 163·5 million]), high BMI (120·1 million [83·8 million to 158·4 million]), childhood undernutrition (113·3 million [103·9 million to 123·4 million]), ambient particulate matter (103·1 million [90·8 million to 115·1 million]), high total cholesterol (88·7 million [74·6 million to 105·7 million]), household air pollution (85·6 million [66·7 million to 106·1 million]), alcohol use (85·0 million [77·2 million to 93·0 million]), and diets high in sodium (83·0 million [49·3 million to 127·5 million]). From 1990 to 2015, attributable DALYs declined for micronutrient deficiencies, childhood undernutrition, unsafe sanitation and water, and household air pollution; reductions in risk-deleted DALY rates rather than reductions in exposure drove these declines. Rising exposure contributed to notable increases in attributable DALYs from high BMI, high fasting plasma glucose, occupational carcinogens, and drug use. Environmental risks and childhood undernutrition declined steadily with SDI; low physical activity, high BMI, and high fasting plasma glucose increased with SDI. In 119 countries, metabolic risks, such as high BMI and fasting plasma glucose, contributed the most attributable DALYs in 2015. Regionally, smoking still ranked among the leading five risk factors for attributable DALYs in 109 countries; childhood underweight and unsafe sex remained primary drivers of early death and disability in much of sub-Saharan Africa. Interpretation Declines in some key environmental risks have contributed to declines in critical infectious diseases. Some risks appear to be invariant to SDI. Increasing risks, including high BMI, high fasting plasma glucose, drug use, and some occupational exposures, contribute to rising burden from some conditions, but also provide opportunities for intervention. Some highly preventable risks, such as smoking, remain major causes of attributable DALYs, even as exposure is declining. Public policy makers need to pay attention to the risks that are increasingly major contributors to global burden. Funding Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) and Cch1-Yam8 Channels Play Key Roles in the Regulation of Cytoplasmic Ca2+ in Fission Yeast

The regulation of cytoplasmic Ca2+ is crucial for various cellular processes. Here, we examined the cytoplasmic Ca2+ levels in living fission yeast cells by a highly sensitive bioluminescence resonance energy transfer-based assay using GFP-aequorin fusion protein linked by 19 amino acid. We monitored the cytoplasmic Ca2+ level and its change caused by extracellular stimulants such as CaCl2 or NaCl plus FK506 (calcineurin inhibitor). We found that the extracellularly added Ca2+ caused a dose-dependent increase in the cytoplasmic Ca2+ level and resulted in a burst-like peak. The overexpression of two transient receptor potential (TRP) channel homologues, Trp1322 or Pkd2, markedly enhanced this response. Interestingly, the burst-like peak upon TRP overexpression was completely abolished by gene deletion of calcineurin and was dramatically decreased by gene deletion of Prz1, a downstream transcription factor activated by calcineurin. Furthermore, 1 hour treatment with FK506 failed to suppress the burst-like peak. These results suggest that the burst-like Ca2+ peak is dependent on the transcriptional activity of Prz1, but not on the direct TRP dephosphorylation. We also found that extracellularly added NaCl plus FK506 caused a synergistic cytosolic Ca2+ increase that is dependent on the inhibition of calcineurin activity, but not on the inhibition of Prz1. The synergistic Ca2+ increase is abolished by the addition of the Ca2+ chelator BAPTA into the media, and is also abolished by deletion of the gene encoding a subunit of the Cch1-Yam8 Ca2+ channel complex, indicating that the synergistic increase is caused by the Ca2+ influx from the extracellular medium via the Cch1-Yam8 complex. Furthermore, deletion of Pmk1 MAPK abolished the Ca2+ influx, and overexpression of the constitutively active Pek1 MAPKK enhanced the influx. These results suggest that Pmk1 MAPK and calcineurin positively and negatively regulate the Cch1-Yam8 complex, respectively, via modulating the balance between phosphorylation and dyphosphorylation state

Global unmet needs in cardiac surgery

More than 6 billion people live outside industrialized countries and have insufficient access to cardiac surgery. Given the recently confirmed high prevailing mortality for rheumatic heart disease in many of these countries together with increasing numbers of patients needing interventions for lifestyle diseases due to an accelerating epidemiological transition, a significant need for cardiac surgery could be assumed. Yet, need estimates were largely based on extrapolated screening studies while true service levels remained unknown. A multi-author effort representing 16 high-, middle-, and low-income countries was undertaken to narrow the need assessment for cardiac surgery including rheumatic and lifestyle cardiac diseases as well as congenital heart disease on the basis of existing data deduction. Actual levels of cardiac surgery were determined in each of these countries on the basis of questionnaires, national databases, or annual reports of national societies. Need estimates range from 200 operations per million in low-income countries that are nonendemic for rheumatic heart disease to >1,000 operations per million in high-income countries representing the end of the epidemiological transition. Actually provided levels of cardiac surgery range from 0.5 per million in the assessed low- and lower-middle income countries (average 107 ± 113 per million; representing a population of 1.6 billion) to 500 in the upper-middle-income countries (average 270 ± 163 per million representing a population of 1.9 billion). By combining need estimates with the assessment of de facto provided levels of cardiac surgery, it emerged that a significant degree of underdelivery of often lifesaving open heart surgery does not only prevail in low-income countries but is also disturbingly high in middle-income countries