A Growth Model for Multicellular Tumor Spheroids

Most organisms grow according to simple laws, which in principle can be derived from energy conservation and scaling arguments, critically dependent on the relation between the metabolic rate B of energy flow and the organism mass m. Although this relation is generally recognized to be of the form B(m) = mp, the specific value of the exponent p is the object of an ongoing debate, with many mechanisms being postulated to support different predictions. We propose that multicellular tumor spheroids provide an ideal experimental model system for testing these allometric growth theories, especially under controlled conditions of malnourishment and applied mechanical stress

A study of neurological diseases in farmed deer in Switzerland, with emphasis on chronic wasting disease

A study of neurological diseases in farmed deer, with emphasis on chronic wasting disease, was conducted during 2years in Switzerland. Deer breeders were asked to submit the heads of all deer at least 2years of age, found dead or slaughtered, for examination. A complete histological examination of the brain and immunohistochemical detection of the prion protein on selected regions of the brain and lymphoid tissues were performed on 120 apparently healthy and 40 diseased animals. In a number of cases, a full necropsy was performed. Significant inflammatory and/or degenerative changes were seen in 25% of the brains. No evidence for a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy was establishe

Is the development of infectious keratoconjunctivitis in Alpine ibex and Alpine chamois influenced by topographic features?

Infectious keratoconjunctivitis (IKC) caused by Mycoplasma conjunctivae is a widespread ocular affection of free-ranging Caprinae in the Alpine arc. Along with host and pathogen characteristics, it has been hypothesized that environmental factors such as UV light are involved in the onset and course of the disease. This study aimed at evaluating the role of topographic features as predisposing or aggravating factors for IKC in Alpine chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra rupicapra) and Alpine ibex (Capra ibex ibex). Geospatial analysis was performed to assess the effect of aspect (northness) and elevation on the severity of the disease as well as on the mycoplasmal load in the eyes of affected animals, using data from 723 ibex and chamois (583 healthy animals, 105 IKC-affected animals, and 35 asymptomatic carriers of M. conjunctivae), all sampled in the Swiss Alps between 2008 and 2010. An influence of northness was not found, except that ibex with moderate and severe signs of IKC seem to prefer more north-oriented slopes than individuals without corneal lesions, possibly hinting at a sunlight sensitivity consequent to the disease. In contrast, results suggest that elevation influences the disease course in both ibex and chamois, which could be due to altitude-associated environmental conditions such as UV radiation, cold, and dryness. The results of this study support the hypothesis that environmental factors may play a role in the pathogenesis of IK

Prey range and genome evolution of Halobacteriovorax marinus predatory bacteria from an estuary

© The Author(s), 2018. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in mSphere 3 (2018): e00508-17, doi:10.1128/mSphere.00508-17.Halobacteriovorax strains are saltwater-adapted predatory bacteria that attack Gram-negative bacteria and may play an important role in shaping microbial communities. To understand how Halobacteriovorax strains impact ecosystems and develop them as biocontrol agents, it is important to characterize variation in predation phenotypes and investigate Halobacteriovorax genome evolution. We isolated Halobacteriovorax marinus BE01 from an estuary in Rhode Island using Vibrio from the same site as prey. Small, fast-moving, attack-phase BE01 cells attach to and invade prey cells, consistent with the intraperiplasmic predation strategy of the H. marinus type strain, SJ. BE01 is a prey generalist, forming plaques on Vibrio strains from the estuary, Pseudomonas from soil, and Escherichia coli. Genome analysis revealed extremely high conservation of gene order and amino acid sequences between BE01 and SJ, suggesting strong selective pressure to maintain the genome in this H. marinus lineage. Despite this, we identified two regions of gene content difference that likely resulted from horizontal gene transfer. Analysis of modal codon usage frequencies supports the hypothesis that these regions were acquired from bacteria with different codon usage biases than H. marinus. In one of these regions, BE01 and SJ carry different genes associated with mobile genetic elements. Acquired functions in BE01 include the dnd operon, which encodes a pathway for DNA modification, and a suite of genes involved in membrane synthesis and regulation of gene expression that was likely acquired from another Halobacteriovorax lineage. This analysis provides further evidence that horizontal gene transfer plays an important role in genome evolution in predatory bacteria.This research was supported by an Institutional Development award (IDeA) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under grant no. P20GM103430 and funding from Providence College

Male reproductive pattern in a polygynous ungulate with a slow life-history: the role of age, social status and alternative mating tactics

According to life-history theory age-dependent investments into reproduction are thought to co-vary with survival and growth of animals. In polygynous species, in which size is an important determinant of reproductive success, male reproduction via alternative mating tactics at young age are consequently expected to be the less frequent in species with higher survival. We tested this hypothesis in male Alpine ibex (Capra ibex), a highly sexually dimorphic mountain ungulate whose males have been reported to exhibit extremely high adult survival rates. Using data from two offspring cohorts in a population in the Swiss Alps, the effects of age, dominance and mating tactic on the likelihood of paternity were inferred within a Bayesian framework. In accordance with our hypothesis, reproductive success in male Alpine ibex was heavily biased towards older, dominant males that monopolized access to receptive females by adopting the ‘tending' tactic, while success among young, subordinate males via the sneaking tactic ‘coursing' was in general low and rare. In addition, we detected a high reproductive skew in male Alpine ibex, suggesting a large opportunity for selection. Compared with other ungulates with higher mortality rates, reproduction among young male Alpine ibex was much lower and more sporadic. Consistent with that, further examinations on the species level indicated that in polygynous ungulates the significance of early reproduction appears to decrease with increasing survival. Overall, this study supports the theory that survival prospects of males modulate the investments into reproduction via alternative mating tactics early in life. In the case of male Alpine ibex, the results indicate that their life-history strategy targets for long life, slow and prolonged growth and late reproductio

Peripherally inserted central catheters in non-hospitalized cancer patients: 5-year results of a prospective study

Few prospective follow-up studies evaluating the use of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) to deliver chemotherapy and/or home parenteral nutrition (HPN) have focused exclusively on oncology outpatients. The aim of this prospective study was to assess the reliability and the safety of PICCs over a 5-year use in non-hospitalized cancer patients requiring long-term intravenous therapies

A novel SDS-stable dimer of a heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein at presynaptic terminals of squid neurons

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2015. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Elsevier for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Neuroscience 300 (2015): 381-392, doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2015.05.040.The presence of mRNAs in synaptic terminals and their regulated translation are important factors in neuronal communication and plasticity. Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) complexes are involved in the translocation, stability, and subcellular localization of mRNA and the regulation of its translation. Defects in these processes and mutations in components of the hnRNP complexes have been related to the formation of cytoplasmic inclusion bodies and neurodegenerative diseases. Despite much data on mRNA localization and evidence for protein synthesis, as well as the presence of translation machinery, in axons and presynaptic terminals, the identity of RNA-binding proteins involved in RNA transport and function in presynaptic regions is lacking. We previously characterized a strongly basic RNA-binding protein (p65), member of the hnRNP A/B subfamily, in squid presynaptic terminals. Intriguingly, in SDS-PAGE, p65 migrated as a 65 kDa protein, whereas members of the hnRNP A/B family typically have molecular masses ranging from 35 to 42 kDa. In this report we present further biochemical and molecular characterization that shows endogenous p65 to be an SDS-stable dimer composed of ~37 kDa hnRNPA/B-like subunits. We cloned and expressed a recombinant protein corresponding to squid hnRNPA/B-like protein and showed its propensity to aggregate and form SDS-stable dimers in vitro. Our data suggest that this unique hnRNPA/B-like protein co-localizes with synaptic vesicle protein 2 and RNA-binding protein ELAV and thus may serve as a link between local mRNA processing and presynaptic function and regulation.Research was supported by grants to REL from the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP), the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) and the Fundação de Apoio ao Ensino, Pesquisa e Assistência do Hospital das Clínicas da FMRP-USP (FAEPA). JAD received financial support from the RI-INBRE Program Grant #8 P20 GM103430-12 from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, NIH, Bethesda, MD. DTPL and GSL received research fellowships from FAPESP and CNPq. REL and JCR received the Productivity-in-Research fellowship from CNPq

Orthopoxvirus DNA in Eurasian Lynx, Sweden

Cowpox virus, which has been used to protect humans against smallpox but may cause severe disease in immunocompromised persons, has reemerged in humans, domestic cats, and other animal species in Europe. Orthopoxvirus (OPV) DNA was detected in tissues (lung, kidney, spleen) in 24 (9%) of 263 free-ranging Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) from Sweden. Thymidine kinase gene amplicon sequences (339 bp) from 21 lynx were all identical to those from cowpox virus isolated from a person in Norway and phylogenetically closer to monkeypox virus than to vaccinia virus and isolates from 2 persons with cowpox virus in Sweden. Prevalence was higher among animals from regions with dense, rather than rural, human populations. Lynx are probably exposed to OPV through predation on small mammal reservoir species. We conclude that OPV is widely distributed in Sweden and may represent a threat to humans. Further studies are needed to verify whether this lynx OPV is cowpox virus

Tipologi Dan Morfologi Arsitektur Suku Banjar Di Kal-Sel

Tujuan penelitian ini adalah ingin mengetahui tipologi dan morfologi arsitektur daerah Suku Banjar di Kalimantan Selatan sehingga ketidakjelasan tipe arsitektur Banjar yang ada saat ini dapat dipecahkan secara ilmiah.Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah rumah tradisional yang berumur rata-rata lebih dari 50 tahun. Sampel yang digunakan adalah sampel bertujuan (purposive sample) dengan pengumpulan data menggunakan metode bola salju (snow ball sampling). Analisis data, dimulai dengan menelaah seluruh data, reduksi data, menyusun data-data dalam satuan-satuan, mengkategorisasikan, dan memeriksa keabsahan data. Tahap analisis dilanjutkan dengan tahap penafsiran data. Bagian analisis yang terpenting adalah mengkategorisasikan yang didasarkan pada metode analisis komparatif.Hasil penelitian menunjukkan Tipomorfologi arsitektur suku Banjar dapat dijelaskan berdasar beragam tema yang mempengaruhi perkembangan arsitektur Suku Banjar, yaitu; berdasar kesamaan yang menjadi ciri khas (geometrik), berdasar pengaruh kebudayaan suku, berdasar pengaruh kepercayaan dan agama, berdasar tata ruang, berdasar struktur dan konstruksi, berdasar lokasi, dan berdasar ornamen/ ragam hias.Keberadaan masing-masing tema yang mempengaruhi pembentukan tipo- morfologi Suku Banjar di atas saling berhubungan erat antar satu dengan yang lainnya sehingga tidak bisa dilepaskan dalam pembentukan pemahaman

Alpine ibex ( Capra i: ibex ) is not a reservoir for chlamydial infections of domestic ruminants and humans

Chlamydophila (C.) abortus is the most common infectious abortigenic agent in small domestic ruminants in Switzerland. In contrast, the knowledge about chlamydiae in wild ruminants is scarce. As interactions between livestock and Alpine ibex (Capra i. ibex) occur on alpine pastures, the question raises if wild ruminants could play a role as carriers of chlamydiae. Thus, we investigated the prevalence of chlamydiae in Alpine ibex in Switzerland. In total, 624 sera, 676 eye swabs, 84 organ samples and 51 faecal samples from 664 ibex were investigated. Serum samples were tested by two commercial ELISA kits specific for C. abortus. Eye swabs, organs and faecal samples were examined by a Chlamydiaceae-specific real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Positive cases were further investigated by the ArrayTube (AT) microarray method for chlamydial species determination. Of 624 serum samples investigated, 612 animals were negative, whereas nine sera (1.5%) reacted positively in one of the two tests and three sera showed an inconclusive result. Eye swabs of seven out of 412 ibex (1.7%) were tested positive for Chlamydiaceae by real-time PCR. By AT microarray, Chlamydophila (C.) pecorum was identified in two animals, Chlamydophila (C.) pneumoniae was detected in one animal and a mixed infection with C. abortus and C. pecorum was found in four animals. Organs and faecal samples were all negative by real-time PCR analysis. In summary, we conclude that C. abortus is not a common infectious agent in the Swiss ibex population. To our knowledge, this is the first description of C. pneumoniae in ibex. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the situation in other species of wild ruminants as chamois (Rupicapra r. rupicapra), red deer (Cervus elaphus) and roe deer (Capreolus c. capreolus) in Switzerlan