Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Oxidative Stress: A Vicious Cycle or a Double-Edged Sword?

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/63268/1/ars.2007.1782.lowlink.pdf_v03.pd

Gray matter volume correlates of Comorbid Depression in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) involves diverse neurodevelopmental syndromes with significant deficits in communication, motor behaviours, emotional and social comprehension. Often, individuals with ASD exhibit comorbid conditions, one of the most prevalent being depression characterized by a persistent change in mood and diminished interest in previously enjoyable activities. Due to communicative challenges and lack of appropriate assessments in individuals with ASD, comorbid depression can often go undiagnosed during routine clinical examinations, which may aggravate their problems. The current literature on comorbid depression in adults with ASD is limited. Therefore, understanding the neural basis of the comorbid psychopathology of depression in ASD is crucial for identifying objective brain-based markers for its timely and effective management. Towards this end, using structural MRI and phenotypic data from the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange II (ABIDE II) repository, we specifically examined the pattern of relationship regional grey matter volume (rGMV) has with comorbid depression and autism severity within regions of a priori interest in adults with ASD (n = 44). The severity of comorbid depression correlated negatively with the rGMV of the right thalamus. Additionally, a significant interaction was evident between the severity of comorbid depression and core ASD symptoms towards explaining the rGMV in the left cerebellum crus II. The whole-brain regional rGMV differences between ASD and typically developed (TD, n = 39) adults remained inconclusive. The results further the understanding of the neurobiological underpinnings of comorbid depression in adults with ASD and are relevant in exploring structural neuroimaging-based biomarkers in the same cohort.Comment: 33 pages, 3 figures, 3 tables, journal submissio

E2F site activates transcription in fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe and binds to a 30-kDa transcription factor

The mammalian transcription factor E2F binds to several cellular proteins including Rb, p107, cyclin A, cyclin E, and p33cdk2 protein kinase in a stage-specific manner during cell cycle. Its recognition sequence, TTTCGCGC, is present in two of the human adenovirus early promoters and in several promoters of cellular genes whose products are implicated in the control of cell proliferation. These observations suggest that E2F may play an important role in cell-cycle regulation and prompted us to ask whether E2F-like activities are present in yeast. We found that the E2F motif can function as an activating sequence in Schizosaccharomyces pombe when cloned upstream of a reporter gene. Consistent with this, the expression of adenovirus E2 promoter in S. pombe was dependent on both E2F motifs of this promoter. A protein, spE2F, that binds to the E2F site was partially purified from S. pombe using DNA-affinity chromatography. The binding specificity of this protein was compared to that of human E2F using a number of mutant E2F sites as competitors. These studies showed that spE2F recognizes a sequence closely related to the E2F site. Ultraviolet cross-linking and Southwestern blot studies indicated that the molecular size of spE2F is 30 kDa. Previous studies have shown that a cis-acting element, ACGCGTNA, also called MluI cell cycle box, or MCB, is critical for the regulated expression of cell cycle related genes both in fission and budding yeast. In S. pombe, the cdc10 gene product binds to this element and controls the cell cycle related genes. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays and molecular size determination studies indicated that spE2F is different from that encoded by cdc10. Thus, our studies suggest that spE2F is a novel transcription factor. We discuss these results in light of recent observations about the periodically expressed genes involved in the cell cycle progression in yeast

Risk stratification of Barrett's oesophagus using a non-endoscopic sampling method coupled with a biomarker panel: a cohort study

Background Barrett's oesophagus predisposes to adenocarcinoma. However, most patients with Barrett's oesophagus will not progress and endoscopic surveillance is invasive, expensive, and fraught by issues of sampling bias and the subjective assessment of dysplasia. We investigated whether a non-endoscopic device, the Cytosponge, could be coupled with clinical and molecular biomarkers to identify a group of patients with low risk of progression suitable for non-endoscopic follow-up. Methods In this multicentre cohort study (BEST2), patients with Barrett's oesophagus underwent the Cytosponge test before their surveillance endoscopy. We collected clinical and demographic data and tested Cytosponge samples for a molecular biomarker panel including three protein biomarkers (P53, c-Myc, and Aurora kinase A), two methylation markers (MYOD1 and RUNX3), glandular atypia, and TP53 mutation status. We used a multivariable logistic regression model to compute the conditional probability of dysplasia status. We selected a simple model with high classification accuracy and applied it to an independent validation cohort. The BEST2 study is registered with ISRCTN, number 12730505. Findings The discovery cohort consisted of 468 patients with Barrett's oesophagus and intestinal metaplasia. Of these, 376 had no dysplasia and 22 had high-grade dysplasia or intramucosal adenocarcinoma. In the discovery cohort, a model with high classification accuracy consisted of glandular atypia, P53 abnormality, and Aurora kinase A positivity, and the interaction of age, waist-to-hip ratio, and length of the Barrett's oesophagus segment. 162 (35%) of 468 of patients fell into the low-risk category and the probability of being a true non-dysplastic patient was 100% (99% CI 96–100) and the probability of having high-grade dysplasia or intramucosal adenocarcinoma was 0% (0–4). 238 (51%) of participants were classified as of moderate risk; the probability of having high-grade dysplasia was 14% (9–21). 58 (12%) of participants were classified as high-risk; the probability of having non-dysplastic endoscopic biopsies was 13% (5–27), whereas the probability of having high-grade dysplasia or intramucosal adenocarcinoma was 87% (73–95). In the validation cohort (65 patients), 51 were non-dysplastic and 14 had high-grade dysplasia. In this cohort, 25 (38%) of 65 patients were classified as being low-risk, and the probability of being non-dysplastic was 96·0% (99% CI 73·80–99·99). The moderate-risk group comprised 27 non-dysplastic and eight high-grade dysplasia cases, whereas the high-risk group (8% of the cohort) had no non-dysplastic cases and five patients with high-grade dysplasia. Interpretation A combination of biomarker assays from a single Cytosponge sample can be used to determine a group of patients at low risk of progression, for whom endoscopy could be avoided. This strategy could help to avoid overdiagnosis and overtreatment in patients with Barrett's oesophagus. Funding Cancer Research UK

Risk stratification of Barrett's oesophagus using a non-endoscopic sampling method coupled with a biomarker panel: a cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Barrett's oesophagus predisposes to adenocarcinoma. However, most patients with Barrett's oesophagus will not progress and endoscopic surveillance is invasive, expensive, and fraught by issues of sampling bias and the subjective assessment of dysplasia. We investigated whether a non-endoscopic device, the Cytosponge, could be coupled with clinical and molecular biomarkers to identify a group of patients with low risk of progression suitable for non-endoscopic follow-up. METHODS: In this multicentre cohort study (BEST2), patients with Barrett's oesophagus underwent the Cytosponge test before their surveillance endoscopy. We collected clinical and demographic data and tested Cytosponge samples for a molecular biomarker panel including three protein biomarkers (P53, c-Myc, and Aurora kinase A), two methylation markers (MYOD1 and RUNX3), glandular atypia, and TP53 mutation status. We used a multivariable logistic regression model to compute the conditional probability of dysplasia status. We selected a simple model with high classification accuracy and applied it to an independent validation cohort. The BEST2 study is registered with ISRCTN, number 12730505. FINDINGS: The discovery cohort consisted of 468 patients with Barrett's oesophagus and intestinal metaplasia. Of these, 376 had no dysplasia and 22 had high-grade dysplasia or intramucosal adenocarcinoma. In the discovery cohort, a model with high classification accuracy consisted of glandular atypia, P53 abnormality, and Aurora kinase A positivity, and the interaction of age, waist-to-hip ratio, and length of the Barrett's oesophagus segment. 162 (35%) of 468 of patients fell into the low-risk category and the probability of being a true non-dysplastic patient was 100% (99% CI 96-100) and the probability of having high-grade dysplasia or intramucosal adenocarcinoma was 0% (0-4). 238 (51%) of participants were classified as of moderate risk; the probability of having high-grade dysplasia was 14% (9-21). 58 (12%) of participants were classified as high-risk; the probability of having non-dysplastic endoscopic biopsies was 13% (5-27), whereas the probability of having high-grade dysplasia or intramucosal adenocarcinoma was 87% (73-95). In the validation cohort (65 patients), 51 were non-dysplastic and 14 had high-grade dysplasia. In this cohort, 25 (38%) of 65 patients were classified as being low-risk, and the probability of being non-dysplastic was 96·0% (99% CI 73·80-99·99). The moderate-risk group comprised 27 non-dysplastic and eight high-grade dysplasia cases, whereas the high-risk group (8% of the cohort) had no non-dysplastic cases and five patients with high-grade dysplasia. INTERPRETATION: A combination of biomarker assays from a single Cytosponge sample can be used to determine a group of patients at low risk of progression, for whom endoscopy could be avoided. This strategy could help to avoid overdiagnosis and overtreatment in patients with Barrett's oesophagus. FUNDING: Cancer Research UK.The BEST2 study was funded by Cancer Research UKThis is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-1253(16)30118-

Activating the knowledge-to-action cycle for geriatric care in India

Despite a rapidly aging population, geriatrics - the branch of medicine that focuses on healthcare of the elderly - is relatively new in India, with many practicing physicians having little knowledge of the clinical and functional implications of aging. Negative attitudes and limited awareness, knowledge or acceptance of geriatrics as a legitimate discipline contribute to inaccessible and poor quality care for India's old. The aim of this paper is to argue that knowledge translation is a potentially effective tool for engaging Indian healthcare providers in the delivery of high quality geriatric care. The paper describes India's context, including demographics, challenges and current policies, summarizes evidence on provider behaviour change, and integrates the two in order to propose an action plan for promoting improvements in geriatric care

Gene duplications and evolution of vertebrate voltage-gated sodium channels

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2006. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Springer for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Molecular Evolution 63 (2006): 208-221, doi:10.1007/s00239-005-0287-9.Voltage-gated sodium channels underlie action potential generation in excitable tissue. To establish the evolutionary mechanisms that shaped the vertebrate sodium channel a-subunit (SCNA) gene family and their encoded Nav1 proteins, we identified all SCNA genes in several teleost species. Molecular cloning revealed that teleosts have eight SCNA genes, comparable to the number in another vertebrate lineage, mammals. Prior phylogenetic analyses had indicated that teleosts and tetrapods share four monophyletic groups of SCNA genes and that tandem duplications selectively expanded the number of genes in two of the four mammalian groups. However, the number of genes in each group varies between teleosts and tetrapods suggesting different evolutionary histories in the two vertebrate lineages. Our findings from phylogenetic analysis and chromosomal mapping of Danio rerio genes indicate that tandem duplications are an unlikely mechanism for generation of the extant teleost SCNA genes. Instead, analysis of other closely mapped genes in D. rerio supports the hypothesis that a whole genome duplication was involved in expansion of the SCNA gene family in teleosts. Interestingly, despite their different evolutionary histories, mRNA analyses demonstrated a conservation of expression patterns for SCNA orthologues in teleosts and tetrapods, suggesting functional conservation.The authors’ work was supported by NIH grants (NS 38937; AEN, ADT and ABR, NS 25513; HHZ and YL and NSF IBN 0236147; MCJ)

Identifying moderators of brand attachment for driving customer purchase intention of original vs counterfeits of luxury brands

Few studies have examined the relationships between brands and consumers in the context of counterfeiting. In this context, this research aims to explore how the attachment of a consumer with a luxury brand can affect her/his decision to buy counterfeits, and how this relates to her/his public self-consciousness. Two survey based studies were conducted among potential counterfeit buyers in Brazil. Innovatively, this research provides convincing implications for the need to differentiate counterfeiting theory between emerging and developed economies. Evidence of the positive impact of actual self-congruence and ideal self-congruence on brand attachment to luxury brands in emerging economies is provided. Interestingly, the results demonstrate that the purchase of counterfeits is a more hedonic process compared to the purchase of originals (study 1). Moreover, the effect of brand attachment on the willingness to buy counterfeits may vary according to how attachment is measured (study 2). Producing increments in the emotional brand attachment level can reduce the behavioral intentions of purchasing counterfeits. Hence, the findings suggest that the creation of emotional links with brands can be an appropriate strategy to reduce counterfeiting