Characterization of rec15 , an early meiotic recombination gene in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

In S. pombe strains mutant for rec15 aberrant ascus morphology, reduced spore viability and severe reduction of meiotic recombination was detected. Genetic and cytological analysis identified frequent interruption of meiosis after the first division, and nondisjunction I, as the main segregation errors in the mutant. Chromosome segregation at meiosis I was not random in rec15, suggesting the presence of a backup system for correct segregation of achiasmate chromosomes. The analysis of meiotic progression in time-course experiments revealed that the major meiotic events, such as the onset of premeiotic DNA synthesis, of horse-tail nuclear movement, and of the first meiotic division occurred earlier in rec15 than in wild-type. The early onset of meiotic events is a novel observation for an early recombination mutant and implies a function of rec15 protein already at or before DNA synthesi

The comorbidity and co-medication profile of patients with progressive supranuclear palsy

BackgroundProgressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is usually diagnosed in elderly. Currently, little is known about comorbidities and the co-medication in these patients.ObjectivesTo explore the pattern of comorbidities and co-medication in PSP patients according to the known different phenotypes and in comparison with patients without neurodegenerative disease.MethodsCross-sectional data of PSP and patients without neurodegenerative diseases (non-ND) were collected from three German multicenter observational studies (DescribePSP, ProPSP and DANCER). The prevalence of comorbidities according to WHO ICD-10 classification and the prevalence of drugs administered according to WHO ATC system were analyzed. Potential drug-drug interactions were evaluated using AiDKlinik (R).ResultsIn total, 335 PSP and 275 non-ND patients were included in this analysis. The prevalence of diseases of the circulatory and the nervous system was higher in PSP at first level of ICD-10. Dorsopathies, diabetes mellitus, other nutritional deficiencies and polyneuropathies were more frequent in PSP at second level of ICD-10. In particular, the summed prevalence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases was higher in PSP patients. More drugs were administered in the PSP group leading to a greater percentage of patients with polypharmacy. Accordingly, the prevalence of potential drug-drug interactions was higher in PSP patients, especially severe and moderate interactions.ConclusionsPSP patients possess a characteristic profile of comorbidities, particularly diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. The eminent burden of comorbidities and resulting polypharmacy should be carefully considered when treating PSP patients

Lp-Lq-Estimate of the Linear Equations of Thermoelasticity for Rhombic Media in R2

We determine the Lp-Lq-estimate of the linear equations of thermoelasticity for rhombic media in R2. For this purpose we will transform the equations to an evolution equation showing that this equation has a unique solution with the help of the semigroup theory. In order to obtain the Lp-Lq-estimate, we will first apply the Fourier transformation to the evolution equation, thus determining the spectral representation of the solution. Then we will expand the eigenvalues of the Fourier transform operator using the Newton polygon procedure. The Lp-Lq-estimate is finally obtained by applying the method of stationary phase

(Generalized) Maximum Cumulative Direct, Residual, and Paired Φ Entropy Approach

A distribution that maximizes an entropy can be found by applying two different principles. On the one hand, Jaynes (1957a,b) formulated the maximum entropy principle (MaxEnt) as the search for a distribution maximizing a given entropy under some given constraints. On the other hand, Kapur (1994) and Kesavan and Kapur (1989) introduced the generalized maximum entropy principle (GMaxEnt) as the derivation of an entropy for which a given distribution has the maximum entropy property under some given constraints. In this paper, both principles were considered for cumulative entropies. Such entropies depend either on the distribution function (direct), on the survival function (residual) or on both (paired). We incorporate cumulative direct, residual, and paired entropies in one approach called cumulative Φ entropies. Maximizing this entropy without any constraints produces an extremely U-shaped (=bipolar) distribution. Maximizing the cumulative entropy under the constraints of fixed mean and variance tries to transform a distribution in the direction of a bipolar distribution, as far as it is allowed by the constraints. A bipolar distribution represents so-called contradictory information, which is in contrast to minimum or no information. In the literature, to date, only a few maximum entropy distributions for cumulative entropies have been derived. In this paper, we extended the results to well known flexible distributions (like the generalized logistic distribution) and derived some special distributions (like the skewed logistic, the skewed Tukey λ and the extended Burr XII distribution). The generalized maximum entropy principle was applied to the generalized Tukey λ distribution and the Fechner family of skewed distributions. Finally, cumulative entropies were estimated such that the data was drawn from a maximum entropy distribution. This estimator will be applied to the daily S&P500 returns and time durations between mine explosions

Cumulative Paired φ-Entropy

A new kind of entropy will be introduced which generalizes both the differential entropy and the cumulative (residual) entropy. The generalization is twofold. First, we simultaneously define the entropy for cumulative distribution functions (cdfs) and survivor functions (sfs), instead of defining it separately for densities, cdfs, or sfs. Secondly, we consider a general “entropy generating function” φ, the same way Burbea et al. (IEEE Trans. Inf. Theory 1982, 28, 489–495) and Liese et al. (Convex Statistical Distances; Teubner-Verlag, 1987) did in the context of φ-divergences. Combining the ideas of φ-entropy and cumulative entropy leads to the new “cumulative paired φ-entropy” ( C P E φ ). This new entropy has already been discussed in at least four scientific disciplines, be it with certain modifications or simplifications. In the fuzzy set theory, for example, cumulative paired φ-entropies were defined for membership functions, whereas in uncertainty and reliability theories some variations of C P E φ were recently considered as measures of information. With a single exception, the discussions in the scientific disciplines appear to be held independently of each other. We consider C P E φ for continuous cdfs and show that C P E φ is rather a measure of dispersion than a measure of information. In the first place, this will be demonstrated by deriving an upper bound which is determined by the standard deviation and by solving the maximum entropy problem under the restriction of a fixed variance. Next, this paper specifically shows that C P E φ satisfies the axioms of a dispersion measure. The corresponding dispersion functional can easily be estimated by an L-estimator, containing all its known asymptotic properties. C P E φ is the basis for several related concepts like mutual φ-information, φ-correlation, and φ-regression, which generalize Gini correlation and Gini regression. In addition, linear rank tests for scale that are based on the new entropy have been developed. We show that almost all known linear rank tests are special cases, and we introduce certain new tests. Moreover, formulas for different distributions and entropy calculations are presented for C P E φ if the cdf is available in a closed form

Dimethylfumarate Inhibits Colorectal Carcinoma Cell Proliferation: Evidence for Cell Cycle Arrest, Apoptosis and Autophagy

Recent studies have proven that Dimethylfumarate (DMF) has a marked anti-proliferative impact on diverse cancer entities e.g., on malignant melanoma. To explore its anti-tumorigenic potential, we examined the effects of DMF on human colon carcinoma cell lines and the underlying mechanisms of action. Human colon cancer cell line HT-29 and human colorectal carcinoma cell line T84 were treated with or without DMF. Effects of DMF on proliferation, cell cycle progression, and apoptosis were analyzed mainly by Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)- and Lactatdehydrogenase (LDH)assays, caspase activation, flowcytometry, immunofluorescence, and immunoblotting. In addition, combinational treatments with radiation and chemotherapy were performed. DMF inhibits cell proliferation in both cell lines. It was shown that DMF induces a cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 phase, which is accompanied by upregulation of p21 and downregulation of cyclin D1 and Cyclin dependent kinase (CDK)4. Furthermore, upregulation of autophagy associated proteins suggests that autophagy is involved. In addition, the activation of apoptotic markers provides evidence that apoptosis is involved. Our results show that DMF supports the action of oxaliplatin in a synergetic manner and failed synergy with radiation. We demonstrated that DMF has distinct antitumorigenic, cell dependent effects on colon cancer cells by arresting cell cycle in G0/G1 phase as well as activating both the autophagic and apoptotic pathways and synergizes with chemotherapy