A Personal Perspective on Daily Occupations to Counteract Cancer Related Fatigue: A Case Study

Background: This case study aimed to identify and describe meaningful physical occupations used by a cancer survivor to increase or maintain levels of participation during active chemotherapy and subsequent cancer related fatigue. Method: A case study approach was used to develop an in-depth description and analysis based on one participant’s experience with breast cancer and associated treatments. A semi-structured interview was conducted. The data were analyzed through description of the case, categories, and themes. It also included categorical aggregation in efforts to seek a collection of instances from the data to explore any issue-relevant meanings. Results: Following data analysis, one overarching theme, return to normalcy, was identified with three subthemes: (a) prioritization of meaningful activities, (b) modifications to activities or routines, (c) lack of referral for immediate needs. Conclusion: Personal knowledge of occupational therapy practice provided support for enhancing engagement in daily meaningful occupations. Lessons learned from this experience could be applied to clients experiencing cancer related side effects to improve engagement in daily occupations

Environmental drivers of succession in jack pine-dominated stands of boreal Ontario

Spanning boreal Ontario, photo chronosequencing was used to observe change through time in 178 stands comprised at least in part by jack pine (Pinus bansiana Lamb.). Linked to growth and yield monitoring plot networks and a national climate model, observed succession was associated to 17 environmental attributes specific to geographic location, topography, soil conditions, and climate. Through the application of two non-parametric analytical techniques: regression trees and survival analysis, three fundamental ecological relationships to succession were identified. Deep sands were found to be the most influential ecological driver of succession in jack pine-dominated stands of boreal Ontario, followed by slope gradient and precipitation during the growing season. Derived cumulative survival probability functions for each of these variables offers tangible means by which forest forecast models in the region can be empirically refined

The ADAMTS (A Disintegrin and Metalloproteinase with Thrombospondin motifs) family

The ADAMTS (A Disintegrin and Metalloproteinase with Thrombospondin motifs) enzymes are secreted, multi-domain matrix-associated zinc metalloendopeptidases that have diverse roles in tissue morphogenesis and patho-physiological remodeling, in inflammation and in vascular biology. The human family includes 19 members that can be sub-grouped on the basis of their known substrates, namely the aggrecanases or proteoglycanases (ADAMTS1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 15 and 20), the procollagen N-propeptidases (ADAMTS2, 3 and 14), the cartilage oligomeric matrix protein-cleaving enzymes (ADAMTS7 and 12), the von-Willebrand Factor proteinase (ADAMTS13) and a group of orphan enzymes (ADAMTS6, 10, 16, 17, 18 and 19). Control of the structure and function of the extracellular matrix (ECM) is a central theme of the biology of the ADAMTS, as exemplified by the actions of the procollagen-N-propeptidases in collagen fibril assembly and of the aggrecanases in the cleavage or modification of ECM proteoglycans. Defects in certain family members give rise to inherited genetic disorders, while the aberrant expression or function of others is associated with arthritis, cancer and cardiovascular disease. In particular, ADAMTS4 and 5 have emerged as therapeutic targets in arthritis. Multiple ADAMTSs from different sub-groupings exert either positive or negative effects on tumorigenesis and metastasis, with both metalloproteinase-dependent and -independent actions known to occur. The basic ADAMTS structure comprises a metalloproteinase catalytic domain and a carboxy-terminal ancillary domain, the latter determining substrate specificity and the localization of the protease and its interaction partners; ancillary domains probably also have independent biological functions. Focusing primarily on the aggrecanases and proteoglycanases, this review provides a perspective on the evolution of the ADAMTS family, their links with developmental and disease mechanisms, and key questions for the future

Functional evolution of ADAMTS genes: Evidence from analyses of phylogeny and gene organization

BACKGROUND: The ADAMTS (A Disintegrin-like and Metalloprotease with Thrombospondin motifs) proteins are a family of metalloproteases with sequence similarity to the ADAM proteases, that contain the thrombospondin type 1 sequence repeat motifs (TSRs) common to extracellular matrix proteins. ADAMTS proteins have recently gained attention with the discovery of their role in a variety of diseases, including tissue and blood disorders, cancer, osteoarthritis, Alzheimer's and the genetic syndromes Weill-Marchesani syndrome (ADAMTS10), thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (ADAMTS13), and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome type VIIC (ADAMTS2) in humans and belted white-spotting mutation in mice (ADAMTS20). RESULTS: Phylogenetic analysis and comparison of the exon/intron organization of vertebrate (Homo, Mus, Fugu), chordate (Ciona) and invertebrate (Drosophila and Caenorhabditis) ADAMTS homologs has elucidated the evolutionary relationships of this important gene family, which comprises 19 members in humans. CONCLUSIONS: The evolutionary history of ADAMTS genes in vertebrate genomes has been marked by rampant gene duplication, including a retrotransposition that gave rise to a distinct ADAMTS subfamily (ADAMTS1, -4, -5, -8, -15) that may have distinct aggrecanase and angiogenesis functions