Skin: Cylindroma

Review on Skin: Cylindroma, with data on clinics, and the genes involved

Vigor, vitality and seed dormancy of Avena sativa cultivars in a long-term experiment

Vigor, vitality and seed dormancy of 14 Finnish cultivars of Avena sativa in room temperature were studied in a 22-year laboratory experiment. These parameters were studied by measuring morphological and physical characteristics of seeds and by basic germination and enzymatic tests 1, 4, 6, 11, 16, 21 and 22 years after seed harvesting in 1989. Methylene blue, Congo red and 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TZ) tests were used to estimate seed quality and changes in vitality over time. Seed vitality clearly decreased in all cultivars during the experiment. The mean vitality declined from 96.3% (one year after harvest) to zero at the end. Vitality according to the TZ test was higher than indicated by the basic germination test. The mean vitality loss was 4.6% per year, but there were clear differences between cultivars. The decrease in vitality correlated with loss in seed weight. Clear signs of deepening dormancy were observed. Seed age is an important factor infl uencing vitality and dormancy. Vitality loss of seeds led to deep dormancy. The appearance, water uptake and imbibition of the seeds remained normal until the end. Ageing, vitality loss and dormancy are concluded to be expressions of genes. It is possible that in the future electronic simulation methods will be developed that will enable accurate estimation of oat seed quality without laboratory tests

Recommendations for validation testing of home pregnancy tests (HPTs) in Europe

Homepregnancy tests (HPTs) available in Europe include accuracy and other performance claims listed on their packaging. Due to the lack of guidance on the standardisation of such products, it is often difficult to replicate these claims when tested on a clinical sample, whether in a laboratory setting or by lay users. The In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation is a set of requirements that mandate comprehensive validation data on human pregnancy tests and other in vitro devices. It is due to replace the current European Directive (98/79/EC) and fully implemented in Europe by 2022. In June 2019, a panel of seven experts convened to discuss the validation studies required to provide the information needed to meet the new regulation for HPTs in Europe and proposed 15 recommendations for best practice. Defining best practice at all stages of validation of these important tests may ensure that tests marketed inEurope are fit for purpose, enabling lay users to be confident of the high quality of the HPT results they obtain. The panelists believe that the recommendations proposed here for the validation of HPTs may constructively contribute to improved standardisation of validation procedures in Europe.Peer reviewe

On reminder effects, drop-outs and dominance: evidence from an online experiment on charitable giving

We present the results of an experiment that (a) shows the usefulness of screening out drop-outs and (b) tests whether different methods of payment and reminder intervals affect charitable giving. Following a lab session, participants could make online donations to charity for a total duration of three months. Our procedure justifying the exclusion of drop-outs consists in requiring participants to collect payments in person flexibly and as known in advance and as highlighted to them later. Our interpretation is that participants who failed to collect their positive payments under these circumstances are likely not to satisfy dominance. If we restrict the sample to subjects who did not drop out, but not otherwise, reminders significantly increase the overall amount of charitable giving. We also find that weekly reminders are no more effective than monthly reminders in increasing charitable giving, and that, in our three months duration experiment, standing orders do not increase giving relative to one-off donations

Well-being over time in Britain and the USA

This paper studies happiness in the United States and Great Britain. Reported levels of well-being have declined over the last quarter of a century in the US; life satisfaction has run approximately flat through time in Britain. These findings are consistent with the Easterlin hypothesis [Nations and Households in Economic Growth: Essays in Honour of Moses Abramowitz (1974) Academic Press; J. Econ. Behav. Org., 27 (1995) 35]. The happiness of American blacks, however, has risen. White women in the US have been the biggest losers since the 1970s. Well-being equations have a stable structure. Money buys happiness. People care also about relative income. Well-being is U-shaped in age. The paper estimates the dollar values of events like unemployment and divorce. They are large. A lasting marriage (compared to widowhood as a ‘natural’ experiment), for example, is estimated to be worth $100,000 a year

Salivary acinic cell carcinoma: reappraisal and update

Epidemiologic and clinicopathologic features, therapeutic strategies, and prognosis for acinic cell carcinoma of the major and minor salivary glands are critically reviewed. We explore histopathologic, histochemical, electron microscopic and immunohistochemical aspects and discuss histologic grading, histogenesis, animal models, and genetic events. In the context of possible diagnostic difficulties, the relationship to mammary analog secretory carcinoma is probed and a classification is suggested. Areas of controversy or uncertainty, which may benefit from further investigations, are also highlighted

Money, sex and happiness : an empirical study

The links between income, sexual behavior and reported happiness are studied using recent data on a sample of 16,000 adult Americans. The paper finds that sexual activity enters strongly positively in happiness equations. Higher income does not buy more sex or more sexual partners. Married people have more sex than those who are single, divorced, widowed or separated. The happiness‐maximizing number of sexual partners in the previous year is calculated to be 1. Highly educated females tend to have fewer sexual partners. Homosexuality has no statistically significant effect on happiness

Inhibition of PKC activity blocks the increase of ET(B )receptor expression in cerebral arteries

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that there is a time-dependent upregulation of contractile endothelin B (ET(B)) receptors in middle cerebral arteries (MCA) after organ culture. This upregulation is dependent on mitogen-activated protein kinases and possibly protein kinase C (PKC). The aim of this study was to examine the effect of PKC inhibitors with different profiles on the upregulation of contractile ET(B )receptors in rat MCA. Artery segments were incubated for 24 hours at 37°C. To investigate involvement of PKC, inhibitors were added to the medium before incubation. The contractile endothelin-mediated responses were measured and real-time PCR was used to detect endothelin receptor mRNA levels. Furthermore, immunohistochemistry was used to demonstrate the ET(B )receptor protein distribution in the MCA and Western blot to measure which of the PKC subtypes that were affected by the inhibitors. RESULTS: The PKC inhibitors bisindolylmaleimide I, Ro-32-0432 and PKC inhibitor 20–28 attenuated the ET(B )receptor mediated contractions. Furthermore, Ro-32-0432 and bisindolylmaleimide I decreased ET(B )receptor mRNA levels while PKC inhibitor 20–28 reduced the amount of receptor protein on smooth muscle cells. PKC inhibitor 20–28 also decreased the protein levels of the five PKC subtypes studied (α, βI, γ, δ and ε). CONCLUSION: The results show that PKC inhibitors are able to decrease the ET(B )receptor contraction and expression in MCA smooth muscle cells following organ culture. The PKC inhibitor 20–28 affects the protein levels, while Ro-32-0432 and bisindolylmaleimide I affect the mRNA levels, suggesting differences in activity profile. Since ET(B )receptor upregulation is seen in cerebral ischemia, the results of the present study provide a way to interfere with the vascular involvement in cerebral ischemia