An ultrasoft X-ray multi-microbeam irradiation system for studies of DNA damage responses by fixed- and live-cell fluorescence microscopy

Localized induction of DNA damage is a valuable tool for studying cellular DNA damage responses. In recent decades, methods have been developed to generate DNA damage using radiation of various types, including photons and charged particles. Here we describe a simple ultrasoft X-ray multi-microbeam system for high dose-rate, localized induction of DNA strand breaks in cells at spatially and geometrically adjustable sites. Our system can be combined with fixed- and live-cell microscopy to study responses of cells to DNA damage

Plasma total antioxidant capacity in hemodialyzed patients and its relationships with other biomarkers of oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation

Patients undergoing long-term hemodialysis (HD) exhibit increased levels of oxidative stress, likely contributing to the increased rate of cardiovascular disease. The present study represents a critical evaluation of some of the most widely used oxidative indicators, as applied to the monitoring of hemodialysis-associated oxidative stress. Total plasma antioxidant capacity was determined by two independent procedures, the total antioxidant status (TAS) and the ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) methods. Plasma lipid peroxidation was assessed by determining the peroxidation products malonaldehyde and 4-hydroxynonenal (MDA-4HNE) as well as lipid hydroperoxides ("Fox-2" and "d-ROMs" methods). Total plasma thiols and plasma alpha-tocopherol were also determined. MDA-4HNE levels were higher in HD patients and decreased following HD, possibly due to passive diffusion across dialysis filters. d-ROMs were also higher in HD patients but exhibited a further increase following the dialysis procedure. Serum alpha-tocopherol did not show any significant differences. Plasma thiols were lower in HD patients and were restored following HD. Plasma total antioxidant capacity determined with either method was unexpectedly higher in HD patients compared to controls, and decreased following HD. These data indicate that, of the biomarkers studied, d-ROMs level is the one more accurately reflecting the oxidative alterations taking place in HD patients, while determination of MDA-4HNE fails to detect oxidation occurring during the HD sessions. In addition, our findings point out that the determination of total antioxidant capacity in HD patients is severely affected by the concomitant fluctuations in plasma urate levels and therefore needs careful interpretation

Identification of new mutations of hepcidin and hemojuvelin in patients with HFE C282Y allele.

HFE-hemochromatosis is the most common form of hereditary hemochromatosis. The disorder is associated with the homozygous C282Y mutation and has variable phenotype, being modulated by environmental and genetic factors. Candidate modifier genes are hemojuvelin and hepcidin, which are responsible for juvenile hemochromatosis. We used DHPLC to scan mutations in these genes in a cohort of unrelated patients with C282Y mutation. They consisted of 136 C282Y homozygous, 43 heterozygous, and 42 C282Y/H63D compound heterozygous, plus 62 controls subjects. Mutations and polymorphisms were found in 16 patients and 4 controls. Abnormally high indices of iron status were found in subjects C282Y/H63D heterozygous for the N196K hemojuvelin mutation and the -72C > T hepcidin substitution. The already described G71D mutation of hepcidin did not induce evident modification of the C282Y/H63D phenotype. The data show that heterozygous mutations of the hemojuvelin gene contribute like those of hepcidin to the phenotypic heterogeneity of hemochromatosis. However, they are rare and explain only a minor portion of the variable penetrance of the disorder

Behind the Curtain: Fetishism and the Production of Virtual Reality Treatment for PTSD

Virtual Iraq/Afghanistan, a virtual reality (VR) exposure therapy designed for the treatment of combat-related PTSD, has generated wide public interest in the wake of growing concerns over mental health problems among service members. Enlisting concepts from the fields of cultural studies and psychoanalytic film criticism, the paper interprets the VR therapy program as a form of technology fetishism within the expanding apparatus of military mental health operations. Even as the program seeks to expose the “invisible wounds of war,” the stories produced through this use of visual culture conform closely to hegemonic military accounts of the psychological effects of combat