Self-esteem outcomes over a summer camp for obese youth.

Variation in the existing literature on the psychosocial benefits of weight loss in obese youth results, in part, from methodological limitations and modest weight loss. Accordingly, this research assessed perceived self-competence and low self-esteem during an intensive weight loss programme in a large sample of obese youth and related these to starting weight, gender and weight loss.Over 4 years, 303 obese male and female adolescents (body mass index [BMI] 34.3 kg m(-2) , BMI standard deviation score 2.99; 14.7 years) attended a residential weight loss camp for a mean duration of 31 d. Outcome variables included dimensional self-esteem (Harter) and weight change over the camp.At the start of camp, obese youth scored highest on social acceptance and lowest on physical appearance and athletic competence. Global self-worth and most domains of self-competence improved significantly over the intervention. The proportion with low global self-worth reduced from 35% to 16%, but there was little change in the proportion reporting high self-competence (23%). Mean weight loss was -5.5 kg (BMI standard deviation scores -0.25) with boys and those heaviest at the start losing most. Weight loss was significantly correlated with improved physical appearance (r = 0.13) and athletic competence (r = 0.19), but not global self-worth.This intensive weight loss intervention yielded significant psychological benefit, especially in self-competence and among individuals achieving most weight loss. The weak association with weight loss suggests the influence of other contributing environmental or social features that should be the focus of further research

Automated liquid handling for microplate assays : a simplified user interface for the Hamilton Microlab STAR

Automated liquid handling stations such as the Hamilton Microlab range can be implemented to greatly enhance throughput of cell-based and cell-free assays. To facilitate utilisation past the comprehensive programming interface of the Hamilton Method Editor this paper presents a user interface (UI) that runs within Hamilton Venus and allows for a user to control and store programs for plate-toplate transfers and serial dilutions in 96 well plate format. The interface allows for rapid control of aspiration and dispensing height, trituration, control of tip rack selection, and includes a tip washing program that can reduce the number of disposable tips utilised. The simple program interface allows the Hamilton Microlab to be used as a readily deployable microtitre plate handler, particularly for applications such as aliquoting cells for seeding, diluting a number of plates in medium, or transferring drug dilution arrays to multiple plates. This paper also discusses various optimisations to increase accuracy and rate of low volume liquid transfer. While complex liquid handling tasks such as high-throughput drug screening requires established core facilities, standalone liquid handlers with simplified interfaces can be utilised for smaller-scale research applications and educational purposes

A Reasonable Belief that a Third Party Had Authority to Consent to a Search Is an Exception to the Warrant Requirement.

In Illinois v. Rodriguez, the Supreme Court granted certiorari to determine whether a warrantless search is valid when police rely on consent of a third party whom they reasonably believe had common authority over an area but does not. A reasonable belief that a third party had authority to consent to a search is an exception to the warrant requirement. The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution protects people and their possessions by prohibiting unreasonable searches by government authorities. Although this protection extends to any place where a person may claim a reasonable expectation of privacy, it especially protects the right of the people to privacy in their homes. The Fourth Amendment also prevents unreasonable police conduct by requiring searches be conducted pursuant to a warrant issued based upon probable cause. By allowing police to justify searches pursuant to a reasonable belief in a consenting party’s authority, the Rodriguez majority expanded the consent exception to the warrant requirement. It created a new good faith exception to the exclusionary rule. These modifications to Fourth Amendment jurisprudence give police officers greater latitude in conducting warrantless searches. By giving police more discretion, the Court has placed a premium on police ignorance. The less police know about the authority of the consenting party, the more likely their belief will be considered reasonable, and the more likely their search will be held valid. In addition, the Court overlooks the intent of the Fourth Amendment’s authors to restrict the government’s power to impinge upon the citizens’ right of privacy. In so doing, the Court has significantly diminished the Fourth Amendment’s power to protect individual privacy

Texas Fetal Rights: Is There a Future for the Rights of Future Texans.

In Texas, contrary interpretations, whether a fetus is a person or non-person, create unpredictable and irreconcilable outcomes. The author contrasts the differences found in Texas law regarding the rights of unborn children in the areas of property, family, criminal, and tort law. At conception, a fetus enjoys property rights. However, under the auspices of family law, a mother may not collect child support until birth but may seek contribution for prenatal care prior to birth. Criminal protection of a fetus is unavailable in Texas unless the fetus is born alive. If criminal activity results in still birth or fetal destruction, no legal remedy exits for parents. Further, under tort law, parents have no cause of action against individuals causing the wrongful death of a fetus. Conversely, an unborn fetus may have a tort cause of action against an individual causing the wrongful death of a parent. Texas is part of the majority of jurisdictions recognizing property rights of fetuses. On the other hand, Texas is part of the minority of states by not recognizing criminal and tort rights in favor of an unborn child. The Texas legislature has been slow to modernize statutes to conform with the majority trend. Additionally, the Texas judiciary has been unwilling to define the legal point of viability. The avenues, legislative or judicial, for modernizing approaches to fetal rights are available but have remained dormant in Texas. The lack of congruity provides parents a remedy in most jurisdictions for fetal destruction when none is available in Texas unless the child survives. By modernizing fetal rights in line with majority jurisdictions regarding criminal and tortious activities, Texas would provide consistency and predictability lacking in these areas of law for unborn children

ANTIBODY-MEDIATED SUPPRESSION OF GRAFTED LYMPHOMA CELLS : II. PARTICIPATION OF MACROPHAGES

Specific alloantibody admixed with a grafted murine lymphoma is suppressive of the graft in mice of the inbred strain native to the tumor. Suppressive capacity of the host is obviated in mice given 500 R whole body irradiation before tumor inoculation but is restored when normal peritoneal macrophages are admixed with the tumor-antibody inoculum. Other normal cell types admixed with the tumor-antibody inoculum are not effective in restoring suppressive capacity

Cisplatin and taxol activate different signal pathways regulating cellular injury-induced expression of GADD153.

Signal transduction pathways activated by injury play a central role in coordinating the cellular responses that determine whether a cell survives or dies. GADD153 expression increases markedly in response to some types of cellular injury and the product of this gene causes cell cycle arrest. Using induction of GADD153 as a model, we have investigated the activation of the cellular injury response after treatment with taxol and cisplatin (cDDP). Activation of the GADD153 promoter coupled to the luciferase gene and transfected into human ovarian carcinoma 2008 cells correlated well with the increase in endogenous GADD153 mRNA after treatment with taxol but not after treatment with cDDP. Following treatment with cDDP, the increase in endogenous GADD153 mRNA was 10-fold greater than the increase in GADD153 promoter activity. Likewise, at equitoxic levels of exposure (IC80), cDDP produced a 5-fold greater increase in endogenous GADD153 mRNA than taxol. The tyrosine kinase inhibitor tyrophostin B46 had no significant effect on the ability of taxol to activate the GADD153 promoter, but inhibited activation of the GADD153 promoter by cDDP in a concentration-dependent manner. Tyrphostin B46 synergistically enhanced the cytotoxicity of cisplatin; however, the same exposure had no significant effect on the cytotoxicity of taxol. We conclude that (1) taxol and cDDP activate GADD153 promoter activity through different mechanisms; (2) the signal transduction pathway mediating induction by cDDP involves a tyrosine kinase inhibitable by tyrphostin B46; and (3) that inhibition of this signal transduction pathway by tyrphostin synergistically enhances cDDP toxicity

Elucidation of the Photorhabdus temperata Genome and Generation of a Transposon Mutant Library To Identify Motility Mutants Altered in Pathogenesis

The entomopathogenic nematode Heterorhabditis bacteriophora forms a specific mutualistic association with its bacterial partner Photorhabdus temperata. The microbial symbiont is required for nematode growth and development, and symbiont recognition is strain specific. The aim of this study was to sequence the genome of P. temperata and identify genes that plays a role in the pathogenesis of the Photorhabdus-Heterorhabditis symbiosis. A draft genome sequence of P. temperata strain NC19 was generated. The 5.2-Mb genome was organized into 17 scaffolds and contained 4,808 coding sequences (CDS). A genetic approach was also pursued to identify mutants with altered motility. A bank of 10,000 P. temperata transposon mutants was generated and screened for altered motility patterns. Five classes of motility mutants were identified: (i) nonmotile mutants, (ii) mutants with defective or aberrant swimming motility, (iii) mutant swimmers that do not require NaCl or KCl, (iv) hyperswimmer mutants that swim at an accelerated rate, and (v) hyperswarmer mutants that are able to swarm on the surface of 1.25% agar. The transposon insertion sites for these mutants were identified and used to investigate other physiological properties, including insect pathogenesis. The motility-defective mutant P13-7 had an insertion in the RNase II gene and showed reduced virulence and production of extracellular factors. Genetic complementation of this mutant restored wild-type activity. These results demonstrate a role for RNA turnover in insect pathogenesis and other physiological functions

PIM kinase inhibition: co-targeted therapeutic approaches in prostate cancer

PIM kinases have been shown to play a role in prostate cancer development and progression, as well as in some of the hallmarks of cancer, especially proliferation and apoptosis. Their upregulation in prostate cancer has been correlated with decreased patient overall survival and therapy resistance. Initial efforts to inhibit PIM with monotherapies have been hampered by compensatory upregulation of other pathways and drug toxicity, and as such, it has been suggested that co-targeting PIM with other treatment approaches may permit lower doses and be a more viable option in the clinic. Here, we present the rationale and basis for co-targeting PIM with inhibitors of PI3K/mTOR/AKT, JAK/STAT, MYC, stemness, and RNA Polymerase I transcription, along with other therapies, including androgen deprivation, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. Such combined approaches could potentially be used as neoadjuvant therapies, limiting the development of resistance to treatments or sensitizing cells to other therapeutics. To determine which drugs should be combined with PIM inhibitors for each patient, it will be key to develop companion diagnostics that predict response to each co-targeted option, hopefully providing a personalized medicine pathway for subsets of prostate cancer patients in the future

Measuring perceived exercise capability and investigating its relationship with childhood obesity: a feasibility study.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: According to the COM-B ('Capability', 'Opportunity', 'Motivation' and 'Behaviour') model of behaviour, three factors are essential for behaviour to occur: capability, opportunity and motivation. Obese children are less likely to feel capable of exercising. The implementation of a new methodological approach to investigate the relationship between perceived exercise capability (PEC) and childhood obesity was conducted, which involved creating a new instrument, and demonstrating how it can be used to measure obesity intervention outcomes. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A questionnaire aiming to measure perceived exercise capability, opportunity and motivation was systematically constructed using the COM-B model and administered to 71 obese children (aged 9-17 years (12.24±0.2.01), body mass index (BMI) standard deviation scores (SDS) 2.80±0.660) at a weight-management camp in northern England. Scale validity and reliability was assessed. Relationships between PEC, as measured by the questionnaire, and BMI SDS were investigated for the children at the weight-management camp, and for 45 Spanish schoolchildren (aged 9-13 years, (10.52±1.23), BMI SDS 0.80±0.99). A pilot study, demonstrating how the questionnaire can be used to measure the effectiveness of an intervention aiming to bring about improved PEC for weight-management camp attendees, was conducted. No participants withdrew from these studies. RESULTS: The questionnaire domain (exercise capability, opportunity and motivation) composite scales were found to have adequate internal consistency (a=0.712-0.796) and construct validity (χ(2)/degrees of freedom=1.55, root mean square error of approximation=0.072, comparative fit index=0.92). Linear regression revealed that low PEC was associated with higher baseline BMI SDS for both UK (b=-0.289, P=0.010) and Spanish (b=-0.446, P=0.047) participants. Pilot study findings provide preliminary evidence for PEC improvements through intervention being achievable, and measurable using the questionnaire. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence is presented for reliability and validity of the questionnaire, and for feasibility of its use in the context of a childhood obesity intervention. Future research could investigate the link between PEC and childhood obesity further