1,568 research outputs found
Expression stability of putative reference genes in equine endometrial, testicular, and conceptus tissues
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Quantitative RT-PCR data are commonly normalized using a reference gene. A reference gene is a transcript which expression does not differ in the tissue of interest independent of the experimental condition. The objective of this study was to evaluate the stability of mRNA expression levels of putative reference genes in three different types of equine tissue, endometrial, testicular, and conceptus tissue.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>The expression stability of four (uterine tissue) and six (testicular and conceptus tissue) was assessed using descriptive data analysis and the software programs Normfinder and geNorm. In uterine samples, <it>18S </it>showed the largest degree of variation in expression while <it>GAPDH</it>, <it>B2M</it>, and <it>ACTB </it>were stably expressed. <it>B2M </it>and <it>GAPDH </it>were identified as the most stably expressed genes in testicular samples, while <it>18S </it>showed some extent of regulation between samples. Conceptus tissue overall was characterized by very low variability of the transcripts analyzed with <it>GAPDH</it>, <it>YWHZ</it>, and 18S being the most stably expressed genes.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In equine endometrium, <it>GAPDH</it>, <it>B2M</it>, and <it>ACTB </it>transcript levels are equally stable, while <it>18S </it>is less stably expressed. In testes and associated structures, <it>B2M </it>and <it>GAPDH </it>are the transcripts showing the least amount of variation, while in conceptus tissue <it>GAPDH</it>, <it>YWHZ</it>, and <it>18S </it>were identified as the most suitable reference genes. Overall, transcripts analyzed in conceptus tissue were characterized by less variation than transcripts analyzed in uterine and testicular tissue.</p
Polarizing Tweets on Climate Change
We introduce a framework to analyze the conversation between two competing
groups of Twitter users, one who believe in the anthropogenic causes of climate
change (Believers) and a second who are skeptical (Disbelievers). As a case
study, we use Climate Change related tweets during the United Nation's (UN)
Climate Change Conference - COP24 (2018), Katowice, Poland. We find that both
Disbelievers and Believers talk within their group more than with the other
group; this is more so the case for Disbelievers than for Believers. The
Disbeliever messages focused more on attacking those personalities that believe
in the anthropogenic causes of climate change. On the other hand, Believer
messages focused on calls to combat climate change. We find that in both
Disbelievers and Believers bot-like accounts were equally active and that
unlike Believers, Disbelievers get their news from a concentrated number of
news sources
Past Achievements and Future Challenges in 3D Photonic Metamaterials
Photonic metamaterials are man-made structures composed of tailored micro- or
nanostructured metallo-dielectric sub-wavelength building blocks that are
densely packed into an effective material. This deceptively simple, yet
powerful, truly revolutionary concept allows for achieving novel, unusual, and
sometimes even unheard-of optical properties, such as magnetism at optical
frequencies, negative refractive indices, large positive refractive indices,
zero reflection via impedance matching, perfect absorption, giant circular
dichroism, or enhanced nonlinear optical properties. Possible applications of
metamaterials comprise ultrahigh-resolution imaging systems, compact
polarization optics, and cloaking devices. This review describes the
experimental progress recently made fabricating three-dimensional metamaterial
structures and discusses some remaining future challenges
Room temperature chiral magnetic skyrmion in ultrathin magnetic nanostructures
Magnetic skyrmions are chiral spin structures with a whirling configuration.
Their topological properties, nanometer size and the fact that they can be
moved by small current densities have opened a new paradigm for the
manipulation of magnetisation at the nanoscale. To date, chiral skyrmion
structures have been experimentally demonstrated only in bulk materials and in
epitaxial ultrathin films and under external magnetic field or at low
temperature. Here, we report on the observation of stable skyrmions in
sputtered ultrathin Pt/Co/MgO nanostructures, at room temperature and zero
applied magnetic field. We use high lateral resolution X-ray magnetic circular
dichroism microscopy to image their chiral N\'eel internal structure which we
explain as due to the large strength of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction
as revealed by spin wave spectroscopy measurements. Our results are
substantiated by micromagnetic simulations and numerical models, which allow
the identification of the physical mechanisms governing the size and stability
of the skyrmions.Comment: Submitted version. Extended version to appear in Nature
Nanotechnolog
Notch signaling during human T cell development
Notch signaling is critical during multiple stages of T cell development in both mouse and human. Evidence has emerged in recent years that this pathway might regulate T-lineage differentiation differently between both species. Here, we review our current understanding of how Notch signaling is activated and used during human T cell development. First, we set the stage by describing the developmental steps that make up human T cell development before describing the expression profiles of Notch receptors, ligands, and target genes during this process. To delineate stage-specific roles for Notch signaling during human T cell development, we subsequently try to interpret the functional Notch studies that have been performed in light of these expression profiles and compare this to its suggested role in the mouse
Effects of lithium and valproic acid on gene expression and phenotypic markers in an NT2 neurosphere model of neural development
Mood stabilising drugs such as lithium (LiCl) and valproic acid (VPA) are the first line agents for treating conditions such as Bipolar disorder and Epilepsy. However, these drugs have potential developmental effects that are not fully understood. This study explores the use of a simple human neurosphere-based in vitro model to characterise the pharmacological and toxicological effects of LiCl and VPA using gene expression changes linked to phenotypic alterations in cells. Treatment with VPA and LiCl resulted in the differential expression of 331 and 164 genes respectively. In the subset of VPA targeted genes, 114 were downregulated whilst 217 genes were upregulated. In the subset of LiCl targeted genes, 73 were downregulated and 91 were upregulated. Gene ontology (GO) term enrichment analysis was used to highlight the most relevant GO terms associated with a given gene list following toxin exposure. In addition, in order to phenotypically anchor the gene expression data, changes in the heterogeneity of cell subtype populations and cell cycle phase were monitored using flow cytometry. Whilst LiCl exposure did not significantly alter the proportion of cells expressing markers for stem cells/undifferentiated cells (Oct4, SSEA4), neurons (Neurofilament M), astrocytes (GFAP) or cell cycle phase, the drug caused a 1.4-fold increase in total cell number. In contrast, exposure to VPA resulted in significant upregulation of Oct4, SSEA, Neurofilament M and GFAP with significant decreases in both G2/M phase cells and cell number. This neurosphere model might provide the basis of a human-based cellular approach for the regulatory exploration of developmental impact of potential toxic chemicals
Familial association of pancreatic cancer with other malignancies in Swedish families
BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to characterise the familial association of pancreatic cancer with other malignancies. METHODS: Relative risks (RRs) of pancreatic cancer according to family history of cancer were calculated using the updated Swedish Family-Cancer Database, which includes over 11.5 million individuals. Estimates were based on Poisson regression. RRs of tumours for individuals with a parental history of pancreatic cancer were also estimated. RESULTS: The risk of pancreatic cancer was elevated in individuals with a parental history of cancers of the liver (RR 1.41; 95% CI 1.10-1.81), kidney (RR 1.37; 95% CI 1.06-1.76), lung (RR 1.50; 95% CI 1.27-1.79) and larynx (RR 1.98; 95% CI 1.19-3.28). Associations were also found between parental history of pancreatic cancer and cancers of the small intestine, colon, breast, lung, testis and cervix in offspring. There was an increased risk of pancreatic cancer associated with early-onset breast cancer in siblings. CONCLUSION: Pancreatic cancer aggregates in families with several types of cancer. Smoking may contribute to the familial aggregation of pancreatic and lung tumours, and the familial clustering of pancreatic and breast cancer could be partially explained by inherited mutations in the BRCA2 gene. British Journal of Cancer (2009) 101, 1792-1797. doi: 10.1038/sj.bjc.6605363 www.bjcancer.com Published online 13 October 2009 (C) 2009 Cancer Research U
Mistakes that affect others: An fMRI study on processing of own errors in a social context
In social contexts, errors have a special significance and often bear consequences for others. Thinking about others and drawing social inferences in interpersonal games engages the mentalizing system. We used neuroimaging to investigate the differences in brain activations between errors that affect only agents themselves and errors that additionally influence the payoffs of interaction partners. Activation in posterior medial frontal cortex (pMFC) and bilateral insula was increased for all errors, whereas errors that implied consequences for others specifically activated medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), an important part of the mentalizing system. The results demonstrate that performance monitoring in social contexts involves additional processes and brain structures compared with individual performance monitoring where errors only have consequences for the person committing them. Taking into account how one’s behavior may affect others is particularly crucial for adapting behavior in interpersonal interactions and joint action
Community-acquired necrotizing pneumonia due to methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus secreting Panton-Valentine leukocidin: a review of case reports
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