Construction Of Biologically Productive Artificial Tidal Flats With Solidified Sea Bottom Sediments

Ago Bay is a typical enclosed coastal sea that is connected to the Pacific Ocean via a very narrow and shallow entrance. The bay has been contaminated by the practice of culturing pearls, which has been occurring for the past 110 years. To address this problem, a new technology — the Hi-Biah-System (HBS) — was introduced in 2005. This product of this system, which dewaters muddy dredged sediments and reduces them to their raw materials, was used to construct a tidal flat. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the environmental conditions of the constructed tidal flat 2 years after it was built. We monitored the physico-chemical (oxidation–reduction potential, acid volatile sulphide, loss on ignition, water content, total organic carbon, total nitrogen, chlorophyll a, and particle size) and biological characteristics of five constructed tidal flats and a natural tidal flat. At the same tidal level, the physico-chemical parameters were similar among the five constructed tidal flats and the natural one. However, the biomass and macrobenthic population were higher in the constructed flat compared to the natural one. We suggest that the muddy dredged sediments generated by the HBS could provide useful materials for enhancing the productivity of the tidal coastal environment

Functional analysis of HOXD9 in human gliomas and glioma cancer stem cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>HOX </it>genes encode a family of homeodomain-containing transcription factors involved in the determination of cell fate and identity during embryonic development. They also behave as oncogenes in some malignancies.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In this study, we found high expression of the <it>HOXD9 </it>gene transcript in glioma cell lines and human glioma tissues by quantitative real-time PCR. Using immunohistochemistry, we observed HOXD9 protein expression in human brain tumor tissues, including astrocytomas and glioblastomas. To investigate the role of <it>HOXD9 </it>in gliomas, we silenced its expression in the glioma cell line U87 using <it>HOXD9</it>-specific siRNA, and observed decreased cell proliferation, cell cycle arrest, and induction of apoptosis. It was suggested that <it>HOXD9 </it>contributes to both cell proliferation and/or cell survival. The <it>HOXD9 </it>gene was highly expressed in a side population (SP) of SK-MG-1 cells that was previously identified as an enriched-cell fraction of glioma cancer stem-like cells. <it>HOXD9 </it>siRNA treatment of SK-MG-1 SP cells resulted in reduced cell proliferation. Finally, we cultured human glioma cancer stem cells (GCSCs) from patient specimens found with high expression of <it>HOXD9 </it>in GCSCs compared with normal astrocyte cells and neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results suggest that <it>HOXD9 </it>may be a novel marker of GCSCs and cell proliferation and/or survival factor in gliomas and glioma cancer stem-like cells, and a potential therapeutic target.</p

Use of Balloon Enteroscopy in Preoperative Diagnosis of Neurofibromatosis-Associated Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumours of the Small Bowel: A Case Report

Neurofibromatosis type I (NF1) is one of the most common inheritable disorders and is associated with an increased risk of gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs). However, the predominant location of these lesions in the small bowel makes them difficult to diagnose. We report the successful use of balloon enteroscopy in conjunction with conventional methods for clinical diagnosis of jejunal GISTs in a 70-year-old man with NF1 who presented with melaena. The importance of screening NF1 patients for GISTs and the complementary role of balloon enteroscopy with capsule endoscopy in such diagnoses is discussed