Expression patterns of chondrocyte genes cloned by differential display in tibial dyschondroplasia

AbstractTibial dyschondroplasia (TD) appears to involve a failure of the growth plate chondrocytes within growing long bones to differentiate fully to the hypertrophic stage, resulting in a mass of prehypertrophic chondrocytes which form the avascular TD lesion. Many biochemical and molecular markers of chondrocyte hypertrophy are absent from the lesion, or show reduced expression, but the cause of the disorder remains to be identified. As differentiation to the hypertrophic state is impaired in TD, we hypothesised that chondrocyte genes that are differentially expressed in the growth plate should show altered expression in TD. Using differential display, four genes, B-cadherin, EF2, HT7 and Ex-FABP were cloned from chondrocytes stimulated to differentiate to the hypertrophic stage in vitro, and their differential expression confirmed in vivo. Using semi-quantitative RT-PCR, the expression patterns of these genes were compared in chondrocytes from normal and TD growth plates. Surprisingly, none of these genes showed the pattern of expression that might be expected in TD lesion chondrocytes, and two of them, B-cadherin and Ex-FABP, were upregulated in the lesion. This indicates that the TD phenotype does not merely reflect the absence of hypertrophic marker genes, but may be influenced by more complex developmental mechanisms/defects than previously thought

Recklessness in context: Individual and situational correlates to aggressive driving

Traffic-related injury and fatality are major health risks in the United States and worldwide. One contributor to road accidents is unsafe and aggressive driving practices. We examined individual and situational aspects of aggressive driving by having 152 undergraduate students complete self-report measures. Aggressive driving was related to personality variables, such as hostility, sensation seeking, and competitiveness, as well as to social variables such as driving without passengers and characteristics of the target vehicle (e.g., passengers, age, and status of driver), environmental variables (e.g., type of road, traffic, and weather), and temporal variables (e.g., time pressure and time of day)

A reliability analysis of the Revised Competitiveness Index

This study examined the reliability of the Revised Competitiveness Index by investigating the test-retest reliability, interitem reliability, and factor structure of the measure based on a sample of 280 undergraduates (200 women, 80 men) ranging in age from 18 to 28 years (M=20.1, SD=2.1). The findings indicate that the Revised Competitiveness Index has high test-retest reliability, high interitem reliability, and a stable factor structure. The results support the assertion that the Revised Competitiveness Index assesses competitiveness as a stable trait rather than a dynamic state

Juice Powder Concentrate and Systemic Blood Pressure, Progression of Coronary Artery Calcium and Antioxidant Status in Hypertensive Subjects: A Pilot Study

Because micronutrients from plants may have beneficial cardiovascular effects, the hypothesis that an encapsulated juice powder concentrate might affect several measures of vascular health was tested in free living adults at low cardiovascular risk. Blood pressure, vascular compliance, lipid and antioxidant markers, and serial electron beam tomography (to calculate a coronary artery calcium score as a measure of atherosclerosis burden), were monitored in 51 pre-hypertensive and hypertensive subjects over 2 years. By the end of follow-up, systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased significantly (−2.4 ± 1.0 mmHg, P < 0.05 and −2.2 ± 0.6 mmHg, P < 0.001), and large artery compliance improved significantly (1.9 ± 0.6 ml mmHg−1 × 100, P < 0.01). The progression of coronary artery calcium score was smaller than expected compared with a historical database (P < 0.001). Laboratory testing showed a significant decrease in homocysteine (P = 0.05), HDL cholesterol (P = 0.025) and Apo A (P = 0.004), as well as a significant increase in β-carotene, folate, Co-Q10 and α-tocopherol (all P < 0.001). The phytonutrient concentrate we utilized induced several favorable modifications of markers of vascular health in the subjects. This study supports the notion that plant nutrients are important components of a heart healthy diet

The compositional and metabolic responses of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) to a gradient of dietary fish oil and associated n-3 long-chain PUFA content

The authors express their gratitude to the technical team at the BioMar Feed Trial Unit, Hirtshals, in particular, Svend Jørgen Steenfeldt for expert care of the experimental subjects, for training and supervision provided by laboratory staff at Nutrition Analytical Services and Molecular Biology at the Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling, UK. S. J. S. H’s. PhD was co-funded by BioMar and the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology Scotland. BioMar provided the experimental feeds, trial facilities and fish, and covered travel expenses. V. K. and J. T. designed and executed the nutritional trial and all authors contributed to planning the analyses. V. K., J. T. and S. J. S. H. carried out the sampling. O. M., D. R. T and S. A. M. M. supervised the lead author. M. B. B. provided training in molecular biology to S. J. S. H. who carried out all analytical procedures. S. J. S. H. analysed all of the data and prepared the manuscript. Subsequently the manuscript was shared between all authors who made amendments, contributions and recommendations. The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interestPeer reviewedPublisher PD

Magnetic charge, angular momentum and negative cosmological constant

We argue that there are no axially symmetric rotating monopole solutions for a Yang-Mills-Higgs theory in flat spacetime background. We construct axially symmetric Yang-Mills-Higgs solutions in the presence of a negative cosmological constant, carrying magnetic charge $n$ and a nonvanishing electric charge. However, these solution are also nonrotating.Comment: 17 pages, LaTeX, 7 figure

Fit for work? Health, employability and challenges for the UK welfare reform agenda

This article introduces a special issue of Policy Studies entitled “Fit for work? Health, employability and challenges for the UK welfare reform agenda”. Growing from a shared concern over the need to expand the evidence base around the processes that led to large numbers of people claiming disability benefits in the UK, it brings together contributions from leading labour market and social policy researchers providing evidence and commentary on major reforms to Incapacity Benefit (IB) in the UK. This special issue address three key questions: what are the main causes of the long-term rise in the number of people claiming IBs; what will reduce the number of claimants; and what is likely to deliver policy effectively and efficiently? This introduction first explains and examines the challenges to reforms to IB in the UK, and then, in conclusion, highlights the answers to the previous three questions – first, labour market restructuring and marginalisation have driven the rise in numbers claiming IBs. Second, economic regeneration in the Britain’s less prosperous areas coupled with intensive and sustained supply-side support measures will bring numbers down. Third, delivery need to be flexible and tailored to individual needs and needs to be able to access local and expert knowledge in a range of organisations, including Job Centre Plus, the NHS as well as the private and voluntary sectors

Predation on Artificial Nests of Northern Bobwhites, Colinus virginianus, by Mammalian Mesopredators: Does the Problem-Individual Paradigm Fit?

Using mark/recapture procedures, predation on artificial nests of Northern Bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) by mammalian mesopredators (Raccoons, Procyon lotor; Virginia Opossums, Didelphis virginiana; and Striped Skunks, Mephitis mephitis) was assessed in relation to the &ldquo;problem-individual&rdquo; paradigm. The paradigm, which is untested among mammalian mesopredators, predicts that most predation on a prey species is by a small number of individuals repeatedly involved. By examining number of captures and recaptures on artificial nests during non-nesting and nesting periods in 2000-2003, predation within and among species were gauged. Results varied by species, sampling period, and year; however, predation was by a small percentage of individuals and only within the population of Striped Skunks were individuals (2 of 49) captured on an artificial nest more than once. Raccoons, Virginia Opossums, and Striped Skunks were responsible for 10, 2, and 12% of the loss of all nests available to predators, respectively. Based on low occurrences of individuals repeatedly involved in predation on nests, the problem-individual paradigm was unsubstantiated. Although Raccoons, Virginia Opossums, and Striped Skunks (as individual predators) had only moderate impact on the population of Northern Bobwhites, they had a much greater impact collectively (preying upon 24% of all nests available). To maximize Northern Bobwhite success, the most productive management is probably best directed toward a vertebrate guild that includes mammalian, avian, and reptilian predators, and management strategies that use multiple techniques

Ferromagnetic resonance force microscopy on a thin permalloy film

Ferromagnetic Resonance Force Microscopy (FMRFM) offers a means of performing local ferromagnetic resonance. We have studied the evolution of the FMRFM force spectra in a continuous 50 nm thick permalloy film as a function of probe-film distance and performed numerical simulations of the intensity of the FMRFM probe-film interaction force, accounting for the presence of the localized strongly nonuniform magnetic field of the FMRFM probe magnet. Excellent agreement between the experimental data and the simulation results provides insight into the mechanism of FMR mode excitation in an FMRFM experiment.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figure