A Samoan Hebeloma with phylogenetic ties to the western Pacific

Hebeloma ifeleletorum is described as a new species from American Samoa. Based on analyses of ITS and combined nLSU-ITS datasets H. ifeleletorum clusters with but is distinct from described species that have been placed in the genus Anamika by some. The phylogenetic relationship of H. ifeleletorum to the genus Anamika from Asia and to other species from Australia and New Caledonia suggests that H. ifeleletorum has origins in the western Pacific

The mycorrhizal associations of western hemlock

Two objectives of this research were to identify fungi which are mycorrhizal with western hemlock and to examine the ecology of hemlock mycorrhizal fungi indigenous to outplanting sites. Another objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of mycorrhizal inoculation in improving the performance of outplanted hemlock seedlings. A list of over 100 mycorrhizal fungi associated with hemlock in the field was compiled. Many of these were tested in pure culture synthesis showing that 18 of them were indeed capable of mycorrhiza formation with hemlock. Due to the frequency with which mycorrhizal hemlock seedlings are found on rotten wood, an additional 18 wood inhabiting fungi were tested with hemlock in pure culture synthesis. Five of these proved to be capable of mycorrhiza formation. Field observations indicate that four more are mycorrhizal with hemlock growing in rotten wood. Nonmycorrhizal western hemlock seedlings planted on two clearcuts in western Oregon were readily colonized by indigenous mycorrhizal fungi. Examination of excavated seedlings every two weeks showed a gradual increase in the proportion of short roots colonized by mycorrhizal fungi through the season. The first mycorrhizae appeared two months after planting. Another experiment showed that nonmycorrhizal containerized hemlock seedlings survived and grew well on both rotten wood and mineral soil. Mycorrhizal colonization took place at the same rate and in the same total numbers in rotten wood and mineral soil. Finally, two outplanting studies were done to compare the performance of mycorrhizal and uninoculated hemlock seedlings. The first of these compared the survival and top growth of two year old containerized western hemlock seedlings outplanted on three plots in each of two areas. Mycorrhizal inoculation significantly improved seedling top growth for two years after planting in both of the areas. Survival was not improved in either area by mycorrhizal inoculation. The second study compared survival, root growth and top growth for outplanted mycorrhizal and uninoculated seedlings on both mineral soil and rotten wood. No growth or survival differences between mycorrhizal and uninoculated seedlings were seen on either substrate the first season after planting. Two additional experiments testing rotten wood as mycorrhizal inoculum were done to support the above observations. They demonstrated that rotten wood can indeed serve as a habitat for mycorrhizal fungi

Androgen receptor signaling is required for androgen-sensitive human prostate cancer cell proliferation and survival

BACKGROUND: Androgens and androgen receptors (AR) regulate normal prostate development and growth. They also are involved in pathological development of prostatic diseases, including benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer (PCa). Antiandrogen therapy for PCa, in conjunction with chemical or surgical castration, offers initial positive responses and leads to massive prostate cell death. However, cancer cells later appear as androgen-independent PCa. To investigate the role of AR in prostate cell proliferation and survival, we introduced a vector-based small interfering RNA (siRNA). This siRNA targeted 5'-untranslated region of AR mRNA for extended suppression of AR expression in androgen-sensitive human prostate LNCaP cells. RESULTS: The siRNA design successfully suppressed endogenous AR expression, as revealed by western blotting and immunofluorescence staining in LNCaP cells. LNCaP cells did not proliferate in the absence of AR and underwent apoptosis, based on elevated phospho-Histone H2B expression and higher number of apoptotic body as compared to control cells. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that AR is vital for prostate cell proliferation and survival in this androgen-sensitive prostate cell line. These results further strengthen the hypothesis that AR can be a therapeutic target for treating androgen-sensitive stages of PCa. Unlike antiandorgens, however, siRNA targeting AR provides a direct inactivation of AR function through the suppression of AR protein expression

The permeability of SPION over an artificial three-layer membrane is enhanced by external magnetic field

BACKGROUND: Sensorineural hearing loss, a subset of all clinical hearing loss, may be correctable through the use of gene therapy. We are testing a delivery system of therapeutics through a 3 cell-layer round window membrane model (RWM model) that may provide an entry of drugs or genes to the inner ear. We designed an in vitro RWM model similar to the RWM (will be referred to throughout the paper as RWM model) to determine the feasibility of using superparamagnetic iron oxide (Fe(3)O(4)) nanoparticles (SPION) for targeted delivery of therapeutics to the inner ear. The RWM model is a 3 cell-layer model with epithelial cells cultured on both sides of a small intestinal submucosal (SIS) matrix and fibroblasts seeded in between. Dextran encapsulated nanoparticle clusters 130 nm in diameter were pulled through the RWM model using permanent magnets with flux density 0.410 Tesla at the pole face. The SIS membranes were harvested at day 7 and then fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde. Transmission electron microscopy and fluorescence spectrophotometry were used to verify transepithelial transport of the SPION across the cell-culture model. Histological sections were examined for evidence of SPION toxicity, as well to generate a timeline of the position of the SPION at different times. SPION also were added to cells in culture to assess in vitro toxicity. RESULTS: Transepithelial electrical resistance measurements confirmed epithelial confluence, as SPION crossed a membrane consisting of three co-cultured layers of cells, under the influence of a magnetic field. Micrographs showed SPION distributed throughout the membrane model, in between cell layers, and sometimes on the surface of cells. TEM verified that the SPION were pulled through the membrane into the culture well below. Fluorescence spectrophotometry quantified the number of SPION that went through the SIS membrane. SPION showed no toxicity to cells in culture. CONCLUSION: A three-cell layer model of the human round window membrane has been constructed. SPION have been magnetically transported through this model, allowing quantitative evaluation of prospective targeted drug or gene delivery through the RWM. Putative in vivo carrier superparamagnetic nanoparticles may be evaluated using this model

Screening and identification of differentially expressed transcripts in circulating cells of prostate cancer patients using suppression subtractive hybridization

BACKGROUND: Tumor metastasis and changes in host immunosurveillance are important components in cancer development. Tumor cell invasion into the bloodstream is an essential step for systemic metastasis. Currently, the detection of tumor cells in the circulation is mainly dependent upon the utilization of known epithelial cell markers. However, expression of these molecules is not limited to cancer patients; healthy people also have a small number of epithelial cells in their circulation. Utilizing these markers to detect circulating tumor cells (CTCs) cannot adequately explain the mechanisms of tumor cell survival or their development of metastatic potential in peripheral blood. The immune system can also evolve along with the cancer, actually promoting or selecting the outgrowth of tumor variants. Unfortunately, both metastasis and immunosurveillance remain mysterious and are debatable because we have yet to define the molecules that participate in these processes. We are interested in identifying the existence of expressed genes, or mRNA species, that are specifically associated with circulating cells of cancer-bearing patients using prostate cancer (PCa) as a model. RESULTS: We established two comprehensive subtracted cDNA libraries using a molecular technique called suppression subtractive hybridization. This technique selectively amplifies transcripts that are specifically expressed in circulating cells of either PCa patients or healthy men. Following sequencing reaction, we showed that 17 out of 23 (73.9%) sequenced clones did not match any mRNAs in the GenBank database. This result suggests that genes associated with alterations in circulating cells of cancer-bearing patients are largely unknown. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR confirmed that two genes are up-regulated in circulating cells of PCa patients, whereas another two genes are down-regulated in the same patients. CONCLUSION: The comprehensive gene expression analysis is capable of identifying differentially expressed genes in circulating cells of healthy men and PCa patients. We did not attempt to enrich specific cell types in this study because phenotypes of CTCs and subsets of leukocytes participating in immunosurveillance remain largely unknown. Continuous studies of these differentially expressed genes will eventually lead us to understand the mechanisms involved in tumor metastasis and immune modulation during cancer development

Consensus classification of posterior cortical atrophy

INTRODUCTION: A classification framework for posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) is proposed to improve the uniformity of definition of the syndrome in a variety of research settings. METHODS: Consensus statements about PCA were developed through a detailed literature review, the formation of an international multidisciplinary working party which convened on four occasions, and a Web-based quantitative survey regarding symptom frequency and the conceptualization of PCA. RESULTS: A three-level classification framework for PCA is described comprising both syndrome- and disease-level descriptions. Classification level 1 (PCA) defines the core clinical, cognitive, and neuroimaging features and exclusion criteria of the clinico-radiological syndrome. Classification level 2 (PCA-pure, PCA-plus) establishes whether, in addition to the core PCA syndrome, the core features of any other neurodegenerative syndromes are present. Classification level 3 (PCA attributable to AD [PCA-AD], Lewy body disease [PCA-LBD], corticobasal degeneration [PCA-CBD], prion disease [PCA-prion]) provides a more formal determination of the underlying cause of the PCA syndrome, based on available pathophysiological biomarker evidence. The issue of additional syndrome-level descriptors is discussed in relation to the challenges of defining stages of syndrome severity and characterizing phenotypic heterogeneity within the PCA spectrum. DISCUSSION: There was strong agreement regarding the definition of the core clinico-radiological syndrome, meaning that the current consensus statement should be regarded as a refinement, development, and extension of previous single-center PCA criteria rather than any wholesale alteration or redescription of the syndrome. The framework and terminology may facilitate the interpretation of research data across studies, be applicable across a broad range of research scenarios (e.g., behavioral interventions, pharmacological trials), and provide a foundation for future collaborative work

The Effects of Silvicultural Treatments on Occurrence of Mycorrhizal Sporocarps in a Pinus contorta Forest: A Preliminary Study

A preliminary survey was conducted to evaluate the effects of thinning and clearcutting, followed by replanting, on mycorrhizal fungi. A total of 48 species of mycorrhizal fungi was recorded for the study site. Suillus brevipes and S. tomentosus were the dominant species. Data from the survey indicate that thinning reduced the total number of species as compared to an undisturbed stand. Some fungi were adversely affected by thinning while others were positively affected. Members of the Hygrophoraceae appeared to be most susceptible to mild disturbance such as thinning. While clearcutting had a negative impact on the total number of sporocarps of mycorrhizal fungi, Suillus brevipes increased in percent abundance as severity of disturbance increased

Free Tissue Transfer Penile Reconstruction

Phalloplasty can be a challenging plastic surgery procedure associated with complications and unsatisfactory results. Phalloplasty has become an important procedure in the setting of trauma, partial or complete excision of the penis, and gender affirmation. Advances in microsurgery has expanded penile reconstruction through free tissue transfer techniques which include the radial forearm free flap, fibular osteocutaneous flap, anterolateral thigh flap, latissimus dorsi flap, scapular flap, and abdominal flaps. Each procedure has advantages and disadvantages; most of the procedures achieve adequate cosmetic results with high patient satisfaction. Most of the surgical complications are related to the reconstruction of the urethra or creating rigidity for intercourse. The main goals of reconstruction are to create a cosmetically appealing phallus with satisfactory sexual function