Low temperature maximizes growth of Crocus vernus (L.) Hill via changes in carbon partitioning and corm development

In Crocus vernus, a spring bulbous species, prolonged growth at low temperatures results in the development of larger perennial organs and delayed foliar senescence. Because corm growth is known to stop before the first visual sign of leaf senescence, it is clear that factors other than leaf duration alone determine final corm size. The aim of this study was to determine whether reduced growth at higher temperatures was due to decreased carbon import to the corm or to changes in the partitioning of this carbon once it had reached the corm. Plants were grown under two temperature regimes and the amount of carbon fixed, transported, and converted into a storable form in the corm, as well as the partitioning into soluble carbohydrates, starch, and the cell wall, were monitored during the growth cycle. The reduced growth at higher temperature could not be explained by a restriction in carbon supply or by a reduced ability to convert the carbon into starch. However, under the higher temperature regime, the plant allocated more carbon to cell wall material, and the amount of glucose within the corm declined earlier in the season. Hexose to sucrose ratios might control the duration of corm growth in C. vernus by influencing the timing of the cell division, elongation, and maturation phases. It is suggested that it is this shift in carbon partitioning, not limited carbon supply or leaf duration, which is responsible for the smaller final biomass of the corm at higher temperatures

Doing social inclusion with ELSiTO: Empowering learning for social inclusion through occupation

Objectives: The European partnership ELSiTO aimed to develop understanding of the nature and processes of social inclusion for persons experiencing mental illness. Participants: Partners were from Belgium, Greece and the Netherlands with over 30 members including mental health service users, occupational therapists and other staff. Approach: A knowledge-creation learning process was used during four international, experiential, visits and local meetings, which included visiting and describing good practice, telling stories of experiences, reflection and discussion. Results: The partnership developed understandings of the nature and process of social inclusion, including both subjective and objective aspects interrelated with the doing of daily activities in the community. Members' work-related experiences, illustrated through their stories, depict the subjective aspects of social inclusion as they are shaped and framed by the objective conditions within a variety of work opportunities. Experiences in paid work, supported employment and voluntary work may both threaten and enhance mental health. Features of successful (voluntary) work experiences are identified. Conclusions: The importance is revealed of looking critically at current understandings of work and to move beyond a narrow focus on paid work in order to provide a range of work opportunities that will empower the individual's potential and promote inclusivesch_occ[1] Bourdieu, P. (1998). The essence of neoliberalism [Electronic Version]. Le Monde. Retrieved May 30, 2010 from http://www.analitica.com/bitblio/bourdieu/neoliberalism.asp. [2] Burns, T., Catty, J., Becker, T., Drake, R., Fioritti, A., Knapp, M., et al. (2007). The effectiveness of supported employment for persons with severe mental illness: A randomised controlled trial. The Lancet, 370, 1146-1152. [3] Busschbach , J. v. and Michon, H. (2011). Effectiviteit van individuele plaatsing en steun in Nederland. Verslag van een gerandomiseerde gecontroleerde effectstudie. (Effectiveness of IPS in the Netherlands. Report of a RCT.): Trimbos-instituut. [4] Cook, S. and Chambers, E. (2009). What helps and hinders people with psychotic conditions doing what they want in their daily lives. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 72(6), 238-248. [5] COTEC. (2011). Position paper of the Council of occupational therapists for the European countries: European year of volunteering 2011. Retrieved August 12, 2011, from http://www.cotec-europe.org/userfiles/file/volontiranje.pdf. [6] Davis, M. and Rinaldi, M. (2004). Using an evidence-based approach to enable people withmental health problems to gain and retain employment, education and voluntary work. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 67(7), 319-322. [7] Dutch Government. (2011). De Wet werken naar vermogen. Retrieved June 6, 2011, from http://www.rijksoverheid.nl/ onderwerpen/wet-werken-naar-vermogen-wwnv/de-wetwerken- naar-vermogen. [8] Eklund, M. (2009).Work status, daily activities and quality of life among people with severe mental illness. Qual Life Res, 18, 163-170. [9] Eklund, M., Leufstaduis, C. and Bejerholm, U. (2009). Time use among people with psychiatric disabilities: Implications for practice. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 32(3), 177- 191. [10] European Commission. (2008). Mental Health in the EU Key Facts, Figures, and Activities. Retrieved November 12, 2010, from http://ec.europa.eu/health/archive/ph determinants/life style/mental/docs/background paper en.pdf. [11] European Commission. (2010). European Disability Strategy 2010-2020: A renewed commitment to a barrier-free Europe. Retrieved February 5, 2011, from http://eur-lex.europa.eu/ LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2010:0636:FIN:EN: PDF. [12] European Commission. (2011). European year of volunteering 2011. Retrieved August 20, 2011, from http://ec.europa. eu/citizenship/focus/focus840 en.htm. [13] European Council. (2009). Joint report on social protection and social inclusion. Retrieved September 10, 2010, from http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=757&langId=en. [14] Eurostat. (2010). Combating poverty and social exclusion. A statistical portrait of the European Union 2010. Retrieved August 8, 2011, from http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/ cache/ITY OFFPUB/KS-EP-09-001/EN/KS-EP-09-001-EN. PDF. [15] Gabriel, P. and Liimatainen, M.-R. (2000). Mental health in the workplace. Geneva: International Labour Office. [16] Gold, P. and Waghorn, G. (2007). Comment: Supported employment for people with severe mental illness. The Lancet, 370, 1108-1109. [17] Koi.S.P.E. (2011). Odigos ton Koinonikon Synetairismon Periorismenis Euthinis (Koi.S.P.E.) (Guide to the Koi.S.P.E.). Athens: PEPSAEE. [18] Mee, J., Sumsion, T. and Craik, C. (2004). Mental health clients confirm the value of occupation in building competence and self-identity. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 67(5), 225-223. [19] Paavola, S. and Hakkarainen, K. (2005). The knowledge creation metaphor - an emergent epistimological approach to learning. Science and Education, 14, 535-557. [20] Royal College of Psychiatrists. (2009). Position Statement. Mental Health and Social Inclusion. Making Psychiatry and Mental Health Services Fit for the 21st Century. London: Royal College of Psychiatrists. [21] Secker, J., Membrey, H., Grove, B. and Seebohm, P. (2002). Recovering from illness or recovering your life? Implications of clinical versus social models of recovery from mental health problems for employment support services. Disability and Society, 17(4), 403-418. [22] Tregaskis, C. (2002). Social Model Theory: The story so far . . . Disability and Society, 17(4), 457-470. [23] UWV information on job coaching personal support. Retrieved October 3, 2011, from http://www.uwv.nl/zakelijk/reintegratiediensten/ instrumenten-subsidies/jobcoach/index. aspx. [24] Wilcock, A. (2006). An occupational perspective of health. Thorofare: Slack Incorporated. [25] Wolfe, A. (1997). Themoral meanings of work. The American Prospect, 34(14), 82-90.41pub3055pub

Clinical significance of stromal apoptosis in colorectal cancer

BackgroundEpithelial and stromal cells play an important role in the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). We aimed to determine the prognostic significance of both epithelial and stromal cell apoptosis in CRC.MethodsTotal apoptosis was determined by caspase-3 activity measurements in protein homogenates of CRC specimens and adjacent normal mucosa of 211 CRC patients. Epithelial apoptosis was determined by an ELISA specific for a caspase-3-degraded cytokeratin 18 product, the M30 antigen. Stromal apoptosis was determined from the ratio between total and epithelial apoptosis.ResultsEpithelial and stromal apoptosis, as well as total apoptosis, were significantly higher in CRC compared with corresponding adjacent normal mucosa. Low total tumour apoptosis (< or = median caspase-3 activity) was associated with a significantly worse disease recurrence (hazard ratio (HR), 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.77 (1.05-3.01)), independent of clinocopathological parameters. Epithelial apoptosis was not associated with clinical outcome. In contrast, low stromal apoptosis (< or = median caspase-3/M30) was found to be an independent prognostic factor for overall survival, disease-free survival and disease recurrence, with HRs (95% CI) of 1.66 (1.17-2.35), 1.62 (1.15-2.29) and 1.69 (1.01-2.85), respectively.InterpretationStromal apoptosis, in contrast to epithelial apoptosis, is an important factor with respect to survival and disease-recurrence in CRC

A Voltage-Gated H+ Channel Underlying pH Homeostasis in Calcifying Coccolithophores

Marine coccolithophorid phytoplankton are major producers of biogenic calcite, playing a significant role in the global carbon cycle. Predicting the impacts of ocean acidification on coccolithophore calcification has received much recent attention and requires improved knowledge of cellular calcification mechanisms. Uniquely amongst calcifying organisms, coccolithophores produce calcified scales (coccoliths) in an intracellular compartment and secrete them to the cell surface, requiring large transcellular ionic fluxes to support calcification. In particular, intracellular calcite precipitation using HCO3− as the substrate generates equimolar quantities of H+ that must be rapidly removed to prevent cytoplasmic acidification. We have used electrophysiological approaches to identify a plasma membrane voltage-gated H+ conductance in Coccolithus pelagicus ssp braarudii with remarkably similar biophysical and functional properties to those found in metazoans. We show that both C. pelagicus and Emiliania huxleyi possess homologues of metazoan Hv1 H+ channels, which function as voltage-gated H+ channels when expressed in heterologous systems. Homologues of the coccolithophore H+ channels were also identified in a diversity of eukaryotes, suggesting a wide range of cellular roles for the Hv1 class of proteins. Using single cell imaging, we demonstrate that the coccolithophore H+ conductance mediates rapid H+ efflux and plays an important role in pH homeostasis in calcifying cells. The results demonstrate a novel cellular role for voltage gated H+ channels and provide mechanistic insight into biomineralisation by establishing a direct link between pH homeostasis and calcification. As the coccolithophore H+ conductance is dependent on the trans-membrane H+ electrochemical gradient, this mechanism will be directly impacted by, and may underlie adaptation to, ocean acidification. The presence of this H+ efflux pathway suggests that there is no obligate use of H+ derived from calcification for intracellular CO2 generation. Furthermore, the presence of Hv1 class ion channels in a wide range of extant eukaryote groups indicates they evolved in an early common ancestor

Methanotrophy, Methylotrophy, the Human Body and Disease

Methylotrophic Bacteria use one-carbon (C1) compounds as their carbon source. They have been known to be associated to the human body for almost 20 years as part of the normal flora and were identified as pathogens in the early 1990s in end-stage HIV patients and chemotherapy patients. In this chapter, I look at C1 compounds in the human body and exposure from the environment and then consider Methylobacterium spp. and Methylorubrum spp. in terms of infections, its role in breast and bowel cancers; Methylococcus capsulatus and its role in inflammatory bowel disease, and Brevibacterium casei and Hyphomicrobium sulfonivorans as part of the normal human flora. I also consider the abundance of methylotrophs from the Actinobacteria being identified in human studies and the potential bias of the ionic strength of culture media and the needs for future work. Within the scope of future work, I consider the need for the urgent assessment of the pathogenic, oncogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic potential of Methylobacterium spp. and Methylorubrum spp. and the need to handle them at higher containment levels until more data are available