Effect of three calmodulin antagonists on subpopulations of CD44/CD24 immunophenotypes in breast cancer cell lines

Purpose: To determine the effect of three calmodulin antagonists (A-7, W-7 and W-13) on the subpopulations of CD44/CD24  immunophenotypes in MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468 breast cancer cell lines.Methods: Flow cytometry analysis was used to determine the proportion of the various subpopulations of the immunophenotypes, viz, CD44+CD24-, CD44-CD24+ and CD44+CD24+, when MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468 cells were subjected to calmodulin antagonists. The effect of W-13 on the invasion properties of  MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468 was investigated using Matrigel invasion assay.Results: A-7, W-7 and W-13 caused alterations in the subpopulation of CD44+CD24- in MDA-MB-231 cells. The most potent antagonist was W-13 as it reduced the proportion of tumorigenic CD44+CD24- to 0.64 ± 0.05 at a concentration of 80 μM. In contrast, the subpopulation of MDA-MB-468 cells, which had a low fraction of  CD44+CD24-, was not altered when administered with W-7 but showed variations when incubated with W-13. Specifically, when the concentration of W-13 increased from 20 – 100 μM, the proportion of CD44+CD24+ was reduced from 92.93 ± 3.2 to 60.96 ± 2.4. The effect of W-13 on the subpopulations of CD44+CD24- and CD44+CD24+ in MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468, respectively, reduced the invasion properties of the cells.Conclusion: The calmodulin antagonist, W-13, has a significant antitumor effect on MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468 breast cancer cells

Soil water balance approach in root zone of maize (95-TZEEY) using capacitance probe (Diviner 2000) in northen Guinea Savannah of Nigeria

Water balance approach is the simplest method in the study of plant water consumption. The experiment was established in 4.0 x 5.0 m plots in a randomized complete block design containing six (6) treatments water application (3-days, 4-days, 5-days, 6-days, 7-days and 8-days which correspond to T1, T2, T3, T4, T5 and T6 respectively) using gravity methods with four replications giving a total of twenty four (24) plots. One Polyvinylchloride (PVC) access tube was installed in the centre of each plots and measurements were taken daily over the growth season of March to June. The Diviner 2000 uses the method that utilizes the high dielectric constant of water compared to soil and air to determine water content of the soil. The research result from the experimental field of maize (95-TZEEY) on measurement of soil water status using capacitance probe (Diviner 2000) for three dry seasons are presented. Keywords: Water, Diviner, Probe, Soi

Post-compensation of nonlinear distortions of 64-QAM signals in a semiconductor based wavelength converter

We experimentally investigate post-compensation of nonlinear distortions induced by a wavelength converter (WC) based on four-wave mixing in a semiconductor optical amplifier. The technique exploits a low-complexity digital filter-based back-propagation (DFBP) method. We perform post-compensation of nonlinear distortions following single stage wavelength conversion of 5 Gbaud 64- quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). We examine the DFBP performances in the presence of a degraded optical signal-to-noise ratio at the WC input and we explore the WC optimal operating conditions. Also, we experimentally demonstrate for the first time in the literature dual stage wavelength conversion of QAM signals, in particular, 5 Gbaud 64-QAM, and show that bit error rate below hard-decision forward error correction threshold is only possible with post-compensation of nonlinear distortions. These results are of importance for the development of wavelength routed networks requiring successive wavelength conversion stages to enhance routing capabilities

Fluid Particle Accelerations in Fully Developed Turbulence

The motion of fluid particles as they are pushed along erratic trajectories by fluctuating pressure gradients is fundamental to transport and mixing in turbulence. It is essential in cloud formation and atmospheric transport, processes in stirred chemical reactors and combustion systems, and in the industrial production of nanoparticles. The perspective of particle trajectories has been used successfully to describe mixing and transport in turbulence, but issues of fundamental importance remain unresolved. One such issue is the Heisenberg-Yaglom prediction of fluid particle accelerations, based on the 1941 scaling theory of Kolmogorov (K41). Here we report acceleration measurements using a detector adapted from high-energy physics to track particles in a laboratory water flow at Reynolds numbers up to 63,000. We find that universal K41 scaling of the acceleration variance is attained at high Reynolds numbers. Our data show strong intermittency---particles are observed with accelerations of up to 1,500 times the acceleration of gravity (40 times the root mean square value). Finally, we find that accelerations manifest the anisotropy of the large scale flow at all Reynolds numbers studied.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

Stretch for the treatment and prevention of contractures (Review)

Background Contractures are a common complication of neurological and non-neurological conditions, and are characterised by a reduction in joint mobility. Stretch is widely used for the treatment and prevention of contractures. However, it is not clear whether stretch is effective. This review is an update of the original 2010 version of this review. Objectives The aim of this review was to determine the effects of stretch on contractures in people with, or at risk of developing, contractures.The outcomes of interest were joint mobility, quality of life, pain, activity limitations, participation restrictions, spasticity and adverse events. Search methods In November 2015 we searched CENTRAL, DARE, HTA; MEDLINE; Embase; CINAHL; SCI-EXPANDED; PEDro and trials registries. Selection criteria We included randomised controlled trials and controlled clinical trials of stretch applied for the purpose of treating or preventing contractures. Data collection and analysis Two review authors independently selected trials, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias. The outcomes of interest were joint mobility, quality of life, pain, activity limitations, participation restrictions and adverse events. We evaluated outcomes in the short term (up to one week after the last stretch) and in the long term (more than one week). We expressed effects as mean differences (MD) or standardised mean differences (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). We conducted meta-analyses with a random-effects model. We assessed the quality of the body of evidence for the main outcomes using GRADE.Main results Forty-nine studies with 2135 participants met the inclusion criteria. No study performed stretch for more than seven months. Just over half the studies (51%) were at low risk of selection bias; all studies were at risk of detection bias for self reported outcomes such as pain and at risk of performance bias due to difficulty of blinding the intervention. However, most studies were at low risk of detection bias for objective outcomes including range of motion, and the majority of studies were free from attrition and selective reporting biases. The effect of these biases were unlikely to be important, given that there was little benefit with treatment. There was high-quality evidence that stretch did not have clinically important short-term effects on joint mobility in people with neurological conditions (MD 2°; 95% CI 0° to 3°; 26 studies with 699 participants) or non-neurological conditions (SMD 0.2, 95% CI 0 to 0.3, 19 studies with 925 participants). In people with neurological conditions, it was uncertain whether stretch had clinically important short-term effects on pain (SMD 0.2; 95% CI -0.1 to 0.5; 5 studies with 174 participants) or activity limitations (SMD 0.2; 95% CI -0.1 to 0.5; 8 studies with 247 participants). No trials examined the short-term effects of stretch on quality of life or participation restrictions in people with neurological conditions. Five studies involving 145 participants reported eight adverse events including skin breakdown, bruising, blisters and pain but it was not possible to statistically analyse these data. In people with non-neurological conditions, there was high-quality evidence that stretch did not have clinically important short-term effects on pain (SMD-0.2, 95%CI -0.4 to 0.1; 7 studies with 422 participants) and moderate-quality evidence that stretch did not have clinically important short-term effects on quality of life (SMD 0.3, 95% CI -0.1 to 0.7; 2 studies with 97 participants). The short-term effect of stretch on activity limitations (SMD 0.1; 95% CI -0.2 to 0.3; 5 studies with 356 participants) and participation restrictions were uncertain (SMD -0.2; 95% CI -0.6 to 0.1; 2 studies with 192 participants). Nine studies involving 635 participants reported 41 adverse events including numbness, pain, Raynauds’ phenomenon, venous thrombosis, need for manipulation under anaesthesia, wound infections, haematoma, flexion deficits and swelling but it was not possible to statistically analyse these data. Authors’ conclusions There was high-quality evidence that stretch did not have clinically important effects on joint mobility in people with or without neurological conditions if performed for less than seven months. Sensitivity analyses indicate results were robust in studies at risk of selection and detection biases in comparison to studies at low risk of bias. Sub-group analyses also suggest the effect of stretch is consistent in people with different types of neurological or non-neurological conditions. The effects of stretch performed for periods longer than sevenmonths have not been investigated. There was moderate- and high-quality evidence that stretch did not have clinically important short-term effects on quality of life or pain in people with non-neurological conditions, respectively. The short-term effects of stretch on quality of life and pain in people with neurological conditions, and the short-term effects of stretch on activity limitations and participation restrictions for people with and without neurological conditions are uncertain

Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an educational intervention for practice teams to deliver problem focused therapy for insomnia: rationale and design of a pilot cluster randomised trial

Background: Sleep problems are common, affecting over a third of adults in the United Kingdom and leading to reduced productivity and impaired health-related quality of life. Many of those whose lives are affected seek medical help from primary care. Drug treatment is ineffective long term. Psychological methods for managing sleep problems, including cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBTi) have been shown to be effective and cost effective but have not been widely implemented or evaluated in a general practice setting where they are most likely to be needed and most appropriately delivered. This paper outlines the protocol for a pilot study designed to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an educational intervention for general practitioners, primary care nurses and other members of the primary care team to deliver problem focused therapy to adult patients presenting with sleep problems due to lifestyle causes, pain or mild to moderate depression or anxiety. Methods and design: This will be a pilot cluster randomised controlled trial of a complex intervention. General practices will be randomised to an educational intervention for problem focused therapy which includes a consultation approach comprising careful assessment (using assessment of secondary causes, sleep diaries and severity) and use of modified CBTi for insomnia in the consultation compared with usual care (general advice on sleep hygiene and pharmacotherapy with hypnotic drugs). Clinicians randomised to the intervention will receive an educational intervention (2 × 2 hours) to implement a complex intervention of problem focused therapy. Clinicians randomised to the control group will receive reinforcement of usual care with sleep hygiene advice. Outcomes will be assessed via self-completion questionnaires and telephone interviews of patients and staff as well as clinical records for interventions and prescribing. Discussion: Previous studies in adults have shown that psychological treatments for insomnia administered by specialist nurses to groups of patients can be effective within a primary care setting. This will be a pilot study to determine whether an educational intervention aimed at primary care teams to deliver problem focused therapy for insomnia can improve sleep management and outcomes for individual adult patients presenting to general practice. The study will also test procedures and collect information in preparation for a larger definitive cluster-randomised trial. The study is funded by The Health Foundation

Developmental effects on reproductive hormone levels: A migrant study

Previous studies have established that average profiles of salivary progesterone and oestradiol, differ considerably among populations. Diet, age, and energetics appear responsible for acute inter-populational differences, but significant, unexplained differences in chronic levels of reproductive steroids remain. Based on developmental hypotheses advanced by reproductive ecologists, a migration study was initiated to assess whether environmental conditions experienced during development can influence patterns of adult ovarian hormones. Salivary steroid profiles of Bangladeshi women who migrated to the UK at different times (infancy, childhood, adulthood) were compared to those of women in Bangladesh, second-generation Bangladeshi migrants, and white women bom and resident in the UK. Data on socio- demographics, anthropometry, physical activity, diet and reproductive history were also collected. The following hypotheses and predictions were examined: A) Early life conditions influence adult set points of ovarian steroid hormones - women in Bangladesh and adult migrants will have lower ovarian steroids than child migrants, second generation and white women B) improved conditions during childhood can alter levels of ovarian steroids child migrants will have levels of ovarian steroids that are negatively correlated with age at migration and C) alterations in conditions after maturation do not modify set points established during early life - adult migrants will have steroid levels that are comparable to Bangladeshi sedentees. The predictions were upheld for progesterone but not for oestradiol. Results point to infancy and childhood as a sensitive period when changes in environmental conditions determine the tempo of growth and maturation, as well as later adult progesterone levels. In contrast, no evidence was found of a developmental effect on adult levels of oestradiol. The alterations in hormones levels among Bangladeshi migrants, together with a changing diet and reproductive behaviours, may put child migrants and second-generation women at increased risk for breast cancer in later life