BMP receptor 1b is required for axon guidance and cell survival in the developing retina

AbstractPrevious work has documented the importance of BMPs in eye development. Loss-of-function studies in mice, with targeted deletions in either the Bmp7 or Bmp4 genes, have shown that these molecules are critical for early eye development. On the basis of the asymmetry in the dorsal–ventral expression patterns of several members of this family, it has been proposed that these molecules are critical for some aspect of dorsal–ventral patterning in the eye; however, it has been difficult to test this hypothesis because of the early requirement for BMPs in eye development. We have therefore examined the effects of loss of one of the BMP receptors, the BmprIb, on the development of the eye by using targeted deletion. We have found that BmprIb is expressed exclusively in the ventral retina during embryonic development and is required for normal ventral ganglion cell axon targeting to the optic nerve head. In mice with a targeted deletion of the BmprIb gene, many axons arising from the ventrally located ganglion cells fail to enter the optic nerve head, and instead, make abrupt turns in this region. A second phenotype in these mice is a significantly elevated inner retinal apoptosis during a distinct phase of postnatal development, at the end of neurogenesis. Our results therefore show two distinct requirements for BmprIb in mammalian retinal development

Improving the Performance of Online Learning Teams - A Discourse Analysis

This paper compares the processes of Face-To-Face (FTF) teams and Online Learning Teams (OLTs) and proposes methods to improve the performance of OLTs. An empirical study reviewed the performance of fifteen FTF teams and OLTs and their communication patterns were coded by the IBMPO system developed by Futoran et al. (1989) in order to develop a discourse analysis for each team. The results confirmed that FTF teams outperformed OLTs and identified four approaches to improve the performance of OLTs: (1) Posting well-organized information; (2) Increasing process gain activities and decreasing process loss activities; (3) Instructions and facilitation to promote the discussion of process and content equally and facilitate better communication patterns; (4) Minimizing members\u27 absences. These are reviewed and practical solutions proposed

Asian American We: Civic Engagement among Low-Income Young Adults

This report describes a study of the civic participation of low-income Asian American adults between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five in the Boston area. It is based upon a mail survey with 100 respondents, focus groups, and organization interviews. The study found that over 60% of the study population engaged in some form of civic participation, most commonly through fundraising or volunteer activities. Other activities included arts and culture with a social message, issues work, and electoral involvement. The area of greatest involvement was education. From the survey, civic engagement is correlated with female gender, higher education, and a perception of living in a low-income area. The demographics of the study population reflect a majority who are female, Chinese, attending college and in the labor force. Vietnamese was the second most reported ethnicity, and most were residents of the cities of Boston and Quincy. The study also showed potential for greater civic participation. The cohort indicated an interest in increasing and broadening their current engagement. The important motivators for civic engagement that emerged from the study are community building, awareness of issues, and material incentive. In order to activate individuals in this group to greater civic participation, advocacy and activist organizations should be aware of these factors and allocate appropriate resources to their further development. These organizations can also be more effective by soliciting widely and in diverse ways and being flexible in how they integrate participants

Long-Term Survival After Radical Prostatectomy Compared to Other Treatments in Older Men With Local or Regional Prostate Cancer

Background This study aimed to address long-term survival in a large population-based cohort of men with prostate cancer receiving radical prostatectomy compared to other treatments. Methods We studied 5,845 patients diagnosed with local/regional stage prostate cancer at age 65–74 in 1992 with comorbidity score Results Of 5,845 patients, 10-year all-cause survival rates were the highest for patients receiving radical prostatectomy (81.0%; 95% CI: 79.4–82.4%), followed by radical prostatectomy in combination with radiotherapy (67.6%; 62.0–72.5%), radiotherapy (60.5%; 58.3–62.6%), and were the lowest for watchful-waiting (50.7%; 47.5–53.8%). A similar pattern was found for 10-year prostate cancer-specific survivals by treatments. After adjusting for age, ethnicity, region, Gleason Score, comorbidity, median annual household income, hormone therapy and chemotherapy, the hazard ratio of all-cause mortality was 0.31 (95% CI: 0.25–0.37) for radical prostatectomy and 0.38 (95% CI: 0.28–0.52) for radical prostatectomy plus radiation therapy compared to those with watchful-waiting. Conclusions There was a significant long-term survival benefit in men receiving radical prostatectomy compared to those receiving watchful-waiting or radiotherapy. J. Surg. Oncol. 2008;97:583–591. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc

Transient knockdown and overexpression reveal a developmental role for the zebrafish enosf1b gene

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Despite detailed <it>in vivo </it>knowledge of glycolytic enolases and many bacterial non-enolase members of the superfamily, little is known about the <it>in vivo </it>function of vertebrate non-enolase enolase superfamily members (ENOSF1s). Results of previous studies suggest involvement of the β splice form of ENOSF1 in breast and colon cancers. This study used the zebrafish (<it>Danio rerio</it>) as a vertebrate model of ENOSF1β function.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Whole mount in situ hybridization (WISH) showed that zebrafish ENOSF1β (<it>enosf1b</it>) is zygotic and expressed ubiquitously through the first 24 hours post fertilization (hpf). After 24 hpf, <it>enosf1b </it>expression is restricted to the notochord. Embryos injected with <it>enosf1b</it>-EGFP mRNA grew slower than EGFP mRNA-injected embryos but caught up to the EGFP-injected embryos by 48 hpf. Embryos injected with ATG or exon 10 <it>enosf1b </it>mRNA-targeting morpholinos had kinked notochords, shortened anterior-posterior axes, and circulatory edema. WISH for <it>ntl </it>or <it>pax2a </it>expression showed that embryos injected with either morpholino have deformed notochord and pronephros. TUNEL staining revealed increased apoptosis in the peri-notochord region.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study is the first report of ENOSF1 function in a vertebrate and shows that ENOSF1 is required for embryonic development. Increased apoptosis following <it>enosf1b </it>knockdown suggests a potential survival advantage for increased ENOSF1β expression in human cancers.</p

Hepatic Xenobiotic Metabolizing Enzyme and Transporter Gene Expression through the Life Stages of the Mouse

Differences in responses to environmental chemicals and drugs between life stages are likely due in part to differences in the expression of xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes and transporters (XMETs). No comprehensive analysis of the mRNA expression of XMETs has been carried out through life stages in any species.Using full-genome arrays, the mRNA expression of all XMETs and their regulatory proteins was examined during fetal (gestation day (GD) 19), neonatal (postnatal day (PND) 7), prepubescent (PND32), middle age (12 months), and old age (18 and 24 months) in the C57BL/6J (C57) mouse liver and compared to adults. Fetal and neonatal life stages exhibited dramatic differences in XMET mRNA expression compared to the relatively minor effects of old age. The total number of XMET probe sets that differed from adults was 636, 500, 84, 5, 43, and 102 for GD19, PND7, PND32, 12 months, 18 months and 24 months, respectively. At all life stages except PND32, under-expressed genes outnumbered over-expressed genes. The altered XMETs included those in all of the major metabolic and transport phases including introduction of reactive or polar groups (Phase I), conjugation (Phase II) and excretion (Phase III). In the fetus and neonate, parallel increases in expression were noted in the dioxin receptor, Nrf2 components and their regulated genes while nuclear receptors and regulated genes were generally down-regulated. Suppression of male-specific XMETs was observed at early (GD19, PND7) and to a lesser extent, later life stages (18 and 24 months). A number of female-specific XMETs exhibited a spike in expression centered at PND7.The analysis revealed dramatic differences in the expression of the XMETs, especially in the fetus and neonate that are partially dependent on gender-dependent factors. XMET expression can be used to predict life stage-specific responses to environmental chemicals and drugs