Butyltins in Crassostrea virginica from Nine Reefs in Mississippi Sound

Tributyltin (TBT), a very effective anti-foulant, has been banned from most marine paint uses since 1988 because of its reputed toxicity to nontarget organisms. Crassostrea virginica were collected from nine reefs in the Mississippi Sound in 1993 and analyzed for concentrations of butyltins: TBT, dibutyltin (DBT) and monobutyltin (MBT). TBT concentrations ranged from \u3c2 to \u3e20 ng(Sn)/g wet wt. Highest concentrations of butyltins were found at eastern Sound reefs near intense shipping and ship building activities with lowest concentrations found in the western Sound

Fatty Acid Pattern Differences Among Individuals of Two Estuarine Fishes (Leiostomus xanthurus and Mugil cephalus)

Ten individual fish of two estuarine species, spot (Leiostomus xanthurus) and striped mullet (Mugil cephalus), were analyzed for fatty acids. Fish of similar size were obtained from a single collection to minimize variability due to age, size, location and season. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) of each fatty acid provided statistically similar groups for each acid that existed among individual fish. Fatty acids in the striped mullet provided a greater number of statistically similar groups than those in spot, indicating greater variability among individual striped mullet, which probably reflected a greater diversity in the feeding regime for this species. ANOVA results within classes of fatty acids of both species indicated greater diversity in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated than saturated fatty acids. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) showed more individual variability in both species than did docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Dietary lipids and metabolic needs of the two species are distinct and may be the key factors in explaining individual differences observed in these two fish species

Fatty Acid Pattern Differences Among Individuals of Two Estuarine Fishes (Leiostomus xanthurus and Mugil cephalus)

Ten individual fish of two estuarine species, spot (Leiostomus xanthurus) and striped mullet (Mugil cephalus), were analyzed for fatty acids. Fish of similar size were obtained from a single collection to minimize variability due to age, size, location and season. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) of each fatty acid provided statistically similar groups for each acid that existed among individual fish. Fatty acids in the striped mullet provided a greater number of statistically similar groups than those in spot, indicating greater variability among individual striped mullet, which probably reflected a greater diversity in the feeding regime for this species. ANOVA results within classes of fatty acids of both species indicated greater diversity in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated than saturated fatty acids. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) showed more individual variability in both species than did docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Dietary lipids and metabolic needs of the two species are distinct and may be the key factors in explaining individual differences observed in these two fish species

A Geochemical Study of a Marsh Environment

The goal of this study was twofold: 1) chemically to characterize a specific salt marsh, the sediments and associated biota and 2) to establish clear relationships between the chemical substances residing in the sediments and similar or identical substances occurring in the biological specimens. In this particular study it was felt that the hydrocarbons would yield the most significant organic geochemical information. These compounds are ubiquitous but minor components of all organisms. Though their function is not entirely understood, it is known that they are concentrated in the waxy coatings of plants and most likely aid in the protective mechanisms of plants. Among the several classes of biochemical materials, the hydrocarbons exhibit probably the greatest resistance to biological and chemical degradation and therefore may be preferentially concentrated and preserved in sedimentary environments. An extreme variety of specific hydrocarbons occurs naturally in plants and hence the possible combinations and distributions of these hydrocarbons are limitless. The stability and unique distributions of hydrocarbons ranks them as a very important tool in the correlation of biolipids and geolipids

A Geochemical Study of a Marsh Environment

The goal of this study was twofold: 1) chemically to characterize a specific salt marsh, the sediments and associated biota and 2) to establish clear relationships between the chemical substances residing in the sediments and similar or identical substances occurring in the biological specimens. In this particular study it was felt that the hydrocarbons would yield the most significant organic geochemical information. These compounds are ubiquitous but minor components of all organisms. Though their function is not entirely understood, it is known that they are concentrated in the waxy coatings of plants and most likely aid in the protective mechanisms of plants. Among the several classes of biochemical materials, the hydrocarbons exhibit probably the greatest resistance to biological and chemical degradation and therefore may be preferentially concentrated and preserved in sedimentary environments. An extreme variety of specific hydrocarbons occurs naturally in plants and hence the possible combinations and distributions of these hydrocarbons are limitless. The stability and unique distributions of hydrocarbons ranks them as a very important tool in the correlation of biolipids and geolipids

Deep sequencing analysis of the developing mouse brain reveals a novel microRNA

Extent: 15p.Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that can exert multilevel inhibition/repression at a post-transcriptional or protein synthesis level during disease or development. Characterisation of miRNAs in adult mammalian brains by deep sequencing has been reported previously. However, to date, no small RNA profiling of the developing brain has been undertaken using this method. We have performed deep sequencing and small RNA analysis of a developing (E15.5) mouse brain. Results: We identified the expression of 294 known miRNAs in the E15.5 developing mouse brain, which were mostly represented by let-7 family and other brain-specific miRNAs such as miR-9 and miR-124. We also discovered 4 putative 22-23 nt miRNAs: mm_br_e15_1181, mm_br_e15_279920, mm_br_e15_96719 and mm_br_e15_294354 each with a 70-76 nt predicted pre-miRNA. We validated the 4 putative miRNAs and further characterised one of them, mm_br_e15_1181, throughout embryogenesis. Mm_br_e15_1181 biogenesis was Dicer1-dependent and was expressed in E3.5 blastocysts and E7 whole embryos. Embryo-wide expression patterns were observed at E9.5 and E11.5 followed by a near complete loss of expression by E13.5, with expression restricted to a specialised layer of cells within the developing and early postnatal brain. Mm_br_e15_1181 was upregulated during neurodifferentiation of P19 teratocarcinoma cells. This novel miRNA has been identified as miR-3099. Conclusions: We have generated and analysed the first deep sequencing dataset of small RNA sequences of the developing mouse brain. The analysis revealed a novel miRNA, miR-3099, with potential regulatory effects on early embryogenesis, and involvement in neuronal cell differentiation/function in the brain during late embryonic and early neonatal development.King-Hwa Ling, Peter J Brautigan, Christopher N Hahn, Tasman Daish, John R Rayner, Pike-See Cheah, Joy M Raison, Sandra Piltz Jeffrey R Mann, Deidre M Mattiske, Paul Q Thomas, David L Adelson and Hamish S Scot

Down-Regulation of miR-92 in Breast Epithelial Cells and in Normal but Not Tumour Fibroblasts Contributes to Breast Carcinogenesis

Background MicroRNA (miR) expression is commonly dysregulated in many cancers, including breast. MiR–92 is one of six miRs encoded by the miR-17-92 cluster, one of the best-characterised oncogenic miR clusters. We examined expression of miR–92 in the breast epithelium and stroma during breast cancer progression. We also investigated the role of miR–92 in fibroblasts in vitro and showed that down-regulation in normal fibroblasts enhances the invasion of breast cancer epithelial cells. Methodology/Principal Findings We used laser microdissection (LMD) to isolate epithelial cells from matched normal, DCIS and invasive tissue from 9 breast cancer patients and analysed miR–92 expression by qRT-PCR. Expression of ERβ1, a direct miR–92 target, was concurrently analysed for each case by immunohistochemistry. LMD was also used to isolate matched normal (NFs) and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) from 14 further cases. Effects of miR–92 inhibition in fibroblasts on epithelial cell invasion in vitro was examined using a Matrigel™ assay. miR– 92 levels decreased in microdissected epithelial cells during breast cancer progression with highest levels in normal breast epithelium, decreasing in DCIS (p<0.01) and being lowest in invasive breast tissue (p<0.01). This was accompanied by a shift in cell localisation of ERβ1 from nuclear expression in normal breast epithelium to increased cytoplasmic expression during progression to DCIS (p = 0.0078) and invasive breast cancer (p = 0.031). ERβ1 immunoreactivity was also seen in stromal fibroblasts in tissues. Where miR–92 expression was low in microdissected NFs this increased in matched CAFs; a trend also seen in cultured primary fibroblasts. Down-regulation of miR–92 levels in NFs but not CAFs enhanced invasion of both MCF–7 and MDA-MB–231 breast cancer epithelial cells. Conclusions miR–92 is gradually lost in breast epithelial cells during cancer progression correlating with a shift in ERβ1 immunoreactivity from nuclei to the cytoplasm. Our data support a functional role in fibroblasts where modification of miR–92 expression can influence the invasive capacity of breast cancer epithelial cells. However in silico analysis suggests that ERβ1 may not be the most important miR–92 target in breast cancer

Impact of Optimized Breastfeeding on the Costs of Necrotizing Enterocolitis in Extremely Low Birthweight Infants

To estimate risk of NEC for ELBW infants as a function of preterm formula and maternal milk (MM) intake and calculate the impact of suboptimal feeding on NEC incidence and costs

2012 ACCF/AHA/ACP/AATS/PCNA/SCAI/STS guideline for the diagnosis and management of patients with stable ischemic heart disease

The recommendations listed in this document are, whenever possible, evidence based. An extensive evidence review was conducted as the document was compiled through December 2008. Repeated literature searches were performed by the guideline development staff and writing committee members as new issues were considered. New clinical trials published in peer-reviewed journals and articles through December 2011 were also reviewed and incorporated when relevant. Furthermore, because of the extended development time period for this guideline, peer review comments indicated that the sections focused on imaging technologies required additional updating, which occurred during 2011. Therefore, the evidence review for the imaging sections includes published literature through December 2011