Comparative analysis of CD1a, S-100, CD83, and CD11c human dendritic cells in normal, premalignant, and malignant tissues

A number of antibodies that recognize human dendritic cells (DC) have been identified. The main aim of this study was to compare and contrast different antigen retrieval techniques using both enzymatic and non-enzymatic treatments in order to determine the expression and distribution of several DC markers on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues. Normal human lung, oral epithelial hyperplasia lesions, oral squamous cell carcinoma, and prostate adenocarcinoma tissues were evaluated using a panel of DC specific antibodies. The results of immunohistochemical staining for CD83, CD1a, CD11c, and S-100 DC markers were compared following the different antigen retrieval approaches. The overall best results for the analysis of tumor-associated DC were obtained with the enzymatic methods. Protease XXIV digestion was determined to be essential for detection of S-100 and CD11c positive DC, whereas trypsin and pepsin were required for the recognition of CD1a and CD83 expressing tumor-associated DC. These results could be easily adapted for routine practice and should be useful for characterization of the DC system in cancer patients for both diagnostic and prognostic purposes. In addition, standardized procedures for evaluating different subpopulations of tumor-associated DC should bring new insights in understanding of DC-tumor cell interaction

Synchronous dynamics of zooplankton competitors prevail in temperate lake ecosystems

Although competing species are expected to exhibit compensatory dynamics (negative temporal covariation), empirical work has demonstrated that competitive communities often exhibit synchronous dynamics (positive temporal covariation). This has led to the suggestion that environmental forcing dominates species dynamics; however, synchronous and compensatory dynamics may appear at different length scales and/or at different times, making it challenging to identify their relative importance. We compiled 58 long-term datasets of zooplankton abundance in north-temperate and subtropical lakes and used wavelet analysis to quantify general patterns in the times and scales at which synchronous/compensatory dynamics dominated zooplankton communities in different regions and across the entire dataset. Synchronous dynamics were far more prevalent at all scales and times and were ubiquitous at the annual scale. Although we found compensatory dynamics in approximately 14% of all combinations of time period/scale/ lake, there were no consistent scales or time periods during which compensatory dynamics were apparent across different regions. Our results suggest that the processes driving compensatory dynamics may be local in their extent, while those generating synchronous dynamics operate at much larger scales. This highlights an important gap in our understanding of the interaction between environmental and biotic forces that structure communities. © 2014 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved

Genotypes associated with reduced activity of VKORC1 and CYP2C9 and their modification of acenocoumarol anticoagulation during the initial treatment period.

Item does not contain fulltextThe objective of this study was to investigate the influence of genotypes associated with reduced activity of vitamin K epoxide reductase complex subunit 1 (VKORC1) and cytochrome P450 2C9 (CYP2C9) on anticoagulation with acenocoumarol during the first 6 weeks of treatment. In 1,525 patients from the Rotterdam Study who were started on anticoagulation therapy with acenocoumarol, the presence of VKORC1 1173C>T and CYP2C9*2 and *3 allele variants was determined. The first international normalized ratio (INR) after initial standard dose, risk of overanticoagulation, and mean dosage at the end of the initiation period were compared between genotypes. The initial standard dosage significantly increased the risk of severe overanticoagulation by 85% for each additional VKORC1 T-allele present. At the end of the initiation period, each VKORC1 T-allele present was shown to decrease the required acenocoumarol dosage by 5.1 mg/week, while each CYP2C9 variant allele present reduced the required dosage by 1.8 mg/week. Our conclusion was that an initial standard dosing regimen with acenocoumarol increases the risk of severe overanticoagulation in patients with variant alleles of the VKORC1 and CYP2C9 genes