The relevance of IL-1β and IL-1RN gene polymorphisms in the etiology of preterm delivery in the population of Polish women

Objectives: Preterm delivery (PTD) is one of the important challenges for perinatal medicine due to prematurity and associated complications. The mechanisms leading to the PTD occurrence are not fully clarified and it is assumed that PTD is a complex phenomenon caused by many different pathophysiological factors. Nowadays, an important role is attributed to genetic determinants of PTD, pointing to possible relevance of polymorphic variants of candidate genes to participate in the etiology of PTD. The aim of the study was to assess the relevance of +3953C > T IL-1β and 86 bp VNTR IL-1RN gene polymorphisms in the etiology of PTD in Polish women.  Material and methods: Study group consisted of 150 women (mean age 29.2 ± 5.6 years, mean weeks of gestational age 33.7 ± 2.8 gw.) with preterm delivery (22 + 0 – 36 + 6 gw.). To the control group 150 healthy pregnant women (mean age 29.0 ± 3.7 years, mean weeks of gestational age 39.3 ± 1.2 gw.) who delivered > 37 gw. were enrolled. All investigated polymorphisms were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP).  Results: The interesting observation was the notice of overrepresentation of 2/2 genotype of IL-1RN gene in the control group (8.0 vs. 3.3%, p = 0.06) and 2 allele in the control group (25.0 vs. 20.0%, p = 0.07).  Conclusions:  The +3953C > T polymorphism of IL-1β gene probably is not connected with the risk of preterm delivery.  The study results points to the possible modulating effect of mutated IL-1RN* 2 allele (86 bp VNTR polymorphism) of IL-1RN gene in decreased risk of preterm delivery.

Do subterranean mammals use the Earth’s magnetic field as a heading indicator to dig straight tunnels?

Subterranean rodents are able to dig long straight tunnels. Keeping the course of such “runways” is important in the context of optimal foraging strategies and natal or mating dispersal. These tunnels are built in the course of a long time, and in social species, by several animals. Although the ability to keep the course of digging has already been described in the 1950s, its proximate mechanism could still not be satisfactorily explained. Here, we analyzed the directional orientation of 68 burrow systems in five subterranean rodent species (Fukomys anselli, F. mechowii, Heliophobius argenteocinereus, Spalax galili, and Ctenomys talarum) on the base of detailed maps of burrow systems charted within the framework of other studies and provided to us. The directional orientation of the vast majority of all evaluated burrow systems on the individual level (94%) showed a significant deviation from a random distribution. The second order statistics (averaging mean vectors of all the studied burrow systems of a respective species) revealed significant deviations from random distribution with a prevalence of north–south (H. argenteocinereus), NNW–SSE (C. talarum), and NE–SW (Fukomys mole-rats) oriented tunnels. Burrow systems of S. galili were randomly oriented. We suggest that the Earth’s magnetic field acts as a common heading indicator, facilitating to keep the course of digging. This study provides a field test and further evidence for magnetoreception and its biological meaning in subterranean mammals. Furthermore, it lays the foundation for future field experiments

Review of battery powered embedded systems design for mission-critical low-power applications

The applications and uses of embedded systems is increasingly pervasive. Mission and safety critical systems relying on embedded systems pose specific challenges. Embedded systems is a multi-disciplinary domain, involving both hardware and software. Systems need to be designed in a holistic manner so that they are able to provide the desired reliability and minimise unnecessary complexity. The large problem landscape means that there is no one solution that fits all applications of embedded systems. With the primary focus of these mission and safety critical systems being functionality and reliability, there can be conflicts with business needs, and this can introduce pressures to reduce cost at the expense of reliability and functionality. This paper examines the challenges faced by battery powered systems, and then explores at more general problems, and several real-world embedded systems

Cognitive Social Psychology

Social psychology is presently dominated by cognitive theories that emphasize the importance of personal beliefs and in tellective processes as the immediate determinants of behavior. The present paper explores two areas of.research within this tra dition : (1) beliefs about the external world, and (2) beliefs about the self. The paper concludes with a brief critique of the cognitive approach to social psychology.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/69030/2/10.1177_014616727700300402.pd

Homeobox transcription factor muscle segment homeobox 2 (Msx2) correlates with good prognosis in breast cancer patients and induces apoptosis in vitro

Introduction: The homeobox-containing transcription factor muscle segment homeobox 2 (Msx2) plays an important role in mammary gland development. However, the clinical implications of Msx2 expression in breast cancer are unclear. The aims of this study were to investigate the potential clinical value of Msx2 as a breast cancer biomarker and to clarify its functional role in vitro. Methods: Msx2 gene expression was first examined in a well-validated breast cancer transcriptomic dataset of 295 patients. Msx2 protein expression was then evaluated by immunohistochemistry in a tissue microarray (TMA) containing 281 invasive breast tumours. Finally, to assess the functional role of Msx2 in vitro, Msx2 was ectopically expressed in a highly invasive breast tumour cell line (MDA-MB-231) and an immortalised breast cell line (MCF10a), and these cell lines were examined for changes in growth rate, cell death and cell signalling. Results: Examination of Msx2 mRNA expression in a breast cancer transcriptomic dataset demonstrated that increased levels of Msx2 were associated with good prognosis (P = 0.011). Evaluation of Msx2 protein expression on a TMA revealed that Msx2 was detectable in both tumour cell nuclei and cytoplasm. Cytoplasmic Msx2 expression was associated with low grade tumours (P = 0.012) and Ki67 negativity (P = 0.018). Nuclear Msx2 correlated with low-grade tumours (P = 0.015), estrogen receptor positivity (P = 0.038), low Ki67 (P = 0.005) and high cyclin D1 expression (P = 0.037). Increased cytoplasmic Msx2 expression was associated with a prolonged breast cancer-specific survival (P = 0.049), recurrence-free survival (P = 0.029) and overall survival (P = 0.019). Ectopic expression of Msx2 in breast cell lines resulted in radically decreased cell viability mediated by induction of cell death via apoptosis. Further analysis of Msx2-expressing cells revealed increased levels of p21 and phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and decreased levels of Survivin and the 'split ends' (SPEN) protein family member RBM15. Conclusions: We conclude that increased Msx2 expression results in improved outcome for breast cancer patients, possibly by increasing the likelihood of tumour cell death by apoptosis

A comparison of instrumentation for measuring the losses of large power transformers

NRC publication: Ye

Nucleotide Sequence Variation in the Transcription Factor STAT5A 5'-noncoding Region in Bos taurus and Bos indicus Cattle

The original publication can be found at www.springerlink.comK. Flisikowski, S. Hiendleder, and L. Zwierzchowsk

Digital techniques in HV tests-summary of 1989 panel session

NRC publication: Ye