How does insect resistance to phosphine affect insect control costs of stored-grain?

Crop Production/Industries,

N-Cadherin cleavage during activated hepatic stellate cell apoptosis is inhibited by tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1. [In supplement: 11th International Symposium on the Cells of the Hepatic Sinusoid and their Relation to Other Cells]

Apoptosis of hepatic stellate cells (HSC) has previously been shown to occur during spontaneous resolution of experimental liver fibrosis. TIMP-1 has also been shown to have a key role because of its ability to inhibit apoptosis of HSC via matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) inhibition. This has led to further study of novel substrates for MMPs that might impact on HSC survival. N-Cadherin is known to mediate cell-cell contacts in fibroblasts. In this study we demonstrate that N-Cadherin is expressed by activated rat HSC. Furthermore, during apoptosis of HSC, the N-Cadherin is cleaved into smaller fragments. Apoptosis of HSC may be inhibited by TIMP-1. This is associated with reduced fragmentation of N-Cadherin. N-Cadherin may have an important role in supporting HSC survival while N-Cadherin cleavage may play a part in promoting HSC apoptosis in recovery from liver fibrosis

Fire in Southern Appalachians: Fuels, Stand Structure and Oaks

Managers responsible for maintaining the diversity and productivity of Southern Appalachian forests are increasingly turning to prescribed fire as an important management tool in oak dominated forests. The decision to use fire with increasing frequency and spatial extent is based, in part, on an emerging sense of the prehistoric significance of fire in this landscape and its potential to control the proliferation of fire-sensitive competitors in contemporary forests. While it is well documented that fire has been an important ecological force in Southern Appalachian forests for a very long time, there has been little research to demonstrate that prescribed fire effectively controls fire-sensitive competitors, promotes regeneration of desirable species, or maintains and promotes healthy forest stands. In the face of increased management burning there is a need to address these questions, and to quantify the role of existing and residual fuels in fire management following repeated fire of differing intervals. Two studies were initiated in 1995 and 2002 in upland forests on the Cumberland Plateau of Kentucky to examine the effectiveness of prescribed fire to maintain oak dominance by altering stand structure and enhancing oak seedling establishment and development. We hypothesized that fire would: (1) reduce midstory stem density, and that these changes to stand structure and light availability would lead to improved performance of oak seedlings; and (2) control oak competitors. On ridgetop sites on the escarpment of the Cumberland Plateau, we measured stand structure and tree regeneration on 48 plots in 6 treatment areas over an 11-year period. Four units were burned 3-4 times and two units serve as fire-excluded references. On the topographically-dissected landscape of the Cumberland Plateau we recorded stand structure and multiple aspects of the tree regeneration process on 9 study sites (93 plots), with three sites burned four times, three sites burned twice, and three fire-excluded sites. Prescribed fire reduced midstory stem density and basal area, and increased light availability which was transitory due to understory sprouting. Seedling population studies revealed that oaks and maple seedlings responded to stem kill by re-sprouting, with increased height and diameter. However, red maple seedlings grew more than oaks after burning. Burning reduced seedling density of potential competitor species, yet high fecundity of some species (e.g., red maple) and strong sprouting response of others (e.g., sassafras), suggests that multiple fires have provided neither the stand structural changes nor competition control that would lead to the development of more competitive oak advance reproduction. An oak mast event revealed a potentially positive role for fire in reducing the depth of the litter layer and enhancing oak seedling establishment and growth. Overall, our results suggest a modest role for prescribed fire in enhancing the establishment, growth and persistence of oak advance regeneration

Bostonia. Volume 13

Founded in 1900, Bostonia magazine is Boston University's main alumni publication, which covers alumni and student life, as well as university activities, events, and programs

A non-pharmacologic approach to address challenging behaviors of Veterans with dementia: description of the tailored activity program-VA randomized trial

BACKGROUND: Behavioral symptoms accompanying dementia are associated with increased health care costs, reduced quality of life and daily functioning, heightened family caregiver burden, and nursing home placement. Standard care typically involves pharmacologic agents, but these are, at best, modestly effective, carry serious risks, including mortality, and do not address behavioral symptoms families consider most distressful and which may prompt nursing home placement. Given dementia’s devastating effects and the absence of an imminent cure, the Veterans Administration has supported the development and testing of new approaches to manage challenging behaviors at home. METHODS/DESIGN: The Tailored Activity Program – Veterans Administration is a Phase III efficacy trial designed to reduce behavioral symptoms in Veterans with dementia living with their caregivers in the community. The study uses a randomized two-group parallel design with 160 diverse Veterans and caregivers. The experimental group receives a transformative patient-centric intervention designed to reduce the burden of behavioral symptoms in Veterans with dementia. An occupational therapist conducts an assessment to identify a Veteran’s preserved capabilities, deficit areas, previous roles, habits, and interests to develop activities tailored to the Veteran. Family caregivers are then trained to incorporate activities into daily care. The attention-control group receives bi-monthly telephone contact where education on topics relevant to dementia is provided to caregivers. Key outcomes include reduced frequency and severity of behavioral symptoms using the 12-item Neuropsychiatric Inventory (primary endpoint), reduced caregiver burden, enhanced skill acquisition, efficacy using activities, and time spent providing care at 4 months; and long-term effects (8 months) on the Veteran’s quality of life and frequency and severity of behavioral symptoms, and caregiver use of activities. The programs’ impact of Veterans Administration cost is also examined. Study precision will be increased through face-to-face research team trainings with procedural manuals and review of audio-taped interviews and intervention sessions. DISCUSSION: The Tailored Activity Program – Veterans Administration is designed to improve the quality of life of Veterans with dementia and lessen the burden of care on caregivers. Activities are tailored to reflect the Veteran’s preserved capabilities and interests to enhance active engagement, while not taxing areas of cognition that are most impaired. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT0135756

Evidence for down-regulation of beta-2-adreno-ceptors in cirrhotic patients with severe ascites

The density and affinity of beta-2-adrenoceptors on mononuclear cells from peripheral blood were studied in fifteen patients with cirrhosis of different severity and in thirteen controls. There was no significant difference between cirrhotic patients and controls in density or affinity of beta-2 binding sites. Within the cirrhotic group, however, the number of binding sites per cell was significantly lower in patients with severe ascites than in patients with mild to moderate or no ascites. This down-regulation of beta-adrenoceptors could influence the haemodynamic response to beta-blockers