Glutathione Metabolism in Renal Cell Carcinoma Progression and Implications for Therapies

A significantly increased level of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger glutathione (GSH) has been identified as a hallmark of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The proposed mechanism for increased GSH levels is to counteract damaging ROS to sustain the viability and growth of the malignancy. Here, we review the current knowledge about the three main RCC subtypes, namely clear cell RCC (ccRCC), papillary RCC (pRCC), and chromophobe RCC (chRCC), at the genetic, transcript, protein, and metabolite level and highlight their mutual influence on GSH metabolism. A further discussion addresses the question of how the manipulation of GSH levels can be exploited as a potential treatment strategy for RCC

Establishing Solar Water Disinfection as a water treatment method at household level

1.1 billion People worldwide do not have access to safe drinking water and therefore are exposed to a high risk for diarrhoeal diseases. As a consequence, about 6,000 children die each day of dehydration due to diarrhoea. Adequate water treatment methods and safe storage of drinking water, combined with hygiene promotion, are required to prevent the population without access to safe drinking water from illness and death. Solar water disinfection (SODIS) is a new water treatment to be applied at household level with a great potential to reduce diarrhoea incidence of users. The method is very simple and the only resources required for its application are transparent PET plastic bottles (or glass bottles) and sufficient sunlight: microbiologically contaminated water is filled into the bottles and exposed to the full sunlight for 6 hours. During solar exposure, the diarrhoea causing pathogens are killed by the UV-A radiation of the sunlight. At present, SODIS is used by about 2 Million users in more than 20 countries of the South. Diarrhoea incidence of users significantly has been reduced by 30 to 70 %. A careful and long-term community education process that involves creating awareness on the importance of treating drinking water and initiates behaviour change is required to establish the sustainable practice of SODIS at community level. In Madagascar, more than 160 children younger than 5 years die each day from malaria, diarrhoea and acute respiratory illnesses. The application of household water treatment methods such as SODIS significantly could contribute to improve their health

Acylcarnitine profiling by low-resolution LC-MS

Acylcarnitines are fatty acyl esters of L-carnitine and facilitate the entry of long-chain fatty acids into mitochondria via the carnitine shuttle, where they are metabolized via ß-oxidation. Alterations of acylcarnitine species can be diagnostic for fatty acid oxidation disorders and organic aciduria and are thus frequently used to screen newborns. Only a subfraction of all known acylcarnitines is thereby monitored and quantified. Therefore, a method for the simultaneous fast and robust detection of all known acylcarnitines was developed using a single concise liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) approach. Derivatization by 3-nitrophenylhydrazine increased the signal intensity of the acylcarnitines and a linear elution from a reversed phase column was observed that was dependent on the length of the carbon chain. This allowed a precise prediction of the exact elution time for each acylcarnitine class, which depended solely on the chemical nature of the carbon chain. This method can be further used to screen for yet unknown acylcarnitine species and adds a layer of confidence for their correct identification. Altogether 123 acylcarnitines species were used to establish a targeted low-resolution LC-MS method. The method was applied to acylcarnitine profiling in several mouse tissues and fluids, in order to identify large differences in the quantity and composition of acylcarnitines

Romantic Relationships: Beliefs Reflected, Reinforced, and Created in Popular Song Lyrics and Musical Content

Language and music work together in popular songs to portray messages that help construct listeners\u27 reality. As humans, we understand and interpret the world through the language and images provided for us in our symbolic universe. Mass media – particularly those forms that distribute popular music – help to create and reflect the ideologies, or common sets of beliefs, within a culture. Thus, popular music is an important artifact for examination. Popular music is a mass media form in which messages concerning romantic relationships abound. This study\u27s examination of the Billboard top eight popular songs from 1990 to 1995 provides insight into widely distributed messages about romantic relationships. The specific messages in the lyrics and musical content of the eight songs portray realistic, unrealistic, healthy, and unhealthy accounts of how normal romantic relationships function. Some of the observations elicited in the texts include portrayals of gender inequality, power imbalances, codependency, a focus on physical aspects, and utopian idealism that create normal accounts of romantic relationships. Such unrealistic and unhealthy portrayals convey dangerous distorted images of romantic relationships that help to form listeners\u27 reality. Thus, beliefs about romantic relationships are reflected, reinforced, and created through popular songs

White shark cage diving in South Africa: a critical assessment of South Africa's regulatory framework

'White Shark Cage Diving' (WSCD) enables tourists to experience a face-to-face encounter with wild sharks in the open water. In order to attract the animals close to the cages, tour operators often use chum, bait, or decoys, which interferes with the natural habits of marine wildlife. These practices have great potential to adversely impact animals and the marine environment, with unknown long-term consequences. Globally, South Africa has the most extensive WSCD industry. The management is based on a policy paper and regulations published in 2008 by the Minister of Environmental Affairs (a ministry which also included Tourism). This thesis discusses the question of whether South Africa's WSCD industry is appropriately regulated in the light of today's best practices. South Africa's regulatory framework will be compared to the management arrangements of other jurisdiction where WSCD takes place. The ultimate objective of this thesis is to determine whether the South Africa's WSCD regime strikes a sustainable balance between commercial interests and the need to protect this elusive creature

The effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and Rhizophagus irregularis on soil microorganisms assessed by metatranscriptomics and metaproteomics

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) form symbioses with approximately 80% of plant species and potentially benefit their hosts (e.g. nutrient acquisition) and the soil environment (e.g. soil aggregation). AMF also affect soil microbiota and soil multifunctionality. We manipulated AMF presence (via inoculation of non-sterile soil with Rhizophagus irregularis and using a hyphal compartment design) and used RNA-seq and metaproteomics to assess AMF roles in soil. The results indicated that AMF drove an active soil microbial community expressing transcripts and proteins related to nine metabolic functions, including the metabolism of C and N. We suggest two possible mechanisms: 1) the AMF hyphae produce exudates that select a beneficial community, or, 2) the hyphae compete with other soil microbes for available nutrients and consequently induce the community to mineralize nutrients from soil organic matter. We also identified candidate proteins that are potentially related to soil aggregation, such as Lpt and HSP60. Our results bridge microbial ecology and ecosystem functioning. We show that the AMF hyphosphere contains an active community related to soil respiration and nutrient cycling, thus potentially improving nutrient mineralization from soil organic matter and nutrient supply to the plants

Wie sich die Dienstleistungswirtschaft durch Daten wandelt

Dieses Werk ist lizenziert unter einer Creative Commons Namensnennung 3.0 Schweiz Lizenz (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ch/

Daten-basierter Service-Nutzen entlang der Customer Journey

Der Begriff Digitalisierung ist omnipräsent und wird besonders auch im Kundendienst als unerlässliches Mittel für die Zukunftstauglichkeit betrachtet. Jedoch zielt dies zu oft vor allem auf betriebliche Effizienzsteigerung ab. Durch Automatisierung im Kundendienst soll der Personalaufwand reduziert werden

Simulation based case studies for management training in the fields of production and supply chain Management

It is well known that interactive learning is much more efficient than classical learning with textbooks. With the broad propagation of computers, new opportunities for computer-based interactive learning are available. In particular, simulation based learning allows the student to learn based on experience. In economic and technical environments, where complex systems comprise numerous decision variables, conducting experiments can provide a deeper insights and an intuitive understanding to the student. In the present paper, a newly developed environment for computer-based interactive learning in the fields of production and supply chain training is described. The different steps from the evaluation of an appropriate electronic platform to the development of eight different case studies for the students are explained. The environment now provides an easily applicable and ready-to-use solution for university teachers and their students