Morphological Characterization of the African Giant Rat (Cricetomys gambianus, Waterhouse) Brain Across Age Groups: Gross Features of Cortices

This experiment was designed to investigate the morphological characterization of the brain cortices of African giant rats, AGR (Cricetomys gambianus, Waterhouse) across age groups as related to function. A total of 15 male AGR were used for this study comprising of 5 neonates, 5 juveniles and 5 adults. Brains were described as having typical rodent features; the falx cerebri, the dura modification of interest, was partly inserted between the lobes of the olfactory bulb and extended towards the corpus callosum. Gross parameters extrapolated include cerebral and cerebellar cortical dimensions using a one-way ANOVA (p≤0.05). Most values showed highest significant value bias for juveniles over adults and neonates. The average brain weight was 5.60±0.06g, 4.64±0.17g and 0.62±0.08g; cortex volume: 2.84±0.04cm3, 3.16±0.10cm3 and 0.23±0.02cm3 and antero-posterior dimensions: 11.93±0.26mm, 14.54±0.22mm and 6.00±0.16mm for adult, juvenile and neonates respectively. There was however adult bias in the cerebellum weight (0.83±0.02g, 0.76±0.02g and 0.04±0.02g); vermis length (13.23±0.32mm, 11.27±0.014mm and 0.24±0.02mm) and the antero-posterior length values (8.79±0.19mm, 6.97±0.03mm and 0.29±0.01mm) for adults, juveniles and neonates AGR respectively. Cortical parameters were related as a function of the brain development and plasticity, while age was described to play functional roles in intelligence determination of the AGR. The result of this study will be useful as baseline information for post mortem studies, medical imaging and useful as diagnostic tool for future research work on the AGR brain.Keywords: African giant rats, Brain, Morphology, Cerebrum, Cerebellum, Olfactory bul

Petrophysical Evaluation Using Well Logs 3D Models and Mud Log Hydrocarbon Typing Analysis: Case Study of an Onshore Niger Delta Field

Petrophysical evaluation is essential to the upstream sector of every exploration company in the oil industry because accurate formation evaluation enables reserve development models for uptimal well production and management. The study was carried out on an onshore Niger Delta field using eight wells with the objectives of  identifying possible reservoir units with the potential to contain hydrocarbons, delineate hydrocarbon type(oil and gas), and quantify the identified hydrocarbons for possible viable reservoir development and production using both well logs and mud logs as data sets.  Formation evaluation using fluorescence and hydrocarbon typing/potential (qualitative) of the mud logs revealed oil and gas zones (SMKs 6, 13 and 14) and oil zones (SMK 12) corroborated excellently by quick look well log formation evaluation using Density-Neutron Overlays. Quantitative petrophysical evaluation for all wells was made using models from Wireline/MWD logs of the case study reservoir (SAND_O) to account for delineated hydrocarbon zones and results showed sufficient porosity (0.15 – 0.28), Volume of shale (0 – 0.2%), hydrocarbon saturation (60% to 90%) for possible well development with a STOIIP estimate of about 15MBO (million barrels oil equivalent). Keywords: Petrophysical Evaluation, Fluorescence, Hydrocarbon potential, Stock Tank Oil Initially In Place, Niger Delt

Neuroecotoxicology: effects of environmental heavy metal exposure on the brain of african giant rats

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Ameliorative effect of mimo2 (a novel compound from Moringa oleifera leaves) against vanadium-induced neurotoxicity

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Ethics and Responsible Conduct of Research: Workshop Report

The Center for Population and Reproductive Health, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria , with support from its NIH Planning Grant organized a two Day workshop on “Ethics and Responsible Conduct of Research” at the University of Ibadan Centre for Sustainable Development (CESDEV). There were 8 facilitators and 78 participants. The workshop concluded that responsible conduct of research (RCR) is the practice of scientific investigation or research with integrity involving but not limited to the awareness and application of established professional norms and ethical principles in the performance of all activities related to scientific research

The ameliorative effects of a phenolic derivative of Moringa oleifera leave against vanadium-induced neurotoxicity in mice

Vanadium, a transition series metal released during some industrial activities, induces oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation. Ameliorative effect of a pure compound from the methanolic extract of Moringa oleifera leaves, code-named MIMO2, in 14-day old mice administered with vanadium (as sodium metavanadate 3 mg/kg) for 2 weeks was assessed. Results from body weight monitoring, muscular strength, and open field showed slight reduction in body weight and locomotion deficit in vanadium-exposed mice, ameliorated with MIMO2 co-administration. Degeneration of the Purkinje cell layer and neuronal death in the hippocampal CA1 region were observed in vanadium-exposed mice and both appeared significantly reduced with MIMO2 co-administration. Demyelination involving the midline of the corpus callosum, somatosensory and retrosplenial cortices was also reduced with MIMO2. Microglia activation and astrogliosis observed through immunohistochemistry were also alleviated. Immunohistochemistry for myelin, axons and oligodendrocyte lineage cells were also carried out and showed that in vanadium-treated mice brains, oligodendrocyte progenitor cells increased NG2 immunolabelling with hypertrophy and bushy, ramified appearance of their processes. MIMO2 displayed ameliorative and antioxidative effects in vanadium-induced neurotoxicity in experimental murine species. This is likely the first time MIMO2 is being used in vivo in an animal model

A compact VEGF signature associated with distant metastases and poor outcomes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Tumor metastases pose the greatest threat to a patient's survival, and thus, understanding the biology of disseminated cancer cells is critical for developing effective therapies.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Microarrays and immunohistochemistry were used to analyze primary breast tumors, regional (lymph node) metastases, and distant metastases in order to identify biological features associated with distant metastases.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>When compared with each other, primary tumors and regional metastases showed statistically indistinguishable gene expression patterns. Supervised analyses comparing patients with distant metastases versus primary tumors or regional metastases showed that the distant metastases were distinct and distinguished by the lack of expression of fibroblast/mesenchymal genes, and by the high expression of a 13-gene profile (that is, the 'vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) profile') that included <it>VEGF, ANGPTL4, ADM </it>and the monocarboxylic acid transporter <it>SLC16A3</it>. At least 8 out of 13 of these genes contained HIF1α binding sites, many are known to be HIF1α-regulated, and expression of the VEGF profile correlated with HIF1α IHC positivity. The VEGF profile also showed prognostic significance on tests of sets of patients with breast and lung cancer and glioblastomas, and was an independent predictor of outcomes in primary breast cancers when tested in models that contained other prognostic gene expression profiles and clinical variables.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These data identify a compact <it>in vivo </it>hypoxia signature that tends to be present in distant metastasis samples, and which portends a poor outcome in multiple tumor types.</p> <p>This signature suggests that the response to hypoxia includes the ability to promote new blood and lymphatic vessel formation, and that the dual targeting of multiple cell types and pathways will be needed to prevent metastatic spread.</p

Endothelial-like properties of claudin-low breast cancer cells promote tumor vascular permeability and metastasis

The vasculature serves as the main conduit for breast tumor metastases and is a target of therapeutics in many tumor types. In this study, we aimed to determine if tumor-associated vascular properties could help to explain the differences observed in metastagenicity across the intrinsic subtypes of human breast tumors. Analysis of gene expression signatures from more than 3,000 human breast tumors found that genomic programs that measured vascular quantity, vascular proliferation, and a VEGF/Hypoxia-signature were the most highly expressed in claudin-low and basal-like tumors. The majority of the vascular gene signatures added metastasis-predictive information to immunohistochemistry-defined microvessel density scores and genomically defined-intrinsic subtype classification. Interestingly, pure claudin-low cell lines, and subsets of claudin-low-like cells within established basal-like cancer cell lines, exhibited endothelial/tube-like morphology when cultured on Matrigel. In vivo xenografts found that claudin-low tumors, but not luminal tumors, extensively perfused injected contrast agent through paracellular spaces and non-vascular tumor-lined channels. Taken together, the endothelial-like characteristics of the cancer cells, combined with both the amount and the physiologic state of the vasculature contribute to breast cancer metastatic progression. We hypothesize that the genetic signatures we have identified highlight patients that should respond most favorably to anti-vascular agents

Germline mutations in CDH1 are infrequent in women with early-onset or familial lobular breast cancers

BACKGROUND: Germline mutations in CDH1 are associated with hereditary diffuse gastric cancer; lobular breast cancer also occurs excessively in families with such condition. METHOD: To determine if CDH1 is a susceptibility gene for lobular breast cancer in women without a family history of diffuse gastric cancer, germline DNA was analysed for the presence of CDH1 mutations in 318 women with lobular breast cancer who were diagnosed before the age of 45 years or had a family history of breast cancer and were not known, or known not, to be carriers of germline mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2. Cases were ascertained through breast cancer registries and high-risk cancer genetic clinics (Breast Cancer Family Registry, the kConFab and a consortium of breast cancer genetics clinics in the United States and Spain). Additionally, Multiplex Ligation-dependent Probe Amplification was performed for 134 cases to detect large deletions. RESULTS: No truncating mutations and no large deletions were detected. Six non-synonymous variants were found in seven families. Four (4/318 or 1.3%) are considered to be potentially pathogenic through in vitro and in silico analysis. CONCLUSION: Potentially pathogenic germline CDH1 mutations in women with early-onset or familial lobular breast cancer are at most infrequent