ArhGAP9, a novel MAP kinase docking protein, inhibits Erk and p38 activation through WW domain binding

We have identified human ArhGAP9 as a novel MAP kinase docking protein that interacts with Erk2 and p38α through complementarily charged residues in the WW domain of ArhGAP9 and the CD domains of Erk2 and p38α. This interaction sequesters the MAP kinases in their inactive states through displacement of MAP kinase kinases targeting the same sites. While over-expression of wild type ArhGAP9 caused MAP kinase activation by the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) to be suppressed and preserved the actin stress fibres in quiescent Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts, over-expression of an ArhGAP9 mutant defective in MAP kinase binding restored EGFR-induced MAP kinase activation and resulted in significant disruption of the stress fibres, consistent with the role of Erk activation in disassembly of actin stress fibres. The interaction between ArhGAP9 and the MAP kinases represents a novel mechanism of cross-talk between Rho GTPase and MAP kinase signaling

A fatal case of oral intoxication by mustard gas

Opisan je slučaj peroralne intosikacije iperitom u namjeri samoubojstva i iznesen obdukcioni nalaz. Ukratko su izneseni neki toksikološki pogledi na otrovanje iperifom, te klinički simptomi i patomorfološke promjene kod intoksikacije ovim otrovom.A case is presented of a man aged 27 who swallowed 50 g of mustard gas (dichlor-diethylsulphide) in order to commit suicide. Although immediately treated at the Internal Clinic of the Medical Faculty, he died 8 hours and 20 minutes after taking the poison. A postmortem examination carried out 19 hours after death, as well as histological findings showed congestion and oedema of the brain, fragmentation of cardiac muscle, oedema of mucous membranes of the upper part of gastrointestinal tract, oedema of larynx and epiglotis, oedema of the liver, and congestion of the spleen, adrenal glands, and kidneys. A microscopic examination of the lung tissue revealed hemorrhages probably due to the irritative effect of the poison

Sentinel surveillance for human enterovirus 71 in Sarawak, Malaysia: lessons from the first 7 years

BACKGROUND: A major outbreak of human enterovirus 71-associated hand, foot and mouth disease in Sarawak in 1997 marked the beginning of a series of outbreaks in the Asia Pacific region. Some of these outbreaks had unusually high numbers of fatalities and this generated much fear and anxiety in the region. METHODS: We established a sentinel surveillance programme for hand, foot and mouth disease in Sarawak, Malaysia, in March 1998, and the observations of the first 7 years are described here. Virus isolation, serotyping and genotyping were performed on throat, rectal, vesicle and other swabs. RESULTS: During this period Sarawak had two outbreaks of human enterovirus 71, in 2000 and 2003. The predominant strains circulating in the outbreaks of 1997, 2000 and 2003 were all from genogroup B, but the strains isolated during each outbreak were genetically distinct from each other. Human enterovirus 71 outbreaks occurred in a cyclical pattern every three years and Coxsackievirus A16 co-circulated with human enterovirus 71. Although vesicles were most likely to yield an isolate, this sample was not generally available from most cases and obtaining throat swabs was thus found to be the most efficient way to obtain virological information. CONCLUSION: Knowledge of the epidemiology of human enterovirus 71 transmission will allow public health personnel to predict when outbreaks might occur and to plan interventions in an effective manner in order to reduce the burden of disease

Effective Inhibition of Xenografts of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HepG2) by Rapamycin and Bevacizumab in an Intrahepatic Model

10.1007/s11307-009-0213-4Molecular Imaging and Biology115334-342CPIM

Toxicogenomic and Phenotypic Analyses of Bisphenol-A Early-Life Exposure Toxicity in Zebrafish

Bisphenol-A is an important environmental contaminant due to the increased early-life exposure that may pose significant health-risks to various organisms including humans. This study aimed to use zebrafish as a toxicogenomic model to capture transcriptomic and phenotypic changes for inference of signaling pathways, biological processes, physiological systems and identify potential biomarker genes that are affected by early-life exposure to bisphenol-A. Phenotypic analysis using wild-type zebrafish larvae revealed BPA early-life exposure toxicity caused cardiac edema, cranio-facial abnormality, failure of swimbladder inflation and poor tactile response. Fluorescent imaging analysis using three transgenic lines revealed suppressed neuron branching from the spinal cord, abnormal development of neuromast cells, and suppressed vascularization in the abdominal region. Using knowledge-based data mining algorithms, transcriptome analysis suggests that several signaling pathways involving ephrin receptor, clathrin-mediated endocytosis, synaptic long-term potentiation, axonal guidance, vascular endothelial growth factor, integrin and tight junction were deregulated. Physiological systems with related disorders associated with the nervous, cardiovascular, skeletal-muscular, blood and reproductive systems were implicated, hence corroborated with the phenotypic analysis. Further analysis identified a common set of BPA-targeted genes and revealed a plausible mechanism involving disruption of endocrine-regulated genes and processes in known susceptible tissue-organs. The expression of 28 genes were validated in a separate experiment using quantitative real-time PCR and 6 genes, ncl1, apoeb, mdm1, mycl1b, sp4, U1SNRNPBP homolog, were found to be sensitive and robust biomarkers for BPA early-life exposure toxicity. The susceptibility of sp4 to BPA perturbation suggests its role in altering brain development, function and subsequently behavior observed in laboratory animals exposed to BPA during early life, which is a health-risk concern of early life exposure in humans. The present study further established zebrafish as a model for toxicogenomic inference of early-life chemical exposure toxicity

The Core and Accessory Genomes of Burkholderia pseudomallei: Implications for Human Melioidosis

Natural isolates of Burkholderia pseudomallei (Bp), the causative agent of melioidosis, can exhibit significant ecological flexibility that is likely reflective of a dynamic genome. Using whole-genome Bp microarrays, we examined patterns of gene presence and absence across 94 South East Asian strains isolated from a variety of clinical, environmental, or animal sources. 86% of the Bp K96243 reference genome was common to all the strains representing the Bp “core genome”, comprising genes largely involved in essential functions (eg amino acid metabolism, protein translation). In contrast, 14% of the K96243 genome was variably present across the isolates. This Bp accessory genome encompassed multiple genomic islands (GIs), paralogous genes, and insertions/deletions, including three distinct lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-related gene clusters. Strikingly, strains recovered from cases of human melioidosis clustered on a tree based on accessory gene content, and were significantly more likely to harbor certain GIs compared to animal and environmental isolates. Consistent with the inference that the GIs may contribute to pathogenesis, experimental mutation of BPSS2053, a GI gene, reduced microbial adherence to human epithelial cells. Our results suggest that the Bp accessory genome is likely to play an important role in microbial adaptation and virulence

Molecular Characterization of Branchial aquaporin 1aa and Effects of Seawater Acclimation, Emersion or Ammonia Exposure on Its mRNA Expression in the Gills, Gut, Kidney and Skin of the Freshwater Climbing Perch, Anabas testudineus

10.1371/journal.pone.0061163PLoS ONE84

CamTrapAsia: A dataset of tropical forest vertebrate communities from 239 camera trapping studies

Information on tropical Asian vertebrates has traditionally been sparse, particularly when it comes to cryptic species inhabiting the dense forests of the region. Vertebrate populations are declining globally due to land‐use change and hunting, the latter frequently referred as “defaunation.” This is especially true in tropical Asia where there is extensive land‐use change and high human densities. Robust monitoring requires that large volumes of vertebrate population data be made available for use by the scientific and applied communities. Camera traps have emerged as an effective, non‐invasive, widespread, and common approach to surveying vertebrates in their natural habitats. However, camera‐derived datasets remain scattered across a wide array of sources, including published scientific literature, gray literature, and unpublished works, making it challenging for researchers to harness the full potential of cameras for ecology, conservation, and management. In response, we collated and standardized observations from 239 camera trap studies conducted in tropical Asia. There were 278,260 independent records of 371 distinct species, comprising 232 mammals, 132 birds, and seven reptiles. The total trapping effort accumulated in this data paper consisted of 876,606 trap nights, distributed among Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Bhutan, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Nepal, and far eastern India. The relatively standardized deployment methods in the region provide a consistent, reliable, and rich count data set relative to other large‐scale pressence‐only data sets, such as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) or citizen science repositories (e.g., iNaturalist), and is thus most similar to eBird. To facilitate the use of these data, we also provide mammalian species trait information and 13 environmental covariates calculated at three spatial scales around the camera survey centroids (within 10‐, 20‐, and 30‐km buffers). We will update the dataset to include broader coverage of temperate Asia and add newer surveys and covariates as they become available. This dataset unlocks immense opportunities for single‐species ecological or conservation studies as well as applied ecology, community ecology, and macroecology investigations. The data are fully available to the public for utilization and research. Please cite this data paper when utilizing the data

Equilibrium studies for the removal of basic dye by sunflower seed husk (Helianthus annuus)

The demand for synthetic dyes has experienced phenol- menal growth in the past several decades and it was 5 reported that more than 7 × 10 metric tons of various dyes are produced worldwide annually (Pearce, 2003). The usage of these dyes has continuously increased in many industries such as textile, paper, plastics and cosmetics. However, most of the dyes are difficult to degrade, as they are generally stable to light and oxidi- zing agents and are resistant to aerobic digestion. As such, the environmental issues surrounding the removal of these pollutants are gaining much more attention now

Mesogenic schiff base esters with benzothiazole core: synthesis and phase transition studies

A series of new rod-shaped mesomorphic compounds, 6-ethoxy-2-(4-alkanoyloxybenzylidenamino)benzothiazoles, consisting of a 2,6-disubstituted benzothiazole core and a Schiff base central linkage, were synthesized and their structures were ascertained via elemental analysis and spectroscopic techniques. Their mesomorphic properties were studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarized optical microscopy (POM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. All compounds showed enantiotropic mesomorphism. Whilst the lower members of the series, hexanoyloxy and octanoyloxy derivatives exhibited nematic phase, the higher members (decanoyloxy, dodecanoyloxy, tetradecanoyloxy, hexadecanoyloxy and octadecanoyloxy derivatives) exhibited nematic and smectic C phases