Impactos Arizona SB 1070 sobre o Stress, de Fixação e de Escola Graus de Estudantes Americanos Mexicanos

Understanding the impacts of immigration legislation on Mexican ethnic students who are citizens of the United States is needed. This study investigates how passage of Arizona’s anti-immigration law, SB 1070, in 2010 bears upon the schooling experiences of Mexican American high school students. Applying Meyer’s Minority Stress Model as the theoretical foundation for this work, the authors ultimately explore, 1) whether perceived discrimination along with acculturation, racial phenotype, familiarity and stress associated with SB 1070 influence school grades, and 2) the effects of SB 1070 stress on the school attachment of Mexican American high school students. The authors find that perceived discrimination and skin color are both negatively related to grades, whereas maintaining Spanish is positively related to grades, and SB 1070 stress and its effects are dependent upon levels of perceived discrimination. Likewise, while the authors find no relation of SB 1070 stress to school attachment, they do find that this relationship is moderated by perceived discrimination such that school attachment decreases as stress associated with SB 1070 increases for individuals with lower perceived discrimination. For individuals with high levels of perceived discrimination, there is a positive association between school attachment and SB 1070 stress. By impacting their acculturative stress, Arizona’s SB 1070 has further upset an already precarious schooling experience for Mexican American students. Son necesarios estudios que comprendan los impactos de las leyes de inmigración sobre los estudiantes mexicanos que son ciudadanos de los Estados Unidos. Este estudio investiga cómo la ley anti-inmigrante de Arizona, SB 1070, en 2010 influye sobre las experiencias escolares de los estudiantes mexicanos de secundaria en los EEUU. Utilizando el Modelo de Estrés de Minorías de Meyer como el fundamento teórico de este trabajo, los autores exploran, 1) si la percepción de discriminación junto con la aculturación, fenotipo racial, familiaridad y el estrés asociado con la SB 1070 afectan las notas escolares y 2) los efectos de la ley SB 1070 en el apego hacia la escuela de los estudiantes mexicanos de secundaria estadounidenses. Los autores encuentran que la discriminación percibida y color de la piel se relacionan negativamente con las notas, mientras que el mantenimiento de Español está positivamente relacionada con los notas, y el estrés y los efectos de la SB 1070 dependen de los niveles de discriminación percibida. Del mismo modo, mientras que los autores no encuentran relación entre estrés de la SB 1070 y el apego a la escuela, encuentran que esta relación es moderada por la discriminación percibida y que el apego escolar disminuye a medida que el estrés asociado con la SB 1070 aumenta para los individuos con menor percepción de discriminación. Para las personas con altos niveles de discriminación, hay una asociación positiva entre el apego escolar y SB 1070 estrés. Impactando el estrés por aculturación, SB 1070 de Arizona genera una experiencia escolar aún más incomoda a la ya precaria experiencia de los estudiantes mexicoamericanos.São necessários estudos para entender os impactos das leis de imigração sobre os estudantes mexicanos que são cidadãos dos Estados Unidos. Este estudo investiga como a lei anti-imigrante Arizona SB 1070 de 2010 influenciou as experiências escolares dos alunos do ensino médio mexicanos dos EUA. Usando o Modelo Estresse de Minorias do Meyer como  fundamentação teórica, os autores exploram 1) se a percepção de discriminação, aculturação, fenótipo racial, familiaridade e estresse associado com a SB 1070 afeta as notas escolares e 2) os efeitos da SB 1070 sobre o apego à escola de estudantes mexicanos do ensino médio americano. Os autores descobriram que a discriminação percebida e cor da pele se relacionam negativamente com as notas, manter o espanhol se relaciona positivamente com as notas, e estresse e os efeitos da SB 1070 dependerá dos níveis de discriminação percebida. Da mesma forma, enquanto os autores não encontraram nenhuma relação entre o estresse do SB 1070 e apego à escola, eles acham que essa relação é moderada por a percepção de discriminação e o apego escolar diminui à medida que o estresse associado com a SB 1070 aumenta para os indivíduos com menor percepção de discriminação. Para as pessoas com altos níveis de discriminação, há uma associação positiva entre o apego escolar e o stress da SB 1070. Impactando os níveis de estresse e aculturação, a lei Arizona SB 1070 cria uma experiência escolar ainda mais desconfortável para a já precária experiência dos estudantes americanos mexicanos

A Bioinformatics-Assisted Review on Iron Metabolism and Immune System to Identify Potential Biomarkers of Exercise Stress-Induced Immunosuppression

The immune function is closely related to iron (Fe) homeostasis and allostasis. The aim of this bioinformatics-assisted review was twofold; (i) to update the current knowledge of Fe metabolism and its relationship to the immune system, and (ii) to perform a prediction analysis of regulatory network hubs that might serve as potential biomarkers during stress-induced immunosuppression. Several literature and bioinformatics databases/repositories were utilized to review Fe metabolism and complement the molecular description of prioritized proteins. The Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) was used to build a protein-protein interactions network for subsequent network topology analysis. Importantly, Fe is a sensitive double-edged sword where two extremes of its nutritional status may have harmful effects on innate and adaptive immunity. We identified clearly connected important hubs that belong to two clusters: (i) presentation of peptide antigens to the immune system with the involvement of redox reactions of Fe, heme, and Fe trafficking/transport; and (ii) ubiquitination, endocytosis, and degradation processes of proteins related to Fe metabolism in immune cells (e.g., macrophages). The identified potential biomarkers were in agreement with the current experimental evidence, are included in several immunological/biomarkers databases, and/or are emerging genetic markers for different stressful conditions. Although further validation is warranted, this hybrid method (human-machine collaboration) to extract meaningful biological applications using available data in literature and bioinformatics tools should be highlighted.The ‘Bioinformatics-assisted Review’ is a project developed and supported by the Research Division at the Dynamical Business and Science Society—DBSS International SAS. The APC was funded by the Exercise & Sport Nutrition Laboratory (ESNL) at Texas A&M University, the POWER LAB at University of Central Florida and the Sport Genomics Research Group at University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU

PPARα and PPARγ activation is associated with pleural mesothelioma invasion but therapeutic inhibition is ineffective

Mesothelioma is a cancer that typically originates in the pleura of the lungs. It rapidly invades the surrounding tissues, causing pain and shortness of breath. We compared cell lines injected either subcutaneously or intrapleurally and found that only the latter resulted in invasive and rapid growth. Pleural tumors displayed a transcriptional signature consistent with increased activity of nuclear receptors PPARα and PPARγ and with an increased abundance of endogenous PPAR-activating ligands. We found that chemical probe GW6471 is a potent, dual PPARα/γ antagonist with anti-invasive and anti-proliferative activity in vitro. However, administration of GW6471 at doses that provided sustained plasma exposure levels sufficient for inhibition of PPARα/γ transcriptional activity did not result in significant anti-mesothelioma activity in mice. Lastly, we demonstrate that the in vitro anti-tumor effect of GW6471 is off-target. We conclude that dual PPARα/γ antagonism alone is not a viable treatment modality for mesothelioma

Reconstruction of ancient microbial genomes from the human gut

Loss of gut microbial diversity in industrial populations is associated with chronic diseases, underscoring the importance of studying our ancestral gut microbiome. However, relatively little is known about the composition of pre-industrial gut microbiomes. Here we performed a large-scale de novo assembly of microbial genomes from palaeofaeces. From eight authenticated human palaeofaeces samples (1,000–2,000 years old) with well-preserved DNA from southwestern USA and Mexico, we reconstructed 498 medium- and high-quality microbial genomes. Among the 181 genomes with the strongest evidence of being ancient and of human gut origin, 39% represent previously undescribed species-level genome bins. Tip dating suggests an approximate diversification timeline for the key human symbiont Methanobrevibacter smithii. In comparison to 789 present-day human gut microbiome samples from eight countries, the palaeofaeces samples are more similar to non-industrialized than industrialized human gut microbiomes. Functional profiling of the palaeofaeces samples reveals a markedly lower abundance of antibiotic-resistance and mucin-degrading genes, as well as enrichment of mobile genetic elements relative to industrial gut microbiomes. This study facilitates the discovery and characterization of previously undescribed gut microorganisms from ancient microbiomes and the investigation of the evolutionary history of the human gut microbiota through genome reconstruction from palaeofaeces

A systematic molecular dynamics study of nearest-neighbor effects on base pair and base pair step conformations and fluctuations in B-DNA

It is well recognized that base sequence exerts a significant influence on the properties of DNA and plays a significant role in protein–DNA interactions vital for cellular processes. Understanding and predicting base sequence effects requires an extensive structural and dynamic dataset which is currently unavailable from experiment. A consortium of laboratories was consequently formed to obtain this information using molecular simulations. This article describes results providing information not only on all 10 unique base pair steps, but also on all possible nearest-neighbor effects on these steps. These results are derived from simulations of 50–100 ns on 39 different DNA oligomers in explicit solvent and using a physiological salt concentration. We demonstrate that the simulations are converged in terms of helical and backbone parameters. The results show that nearest-neighbor effects on base pair steps are very significant, implying that dinucleotide models are insufficient for predicting sequence-dependent behavior. Flanking base sequences can notably lead to base pair step parameters in dynamic equilibrium between two conformational sub-states. Although this study only provides limited data on next-nearest-neighbor effects, we suggest that such effects should be analyzed before attempting to predict the sequence-dependent behavior of DNA

Effects of genome-wide copy number variation on expression in mammalian cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There is only a limited understanding of the relation between copy number and expression for mammalian genes. We fine mapped <it>cis </it>and <it>trans </it>regulatory loci due to copy number change for essentially all genes using a human-hamster radiation hybrid (RH) panel. These loci are called copy number expression quantitative trait loci (ceQTLs).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Unexpected findings from a previous study of a mouse-hamster RH panel were replicated. These findings included decreased expression as a result of increased copy number for 30% of genes and an attenuated relationship between expression and copy number on the X chromosome suggesting an <it>Xist </it>independent form of dosage compensation. In a separate glioblastoma dataset, we found conservation of genes in which dosage was negatively correlated with gene expression. These genes were enriched in signaling and receptor activities. The observation of attenuated X-linked gene expression in response to increased gene number was also replicated in the glioblastoma dataset. Of 523 gene deserts of size > 600 kb in the human RH panel, 325 contained <it>trans </it>ceQTLs with -log₁₀<it>P </it>> 4.1. Recently discovered genes, ultra conserved regions, noncoding RNAs and microRNAs explained only a small fraction of the results, suggesting a substantial portion of gene deserts harbor as yet unidentified functional elements.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Radiation hybrids are a useful tool for high resolution mapping of <it>cis </it>and <it>trans </it>loci capable of affecting gene expression due to copy number change. Analysis of two independent radiation hybrid panels show agreement in their findings and may serve as a discovery source for novel regulatory loci in noncoding regions of the genome.</p

Satellite Cells Senescence in Limb Muscle of Severe Patients with COPD

Centre de recherche de l’Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec, Québec, Canada Rationale: The maintenance of peripheral muscle mass may be compromised in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) due to premature cellular senescence and exhaustion of the regenerative potential of the muscles. Methods: Vastus lateralis biopsies were obtained from patients with COPD (n = 16) and healthy subjects (n = 7). Satellite cell number and the proportion of central nuclei, as a marker of muscle regenerative events, were assessed on cryosections. Telomere lengths, used as a marker of cellular senescence, were determined using Southern blot analyses. Results: Central nuclei proportion was significantly higher in patients with COPD with a preserved muscle mass compared to controls and patients with COPD with muscle atrophy (p,0.001). In COPD, maximal telomere length was significantly decreased compared to controls (p,0.05). Similarly, minimal telomere length was significantly reduced in GOLD III–IV patients with muscle atrophy compared to controls (p,0.005). Minimal, mean and maximum telomere lengths correlated with mid-thigh muscle cross-sectional area (MTCSA) (R = 0.523, p = 0.005; R = 0.435, p = 0.019 and R = 0.491, p = 0.009, respectively). Conclusions: Evidence of increased regenerative events was seen in GOLD III–IV patients with preserved muscle mass. Shortening of telomeres in GOLD III–IV patients with muscle atrophy is consistent with an increased number of senescen