Real-time pair-feeding of animals

Automatic pair-feeding system was developed which immediately dispenses same amount of food to control animal as has been consumed by experimental animal that has free access to food. System consists of: master feeding system; slave feeding station; and control mechanism. Technique performs real time pair-feeding without attendant time lag

Automatic real-time pair-feeding system for animals

A pair feeding method and apparatus are provided for experimental animals wherein the amount of food consumed is immediately delivered to a normal or control animal so that there is a qualitative, quantitative and chronological correctness in the pair feeding of the two animals. This feeding mechanism delivers precisely measured amounts of food to a feeder. Circuitry is provided between master and slave feeders so that there is virtually no chance of a malfunction of the feeding apparatus, causing erratic results. Recording equipment is also provided so that an hourly record is kept of food delivery

Delirium in older patients undergoing aortic valve replacement: incidence, predictors, and cognitive prognosis.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement is increasingly performed in frail older patients who were previously ineligible for a standard surgical procedure. The objectives of this study are to determine delirium incidence, predictors, and relationship with cognitive performance at 3-month follow-up in older patients undergoing aortic valve replacement (AVR). Patients (N = 93) aged 70 years and older, undergoing transcatheter (TAVR, N = 66) or surgical (SAVR, N = 27) aortic valve replacement in an academic medical center were enrolled in this prospective cohort study. Delirium was assessed using the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) on postoperative days 1, 2, 3, and 7. Data on patients' socio-demographics, functional status (including instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), and surgical risk scores (including Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) risk score), were collected at baseline. Cognitive status was assessed with the Mini-Mental Status Exam (MMSE) and the Clock Drawing Test (CDT) at baseline and 3 months after AVR. Delirium occurred in 21 (23%) patients, within the first three postoperative days in 95% (20/21) of the cases. Delirium incidence was lower in TAVR (13/66 = 20%) than SAVR (8/27 = 30%) patients, but this difference was not statistically significant (p = .298). Patients with delirium had lower baseline cognitive performance (median MMSE score 27.0 ± 3.0 vs 28.0 ± 3.0, p = .029), lower performance in IADL (7.0 vs 8.0, p = .038), and higher STS risk scores (4.7 ± 2.7 vs 2.9 ± 2.3, p = .020). In multivariate analyses, patients with intermediate (score > 3 to ≤8) and high (score > 8) STS risk scores had 4.3 (95%CI 1.2-15.1, p = .025) and 16.5 (95%CI 2.0-138.2, p = .010), respectively, higher odds of incident delirium compared to patients with low (score ≤ 3) STS risk scores. At 3-month follow-up (N = 77), patients with delirium still had lower MMSE score (27.0 ± 8.0 vs 28.0 ± 2.0, p = .007) but this difference did not remain significant once adjusting for baseline MMSE (β-coefficient 1.11, 95%CI [- 3.03-0.80], p = .248). Delirium occurred in about one in five older patients undergoing AVR, almost essentially within the first three postoperative days. Beside cognitive performance, STS risk score could enhance the identification of high-risk older patients to better target preventative interventions

Madagascar's grasses and grasslands:anthropogenic or natural?

Grasses, by their high productivity even under very low pCO2, their ability to survive repeated burning and to tolerate long dry seasons, have transformed the terrestrial biomes in the Neogene and Quaternary. The expansion of grasslands at the cost of biodiverse forest biomes in Madagascar is often postulated as a consequence of the Holocene settlement of the island by humans. However, we show that the Malagasy grass flora has many indications of being ancient with a long local evolutionary history, much predating the Holocene arrival of humans. First, the level of endemism in the Madagascar grass flora is well above the global average for large islands. Second, a survey of many of the more diverse areas indicates that there is a very high spatial and ecological turnover in the grass flora, indicating a high degree of niche specialization. We also find some evidence that there are both recently disturbed and natural stable grasslands: phylogenetic community assembly indicates that recently severely disturbed grasslands are phylogenetically clustered, whereas more undisturbed grasslands tend to be phylogenetically more evenly distributed. From this evidence, it is likely that grass communities existed in Madagascar long before human arrival and so were determined by climate, natural grazing and other natural factors. Humans introduced zebu cattle farming and increased fire frequency, and may have triggered an expansion of the grasslands. Grasses probably played the same role in the modification of the Malagasy environments as elsewhere in the tropics

On Charge-3 Cyclic Monopoles

We determine the spectral curve of charge 3 BPS su(2) monopoles with C_3 cyclic symmetry. The symmetry means that the genus 4 spectral curve covers a (Toda) spectral curve of genus 2. A well adapted homology basis is presented enabling the theta functions and monopole data of the genus 4 curve to be given in terms of genus 2 data. The Richelot correspondence, a generalization of the arithmetic mean, is used to solve for this genus 2 curve. Results of other approaches are compared.Comment: 34 pages, 16 figures. Revision: Abstract added and a few small change

Loss of human Scribble cooperates with H-Ras to promote cell invasion through deregulation of MAPK signalling

Activating mutations in genes of the Ras-mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway occur in approximately 30% of all human cancers; however, mutation of Ras alone is rarely sufficient to induce tumour development. Scribble is a polarity regulator recently isolated from a Drosophila screen for events that cooperate with Ras mutation to promote tumour progression and cell invasion. In mammals, Scribble regulates directed cell migration and wound healing in vivo; however, no role has been identified for mammalian Scribble in oncogenic transformation. Here we show that in human epithelial cells expressing oncogenic Ras or Raf, loss of Scribble promotes invasion of cells through extracellular matrix in an organotypic culture system. Further, we show that the mechanism by which this occurs is in the regulation of MAPK signalling by Scribble. The suppression of MAPK signalling is a highly conserved function of Scribble as it also prevents Raf-mediated defects in Drosophila wing development. Our data identify Scribble as an important mediator of MAPK signalling and provide a molecular basis for the observation that Scribble expression is decreased in many invasive human cancers. © 2008 Macmillan Publishers Limited All rights reserved

SCRIB expression is deregulated in human prostate cancer, and its deficiency in mice promotes prostate neoplasia

Loss of cellular polarity is a hallmark of epithelial cancers, raising the possibility that regulators of polarity have a role in suppressing tumorigenesis. The Scribble complex is one of at least three interacting protein complexes that have a critical role in establishing and maintaining epithelial polarity. In human colorectal, breast, and endometrial cancers, expression of the Scribble complex member SCRIB is often mislocalized and deregulated. Here, we report that Scrib is indispensable for prostate homeostasis in mice. Scrib heterozygosity initiated prostate hyperplasia, while targeted biallelic Scrib loss predisposed mice to prostate intraepithelial neoplasia. Mechanistically, Scrib was shown to negatively regulate the MAPK cascade to suppress tumorigenesis. Further analysis revealed that prostate-specific loss of Scrib in mice combined with expression of an oncogenic Kras mutation promoted the progression of prostate cancer that recapitulated the human disease. The clinical significance of the work in mice was highlighted by our observation that SCRIB deregulation strongly correlated with poor survival in human prostate cancer. These data suggest that the polarity network could provide a new avenue for therapeutic intervention

Antitumour necrosis factor-α therapy for hidradenitis suppurativa: results from a national cohort study between 2000 and 2013

International audienceHidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a frequent chronic inflammatory skin disease typically characterized by recurrent painful, deep inflammatory nodules of the axillary, breast, groin and gluteal areas. European recommendations are mainly based on expert opinion. Drug treatments are heterogenous (e.g., antibiotics, corticosteroids, retinoids) and lack consensus among expert centres. The most severe disease forms or those failing to respond to conventional drugs may be associated with worsened functional prognosis. Anti-tumor necrosis factor α (anti-TNFα) drugs have been prescribed in these cases. The results of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are discordant. Three RCTs concluded to the efficacy of adalimumab (ADA), and two others did not detect any difference between infliximab (IFX) or etanercept (ETA) and placebo. Finally, data from the literature and reported experiences do not conclude on the efficacy of anti-TNFα drugs for HS. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserve