Live-cell imaging approaches for the investigation of xenobiotic-induced oxidant stress

Oxidant stress is arguably a universal feature in toxicology. Research studies on the role of oxidant stress induced by xenobiotic exposures have typically relied on the identification of damaged biomolecules using a variety of conventional biochemical and molecular techniques. However, there is increasing evidence that low-level exposure to a variety of toxicants dysregulates cellular physiology by interfering with redox-dependent processes

Structural and electronic origin of the magnetic structures in hexagonal LuFeO3_3

Using combined theoretical and experimental approaches, we studied the structural and electronic origin of the magnetic structure in hexagonal LuFeO$_3$. Besides showing the strong exchange coupling that is consistent with the high magnetic ordering temperature, the previously observed spin reorientation transition is explained by the theoretically calculated magnetic phase diagram. The structural origin of this spin reorientation that is responsible for the appearance of spontaneous magnetization, is identified by theory and verified by x-ray diffraction and absorption experiments.Comment: 5 pages, 2 tables and 4 figures, Please contact us for the supplementary material. Accepted in Phys. Rev. B, in productio

Activation of PAK by HIV and SIV Nef: importance for AIDS in rhesus macaques

AbstractBackground The primate lentiviruses, human immunodeficiency virus types 1 and 2 (HIV-1 and HIV-2) and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), encode a conserved accessory gene product, Nef. In vivo, Nef is important for the maintenance of high virus loads and progression to AIDS in SIV-infected adult rhesus macaques. In tissue culture cells expressing Nef, this viral protein interacts with a cellular serine kinase, designated Nef-associated kinase.Results This study identifies the Nef-associated kinase as a member of the p21-activated kinase (PAK) family of kinases and investigates the role of this Nef-associated kinase in vivo. Mutants of Nef that do not associate with the cellular kinase are unable to activate the PAK-related kinase in infected cells. To determine the role of cellular kinase association in viral pathogenesis, macaques were infected with SIV containing point-mutations in Nef that block PAK activation. Virus recovered at early time points after inoculation with mutant virus was found to have reverted to prototype Nef function and sequence. Reversion of the kinase-negative mutant to a kinase-positive genotype in macaques infected with the mutant virus preceded the induction of high virus loads and disease progression.Conclusions Nef associates with and activates a PAK-related kinase in lymphocytes infected in vitro. Moreover, the Nef-mediated activation of a PAK-related kinase correlates with the induction of high virus loads and the development of AIDS in the infected host. These findings reveal that there is a strong selective pressure in vivo for the interaction between Nef and the PAK-related kinase

Dissociable rhythmic mechanisms enhance memory forconscious and nonconscious perceptual contents

Published October 27, 2022Understanding the neural mechanisms of conscious and unconscious experience is amajor goal of fundamental and translational neuroscience. Here, we target the earlyvisual cortex with a protocol of noninvasive, high-resolution alternating current stimu-lation while participants performed a delayed target–probe discrimination task andreveal dissociable mechanisms of mnemonic processing for conscious and unconsciousperceptual contents. Entrainingβ-rhythms in bilateral visual areas preferentiallyenhanced short-term memory for seen information, whereasα-entrainment in the sameregion preferentially enhanced short-term memory for unseen information. The short-term memory improvements were frequency-specific and long-lasting. The results add amechanistic foundation to existing theories of consciousness, call for revisions to thesetheories, and contribute to the development of nonpharmacological therapeutics forimproving visual cortical processing.This work was supported by grants from the NIH (R01-MH114877 and R01-AG063775) and a gift from an individual philanthropist, awarded to R.M.G.R. D.S. acknowledges support from the Basque Government through the BERC 2022-2025 program and by the Spanish State Research Agency through BCBL Severo Ochoa excellence accreditation CEX2020-001010-S

FAPRI 2000 U.S. Agricultural Outlook

Crop Production/Industries, Livestock Production/Industries,

Localized Multifocal Retroperitoneal Ganglioneuroma with an Infiltrative Appearance on Imaging: A Case Report

Multifocal ganglioneuromas are characterized by the presence of multiple benign neuroepithelial tumor nodules and are less common than solitary tumors. A small percentage of ganglioneuromas present with a fatty appearance. Only a few cases of multifocal ganglioneuromas have been reported, due to both their rarity and minimal symptomatic presentation; therefore, generalizations about risk factors and predictive markers are very difficult. Here, we report a case of multifocal retroperitoneal ganglioneuroma with an infiltrative appearance on computed tomography (CT). The tumor demonstrated slow growth on multiple imaging studies and was associated with abdominal and flank pain. The aggressive appearance eventually led to surgical resection 18 months after the initial incidental finding on CT. Postsurgical analysis of the tumor on imaging was crucial in revealing its nodularity and infiltration, as well as for clarifying its retroperitoneal location inseparable from the adrenal gland. Histology demonstrated Schwann cells and ganglion cells without atypia or increased cellularity, and with no mitosis or necrosis seen. Our case highlights the consideration of ganglioneuroma with fatty infiltration in the differential diagnosis of a fatty tumor in the mediastinum or retroperitoneum. Additionally, our report differentiates multifocal ganglioneuroma with fatty infiltration from lipomatous ganglioneuroma on radiology and histopathology

FAPRI 2001 U.S. and World Agricultural Outlook

Crop Production/Industries, Livestock Production/Industries,

FAPRI 2000 World Agricultural Outlook

The Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) prepares a preliminary agricultural outlook on world agricultural production, consumption, and trade every fall. This is followed by an outside review, re-evaluation of projections, and completion of the final baseline in January. The FAPRI 2000 World Agricultural Outlook presents these final projections for world agricultural markets. A companion volume, the FAPRI 2000 U.S. Agricultural Outlook, presents the U.S. component of the baseline. FAPRI projections assume average weather patterns worldwide, existing policy, and policy commitments under current trade agreements. FAPRI projections do not include conjectures on potential policy changes, such as those resulting from the likely eastward enlargement of the European Union (EU). The baseline predicts recovery of world agricultural production, consumption, and trade, but with remaining price weakness for crops. Stock-to-use ratios in world crop markets remain high despite the strong recovery of Asian and Latin American economies. Above-average yields kept world production high relative to demand in 1999. In contrast, pork and beef prices are increasing significantly above their 1999 level. The physical volume of U.S. agricultural exports is projected to reverse the downward trend of fiscal year (FY) 1999, whereas the value of agricultural exports continue to decline for one more year before recovering because of low crop prices in 2000/01. World crop trade is projected to increase by 55 million metric tons (mmt) in the coming decade, with the United States capturing 49 percent of the expanded market, but still unable to increase its market share by a large percentage. Following this expansion of the market, grain prices increase by 35 percent in the projection period, but still stay well below the peak of 1995/96. The increase in world crop trade reflects the increasing specialization occurring in world agriculture. Increased market access and land scarcity in many Asian economies induce them to import grains and oilseeds to meet their feed demand. Developing Asia remains the fastest growing market for corn in the next decade. With implementation of Agenda 2000 reforms, the EU will reduce its wheat domestic price relative to the world price and will export wheat without subsidies after 2004, constraining gains in market shares for the United States. EU barley exports will expand significantly in the coming years but are likely to be constrained by General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) commitments on export subsidies after 2004. World meat trade will increase by 31 percent over the next decade. The United States has become a competitive producer and exporter of meat products. In the coming decade, the United States will experience the largest meat export growth rates among major exporters of beef, pork, and broilers. U.S. exporters capture more than 70 percent of the growth in trade, increasing their share of the combined meat markets from 23 percent in 1999 to 37 percent in 2009. Meat imports are recovering and expanding rapidly in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. In Japan, the share of imports in consumption increases from 38 percent in the 1990s to 49 percent at the end of the next decade. Taiwan meat imports will triple from 1990-1999 levels to 2000-2009 levels, driven by imports of beef, non muscle pork products, and the opening of the poultry market. Recovery of Asian food demand will prompt dairy prices to grow by about 1 percent per year over the next decade. Total milk production is projected to increase, with particularly strong growth in the United States, Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil. Most of the growth occurs through yield increases. Per capita cheese consumption is expected to grow by 1 to 2 percent a year in most countries.Crop Production/Industries, Livestock Production/Industries,