Early Switch in Glial Protein and Fibronectin Markers on Cells during the Culture of Human Gliomas

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75201/1/j.1749-6632.1984.tb13851.x.pd

Trichomonas vaginalis vast BspA-like gene family: evidence for functional diversity from structural organisation and transcriptomics

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Trichomonas vaginalis </it>is the most common non-viral human sexually transmitted pathogen and importantly, contributes to facilitating the spread of HIV. Yet very little is known about its surface and secreted proteins mediating interactions with, and permitting the invasion and colonisation of, the host mucosa. Initial annotations of <it>T. vaginalis </it>genome identified a plethora of candidate extracellular proteins.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Data mining of the <it>T. vaginalis </it>genome identified 911 BspA-like entries (TvBspA) sharing TpLRR-like leucine-rich repeats, which represent the largest gene family encoding potential extracellular proteins for the pathogen. A broad range of microorganisms encoding BspA-like proteins was identified and these are mainly known to live on mucosal surfaces, among these <it>T. vaginalis </it>is endowed with the largest gene family. Over 190 TvBspA proteins with inferred transmembrane domains were characterised by a considerable structural diversity between their TpLRR and other types of repetitive sequences and two subfamilies possessed distinct classic sorting signal motifs for endocytosis. One TvBspA subfamily also shared a glycine-rich protein domain with proteins from <it>Clostridium difficile </it>pathogenic strains and <it>C. difficile </it>phages. Consistent with the hypothesis that TvBspA protein structural diversity implies diverse roles, we demonstrated for several TvBspA genes differential expression at the transcript level in different growth conditions. Identified variants of repetitive segments between several TvBspA paralogues and orthologues from two clinical isolates were also consistent with TpLRR and other repetitive sequences to be functionally important. For one TvBspA protein cell surface expression and antibody responses by both female and male <it>T. vaginalis </it>infected patients were also demonstrated.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The biased mucosal habitat for microbial species encoding BspA-like proteins, the characterisation of a vast structural diversity for the TvBspA proteins, differential expression of a subset of TvBspA genes and the cellular localisation and immunological data for one TvBspA; all point to the importance of the TvBspA proteins to various aspects of <it>T. vaginalis </it>pathobiology at the host-pathogen interface.</p

A consecutive series of 235 epigastric hernias

Abstract Background Epigastric herniation is a common, though not always symptomatic condition. It is likely, that in accordance to the tension-free principles for other hernias, epigastric hernia repair should be mesh based. Methods Patients from two large hospitals were investigated retrospectively if they were operated on an epigastric hernia for the past 6 years. Follow-up was completed with a postal questionnaire. Results A total of 235 patients (50 % male) were operated. Sixty-eight patients were operated with mesh and 167 patients with suture repair. Forty-six patients were loss-to follow-up (19.6 %). In the mesh operated patients the recurrence rate was 10.9 % (n = 6) compared to 14.9 % (n = 20) in the suture repair group. Cox-regression analysis showed an increased risk for recurrence in the suture repair group (odds ratio 1.43; 95 % CI 0.56-3.57; p = 0.44). Operation time for mesh repair (47 min) was significantly longer compared to suture repair (29 min) (p \ 0.0001). Thirty-seven patients had previous or other anterior wall hernias. A total of 51 patients smoked and 14 patients had diabetes mellitus. Fourteen patients used steroids and 22 patients suffered from a chronic lung disease. Subgroup analysis showed a significant difference for pain in patients in which re-operation for a recurrence occurred (p = 0.004). Conclusions This is one of the largest reported series on solely epigastric hernias. A recurrence occurred more often after sutured repair compared to mesh repair. No differences in chronic pain was seen between mesh and suture repaired patients. Male:female ratio of 1:1, which is different from the 3:1 ratio found in previous older smaller studies, could be more reliable

Long-Term Effects of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy on Local Neural Networks: A Graph Theoretical Analysis of Corticography Recordings

Purpose: Pharmaco-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is often treated with surgical intervention at some point. As epilepsy surgery is considered a last resort by most physicians, a long history of epileptic seizures prior to surgery is not uncommon. Little is known about the effects of ongoing TLE on neural functioning. A better understanding of these effects might influence the moment of surgical intervention. Functional connectivity (interaction between spatially distributed brain areas) and network structure (integration and segregation of information processing) are thought to be essential for optimal brain functioning. We report on the impact of TLE duration on temporal lobe functional connectivity and network characteristics. Methods: Functional connectivity of the temporal lobe at the time of surgery was assessed by means of interictal electrocorticography (ECoG) recordings of 27 TLE patients by using the phase lag index (PLI). Graphs (abstract network representations) were reconstructed from the PLI matrix and characterized by the clustering coefficient C (local clustering), the path length L (overall network interconnectedness), and the ‘‘small world index’ ’ S (network configuration). Results: Functional connectivity (average PLI), clustering coefficients, and the small world index were negatively correlated with TLE duration in the broad frequency band (0.5–48 Hz). Discussion: Temporal lobe functional connectivity is lower in patients with longer TLE history, and longer TLE duration i

PhylomeDB: a database for genome-wide collections of gene phylogenies

The complete collection of evolutionary histories of all genes in a genome, also known as phylome, constitutes a valuable source of information. The reconstruction of phylomes has been previously prevented by large demands of time and computer power, but is now feasible thanks to recent developments in computers and algorithms. To provide a publicly available repository of complete phylomes that allows researchers to access and store large-scale phylogenomic analyses, we have developed PhylomeDB. PhylomeDB is a database of complete phylomes derived for different genomes within a specific taxonomic range. All phylomes in the database are built using a high-quality phylogenetic pipeline that includes evolutionary model testing and alignment trimming phases. For each genome, PhylomeDB provides the alignments, phylogentic trees and tree-based orthology predictions for every single encoded protein. The current version of PhylomeDB includes the phylomes of Human, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the bacterium Escherichia coli, comprising a total of 32 289 seed sequences with their corresponding alignments and 172 324 phylogenetic trees. PhylomeDB can be publicly accessed at http://phylomedb.bioinfo.cipf.e

Development and cross-national investigation of a model explaining participation in WHO-recommended and placebo behaviours to prevent COVID-19 infection

To protect themselves from COVID-19, people follow the recommendations of the authorities, but they also resort to placebos. To stop the virus, it is important to understand the factors underlying both types of preventive behaviour. This study examined whether our model (developed based on the Health Belief Model and the Transactional Model of Stress) can explain participation in WHO-recommended and placebo actions during the pandemic. Model was tested on a sample of 3346 participants from Italy, Japan, Poland, Korea, Sweden, and the US. It was broadly supported: objective risk and cues to action showed both direct and indirect (through perceived threat) associations with preventive behaviours. Moreover, locus of control, decision balance, health anxiety and preventive coping moderated these relationships. Numerous differences were also found between countries. We conclude that beliefs about control over health and perceived benefits of actions are critical to the development of interventions to improve adherence to recommendations

High RBM3 expression in prostate cancer independently predicts a reduced risk of biochemical recurrence and disease progression

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>High expression of the RNA-binding protein RBM3 has previously been found to be associated with good prognosis in breast cancer, ovarian cancer, malignant melanoma and colorectal cancer. The aim of this study was to examine the prognostic impact of immunohistochemical RBM3 expression in prostate cancer.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>Immunohistochemical RBM3 expression was examined in a tissue microarray with malignant and benign prostatic specimens from 88 patients treated with radical prostatectomy for localized disease. While rarely expressed in benign prostate gland epithelium, RBM3 was found to be up-regulated in prostate intraepithelial neoplasia and present in various fractions and intensities in invasive prostate cancer. High nuclear RBM3 expression was significantly associated with a prolonged time to biochemical recurrence (BCR) (HR 0.56, 95% CI: 0.34-0.93, <it>p </it>= 0.024) and clinical progression (HR 0.09, 95% CI: 0.01-0.71, <it>p = </it>0.021). These associations remained significant in multivariate analysis, adjusted for preoperative PSA level in blood, pathological Gleason score and presence or absence of extracapsular extension, seminal vesicle invasion and positive surgical margin (HR 0.41, 95% CI: 0.19-0.89, <it>p </it>= 0.024 for BCR and HR 0.06, 95% CI: 0.01-0.50, <it>p = </it>0.009 for clinical progression).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results demonstrate that high nuclear expression of RBM3 in prostate cancer is associated with a prolonged time to disease progression and, thus, a potential biomarker of favourable prognosis. The value of RBM3 for prognostication, treatment stratification and follow-up of prostate cancer patients should be further validated in larger studies.</p

Cytogerontology since 1881: A reappraisal of August Weismann and a review of modern progress

Cytogerontology, the science of cellular ageing, originated in 1881 with the prediction by August Weismann that the somatic cells of higher animals have limited division potential. Weismann's prediction was derived by considering the role of natural selection in regulating the duration of an organism's life. For various reasons, Weismann's ideas on ageing fell into neglect following his death in 1914, and cytogerontology has only reappeared as a major research area following the demonstration by Hayflick and Moorhead in the early 1960s that diploid human fibroblasts are restricted to a finite number of divisions in vitro. In this review we give a detailed account of Weismann's theory, and we reveal that his ideas were both more extensive in their scope and more pertinent to current research than is generally recognised. We also appraise the progress which has been made over the past hundred years in investigating the causes of ageing, with particular emphasis being given to (i) the evolution of ageing, and (ii) ageing at the cellular level. We critically assess the current state of knowledge in these areas and recommend a series of points as primary targets for future research

HIV's evasion of the cellular immune response

Despite a strong cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) response directed against viral antigens, untreated individuals infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) develop AIDS, We have found that primary T cells infected with HIV-1 downregulate surface MHC class I antigens and are resistant to lysis by HLA-A2-restricted CTL clones. In contrast, cells infected with an HIV-1 in which the nef gene is disrupted are sensitive to CTLs in an MHC and peptide-specific manner. In primary T cells HLA-A2 antigens are downmodulated more dramatically than total MHC class I antigens, suggesting that nef selectively downmodulates certain MHC class I antigens. In support of this, studies on ceils expressing individual MHC class I alietes have revealed that nef does not downmodulate HLA-C and HLA-E antigens, This selective downmodulation allows Infected cells to maintain resistance to certain natural killer cells that lyse infected cells expressing low levels of MHC class I antigens. Downmodulation of MHC class I HLA-A2 antigens occurs not only in primary T cells, but also in B and astrocytoma cell lines. No effect of other HIV-1 accessory proteins such as vpu and vpr was observed. Thus Nef is a protein that may promote escape of HIV-1 from immune surveillance.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75570/1/j.1600-065X.1999.tb01283.x.pd