Decreased expression of haemoglobin beta (HBB) gene in anaplastic thyroid cancer and recovory of its expression inhibits cell growth

Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is one of the most fulminant and foetal diseases in human malignancies. However, the genetic alterations and carcinogenic mechanisms of ATC are still unclear. Recently, we investigated the gene expression profile of 11 anaplastic thyroid cancer cell lines (ACL) and significant decreased expression of haemoglobin beta (HBB) gene in ACL. Haemoglobin beta is located at 11p15.5, where loss of heterozygosity (LOH) was reported in various kinds of cancers, including ATC, and it has been suggested that novel tumour suppressor genes might exist in this region. In order to clarify the meaning of decreased expression of HBB in ATC, the expression status of HBB was investigated with ACL, ATC, papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) and normal human tissues. Haemoglobin beta showed significant decreased expression in ACLs and ATCs; however, in PTC, HBB expressed equal to the normal thyroid gland. In addition, HBB expressed in normal human tissues ubiquitously. To validate the tumour-suppressor function of HBB, cell growth assay was performed. Forced expression of HBB in KTA2 cell, which is a kind of ACL, significantly suppressed KTA2 growth. The mechanism of downregulation of HBB in ATC is still unclear; however, our results suggested the possibility of HBB as a novel tumour-suppressor gene

Factors influencing overall survival rates for patients with pineocytoma

Given its rarity, appropriate treatment for pineocytoma remains variable. As the literature primarily contains case reports or studies involving a small series of patients, prognostic factors following treatment of pineocytoma remain unclear. We therefore compiled a systematic review of the literature concerning post-treatment outcomes for pineocytoma to better determine factors associated with overall survival among patients with pineocytoma. We performed a comprehensive search of the published English language literature to identify studies containing outcome data for patients undergoing treatment for pineocytoma. Kaplan–Meier analysis was utilized to determine overall survival rates. Our systematic review identified 168 total patients reported in 64 articles. Among these patients, 21% underwent biopsy, 38% underwent subtotal resection, 42% underwent gross total resection, and 29% underwent radiation therapy, either as mono- or adjuvant therapy. The 1 and 5 year overall survival rates for patients receiving gross total resection versus subtotal resection plus radiotherapy were 91 versus 88%, and 84 versus 17%, respectively. When compared to subtotal resection alone, subtotal resection plus radiation therapy did not offer a significant improvement in overall survival. Gross total resection is the most appropriate treatment for pineocytoma. The potential benefit of conventional radiotherapy for the treatment of these lesions is unproven, and little evidence supports its use at present

Bats in the anthropogenic matrix: Challenges and opportunities for the conservation of chiroptera and their ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes

Intensification in land-use and farming practices has had largely negative effects on bats, leading to population declines and concomitant losses of ecosystem services. Current trends in land-use change suggest that agricultural areas will further expand, while production systems may either experience further intensification (particularly in developing nations) or become more environmentally friendly (especially in Europe). In this chapter, we review the existing literature on how agricultural management affects the bat assemblages and the behavior of individual bat species, as well as the literature on provision of ecosystem services by bats (pest insect suppression and pollination) in agricultural systems. Bats show highly variable responses to habitat conversion, with no significant change in species richness or measures of activity or abundance. In contrast, intensification within agricultural systems (i.e., increased agrochemical inputs, reduction of natural structuring elements such as hedges, woods, and marshes) had more consistently negative effects on abundance and species richness. Agroforestry systems appear to mitigate negative consequences of habitat conversion and intensification, often having higher abundances and activity levels than natural areas. Across biomes, bats play key roles in limiting populations of arthropods by consuming various agricultural pests. In tropical areas, bats are key pollinators of several commercial fruit species. However, these substantial benefits may go unrecognized by farmers, who sometimes associate bats with ecosystem disservices such as crop raiding. Given the importance of bats for global food production, future agricultural management should focus on “wildlife-friendly” farming practices that allow more bats to exploit and persist in the anthropogenic matrix so as to enhance provision of ecosystem services. Pressing research topics include (1) a better understanding of how local-level versus landscape-level management practices interact to structure bat assemblages, (2) the effects of new pesticide classes and GM crops on bat populations, and (3) how increased documentation and valuation of the ecosystem services provided by bats could improve attitudes of producers toward their conservation

Mothers-Offspring Resemblance in Intelligence and Its Relationship to Socioeconomic Status

Abstract: Kinship studies have shown that most cognitive ability variances are attributable to genotypic variance. Additionally, kinship correlations are generally increased when tasks that are highly g loaded are considered, a result known as the "Jensen effect". Alternatively, some studies have suggested socioeconomic status as an important factor for explaining differences in cognition. The present study investigated these premises in a sample of 141 mothers (mean age = 36.6; SD = 6.0) and their offspring (53.2% girls; mean age = 11.0; SD = 2.1). The Standard Progressive Matrices of Raven (mothers and offspring) and six other cognitive measures (offspring only) were administered. The findings suggested evidence of g heritability (Jensen effect), which is consistent with published literature on intelligence. However, kinship correlation coefficients were lower (.041 to .177) when compared to other published findings. Finally, the difference between the mother's IQ score and that of her child was influenced by SES and mother's education level

Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil: setting the baseline knowledge on the animal diversity in Brazil

The limited temporal completeness and taxonomic accuracy of species lists, made available in a traditional manner in scientific publications, has always represented a problem. These lists are invariably limited to a few taxonomic groups and do not represent up-to-date knowledge of all species and classifications. In this context, the Brazilian megadiverse fauna is no exception, and the Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil (CTFB) (http://fauna.jbrj.gov.br/), made public in 2015, represents a database on biodiversity anchored on a list of valid and expertly recognized scientific names of animals in Brazil. The CTFB is updated in near real time by a team of more than 800 specialists. By January 1, 2024, the CTFB compiled 133,691 nominal species, with 125,138 that were considered valid. Most of the valid species were arthropods (82.3%, with more than 102,000 species) and chordates (7.69%, with over 11,000 species). These taxa were followed by a cluster composed of Mollusca (3,567 species), Platyhelminthes (2,292 species), Annelida (1,833 species), and Nematoda (1,447 species). All remaining groups had less than 1,000 species reported in Brazil, with Cnidaria (831 species), Porifera (628 species), Rotifera (606 species), and Bryozoa (520 species) representing those with more than 500 species. Analysis of the CTFB database can facilitate and direct efforts towards the discovery of new species in Brazil, but it is also fundamental in providing the best available list of valid nominal species to users, including those in science, health, conservation efforts, and any initiative involving animals. The importance of the CTFB is evidenced by the elevated number of citations in the scientific literature in diverse areas of biology, law, anthropology, education, forensic science, and veterinary science, among others