Hand is a direct target of the forkhead transcription factor Biniou during Drosophila visceral mesoderm differentiation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The visceral trunk mesoderm in <it>Drosophila melanogaster </it>develops under inductive signals from the ectoderm. This leads to the activation of the key regulators Tinman, Bagpipe and Biniou that are crucial for specification of the circular visceral muscles. How further differentiation is regulated is widely unknown, therefore it seems to be essential to identify downstream target genes of the early key regulators. In our report we focus on the analysis of the transcriptional control of the highly conserved transcription factor Hand in circular visceral muscle cells, providing evidence that the <it>hand </it>gene is a direct target of Biniou.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Herein we describe the identification of a regulatory region in the <it>hand </it>gene essential and sufficient for the expression in the visceral mesoderm during embryogenesis. We found that <it>hand </it>expression in the circular visceral mesoderm is abolished in embryos mutant for the FoxF domain containing transcription factor Biniou. Furthermore we demonstrate that Biniou regulates <it>hand </it>expression by direct binding to a 300 bp sequence element, located within the 3^rdintron of the <it>hand </it>gene. This regulatory element is highly conserved in different <it>Drosophila </it>species. In addition, we provide evidence that Hand is dispensable for the initial differentiation of the embryonic visceral mesoderm.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In the present report we show that cross species sequence comparison of non-coding sequences between orthologous genes is a powerful tool to identify conserved regulatory elements. Combining functional dissection experiments <it>in vivo </it>and protein/DNA binding studies we identified <it>hand </it>as a direct target of Biniou in the circular visceral muscles.</p

Modifiable risk factors associated with bone deficits in childhood cancer survivors

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To determine the prevalence and severity of bone deficits in a cohort of childhood cancer survivors (CCS) compared to a healthy sibling control group, and the modifiable factors associated with bone deficits in CCS.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Cross-sectional study of bone health in 319 CCS and 208 healthy sibling controls. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Generalized estimating equations were used to compare measures between CCS and controls. Among CCS, multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate odds ratios for BMD Z-score ≤ -1.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>All subjects were younger than 18 years of age. Average time since treatment was 10.1 years (range 4.3 - 17.8 years). CCS were 3.3 times more likely to have whole body BMD Z-score ≤ -1 than controls (95% CI: 1.4-7.8; p = 0.007) and 1.7 times more likely to have lumbar spine BMD Z-score ≤ -1 than controls (95% CI: 1.0-2.7; p = 0.03). Among CCS, hypogonadism, lower lean body mass, higher daily television/computer screen time, lower physical activity, and higher inflammatory marker IL-6, increased the odds of having a BMD Z-score ≤ -1.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>CCS, less than 18 years of age, have bone deficits compared to a healthy control group. Sedentary lifestyle and inflammation may play a role in bone deficits in CCS. Counseling CCS and their caretakers on decreasing television/computer screen time and increasing activity may improve bone health.</p

Schwangerschaft durch sexuellen Missbrauch - Folgen, Beratungsansätze undEntscheidungsmöglichkeiten

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Shopping Centers in Change: : A multiple case study of shopping centers´ communications strategies during a social crisis

The emergence of covid-19 resulted in a new way of living for the whole world. One of the areas that would come to be highly affected was the retail industry and more specifically shopping centers. The advice given by the government to citizens regarding the spread of the virus urged people to limit their time spent in public places. The purpose of the study is to investigate how a social crisis can affect the communication strategies of Swedish shopping centers. Moreover, the study aims to create a better understanding of how businesses communicate during challenging situations and how they maintain a strong brand image. Therefore, the study intends to answer the following research question: How does a social crisis affect shopping centers' communication strategies in competition with e-commerce? The research is based on semi-structured interviews with center managers and marketing managers for five shopping centers in Sweden. The results indicated that there has been a shift in communication strategy as a result of the investigated social crisis. More specifically, shopping centers have gone from a sales focus to instead promoting what changes they have done to create a safe environment for the visitors

Shopping Centers in Change: : A multiple case study of shopping centers´ communications strategies during a social crisis

The emergence of covid-19 resulted in a new way of living for the whole world. One of the areas that would come to be highly affected was the retail industry and more specifically shopping centers. The advice given by the government to citizens regarding the spread of the virus urged people to limit their time spent in public places. The purpose of the study is to investigate how a social crisis can affect the communication strategies of Swedish shopping centers. Moreover, the study aims to create a better understanding of how businesses communicate during challenging situations and how they maintain a strong brand image. Therefore, the study intends to answer the following research question: How does a social crisis affect shopping centers' communication strategies in competition with e-commerce? The research is based on semi-structured interviews with center managers and marketing managers for five shopping centers in Sweden. The results indicated that there has been a shift in communication strategy as a result of the investigated social crisis. More specifically, shopping centers have gone from a sales focus to instead promoting what changes they have done to create a safe environment for the visitors

Exploring different stakeholders’ perspectives on ward rounds in paediatric oncology: a qualitative study

Abstract Rational/Aims and Objectives Ward rounds are a core routine for interprofessional communication and clinical care planning: Health care professionals and patients meet regularly and it encourages patients to actively participate. In paediatric oncology, the long treatment process, the serious diagnosis, and involvement of both patients and their parents in shared-decision-making require specific ward round skills. Despite its high value for patient-centred care, a universal definition of ward round is lacking. Little is known about attitudes and expectations of different participants towards a ‘good’ ward round. This study aims to capture experiences and expectations of different stakeholders to better understand ward round needs in paediatric oncology and serve as a basis to improve future ward rounds. Method Semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients, parents, nurses and medical doctors of a paediatric oncology ward until theoretical saturation (13 interviews). A standardised qualitative analysis using the phenomenological framework defined by Colaizzi was used to identify important aspects in the interviews. Results Three major themes were identified in the interviews: [1] Structure and Organisation; [2] Communication; [3] Education. Further analysis revealed 23 categories and elucidated several opportunities and unmet needs recognized by stakeholders: Ward round functions in comforting families in stressful situations, and relationship building. Interviewees expressed their concerns about missing structures. Families pleaded for smaller ward round teams and layperson language. Health care professionals underscored the lack of ward round training. Paediatric patients stated that ward round scared them without proper explanation. All interviewees emphasized the need for professionalization of the ward round in the setting of paediatric oncology. Conclusion This study gives important insights into ward round functions and organisational requirements. It addresses special challenges for ward round participants in paediatric oncology, such as consideration of the emotional aspect of cancer treatment or the limits of shared decision making. Furthermore, this study underscores the great significance of ward rounds in paediatric oncology, with an emphasis on communication and relationship-building. Although performed universally, ward rounds are poorly explored or evaluated. This structured analysis synthesizes important expectations of different WR stakeholders, revealing opportunities of improvement and stressing the need for guidelines, training, and preparation

Defective Decapentaplegic Signaling Results in Heart Overgrowth and Reduced Cardiac Output in Drosophila

During germ-band extension, Decapentaplegic (Dpp) signals from the dorsal ectoderm to maintain Tinman (Tin) expression in the underlying mesoderm. This signal specifies the cardiac field, and homologous genes (BMP2/4 and Nkx2.5) perform this function in mammals. We showed previously that a second Dpp signal from the dorsal ectoderm restricts the number of pericardial cells expressing the transcription factor Zfh1. Here we report that, via Zfh1, the second Dpp signal restricts the number of Odd-skipped-expressing and the number of Tin-expressing pericardial cells. Dpp also represses Tin expression independently of Zfh1, implicating a feed-forward mechanism in the regulation of Tin pericardial cell number. In the adjacent dorsal muscles, Dpp has the opposite effect. Dpp maintains Krüppel and Even-skipped expression required for muscle development. Our data show that Dpp refines the cardiac field by limiting the number of pericardial cells. This maintains the boundary between pericardial and dorsal muscle cells and defines the size of the heart. In the absence of the second Dpp signal, pericardial cells overgrow and this significantly reduces larval cardiac output. Our study suggests the existence of a second round of BMP signaling in mammalian heart development and that perhaps defects in this signal play a role in congenital heart defects

Pain drawings as a diagnostic tool for the differentiation between two pain-associated rare diseases (Ehlers-Danlos-Syndrome, Guillain-Barré-Syndrome).

Background: The diagnosis of rare diseases poses a particular challenge to clinicians. This study analyzes whether patients' pain drawings (PDs) help in the differentiation of two pain-associated rare diseases, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS). Method: The study was designed as a prospective, observational, single-center study. The sample comprised 60 patients with EDS (3 male, 52 female, 5 without gender information; 39.2 ± 11.4 years) and 32 patients with GBS (10 male, 20 female, 2 without gender information; 50.5 ± 13.7 years). Patients marked areas afflicted by pain on a sketch of a human body with anterior, posterior, and lateral views. PDs were electronically scanned and processed. Each PD was classified based on the Ružička similarity to the EDS and the GBS averaged image (pain profile) in a leave-one-out cross validation approach. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted. Results: 60-80% of EDS patients marked the vertebral column with the neck and the tailbone and the knee joints as pain areas, 40-50% the shoulder-region, the elbows and the thumb saddle joint. 60-70% of GBS patients marked the dorsal and plantar side of the feet as pain areas, 40-50% the palmar side of the fingertips, the dorsal side of the left palm and the tailbone. 86% of the EDS patients and 96% of the GBS patients were correctly identified by computing the Ružička similarity. The ROC curve yielded an excellent area under the curve value of 0.95