Functional MRI comparison of passive and active movement: possible inhibitory role of supplementary motor area:

Recent studies have hypothesized that the supplementary motor area plays a role in motor inhibition. To study this possible role, we used functional MRI study to compare conditions, which require various level of inhibition of motor patterns. Seventeen healthy participants were scanned while executing – actively or passively – rhythmic opening/closing movements of their right hand, with and without congruent visual information. The contrast passive>active movement in the visual guidance condition which requires inhibition in order ‘not’ to perform the movement, yields to significant activation of areas commonly involved in the inhibitory brain circuitry among which, notably, controlateral supplementary motor area

Lack of association between gene polymorphisms of Angiotensin converting enzyme, Nod-like receptor 1, Toll-like receptor 4, FAS/FASL and the presence of Helicobacter pylori-induced premalignant gastric lesions and gastric cancer in Caucasians

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Several polymorphisms of genes involved in the immunological recognition of <it>Helicobacter pylori </it>and regulating apoptosis and proliferation have been linked to gastric carcinogenesis, however reported data are partially conflicting. The aim of our study was to evaluate potential associations between the presence of gastric cancer (GC) and high risk atrophic gastritis (HRAG) and polymorphisms of genes encoding <it>Angiotensin converting enzyme </it>(<it>ACE</it>), <it>Nod-like receptor 1 </it>(<it>NOD1</it>), <it>Toll-like receptor 4 </it>(<it>TLR4</it>) and <it>FAS/FASL</it>.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Gene polymorphisms were analyzed in 574 subjects (GC: n = 114; HRAG: n = 222, controls: n = 238) of Caucasian origin. <it>ACE I/D </it>(rs4646994), <it>NOD1 796G>A </it>(rs5743336), <it>TLR4 3725G>C </it>(rs11536889), <it>FAS 1377G>A </it>(rs2234767), <it>FAS 670A>G </it>(rs1800682) and <it>FASL 844T>C </it>(rs763110) were genotyped by different PCR approaches and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Frequencies of genotypes in our study are similar to the data reported on subjects of Caucasian ethnicity. There was a tendency for <it>NOD1 796G/G </it>genotype to be associated with increased risk of HRAG (62.4% <it>vs</it>. 54.5% in controls, <it>p </it>= 0.082). <it>FAS 670G/G </it>genotype was more frequent in HRAG when compared to controls, 23.9% and 17.2% respectively, however it failed to reach significance level (<it>p </it>= 0.077). We did not find any significant associations for all polymorphisms in relation to GC or HRAG. <it>NOD1 796G>A </it>and <it>TLR4 3725G>C </it>gene polymorphisms were also not associated with <it>Helicobacter pylori </it>infection.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p><it>ACE, NOD1, TRL4 </it>and <it>FAS/FASL </it>gene polymorphisms are not linked with gastric carcinogenesis in Caucasians, and therefore they should not be considered as potential biomarkers for identifying individuals with higher risk for GC.</p

Entropy-driven liquid-liquid separation in supercooled water

Twenty years ago Poole et al. (Nature 360, 324, 1992) suggested that the anomalous properties of supercooled water may be caused by a critical point that terminates a line of liquid-liquid separation of lower-density and higher-density water. Here we present an explicit thermodynamic model based on this hypothesis, which describes all available experimental data for supercooled water with better quality and with fewer adjustable parameters than any other model suggested so far. Liquid water at low temperatures is viewed as an 'athermal solution' of two molecular structures with different entropies and densities. Alternatively to popular models for water, in which the liquid-liquid separation is driven by energy, the phase separation in the athermal two-state water is driven by entropy upon increasing the pressure, while the critical temperature is defined by the 'reaction' equilibrium constant. In particular, the model predicts the location of density maxima at the locus of a near-constant fraction (about 0.12) of the lower-density structure.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures. Version 2 contains an additional supplement with tables for the mean-field equatio

A Novel, Non-Apoptotic Role for Scythe/BAT3: A Functional Switch between the Pro- and Anti-Proliferative Roles of p21 during the Cell Cycle

BACKGROUND: Scythe/BAT3 is a member of the BAG protein family whose role in apoptosis has been extensively studied. However, since the developmental defects observed in Bat3-null mouse embryos cannot be explained solely by defects in apoptosis, we investigated whether BAT3 is also involved in cell-cycle progression. METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Using a stable-inducible Bat3-knockdown cellular system, we demonstrated that reduced BAT3 protein level causes a delay in both G1/S transition and G2/M progression. Concurrent with these changes in cell-cycle progression, we observed a reduction in the turnover and phosphorylation of the CDK inhibitor p21, which is best known as an inhibitor of DNA replication; however, phosphorylated p21 has also been shown to promote G2/M progression. Our findings indicate that in Bat3-knockdown cells, p21 continues to be synthesized during cell-cycle phases that do not normally require p21, resulting in p21 protein accumulation and a subsequent delay in cell-cycle progression. Finally, we showed that BAT3 co-localizes with p21 during the cell cycle and is required for the translocation of p21 from the cytoplasm to the nucleus during the G1/S transition and G2/M progression. CONCLUSION: Our study reveals a novel, non-apoptotic role for BAT3 in cell-cycle regulation. By maintaining a low p21 protein level during the G1/S transition, BAT3 counteracts the inhibitory effect of p21 on DNA replication and thus enables the cells to progress from G1 to S phase. Conversely, during G2/M progression, BAT3 facilitates p21 phosphorylation by cyclin A/Cdk2, an event required for G2/M progression. BAT3 modulates these pro- and anti-proliferative roles of p21 at least in part by regulating cyclin A abundance, as well as p21 translocation between the cytoplasm and the nucleus to ensure that it functions in the appropriate intracellular compartment during each phase of the cell cycle.Dissertatio

Local Government Revenue Mobilisation in Anglophone Africa

This paper examines opportunities and constraints facing local revenue mobilisation in anglophone Africa, with an emphasis on urban settings. It discusses specific revenue instruments and their effects on economic efficiency, income distribution and accountability. In particular, it addresses political and administrative constraints facing various revenue instruments and factors affecting citizens’ compliance. The analysis is illustrated with examples from across anglophone Africa. A general conclusion emerging from the study is that local revenues mobilised in most local government authorities in Africa are necessary but not sufficient to develop and supply adequate services for the fast-growing population. On this basis, areas for further research on local government revenue mobilisation in Africa are identifiedDfI

Reforming Fiscal Institutions in Resource-Rich Arab Economies: Policy Proposals

This paper traces the evolution of fiscal institutions of Resource Rich Arab Economies (RRAEs) over time since their pre-oil days, through the discovery of oil to their build-up of oil exports. It then identifies challenges faced by RRAEs and variations in their severity among the different countries over time. Finally, it articulates specific policy reforms, which, if implemented successfully, could help to overcome these challenges. In some cases, however, these policy proposals may give rise to important trade-offs that will have to be evaluated carefully in individual cases

Government Decentralization Program in Indonesia

Without much preparation, Indonesia, in 2000, at a stroke replaced the previous system of centralized government and development planning with a wide range of decentralization programs. The reforms gave greater authority, political power, and financial resources directly to regencies and municipalities, bypassing the provinces. The powers transferred include those of executing a wide range of responsibilities in the areas of health, primary and middle-level education, public works, environment, communication, transport, agriculture, manufacturing, and other economic sectors. At the same time, the government replaced the antiquated cash-based, single-entry system of public finance with a modern double-entry accounting system that uses a single treasury account; is performance based; and has transparent management of the public treasury, tight expenditure and financial controls with performance indicators, computerized reporting, and a tightly scheduled auditing system. On the positive side, unlike in many developing and transition countries, the decentralization program in Indonesia has not caused major political or economic problems. However, the decentralization program was ill prepared and not carried out in a logical order for two reasons. First, the capacity of subnational governments to produce public and private goods, increase productivity and employment, and promote economic growth in their jurisdictions, was not increased. Because of the long tradition of centralization, local government never built the capacity to carry out economic planning and undertake initiatives to promote local economic growth. Before the reform, the local governments had mainly functioned as implementing agencies of national policies and programs. Second, the number of good financial managers, as required by the new laws of public treasury and auditing, was also limited and needed to be trained. The rising revenues of local governments do not follow their increasing government functions to promote economic development that could potentially cause fiscal imbalances