Lingual mandibular bone defect: A case report and review

Lingual mandibular bone defect is an asymptomatic radiolucent lesion of the mandible and usually encountered during routine radiographic examinations. It is essential to diagnose this lesion because of its resemblance with other odontogenic pathologies. A 67-year-old female patient presented with a case of lingual mandibular bone defect which was an incidental finding. Panoramic radiograph and cone-beam computed tomography were used for diagnosing the defect

World citation and collaboration networks: uncovering the role of geography in science

Modern information and communication technologies, especially the Internet, have diminished the role of spatial distances and territorial boundaries on the access and transmissibility of information. This has enabled scientists for closer collaboration and internationalization. Nevertheless, geography remains an important factor affecting the dynamics of science. Here we present a systematic analysis of citation and collaboration networks between cities and countries, by assigning papers to the geographic locations of their authors' affiliations. The citation flows as well as the collaboration strengths between cities decrease with the distance between them and follow gravity laws. In addition, the total research impact of a country grows linearly with the amount of national funding for research & development. However, the average impact reveals a peculiar threshold effect: the scientific output of a country may reach an impact larger than the world average only if the country invests more than about 100,000 USD per researcher annually.Comment: Published version. 9 pages, 5 figures + Appendix, The world citation and collaboration networks at both city and country level are available at http://becs.aalto.fi/~rajkp/datasets.htm

Purification and Characterization of a Sperm Motility Inhibiting Factor from Caprine Epididymal Plasma

Several studies have been reported on the occurrence of sperm motility inhibiting factors in the male reproductive fluids of different mammalian species, but these proteins have not been adequately purified and characterized. A novel sperm motility inhibiting factor (MIF-II) has been purified from caprine epididymal plasma (EP) by Hydroxylapatite gel adsorption chromatography, DEAE-Cellulose ion-exchange chromatography and chromatofocusing. The MIF-II has been purified to apparent homogeneity and the molecular weight estimated by Sephacryl S-300 gel filtration is 160 kDa. MIF-II is a dimeric protein, made up of two subunits each having a molecular mass of 80 kDa as shown by SDS-PAGE. The isoelectric point of MIF-II is 5.1 as determined by chromatofocusing and isoelectric focusing. It is a heat labile protein and maximal active at the pH 6.9 to 7.5. The sperm motility inhibiting protein factor at 2 µg/ml (12.5 nM) level showed maximal motility-inhibiting activity. The observation that the epididymal plasma factor lowered the intracellular cAMP level of spermatozoa in a concentration-dependent manner suggests that it may block the motility of caprine cauda spermatozoa by interfering the cAMP dependent motility function. The results revealed that the purified protein factor has the potential of sperm motility inhibition and may serve as a vaginal contraceptive. The antibody raised against the MIF-II has the potential for enhancement of forward motility of cauda-spermatozoa. This antibody may thus be useful for solving some of the problems of male infertility due to low sperm motility

Underground Wireless Channel Bandwidth and Capacity

The UG channel bandwidth and capacity are vital parameters in wireless underground communication system design. In this chapter, a comprehensive analysis of the wireless underground channel capacity is presented. The impact of soil on return loss, bandwidth, and path loss is discussed. The results of underground multi-carrier modulation capacity are also outlined. Moreover, the single user capacity and multi-carrier capacity are also introduced with an in-depth treatment of soil texture, soil moisture, and distance effects on channel capacity. Finally, the chapter is concluded with a discussion of challenges and open research issues

Acute increase of alpha-synuclein inhibits synaptic vesicle recycling evoked during intense stimulation

This work was supported by grants from the NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorder and Stroke RO1 NS078165 (to J.R.M.), the Morton Cure Paralysis Fund (to J.R.M.), and the Branfman Family Foundation (to J.M.G.) and by a Dorothea Bennett graduate fellowship (to D.J.B.)

Differential regulation of wild-type and mutant alpha-synuclein binding to synaptic membranes by cytosolic factors

BACKGROUND: Alpha-Synuclein (alpha-syn), a 140 amino acid protein associated with presynaptic membranes in brain, is a major constituent of Lewy bodies in Parkinson's disease (PD). Three missense mutations (A30P, A53T and E46K) in the alpha-syn gene are associated with rare autosomal dominant forms of familial PD. However, the regulation of alpha-syn's cellular localization in neurons and the effects of the PD-linked mutations are poorly understood. RESULTS: In the present study, we analysed the ability of cytosolic factors to regulate alpha-syn binding to synaptic membranes. We show that co-incubation with brain cytosol significantly increases the membrane binding of normal and PD-linked mutant alpha-syn. To characterize cytosolic factor(s) that modulate alpha-syn binding properties, we investigated the ability of proteins, lipids, ATP and calcium to modulate alpha-syn membrane interactions. We report that lipids and ATP are two of the principal cytosolic components that modulate Wt and A53T alpha-syn binding to the synaptic membrane. We further show that 1-O-hexadecyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (C16:0 PAF) is one of the principal lipids found in complex with cytosolic proteins and is required to enhance alpha-syn interaction with synaptic membrane. In addition, the impaired membrane binding observed for A30P alpha-syn was significantly mitigated by the presence of protease-sensitive factors in brain cytosol. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that endogenous brain cytosolic factors regulate Wt and mutant alpha-syn membrane binding, and could represent potential targets to influence alpha-syn solubility in brain

Resveratrol Suppresses Constitutive Activation of AKT via Generation of ROS and Induces Apoptosis in Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma Cell Lines

BACKGROUND: We have recently shown that deregulation PI3-kinase/AKT survival pathway plays an important role in pathogenesis of diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). In an attempt to identify newer therapeutic agents, we investigated the role of Resveratrol (trans-3,4', 5-trihydroxystilbene), a naturally occurring polyphenolic compound on a panel of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) cells in causing inhibition of cell viability and inducing apoptosis. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We investigated the action of Resveratrol on DLBCL cells and found that Resveratrol inhibited cell viability and induced apoptosis by inhibition of constitutively activated AKT and its downstream targets via generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Simultaneously, Resveratrol treatment of DLBCL cell lines also caused ROS dependent upregulation of DR5; and interestingly, co-treatment of DLBCL with sub-toxic doses of TRAIL and Resveratrol synergistically induced apoptosis via utilizing DR5, on the other hand, gene silencing of DR5 abolished this effect. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Altogether, these data suggest that Resveratrol acts as a suppressor of AKT/PKB pathway leading to apoptosis via generation of ROS and at the same time primes DLBCL cells via up-regulation of DR5 to TRAIL-mediated apoptosis. These data raise the possibility that Resveratrol may have a future therapeutic role in DLBCL and possibly other malignancies with constitutive activation of the AKT/PKB pathway

Moving carbon between spheres, the potential oxalate-carbonate pathway of Brosimum alicastrum Sw.; Moraceae.

Aims The Oxalate-Carbonate Pathway (OCP) is a biogeochemical process that transfers atmospheric CO2 into the geologic reservoir as CaCO3; however, until now all investigations on this process have focused on species with limited food benefits. This study evaluates a potential OCP associated with Brosimum alicastrum, a Neotropical species with agroforestry potential (ca. 70–200 kg-nuts yr−1), in the calcareous soils of Haiti and Mexico. Methods / results Enzymatic analysis demonstrated significant concentrations of calcium oxalate (5.97 % D.W.) were associated with B. alicastrum tissue in all sample sites. The presence of oxalotrophism was also confirmed with microbiological analyses in both countries. High concentrations of total calcium (>7 g kg−1) and lithogenic carbonate obscured the localised alkalinisation and identification of secondary carbonate associated with the OCP at most sample sites, except Ma Rouge, Haiti. Soils adjacent to subjects in Ma Rouge demonstrated an increase in pH (0.63) and CaCO3 concentration (5.9 %) that, when coupled with root-like secondary carbonate deposits in Mexico, implies that the OCP does also occur in calcareous soils. Conclusions Therefore this study confirms that the OCP also occurs in calcareous soils, adjacent to B. alicastrum, and could play a fundamental and un-accounted role in the global calcium-carbon coupled cycle

Overexpression of Prothymosin Alpha Predicts Poor Disease Outcome in Head and Neck Cancer

In our recent study, tissue proteomic analysis of oral pre-malignant lesions (OPLs) and normal oral mucosa led to the identification of a panel of biomarkers, including prothymosin alpha (PTMA), to distinguish OPLs from histologically normal oral tissues. This study aimed to determine the clinical significance of PTMA overexpression in oral squamous cell hyperplasia, dysplasia and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).Immunohistochemistry of PTMA protein was performed in HNSCCs (n = 100), squamous cell hyperplasia (n = 116), dysplasia (n = 50) and histologically normal oral tissues (n = 100). Statistical analysis was carried out to determine the association of PTMA overexpression with clinicopathological parameters and disease prognosis over 7 years for HNSCC patients.<0.001). Chi-square analysis showed significant association of nuclear PTMA with advanced tumor stages (III+IV). Kaplan Meier survival analysis indicated reduced disease free survival (DFS) in HNSCC patients (p<0.001; median survival 11 months). Notably, Cox-multivariate analysis revealed nuclear PTMA as an independent predictor of poor prognosis of HNSCC patients (p<0.001, Hazard's ratio, HR = 5.2, 95% CI = 2.3–11.8) in comparison with the histological grade, T-stage, nodal status and tumor stage.Nuclear PTMA may serve as prognostic marker in HNSCC to determine the subset of patients that are likely to show recurrence of the disease