Effect Threshold for Selenium Toxicity in Juvenile Splittail, Pogonichthys macrolepidotus A

In fish, selenium can bioaccumulate and cause adverse impacts. One of the fish species potentially at risk from selenium in the San Francisco Bay (California, USA) is the splittail (Pogonichthys macrolepidotus). Previous studies have derived a whole body NOAEL and LOAEL of 9.0 and 12.9 mg/kg-dw, respectively, for selenium in juveniles. However, the NOAEL/LOAEL approach leaves some uncertainty regarding the threshold of toxicity. Therefore, the raw data from the original experiment was re-analyzed using a logistic regression to derive EC10 values of 0.9 mg/kg-dw in feed, 7.9 mg/kg-dw in muscle, 18.6 mg/kg-dw in liver for juvenile splittail. Selenium concentrations in the dietary items of wild splittail exceed the EC10 values derived here. Thus, deformities previously reported in wild splittail may have resulted from selenium exposures via the food chain

Maternal Obesity Promotes Diabetic Nephropathy in Rodent Offspring

Maternal obesity is known to increase the risk of obesity and diabetes in offspring. Though diabetes is a key risk factor for the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD), the relationship between maternal obesity and CKD has not been clearly defined. In this study, a mouse model of maternal obesity was employed to determine the impact of maternal obesity on development of diabetic nephropathy in offspring. Female C57BL/6 mice were fed high-fat diet (HFD) for six weeks prior to mating, during gestation and lactation. Male offspring were weaned to normal chow diet. At postnatal Week 8, offspring were randomly administered low dose streptozotocin (STZ, 55 mg/kg/day for five days) to induce diabetes. Assessment of renal damage took place at postnatal Week 32. We found that offspring of obese mothers had increased renal fibrosis, inflammation and oxidative stress. Importantly, offspring exposed to maternal obesity had increased susceptibility to renal damage when an additional insult, such as STZ-induced diabetes, was imposed. Specifically, renal inflammation and oxidative stress induced by diabetes was augmented by maternal obesity. Our findings suggest that developmental programming induced by maternal obesity has implications for renal health in offspring. Maternal obesity should be considered a risk factor for CKD

Mouse models of diabetes, obesity and related kidney disease

© 2016 Glastras et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Multiple rodent models have been used to study diabetic kidney disease (DKD). The purpose of the present study was to compare models of diabetes and obesity-induced metabolic syndrome and determine differences in renal outcomes. C57BL/6 male mice were fed either normal chow or high fat diet (HFD). At postnatal week 8, chow-fed mice were randomly assigned to low-dose streptozotocin (STZ, 55 mg/kg/day, five consecutive days) or vehicle control, whereas HFD-fed mice were given either one high-dose of STZ (100 mg/kg) or vehicle control. Intraperitoneal glucose tolerance tests were performed at Week 14, 20 and 30. Urinary albumin to creatinine ratio (ACR) and serum creatinine were measured, and renal structure was assessed using Periodic Acid Schiff (PAS) staining at Week 32. Results showed that chow-fed mice exposed to five doses of STZ resembled type 1 diabetes mellitus with a lean phenotype, hyperglycaemia, microalbuminuria and increased serum creatinine levels. Their kidneys demonstrated moderate tubular injury with evidence of tubular dilatation and glycogenated nuclear inclusion bodies. HFD-fed mice resembled metabolic syndrome as they were obese with dyslipidaemia, insulin resistance, and significantly impaired glucose tolerance. One dose STZ, in addition to HFD, did not worsen metabolic features (including fasting glucose, non esterified fatty acid, and triglyceride levels). There were significant increases in urinary ACR and serum creatinine levels, and renal structural changes were predominantly related to interstitial vacuolation and tubular dilatation in HFD-fed mice

Uterine tumours are a phenotypic manifestation of the hyperparathyroidism-jaw tumour syndrome

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/74672/1/j.1365-2796.2004.01421.x.pd

Acetylated histone variant H2A.Z is involved in the activation of neo-enhancers in prostate cancer.

Acetylation of the histone variant H2A.Z (H2A.Zac) occurs at active promoters and is associated with oncogene activation in prostate cancer, but its role in enhancer function is still poorly understood. Here we show that H2A.Zac containing nucleosomes are commonly redistributed to neo-enhancers in cancer resulting in a concomitant gain of chromatin accessibility and ectopic gene expression. Notably incorporation of acetylated H2A.Z nucleosomes is a pre-requisite for activation of Androgen receptor (AR) associated enhancers. H2A.Zac nucleosome occupancy is rapidly remodeled to flank the AR sites to initiate the formation of nucleosome-free regions and the production of AR-enhancer RNAs upon androgen treatment. Remarkably higher levels of global H2A.Zac correlate with poorer prognosis. Altogether these data demonstrate the novel contribution of H2A.Zac in activation of newly formed enhancers in prostate cancer

Exploring Norms in Agile Software Teams

The majority of software developers work in teams and are thus influenced by team norms. Norms are shared expectations of how to behave and regulate the interaction between team members. Our aim of this study is to gain more knowledge about team norms in software teams and to increase the understanding of how norms influence teamwork in agile software development projects. We conducted a study of norms in four agile teams located in Norway and Malaysia. The analysis of 22 interviews revealed that we could extract a varied set of both injunctive and descriptive norms. Our results suggest that team norms have an important role in enabling team performance.acceptedVersio

The prevalence of hypertension among Malaysian adults and its associated risk factors: data from Malaysian Community Salt Study (MyCoSS)

Background Hypertension is one of the most common risk factors for cardiovascular disease and leading cause of mortality globally. The aims of this study were to assess the prevalence of hypertension and its associated risk factors among Malaysian population using data from the Malaysian Community Salt Study (MyCoSS). Methods This study was a cross-sectional study using multi-stage stratified sampling method. Data collection was carried out via face-to-face interview at the respondent’s home from October 2017 until March 2018. A total of 1047 respondents aged 18 years and above completed the questionnaires and blood pressure measurement. A person who reported diagnosis of hypertension by a physician and had systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg on three readings was categorised as hypertensive. Risk factors of hypertension were analysed using multiple logistic regression. Results The prevalence of hypertension in the present study was 49.39% (95% CI 44.27–54.51). There was no statistically significant difference in gender. Age, household income, BMI, and diabetes were significantly associated with hypertension. Hypertension found had inverse association with the level of education. Age was the strongest predictor of hypertension (35–44 years old; OR=2.39, 95% CI=1.39–4.09, 45–54 years old; OR=5.50, 95% CI=3.23–9.38, 55–64 years old OR=13.56, 95% CI=7.77–23.64 and 65 years old and above; OR=25.28, 95% CI=13.33–48.66). Those who had higher BMI more likely to be hypertensive as compared to respondents with normal weight (overweight, OR=1.84; 95% CI=1.18–2.86; obese, OR=4.29% CI=2.56–7.29). Conclusion The findings showed that hypertension is prevalent among adults in Malaysia. Those with older age, higher BMI, and diabetes are more likely to have hypertension. Efforts regarding lifestyle modification and education could be important in hypertension management and prevention

“<i>I do it because they do it</i>”:social-neutralisation in information security practices of Saudi medical interns

Successful implementation of information security policies (ISP) and IT controls play an important role in safeguarding patient privacy in healthcare organizations. Our study investigates the factors that lead to healthcare practitioners' neutralisation of ISPs, leading to non-compliance. The study adopted a qualitative approach and conducted a series of semi-structured interviews with medical interns and hospital IT department managers and staff in an academic hospital in Saudi Arabia. The study's findings revealed that the MIs imitate their peers' actions and employ similar justifications when violating ISP dictates. Moreover, MI team superiors' (seniors) ISP non-compliance influence MIs tendency to invoke neutralisation techniques. We found that the trust between the medical team members is an essential social facilitator that motivates MIs to invoke neutralisation techniques to justify violating ISP policies and controls. These findings add new insights that help us to understand the relationship between the social context and neutralisation theory in triggering ISP non-compliance