Role of Suppressors of Cytokine Signaling 3 in Bone Inflammatory Responses

Suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) is a potent regulator of cytokine signaling in macrophages and T cells. In recent studies, evidence has been provided for SOCS3 activation in all major bone cells including osteoclasts, chondrocytes, synoviocytes, and osteoblasts. The investigation of SOCS3 function in bone remodeling systems implicates SOCS3 as a key signaling molecule in bone cell-mediated inflammatory responses. Both pro- and anti-inflammatory functions of SOCS3 have been demonstrated in different types of bone cells. This review provides an overview of the important role of SOCS3 in inflammatory responses of various bone cells and in bone inflammatory disorders such as periodontal disease and arthritis. Understanding the roles of SOCS3 in inflammatory diseases of bone and joints such as arthritis, osteomyelitis, and periodontal diseases is critical to revealing insights into signaling pathways that can be manipulated in potential therapeutic approaches

Floristic inventory and quality assessment of Bessey Creek Nature Preserve, Cheboygan County, Michigan, 2011.

Field Biology of PlantsWetlands are habitats that provide critical ecosystem services. As transitional habitats between terrestrial and aquatic environments, wetlands contain plant communities that are typically species rich. One way to measure the composition of plant communities is to inventory the species and conduct a Floristic Quality Assessment (FQA) of the species. Created by Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), the FQA is a tool to evaluate areas that may be of floristic importance and calculate the diversity and species richness of a site. We conducted an FQA of the Bessey Creek Nature Preserve in Cheboygan County, MI, which is owned by the Little Traverse Conservancy (Harbor Springs, MI). The site is located at the mouth of Bessey Creek where it enters Douglas Lake. The preserve contains several plant communities located throughout four habitat zones: the roadside, the swamp, the littoral marsh, and the aquatic shoreline. Our sampling indentified a total of one hundred sixteen species in fifty-four families, with a mean coefficient of conservation of 4.44 for only native species, and 3.62 including introduced species. The preserve has wetlands index of -2.52, signifying that the preserve contains mostly facultative wetland species. Twenty species are considered exotic and are not native to the area. Based on the MDNR’s FQA equations, we calculated the Floristic Quality Index (FQI) of Bessey Creek to be 41.87 when considering only native species and 37.83 when including introduced species. Bessey Creek has a lower FQI than other preserves, ranking below Orchis Fen Preserve (FQI: 49.60) and Kalman Preserve (FQI: 61.70). However, Bessey Creek’s FQI value is above the current threshhold of 35 determined by the MDNR, and is thus considered floristically important to the state of Michigan.Little Traverse Conservancyhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/89421/1/Dorey_VanDyke_Vogt_2011.pd

Oral Inflammatory Diseases and Systemic Inflammation: Role of the Macrophage

Inflammation is a complex reaction to injurious agents and includes vascular responses, migration, and activation of leukocytes. Inflammation starts with an acute reaction, which evolves into a chronic phase if allowed to persist unresolved. Acute inflammation is a rapid process characterized by fluid exudation and emigration of leukocytes, primarily neutrophils, whereas chronic inflammation extends over a longer time and is associated with lymphocyte and macrophage infiltration, blood vessel proliferation, and fibrosis. Inflammation is terminated when the invader is eliminated, and the secreted mediators are removed; however, many factors modify the course and morphologic appearance as well as the termination pattern and duration of inflammation. Chronic inflammatory illnesses such as diabetes, arthritis, and heart disease are now seen as problems that might have an impact on the periodontium. Reciprocal effects of periodontal diseases are potential factors modifying severity in the progression of systemic inflammatory diseases. Macrophages are key cells for the inflammatory processes as regulators directing inflammation to chronic pathological changes or resolution with no damage or scar tissue formation. As such, macrophages are involved in a remarkably diverse array of homeostatic processes of vital importance to the host. In addition to their critical role in immunity, macrophages are also widely recognized as ubiquitous mediators of cellular turnover and maintenance of extracellular matrix homeostasis. In this review, our objective is to identify macrophage-mediated events central to the inflammatory basis of chronic diseases, with an emphasis on how control of macrophage function can be used to prevent or treat harmful outcomes linked to uncontrolled inflammation

Sequoyah v. TVA, 6th Circuit, Docket No. 79-1633: Motion for Leave to Appear and to File Memorandum as Amici Curiae

Motion to submit amicus brief filed by the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe, Zuni Tribe, Americans for Indian Opportunity, North American Indian Museum Association and Hui Malama Aina O\u27Koolau in support of the Cherokee groups suing to prevent competition of the Tellico Project

Integrated disaster recovery: Linking health care and disaster case management

In long-term recovery from natural disasters, the federal government helps to rebuild infrastructure, but individuals face a chaotic and uncoordinated assembly of state and local programs, insurance coverage, and assistance from nongovernmental organizations. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and other organizations have utilized case management, which matches individual needs for housing, health care, employment, and education, etc. with appropriate resources, to coordinate disaster recovery. However, these efforts have had uneven results. Case management limitations include: inability to identify and locate all those in need, implementation barriers, inability to scale services for large urban disasters, and poor sustainability. Linking disaster recovery case management with health care organizations, especially those with pre-existing health care case management programs, is a practical, scalable and sustainable approach to integrating the many aspects of disaster recovery and is a way for building community resilience before and after disasters

A critical role for suppressors of cytokine signaling 3 in regulating LPS-induced transcriptional activation of matrix metalloproteinase-13 in osteoblasts

Suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) is a key regulator of cytokine signaling in macrophages and T cells. Although SOCS3 seems to contribute to the balance between the pro-inflammatory actions of IL-6 family of cytokines and anti-inflammatory signaling of IL-10 by negatively regulating gp130/Jak/Stat3 signal transduction, how and the molecular mechanisms whereby SOCS3 controls the downstream impact of TLR4 are largely unknown and current data are controversial. Furthermore, very little is known regarding SOCS3 function in cells other than myeloid cells and T cells. Our previous study demonstrates that SOCS3 is expressed in osteoblasts and functions as a critical inhibitor of LPS-induced IL-6 expression. However, the function of SOCS3 in osteoblasts remains largely unknown. In the current study, we report for the first time that LPS stimulation of osteoblasts induces the transcriptional activation of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-13, a central regulator of bone resorption. Importantly, we demonstrate that SOCS3 overexpression leads to a significant decrease of LPS-induced MMP-13 expression in both primary murine calvariae osteoblasts and a mouse osteoblast-like cell line, MC3T3-E1. Our findings implicate SOCS3 as an important regulatory mediator in bone inflammatory diseases by targeting MMP-13

ORFEUS-II Far-Ultraviolet Observations of 3C273: 1. Interstellar and Intergalactic Absorption Lines

We present the first intermediate-resolution (lambda / 3000) spectrum of the bright quasi-stellar object 3C273 at wavelengths between 900 and 1200 A. Observations were performed with the Berkeley spectrograph aboard the ORFEUS-SPAS II mission. We detect Lyman beta counterparts to previously-identified intergalactic Lyman-alpha features at cz = 19900, 1600, and 1000 km/s; counterparts to other putative Lyman-alpha clouds along the sight line are below our detection limit. The strengths of the two very low redshift Lyman-beta features, which are believed to arise in Virgo intracluster gas, exceed preflight expectations, suggesting that the previous determination of the cloud parameters may underestimate the true column densities. A curve-of-growth analysis sets a minimum H I column density of 4 E14/cm^2 for the 1600 km/s cloud. We find marginally significant evidence for Galactic H_2 along the sight line, with a total column density of about 1 E15/cm^2. We detect the stronger interstellar O VI doublet member unambiguously; the weaker member is blended with other features. If the Doppler b value for O VI is comparable to that determined for N V then the O VI column density is 7 +/- 2 E14/cm^2, significantly above the only previous estimate. The O VI / N V ratio is about 10, consistent with the low end of the range observed in the disk. Additional interstellar species detected for the first time toward 3C273 (at modest statistical significance) include P II, Fe III, Ar I, and S III.Comment: LaTeX file, 11 pages, 4 encapsulated PostScript figures. Uses aaspp4.sty and astrobib.sty. (Astrobib is available from http://www.stsci.edu/software/TeX.html .) The ORFEUS telescope is described at http://sag-www.ssl.berkeley.edu/orfeus/ . To appear in ApJ (Letters