A Reduction in Stress is Associated with a Decrease in Chemotherapy Symptoms: An Integrative Literature Review

A Reduction in Stress is Associated with a Decrease in Chemotherapy Symptoms: An Integrative Literature Review Kelsy Foat Faculty Sponsor: Alison DiValerio Abstract Background: When individuals with cancer are stressed this can affect their tumor’s ability to grow and spread, thus causing treatments, such as chemotherapy, to be less effective. Awareness of the effect that stress has on cancer therapy can play a role in how patients perceive the importance of stress reducing activities. Objectives: To determine if there is a positive effect on chemotherapy symptoms when reducing stress in cancer patients, and if so, what types of stress reduction techniques are of benefit. Methods: This integrative literature review was conducted using keywords “stress”, “chemotherapy” and “cancer” to search the literature between 2007 and 2017. Results: The literature review suggests that a reduction in stress using specific interventions was associated with a decrease in chemotherapy symptoms and 1 study found no association. Conclusion: Data reveals there is a correlation between stress and chemotherapy symptoms. It is evident that chemotherapy symptoms worsen for stressed patients undergoing chemotherapy. Studies have found significant statistics showing the benefits that CAM interventions, such as yoga breathing, guided imagery, exercise, self-directed stress management, and psycho-educational therapy, have on the stress these patients endure. Overall, results found that decreasing stress in patients undergoing chemotherapy resulted in decreased symptoms, thus making treatment easier for patients to face. Key words: stress, chemotherapy, cance

Discovering structural cis-regulatory elements by modeling the behaviors of mRNAs

Gene expression is regulated at each step from chromatin remodeling through translation and degradation. Several known RNA-binding regulatory proteins interact with specific RNA secondary structures in addition to specific nucleotides. To provide a more comprehensive understanding of the regulation of gene expression, we developed an integrative computational approach that leverages functional genomics data and nucleotide sequences to discover RNA secondary structure-defined cis-regulatory elements (SCREs). We applied our structural cis-regulatory element detector (StructRED) to microarray and mRNA sequence data from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Drosophila melanogaster, and Homo sapiens. We recovered the known specificities of Vts1p in yeast and Smaug in flies. In addition, we discovered six putative SCREs in flies and three in humans. We characterized the SCREs based on their condition-specific regulatory influences, the annotation of the transcripts that contain them, and their locations within transcripts. Overall, we show that modeling functional genomics data in terms of combined RNA structure and sequence motifs is an effective method for discovering the specificities and regulatory roles of RNA-binding proteins

Morfološki indikatori potkožne implantacije monofilamentne mrežice

Hernias are a significant, non-infectious animal condition. In productive animals, failure to provide surgical treatment leads to premature rejection and potential loss of their productive longevity. In small pets, this becomes a social problem for pet owners related to the keeping and death of affected animals. The aim of this study was to study the histological parameters of tissues during implantation of monofilament mesh in cattle for periods up to four months. The study was conducted on eight bulls of the Black Motley breed, divided into two groups of four animals. In the first group, four bulls received a subcutaneous implant of hernioplasty mesh made of polypropylene monofilament (Herniamesh S.R.I. Via CiRie 22 / A, San Maruro Torinese, Torino, Italy) in the area of the lateral soft abdominal wall on the right and left sides. In the second group, four bulls received implants in the middle third of the neck to the right and left sides. Thus, the subject of research was 16 wounds with implanted mesh. A sterile piece monofilament mesh, 1x2 cm in size and folded in half along the longitudinal side, was inserted vertically into the formed hypodermic pocket on the right side of the wound, in which it was possible to freely place the specified mesh. During the course of the study, Polycon No. 4 thread with intermittent knotted seams was used, and three sutures were applied. To ensure fixation of the mesh, it was stitched centrally. The material for histological studies was taken by biopsy at one, two, three and four months after implantation. Tissue was embedded in paraffin blocks, and sections were stained with haematoxylin-eosin and picrofuchsin according to Van Gieson. The results indicated that after subcutaneous implantation of monofilament mesh in the neck and abdominal wall in cattle, wound healing occurs by primary intention. It was revealed that from the beginning of the histological study to one month, the monofilament mesh is first overgrown with loose connective tissue. By the end of the study, after four months, this is sequentially differentiated into dense connective tissue. No significant differences were observed between the abdominal wall and neck area as sites of implantation, and morphological processes in both sites proceeded in the same way. Thus, the conducted studies allow us to conclude that monofilament mesh is a suitable material for closing the hernial ring in cattle, where it is not possible to use their own tissues for these purposes.Hernije su često, nezarazno stanje životinja. U produktivnih životinja, ukoliko se ne pruži kirurško liječenje, dolazi do preranog odbacivanja ploda i potencijalnog gubitka njihove produktivne dugovječnosti. U malih kućnih ljubimaca ovo je postalo socijalni problem za vlasnike kućnih ljubimaca povezan s čuvanjem i smrću oboljelih životinja. Cilj ove studije bio je proučiti histološke parametre tkiva tijekom implantacije monofilamentne mrežice u goveda za razdoblja do četiri mjeseca. Studija je provedena na osam bikova Black Motley pasmine, podijeljenih u dvije skupine od po četiri životinje. U prvoj skupini, četiri su bika dobila potkožno implantiranu mrežicu za hernioplastiku izrađenu od polipropilenskog monofilamenta (Herniamesh S.R.I. Via CiRie 22/A, San Maruro Torinese, Torino, Italija) na području bočne meke abdominalne stijenke s desne i lijeve strane. U drugoj skupini, četiri su bika dobila implantate u srednjoj trećini vrata na desnoj i lijevoj strani. Time je predmet istraživanja bilo 16 rana s implantiranim mrežicama. Sterilni komad monofilamentne mrežice, 1 x 2 cm veličine i preklopljen na pola duž uzdužne strane, umetnut je okomito u formirani hipodermički džepić s desne strane rane, u koji je bilo moguće slobodno postaviti spomenutu mrežicu. U studiji je rabljena nit polikon br. 4 s isprekidanim čvornim šavovima te su primijenjena tri šava. Kako bi se osiguralo fiksiranje mrežice, ona je središnje zašivena. Materijal za histološke studije uzet je biopsijom jedan, dva, tri i četiri mjeseca nakon implantacije. Tkivo je uronjeno u parafinske blokove, a isječci tkiva obojeni su hematoksilin-eozinom i pikrofuksinom prema Van Giesonu. Rezultati su pokazali da nakon potkožne implantacije monofilamentne mrežice u vrat i abdominalnu stijenku goveda dolazi do liječenja rane prema primarnoj namjeri. Otkriveno je da je od početka histološke studije do kraja prvog mjeseca, monofilamentna mrežica prvo obrasla labavim veznim tkivom. Do kraja studije, nakon četiri mjeseca, to tkivo se sekvencijski diferenciralo u gusto vezno tkivo. Nisu zamijećene velike razlike između područja abdominalne stijenke i vrata u smislu mjesta implantacije, a morfološki procesi na oba mjesta odvijali su se jednako. Stoga nam provedena studija dopušta donijeti zaključak da je monofilamentna mrežica prikladan materijal za zatvaranje kilnog prstena u stoke, ako nije moguće, u tu svrhu, rabiti njihovo vlastito tkivo

Staff experiences in paediatric trauma services:Exploring perceptions of resilience when dealing with distress

Understanding how health professionals manage distress in paediatric health settings represents an area that has been understudied. The current study aimed to explore resilience amongst staff working in a paediatric trauma health setting. Seven health professionals were recruited and the data analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Approach (IPA). The findings highlight the importance of self-awareness in understanding resilience amongst professionals working in this context. This was particularly in considering the professional and physical limitations of the individual. Further research is recommended in further developing a theoretical understanding of resilience in this context. Recommendations for supporting professionals in maintaining and developing resilience are made

Profiling condition-specific, genome-wide regulation of mRNA stability in yeast

The steady-state abundance of an mRNA is determined by the balance between transcription and decay. Although regulation of transcription has been well studied both experimentally and computationally, regulation of transcript stability has received little attention. We developed an algorithm, MatrixREDUCE, that discovers the position-specific affinity matrices for unknown RNAbinding factors and infers their condition-specific activities, using only genomic sequence data and steady-state mRNA expression data as input. We identified and computationally characterized the binding sites for six mRNA stability regulators in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which include two members of the Pumilio-homology domain (Puf) family of RNA-binding proteins, Puf3p and Puf4p. We provide computational and experimental evidence that regulation of mRNA stability by these factors is modulated in response to a variety of environmental stimuli

T-profiler: scoring the activity of predefined groups of genes using gene expression data

One of the key challenges in the analysis of gene expression data is how to relate the expression level of individual genes to the underlying transcriptional programs and cellular state. Here we describe T-profiler, a tool that uses the t-test to score changes in the average activity of predefined groups of genes. The gene groups are defined based on Gene Ontology categorization, ChIP-chip experiments, upstream matches to a consensus transcription factor binding motif or location on the same chromosome. If desired, an iterative procedure can be used to select a single, optimal representative from sets of overlapping gene groups. T-profiler makes it possible to interpret microarray data in a way that is both intuitive and statistically rigorous, without the need to combine experiments or choose parameters. Currently, gene expression data from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans are supported. Users can upload their microarray data for analysis on the web at

Defining transcriptional networks through integrative modeling of mRNA expression and transcription factor binding data

Functional genomics studies are yielding information about regulatory processes in the cell at an unprecedented scale. In the yeast S. cerevisiae, DNA microarrays have not only been used to measure the mRNA abundance for all genes under a variety of conditions but also to determine the occupancy of all promoter regions by a large number of transcription factors. The challenge is to extract useful information about the global regulatory network from these data. We present MA-Networker, an algorithm that combines microarray data for mRNA expression and transcription factor occupancy to define the regulatory network of the cell. Multivariate regression analysis is used to infer the activity of each transcription factor, and the correlation across different conditions between this activity and the mRNA expression of a gene is interpreted as regulatory coupling strength. Applying our method to S. cerevisiae, we find that, on average, 58% of the genes whose promoter region is bound by a transcription factor are true regulatory targets. These results are validated by an analysis of enrichment for functional annotation, response for transcription factor deletion, and over-representation of cis-regulatory motifs. We are able to assign directionality to transcription factors that control divergently transcribed genes sharing the same promoter region. Finally, we identify an intrinsic limitation of transcription factor deletion experiments related to the combinatorial nature of transcriptional control, to which our approach provides an alternative. Our reliable classification of ChIP positives into functional and non-functional TF targets based on their expression pattern across a wide range of conditions provides a starting point for identifying the unknown sequence features in non-coding DNA that directly or indirectly determine the context dependence of transcription factor action. Complete analysis results are available for browsing or download at http://bussemaker.bio.columbia.edu/papers/MA-Networker/

Análisis, diseño y desarrollo de los módulos de control reproductivo y control sanitario para la finca "San Antonio"

El manejo adecuado de la información, permite planificar actividades, reducir gastos y mejorar procesos. Es por esto que el presente trabajo, analiza, diseña y desarrolla módulos de control reproductivo y control sanitario para la finca "San Antonio"; direccionado al área ganadera, es una herramienta tecnológica que pretende ser un aporte en el desarrollo de esta actividad económica y busca que las personas involucradas en el manejo o administración de pequeñas fincas ganaderas, valoren los beneficios que les brinda el uso adecuado de sistemas informáticos. Basados en los resultados de una encuesta realizada a personal involucrado en el tema, y mediante la observación directa en fincas ganaderas de los cantones Mejía, Cayambe y específicamente en el sector de Tandapi, se pudo determinar que existe la necesidad de disponer de un sistema informático para esta área de la economía, que direccionado a nuestra realidad pueda ser aplicado a nivel externo en economías semejantes a la nuestra. Lo relevante de la investigación, para el desarrollo e implementación del sistema, se traduce en reducir el desperdicio de insumos, aumentar la producción de leche, mejorar el control sanitario y reproductivo de las unidades bovinas. Y para lograrlo, el sistema tiene una variedad de interfaces amigables con el usuario, sin importar el nivel de conocimiento que tenga en esta materia, además tiene un alto nivel de seguridad, para el manejo de datos y acceso al sistema

Predicting Transcription Factor Specificity with All-Atom Models

The binding of a transcription factor (TF) to a DNA operator site can initiate or repress the expression of a gene. Computational prediction of sites recognized by a TF has traditionally relied upon knowledge of several cognate sites, rather than an ab initio approach. Here, we examine the possibility of using structure-based energy calculations that require no knowledge of bound sites but rather start with the structure of a protein-DNA complex. We study the PurR E. coli TF, and explore to which extent atomistic models of protein-DNA complexes can be used to distinguish between cognate and non-cognate DNA sites. Particular emphasis is placed on systematic evaluation of this approach by comparing its performance with bioinformatic methods, by testing it against random decoys and sites of homologous TFs. We also examine a set of experimental mutations in both DNA and the protein. Using our explicit estimates of energy, we show that the specificity for PurR is dominated by direct protein-DNA interactions, and weakly influenced by bending of DNA.Comment: 26 pages, 3 figure

Ornithine Decarboxylase mRNA is Stabilized in an mTORC1-dependent Manner in Ras-transformed Cells

Upon Ras activation, ODC (ornithine decarboxylase) is markedly induced, and numerous studies suggest that ODC expression is controlled by Ras effector pathways. ODC is therefore a potential target in the treatment and prevention of Ras-driven tumours. In the present study we compared ODC mRNA translation profiles and stability in normal and Ras12V-transformed RIE-1 (rat intestinal epithelial) cells. While translation initiation of ODC increased modestly in Ras12V cells, ODC mRNA was stabilized 8-fold. Treatment with the specific mTORC1 [mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) complex 1] inhibitor rapamycin or siRNA (small interfering RNA) knockdown of mTOR destabilized the ODC mRNA, but rapamycin had only a minor effect on ODC translation initiation. Inhibition of mTORC1 also reduced the association of the mRNA-binding protein HuR with the ODC transcript. We have shown previously that HuR binding to the ODC 3′UTR (untranslated region) results in significant stabilization of the ODC mRNA, which contains several AU-rich regions within its 3′UTR that may act as regulatory sequences. Analysis of ODC 3′UTR deletion constructs suggests that cis-acting elements between base 1969 and base 2141 of the ODC mRNA act to stabilize the ODC transcript. These experiments thus define a novel mechanism of ODC synthesis control. Regulation of ODC mRNA decay could be an important means of limiting polyamine accumulation and subsequent tumour development