Woman, Non-Native, Other

This article addresses my fieldwork experiences as a Korean-American woman in Sri Lanka. In particular, it highlights the challenges I encountered around my identity, ranging from almost universal initial disbelief of my being “American” to questioning why I was studying in Sri Lanka and not South Korea. I go on to discuss how these challenges illustrate the persistence of the native/insider and non-native/outsider binary, and how, through this binary, the default racial category of the anthropologist still remains unnuanced and white

Traditional osteotomy versus distraction osteogenesis: articulation changes in Cantonese patients with cleft palate

Also available in print.Thesis (B.Sc)--University of Hong Kong, 2006."A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Bachelor of Science (Speech and Hearing Sciences), The University of Hong Kong, June 30, 2006."published_or_final_versionSpeech and Hearing SciencesBachelorBachelor of Science in Speech and Hearing Science

AAV Hybrid Serotypes: Improved Vectors for Gene Delivery

In recent years, significant efforts have been made on studying and engineering adeno-associated virus (AAV) capsid, in order to increase efficiency in targeting specific cell types that are non-permissive to wild type (wt) viruses and to improve efficacy in infecting only the cell type of interest. With our previous knowledge of the viral properties of the naturally occurring serotypes and the elucidation of their capsid structures, we can now generate capsid mutants, or hybrid serotypes, by various methods and strategies. In this review, we summarize the studies performed on AAV retargeting, and categorize the available hybrid serotypes to date, based on the type of modification: 1) transcapsidation, 2) adsorption of bi-specific antibody to capsid surface, 3) mosaic capsid, and 4) chimeric capsid. Not only these hybrid serotypes could achieve high efficiency of gene delivery to a specific targeted cell type, which can be better-tailored for a particular clinical application, but also serve as a tool for studying AAV biology such as receptor binding, trafficking and genome delivery into the nucleus

Prognostic significance of TRAIL-R3 and CCR-2 expression in tumor epithelial cells of patients with early breast cancer

Tumor epithelial cells (TEpCs) and spindle-shaped stromal cells, not associated with the vasculature, of patients with early breast cancer express osteoprotegerin (OPG), tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL), receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B ligand, stromal cell derived factor-1, interleukin-6, macrophage colony stimulating factor, chemokine (C-C motif) ligand-2 (CCL-2) and their receptors at significantly higher levels compared with non-neoplastic breast tissues. We evaluated the clinicopathological significance of these ligands and receptors in TEpC and spindle-shaped stromal cells, not associated with the vasculature, to determine their impact on prognosis of patients with early-stage breast cancer.Fil: Labovsky, Vivian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Martinez, Leandro Marcelo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Davies, Kevin Mauro. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: de Luján Calcagno, María. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; ArgentinaFil: García Rivello, Hernán. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Wernicke, Alejandra. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Feldman, Leonardo. Fundación Favaloro; ArgentinaFil: Matas, Ayelen. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Giorello, María Belén. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Borzone, Francisco Raúl. Ministerio de Salud. Instituto Nacional del Cancer; ArgentinaFil: Choi, Hosoon. Central Texas Veterans Research Foundation; Estados UnidosFil: Howard, Scott C.. University of Tennessee; Estados UnidosFil: Chasseing, Norma Alejandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; Argentin

β-Catenin is a pH sensor with decreased stability at higher intracellular pH.

β-Catenin functions as an adherens junction protein for cell-cell adhesion and as a signaling protein. β-catenin function is dependent on its stability, which is regulated by protein-protein interactions that stabilize β-catenin or target it for proteasome-mediated degradation. In this study, we show that β-catenin stability is regulated by intracellular pH (pHi) dynamics, with decreased stability at higher pHi in both mammalian cells and Drosophila melanogaster β-Catenin degradation requires phosphorylation of N-terminal residues for recognition by the E3 ligase β-TrCP. While β-catenin phosphorylation was pH independent, higher pHi induced increased β-TrCP binding and decreased β-catenin stability. An evolutionarily conserved histidine in β-catenin (found in the β-TrCP DSGIHS destruction motif) is required for pH-dependent binding to β-TrCP. Expressing a cancer-associated H36R-β-catenin mutant in the Drosophila eye was sufficient to induce Wnt signaling and produced pronounced tumors not seen with other oncogenic β-catenin alleles. We identify pHi dynamics as a previously unrecognized regulator of β-catenin stability, functioning in coincidence with phosphorylation

VHL and PTEN loss coordinate to promote mouse liver vascular lesions

Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) inactivation develops a tumor syndrome characterized by highly vascularized tumors as a result of hypoxia inducible factors (HIF) stabilization. The most common manifestation is the development of hemangioblastomas typically located in the central nervous system and other organs including the liver. PTEN (Phosphatase and tension homologue deleted on chromosome 10) inactivation also upregulates HIF-1α and may take part in promoting vascular lesions in tumors. The coordinate effect of loss of these tumor suppressors on HIF levels, and the subsequent effect on vascular lesion formation would elucidate the potential for mechanisms to modify HIF dosage supplementally and impact tumor phenotype. We therefore employed models of somatic conditional inactivation of Vhl, Pten, or both tumor suppressor genes in individual cells of the liver by Cre-loxP recombination to study the cooperativity of these two tumor suppressors in preventing tumor formation. Nine months after tumor suppressor inactivation, Vhl conditional deletion (VhlloxP/loxP) mice showed no abnormalities, Pten conditional deletion (PtenloxP/loxP) mice developed liver steatosis and focal nodular expansion of hepatocytes containing lipid droplet and fat. Vhl and Pten conditional deletion (VhlloxP/loxP; PtenloxP/loxP) mice, however, developed multiple cavernous liver lesions reminiscent of hemangioblastoma. Liver hemangioblastomas in VHL disease may, therefore, require secondary mutation in addition to VHL loss of heterozygosity which is permissive for vascular lesion development or augments levels of HIF-1α

Parental Understanding of Infant Health Information: Health Literacy, Numeracy, and the Parental Health Literacy Activities Test (PHLAT)

To assess parental health literacy and numeracy skills in understanding instructions for caring for young children, and to develop and validate a new parental health literacy scale, the Parental Health Literacy Activities Test (PHLAT)

The importance of waterbirds as an overlooked pathway of invasion for alien species

The importance of waterbirds as vectors of aliens has been recognized since Darwin's time, yet research by pioneers has been forgotten during the development of modern invasion biology, which tends to overlook this means of dispersal. Waterbirds are ignored in databases of alien species and invasion pathways, making management and prevention of invasions more difficult. I summarize 22 studies that provide empirical evidence for the dispersal of alien plants and invertebrates by waterbirds in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, complementing 14 studies recently identified by Reynolds et al. (2015, Diversity and Distributions, 21, 744–754). Together, these studies provide empirical evidence for the dispersal of 79 alien plant species and eight alien invertebrates by waterbirds, including some of the worst aquatic invaders and the most widely distributed alien terrestrial plant species. Waterbirds known to be vectors include ducks, geese, swans, shorebirds, gulls, herons and rails. Aliens are usually dispersed after being ingested or becoming attached to plumage, bills or feet, but waterbirds also disperse alien species when making nests, when preying on other vectors such as fish, or even attached to leg rings. Whilst waterbirds may have a trivial role in explaining the arrival of alien species to new continents, they have a vital role in spreading aliens around once they get there. Greater focus on the role of waterbird vectors is essential if management of invasions is to be effective, and I make proposals for future research.Peer reviewe