Gastroduodenal Morphology and Related Symptoms in Chronic Alcoholics

Twenty-four chronic alcoholics admitted to hospital for detoxification after a drinking spree were examined by upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Biopsy specimens were taken from corpus/fundus, antrum and duodenum for tissue histology (eosin stain). From the duodenum villus index and ultrastructure (scanning electron microscopy, SEM) were also performed. As a control group 12 subjectively healthy non-alcoholics referred to upper gastrointestinal endoscopy mainly for dyspepsia were chosen

Determinants of distribution and prevalence of avian malaria in blue tit populations across Europe : separating host and parasite effects

Although avian malarial parasites are globally distributed, the factors that affect the geographical distribution and local prevalence of different parasite lineages across host populations or species are still poorly understood. Based on the intense screening of avian malarial parasites in nine European blue tit populations, we studied whether distribution ranges as well as local adaptation, host specialization and phylogenetic relationships can determine the observed prevalences within populations. We found that prevalence differed consistently between parasite lineages and host populations, indicating that the transmission success of parasites is lineage specific but is partly shaped by locality-specific effects. We also found that the lineage-specific estimate of prevalence was related to the distribution range of parasites: lineages found in more host populations were generally more prevalent within these populations. Additionally, parasites with high prevalence that were also widely distributed among blue tit populations were also found to infect more host species. These findings suggest that parasites reaching high local prevalence can also realize wide distribution at a global scale that can have further consequences for host specialization. Although phylogenetic relationships among parasites did not predict prevalence, we detected a close match between a tree based on the geographic distance of the host populations and the parasite phylogenetic tree, implying that neighbouring host populations shared a related parasite fauna

Familial adenomatous polyposis is associated with a marked decrease in alkaline sphingomyelinase activity: a key factor to the unrestrained cell proliferation?

The hydrolysis of sphingomyelin generates key molecules regulating cell growth and inducing apoptosis. Data from animal cancer models support an inhibitory role for this pathway in the malignant transformation of the colonic mucosa. In the intestinal tract, a sphingomyelinase with an optimum alkaline pH has been identified. We recently found that the activity of alkaline sphingomyelinase is significantly decreased in colorectal adenocarcinomas, indicating a potential anticarcinogenic role of this enzyme. To further examine whether the reduction of sphingomyelinase is present already in the premalignant state of neoplastic transformation, we measured sphingomyelinase activities in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and in sporadic colorectal tubulovillous adenomas. Tissue samples were taken from adenomas and surrounding macroscopically normal mucosa from 11 FAP patients operated with ileorectal anastomosis, from three FAP patients with intact colon, from 13 patients with sporadic colorectal adenomas and from 12 controls. Activities of acid, neutral and alkaline sphingomyelinase were measured together with alkaline phosphatase. In FAP adenoma tissue, alkaline sphingomyelinase activity was reduced by 90% compared to controls (P < 0.0001), acid sphingomyelinase by 66% (P < 0.01) and neutral sphingomyelinase by 54% (P < 0.05). Similar reductions were found in the surrounding mucosa. In sporadic adenoma tissue, only alkaline sphingomyelinase was reduced significantly, by 57% (P < 0.05). Alkaline phosphatase was not changed in FAP adenomas, but decreased in the sporadic adenomas. We conclude that the markedly reduced levels of alkaline sphingomyelinase activities in FAP adenomas and in the surrounding mucosa may be a pathogenic factor that can lead to unrestrained cell proliferation and neoplastic transformation. © 1999 Cancer Research Campaig

Identification of aberrant forms of alkaline sphingomyelinase (NPP7) associated with human liver tumorigenesis

Alkaline sphingomyelinase (alk-SMase) is expressed in the intestine and human liver. It may inhibit colonic tumorigenesis, and loss of function mutations have been identified in human colon cancer. The present study investigates its expression in human liver cancer. In HepG2 liver cancer cells, RT–PCR identified three transcripts with 1.4, 1.2 and 0.4 kb, respectively. The 1.4 kb form is the wild-type cDNA with five translated exons, the 1.2 kb product lacks exon 4 and the 0.4 kb form is a combination of exons 1 and 5. Genomic sequence showed that these aberrant transcripts were products of alternative splicing. Transient expression of the 1.2 kb form showed no alk-SMase activity. In HepG2 cells, the alk-SMase activity is low in monolayer condition and increased with cell polarisation. Coexistence of 1.4 and 1.2 kb forms was also identified in one hepatoma biopsy. GenBank search identified a cDNA clone from human liver tumour, which codes a protein containing full length of alk-SMase plus a 73-amino-acid tag at the N terminus. The aberrant form was translated by an alternative starting codon upstream of the wild-type mRNA. Expression study showed that linking the tag markedly reduced the enzyme activity. We also analysed human liver biopsy samples and found relatively low alk-SMase activity in diseases with increased risk of liver tumorigenesis. In conclusion, expression of alk-SMase is changed in hepatic tumorigenesis, resulting in loss or marked reduction of the enzyme function

Interpopulation Variation in Contour Feather Structure Is Environmentally Determined in Great Tits

Background: The plumage of birds is important for flying, insulation and social communication. Contour feathers cover most of the avian body and among other functions they provide a critical insulation layer against heat loss. Feather structure and composition are known to vary among individuals, which in turn determines variation in the insulation properties of the feather. However, the extent and the proximate mechanisms underlying this variation remain unexplored. Methodology/Principal Findings: We analyzed contour feather structure from two different great tit populations adapted to different winter regimes, one northern population in Oulu (Finland) and one southern population in Lund (Sweden). Great tits from the two populations differed significantly in feather structure. Birds from the northern population had a denser plumage but consisting of shorter feathers with a smaller proportion containing plumulaceous barbs, compared with conspecifics from the southern population. However, differences disappeared when birds originating from the two populations were raised and moulted in identical conditions in a common-garden experiment located in Oulu, under ad libitum nutritional conditions. All birds raised in the aviaries, including adult foster parents moulting in the same captive conditions, developed a similar feather structure. These feathers were different from that of wild birds in Oulu but similar to wild birds in Lund, the latter moulting in more benign conditions than those of Oulu. Conclusions/Significance: Wild populations exposed to different conditions develop contour feather differences either due to plastic responses or constraints. Environmental conditions, such as nutrient availability during feather growth play a crucial role in determining such differences in plumage structure among populations

Formation and control of electron molecules in artificial atoms: Impurity and magnetic-field effects

Interelectron interactions and correlations in quantum dots can lead to spontaneous symmetry breaking of the self-consistent mean field resulting in formation of Wigner molecules. With the use of spin-and-space unrestricted Hartree-Fock (sS-UHF) calculations, such symmetry breaking is discussed for field-free conditions, as well as under the influence of an external magnetic field. Using as paradigms impurity-doped (as well as the limiting case of clean) two-electron quantum dots (which are analogs to helium-like atoms), it is shown that the interplay between the interelectron repulsion and the electronic zero-point kinetic energy leads, for a broad range of impurity parameters, to formation of a singlet ground-state electron molecule, reminiscent of the molecular picture of doubly-excited helium. Comparative analysis of the conditional probability distributions for the sS-UHF and the exact solutions for the ground state of two interacting electrons in a clean parabolic quantum dot reveals that both of them describe formation of an electron molecule with similar characteristics. The self-consistent field associated with the triplet excited state of the two-electron quantum dot (clean as well as impurity-doped) exhibits symmetry breaking of the Jahn-Teller type, similar to that underlying formation of nonspherical open-shell nuclei and metal clusters. Furthermore, impurity and/or magnetic-field effects can be used to achieve controlled manipulation of the formation and pinning of the discrete orientations of the Wigner molecules. Impurity effects are futher illustrated for the case of a quantum dot with more than two electrons.Comment: Latex/Revtex, 10 pages with 4 gif figures. Small changes to explain the difference between Wigner and Jahn-Teller electron molecules. A complete version of the paper with high quality figures inside the text is available at http://shale.physics.gatech.edu/~costas/qdhelium.html For related papers, see http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~ph274c

Group theoretical analysis of symmetry breaking in two-dimensional quantum dots

We present a group theoretical study of the symmetry-broken unrestricted Hartree-Fock orbitals and electron densities in the case of a two-dimensional N-electron single quantum dot (with and without an external magnetic field). The breaking of rotational symmetry results in canonical orbitals that (1) are associated with the eigenvectors of a Hueckel hamiltonian having sites at the positions determined by the equilibrium molecular configuration of the classical N-electron problem, and (2) transform according to the irreducible representations of the point group specified by the discrete symmetries of this classical molecular configuration. Through restoration of the total-spin and rotational symmetries via projection techniques, we show that the point-group discrete symmetry of the unrestricted Hartree-Fock wave function underlies the appearance of magic angular momenta (familiar from exact-diagonalization studies) in the excitation spectra of the quantum dot. Furthermore, this two-step symmetry-breaking/symmetry-restoration method accurately describes the energy spectra associated with the magic angular momenta.Comment: A section VI.B entitled "Quantitative description of the lowest rotational band" has been added. 16 pages. Revtex with 10 EPS figures. A version of the manuscript with high quality figures is available at http://calcite.physics.gatech.edu/~costas/uhf_group.html For related papers, see http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~ph274c

Sexual Conflict and Sexually Antagonistic Coevolution in an Annual Plant

BACKGROUND: Sexual conflict theory predicts sexually antagonistic coevolution of reproductive traits driven by conflicting evolutionary interests of two reproducing individuals. Most studies of the evolutionary consequences of sexual conflicts have, however, to date collectively investigated only a few species. In this study we used the annual herb Collinsia heterophylla to experimentally test the existence and evolutionary consequences of a potential sexual conflict over onset of stigma receptivity. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We conducted crosses within and between four greenhouse-grown populations originating from two regions. Our experimental setup allowed us to investigate male-female interactions at three levels of geographic distances between interacting individuals. Both recipient and pollen donor identity affected onset of stigma receptivity within populations, confirming previous results that some pollen donors can induce stigma receptivity. We also found that donors were generally better at inducing stigma receptivity following pollen deposition on stigmas of recipients from another population than their own, especially within a region. On the other hand, we found that donors did worse at inducing stigma receptivity in crosses between regions. Interestingly, recipient costs in terms of lowered seed number after early fertilisation followed the same pattern: the cost was apparent only if the pollen donor belonged to the same region as the recipient. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results indicate that recipients are released from the cost of interacting with local pollen donors when crossed with donors from a more distant location, a pattern consistent with a history of sexually antagonistic coevolution within populations. Accordingly, sexual conflicts may have important evolutionary consequences also in plants