Primary cilia (PC) are solitary, sensory organelles that are critical for several signaling pathways. PC were detected by immunofluorescence of cultured cells and breast tissues. After growth for 7 ...days in vitro, PC were detected in ∼70% of breast fibroblasts and in 7–19% of epithelial cells derived from benign breast (184A1 and MCF10A). In 11 breast cancer cell lines, PC were present at a low frequency in four (from 0.3% to 4% of cells), but were absent in the remainder. The cancer cell lines with PC were all of the basal B subtype, which is analogous to the clinical triple-negative breast cancer subtype. Furthermore, the frequency of PC decreased with increasing degree of transformation/progression in the MCF10 and MDA-MB-435/LCC6 isogenic models of cancer progression. In histologically normal breast tissues, PC were frequent in fibroblasts and myoepithelial cells and less common in luminal epithelial cells. Of 26 breast cancers examined, rare PC were identified in cancer epithelial cells of only one cancer, which was of the triple-negative subtype. These data indicate a decrease or loss of PC in breast cancer and an association of PC with the basal B subtype. This manuscript contains online supplemental material at http://www.jhc.org. Please visit this article online to view these materials.
Abstract
Aims
To assess the factorial validity and internal reliability of the International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ) among a treatment-seeking sample of survivors of sexual violence in Ireland. In ...addition, to assess the diagnostic rate of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) among the samples.
Methods
Participants were adult survivors of sexual violence (
N
= 114) in receipt of therapeutic support at the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre. The ITQ was utilised to measure PTSD and CPTSD symptoms and confirmatory factor analysis was employed to assess the factorial validity of the ITQ. Composite reliability was employed to assess the internal reliability of the ITQ scale scores.
Results
The confirmatory factor analysis results indicated that a six-factor correlated model and a two-factor higher model were good representations of the latent structure of the ITQ, both models are consistent with the conceptualisation of CPTSD. All ITQ subscales possessed satisfactory internal reliability except for the affective dysregulation subscale. Of the sample, 56.1% met the criteria for CPTSD and 20.2% met the criteria for PTSD.
Conclusions
The ITQ captured a distinction between PTSD and CPTSD symptoms and produced reliable scores within the sample, but replication with a larger sample size is required. In addition, the study findings demonstrated that CPTSD was relatively common among those seeking psychological support following sexual violence.
A large series of fossil cercopithecids has been recovered from the hominid-bearing Woranso-Mille site, Afar State, northeastern Ethiopia. Here we report the taxonomy of those specimens from the ...Am-Ado, Aralee Issie, Korsi Dora, Makah Mera, and Mesgid Dora collection areas, which are all roughly contemporaneous and dated to between 3.6 and 3.8 million years ago. This series includes a minimum of two cercopithecine and three colobine species. Theropithecus oswaldi cf. darti is by far the most common species in the assemblage, making up over 90% of identifiable cercopithecid specimens. There is also at least one other species of papionin, which cannot be currently assigned to a genus. The colobines are here allocated to Cercopithecoides cf. meaveae and two other species, one small and one large, that cannot be currently assigned to genus.
The T. oswaldi cf. darti series from Woranso-Mille is both the earliest and largest identified to date. It documents the earliest occurrence of the T. oswaldi lineage and strongly suggests that parallel evolution of molar morphology has occurred within the genus between T. oswaldi and Theropithecus brumpti. Given the dominance of monkeys at Woranso-Mille, and the preponderance of Theropithecus among cercopithecids, T. o. cf. darti is likely to be the most common mammal present at the 3.6–3.8 million-years-old localities of the Woranso-Mille study area. Some explanations for this unusual occurrence are explored, and implications for the paleoenvironment at Woranso-Mille are also discussed.
Infrared emission spectroscopy has been used to study the dehydroxylation behavior over the temperature range from 200 to 750°C of three major Al-minerals in bauxite: gibbsite (synthetic and ...natural), boehmite (synthetic and natural) and diaspore. A good agreement is found with the thermal analysis and differential thermal analysis curves of these minerals. Loss in intensity of especially the hydroxyl-stretching modes of gibbsite, boehmite and diaspore as function of temperature correspond well with the observed changes in the TGA/DTA patterns. The DTA pattern of gibbsite clearly indicates the formation of boehmite as an intermediate shown by a endotherm around 500°C. Dehydroxylation of gibbsite is followed by a loss of intensity of the 3620 and 3351 cm−1 OH-stretching bands and the corresponding deformation band around 1024 cm−1. Dehydroxylation starts around 220°C and is complete around 350°C. Similar observations were made for boehmite and diaspore. For boehmite dehydroxylation was observed to commence around 250°C and could be followed by especially the loss in intensity of the bands around 3319 and 3129 cm−1. The DTA pattern of diaspore is more complex with overlapping endotherms around 622 and 650°C. The dehydroxylation can be followed by the decrease in intensity of the OH-stretching bands around 3667, 3215 and 2972 cm−1. Above 550°C only a single band is observed that disappears after heating above 600°C corresponding to the two endotherms around 622 and 650°C in the DTA.
Studies of traumatic brain injury (TBI) among adult populations demonstrate that such injuries can lead to aggressive behaviors. Related findings suggest that incarcerated individuals have high rates ...of brain injuries. Such studies suggest that traumatic brain injury may be related to the etiology and recidivism of criminal behavior. Relatively few studies have examined the prevalence of TBI using a delinquent juvenile sample. In order to assess the relationship between TBI and juvenile offender status, the current study used meta-analytic techniques to examine the odds of having a TBI among juvenile offenders. Across 9 studies, we found that approximately 30% of juvenile offenders have sustained a previous brain injury. Across 5 studies that used a control group, a calculated summary odds ratio of 3.37 suggests that juvenile offenders are significantly more likely to have a TBI compared to controls. Results suggest that the rate of TBIs within the juvenile offender population is significant and that there may be a relationship between TBIs and juvenile criminal behavior.
Background The KISS1 protein suppresses metastasis of several tumor models without blocking orthotopic tumor growth, but the mechanism remains elusive. For its role in human sexual maturation, KISS1 ...protein is secreted and processed to kisspeptins, which bind to the G protein–coupled receptor GPR54. We tested the hypothesis that KISS1 secretion is required for metastasis suppression via GPR54. Methods KISS1 containing an internal FLAG epitope with (KFM) or without (KFMΔSS) a signal sequence was transfected into C8161.9 human melanoma cells, which do not express endogenous KISS1. Whole-cell lysates and conditioned medium from C8161.9KFM and C8161.9KFMΔSS cells were collected and analyzed for kisspeptins by immunoprecipitation and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. GPR54 levels were measured using real-time reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction. The ability of conditioned medium from C8161.9KFM and C8161.9KFMΔSS cells to stimulate calcium mobilization in GPR54-expressing Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO-G) and in C8161.9 cells was evaluated. Metastasis was monitored in athymic mice (groups of 10 per experiment) that were injected with C8161.9KFM or C8161.9KFMΔSS cells labeled with enhanced green fluorescent protein. Survival of mice injected with C8161.9 or C8161.9KFM cells was analyzed by Kaplan–Meier methods. Results Full-length KFM and KFMΔSS were detected in whole-cell lysates of C8161.9KFM and C8161.9KFMΔSS cells, respectively, but kisspeptins were detected only in conditioned medium of C8161.9KFM cells. In vivo, C8161.9KFM, but not C8161.9KFMΔSS, cells were suppressed for metastasis to lung, eye, kidney, and bone, with corresponding differences in mouse survival (median > 120 versus 42 days). C8161.9KFM cells seeded mouse lungs but did not form macroscopic metastases. Conditioned medium from C8161.9KFM, but not C8161.9KFMΔSS, cells stimulated calcium mobilization in CHO-G cells. GPR54 expression was low in C8161.9 cells, which were not stimulated by conditioned medium from C8161.9KFM cells. Conclusions KISS1 secretion was required for multiple organ metastasis suppression and for maintenance of disseminated cells in a dormant state. The absence of GPR54 expression in C8161.9 cells (whose metastatic spread was suppressed by KFM) suggests that metastasis suppression is not mediated through this receptor. The results imply the existence of another KISS1 receptor and/or paracrine signaling. The findings raise the possibility that soluble KISS1, kisspeptins, or mimetics could be used to maintain tumor dormancy, rendering treatment of already disseminated tumor cells (i.e., micrometastases) a legitimate target.
Presented is a review of the accomplishments, of the light-element program, conducted at the Lund Ion-Beam Analysis Facility. A detailed account is given of the current experimental setup at the ...total Ion-Beam Analysis Chamber, which is equipped with two Double-Sided Silicon Strip Detectors for charge particle detection, a silicon drift detector for PIXE analysis, an electrostatic deflection system for charge measurement and implements a Nuclear Micro-Probe. A summary of the work conducted to date on the quantification of low Z elements is presented on a case by case basis. Details of the current work efforts and an overview of the advances which are intended in the near future are given.
DNA methylation may restrict the activity of gene transfer vectors due to inadvertent silencing. In P19 embryonic carcinoma cells in vitro, we found that transgene expression regulated by the SFFV ...LTR and EF1α promoter declined rapidly within 16 days, but for A2UCOE derived from the human HNRPA2B1-CBX3 housekeeping gene locus, remained completely stable. Silencing correlated with extensive epigenetic methylation of CpG sites, whereas the A2UCOE was almost completely resistant. Linking of the A2UCOE upstream of the SFFV LTR protected this element from both DNA methylation and silencing. Analysis of engrafted hematopoietic cells in vivo transduced with the same vectors revealed a similar pattern. The A2UCOE displayed little or no methylation in either primary or secondary graft recipients, and gene expression profiles were highly conserved between the two groups. These studies provide convincing evidence that DNA methylation plays a direct role in regulating self-inactivating (SIN) lentiviral transgene expression, and that the stability of expression from the A2UCOE is, at least in part, due to methylation resistance. The A2UCOE therefore has considerable utility for gene therapy applications where reliable and sustained gene expression is desirable.
Sarcopenic obesity (SO) is a condition combining two important public health issues commonly seen amongst older individuals, obesity and sarcopenia. Depressive symptoms are common among older people, ...whose population is increasing worldwide. Obesity and sarcopenia alone, are clearly associated with depression while the coexistence of these two conditions (SO) upon depressive disorders is currently unclear. We aimed to systematically review the association between primary SO and depressive disorders.
Searches were run on MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and CINAHL (inception to June 2019). One reviewer screened titles, abstracts, and full-texts, with 10% checked independently by a second reviewer. Cohort and cross-sectional studies were included. Two reviewers independently assessed risk of bias using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Results were narratively synthesised.
Out of the 7 studies eligible for inclusion, evidence of sarcopenic obesity as a predictor of depressive symptoms was found in two studies. The main observed trend was that diagnosing sarcopenia using muscle strength led to significant associations between sarcopenic obesity and depressive symptoms. Two cross-sectional studies found a significant association between SO and depressive symptoms, whilst three others found no statistically significant associations. All possessed some methodological limitations.
This is the first review to systematically examine a potential relationship between sarcopenic obesity and depressive disorders. Currently, the results are heterogeneous due to the large variability in assessment methods and outcome measurements. Future longitudinal studies would achieve greater confidence in the provisional conclusion that sarcopenic obesity, when measured using muscle strength, is associated with depressive symptoms.
Compulsive buying is a disabling condition associated with a chronic failure to control the urge to purchase objects. Compulsive buying is closely related to major depression, obsessive-compulsive ...disorder, and in particular, compulsive hoarding. Like compulsive hoarding, compulsive buying is thought to be influenced by a range of cognitive domains including deficits in decision-making, emotional attachments to objects and erroneous beliefs about possessions, and other maladaptive beliefs. This study examined cognitive factors related to compulsive buying among 189 participants, described by R. O. Frost, G. Steketee, and L. F. Williams (2002), of whom 75 were classified as "compulsive buyers" and 85 as "controls." Beliefs associated with compulsive buying were assessed with the newly developed 43-item self-report Buying Cognitions Inventory (BCI). Other cognitive styles (i.e., perfectionism) and processing (i.e., decision-making) were also assessed. Overall, this study supported a theoretical model of compulsive buying addressing 5 main domains: (a) depressed mood; (b) compromised self-perceptions and perfectionistic expectations; (c) erroneous beliefs about the nature of objects, potential purchases, and purchasing opportunities; (d) erroneous beliefs about the psychological benefits of buying; and (e) decision-making difficulties.
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