Excessive expression of subunit 1 of GIRK1 in ER
breast tumors is associated with reduced survival times and increased lymph node metastasis in patients. To investigate possible tumor-initiating ...properties, benign MCF10A and malign MCF7 mammary epithelial cells were engineered to overexpress GIRK1 neoplasia associated vital parameters and resting potentials were measured and compared to controls. The presence of GIRK1 resulted in resting potentials negative to the controls. Upon GIRK1 overexpression, several cellular pathways were regulated towards pro-tumorigenic action as revealed by comparison of transcriptomes of MCF10A
with the control (MCF10A
). According to transcriptome analysis, cellular migration was promoted while wound healing and extracellular matrix interactions were impaired. Vital parameters in MCF7 cells were affected akin the benign MCF10A lines, but to a lesser extent. Thus, GIRK1 regulated cellular pathways in mammary epithelial cells are likely to contribute to the development and progression of breast cancer.
The boundary of a fractal object, represented in a two-dimensional space, is theoretically a line with an infinitely small width. In digital images this boundary or contour is limited to the pixel ...resolution of the image and the width of the line commonly depends on the edge detection algorithm used. The Minkowski dimension was evaluated by using three different edge detection algorithms (Sobel, Roberts, and Laplace operator). These three operators were investigated because they are very widely used and because their edge detection result is very distinct concerning the line width. Very common fractals (Sierpinski carpet and Koch islands) were investigated as well as the binary images from a cancer invasion assay taken with a confocal laser scanning microscope. The fractal dimension is directly proportional to the width of the contour line and the fact, that in practice very often the investigated objects are fractals only within a limited resolution range is considered too.
Objectives In tumors of the upper aerodigestive tract a dose‐response relationship between tumor stage and its prognosis raises the chance of a reduction in the diagnostic delay. The interval between ...the first symptom and the start of tumor‐specific therapy and the influencing factors is not well known. The goals of this study were to investigate the diagnostic delay and the influencing factors and to predict the factors that prolong the diagnostic process.
Study Design Prospective, nonrandomized study.
Methods The intervals between first symptom and first consultation of a physician (patient delay) and between first consultation and first tumor‐specific therapy (doctor delay) were investigated. Predictors for increased patient or doctor delay were evaluated, and a multiple logistic regression model for increased doctor delay was developed.
Results The total diagnostic delay (sum of patient and doctor delays) was 3 to 4 months. A multifactorial model for the ratio of odds revealed that for women and glottic cancers (1.73) the chance was twice as high for a doctor delay greater than 30 days, whereas subjects with an increased patient delay (>30 d) had reduced odds of being delayed by the physician.
Conclusions The higher chance of extended doctor delay for glottic tumors compared with supraglottic tumors should be reflected in differential therapeutic strategies. Even unspecific lesions of the vocal folds should be followed up at the end of the therapy, at least. Therapies of glottic lesions without final control have the chance of resulting in delays in treatment. Women, especially, should be included in a follow‐up examination. On the other hand, patients with increased patient delay have lower odds of longer doctor delay, which may be the result of tumor growth and, consequently, easier diagnosis.
In spite of significant public concern, professional efforts and financial expenditure, there has been a perceived lack of progress in reducing the incidence of child abuse, and in improving the ...outcomes for children in both the short and longer term. In this article the authors reflect on recent policy developments in the United Kingdom relating to children and families experiencing multiple adversities, and argue that the current conceptualisation of child abuse is flawed. In adopting a rational technical approach to the management of child abuse, there is a tendency to focus on shorter term outcomes for the child, such as immediate safety, that primarily reflect the outputs of the child protection system. However, by viewing child abuse as a wicked problem, that is complex and less amenable to being solved, then child welfare professionals can be supported to focus on achieving longer term outcomes for children that are more likely to meet their needs. The authors argue for an earlier identification of and intervention with children who are experiencing multiple adversity, such as those living with parents misusing substances and exposed to intimate partner violence.
Abstract Child welfare professionals regularly make crucial decisions that have a significant impact on children and their families. The present study presents the Judgments and Decision Processes in ...Context model (JUDPIC) and uses it to examine the relationships between three independent domains: case characteristic (mother's wish with regard to removal), practitioner characteristic (child welfare attitudes), and protective system context (four countries: Israel, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland and Spain); and three dependent factors: substantiation of maltreatment, risk assessment, and intervention recommendation. The sample consisted of 828 practitioners from four countries. Participants were presented with a vignette of a case of alleged child maltreatment and were asked to determine whether maltreatment was substantiated, assess risk and recommend an intervention using structured instruments. Participants’ child welfare attitudes were assessed. The case characteristic of mother's wish with regard to removal had no impact on judgments and decisions. In contrast, practitioners’ child welfare attitudes were associated with substantiation, risk assessments and recommendations. There were significant country differences on most measures. The findings support most of the predictions derived from the JUDPIC model. The significant differences between practitioners from different countries underscore the importance of context in child protection decision making. Training should enhance practitioners’ awareness of the impact that their attitudes and the context in which they are embedded have on their judgments and decisions.
A listing of the ceratioid anglerfishes occurring in and around The Gully, a submarine canyon and Marine Protected Area ('MPA') off the coast of Nova Scotia that has been reserved to protect its ...biodiversity, is provided. The compilation was based on 138 specimens, including members of at least 24 species, collected during four midwater-trawl surveys at meso- and bathypelagic depths, supplemented by previous records from the surrounding region. The Gully specimens included seven new records for Canadian waters, two representing major extensions of reported ranges for Bufoceratias wedli and Gigantactis herwigi. In all, more than 40 species, a quarter of the global total of ceratioids, have either been confirmed as occurring in the MPA or can be anticipated as being present occasionally. However, most of the species are effectively planktonic and are carried through the MPA by along-slope and up-canyon currents, without receiving effective protection while in the Area. As iconic examples of the deep-sea fauna, they nevertheless remain important to the MPA's public-outreach functions.
Whilst child welfare systems in the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States may share a number of common goals, they are not designed to identify families with multiple problems. Where system ...output measures have been utilised as proxy measures to detect such families they indicate the presence of families in the population served by child and family social work. In interviews with practitioners and managers working within contrasting welfare systems, we explore how families with multiple problems are identiifed, what repsonses they currently recieve and how their needs might be better met.
Mycobacteriophage Superphikiman is a cluster J bacteriophage which was isolated from soil collected in Philadelphia, PA. Superphikiman has a 109,799-bp genome with 239 predicted genes, including 2 ...tRNA genes.
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