Arctic marine mammals (AMMs) are icons of climate change, largely because of their close association with sea ice. However, neither a circumpolar assessment of AMM status nor a standardized metric of ...sea ice habitat change is available. We summarized available data on abundance and trend for each AMM species and recognized subpopulation. We also examined species diversity, the extent of human use, and temporal trends in sea ice habitat for 12 regions of the Arctic by calculating the dates of spring sea ice retreat and fall sea ice advance from satellite data (1979–2013). Estimates of AMM abundance varied greatly in quality, and few studies were long enough for trend analysis. Of the AMM subpopulations, 78% (61 of 78) are legally harvested for subsistence purposes. Changes in sea ice phenology have been profound. In all regions except the Bering Sea, the duration of the summer (i.e., reduced ice) period increased by 5–10 weeks and by >20 weeks in the Barents Sea between 1979 and 2013. In light of generally poor data, the importance of human use, and forecasted environmental changes in the 21st century, we recommend the following for effective AMM conservation: maintain and improve comanagement by local, federal, and international partners; recognize spatial and temporal variability in AMM subpopulation response to climate change; implement monitoring programs with clear goals; mitigate cumulative impacts of increased human activity; and recognize the limits of current protected species legislation.
Our aim was to analyze the correlation between growth status in height and chronological age, carpal maturation, cervical maturation, and dental maturation, and assess the diagnostic performance of ...Demirjian's dental maturation as an indicator of the pubertal growth spurt, through a retrospective longitudinal study.
Records of 60 Canadian patients obtained from the Burlington Growth Centre, which included height and weight charts and a set of x-rays at 6 points in time, were analyzed. The images at each point in time included 1 hand and wrist radiograph, a lateral cephalometric x-ray, and one 45° oblique cephalometric radiograph of each side, which were analyzed using the methods of Fishman, Baccetti, and Demirjian on the mandibular left and right second molars, respectively. The onset of the pubertal growth peak in height (distance to growth peak DGP) was identified, and the correlation between methods with DGP was assessed.
High levels of correlation were obtained between the methods of Fishman, Baccetti, and Demirjian with DGP. The cutoff point between prepubertal and postpubertal stages was F stage for women and G stage for men, with statistically significant levels of sensitivity and specificity for the test.
The use of the method of Demirjian applied to mandibular second molars is plausible as a predictor of the occurrence of the DGP for the studied population.
•Serial records of orthodontically untreated patients from Burlington Growth Centre were assessed.•We assessed dental maturation as a growth indicator relative to other indicators.•Indicators were analyzed according to age and distance in years to pubertal growth peak in height.•High levels of correlation were observed between pubertal growth peak in height and all analyzed growth indicators.
Objective The Notch signaling pathway has been shown to play a role in bone marrow−derived stromal cell differentiation, however, the precise outcome of Notch activation remains controversial. The ...aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Notch signaling in primary human bone marrow−derived stromal cells (hBMSCs). Materials and Methods hBMSCs were transduced to >90% with lentiviral vectors containing either human notch1 intracellular domain ( NICD ), jagged1 , or dominant negative mastermind1 . Cells were exposed to adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation stimuli and differentiation was quantified by oil red or alizarin red staining, alkaline phosphatase liver/bone/kidney (ALPL) activity and expression of adipogenic or osteogenic marker genes. Results NICD and jagged1 transgene−expressing hBMSCs demonstrated enhanced mineralization, nodule formation, and ALPL activity in osteogenic differentiation media. These findings correlated with increased gene expression of bone morphogenetic protein 2 and ALPL . In contrast, NICD or jagged1 transgene expression strongly inhibited adipocyte formation and reduced peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ , fatty acid binding protein 4 , and adiponectin precursor gene expression. Co-overexpression of dominant negative mastermind1 and NICD or jagged1 led to a partial rescue of the differentiation phenotypes. In addition, high endogenous jagged1 expression levels were observed in hBMSCs samples with strong ALPL activity compared to a group of samples with low ALPL activity. Conclusion In summary, our data suggest that induction of Notch signaling enhances the osteogenic differentiation of hBMSCs while inhibiting the adipogenic fate.
Epigenetic regulation serves as the basis for stem cell differentiation into distinct cell types, but it is unclear how global epigenetic changes are regulated during this process. Here, we tested ...the hypothesis that global chromatin organization affects the lineage potential of stem cells and that manipulation of chromatin dynamics influences stem cell function. Using nuclease sensitivity assays, we found a progressive decrease in chromatin digestion among pluripotent embryonic stem cells (ESCs), multipotent hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), and mature hematopoietic cells. Quantitative high-resolution microscopy revealed that ESCs contain significantly more euchromatin than HSCs, with a further reduction in mature cells. Increased cellular maturation also led to heterochromatin localization to the nuclear periphery. Functionally, prevention of heterochromatin formation by inhibition of the histone methyltransferase G9A resulted in delayed HSC differentiation. Our results demonstrate global chromatin rearrangements during stem cell differentiation and that heterochromatin formation by H3K9 methylation regulates HSC differentiation.
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•Nuclease sensitivity decreases progressively with stem cell differentiation•Distinct chromatin architecture is apparent in cells of different lineage potential•Stem cell differentiation leads to perinuclear heterochromatin localization•G9a-mediated heterochromatin formation facilitates stem cell differentiation
Forsberg and colleagues use a variety of approaches to investigate global chromatin structure and architecture in pluripotent, multipotent, and differentiated cells. They show that progressive changes in nuclease sensitivity, chromatin condensation, and heterochromatin localization correlate with the lineage potential of embryonic and adult stem cells and committed cells. Functionally, inhibition of heterochromatin formation delayed hematopoietic stem cell differentiation. These data provide new insights on the epigenetic regulation of stem cell lineage potential and differentiation.
High-content phenotypic screening has become the approach of choice for drug discovery due to its ability to extract drug-specific multi-layered data. In the field of epigenetics, such screening ...methods have suffered from a lack of tools sensitive to selective epigenetic perturbations. Here we describe a novel approach, Microscopic Imaging of Epigenetic Landscapes (MIEL), which captures the nuclear staining patterns of epigenetic marks and employs machine learning to accurately distinguish between such patterns. We validated the MIEL platform across multiple cells lines and using dose-response curves, to insure the fidelity and robustness of this approach for high content high throughput drug discovery. Focusing on noncytotoxic glioblastoma treatments, we demonstrated that MIEL can identify and classify epigenetically active drugs. Furthermore, we show MIEL was able to accurately rank candidate drugs by their ability to produce desired epigenetic alterations consistent with increased sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents or with induction of glioblastoma differentiation.
The melanoma cell adhesion molecule defines mesenchymal stromal cells in the human bone marrow that regenerate bone and establish a hematopoietic microenvironment in vivo. The role of the melanoma ...cell adhesion molecule in primary human mesenchymal stromal cells and the maintenance of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells during ex vivo culture has not yet been demonstrated. We applied RNA interference or ectopic overexpression of the melanoma cell adhesion molecule in human mesenchymal stromal cells to evaluate the effect of the melanoma cell adhesion molecule on their proliferation and differentiation as well as its influence on co-cultivated hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. Knockdown and overexpression of the melanoma cell adhesion molecule affected several characteristics of human mesenchymal stromal cells related to osteogenic differentiation, proliferation, and migration. Furthermore, knockdown of the melanoma cell adhesion molecule in human mesenchymal stromal cells stimulated the proliferation of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, and strongly reduced the formation of long-term culture-initiating cells. In contrast, melanoma cell adhesion molecule-overexpressing human mesenchymal stromal cells provided a supportive microenvironment for hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. Expression of the melanoma cell adhesion molecule increased the adhesion of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells to human mesenchymal stromal cells and their migration beneath the monolayer of human mesenchymal stromal cells. Our results demonstrate that the expression of the melanoma cell adhesion molecule in human mesenchymal stromal cells determines their fate and regulates the maintenance of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells through direct cell-cell contact.
Renal Pelvis Leiomyoma- An Infrequent Clinical Case Romano, Fernando Ugarte-Y; González-Serrano, Adolfo; Moreno-Aranda, Jorge
Journal of clinical and diagnostic research,
05/2017, Letnik:
11, Številka:
5
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Renal pelvis leiomyomas are infrequent benign tumours. These tumours are more frequent in women, usually asymptomatic and difficult to distinguish from malign kidney masses. A 27-year-old female ...presented with an asymptomatic renal mass discovered after abdominal ultrasound during routine check-up. Percutaneous renal biopsy was performed and reported urothelial carcinoma. After open nephroureterectomy, histopathological evaluation and immunohistochemistry were positive for Smooth Muscle Actin (SMA), Ki67 <5%, and negative for cytokeratin and HMB-45. Thus, confirming the diagnosis of renal leiomyoma. The diagnosis of these infrequent tumours is often difficult and it is usually made by immunohistochemistry after surgical treatment.
Se presenta el diseño y evaluación experimental de seis mezcladores para un quemador de premezcla de 1,5 kW de potencia térmica, usando gas licuado de petróleo como gas combustible. Se realiza una ...investigación centrada en los parámetros de diseño del mezclador para mejorar el desempeño de la cocina doméstica a gas en el proceso de combustión. Esto se manifiesta en el rendimiento térmico y las emisiones generadas. Se presenta el análisis de los mezcladores de aire-gas combustible a diferentes condiciones para determinar la más conveniente según el modelo. Se propone el desarrollo de una cocina de alta eficiencia y bajas emisiones, entregando a la entidad competente un proyecto de norma técnica en rendimiento térmico de cocinas domésticas a gas licuado de petróleo a nivel del mar.
In Greenland, polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are nutritional, economic, and cultural subsistence resources for Inuit. Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) collected from subsistence hunters can ...provide important insights and improve management decisions when collected systematically. We report on the results of a TEK survey of subsistence polar bear hunters living in the areas around Tasiilaq and Ittoqqortoormiit, East Greenland. Twenty-five full-time polar bear hunters were interviewed between December 2014 and March 2015 in a conversation-style interview, where a local interviewer fluent in the East Greenlandic dialect asked a series of 55 predetermined questions. The primary goals were to 1) gather Inuit perspectives on polar bear subsistence quotas and hunting strategies, 2) understand how climate change is affecting the polar bear subsistence hunt, and 3) document observed changes in polar bear distribution, abundance, and biology. Approximately 40% of the Tasiilaq respondents had caught between 10-19 polar bears in their lifetime, while 67% of Ittoqqortoormiit respondents reported lifetime catches of >20 bears. In both areas, polar bears were most commonly hunted between February and April. Hunters noted large changes to the climate in the areas where they hunt polar bears. Most hunters reported loss of sea ice, receding glaciers, unstable weather, and warmer temperatures. In Tasiilaq 73% of the hunters said climate changes had affected the polar bear hunt and in Ittoqqortoormiit about 88% of respondents reported the same. Hunters indicated that sea ice loss has created more areas of open water so dog sledges have become unsafe for hunting transportation compared to 10-15 years ago (reported by 100% of hunters in Tasiilaq and 80% in Ittoqqortoormiit). In both areas hunters noted that more polar bears are coming into their communities compared to 10-15 years ago (81% of Tasiilaq hunters and 78% of Ittoqqortoormiit hunters) and pointed to the introduction of quotas and loss of sea ice as potential reasons. This study provides an important perspective on the East Greenland subpopulation of polar bears that can be used to direct science questions and inform management.
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