In iteroparous species, there is tradeoff between current and future reproductive investment. Parents that invest more in current offspring will provide resources that give those offspring better ...chances of survival and reproductive success. If the current brood is of poor quality, parents may invest less and save energy for other processes, as well as future reproduction, maximizing lifetime reproductive success. The differential allocation hypothesis predicts that individuals will adjust their parental investment based on the quality of their mate. Females will invest more in offspring of attractive males than unattractive males. In response, attractive males will invest less in current reproduction and allocate more time and resources to other processes. In the field, I tested the differential allocation hypothesis in the socially monogamous Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis). I experimentally manipulated the brightness of the structural blue coloration of Eastern Bluebirds, which is a known condition-dependent trait in the species. The brightness of male birds was either enhanced using a violet marker or reduced using a black marker. I recorded nest visitation rates prior to and after marker application to test the effects of treatment on both female and male visitation rates.I then tested the effect of treatment on offspring growth rates. I predicted that 1) females mated to brighter males would visit the nest more than females mated to duller males, 2) brighter males would visit the nest less than duller males, and 3) offspring of brighter males would grow at a faster rate than offspring of duller males. I found a trend suggesting that females of brighter males provision offspring at a higher rate than females mated to duller males, but there was no significant difference between males of each group. Tarsus growth rate of chicks between the groups did not differ, but chicks of the bright treatment gained mass at a faster rate than chicks of the dull treatment. The significant effect of treatment on chick body mass supported the trend demonstrated in female provisioning. I suggest that differential allocation by female bluebirds has the potential to create a selective pressure on male plumage brightness through enhanced offspring growth rates.
Animal-type melanoma (ATM) is a rare variant of the tumor showing diffuse, heavily pigmented neoplastic cells in the dermis. Despite the high mean thickness of the lesions, reports seem to indicate a ...less aggressive behavior and a better survival rate for ATM compared with conventional melanoma, but the underlying pathways related to this favorable outcome are still unknown.
Five women and 2 men aged 20 to 92 years presented with pigmented skin nodules (n = 5) or plaques (n = 2), varying in size from 1.0 to 4.5 cm. Findings from microscopic examination showed monotypic-appearing melanocytes with abundant intracytoplasmic melanin in a nodular or fascicular arrangement (mean Breslow thickness, 4.97 mm). Immunohistochemical analysis of ATM cells demonstrated the typical positive staining for S-100, vimentin, HMB-45, and melan-A. The investigation of the pi isoform of glutathione S-transferase, a family of enzymes involved in tumor progression, revealed that nuclear expression is reduced in ATMs compared with control melanomas, whereas results from cytoplasmic staining did not vary. One patient died of cardiac failure without evidence of disease progression; the remaining patients are disease-free at 3 (n = 4) and 5 years (n = 3).
Our findings confirm that ATM is a variant of melanoma with distinctive clinical and histological features. Low nuclear expression of glutathione S-transferase pi expression is a characteristic of ATM and could add new insight to better understand the unusual biological behavior of this rare neoplasm.
The search for novel sources of nutrients is among the basic goals for achievement of sustainable progress. In this context, microalgae are relevant organisms, being rich in high-value compounds and ...able to grow in open ponds or photobioreactors, thus enabling profitable exploitation of aquatic resources. Microalgae, a huge taxon containing photosynthetic microorganisms living in freshwater, as well as in brackish and marine waters, typically unicellular and eukaryotic, include green algae (
), red algae (
), brown algae (
) and diatoms (
). In recent decades, diatoms have been considered the most sustainable sources of nutrients for humans with respect to other microalgae. This review focuses on studies exploring their bio-pharmacological activities when relevant for human disease prevention and/or treatment. In addition, we considered diatoms and their extracts (or purified compounds) when relevant for specific nutraceutical applications.
The temporal binding window refers to the time frame within which temporal grouping of sensory information takes place. Sense of agency is the feeling of being in control of one’s actions, and their ...associated outcomes. While previous research has shown that temporal cues and multisensory integration play a role in sense of agency, no studies have directly assessed whether individual differences in the temporal binding window and sense of agency are associated. In all three experiments, to assess sense of agency, participants pressed a button triggering, after a varying delay, the appearance of the circle, and reported their sense of agency over the effect. To assess the temporal binding window a simultaneity judgment task (Experiment 1) and a double-flash illusion task (Experiment 2 and 3) was also performed. As expected, the temporal binding window correlated with the sense of agency window. In Experiment 3, these processes were modulated by applying occipital tACS at either 14Hz or 8Hz. We found 14Hz tACS stimulation was associated with narrower temporal biding window and sense of agency window. Our results suggest the temporal binding window and the time window of sense of agency are related. They also point towards a possible underlying neural mechanism (alpha peak frequency) for this association.
Breast cancer is the most diagnosed malignancy in women. Increasing evidence has highlighted the importance of chronic inflammation at the local and/or systemic level in breast cancer pathobiology, ...influencing its progression, metastatic potential and therapeutic outcome by altering the tumor immune microenvironment. These processes are mediated by a variety of cytokines, chemokines and growth factors that exert their biological functions either locally or distantly. Inflammasomes are protein signaling complexes that form in response to damage- and pathogen-associated molecular patterns (DAMPS and PAMPS), triggering the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines. The dysregulation of inflammasome activation can lead to the development of inflammatory diseases, neurodegeneration, and cancer. A crucial signaling pathway leading to acute and chronic inflammation occurs through the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome followed by caspase 1-dependent release of IL-1β and IL-18 pro-inflammatory cytokines, as well as, by gasdermin D-mediated pyroptotic cell death. In this review we focus on the role of NLRP3 inflammasome and its components in breast cancer signaling, highlighting that a more detailed understanding of the clinical relevance of these pathways could significantly contribute to the development of novel therapeutic strategies for breast cancer.
Functional connectivity (FC) of brain networks dynamically fluctuates during both rest and task execution. Individual differences in dynamic FC have been associated with several cognitive and ...behavioral traits. However, whether dynamic FC also contributes to sensorimotor representations guiding body-environment interactions, such as the representation of peripersonal space (PPS), is currently unknown. PPS is the space immediately surrounding the body and acts as a multisensory interface between the individual and the environment. We used an audio-tactile task with approaching sounds to map the individual PPS extension, and fMRI to estimate the background FC. Specifically, we analyzed FC values for each stimulus type (near and far space) and its across-trial variability. FC was evaluated between task-relevant nodes of two fronto-parietal networks (the Dorsal Attention Network, DAN, and the Fronto-Parietal Network, FPN) and a key PPS region in the premotor cortex (PM). PM was significantly connected to specific task-relevant nodes of the DAN and the FPN during the audio-tactile task, and FC was stronger while processing near space, as compared to far space. At the individual level, less PPS extension was associated with stronger premotor-parietal FC during processing of near space, while the across-trial variability of premotor-parietal and premotor-frontal FC was higher during the processing of far space. Notably, only across-trial FC variability captured the near-far modulation of space processing. Our findings indicate that PM connectivity with task-relevant frontal and parietal regions and its dynamic changes participate in the mechanisms that enable PPS representation, in agreement with the idea that neural variability plays a crucial role in plastic and dynamic sensorimotor representations.
It is widely accepted that the representation of the body is not fixed and immutable, but rather flexible and constantly updated based on a continuous stream of multisensory information. This ...mechanism can be very useful to adapt to several situations, but it would not be adaptive if the body representation was too malleable or if it wasn't capable of restoring its integrity after a transient modification. Here we used the Rubber Hand Illusion (RHI) to investigate how quickly the body representation can be modified. Previous studies have investigated the timing of the onset and offset of the illusion, however, they did not assess a fine temporal resolution. Here, we used a potentiometer to record a moment-by-moment rating of the feeling of owning the RH for two minutes during the visuo-tactile stimulation and two minutes following the stimulation. Our results suggest that the feeling of Ownership is already established during the first 19 s of stimulation then it continues to grow, but at a much slower pace. The feeling of Ownership disappears within 66 s from the end of the stimulation. This work sheds new light on the temporal dynamics of the RHI and the malleability of the body self-consciousness.
Background and Aims
Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a very aggressive cancer showing the presence of high cancer stem cells (CSCs). Doublecortin‐like kinase1 (DCLK1) has been demonstrated as a CSC marker ...in different gastroenterological solid tumors. Our aim was to evaluate in vitro the expression and the biological function of DCLK1 in intrahepatic CCA (iCCA) and perihilar CCA (pCCA).
Approach and Results
Specimens surgically resected of human CCA were enzymatically digested, submitted to immunosorting for specific CSC markers (LGR5 leucine‐rich repeat‐containing G protein‐coupled receptor, CD clusters of differentiation 90, EpCAM epithelial cell adhesion molecule, CD133, and CD13), and primary cell cultures were prepared. DCLK1 expression was analyzed in CCA cell cultures by real‐time quantitative PCR, western blot, and immunofluorescence. Functional studies have been performed by evaluating the effects of selective DCLK1 inhibitor (LRRK2‐IN‐1) on cell proliferation (MTS 3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐5‐(3‐carboxymethoxyphenyl)‐2‐(4‐sulfophenyl)‐2H‐tetrazolium assay, cell population doubling time), apoptosis, and colony formation capacity. DCLK1 was investigated in situ by immunohistochemistry and real‐time quantitative PCR. DCLK1 serum concentration was analyzed by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. We describe DCLK1 in CCA with an increased gene and protein DCLK1 expression in pCCALGR5+ and in iCCACD133+ cells compared with unsorted cells. LRRK2‐IN‐1 showed an anti‐proliferative effect in a dose‐dependent manner. LRRK2‐IN‐1 markedly impaired cell proliferation, induced apoptosis, and decreased colony formation capacity and colony size in both iCCA and pCCA compared with the untreated cells. In situ analysis confirmed that DCLK1 is present only in tumors, and not in healthy tissue. Interestingly, DCLK1 was detected in the human serum samples of patients with iCCA (high), pCCA (high), HCC (low), and cirrhosis (low), but it was almost undetectable in healthy controls.
Conclusions
DCLK1 characterizes a specific CSC subpopulation of iCCACD133+ and pCCALGR5+, and its inhibition exerts anti‐neoplastic effects in primary CCA cell cultures. Human DCLK1 serum might represent a serum biomarker for the early CCA diagnosis.
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