Can fruit and vegetable aggregation systems better balance improved producer livelihoods with more equitable distribution?

The need for food systems to generate sustainable and equitable benefits for all is a global imperative. However, whilst ample evidence exists linking smallholder farmer coordination and aggregation (i.e. the collective transport and marketing of produce on behalf of multiple farmers) to improved market participation and farmer incomes, the extent to which interventions that aim to improve farmer market engagement may co-develop equitable consumer benefits remains uncertain. This challenge is pertinent to the horticultural systems of South Asia, where the increasing purchasing power of urban consumers, lengthening urban catchments, underdeveloped rural infrastructures and inadequate local demands combine to undermine the delivery of fresh fruits and vegetables to smaller, often rural or semi-rural markets serving nutritionally insecure populations. To this end, we investigate the potential for aggregation to be developed to increase fruit and vegetable delivery to these neglected smaller markets, whilst simultaneously improving farmer returns. Using an innovative system dynamics modelling approach based on an aggregation scheme in Bihar, India, we identify potential trade-offs between outcomes relating to farmers and consumers in smaller local markets. We find that changes to aggregation alone (i.e. scaling-up participation; subsidising small market transportation; mandating quotas for smaller markets) are unable to achieve significant improvements in smaller market delivery without risking reduced farmer participation in aggregation. Contrastingly, combining aggregation with the introduction of market-based cold storage and measures that boost demand improves fruit and vegetable availability significantly in smaller markets, whilst avoiding farmer-facing trade-offs. Critically, our study emphasises the benefits that may be attained from combining multiple nutrition-sensitive market interventions, and stresses the need for policies that narrow the fruit and vegetable cold storage deficits that exist away from more lucrative markets in developing countries. The future pathways and policy options discovered work towards making win-win futures for farmers and disadvantaged consumers a reality.

Current and future trade in livestock products.

Rising per capita consumption, economic growth, and urbanisation, particularly in developing countries, have been driving an increased global demand for food. These changing socio-economic trends, which have greatly influenced changes in dietary patterns globally and, more specifically, have increased consumption of livestock products in developing countries, are expected to endure and to place new pressures on livestock-sector infrastructure and the delivery of veterinary services. This paper summarises current trade in meat and presents plausible projections for the future. It highlights the impact of animal disease on trade and considers the effect of ongoing disease outbreaks, particularly the outbreaks of African swine fever and COVID-19, on current and future trade dynamics. The authors analysed published statistics on the demand for, and international trade in, livestock products at national and regional levels and made projections of the same up to 2050, generated from an integrated model of the global agricultural and food system. The resulting analyses identified patterns of trade consistent with growing populations, increasing incomes and changing diets in developing countries. The analyses also pointed to slow expansion of livestock production, and the impacts of countries' disease status on livestock trade. For most of the livestock products analysed, economic model projections indicate increased consolidation of production and exports among a few countries. Marked increases in the trade in livestock products suggest a changing role for Veterinary Services in facilitating trade and extension in the years to come.

La demande mondiale en denrées alimentaires connaît une hausse continue sous l'effet conjugué de la progression de la consommation par habitant, de la croissance économique et de l'urbanisation, en particulier dans les pays en développement. Ces tendances socio-économiques ont modifié les structures des régimes alimentaires dans le monde, plus spécifiquement dans les pays en développement où la consommation de denrées alimentaires d'origine animale s'est accrue, et elles vont très certainement perdurer et exercer de nouvelles pressions sur les infrastructures du secteur de l'élevage comme sur les prestations de services vétérinaires. Les auteurs font une synthèse de l'état actuel des échanges internationaux de viande et présentent quelques projections plausibles concernant l'avenir. Ils soulignent l'impact des maladies animales sur les échanges et examinent les répercussions que les foyers actuels de maladies peuvent avoir sur les dynamiques actuelles et futures des échanges, en citant la peste porcine africaine et l'épidémie de COVID-19 à titre d'illustrations. Les auteurs analysent ensuite les statistiques publiées relatives à la demande en produits issus de l'élevage et aux échanges internationaux de ces produits à l'échelle nationale et régionale, et présentent leurs propres projections de ces tendances jusqu'en 2050, élaborées à partir d'un modèle intégré du système agricole et alimentaire mondial. Les analyses qui en résultent font apparaître que les structures des échanges évolueront parallèlement à la croissance démographique, à l'augmentation des revenus et aux modifications des régimes alimentaires dans les pays en développement. Les analyses relèvent également une croissance lente de l'élevage, ainsi que les conséquences du statut sanitaire des pays sur les échanges commerciaux. Pour la plupart des produits issus de l'élevage pris en compte dans cette analyse, les projections du modèle économique prévoient une concentration accrue de la production et des exportations, dans un nombre limité de pays. Une augmentation marquée des échanges de produits issus de l'élevage devra s'accompagner d'une évolution du rôle des Services vétérinaires afin de faciliter les échanges et de soutenir leur extension dans les années à venir.

El aumento del consumo per cápita, el crecimiento económico y los procesos de urbanización, especialmente en los países en desarrollo, han venido induciendo una mayor demanda mundial de alimentos. Estas tendencias socioeconómicas han influido sobremanera en la evolución de los regímenes alimentarios en todo el mundo y, más concretamente, han llevado a un mayor consumo de productos ganaderos en los países en desarrollo. Según apuntan las previsiones, esta evolución se prolongará en el tiempo y ejercerá nuevas presiones sobre la infraestructura del sector pecuario y la prestación de servicios veterinarios. Los autores resumen la situación actual del comercio de productos cárnicos y presentan proyecciones plausibles de lo que puede deparar el futuro. Tras destacar el peso que tienen las enfermedades animales en el comercio, examinan los efectos de brotes infecciosos hoy en curso, en particular de peste porcina africana y COVID-19, sobre la dinámica actual y futura del comercio. Los autores analizaron las estadísticas publicadas sobre la demanda y el comercio internacional de productos procedentes de la ganadería, por países y regiones, tras lo cual hicieron proyecciones del curso de estas tendencias hasta 2050, generadas a partir de un modelo integrado del sistema agrícola y alimentario mundial. Los análisis resultantes depararon una configuración del comercio coherente con poblaciones cada vez más numerosas, un creciente nivel de ingresos y cambios en el régimen alimentario en los países en desarrollo. Los análisis también apuntaban a una lenta expansión de la producción pecuaria y ponían de relieve la influencia de la situación sanitaria de los países en el comercio de ganado. Para la mayoría de los productos ganaderos analizados, las proyecciones de los modelos económicos apuntaban a una mayor concentración en unos pocos países de la actividad de producción y exportación. La marcada intensificación del comercio de productos ganaderos lleva a pensar en una evolución del papel de los Servicios Veterinarios para facilitar el comercio y su extensión en los próximos años.

Quantitative value chain approaches for animal health and food safety.

Economic impact assessments are increasingly important in the context of animal health and food safety, although much of the existing literature does not address the broader systems context in which disease transmission takes place. In this paper, we discuss the role of system dynamics modeling in addressing the value chain impacts associated with animal health and food safety issues. System dynamics methods hold promise as a means of capturing the complex feedbacks that exist between the biology, economics, and behavioral aspects of food safety and animal health systems. We provide a proof-of-concept of this approach in the context of food safety and animal health in the smallholder pig sector of Viet Nam. Results highlight the important tradeoffs that exist between policy objectives and the costs required to achieve them.

Animal production, animal health and food safety: Gaps and challenges in the chilean industry.

This paper summarizes the gaps and challenges related to animal production, health, and food safety as discussed by a panel at the 1st International Symposium of Food Safety (ISFS) in Santiago, Chile, in December 2016. Participating representatives of academia, industry, and government and statements from the audience confirmed that food safety is essential for increasing food security. First, panelists identified the need for a science-based regulatory framework to implement effective regulations. Second, they highlighted the importance of a risk analysis framework to quantify the risk of the potential for antimicrobial resistance associated with the use of antimicrobials, and the need of studies to evaluate foodborne prevention/control strategies. Third, the challenges of filling the gaps between industry and academia were addressed, including examples of successful collaboration, opportunities, and weakness identified by industry. Finally, challenges in animal food production included issues related to changing consumer preferences, animal welfare, the use of antimicrobials, and sustainable animal production. The symposium provided a regional platform to share experiences from the implementation of methods and approaches for food safety. The roundtable successfully explored the future science and technology challenges that are of strategic importance for Chile and the region in animal health and food safety.

The economic impact of a new animal disease: same effects in developed and developing countries?

Animal disease outbreaks generate a range of economic and non-economic impacts. While a significant number of research studies have estimated the effects of various diseases in a variety of contexts, examining the differential impacts and implications associated with the introduction of a novel disease into a developing country, as opposed to a developed one, is a rich area for further research. In this paper, the authors highlight some of the key dimensions and implications associated with the impacts of new diseases, how they differ in different contexts, and their implications for public policy.

La survenue de foyers de maladies animales entraîne des effets divers, de nature économique et non économique. Si l'estimation de l'impact de nombreuses maladies dans différents contextes a fait l'objet de très nombreuses études, l'évaluation différentielle de l'impact de l'introduction d'une maladie nouvelle dans un pays en développement et de ses conséquences, par opposition à ce qu'ils seraient dans un pays développé, constitue un domaine de recherche au riche potentiel largement inexploré. Les auteurs mettent en avant les dimensions et conséquences majeures de l'impact des maladies nouvelles et en soulignent les spécificités selon les contextes ainsi que leurs conséquences en termes de politiques publiques.

Los brotes de enfermedades animales traen consigo una serie de consecuencias de orden económico y no económico. Si bien ha habido numerosas investigaciones destinadas a evaluar los efectos de varias enfermedades en distintos contextos, el estudio del impacto y las repercusiones diferenciales que se siguen de la introducción de una nueva enfermedad en un país en desarrollo, por oposición a un país desarrollado, constituye un prometedor ámbito de investigación para el futuro. Los autores destacan algunas de las principales dimensiones y repercusiones ligadas a las consecuencias de nuevas enfermedades y examinan cómo difieren en función del contexto y cómo repercuten en las políticas públicas.

The epidemiological and economic effects from systematic depopulation of Norwegian marine salmon farms infected with pancreas disease virus.

Pancreas disease (PD) is a viral disease associated with significant economic losses in Scottish, Irish, and Norwegian marine salmon aquaculture. In this paper, we investigate how disease-triggered harvest strategies (systematic depopulation of infected marine salmon farms) towards PD can affect disease dynamics and salmon producer profits in an endemic area in the southwestern part of Norway. Four different types of disease-triggered harvest strategies were evaluated over a four-year period (2011-2014), each scenario with different disease-screening procedures, timing for initiating the harvest interventions on infected cohorts, and levels of farmer compliance to the strategy. Our approach applies a spatio-temporal stochastic model for simulating the spread of PD in the separate scenarios. Results from these simulations were then used in cost-benefit analyses to estimate the net benefits of different harvest strategies over time. We find that the most aggressive strategy, in which infected farms are harvested without delay, was most efficient in terms of reducing infection pressure in the area and providing economic benefits for the studied group of salmon producers. On the other hand, lower farm compliance leads to higher infection pressure and less economic benefits. Model results further highlight trade-offs in strategies between those that primarily benefit individual producers and those that have collective benefits, suggesting a need for institutional mechanisms that address these potential tensions.

The economic benefits of disease triggered early harvest: A case study of pancreas disease in farmed Atlantic salmon from Norway.

Pancreas disease (PD) is an important viral disease in Norwegian, Scottish and Irish aquaculture causing biological losses in terms of reduced growth, mortality, increased feed conversion ratio, and carcass downgrading. We developed a bio-economic model to investigate the economic benefits of a disease triggered early harvesting strategy to control PD losses. In this strategy, the salmon farm adopts a PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) diagnostic screening program to monitor the virus levels in stocks. Virus levels are used to forecast a clinical outbreak of pancreas disease, which then initiates a prescheduled harvest of the stock to avoid disease losses. The model is based on data inputs from national statistics, literature, company data, and an expert panel, and use stochastic simulations to account for the variation and/or uncertainty associated with disease effects and selected production expenditures. With the model, we compared the impacts of a salmon farm undergoing prescheduled harvest versus the salmon farm going through a PD outbreak. We also estimated the direct costs of a PD outbreak as the sum of biological losses, treatment costs, prevention costs, and other additional costs, less the costs of insurance pay-outs. Simulation results suggests that the economic benefit from a prescheduled harvest is positive once the average salmon weight at the farm has reached 3.2kg or more for an average Norwegian salmon farm stocked with 1,000,000smolts and using average salmon sales prices for 2013. The direct costs from a PD outbreak occurring nine months (average salmon weight 1.91kg) after sea transfer and using 2013 sales prices was on average estimated at NOK 55.4 million (5%, 50% and 90% percentile: 38.0, 55.8 and 72.4) (NOK=€0.128 in 2013). Sensitivity analyses revealed that the losses from a PD outbreak are sensitive to feed- and salmon sales prices, and that high 2013 sales prices contributed to substantial losses associated with a PD outbreak.

Controlling emerging infectious diseases in salmon aquaculture.

In this paper, the authors review the impacts of diseases facing salmon aquaculture, drawing lessons from terrestrial animal diseases. They discuss the implementation of current control strategies, taking into account transmission patterns (vertical versus horizontal), disease reservoirs, and interactions with wild fish. In addition, the decision-making context of aquatic disease control and the institutional organisation of control strategies are considered, with particular emphasis on the roles and responsibilities of regulatory authorities and the private sector. Case studies on the emergence and control of infectious salmon anaemia worldwide and pancreas disease in Norway are used to examine some of the controversies that may influence decision making and provide lessons for the future.

Poverty impacts of foot-and-mouth disease and the poverty reduction implications of its control.

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) remains one of the most important livestock diseases of the world, given its highly infectious nature, its broad economic impacts on animal wellbeing and productivity, and its implications for successful access to domestic and export markets for livestock and products. The impacts of the disease vary markedly between developed and developing countries, and also within many developing countries. These differences in impact shape some markedly heterogeneous incentives for FMD control and eradication, which become of particular importance when setting priorities for poverty reduction in developing countries. Some consider that the benefits from FMD control accrue only to the better off in such societies and, as such, may not be a priority for investments targeted at poverty reduction. But is that view justified? Others see the control of FMD as a major development opportunity in a globalised environment. In this paper, Brian Perry and Karl Rich summarise the differential impacts of FMD and its control, and link these findings with the growing understanding of how the control of this globally important disease may contribute to the processes of pro-poor growth in certain countries of the developing world.

Transglutaminase 2 inhibitor, KCC009, disrupts fibronectin assembly in the extracellular matrix and sensitizes orthotopic glioblastomas to chemotherapy.

Transglutaminase 2 (TG2, a.k.a. tissue transglutaminase) belongs to a family of transglutaminase enzymes that stabilize proteins by affecting covalent crosslinking via formation of amide bonds. Cell surface TG2 is directly involved as an adhesive receptor in cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions. Here, we show that TG2 activity is elevated in glioblastomas compared with non-neoplastic brain. Immunofluorescent studies showed increased staining of fibronectin colocalized with TG2 in the ECM in glioblastomas. In addition, small clusters of invading human glioblastoma cells present in non-neoplastic brain parenchyma secrete high levels of TG2 and fibronectin that distinguish them from normal brain stroma. Downregulation of TG2 in U87MG glioblastoma cells with RNAi demonstrated decreased assembly of fibronectin in the ECM. Treatment with KCC009 blocked the remodeling of fibronectin in the ECM in glioblastomas in both in vitro and in vivo studies. KCC009 treatment in mice harboring orthotopic glioblastomas (DBT-FG) sensitized the tumors to N,N'-bis(2-chloroethyl)-N-nitrosourea chemotherapy, as measured by reduced bioluminescence, increased apoptosis and prolonged survival. The ability of KCC009 to interfere with the permissive remodeling of fibronectin in the ECM in glioblastomas suggests a novel target to enhance sensitivity to chemotherapy directed not only at the tumor mass, but also invading glioblastoma cells.

A review of economic tools for the assessment of animal disease outbreaks.

This paper demonstrates how currently underutilised economic modelling techniques can enrich the analysis of animal disease problems. Increasingly, analyses of animal health programmes are expected to address a range of economic and social questions. These expectations can be addressed by better integration of epidemiological modelling with economic techniques whose application to animal health has not been thoroughly discussed in past reviews. This paper describes a range of economic models that can be applied in animal health research and provides guidance for determining the appropriate method given the issues at hand. The complexity of some of these approaches underlines the importance of multidisciplinary research and education.

Enhancing economic models for the analysis of animal disease.

This paper discusses how economic tools can be targeted and combined to enhance their usefulness in analyses of animal disease problems. It briefly reviews the most commonly used economic modelling techniques to clarify the applicability of specific economic methods to different problems in animal health analysis. The paper then reviews applications of these methods in the literature and suggests how further research could integrate and improve different economic approaches and link epidemiological and economic methods to address a wider range of issues at different scales of analysis.

Gene expression profiling with oligonucleotide microarrays distinguishes World Health Organization grade of oligodendrogliomas.

Oligodendrogliomas are the second most common type of glial neoplasm with distinct prognostic and therapeutic implications. Although refinements have led to improved clinical stratification, current grading schemes are still limited by subjective histopathological criteria. In this report, we have used oligonucleotide array technology to perform expression profiling in morphologically classic oligodendrogliomas. Expression information from approximately 1100 genes divided tumors into two molecularly distinct groups that corresponded exactly to their previously assigned histological grades. Subsequent gene clustering identified a subset of 196 transcripts showing a common, differential expression pattern between tumor grades. A number of these genes have been associated with the maintenance of cytoarchitecture, cellular differentiation and maturation, immunogenicity, and chemotherapeutic resistance. These results demonstrate the utility of gene expression profiling as an objective, ancillary tool for grading oligodendrogliomas and a potential approach for classifying diffuse gliomas where histological assessment may be difficult or ambiguous.

Malignant giant-cell tumor of the parietal bone: case report and review of the literature.

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: Giant-cell tumors (GCTs) are primary bone tumors that involve long bones in 75 to 90% of patients. They seldom develop in the cranium and are very rare in patients older than 60 years of age. A GCT rarely occurs with Paget's disease; when it does, however, it is most commonly associated with the polyostotic form and tends to involve the craniofacial bones. Pagetic GCTs are less aggressive than GCTs that are not associated with Paget's disease. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: We report the case of an 81-year-old woman with a painless left parietal mass and asymptomatic monostotic parietal Paget's disease. INTERVENTION: Surgical resection was performed, and histological examination of the lesion demonstrated Paget's disease with a malignant GCT. An incidental, low-grade, small-cell lymphocytic lymphoma also was noted. The patient experienced local recurrence of the malignant GCT and eventually died after developing pulmonary metastases of the malignant GCT. CONCLUSION: This case is the first reported example of a patient with a malignant GCT of the cranium associated with monostotic Paget's disease. It provides evidence that not all pagetic GCTs in the cranium are benign, as has been reported.

Ipsilateral thalamic stimulation after thalamotomy for essential tremor. A case report.

We report a patient with severe essential tremor who was treated with thalamic stimulation ipsilateral to a prior thalamotomy. Thalamotomy performed 30 years prior to stimulator implantation provided tremor reduction for one year before the tremor recurred. An electrode lead was implanted in the thalmaic nucleus ventralis intermedius (Vim) with nearly complete control of his tremor with sustained benefit over an 18-month follow-up period. Vim thalamic stimulation is an effective treatment option for recurrent tremor in patients who have undergone ipsilateral thalamotomy.

Overexpression of bax in human glioma cell lines.

OBJECT: Cells that lose their ability to undergo apoptosis may promote the development of neoplasms and result in resistance to clinical treatment with DNA-damaging modalities such as radio- and chemotherapy. Four established human glioma cell lines that are resistant to apoptosis were transfected with the proapoptotic gene bax and assessed for their sensitivity to a proapoptotic stimulus. METHODS: Two cell lines had a wild-type p53 genotype (U87 and D247MG) and two had mutant p53 genotypes (U138 and U373). Constitutive overexpression of murine bax was achieved in U138 and U373 only, which resulted in an increased sensitivity of these lines to the apoptosis-inducing effect of cytosine arabinoside (ara-C). Multiple attempts to produce constitutive overexpression of bax in U87 and D247MG cells resulted in spontaneous, near-complete cell loss. Vector-only control transfections were successful in all four cell lines. Inducible overexpression of bax was achieved in the U87 cells and elevated levels of BAX were observed as early as 6 hours after gene induction. This overexpression of BAX resulted in the spontaneous induction of apoptosis in these cells. CONCLUSIONS: Overexpression of BAX in four human glioma cell lines resulted in increased sensitivity to apoptosis. In the two lines that had a wild-type p53 genotype, overexpression of BAX produced spontaneous apoptosis. In contrast, the lines that had mutant, nonfunctional P53 did not undergo spontaneous apoptosis, but they were rendered more sensitive to the apoptosis-inducing effect of ara-C. Modulation of BAX expression may be a useful therapeutic modality for gliomas, regardless of p53 genotype.

Developmental regulation of apoptosis in dorsal root ganglion neurons.

The survival of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons, both in vivo and in vitro, is dependent on the availability of nerve growth factor (NGF) for a transient period early in development after which these neurons become independent of NGF for survival. The precise molecular mechanism by which developing DRG neurons gain independence from NGF has not been determined. We used an in vitro model of DRG neuronal development to test hypotheses that independence from NGF in mature DRG neurons could be caused by developmental regulation of either elements of the NGF withdrawal signal transduction pathway or of proteins important for activation of the apoptosis output pathway. Interruption of phosphotidylinositol-3 kinase activation, by treatment with the specific inhibitor LY294002, resulted in apoptosis in immature but not mature DRG neurons in a manner similar to that observed with NGF withdrawal. Further downstream along the signal transduction pathway, c-JUN phosphorylation occurred in both immature and mature DRG neurons after NGF withdrawal or treatment with LY294002, despite the fact that the older neurons did not undergo apoptosis. In contrast, the ratio of expression of the proapoptotic gene bax to antiapoptotic gene bcl-xL was many times higher in immature than mature neurons, both in vivo and in vitro. Taken together, these results strongly suggest that developmental regulation of NGF withdrawal-induced apoptosis in DRG occurs via control of the relative level of expression of members of the bcl-2 gene family.

The incidence of blood contamination of lead unit dose containers with and without single-use protective inserts used with commercially prepared radiopharmaceutical unit doses.

OBJECTIVE: This investigation evaluated the effectiveness of disposable plastic inserts in radiopharmaceutical unit dose lead containers (pigs) in preventing the distribution of doses in blood-contaminated containers. Technologists commonly dispose of the syringes by placing them into the lead pigs, leaving the needles uncapped. This process raises the question of unsuspected blood contamination of these pigs. Consequently, the distribution of commercially prepared radiopharmaceutical doses in reusable lead pigs may result in radiopharmaceutical doses being distributed in containers that are contaminated with blood. METHODS: Using a simple chemical wipe test designed to determine the presence or absence of blood contamination, 618 pigs from commercial radiopharmacies throughout the U.S. were tested for contamination. The inside of the pigs and inserts, if present, were wiped before and after dose administration. Of the pigs tested, 292 came from radiopharmacies that used a protective, disposable plastic insert inside the pig, and 326 came from radiopharmacies that did not use an insert. RESULTS: Of those pigs without the protective disposable inserts, 39.3% arrived in the nuclear medicine department in pigs contaminated with blood. Of those pigs with inserts, 1% arrived with blood-contaminated inserts. After dose administration, 46.3% of the pigs without inserts were contaminated with blood and 3% of the protective inserts were contaminated. CONCLUSION: The proper use of disposable plastic inserts reduces the possibility of distributing radiopharmaceutical unit doses in containers contaminated with blood.

Transfection of C6 glioma cells with the bax gene and increased sensitivity to treatment with cytosine arabinoside.

OBJECT: Genes known to be involved in the regulation of apoptosis include members of the bcl-2 gene family, such as inhibitors of apoptosis (bcl-2 and bcl-xl) and promoters of apoptosis (bax). The authors investigated a potential approach for the treatment of malignant gliomas by using a gene transfection technique to manipulate the level of an intracellular protein involved in the control of apoptosis. METHODS: The authors transfected the murine bax gene, which had been cloned into a mammalian expression vector, into the C6 rat glioma cell line. Overexpression of the bax gene resulted in a decreased growth rate (average doubling time of 32.96 hours compared with 22.49 hours for untransfected C6, and 23.11 hours for clones transfected with pcDNA3 only), which may be caused, in part, by an increased rate of spontaneous apoptosis (0.77 +/- 0.15% compared with 0.42 +/- 0.08% for the vector-only transfected C6 cell line; p = 0.038, two-tailed Student's t-test). Treatment with 1 microM cytosine arabinoside (ara-C) resulted in significantly more cells undergoing apoptosis in the cell line overexpressing bax than in the vector-only control cell line (23.57 +/- 2.6% compared with 5.3 +/- 0.7% terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated biotinylated-deoxyuridine triphosphate nick-end labeling technique-positive cells; p = 0.007). Furthermore, measurements of growth curves obtained immediately after treatment with 0.5 microM ara-C demonstrated a prolonged growth arrest of at least 6 days in the cell line overexpressing bax. CONCLUSIONS: These results can be used collectively to argue that overexpression of bax results in increased sensitivity of C6 cells to ara-C and that increasing bax expression may be a useful strategy, in general, for increasing the sensitivity of gliomas to antineoplastic treatments.

Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor and oligodendroglioma: the diagnostic value of magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Case report and review of the literature.

Preoperative differentiation between dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor (DNT) and low-grade glioma is often not possible. Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor is a recently described entity of uncertain origin; however, the diagnosis has important clinical implications. Clinical and radiological findings of DNT and low-grade glioma, especially oligodendroglioma, may be similar. Treatment options and prognosis differ significantly between these two lesions; consequently, accurate diagnosis is imperative. The authors describe two individuals who presented simultaneously at their institution: one patient with an oligodendroglioma and a second patient with DNT. The natural history, neurodiagnostic, and pathological features of each are reviewed with special emphasis on the potential utility of magnetic resonance spectroscopy in differentiating these lesions.