Diversity and composition of estuarine and lagoonal fish assemblages of Socotra Island, Yemen.

Estuarine and lagoonal surveys of Socotra Island and selected sites on the Hadhramout coast of Yemen were conducted with the objective of documenting and analysing fish diversity and assemblage structure. A total of 74 species in 35 families were recorded, among which 65 species in 32 families were from Socotra and 20 species in 17 families were from mainland Yemen. Twenty-one species represent new faunal records for Socotra. Including historic records re-examined in this study, the total fish species richness of estuaries and lagoons of Socotra Island reaches 76, which is relatively high compared to species inventories of well-researched coastal estuaries in southern Africa. Five species dominate the occurrence and abundance frequencies: Terapon jarbua, Hyporhamphus sindensis, Aphanius dispar, Ambassis gymnocephala and Chelon macrolepis. Rarefaction and extrapolation analyses suggest that the actual number of fish species inhabiting some of those estuaries might be higher than the one observed. Thus, additional sampling at specific sites should be conducted to record other less conspicuous species. Ordination and multivariate analyses identified four main distinct assemblage clusters. Two groups are geographically well structured and represent northern Socotra and mainland Yemen, respectively. The other two assemblage groups tend to be determined to a greater extent by the synchrony between physical (e.g. estuary opening periods) and biological (e.g. spawning and recruitment periods) variables than by geographical location. Finally, the single intertidal lagoon of Socotra represents by itself a specific fish assemblage. The high proportion of economically important fish species (38) recorded underscores the paramount importance of these coastal water bodies as nursery sites, and for sustaining vital provisioning ecosystem services.

Adjuvant radiotherapy for extremity and trunk wall atypical lipomatous tumor/well-differentiated LPS (ALT/WD-LPS): a French Sarcoma Group (GSF-GETO) study.

BACKGROUND: The role of adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) in the management of atypical lipomatous tumor/well-differentiated liposarcoma (ALT/WD-LPS) remains controversial. METHODS: Two hundred eighty-three patients with operable ALT/WD-LPS, no history of previous cancer, chemotherapy (CT) or RT, treated between 1984 and 2011 registered in the Conticabase database were included and described. Overall (OS), progression-free survival (PFS) and time to local relapse (TTLR) were evaluated from the time of first treatment. RESULTS: Three of 20 centers enrolled 58% of the patients. Median age at diagnosis was 61 (range 25-94) years, 147 patients (52%) were males, 222 (78%) patients had their primary tumor located in an extremity while 36 (13%) and 25 (9%) had tumors involving the girdle and the trunk wall, respectively. The median size of primary tumors was 17 cm (range 2-48 cm). Adjuvant RT was given to 132 patients (47%). Patients who received adjuvant RT had larger tumors (P = 0.005), involving more often the distal limbs (P < 0.001). Use of adjuvant RT varied across centers and along the study period. Other characteristics were balanced between the two groups. Median follow-up was 61.7 months. None of the patients developed metastasis during follow-up. The 5-year local relapse-free survival rates were 98.3% versus 80.3% with and without adjuvant RT, respectively (P < 0.001). Once stratified on time period (before/after 2003), adjuvant RT, tumor site and margin status (R0 versus other) were independently associated with TTLR. No OS difference was observed (P = 0.105). CONCLUSION: In this study, adjuvant RT following resection of ALT/WD-LPS was associated with a reduction of LR risk.

Association of protease activity against IGFBP-3 with peritoneal fluid mitogens: possible implications for the ectopic growth of endometrial cells in women with endometriosis.

BACKGROUND: Recent data indicate the implication of an IGF/IGFBP/protease system in the development of ectopic implants of endometrium (endometriosis) in the pelvic cavity. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We characterized mitogens and protease(s) against IGFBP-3 in the peritoneal fluid of women with or without endometriosis using preparative isoelectric focusing (IEC) Proteineous fractions were tested for a) mitogenic activity on NIH/3T3 cells and KLE endometrial-like cells, b) proteinolytic activity against radiolabeled IGFBP-3, and c) protein analysis using SDS-PAGE. RESULTS: A significant increase in the DNA content of cultured cell lines was found in PF fractions having slightly acidic or alkaline pH and containing mainly proteins with molecular weights between 50 and 25 kD. These fractions were also found to cleave IGFBP-3 into 25, 18 and 14 kD fragments. Both activities were present in the PF of subjects with or without endometriosis. CONCLUSION: The preparative isoelectric focusing system would be an advantageous approach to investigate the possible implication of the PF proteases with IGFBP-3 limited proteolysis generating PF mitogen(s) which possibly participate in the pathophysiology of endometriosis.

Blocking Wnt signaling by SFRP-like molecules inhibits in vivo cell proliferation and tumor growth in cells carrying active ß-catenin.

Constitutive activation of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling in cancer results from mutations in pathway components, which frequently coexist with autocrine Wnt signaling or epigenetic silencing of extracellular Wnt antagonists. Among the extracellular Wnt inhibitors, the secreted frizzled-related proteins (SFRPs) are decoy receptors that contain soluble Wnt-binding frizzled domains. In addition to SFRPs, other endogenous molecules harboring frizzled motifs bind to and inhibit Wnt signaling. One of such molecules is V3Nter, a soluble SFRP-like frizzled polypeptide that binds to Wnt3a and inhibits Wnt signaling and expression of the ß-catenin target genes cyclin D1 and c-myc. V3Nter is derived from the cell surface extracellular matrix component collagen XVIII. Here, we used HCT116 human colon cancer cells carrying the ΔS45 activating mutation in one of the alleles of ß-catenin to show that V3Nter and SFRP-1 decrease baseline and Wnt3a-induced ß-catenin stabilization. Consequently, V3Nter reduces the growth of human colorectal cancer xenografts by specifically controlling cell proliferation and cell cycle progression, without affecting angiogenesis or apoptosis, as shown by decreased [(3)H]-thymidine (in vitro) or BrdU (in vivo) incorporation, clonogenesis assays, cell cycle analysis and magnetic resonance imaging in living mice. Additionally, V3Nter switches off the ß-catenin target gene expression signature in vivo. Moreover, experiments with ß-catenin allele-targeted cells showed that the ΔS45 ß-catenin allele hampers, but does not abrogate, inhibition of Wnt signaling by SFRP-1 or by the SFRP-like frizzled domain. Finally, neither SFRP-1 nor V3Nter affect ß-catenin signaling in SW480 cells carrying nonfunctional Adenomatous polyposis coli. Thus, SFRP-1 and the SFRP-like molecule V3Nter can inhibit tumor growth of ß-catenin-activated tumor cells in vivo.

Permanent genetic resources added to Molecular Ecology Resources Database 1 October 2010-30 November 2010.

This article documents the addition of 277 microsatellite marker loci to the Molecular Ecology Resources Database. Loci were developed for the following species: Ascochyta rabiei, Cambarellus chapalanus, Chionodraco hamatus, Coptis omeiensis, Cynoscion nebulosus, Daphnia magna, Gerbillus nigeriae, Isurus oxyrinchus, Lates calcarifer, Metacarcinus magister, Oplegnathus fasciatus, Pachycondyla verenae, Phaethon lepturus, Pimelodus grosskopfii, Rotylenchulus reniformis, Scomberomorus niphonius, Sepia esculenta, Terapon jarbua, Teratosphaeria cryptica and Thunnus obesus. These loci were cross-tested on the following species: Austropotamobius italicus, Cambarellus montezumae, Cambarellus puer, Cambarellus shufeldtii, Cambarellus texanus, Chionodraco myersi, Chionodraco rastrospinosus, Coptis chinensis, Coptis chinensis var. brevisepala, Coptis deltoidea, Coptis teeta, Orconectes virilis, Pacifastacus leniusculus, Pimelodus bochii, Procambarus clarkii, Pseudopimelodus bufonius, Rhamdia quelen, Sepia andreana, Sepiella maindroni, Thunnus alalunga, Thunnus albacares, Thunnus maccoyii, Thunnus orientalis, Thunnus thynnus and Thunnus tonggol.

[Study of genetic markers of hepatitis B virus in 204 persons working in hospitals]. / Recherche des marqueurs génétiques du virus de l'hépatite B chez deux cent quatre personnes travaillant en milieu hospitalier.

In this study we have shown that 20% of the staff of the University Hospital Center at Nancy have at least one genetic marker for hepatitis B virus. We believe that, given this relatively high incidence of infection, members of a hospital staff at high risk for infection should be screened by serologic tests in order to immunize only susceptible individuals. Conversely, in populations with low incidences of infection, immunization without prior serologic tests is preferable as it is less expensive.

[Study of the incidence of complement-fixing antibodies against the cytomegalovirus in 339 subjects]. / Etude de la fréquence des anticorps fixant le complément anticytomégalovirus chez 339 sujets

The authors studied complement-fixing anticytomegalovirus antibodies in a population of 339 subjects, divided up into 8 groups, from birth to 60 years. The adult group consisted of blood donors. At birth, the new-born acquired temporary passive immunity from their mothers ; then they became actively immunised over the course of several years. The increase in the number of immunised subjects was greater during infancy and adolescence, passing from 6 % to 28.1 %, than during adult age (45.1 to 52.9 %). A very important difference of 17 %) definitely separated the age groups of adolescents and young adults. 47.4 % of blood donors have complement fixing anticytomegalo-virus antibodies.

Mediation of glucocorticoid receptor function by transforming growth factor beta I expression in human PC-3 prostate cancer cells.

We investigated the role of glucocorticoids in controlling the proliferation of androgen-independent PC-3 human prostate cancer cells via the action of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF beta 1). The presence of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in PC-3 cells was detected by immunoblotting analysis using a rabbit anti-GR polyclonal antibody against the synthetic human GR peptide (hGR383-393). In PC-3 cells, GR bound radiolabeled dexamethasone with an affinity similar to wild-type GR. In addition, GR-ligand complex bound radiolabeled DNA as detected by DNA band-shift analysis on gel electrophoresis and trans-activated the mouse mammary tumor virus-thymidine kinase-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase chimeric gene in transiently transfected PC-3 cells. Dexamethasone (0.1 up to 100 nM) and TGF beta 1 (0.5 up to 50 ng/ml) inhibited PC-3 cell proliferation. TGF beta 1 and dexamethasone both increased the distribution of PC-3 cells into the G1/G0 phase of the cell cycle. Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) stimulated the proliferation of PC-3 cells and overcame dexamethasone's inhibition of PC-3 cell growth. Dexamethasone's inhibition (10(-7) M) of PC-3 cell growth was completely neutralized by RU 486 (10(-6)M) and partly neutralized by anti-TGF beta 1 polyclonal antibody. Furthermore, dexamethasone up modulated the expression of TGF beta 1 mRNA in PC-3 cells. Because dexamethasone's inhibition was neutralized at least in part by an anti-TGF beta 1 polyclonal antibody and dexamethasone up modulated the expression of TGF beta 1 mRNA in PC-3 cells, we conclude that GR function in human PC-3 prostate cancer cells is mediated at least in part by TGF beta 1 expression.

Nitric-oxide synthase is a mechanical signal transducer that modulates talin and vinculin expression.

Mechanical stimuli can cause changes in muscle mass and structure which indicate that mechanisms exist for transducing mechanical stimuli into signals that influence gene expression. Myotendinous junctions show adaptations to modified muscle loading which suggest that these are transcriptionally distinct domains in muscle fibers that may experience local regulation of expression of structural proteins that are concentrated at these sites. Vinculin and talin are cytoskeletal proteins that are highly enriched at myotendinous junctions that we hypothesize to be subject to local transcriptional regulation. Our findings show that mechanical stimulation of muscle cells in vivo and in vitro causes an increase in the expression of vinculin and talin that is mediated by nitric oxide. Furthermore, nitric oxide-stimulated increases in vinculin and talin expression occur through a protein kinase G-dependent pathway and therefore differ from other mechanisms through which nitric oxide has been shown previously to modulate transcription. Analysis of vinculin mRNA distribution in mechanically stimulated muscle fibers shows that the mRNA is highly concentrated at myotendinous junctions, which supports the hypothesis that myotendinous junctions are distinct domains in which the expression of cytoskeletal proteins is modulated by mechanical stimuli through a nitric oxide and protein kinase G-dependent pathway.

[Surface treatment of mineralized tissue: different approaches and prospects]. / Traitement de surfaces de tissus minéralisés: les différentes approches et prospectives.

This paper review the effects of orthophosphoric acid and other acidic agents on dental enamel. The effects of other treatments such as proteolytic agents or of mixture able to remove the lipids are also described. Specific problems are related to the dentine treatment. Acids and chelators should be avoided, because of the dentine tubules, the odontoblasts and pulp. We review also the problem of the smear layer, the surface of the carious dentine and the consequences for dental treatment. Researches which are still in progress are reported including the use of enzymes and alcali gels submitted to feeble electrolysis, this latter being able to prepare dentine, cementum and bone surfaces in order to increase the adhesion of biomaterials.

Mechanical loading regulates NOS expression and activity in developing and adult skeletal muscle.

The hypothesis that changes in muscle activation and loading regulate the expression and activity of neuronal nitric oxide (NO) synthase (nNOS) was tested using in vitro and in vivo approaches. Removal of weight bearing from rat hindlimb muscles for 10 days resulted in a significant decrease in nNOS protein and mRNA concentration in soleus muscles, which returned to control concentrations after return to weight bearing. Similarly, the concentration of nNOS in cultured myotubes increased by application of cyclic loading for 2 days. NO release from excised soleus muscles was increased significantly by a single passive stretch of 20% or by submaximal activation at 2 Hz, although the increases were not additive when both stimuli were applied simultaneously. Increased NO release resulting from passive stretch or activation was dependent on the presence of extracellular calcium. Cyclic loading of cultured myotubes also resulted in a significant increase in NO release. Together, these findings show that activity of muscle influences NO production in the short term, by regulating NOS activity, and in the long term, by regulating nNOS expression.