Enhancing quantitative approaches for assessing community resilience.

Scholars from many different intellectual disciplines have attempted to measure, estimate, or quantify resilience. However, there is growing concern that lack of clarity on the operationalization of the concept will limit its application. In this paper, we discuss the theory, research development and quantitative approaches in ecological and community resilience. Upon noting the lack of methods that quantify the complexities of the linked human and natural aspects of community resilience, we identify several promising approaches within the ecological resilience tradition that may be useful in filling these gaps. Further, we discuss the challenges for consolidating these approaches into a more integrated perspective for managing social-ecological systems.

Transgenic expression of haem oxygenase-1 in pancreatic beta cells protects non-obese mice used as a model of diabetes from autoimmune destruction and prolongs graft survival following islet transplantation.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Haem oxygenase 1 (HO-1) has strong anti-apoptotic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects that help protect cells against various forms of immune attack. We investigated whether transgenic expression of Ho-1 (also known as Hmox1) in pancreatic beta cells would protect NOD mice from autoimmune damage and prolong graft survival following islet transplantation. METHODS: To evaluate the protective effect of beta cell-specific HO-1 in autoimmune diabetes, we used an insulin promoter-driven murine Ho-1 construct (pIns-mHo-1) to generate a transgenic NOD mouse. Transgene expression, insulitis and the incidence of diabetes in mice were characterised. Lymphocyte composition, the development of T helper (Th)1, Th2 and T regulatory (Treg) cells, T cell proliferation and lymphocyte-mediated disease transfer were analysed. The potential effects of transgenic islets and islet transplantation on apoptosis, inflammation and the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) were evaluated. RESULTS: Transgenic mice showed less severe insulitis and a lower incidence of diabetes than non-transgenic control littermates. Lymphocyte composition and functions were not affected. Islets from transgenic mice expressed lower levels of proinflammatory cytokines/chemokines, proapoptotic gene expression and amounts of ROS/RNS, and were more resistant to TNF-α- and IFN-γ-induced apoptosis. Islet grafts from transgenic mice also survived longer in diabetic recipients than control islets. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Transgenic overexpression of Ho-1 in beta cells protected NOD mice from diabetes and delayed the autoimmune destruction of islet grafts, providing valuable insight into the development of better strategies for clinical islet transplantation in patients with type 1 diabetes.

Reversible left hemispheric ischemia secondary to carotid compression in Eagle syndrome: surgical and CT angiographic correlation.

Symptoms of ipsilateral carotid artery compression secondary to an elongated styloid process or calcified stylohyoid ligament may be seen in Eagle syndrome. The patient will typically experience cervicofacial pain due to stimulation of the arterial nervous plexus. In addition, symptoms directly attributable to compression of the carotid artery may be seen, including visual symptoms and syncope. We report here the case of a patient who developed symptoms consistent with left hemispheric ischemia within 15 seconds of turning his head to the left. These symptoms were completely reversible on returning the head to the neutral position. No long-term sequelae were detected clinically or radiographically.

Emergence of a sylvatic enzootic formosan ferret badger-associated rabies in Taiwan and the geographical separation of two phylogenetic groups of rabies viruses.

Taiwan had been declared rabies-free in humans and domestic animals for five decades until July 2013, when surprisingly, three Formosan ferret badgers (FB) were diagnosed with rabies. Since then, a variety of wild carnivores and other wildlife species have been found dead, neurologically ill, or exhibiting aggressive behaviors around the island. To determine the affected animal species, geographic areas, and environments, animal bodies were examined for rabies by direct fluorescent antibody test (FAT). The viral genomes from the brains of selected rabid animals were sequenced for the phylogeny of rabies viruses (RABV). Out of a total of 1016 wild carnivores, 276/831 (33.2%) Formosan FBs were FAT positive, with occasional biting incidents in 1 dog and suspected spillover in 1 house shrew. All other animals tested, including dogs, cats, bats, mice, house shrews, and squirrels, were rabies-negative. The rabies was badger-associated and confined to nine counties/cities in sylvatic environments. Phylogeny of nucleoprotein and glycoprotein genes from 59 Formosan FB-associated RABV revealed them to be clustered in two distinct groups, TWI and TWII, consistent with the geographic segregation into western and eastern Taiwan provided by the Central Mountain Range and into northern rabies-free and central-southern rabies-affected regions by a river bisecting western Taiwan. The unique features of geographic and genetic segregation, sylvatic enzooticity, and FB-association of RABV suggest a logical strategy for the control of rabies in this nation.

Endoscopic removal of organized chronic subdural hematoma.

An endoscopic surgical approach to organized chronic subdural hematoma is described. Advantages of the endoscopic approach include access to virtually the entire hematoma cavity through a small craniectomy performed with local-standby anesthesia. Two illustrative cases are presented.

Bortezomib enhances cancer cell death by blocking the autophagic flux through stimulating ERK phosphorylation.

The antitumor activity of an inhibitor of 26S proteasome bortezomib (Velcade) has been observed in various malignancies, including colon cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, and ovarian cancer. Bortezomib has been proposed to stimulate autophagy, but scientific observations did not always support this. Interactions between ERK activity and autophagy are complex and not completely clear. Autophagy proteins have recently been shown to regulate the functions of ERK, and ERK activation has been found to induce autophagy. On the other hand, sustained activation of ERK has also been shown to inhibit the maturation step of the autophagy process. In this study, we sought to identify the mechanism of autophagy regulation in cancer cells treated with bortezomib. Our results indicate that bortezomib blocked the autophagic flux without inhibiting the fusion of the autophagosome and lysosome. In ovarian cancer, as well as endometrial cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma cells, bortezomib inhibited protein degradation in lysosomes by suppressing cathepsins, which requires the participation of ERK phosphorylation, but not JNK or p38. Our findings that ERK phosphorylation reduced cathepsins further explain how ERK phosphorylation inhibits the autophagic flux. In conclusion, bortezomib may induce ERK phosphorylation to suppress cathepsin B and inhibit the catalytic process of autophagy in ovarian cancer and other solid tumors. The inhibition of cisplatin-induced autophagy by bortezomib can enhance chemotherapy efficacy in ovarian cancer. As we also found that bortezomib blocks the autophagic flux in other cancers, the synergistic cytotoxic effect of bortezomib by abolishing chemotherapy-related autophagy may help us develop strategies of combination therapies for multiple cancers.

Phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 reduces bortezomib-mediated apoptosis in cancer cells.

The potent and selective proteasome inhibitor bortezomib has shown remarkable antitumor activity and is now entering clinical trials for several cancers. However, the molecular mechanisms by which bortezomib induces cytotoxicity in ovarian cancer cells still remain unclear. In this study, we show that bortezomib induced apoptosis, which was demonstrated by the downregulation of antiapoptotic molecules (Bcl-2, Bcl-XL, p-Bad, and p-AKT) and the upregulation of proapoptotic proteins (p21, p27, and cleaved-Bid) in ovarian cancer cell lines. Moreover, bortezomib stimulates Janus kinase (JAK) phosphorylation and activates heat-shock transcription factor-1 (HSF-1) and heat-shock protein 70 (HSP70), ultimately leading to signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) phosphorylation. Phosphorylated STAT1 partially counteracted apoptosis induced by bortezomib in cancer cells. These findings suggest that the antitumor activity of bortezomib in ovarian cancer can be improved by inhibiting bortezomib-induced STAT1 phosphorylation. This effect can be achieved by STAT1 knockdown, HSP70 knockdown, JAK inhibition, or the addition of cisplatin, one of the most commonly used anticancer drugs. These results provide the first evidence that STAT1 phosphorylation can play a role in bortezomib resistance by exerting antiapoptotic effects. They also suggest the possibility to abolish or reduce bortezomib chemoresistance in ovarian cancer by the addition of cisplatin or JAK inhibitors.

A comparative study on commercial samples of ginseng radix.

A total of 37 commercial samples of Ginseng Radix, the origins of which belonged to Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer, P. quinquefolia Linn. (American ginseng), and P. notoginseng Burkill (sanchi-ginseng), respectively, were collected from the Taiwan herbal markets. The contents of nine ginsenosides, Rb(1), Rb(2), Rc, Rd, Re, Rf, Rg(1), Rg(2), R(0), and three malonylginsenosides, mRb(1), mRb(2), mRc, in these samples were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. It was found that the saponin contents in P. notoginseng and P. quinquefolia were generally higher than in P. ginseng. The ginsenosides that were of the highest contents in the white-ginseng, red-ginseng, and shihchu-ginseng samples of P. ginseng were Rb(1) and Rg(1); those in the root-hair of P. ginseng were Rb(1) and Re, those in P. notoginseng were Rb(1), Rg(1) and Rd, and those in P. quinquefolia were Rb(1), Re, and mRb(1). Among the samples, those of P. quinquefolia did not contain Rf and Rg(2), whilst those of shihehu-ginseng and red-ginseng of P. ginseng contained none or only traces of the malonylginsenosides. From the data of chemical analysis of a herb's constituents and its external appearance, we can postulate not only the quality but also the origin of the herb.

A comparative study on commercial samples of the roots of Paeonia vitchii and P. lactiflora.

A total of 37 commercial samples of paeoniae radix (Paeonia lactiflora Pall. = P. albiflora Pall, and P. vitchii Lynch), were collected from Taiwan's herbal market. The contents of eight constituents (gallic acid, oxypaeoniflorin, albiflorin, paeoniflorin, benzoic acid, pentagalloylglucose, paeonol, and benzyoylalbiflorin) in these samples were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. It was found that constituent contents in P. lactiflora samples were generally higher than in P. vitchii samples except for the albiflorin/oxypaeoniflorin ratio and paeonol content. The major compounds of P. lactiflora were paeoniflorin, albiflorin, and pentagalloylglucose, while those in P. vitchii were paeoniflorin, pentagalloylglucose, and oxypaeoniflorin. The peak-area ratio of albiflorin/oxypaeoniflorin was higher than unity in P. lactiflora samples but lower than unity in P. vitchii, and the ratio can be used to differentiate the origin of Paeonia species clearly. In addition, the former had higher contents in the core wood but the latter in the cortex.

Contents of constituents in mature and immature fruits of evodia species.

A total of 33 commercial samples of Evodiae fructus originated from the rutaceous plants Evodia rutaecarpa (Juss.) Benth. and E. rutaecarpa (Juss.) Benth. var. officinalis (Dode) Huang (= E. officinalis Dode), respectively, were collected from Taiwan's herbal market. The contents of eighteen constituents (including 15 alkaloids, 2 flavonoids and 1 diterpenoid) in these samples were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography within 60 minutes. Analysis results showed that the constituent contents were almost unrelated to the species, but rather closely related to the degrees of maturity of the fruit. Those fruits with open mouths and unsplit ovaries had the highest total contents, fruits with open mouths and split ovaries had lower contents, and fruits with closed mouths had the lowest contents. In terms of the individual constituents, the open-mouth fruits contained higher contents of dehydroevodiamine, evodiamine, evocarpine and rutaecarpine, whereas the closed-mouth fruits had higher contents of dehydroevodiamine, epimedoside C, evocarpine and evodiamine.