Rpb4 and Puf3 imprint and post-transcriptionally control the stability of a common set of mRNAs in yeast.

Gene expression involving RNA polymerase II is regulated by the concerted interplay between mRNA synthesis and degradation, crosstalk in which mRNA decay machinery and transcription machinery respectively impact transcription and mRNA stability. Rpb4, and likely dimer Rpb4/7, seem the central components of the RNA pol II governing these processes. In this work we unravel the molecular mechanisms participated by Rpb4 that mediate the posttranscriptional events regulating mRNA imprinting and stability. By RIP-Seq, we analysed genome-wide the association of Rpb4 with mRNAs and demonstrated that it targeted a large population of more than 1400 transcripts. A group of these mRNAs was also the target of the RNA binding protein, Puf3. We demonstrated that Rpb4 and Puf3 physically, genetically, and functionally interact and also affect mRNA stability, and likely the imprinting, of a common group of mRNAs. Furthermore, the Rpb4 and Puf3 association with mRNAs depends on one another. We also demonstrated, for the first time, that Puf3 associates with chromatin in an Rpb4-dependent manner. Our data also suggest that Rpb4 could be a key element of the RNA pol II that coordinates mRNA synthesis, imprinting and stability in cooperation with RBPs.

Inducing signal-verified lucid dreams in 40% of untrained novice lucid dreamers within two nights in a sleep laboratory setting.

Dreams in which the dreamer is aware of the dream state (lucid dreams, LD) are difficult to induce in naïve subjects in-laboratory. Recently, Stumbrys and Erlacher (2014) used a combination of existing induction techniques together with a self-developed experiment protocol and achieved comparatively high LD induction rates. In this study, we simplified their methodology slightly and repeated their experiment with twenty naïve subjects who spent one or two nights in our sleep laboratory. After about six hours of sleep, they were woken up during REM sleep and engaged in a series of cognitive tasks before going back to bed. Ten subjects reported a LD during the following period of sleep in one of the nights. Eight of these subjects gave a predefined eye signal, which was clearly visible in the electrooculogram during REM sleep. In summary, we replicated Stumbrys and Erlacher's results using a simplified version of their induction protocol.

Factores de deserción laboral de una guardia de salud mental en Hospital General de Jujuy / Factors of labor desertion of a mental health guard in Hospital General de Jujuy

INTRODUCCIÓN En julio de 2012 se implementó la primera Guardia de Salud Mental (GSM) con cobertura 24 horas en hospital general de Jujuy que contó con un psicólogo y un psiquiatra por turno. En 2017 hubo gran cantidad de renuncias y el dispositivo quedó casi sin posibilidad de brindar cobertura. OBJETIVO de este estudio fue indagar las razones de dicha deserción laboral de la GSM. MÉTODOS El muestreo fue intencional de n = 28 psicólogos y psiquiatras que trabajaron en la GSM (entre julio/2012 y septiembre/2017). Se elaboró un cuestionario ad-hoc para recolectar los datos (33 ítems con opciones de respuesta fijas). Se realizaron análisis estadísticos descriptivos. RESULTADOS Las dificultades para desempeñar la labor se relacionaron con aspectos; institucionales (edilicios y vinculares), contractuales, salariales y de la red de salud, principalmente. Dichas dificultades motivaron la decisión de desvinculación de la GSM, o bien, la motivarían en el futuro. La mayoría de profesionales vivenció estrés, enojo, desánimo y angustia de forma reactiva a la labor en la GSM. DISCUSIÓN Las motivaciones más subjetivas que llevaron a elegir trabajar en la GSM (i.e. vocación, búsqueda de crecimiento profesional), fueron afectadas por dificultades de tipo objetivo (i.e. infraestructura edilicia de la institución, aspectos contractuales y salariales, fallas operativas y carencias del sistema de salud). Son necesarias políticas públicas que resuelvan las dificultades señaladas

Inhibin A production after gonadotropin stimulus: a new method to detect ovarian tissue in ovotesticular disorder of sex development.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: While laboratory methods for the detection of testicular tissue are well standardized, currently there is no available test to demonstrate the presence of ovarian tissue. We evaluated the effectiveness of gonadal stimulation with luteinizing hormone (LH)/follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) for the detection of ovarian tissue in patients with disorders of sex development (DSD). METHODS: Ten patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) as ovarian-positive controls, 10 with cryptorchidism (ovarian-negative controls), 13 patients with DSD of no defined etiology and 7 patients with ovotesticular DSD (true hermaphroditism, TH) were included in the study. They underwent a daily injection of both LH and FSH on 3 consecutive days. LH, FSH, estradiol, testosterone and inhibin A were measured before treatment, 24 h after the 1st dose and 24 h after the 3rd dose. RESULTS: Estradiol increased in all CAH and TH patients, with a median value of 155.1 and 92.6 pg/ml, respectively, after the 3rd injection. Inhibin A also increased in all CAH and TH patients, with a median value of 70.4 and 32.2 pg/ml, respectively, after the 3rd injection. There was no change in these hormones in the other groups. CONCLUSION: The LH/FSH stimulation test might be a useful method to detect the presence of ovarian tissue.

Transcriptional regulation and function during the human cell cycle.

We report here the transcriptional profiling of the cell cycle on a genome-wide scale in human fibroblasts. We identified approximately 700 genes that display transcriptional fluctuation with a periodicity consistent with that of the cell cycle. Systematic analysis of these genes revealed functional organization within groups of coregulated transcripts. A diverse set of cytoskeletal reorganization genes exhibit cell-cycle-dependent regulation, indicating that biological pathways are redirected for the execution of cell division. Many genes involved in cell motility and remodeling of the extracellular matrix are expressed predominantly in M phase, indicating a mechanism for balancing proliferative and invasive cellular behavior. Transcripts upregulated during S phase displayed extensive overlap with genes induced by DNA damage; cell-cycle-regulated transcripts may therefore constitute coherent programs used in response to external stimuli. Our data also provide clues to biological function for hundreds of previously uncharacterized human genes.

Cecostomy is a useful surgical procedure: study of 113 colonic obstructions caused by cancer.

PURPOSE: There is a large choice of treatment for obstructing carcinoma of the left colon. We report our experience of tube cecostomy as the initial treatment for obstructing colonic carcinoma followed by elective resection. METHODS: From 1975 to 1995, 113 patients presenting with colonic obstruction caused by cancer were initially treated by tube cecostomy. RESULTS: The cecostomy was performed under local anesthesia in 26 cases (23 percent) and general anesthesia in 87 cases (77 percent). In the postoperative period 15 patients died (13 percent) and 26 (23 percent) had wound infection in the area around the cecostomy. A second operation performed on the 98 surviving patients comprised 74 left colonic resections with anastomosis, 9 without anastomosis (Hartmann's operation), 1 right colectomy, 3 total colectomies eliminating the cecostomy, 3 internal bypasses, and 8 proximal lateral colostomies. Surgical closure of the cecostomy was performed during six of the second operations. No deaths occurred from any of the second operations. The cecostomy closed spontaneously in 78 patients (89 percent). In ten cases (11.4 percent) a third operation was performed to close the cecostomy, without mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Comparison our cecostomy results with published studies of proximal diverting loop colostomies for the same indications showed comparable mortality after the first operation. Cecostomy decrease mortality of the second operation. This retrospective study suggests that cecostomy is a useful and less invasive surgical procedure for patients presenting with colonic obstruction caused by cancer.

A genome-wide transcriptional analysis of the mitotic cell cycle.

Progression through the eukaryotic cell cycle is known to be both regulated and accompanied by periodic fluctuation in the expression levels of numerous genes. We report here the genome-wide characterization of mRNA transcript levels during the cell cycle of the budding yeast S. cerevisiae. Cell cycle-dependent periodicity was found for 416 of the 6220 monitored transcripts. More than 25% of the 416 genes were found directly adjacent to other genes in the genome that displayed induction in the same cell cycle phase, suggesting a mechanism for local chromosomal organization in global mRNA regulation. More than 60% of the characterized genes that displayed mRNA fluctuation have already been implicated in cell cycle period-specific biological roles. Because more than 20% of human proteins display significant homology to yeast proteins, these results also link a range of human genes to cell cycle period-specific biological functions.

Ileoanal anastomosis for ulcerative colitis: results of an evolutionary surgical procedure.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Proctocolectomy with ileoanal anastomosis (IAA) has proved to be the most suitable surgical treatment for ulcerative colitis. The aim of this study was to compare the results of IAA according to the evolution of surgical procedures and particularly to compare the results of stapled versus hand-sewn anastomosis. METHODOLOGY: From 1984 to 1996, 37 men and 31 women were operated on in our centre for ulcerative colitis. The anastomosis between the J pouch and the dentate line was handsewn in 35 patients (group 1) and stapled in 33 patients (group 2). RESULTS: The mean operative time was significantly shorter in group 2 as compared with group 1 (265+/-59 vs. 323+/-53, p<0.01, respectively), whereas morbidity and functional results were comparable in both groups. In 10 patients with stapled IAA, a diverting ileostomy was not performed and the morbidity in this group did not increase. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that stapled IAA anastomosis is a safe procedure. The stapling technique of IAA simplifies total excision of the rectum and could mean that a diverting ileostomy is not necessary.

[Lumbar sympathectomy by retroperitoneal endoscopy: feasibility study]. / Sympathectomie lombaire par rétropéritoneoscopie: étude de faisabilité.

Endoscopic surgery has been used as a new procedure to simplify different surgical processes. The goal of this study was to evaluate the benefits of endoscopic retroperitoneal surgery for lumbar sympathectomies. Between February 93 and November 95 we performed 35 lumbar sympathectomies using this technique. All patients were arteritic. The results were as follows: for 25% of the patients, conversion classical open technique was required; 6% complications (septic); 3% of the patients died. In comparing the various techniques of sympathectomy and sympatholysis, it would appear that the endoscopic technique produces fewer complications. However we believe that a learning period is necessary before this technique can be fully mastered.

Picosecond photodetector for 257 nm to 1 mum laser pulses.

Picasecond temporal response and broad spectral response photodetectors have been fabricated using commercially available diode chips. Improved photoresponse sensitivity is achieved by removing the anode gold contact which obscures the active region. Junction geometry is such that the depletion region is approximately normal to the surface being illuminated, making the device especially useful for fast UV photodetection.

Flow microfluorometric analysis of sperm DNA content: effect of cell shape on the fluorescence distribution.

The DNA content of individual sperm from populations of acriflavine-stained cells was investigated by analysis of fluorescence frequency distributions obtained with high-resolution flow-systems instruments. Sperm with spherical or cylindrical heads from three mollusk species produce narrow, symmetric fluorescence distributions. Flat sperm heads from six eutherian species produce asymmetric distributions consisting of a peak with a lateral extension to higher fluorescence values. The unexpected shape of these distributions was shown to be due to the flat geometry and high refractive index of the sperm heads in conjunction with the orthogonal axes of flow, excitation, and detection in the flow-systems instruments. The theoretical and experimeytal results indicate that the lateral extension can be eliminated either by controlling the sperm orientation with planar flow conditions or by accounting for sperm orientation by means of orientation sensing.