Social learning in nest-building birds: a role for familiarity.

It is becoming apparent that birds learn from their own experiences of nest building. What is not clear is whether birds can learn from watching conspecifics build. As social learning allows an animal to gain information without engaging in costly trial-and-error learning, first-time builders should exploit the successful habits of experienced builders. We presented first-time nest-building male zebra finches with either a familiar or an unfamiliar conspecific male building with material of a colour the observer did not like. When given the opportunity to build, males that had watched a familiar male build switched their material preference to that used by the familiar male. Males that observed unfamiliar birds did not. Thus, first-time nest builders use social information and copy the nest material choices when demonstrators are familiar but not when they are strangers. The relationships between individuals therefore influence how nest-building expertise is socially transmitted in zebra finches.

The formin FMNL3 is a cytoskeletal regulator of angiogenesis.

The process of angiogenesis requires endothelial cells (ECs) to undergo profound changes in shape and polarity. Although this must involve remodelling of the EC cytoskeleton, little is known about this process or the proteins that control it. We used a co-culture assay of angiogenesis to examine the cytoskeleton of ECs actively undergoing angiogenic morphogenesis. We found that elongation of ECs during angiogenesis is accompanied by stabilisation of microtubules and their alignment into parallel arrays directed at the growing tip. In other systems, similar microtubule alignments are mediated by the formin family of cytoskeletal regulators. We screened a library of human formins and indentified formin-like 3 (FMNL3; also known as FRL2) as a crucial regulator of EC elongation during angiogenesis. We showed that activated FMNL3 triggers microtubule alignment and that FMNL3 is required for this alignment during angiogenic morphogenesis. FMNL3 was highly expressed in the ECs of zebrafish during development and embryos that were depleted for FMNL3 showed profound defects in developmental angiogenesis that were rescued by expression of the human gene. We conclude that FMNL3 is a new regulator of endothelial microtubules during angiogenesis and is required for the conversion of quiescent ECs into their elongated angiogenic forms.

The small GTPase Rif is an alternative trigger for the formation of actin stress fibers in epithelial cells.

Actin stress fibers are fundamental components of the actin cytoskeleton that produce contractile force in non-muscle cells. The formation of stress fibers is controlled by the small GTPase RhoA and two highly related proteins, RhoB and RhoC. Together, this subgroup of actin-regulatory proteins represents the canonical pathway of stress-fiber formation. Here, we show that the Rif GTPase is an alternative trigger of stress-fiber formation in epithelial cells. Rif is distantly related to RhoA; however, we show that the two proteins share a common downstream partner in stress-fiber formation--the Diaphanous-related formin mDia1. Rif-induced stress fibers also depend on the activity of the ROCK protein kinase. Unlike RhoA, Rif does not raise ROCK activity in cells, instead Rif appears to regulate the localization of myosin light chain phosphorylation. This study establishes Rif as a general regulator of Diaphanous-related formins and shows how non-classical Rho family members can access classical Rho pathways to create new signaling interfaces in cytoskeletal regulation.

VEGF receptor trafficking in angiogenesis.

The intracellular trafficking of receptors provides a way to control the overall sensitivity of a cell to receptor stimulation. These sorting pathways are also used to shape the balance of signals that are generated in response to receptor activation. The major pro-angiogenic growth factor receptor is VEGFR2 (vascular endothelial growth factor 2). VEGFR2 activates a very similar set of signalling pathways to other RTKs (receptor tyrosine kinases); however, its intracellular trafficking is very different. Furthermore, VEGFR2 can form a complex with a range of different angiogenic regulators that in turn regulate the trafficking of VEGFR2 through the endosomal pathway. This regulated trafficking of VEGFR2 has important consequences for angiogenic signalling and is a clear demonstration of how the endosomal pathway plays a critical role in connecting receptor signalling pathways to cellular events.

Apneic Oxygenation for Pediatric Endotracheal Intubation: A Narrative Review.

Apneic oxygenation (ApOx) has shown to be effective in adult populations in a variety of settings, including prehospital, emergency departments, intensive care units, and elective surgery. This review aims to assess the available literature for ApOx in the pediatric population to determine its effects on hypoxemia, safe apnea times, and flow rates employed safely.

Farnesyltransferase inhibitors target multiple endothelial cell functions in angiogenesis.

Farnesyltransferase inhibitors (FTIs) are novel anticancer drugs that inhibit the secretion of pro-angiogenic factors by Ras-transformed cancer cells. FTIs also inhibit angiogenesis in a rat corneal model, suggesting that FTIs have anti-angiogenic properties that extend beyond targeting cancer cells. Our hypothesis was that FTIs may directly target endothelial cell functions in angiogenesis. We examined the effects of FTI treatment on a range of assays designed to pick apart the individual functions of endothelial cells during angiogenesis. We found that FTIs inhibit endothelial cell proliferation, causing a failure of mitosis and accumulation of binucleate cells. FTIs also block the directional migration of endothelial cells toward VEGF, the major pro-angiogenic factor in adult tissues. In a co-culture assay of angiogenesis, FTI treatment significantly inhibits tube formation, but has no effect on pre-existing structures. Defects in tube formation could be replicated by specific targeting of endothelial cell farnesyltransferase using RNA interference. Our data show that FTIs directly target endothelial cells in angiogenesis, explaining previous in vivo findings. Importantly, these results suggest that the therapeutic use of FTIs may extend beyond cancer to include the treatment of other diseases involving pathological angiogenesis.

Buprenorphine versus Morphine in Paediatric Acute Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: In lab-based studies, buprenorphine appears to have a ceiling effect on respiratory depression but not on analgesia. There is increasing evidence in adult patients that buprenorphine has no ceiling effect on analgesia or side effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and adverse effects of buprenorphine versus morphine in paediatric acute pain. METHODS: A systematic review of five databases was performed until May 2018. Only randomised controlled trials were eligible for inclusion. The outcomes of interest included pain, respiratory depression, nausea, sedation, dizziness, and pruritus. RESULTS: Four randomised controlled trials (n=195) were included. The only outcome measuring analgesic efficacy was time to breakthrough analgesia. Buprenorphine had a significant increase in time to breakthrough analgesia by 114.98 minutes compared to morphine (95% CI = 42.94 to 187.01; I2 = 0; p=0.002). There was no significant difference in the rates of adverse effects. CONCLUSIONS: Buprenorphine provided a longer duration of analgesia than morphine. This in combination with its unique sublingual preparation could prove particularly advantageous in the paediatric population. The studies included are likely underpowered to detect differences in the incidence of adverse effects; therefore, the same precautions should be taken as with any other opioid.

Oral treatment with Eubacterium hallii improves insulin sensitivity in db/db mice.

An altered intestinal microbiota composition is associated with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus. We previously identified increased intestinal levels of Eubacterium hallii, an anaerobic bacterium belonging to the butyrate-producing Lachnospiraceae family, in metabolic syndrome subjects who received a faecal transplant from a lean donor. To further assess the effects of E. hallii on insulin sensitivity, we orally treated obese and diabetic db/db mice with alive E. hallii and glycerol or heat-inactive E. hallii as control. Insulin tolerance tests and hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp experiments revealed that alive E. hallii treatment improved insulin sensitivity compared control treatment. In addition, E. hallii treatment increased energy expenditure in db/db mice. Active E. hallii treatment was found to increase faecal butyrate concentrations and to modify bile acid metabolism compared with heat-inactivated controls. Our data suggest that E. hallii administration potentially alters the function of the intestinal microbiome and that microbial metabolites may contribute to the improved metabolic phenotype.

Neuroendocrine carcinoma arising within a retroperitoneal mature teratoma.

We discuss an unusual case of a large cystic mass arising in the left upper quadrant of a 48-year-old woman. Radiological investigations could not confirm the origin or the nature of the mass. A laparatomy revealed a large retroperitoneal cystic mass sandwiched between the left adrenal, spleen and the gastro-oesophageal junction. Histological analysis confirmed a mature teratoma of the retroperitoneum with neuroendocrine carcinoma arising within it. To our knowledge this is only the second reported case of its kind.