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At least 235 records · Page 13Linked to original sources

Blastocyst culture in human IVF: the final destination or a stop along the way?

In the field of human IVF, culturing embryos to the blastocyst stage has gained popularity within the past few years. The impetus to transfer blastocysts has been spurred by several factors: 1) the desire to improve implantation rates in infertility patients, 2) a desire to reduce the multiple pregnancy rate by transferring fewer embryos, 3) the desire to perform pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, and 4) the advent of sequential media. Although culturing human embryos to the Hastocyst stage has improved implantation rates and reduced the incidence of multiple pregnancies in some patient populations, it has not worked for all populations of infertility patients. Factors that may affect the ability of a human embryo to reach the blastocyst stage include the patient's age, cohort of ova retrieved, the use of intracytoplasmic sperm injection of blastomere biopsy, culture conditions, or intrinsic factors within the embryo itself. Culture of human embryos to the blastocyst stage can be an effective method for improving implantation rates and reducing the high order multiple pregnancy rates seen in human IVF clinics when more than three embryos are transferred.

Adult↗

Proteins interactions implicated in AMPA receptor trafficking: a clear destination and an improving route map.

The mechanisms that regulate alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid receptor (AMPAR), synthesis, transport, targeting and surface expression are of fundamental importance to understand the molecular basis of fast excitatory neurotransmission and synaptic plasticity in the mammalian CNS. An area of intense current interest is how AMPARs are directed to the correct locations in the neuron as and when required. This is a multi-layered problem, which involves complex spatio-temporal coordination of multiple protein interactions. Considerable progress has been achieved in identifying a number of proteins that bind directly to AMPAR subunits and the functional consequences of blocking some of these interactions have been determined. This review highlights recent developments in the field.

Animals↗

Comparison of chemical treatments to kill Salmonella on alfalfa seeds destined for sprout production.

Outbreaks of salmonellosis in the US, Canada and Finland linked to alfalfa sprouts have been attributed to Salmonella stanley in 1995 and Salmonella newport in 1996. This study was undertaken to compare the efficacy of chemical treatments in killing a mixture of five Salmonella serovars inoculated onto alfalfa seeds. Solutions containing calcium hypochlorite or sodium hypochlorite at concentrations of 1800 and 2000 micrograms/ml active (available) chlorine respectively, as well as 6% hydrogen peroxide or 80% ethanol were effective in reducing Salmonella populations by more than 1000 fold. However, viable Salmonella cells were detected in seeds treated for 10 min in these solutions. The inaccessibility of Salmonella cells in crevices and between the cotyledon and testa of seeds to lethal concentrations of these chemicals are thought to be the reason for the lack of effectiveness.

Chlorine↗

Total artificial heart: destination therapy.

The AbioCor is a revolutionary device. It is the only device of its kind in the clinical world. The role of the AbioCor is to provide permanent replacement of the failing heart for patients who are not transplant candidates. The clinical trial has been successful in the majority (four of seven) of patients implanted thus far. Eight more patients are required to complete the initial feasibility phase of the trial, afterwhich it remains to be seen if the trial will expand to additional patient populations. The powerful features of the pump have been demonstrated in the extremely sick group of candidates that enrolled in the study. The TET system has worked extremely well. Lastly, the milestone of discharging a patient to home on a completely internal artificial heart has been realized. The profile of CardioWest is very different from AbioCor. Although both were initially designed as permanent replacement therapies, the CardioWest has been extremely useful as a bridging device, and it may have a broader application in the future. For the CardioWest, the most favorable groups are patients with cardiomyopathy who decompensate while awaiting transplantation. On the other hand, the AbioCor is indicated in nontransplant candidates with biventricular failure who have a less than 30-day predicted survival. Proper patient selection is critical to achieving success with either device.

Equipment Design↗

[Impact of a brochure on pain destined for thoracic oncology patients].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of a brochure supplied on pain and analgesic treatment on the knowledge, attitude, belief and perception of patients consulting oncology departments. METHOD: A prospective, comparative, study on patients consulting a thoracic oncology and a general oncology department, suffering from pain and motivating a treatment level > or = to 2 (WHO scale). A group of patients having been given a brochure (case) was compared with a group who had not been given the brochure (controls). The assessment questionnaire, developed according to the KABP (Knowledge, Attitudes, Belief, Practice) method, was distributed to the 2 groups. A second assessment was made 4 weeks after the patients having received the brochure. Visual analog scales (VAS) followed the intensity of the pain. RESULTS: Twenty-one cases and 33 controls were assessed. There was no modification in their belief (risk of addiction) but an improvement in their knowledge (duration of action of morphine agents, management of treatment, multi-disciplinary management). This improvement in knowledge was accompanied by improved control of pain: 2/3 of the patients exhibited a VAS < 1 at the time of the second assessment versus 1/3 during the initial assessment. CONCLUSION: Improvement, if only partial, in the patients' knowledge of pain and its treatment using a brochure, is one of the routes for optimising the management of pain.

Female↗

Cytoskeletal linkers: new MAPs for old destinations.

A new isoform of the actin-neurofilament linker protein BPAG has been found that binds to and stabilizes axonal microtubules. This and other newly identified microtubule-associated proteins are likely to be just the tip of an iceberg of multifunctional proteins that stabilize and crosslink cytoskeletal filament networks.

Actin Cytoskeleton↗

An epithelial cell destined for apoptosis signals its neighbors to extrude it by an actin- and myosin-dependent mechanism.

BACKGROUND: Simple epithelia encase developing embryos and organs. Although these epithelia consist of only one or two layers of cells, they must provide tight barriers for the tissues that they envelop. Apoptosis occurring within these simple epithelia could compromise this barrier. How, then, does an epithelium remove apoptotic cells without disrupting its function as a barrier? RESULTS: We show that apoptotic cells are extruded from a simple epithelium by the concerted contraction of their neighbors. A ring of actin and myosin forms both within the apoptotic cell and in the cells surrounding it, and contraction of the ring formed in the live neighbors is required for apoptotic cell extrusion, as injection of a Rho GTPase inhibitor into these cells completely blocks extrusion. Addition of apoptotic MDCK cells to an intact monolayer induces the formation of actin cables in the cells contacted, suggesting that the signal to form the cable comes from the dying cell. The signal is produced very early in the apoptotic process, before procaspase activation, cell shrinkage, or phosphatidylserine exposure. Remarkably, electrical resistance studies show that epithelial barrier function is maintained, even when large numbers of dying cells are being extruded. CONCLUSIONS: We propose that apoptotic cell extrusion is important for the preservation of epithelial barrier function during cell death. Our results suggest that an early signal from the dying cell activates Rho in live neighbors to extrude the apoptotic cell out of the epithelium.

Actins↗

Enhanced tactile performance at the destination of an upcoming saccade.

Previous work has demonstrated that upcoming saccades influence visual and auditory performance even for stimuli presented before the saccade is executed. These studies suggest a close relationship between saccade generation and visual/auditory attention. Furthermore, they provide support for Rizzolatti et al.'s premotor model of attention, which suggests that the same circuits involved in motor programming are also responsible for shifts in covert orienting (shifting attention without moving the eyes or changing posture). In a series of experiments, we demonstrate that saccade programming also affects tactile perception. Participants made speeded saccades to the left and right side as well as tactile discriminations of up versus down. The first experiment demonstrates that participants were reliably faster at responding to tactile stimuli near the location of upcoming saccades. In our second experiment, we had the subjects cross their hands and demonstrated that the effect occurs in visual space (rather than the early representations of touch). In our third experiment, the tactile events usually occurred on the opposite side of upcoming eye movement. We found that the benefit at the saccade target location vanished, suggesting that this shift is not obligatory but that it may be vetoed on the basis of expectation.

Attention↗

Survey of organic wastewater contaminants in biosolids destined for land application.

In this study, the presence, composition, and concentrations of organic wastewater contaminants (OWCs) were determined in solid materials produced during wastewater treatment. This study was undertaken to evaluate the potential of these solids, collectively referred to as biosolids, as a source of OWCs to soil and water in contact with soil. Nine different biosolid products, produced by municipal wastewater treatment plants in seven different states, were analyzed for 87 different OWCs. Fifty-five of the OWCs were detected in at least one biosolid product. The 87 different OWCs represent a diverse cross section of emerging organic contaminants that enter wastewater treatment plants and may be discharged without being completely metabolized or degraded. A minimum of 30 and a maximum of 45 OWCs were detected in any one biosolid. The biosolids used in this study are produced by several production methods, and the plants they originate from have differing population demographics, yet the percent composition of total OWC content, and of the most common OWCs, typically did not vary greatly between the biosolids tested. The summed OWC content ranged from 64 to 1811 mg/kg dry weight. Six biosolids were collected twice, 3-18 months apart, and the total OWC content of each biosolid varied by less than a factor of 2. These results indicate that the biosolids investigated in this study have OWC compositions and concentrations that are more similar than different and that biosolids are highly enriched in OWCs (as mass-normalized concentrations) when compared to effluents or effluent-impacted water. These results demonstrate the need to better describe the composition and fate of OWCs in biosolids since about 50% of biosolids are land applied and thus become a potentially ubiquitous nonpoint source of OWCs into the environment.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗

The occurrence of mites in cereal-based foods destined for human consumption and possible consequences of infestation.

Seven categories of cereal-based food products purchased at food retail outlets in UK were examined for the presence of mites by analysing 20 g samples using a flotation method. Mites were found in 21% of 571 samples, which were examined soon after purchase, and in 38% of 421 samples, derived from the 571 samples which were examined after 6 weeks of storage in volunteers' homes. Most of the samples where mites were detected had fewer than five mites. However, a few samples contained more than 20 mites with a maximum of 428 mites detected in a single sample. Sixteen families, genera or species of mites were recovered. The most common species were Acarus siro. Tyrophagus putrescentiae, Lepidoglyphus destructor and Glycyphagus domesticus. The level of contamination was broadly similar for each of the seven categories of products examined. It is likely that infestation occurs at every stage of food processing and storage. This is the first study of its kind and there is no reason to believe that results from similar studies carried out in other temperate countries would be markedly different. Increase in the percentage of contaminated samples following storage in a domestic situation suggests that the domestic environment is an important factor in developing infestation. The implications of mite contamination on food quality and on human health are briefly discussed.

Animals↗

Protein sorting and expression of a unique soybean cotyledon protein, GmSBP, destined for the protein storage vacuole.

The initial biochemical characterization of the soybean sucrose-binding protein, GmSBP, within our lab and others produced several incongruous characteristics that required a re-characterization of GmSBP via sequence homology, cell biology, immunolocalization, and semi-quantitative analysis. The GmSBP proteins share amino acid sequence homology as well as putative structural homology with globulin-like seed storage proteins. A comparison to the major soybean seed storage proteins, glycinin and beta-conglycinin established several storage protein-like characteristics for GmSBP. All three proteins were present in a prevacuolar compartment and protein storage vacuole. All three proteins increased in expression during seed development and are remobilized during germination. Quantitatively, the relative concentrations of GmSBP, beta-conglycinin (alpha/alpha' subunits), and glycinin (acidic subunits) indicated that GmSBP contributes 19-fold less to the stored nitrogen. The quantitative differences between GmSBP and glycinin may be attributed to the unconserved order and spacing of cis-acting regulatory elements present within the promoter regions. Ultimately, GmSBP is transported to the mature protein storage vacuole. The biological function of GmSBP within the protein storage vacuole remains uncertain, but its localization is a remnant of its evolutionary link to a globulin-like or vicilin-like ancestor that gave rise to the 7S family of storage proteins.

Amino Acid Sequence↗