An in vivo antilymphatic screen in zebrafish identifies novel inhibitors of mammalian lymphangiogenesis and lymphatic-mediated metastasis.

The growth of new lymphatic vessels (lymphangiogenesis) in tumors is an integral step in the metastatic spread of tumor cells, first to the sentinel lymph nodes that surround the tumor and then elsewhere in the body. Currently, no selective agents designed to prevent lymphatic vessel growth have been approved for clinical use, and there is an important potential clinical niche for antilymphangiogenic agents. Using a zebrafish phenotype-based chemical screen, we have identified drug compounds, previously approved for human use, that have antilymphatic activity.

Responding to demands to change nursing education: use of curriculum mapping to assess curricular content.

Nurse educators are endeavoring to assess and revise their undergraduate curriculum for a variety of reasons. Legislation passed in California mandates that universities must offer more seamless associate degree-to-baccalaureate of science in nursing degree programs and must ensure that course content in their programs is not redundant across program types. A nursing education consortium, including a university, two community colleges, and four hospital partners, formed a working group to assess all undergraduate curricula.

Transgenic zebrafish reporter lines reveal conserved Toll-like receptor signaling potential in embryonic myeloid leukocytes and adult immune cell lineages.

The immune response of a host to an invading pathogen is dependent on the capacity of its immune cell compartment to recognize highly conserved pathogen components using an ancient class of pattern recognition receptors known as Toll-like receptors (TLRs). Initiation of TLR-mediated signaling results in the induction of proinflammatory cytokines that help govern the scale and duration of any ensuing response. Specificity for TLR signaling is, in part, a result of the differential recruitment of intracellular adaptor molecules.