Alternative prey mediate intraguild predation in the open field.

Background: Generalist predators that kill and eat other natural enemies can weaken biological control. However, pest suppression can be disrupted even if actual intraguild predation is infrequent, if predators reduce their foraging to lower their risk of being killed. In turn, predator-predator interference might be frequent when few other prey are available, but less common when herbivorous and detritus-feeding prey are plentiful.

Alternative prey and farming system mediate predation of Colorado potato beetles by generalists.

Background: Biological control by generalist predators can be mediated by the abundance and biodiversity of alternative prey. When alternative prey draw predator attacks away from the control target, they can weaken pest suppression. In other cases, a diverse prey base can promote predator abundance and biodiversity, reduce predator-predator interference, and benefit biocontrol.

Optimization-driven framework to understand health care network costs and resource allocation.

In the last several decades, the U.S. Health care industry has undergone a massive consolidation process that has resulted in the formation of large delivery networks.

Skeletal muscle PI3K p110β regulates expression of AMP-activated protein kinase.

Skeletal muscle metabolic homeostasis is maintained through numerous biochemical and physiological processes. Two principal molecular regulators of skeletal muscle metabolism include AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K); however, PI3K exists as multiple isoforms, and specific metabolic actions of each isoform have not yet been fully elucidated in skeletal muscle. Given this lack of knowledge, we performed a series of experiments to define the extent to which PI3K p110β mediated expression and (or) activation of AMPK in skeletal muscle.

Role of phosphoinositide 3-OH kinase p110β in skeletal myogenesis.

Phosphoinositide 3-OH kinase (PI3K) regulates a number of developmental and physiologic processes in skeletal muscle; however, the contributions of individual PI3K p110 catalytic subunits to these processes are not well-defined. To address this question, we investigated the role of the 110-kDa PI3K catalytic subunit β (p110β) in myogenesis and metabolism. In C2C12 cells, pharmacological inhibition of p110β delayed differentiation.

Improving glycemic control in the acute care setting through nurse education.

Patients with a primary or secondary diagnosis of diabetes present unique challenges during an inpatient hospital stay to treat an acute or chronic illness. Upon review of current hospital practice, an interprofessional team embarked on a performance improvement project to improve outcomes for the complex medical-surgical diabetic patient. The methods detailed herein--a comprehensive education plan, preceptorship and peer accountability, active engagement and support by the unit nursing leadership team, and interprofessional collaboration--offer strategies any organization can implement to positively impact diabetes care.

Lysophosphatidic acid-stimulated phosphorylation of PKD2 is mediated by PI3K p110β and PKCδ in myoblasts.

Context: G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling in skeletal muscle is incompletely understood; in particular, the signaling pathways that regulate GPCR-mediated signaling in skeletal muscle are only beginning to be established. Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a GPCR agonist that has previously been shown to activate protein kinase D (PKD) in non-muscle cells; however, whether PKD is activated in response to LPA in skeletal muscle myoblasts, and the identities of signaling intermediates that regulate this activation, have not been defined.

Objective: To determine whether PKD is activated in response to LPA administration in myoblasts, and to define the signaling pathways that mediate LPA-stimulated PKD phosphorylation.

Enhanced Akt phosphorylation and myogenic differentiation in PI3K p110β-deficient myoblasts is mediated by PI3K p110α and mTORC2.

Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) is a principal regulator of Akt activation and myogenesis; however, the function of PI3K p110β in these processes is not well defined. To address this, we investigated the role of p110β in Akt activation and skeletal muscle cell differentiation. We found that Akt phosphorylation was enhanced in p110β-deficient myoblasts in response to Insulin-like Growth Factor-I (IGF-I), epidermal growth factor, or p110α overexpression, as compared to p110β-sufficient cells.

Co-exposure to nickel and cobalt chloride enhances cytotoxicity and oxidative stress in human lung epithelial cells.

Nickel and cobalt are heavy metals found in land, water, and air that can enter the body primarily through the respiratory tract and accumulate to toxic levels. Nickel compounds are known to be carcinogenic to humans and animals, while cobalt compounds produce tumors in animals and are probably carcinogenic to humans. People working in industrial and manufacturing settings have an increased risk of exposure to these metals.

Osteoclasts direct bystander killing of bone cancer.

Primary and metastatic bone cancers are difficult to eradicate and novel approaches are needed to improve treatment and extend life. As bone cancer grows, osteoclasts, the principal bone-resorbing cells of the body, are recruited to and activated at sites of cancer. In this investigation, we determined if osteoclast lineage cells could function as a cell-based gene delivery system to bone cancers.

Novel cytosine deaminase fusion gene enhances the effect of radiation on breast cancer in bone by reducing tumor burden, osteolysis, and skeletal fracture.

Background: Painful breast carcinoma metastases in bone are a common manifestation of malignant disease. Eradication of these tumors can be evasive, and as a result, skeletal morbidity increases with disease progression.

Experimental Design: The treatment potential of cytosine deaminase (CD) gene therapy combined with radiation treatment was evaluated in vitro and in vivo using a 4T1 murine breast carcinoma model.

Radiation treatment decreases bone cancer pain through direct effect on tumor cells.

The most used treatment for bone cancer pain is radiation; however, the mechanism responsible for analgesia after irradiation is unknown. The mechanistic influence of a single, localized 10-, 20- or 30-Gy dose of radiation on painful behaviors, osteolysis, histopathology and osteoclast number was evaluated in mice with painful femoral sarcomas. Dramatic reductions in pain behaviors (P < 0.

Analysis of distinct tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase promoter regions in transgenic mice.

The tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) is present in multiple tissues, including kidney, liver, lung, spleen, and bone. Recent study of (TRAP) gene expression has provided evidence for distinct promoters within the (TRAP) gene, suggesting that the gene has alternative, tissue-preferred mRNA transcripts. Examination of endogenous (TRAP) exon 1B and 1C mRNA transcripts revealed tissue-preferred transcript abundance with increased exon 1B transcripts detected in liver and kidney and increased exon 1C transcripts detected in bone and spleen.

Direct and bystander killing of sarcomas by novel cytosine deaminase fusion gene.

Soft tissue and bone sarcomas of the extremities can be difficult to eradicate, and standard treatment may require limb amputation. New therapies to decrease tumor size could improve the effectiveness of treatment and decrease the frequency of limb amputation. Cytosine deaminase (CD)-based gene therapy has been shown to be effective in decreasing growth of solid tumors when animals with CD-expressing tumor cells are treated with 5 fluorocytosine (5FC), an inert prodrug that is converted to 5-fluorouracil (5FU) by CD.