Development of a benchmark tool for cancer centers; results from a pilot exercise.

Background: Differences in cancer survival exist between countries in Europe. Benchmarking of good practices can assist cancer centers to improve their services aiming for reduced inequalities. The aim of the BENCH-CAN project was to develop a cancer care benchmark tool, identify performance differences and yield good practice examples, contributing to improving the quality of interdisciplinary care.

Hemagglutinin pseudotyped lentiviral particles: characterization of a new method for avian H5N1 influenza sero-diagnosis.

Background: Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 has spread globally in birds and infected over 270 humans with an apparently high mortality rate. Serologic studies to determine the extent of asymptomatic H5N1 infection in humans and other mammals and to investigate the immunogenicity of current H5N1 vaccine candidates have been hampered by the biosafety requirements needed for H5N1 micro-neutralization tests.

Objective: Development of a serodiagnostic tool for highly pathogenic influenza that reproduces H5N1 biology but can be used with less biohazard.

Polarity factor 'Frizzled' in the demosponge Suberites domuncula: identification, expression and localization of the receptor in the epithelium/pinacoderm(1).

Until recently, it was assumed that polarity and axis formation have evolved only in metazoan phyla higher than Cnidaria. One key molecule involved in the signal transduction causing tissue polarity is Frizzled, a seven-transmembrane receptor that is activated by the Wnt family of secreted proteins. We report the isolation and characterization of a Frizzled gene from the demosponge Suberites domuncula (Sd-Fz).

Heat shock and Cd2+ exposure regulate PML and Daxx release from ND10 by independent mechanisms that modify the induction of heat-shock proteins 70 and 25 differently.

Nuclear domains called ND10 or PML bodies might function as nuclear depots by recruiting or releasing certain proteins. Although recruitment of proteins through interferon-induced upregulation and SUMO-1 modification level of PML had been defined, it is not known whether release of proteins is regulated and has physiological consequences. Exposure to sublethal environmental stress revealed a sequential release of ND10-associated proteins.