Baseline monitoring of contaminant concentrations in American lobster (Homarus americanus) tissues from coastal Northumberland Strait, Nova Scotia, Canada.

A baseline survey was conducted in 2018 to characterize contaminants in American lobsters, Homarus americanus in the Northumberland Strait, Canada. Sampling included three age classes of lobsters at sites 4, 20, and 70 km from the Boat Harbour estuary, a historically contaminated site set to undergo remediation. Lobster tissues were measured for metal(loids), methylmercury, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-furans.

Trends in State-Level Opinions toward the Affordable Care Act.

Context: This article argues that the devolution of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to the states contributed to the slow progression of national public support for health care reform.

Methods: Using small-area estimation techniques, the authors measured quarterly state ACA attitudes on five topics from 2009 to the start of the 2016 presidential election.

Findings: Public support for the ACA increased after gubernatorial announcement of state-based exchanges.

Periodic ultraviolet-C illumination for marine sensor antifouling.

Ultraviolet light has intriguing potential as a marine antifoulant, targeting almost any species and applicable to almost any surface, while not accumulating in the environment. This study field-tested the effects of periodic ultraviolet-C illumination on marine macrofouling. Across four experiments, several UV illumination duty cycles were tested against controls with no illumination.

Hydrological legacy determines the type of enzyme inhibition in a peatlands chronosequence.

Peatland ecosystems contain one-third of the world's soil carbon store and many have been exposed to drought leading to a loss of carbon. Understanding biogeochemical mechanisms affecting decomposition in peatlands is essential for improving resilience of ecosystem function to predicted climate change. We investigated biogeochemical changes along a chronosequence of hydrological restoration (dry eroded gully, drain-blocked <2 years, drain blocked <7 years and wet pristine site), and examined whether hydrological legacy alters the response of β-glucosidase kinetics (i.

The Role of Public Opinion-Does It Influence the Diffusion of ACA Decisions?

We consider two ways that public opinion influenced the diffusion of ACA policy choices from 2010 through 2014. First, we consider the policy feedback mechanism, which suggests that policy decisions have spillover effects that influence opinions in other states; residents in the home state then influence the decisions of elected officials. We find that both gubernatorial ACA announcements and grant activity increased support for the ACA in nearby states.

Mapping wetland functions using Earth observation data and multi-criteria analysis.

Wetland functional assessment is commonly conducted based on field observations, and thus, is generally limited to small areas. However, there is often a need for wetland managers to obtain information on wetland functional performance over larger areas. For this purpose, we are proposing a new field-based functional assessment procedure in which wetland functions are evaluated and classified into hydrogeomorphic units according to a multi-criteria analysis approach.

Temperature response of denitrification rate and greenhouse gas production in agricultural river marginal wetland soils.

Soils are predicted to exhibit significant feedback to global warming via the temperature response of greenhouse gas (GHG) production. However, the temperature response of hydromorphic wetland soils is complicated by confounding factors such as oxygen (O2 ), nitrate (NO3-) and soil carbon (C). We examined the effect of a temperature gradient (2-25 °C) on denitrification rates and net nitrous oxide (N2 O), methane (CH4 ) production and heterotrophic respiration in mineral (Eutric cambisol and Fluvisol) and organic (Histosol) soil types in a river marginal landscape of the Tamar catchment, Devon, UK, under non-flooded and flooded with enriched NO3- conditions.

Denitrification potential of the Northern Arabian Gulf--an experimental study.

The study aims to establish denitrification potential of the Northern Arabian Gulf (NAG), as nitrogen critically affects the ocean productivity, obliterates acidity, oxidative capacity and radiative transfer capability of atmosphere. The experimental study was conducted by taking cores from intertidal zones from two different sites in North and South, referred as sites N and S; representing two distinct environmental milieu. The experiment was conducted in controlled laboratory conditions simulating the tidal cycles.

Screening ethnically diverse human embryonic stem cells identifies a chromosome 20 minimal amplicon conferring growth advantage.

The International Stem Cell Initiative analyzed 125 human embryonic stem (ES) cell lines and 11 induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell lines, from 38 laboratories worldwide, for genetic changes occurring during culture. Most lines were analyzed at an early and late passage. Single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis revealed that they included representatives of most major ethnic groups.

High-resolution DNA analysis of human embryonic stem cell lines reveals culture-induced copy number changes and loss of heterozygosity.

Prolonged culture of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) can lead to adaptation and the acquisition of chromosomal abnormalities, underscoring the need for rigorous genetic analysis of these cells. Here we report the highest-resolution study of hESCs to date using an Affymetrix SNP 6.0 array containing 906,600 probes for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 946,000 probes for copy number variations (CNVs).

Molecular abnormalities in pediatric barrett esophagus: can we test for potential of neoplastic progression?

Barrett esophagus (BE) is a preneoplastic condition that predisposes to esophageal adenocarcinoma and is a consequence of prolonged gastroesophageal reflux disease. The condition is mainly seen in adults and is thought to be a complex disease in which individual genetic predisposition interacts with environmental stimuli. The aim of our study was to investigate whether genetic biomarkers of potential disease progression are the same in the rare situation of pediatric BE, as described in adults.

Adaptation to culture of human embryonic stem cells and oncogenesis in vivo.

The application of human embryonic stem cells (HESCs) to provide differentiated cells for regenerative medicine will require the continuous maintenance of the undifferentiated stem cells for long periods in culture. However, chromosomal stability during extended passaging cannot be guaranteed, as recent cytogenetic studies of HESCs have shown karyotypic aberrations. The observed karyotypic aberrations probably reflect the progressive adaptation of self-renewing cells to their culture conditions.

Subtypes of oligodendroglioma defined by 1p,19q deletions, differ in the proportion of apoptotic cells but not in replication-licensed non-proliferating cells.

Oligodendrogliomas may be divided into those with deletion of chromosomes 1p and 19q (Del+), and those without (Del-). Del+ tumours show better survival and chemoresponsiveness but the reason for this difference is unknown. We have investigated whether these subgroups differ in (a) apoptotic index, (b) the proportion of cells licensed for DNA replication but not in-cycle, and (c) the relative length of G1-phase.

Cellular differentiation hierarchies in normal and culture-adapted human embryonic stem cells.

Human embryonic stem cell (HESC) lines vary in their characteristics and behaviour not only because they are derived from genetically outbred populations, but also because they may undergo progressive adaptation upon long-term culture in vitro. Such adaptation may reflect selection of variants with altered propensity for survival and retention of an undifferentiated phenotype. Elucidating the mechanisms involved will be important for understanding normal self-renewal and commitment to differentiation and for validating the safety of HESC-based therapy.

HER2 amplification status in breast cancer: a comparison between immunohistochemical staining and fluorescence in situ hybridisation using manual and automated quantitative image analysis scoring techniques.

Aims: To compare the results of breast cancer sections with HercepTesttrade mark immunohistochemistry (IHC) scores ranging from 0 to 3+ with fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) for HER2 amplification. The HER2 digital scoring application of the Micrometastasis Detection System (MDS) was used, together with manual scoring of FISH and HercepTest, to determine whether this system provides an accurate alternative.

Methods: Paraffin wax embedded sections were stained using HercepTest and analysed by eye and automated quantitative image analysis.

Folate-sensitive fragile site FRA10A is due to an expansion of a CGG repeat in a novel gene, FRA10AC1, encoding a nuclear protein.

Fragile sites appear visually as nonstaining gaps on chromosomes that are inducible by specific cell culture conditions. Expansion of CGG/CCG repeats has been shown to be the molecular basis of all five folate-sensitive fragile sites characterized molecularly so far, i.e.

Recurrent gain of chromosomes 17q and 12 in cultured human embryonic stem cells.

We have observed karyotypic changes involving the gain of chromosome 17q in three independent human embryonic stem (hES) cell lines on five independent occasions. A gain of chromosome 12 was seen occasionally. This implies that increased dosage of chromosome 17q and 12 gene(s) provides a selective advantage for the propagation of undifferentiated hES cells.

An epidemiological study of Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome: life expectancy and cause of mortality.

Objective: Early research into Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome (WHS) described a high mortality and no relationship between deletion size and phenotype. This may need to be revised in the light of improved cytogenetic resolution and medical care. We have collected epidemiological data to allow the calculation of birth incidence and mortality figures.

Elevated p53 expression in benign meningiomas protects against recurrence and may be indicative of senescence.

Prediction of recurrence after resection of benign meningiomas represents a significant clinical problem. A prospective study commenced in 1984 aimed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in the development of abnormal karyotype and tumour recurrence in meningiomas. Expression of key cell cycle regulators p53, p21, mdm2 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) were studied by immunohistochemistry in 85 tumours for which follow-up data was available.

Meningiomas, dicentric chromosomes, gliomas, and telomerase activity.

Lack of telomere maintenance during cell replication leads to telomere erosion and loss of function. This can result in telomere associations which probably cause the dicentric chromosomes seen in some tumour cells. One mechanism of telomere maintenance in dividing cells is the action of telomerase, a ribonucleoprotein enzyme that adds TTAGGG repeats onto telomeres and compensates for their shortening during cell division.

Cytogenetics of iris melanomas: disparity with other uveal tract melanomas.

The chromosomal alterations of iris melanomas are poorly characterized, only one report has been detailed. Cytogenetic analysis was performed on the tumors and heparinized blood samples of three patients with iris melanomas; in one case a primary tumor and its related seedling were examined. On analysis of lymphocytes, two of the patients were found to experience a low level fragility of chromosome 9, in the region of a cutaneous melanoma susceptibility gene.

A report of a child with a deletion (9)(q34.3): a recognisable phenotype?

We report a case of a male infant who presented with congenital anomalies and was found to have a de novo deletion in the terminal region of the long arm of chromosome 9. He died at the age of 17 weeks of cardiorespiratory failure owing to RSV positive bronchiolitis. A review of previously published reports documented one previous report of a patient with a deletion of (9)(q34.