Cell lineage and cell death: Caenorhabditis elegans and cancer research.

Cancer is a complex disease in which cells have circumvented normal restraints on tissue growth and have acquired complex abnormalities in their genomes, posing a considerable challenge to identifying the pathways and mechanisms that drive fundamental aspects of the malignant phenotype. Genetic analyses of the normal development of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans have revealed evolutionarily conserved mechanisms through which individual cells establish their fates, and how they make and execute the decision to survive or undergo programmed cell death. The pathways identified through these studies have mammalian counterparts that are co-opted by malignant cells.

Infant heart transplantation after cardiac death: ethical and legal problems.

The donation of organs after cardiac death in infants is not morally justified and should not be continued.

Competition drives specialization in pollination systems through costs to male fitness.

Specialization in pollination systems played a central role in angiosperm diversification, yet the evolution of specialization remains poorly understood. Competition through interspecific pollen transfer may select for specialization through costs to male fitness (pollen lost to heterospecific flowers) or female fitness (heterospecific pollen deposited on stigmas). Previous theoretical treatments of pollination focused solely on seed set, thus overlooking male fitness.

Inferring the dynamics of diversification: a coalescent approach.

Recent analyses of the fossil record and molecular phylogenies suggest that there are fundamental limits to biodiversity, possibly arising from constraints in the availability of space, resources, or ecological niches. Under this hypothesis, speciation rates decay over time and biodiversity eventually saturates, with new species emerging only when others are driven to extinction. This view of macro-evolution contradicts an alternative hypothesis that biodiversity is unbounded, with species ever accumulating as they find new niches to occupy.

Normative consent and presumed consent for organ donation: a critique.

Ben Saunders claims that actual consent is not necessary for organ donation due to 'normative consent', a concept he borrows from David Estlund. Combining normative consent with Peter Singer's 'greater moral evil principle', Saunders argues that it is immoral for an individual to refuse consent to donate his or her organs. If a presumed consent policy were thus adopted, it would be morally legitimate to remove organs from individuals whose wishes concerning donation are not known.

Supratentorial cavernous malformations in eloquent and deep locations: surgical approaches and outcomes. Clinical article.

Object: Resection of cavernous malformations (CMs) located in functionally eloquent areas of the supratentorial compartment is controversial. Hemorrhage from untreated lesions can result in devastating neurological injury, but surgery has potentially serious risks. We hypothesized that an organized system of approaches can guide operative planning and lead to acceptable neurological outcomes in surgical patients.

Minimally invasive tethered cord release in adults: a comparison of open and mini-open approaches.

Object: Symptomatic tethered cord and associated anomalies such as diastematomyelia rarely present during adulthood but can cause significant pain as well as motor, sensory, and bladder dysfunction. As with children, studies have shown that surgical detethering may provide improvement in pain and neurological deficits. Typical surgical management involves an open laminectomy, sectioning of the filum terminale, and exploration of the split cord malformation.

Improving the long-term storage of a mammalian biosensor cell line via genetic engineering.

The unique properties of mammalian cells make them valuable for a variety of applications in medicine, industry, and diagnostics. However, the utility of such cells is restricted due to the difficulty in storing them non-frozen for an extended time and still maintaining their stability and responsiveness. In order to extend the active life span of a mammalian biosensor cell line at room and refrigerated temperatures, we have over expressed genes that are reported to provide protection from apoptosis, stress, or oxidation.

The complete genome sequence of the Tanzanian strain of Cassava brown streak virus and comparison with the Ugandan strain sequence.

The complete genome sequence for an isolate of the Ugandan and Tanzanian strain types of Cassava brown streak virus have been determined using the novel approach of non-directed next generation sequencing. Comparison of the genome sequences revealed that CBSV is highly heterogeneous at the isolate level as well as the strain level. The isolate of the Ugandan strain was found to have a genome 9,070 nucleotides long coding for a polypeptide with 2,902 amino acid residues.

Feasibility study for collection of HER2 data by National Cancer Institute (NCI) Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program central cancer registries.

The clinical importance of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) in breast cancer is now clearly established, given that expression of this tumor marker is used to guide therapy and as a prognostic indicator. Despite its now routine evaluation in breast cancer patients, population-based data are lacking because information on HER2 status is not routinely collected in the majority of population-based cancer registries. We assessed the feasibility of collecting HER2 data and its completeness in three registries in the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program.

Early changes in the biophysical properties of the aorta in pre-adolescent children born small for gestational age.

Objective: To assess the biophysical properties of the aorta in children born small for gestational age (SGA) with an echo-Doppler method and to determine associations with known perinatal risk factors.

Study Design: In this cross-sectional study, 39 SGA and 41 control subjects aged 8 to 13 years were recruited. Perinatal risk factors were recorded.

The convex retina: optical coherence tomography in hypermetropic shift, without choroidal folds, from intraconal cavernous haemangioma.

A 36-year-old female referred with improving unaided vision in her left myopic eye was found to have a left 4.5 diopter hypermetropic shift. Examination revealed a left 2 mm proptosis but was otherwise normal with no choroidal folds on fundoscopy and bilateral 6/5 corrected vision.

Setting priorities for safe motherhood interventions in resource-scarce settings.

Objective: Guide policy-makers in prioritizing safe motherhood interventions.

Methods: Three models (LOW, MED, HIGH) were constructed based on 34 sub-Saharan African countries to assess the relative cost-effectiveness of available safe motherhood interventions. Cost and effectiveness data were compiled and inserted into the WHO Mother Baby Package Costing Spreadsheet.

Where next?

This paper provides a personal perspective on the rich discussions at the Bixby Forum. The size, rate of growth and age structure of the human population interact with many other key factors, from environmental change to governance. While the details of future interactions are sometimes difficult to predict, taken together they pose sombre threats to a socially and economically sustainable future for the rich and to any realistic possibility of lifting the world's bottom two billion people out of poverty.

Seizure characteristics and control after microsurgical resection of supratentorial cerebral cavernous malformations.

Objective: The optimal management of seizures associated with cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs) is unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of surgery in the management of CCM-associated seizures.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective review with follow-up of 164 patients who underwent microsurgical resection of supratentorial CCMs.

Integration strategies for using virtual patients in clinical clerkships.

Purpose: To explore students' perceptions of virtual patient use in the clinical clerkship and develop a framework to evaluate effects of different integration strategies on students' satisfaction and perceptions of learning effectiveness with this innovation.

Method: A prospective, multiinstitutional study was conducted at six schools' pediatric clerkships to assess the impact of integrating Web-based virtual patient cases on students' perceptions of their learning during 2004-2005 and 2005-2006. Integration strategies were designed to meet the needs of each school, and integration was scored for components of virtual patient use and elimination of other teaching methodologies.

Models of traumatic cerebellar injury.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Studies of human TBI demonstrate that the cerebellum is sometimes affected even when the initial mechanical insult is directed to the cerebral cortex. Some of the components of TBI, including ataxia, postural instability, tremor, impairments in balance and fine motor skills, and even cognitive deficits, may be attributed in part to cerebellar damage.

Prevention of postpartum hemorrhage: options for home births in rural Ethiopia.

This paper sought to determine the safety and feasibility of home-based prophylaxis of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) with misoprostol, including assessment of the need for referrals and additional interventions. In rural Tigray, Ethiopia, traditional birth attendants (TBAs) in intervention areas were trained to administer 600mcg of oral misoprostol. In non-intervention areas women were referred to the nearest health facility.