Functions of the duplicated hik31 operons in central metabolism and responses to light, dark, and carbon sources in Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803.

There are two closely related hik31 operons involved in signal transduction on the chromosome and the pSYSX plasmid in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803. We studied the growth, cell morphology, and gene expression in operon and hik mutants for both copies, under different growth conditions, to examine whether the duplicated copies have the same or different functions and gene targets and whether they are similarly regulated.

The challenge of informed consent for increased risk living donation and transplantation.

The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) mandates that organ recipients provide "specific informed consent" before accepting organs that the OPTN defines as "increased risk". However, the OPTN does not provide specific guidelines for what information should be disclosed to potential recipients. Such vagueness opens the door to inadequate informed consent.

Moving from the laboratory bench to patients' bedside: considerations for effective therapy with stem cells.

Although stem cell therapy is not a new field, the field was limited to transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells. Such transplantation has provided invaluable information for the emerging field with new stem cells. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are an attractive source for therapy; reduced ethical concern, ease in expansion, as off-the-shelf stem cells.

Beta-blockade causes a reduction in the frequency spectrum of VF but improves resuscitation outcome: A potential limitation of quantitative waveform measures.

Introduction: Methods to identify appropriate treatments for the various stages of ventricular fibrillation (VF) involve differentiating groups of subjects who will respond to defibrillation with return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and those who require other therapies (e.g., CPR, drugs) prior to defibrillation.

Novel metabolic attributes of the genus cyanothece, comprising a group of unicellular nitrogen-fixing Cyanothece.

Unlabelled: The genus Cyanothece comprises unicellular cyanobacteria that are morphologically diverse and ecologically versatile. Studies over the last decade have established members of this genus to be important components of the marine ecosystem, contributing significantly to the nitrogen and carbon cycle. System-level studies of Cyanothece sp.

Quantitative waveform measures of the electrocardiogram as continuous physiologic feedback during resuscitation with cardiopulmonary bypass.

Background: There are few if any real-time physiologic measures that currently provide feedback during resuscitation from cardiac arrest. Such measures could be used to guide therapy not simply based on process guidelines but on the physiologic response of the patient from moment to moment. To this end, we applied an existing technology - quantitative waveform measures (QWMs) of the ventricular fibrillation (VF) electrocardiogram (ECG) - as a continuous measure of myocardial response to reperfusion with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) after prolonged cardiac arrest.

Newborn irritability moderates the association between infant attachment security and toddler exploration and sociability.

This longitudinal investigation of 84 infants examined whether the effect of 12-month attachment on 18- and 24-month exploration and sociability with unfamiliar adults varied as a function of newborn irritability. As expected, results revealed an interaction between attachment (secure vs. insecure) and irritability (highly irritable vs.

Astrocytes in aged nonhuman primate brain gray matter synthesize excess hyaluronan.

The glycosaminoglycan hyaluronan (HA) accumulates in central nervous system lesions where it limits astrogliosis but also inhibits oligodendrocyte progenitor cell (OPC) maturation. The role of hyaluronan in normative brain aging has not been previously investigated. Here, we tested the hypothesis that HA accumulates in the aging nonhuman primate brain.

An organotypic slice culture model of chronic white matter injury with maturation arrest of oligodendrocyte progenitors.

Background: CNS myelination disturbances commonly occur in chronic white matter lesions in neurodevelopmental and adult neurological disorders. Recent studies support that myelination failure can involve a disrupted cellular repair mechanism where oligodendrocyte (OL) progenitor cells (OPCs) proliferate in lesions with diffuse astrogliosis, but fail to fully differentiate to mature myelinating OLs. There are no in vitro models that reproduce these features of myelination failure.

A model of cyclic transcriptomic behavior in the cyanobacterium Cyanothece sp. ATCC 51142.

Systems biology attempts to reconcile large amounts of disparate data with existing knowledge to provide models of functioning biological systems. The cyanobacterium Cyanothece sp. ATCC 51142 is an excellent candidate for such systems biology studies because: (i) it displays tight functional regulation between photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation; (ii) it has robust cyclic patterns at the genetic, protein and metabolomic levels; and (iii) it has potential applications for bioenergy production and carbon sequestration.

Japanese macaque encephalomyelitis: a spontaneous multiple sclerosis-like disease in a nonhuman primate.

Objective: To describe Japanese macaque encephalomyelitis (JME), a spontaneous inflammatory demyelinating disease occurring in the Oregon National Primate Research Center's (ONPRC) colony of Japanese macaques (JMs, Macaca fuscata).

Methods: JMs with neurologic impairment were removed from the colony, evaluated, and treated with supportive care. Animals were humanely euthanized and their central nervous systems (CNSs) were examined.

Neural stem cell niches: roles for the hyaluronan-based extracellular matrix.

Neural stem/progenitor cells capable of differentiating into the neurons and glial cells that populate the mammalian central nervous system (CNS) persist in specific neural stem cell niches that regulate stem cell proliferation, survival and differentiation. There is growing evidence that the extracellular matrix within neural stem cell niches is required for neural stem cell maintenance. Here, we review findings supporting a pivotal role for the glycosaminoglycan hyaluronan (HA) and its transmembrane receptors in neural stem/progenitor cell proliferation, differentiation and maturation.

Myocardial substrate in secondary ventricular fibrillation: insights from quantitative waveform measures.

Background: Some patients presenting with nonshockable cardiac arrest rhythms will subsequently manifest ventricular fibrillation. Their prognosis remains poor despite transition to a shockable rhythm. Quantitative waveform measures assess the electrophysiologic status of the fibrillating heart and predict outcome.

Brain region-specific expression of Fxyd1, an Mecp2 target gene, is regulated by epigenetic mechanisms.

Fxyd1 encodes a trans-membrane protein that modulates Na(+) ,K(+) -ATPase activity and is a substrate for multiple protein kinases. Fxyd1 expression is repressed by methyl CpG-binding protein 2 (Mecp2) in the frontal cortex (FC) but not in the cerebellum (CB) of the mouse brain. Consistently with these observations, FXYD1 mRNA abundance is increased in the FC of Rett syndrome (RTT) patients with MECP2 mutations.

High rates of photobiological H2 production by a cyanobacterium under aerobic conditions.

Among the emerging renewable and green energy sources, biohydrogen stands out as an appealing choice. Hydrogen can be produced by certain groups of microorganisms that possess functional nitrogenase and/or bidirectional hydrogenases. In particular, the potential of photobiological hydrogen production by oxygenic photosynthetic microbes has attracted significant interest.

Enhancing infant attachment security: an examination of treatment efficacy and differential susceptibility.

This randomized controlled trial examined (a) the efficacy of a brief intervention designed to increase the rate of secure infant attachment, (b) the differential susceptibility hypothesis, and (c) whether maternal attachment styles moderated the expected Treatment x Irritability interaction in predicting infant attachment outcomes. Although there was no main effect of treatment, a significant Treatment x Irritability interaction revealed intervention effects for the highly irritable infants only, thus supporting one of two predictions of the differential susceptibility hypothesis: highly irritable infants would have disproportionately better outcomes than moderately irritable infants in better conditions (i.e.

Implementing Liberia's poverty reduction strategy: An assessment of emergency and essential surgical care.

Objective: To document infrastructure, personnel, procedures performed, and supplies and equipment available at all county hospitals in Liberia using the World Health Organization Tool for Situational Analysis of Emergency and Essential Surgical Care.

Design: Survey of county hospitals using the World Health Organization Tool for Situational Analysis of Emergency and Essential Surgical Care.

Setting: Sixteen county hospitals in Liberia.

CD4+ T-cell help in the tumor milieu is required for recruitment and cytolytic function of CD8+ T lymphocytes.

CD4 help for CD8(+) T lymphocytes prevents tolerance and promotes the survival of effector and memory CD8(+) T cells. Here, we describe additional helper functions that require CD4(+) T cells within the tumor environment. CD8(+) T-cell recruitment, proliferation, and effector function within the tumor were greatly enhanced by tumor-specific CD4(+) T cells.

Gene expression under low-oxygen conditions in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 demonstrates Hik31-dependent and -independent responses.

We have investigated the response of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 during growth at very low O2 concentration (bubbled with 99.9 % N(2)/0.

Isotopic composition and fractionation of mercury in Great Lakes precipitation and ambient air.

Atmospheric deposition is a primary pathway by which mercury (Hg) enters terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems; however, the chemical and meteorological processes that Hg undergoes from emission to deposition are not well understood. Hg stable isotope geochemistry is a growing field used to better understand Hg biogeochemical cycling. To examine the atmospheric Hg isotopic composition in the Great Lakes, precipitation and ambient vapor-phase Hg samples were collected in Chicago, IL, Holland, MI, and Dexter, MI, between April 2007 and September 2009.

Genetic transformation and mutagenesis via single-stranded DNA in the unicellular, diazotrophic cyanobacteria of the genus Cyanothece.

We describe a genetic system for producing specific gene knockouts in Cyanothece sp. strain PCC 7822 using a single-stranded DNA technique (B. Zorin, P.

Discovery of pyridazinopyridinones as potent and selective p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitors.

The p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) plays an important role in the production of proinflammatory cytokines, making it an attractive target for the treatment of various inflammatory diseases. A series of pyridazinopyridinone compounds were designed as novel p38 kinase inhibitors. A structure-activity investigation identified several compounds possessing excellent potency in both enzyme and human whole blood assays.