An Evolutionary Perspective of Neoplastic Diseases in the Universe.

The existence of exoplanets orbiting low mass-stars is one of the most significant discoveries of our time. Especially intriguing to us is the possibility that Earth-sized exoplanets within a habitable zone might harbor life-forms that resemble our own RNA/DNA-based species. We further narrow this theoretical possibility with the following question: if alien life does indeed exist elsewhere, would extraterrestrial life be burdened with earthly diseases? Given that the chemistry of the universe is subject to specific rules, restraints, and predictable outcomes, we argue that cancer-signaling pathways might be programmed into the life cycle of habitable exoplanets.

Linking Brain Arteriovenous Malformations With Anorectal Hemorrhoids: A Clinical and Anatomical Review.

Patients who harbor brain arteriovenous malformations are at risk for intracranial hemorrhage. These malformations are often seen in inherited vascular diseases such as hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia. However, malformations within the brain also sporadically occur without a hereditary-coding component.

A case report of spinal dural arteriovenous fistula: origins, determinants, and consequences of abnormal vascular malformations.

A spinal dural arteriovenous fistula is an abnormally layered connection between radicular arteries and venous plexus of the spinal cord. This vascular condition is relatively rare with an incidence of 5-10 cases per million in the general population. Diagnosis of spinal dural arteriovenous fistula is differentiated by contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography or structural magnetic resonance imaging, but a definitive diagnosis requires spinal angiography methods.

Adult-onset cystic fibrosis in an African-American male.

This report describes a case of adult-onset cystic fibrosis (CF) in an African-American male. Although CF is a common autosomal recessive disorder in populations of European descent, it is relatively rare in the African-American population (1 in 17,000), with only Asian population ancestries being less affected than African blacks. We present our patient's disease course in order to elucidate the manifestations of CF in this particular ethnic population.

A behavioral and molecular analysis of ketamine in zebrafish.

Ketamine exerts powerful anesthetic, psychotic, and antidepressant effects in both healthy volunteers and clinically depressed patients. Although ketamine targets particular glutamate receptors, there is a dearth of evidence for additional, alternative molecular substrates for the behavioral actions of this N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist drug. Here, we provide behavioral and molecular evidence for the actions of ketamine using a new vertebrate model for psychiatric disorders: the zebrafish.

Distribution analysis of deacetylase SIRT1 in rodent and human nervous systems.

Sirtuins function with other biogenic molecules to promote adaptation to caloric restriction in a broad spectrum of eukaryotic species. Sirtuin pathways also converge in the mammalian brain where they appear to protect neurons from nutrient stress. However, few anatomical studies on sirtuins (e.

A ChIP-cloning approach linking SIRT1 to transcriptional modificationof DNA targets.

The mammalian protein deacetylase SIRT1 (sirtuin1) is widely recognized for its link to calorie restriction and longevity. SIRT1 not only modulates the function of protein targets such as p53 or NFkappaB, but it also affects gene transcription by causing hypoacetylation of associated nucleosomal histones. However, the identification of SIRT1-specific DNA targets that confer chromosomal stability and cell longevity have remained elusive.