Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Differential Influence (differential + influence)
Selected AbstractsTemperature Influences the Ontogenetic Expression of Aromatase and Oestrogen Receptor mRNA in the Developing Tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) BrainJOURNAL OF NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY, Issue 1 2003C. -L. Abstract Water temperature has a differential influence on the development of central neurotransmitter systems according to the developmental period in tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus). Aromatase and oestrogen receptors (ERs) represent important components of the mechanism of brain differentiation. Gene expression of aromatase and ERs is modulated by neurotransmitters in the developing brain. In the present study, the quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction method was used to investigate the effects of temperature on the ontogenetic expression of aromatase and ERs in the developing tilapia brain. Before day 10 posthatching, exposure to a higher temperature (32 °C) resulted in a significant increase in the expression of brain aromatase; conversely, a lower temperature (20 °C) resulted in a decrease. ER, expression was depressed in accordance with the decrease of temperature, but ER, was unaffected by temperature. Between days 10 and 20, neither brain aromatase nor ER, expression was altered by temperature, whereas ER, expression was significantly enhanced by exposure to 32 °C. Between days 20 and 30, brain aromatase significantly increased at the higher temperature and decreased at 20 °C, but neither ER, nor ER, was affected by temperature. The expression of both brain aromatase and ERs, differentially regulated according to the temperature and to the developmental period, could be related to brain,sex differentiation. [source] Nuchal translucency in dichorionic twins conceived after assisted reproductionPRENATAL DIAGNOSIS, Issue 6 2006P. W. Hui Abstract Objectives As opposed to biochemical markers of Down syndrome, nuchal translucency (NT) was once thought to be a more reliable screening marker for high order multiple pregnancies and pregnancies conceived after assisted conception. Recent data suggested that NT in singleton fetuses from assisted reproduction technology (ART) was thicker than those from singleton pregnancies. The present study compared the thickness of NT in dichorionic twins from natural conception and assisted reproduction. Methods A retrospective analysis for comparison of NT thickness on 3319 spontaneous singletons, 19 pairs of spontaneous twins and 27 pairs of assisted reproduction twins was performed. Results The median NT multiple of median (MoM) of spontaneous singletons was 1.00. For twins, the median NT MoM for pregnancies after assisted reproduction and natural conception were 1.02 and 1.07 respectively. There was no statistical difference in the NT thickness among the three pregnancy groups. Conclusion Contrary to the observed increase in NT in singleton pregnancies from assisted reproduction, the NT in dichorionic twins was comparable to the spontaneous ones. The mode of conception appears to impose differential influence on singletons and twins. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Intracellular calcium regulation among subpopulations of rat dorsal root ganglion neuronsTHE JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 1 2006Shao-Gang Lu Primary afferent neurons are functionally heterogeneous. To determine whether this functional heterogeneity reflects, in part, heterogeneity in the regulation of the concentration of intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i), the magnitude and decay of evoked Ca2+ transients were assessed in subpopulations of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons with voltage clamp and fura-2 ratiometric imaging. To determine whether differences in evoked Ca2+ transients among subpopulations of DRG neurons reflected differences in the contribution of Ca2+ regulatory mechanisms, pharmacological techniques were employed to assess the contribution of influx, efflux, release and uptake pathways. Subpopulations of DRG neurons were defined by cell body size, binding of the plant lectin IB4 and responsiveness to the algogenic compound capsaicin (CAP). Ca2+ transients were evoked with 30 mm K+ or voltage steps to 0 mV. There were marked differences between subpopulations of neurons with respect to both the magnitude and decay of the Ca2+ transient, with the largest and most slowly decaying Ca2+ transients in small-diameter, IB4 -positive, CAP-responsive neurons. The smallest and most rapidly decaying transients were in large-diameter, IB4 -negative and CAP-unresponsive DRG neurons. These differences were not due to a differential distribution of voltage-gated Ca2+ currents. However, these differences did appear to reflect a differential contribution of other influx, efflux, release and uptake mechanisms between subpopulations of neurons. These results suggest that electrical activity in subpopulations of DRG neurons will have a differential influence on Ca2+ -regulated phenomena such as spike adaptation, transmitter release and gene transcription. Significantly more activity should be required in large-diameter non-nociceptive afferents than in small-diameter nociceptive afferents to have a comparable influence on these processes. [source] CDKN2A promoter methylation is related to the tumor location and histological subtype and associated with Helicobacter pylori flaA(+) strains in gastric adenocarcinomasAPMIS, Issue 4 2010MARKĘNIA KÉLIA SANTOS ALVES Alves MKS, Lima VP, Ferrasi AC, Rodrigues MA, de Moura Campos Pardini MI, Rabenhorst SHB. CDKN2A promoter methylation is related to the tumor location and histological subtype and associated with Helicobacter pylori flaA(+) strains in gastric adenocarcinomas. APMIS 2010; 118: 297,307. Promoter hypermethylation of CDKN2A (p16INK4A protein) is the main mechanism of gene inactivation. However, its association with Helicobacter pylori infection is a controversial issue. Therefore, we examined a series of gastric adenocarcinomas to assess the association between p16INK4A inactivation and H. pylori genotype (vacA, cagA, cagE, virB11 and flaA) according to the location and histological subtype of the tumors. p16INK4A expression and CDKN2A promoter methylation were found in 77 gastric adenocarcinoma samples by immunohistochemistry and methylation-specific PCR, respectively. Helicobacter pylori infection and genotype were determined by PCR. A strong negative correlation between immunostaining and CDKN2A promoter region methylation was found. In diffuse subtype tumors, the inactivation of p16INK4A by promoter methylation was unique in noncardia tumors (p = 0.022). In addition, H. pylori -bearing flaA was associated with non-methylation tumors (p = 0.008) and H. pylori strain bearing cagA or vacAs1m1 genes but without flaA was associated with methylated tumors (p = 0.022 and 0.003, respectively). Inactivation of p16INK4A in intestinal and diffuse subtypes showed distinct carcinogenic pathways, depending on the tumor location. Moreover, the process of methylation of the CDKN2A promoter seems to depend on the H. pylori genotype. The present data suggest that there is a differential influence and relevance of H. pylori genotype in gastric cancer development. [source] The Purse Strings and the Policy Process: Bureaucratic Shaping of Industry Policy Capacity after 1945AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, Issue 1 2001Evan Jones Much literature in public administration debates the role of the public servant in the policy-making process. Some literature acknowledges an integral role of the public servant in the process. However, this role often remains obscure, due to being couched in abstract terms. The hierarchical structuring of responsibilities and power within bureaucracies imparts the capacity for differential influence. This paper provides a case study of the role of the Public Service Board (power over staffing) and the Australian federal Treasury (power over the purse) in the shaping of the bureaucratic structure. The case study centres on the industry policy bureaucracy in the volatile decade after World War II. In shaping the bureaucratic capacity, the Board and the Treasury exerted a discretionary influence on the policy process itself. [source] Jack Tizard Memorial Lecture: Educational Reform and the Mental Health of Vulnerable Children and Young PeopleCHILD AND ADOLESCENT MENTAL HEALTH, Issue 4 2001David Galloway Although research has demonstrated the differential influence of schools on children's psychosocial adjustment, the influence of radical legislative changes since 1979 is less clear. Evidence of a sharp rise in exclusions and in referral for special educational needs is contrasted with evidence that behaviour in most schools is good, and with data showing a steep reduction in the number of pupils leaving school with no qualifications. It is argued that these reforms have improved overall standards and may thereby have contributed positively to the mental health of many vulnerable children. However, the way they have been implemented has undermined teachers in some schools and, as a result, pupils there experience education as an additional source of stress rather than of stability and support. [source] Predictive value for preterm birth of abnormal vaginal flora, bacterial vaginosis and aerobic vaginitis during the first trimester of pregnancyBJOG : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS & GYNAECOLOGY, Issue 10 2009GG Donders Introduction, Abnormal vaginal flora (AVF) before 14 gestational weeks is a risk factor for preterm birth (PTB). The presence of aerobic microorganisms and an inflammatory response in the vagina may also be important risk factors. Aim, The primary aim of the study was to investigate the differential influences of AVF, full and partial bacterial vaginosis, and aerobic vaginitis in the first trimester on PTB rate. The secondary aim was to elucidate why treatment with metronidazole has not been found to be beneficial in previous studies. Setting, Unselected women with low-risk pregnancies attending the prenatal unit of the Heilig Hart General Hospital in Tienen, Belgium, were included in the study. Materials and methods, At the first prenatal visit, 1026 women were invited to undergo sampling of the vaginal fluid for wet mount microscopy and culture, of whom 759 were fully evaluable. Abnormal vaginal flora (AVF; disappearance of lactobacilli), bacterial vaginosis (BV), aerobic vaginitis (AV), increased inflammation (more than ten leucocytes per epithelial cell) and vaginal colonisation with Candida (CV) were scored according to standardised definitions. Partial BV was defined as patchy streaks of BV flora or sporadic clue cells mixed with other flora, and full BV as a granular anaerobic-type flora or more than 20% clue cells. Vaginal fluid was cultured for aerobic bacteria, Mycoplasma hominis and Ureaplasma urealyticum. Outcome was recorded as miscarriage ,13 weeks + 6 days [early miscarriage (EM), n = 8 (1.1%)], between 14 + 0 and 24 weeks + 6 days [late miscarriage (LM), n = 7 (0.9%)], delivery or miscarriage ,34 weeks + 6 days n = 29 (3.8%)], ,36 weeks + 6 days n = 70 (9.2%)]. PTB between 25 + 0 and 36 weeks + 6 days was further divided in severe PTB (SPTB, 25 + 0 to 34 weeks + 6 days) and mild PTB (MPTB, 35 + 0 to 36 weeks + 6 days). Results, Women without abnormalities of the vaginal flora in the first trimester had a 75% lower risk of delivery before 35 weeks compared with women with AVF [odds ratio (OR) 0.26; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.12,0.56]. The absence of lactobacilli (AVF) was associated with increased risks of PTB (OR 2.4; 95% CI 1.2,4.8), EPTB (OR 6.2; 95% CI 2.7,14) and miscarriage (OR 4.9; 95% CI 1.4,17). BV was associated with increased risks of PTB (OR 2.4; 95% CI 1.1,4.7), EPTB (OR 5.3; 95% CI 2.1,12.9) and miscarriage (OR 6.6; 95% CI 2.1,20.9) and coccoid AV was associated with increased risks of EPTB (OR 3.2; 95% CI 1.2,9.1) and miscarriage (OR 5.2; 95% CI 1.5,17). In women with BV, partial BV had a detrimental effect on the risk of PTB for all gestational ages, but full BV did not. Preterm deliveries later than 24 weeks+ 6 days were more frequent when M. hominis was present (EPTB OR 13.3; 95% CI 3.2,55). Discussion, Bacterial vaginosis, AV and AVF are associated with PTB, especially LM and severe PTB between 25 and 35 weeks. The absence of lactobacilli (AVF), partial BV and M. hominis, but not full BV, were associated with an increased risk of preterm delivery after 24 weeks+ 6 days. As metronidazole effectively treats full BV, but is ineffective against other forms of AVF, the present data may help to explain why its use to prevent PTB has not been successful in most studies. [source] | |||||||||||||