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Surveillance Mechanisms (surveillance + mechanism)
Selected AbstractsTowards regional monetary cooperation in East Asia: lessons from other parts of the worldINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FINANCE & ECONOMICS, Issue 2 2005Masahiro Kawai Abstract This paper discusses regional monetary cooperation for East Asia, by drawing lessons from the European Payments Union, the CFA Franc Zone and the Arab Monetary Fund. Along with the well-known experience of the European Monetary System, these experiences suggest that effective monetary cooperation should include: (1) a surveillance mechanism; (2) a regional financing facility; (3) a common unit of account; and (4) exchange rate coordination. In East Asia, the existing mechanisms of regional surveillance must be strengthened, and the liquidity support mechanism under the Chiang Mai Initiative must evolve into a common pool of foreign exchange reserves. Over the longer term, the region may need to create its own common unit of account and to develop a framework for exchange rate coordination. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Nonsense-mediated decay: paving the road for genome diversificationBIOESSAYS, Issue 10 2008Francisco Sánchez-Sánchez The expression of protein-encoding genes is a complex process culminating in the production of mature mRNA and its translation by the ribosomes. The production of a mature mRNA involves an intricate series of processing steps. The majority of eukaryotic protein-encoding genes contain intron sequences that disrupt the protein-encoding frame, and hence have to be removed from immature mRNA prior to translation into protein. The mechanism involved in the selection of correct splice sites is incompletely understood. A considerable body of evidence suggests that the splicing machinery has suboptimal efficiency and fidelity leading to substantial processing inaccuracy. Here we discuss a recently published article1 that extends observations that cells rely on nonsense- mediated mRNA decay (NMD) to compensate for such suboptimal processing accuracy. Intriguingly these authors provide evidence for a strong selective pressure in favour of premature termination of mRNA translation in the event of intron retention. The analysis presented implies a positive role of NMD in transcript diversification through alternative splicing and suggest that this ancient surveillance mechanism may have co-evolved with intron acquisition born from the need for quality control of splicing patterns. BioEssays 30:926,928, 2008. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Hypoxia increases normal prostate epithelial cell resistance to receptor-mediated apoptosis via AKT activationINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER, Issue 8 2009Sinead Walsh Abstract The aging prostate is associated with changes in its vascular structure, which could lead to changes in oxygen levels. Hypoxia is an important environmental change that leads to the progression of many cancers mediated through a number of cellular changes, which included resistance to apoptosis. The role of hypoxia in initiating tumour development has not been previously investigated. We demonstrate that normal prostate epithelial cells develop a resistance to receptor-mediated apoptosis following 24 hr of 1% hypoxia. This effect is associated with the altered expression of a number of pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins, which leads to inhibition of Cytochrome c release and downstream caspase activation. This is mediated via decreased Bax translocation and upstream Caspase 8 activity. Despite increased expression of cIAP-2, small interfering RNA (siRNA) knockdown does not restore susceptibility to TRAIL-induced apoptosis. Gene expression analysis indicated potential changes in AKT activation, which was confirmed by increased phosphorylation of AKT. Inhibition of this phosphorylation reversed the resistance to TRAIL-induced apoptosis. AKT activation is emerging as a key survival signal in prostate cancer. This study demonstrates that short exposure to low oxygen can increase resistance to immune surveillance mechanisms and might confer a survival advantage onto normal prostate epithelial cells so that they can survive subsequent genomic instability and other carcinogenetic insults leading to the early development of prostate cancer. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] RNA damage and surveillance under oxidative stressIUBMB LIFE, Issue 10 2006Zhongwei Li Abstract RNA damage has been recently reported to increase under oxidative stress and in patients with many degenerative diseases, which has drawn attention to the consequences of RNA oxidation at the molecular and cellular levels. Under similar conditions the levels of oxidative damage in RNA are usually higher than those in DNA, which may impair protein synthesis or other RNA function. Therefore, accumulation of RNA damage must be prevented and cells have developed specific mechanisms to remove oxidatively-damaged RNA and to block incorporation of oxidized nucleotides during RNA synthesis. Removal of oxidized RNA may be mediated by specific proteins that recognize oxidative lesions and direct the RNA degradation machinery to eliminate the damaged RNAs. During RNA synthesis, oxidized ribonucleotides are hydrolyzed or discriminated from normal ribonucleotides during transcription, preventing their incorporation into RNA. Collective evidence suggests that RNA oxidative damage is a challenging and persistent problem normally controlled through RNA surveillance mechanisms, making them critical to maintaining cellular health and preventing disease. iubmb Life, 58: 581-588, 2006 [source] The epidemiology of hepatitis C in Australia: Notifications, treatment uptake and liver transplantations, 1997,2006JOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY, Issue 10 2009Heather F Gidding Abstract Background and Aim:, Regular monitoring of hepatitis C (HCV)-related surveillance data is essential to inform and evaluate strategies to reduce the expanding HCV burden. The aim of this study was to examine trends in the epidemiology and treatment of HCV in Australia. Methods:, We reviewed data about HCV notifications, treatment of HCV infection through the Highly Specialised Drugs (s100) Program, and liver transplants (Australia and New Zealand Liver Transplant Registry) for the period 1997,2006. Results:, HCV case notification rates declined by almost 50% between 1999 and 2006, with the greatest reductions between 2001 and 2002 and amongst young adults. For newly acquired HCV cases, 89% were Australian-born and 90% reported injecting drug use as a risk factor for infection. Overall, 30% of liver transplant recipients had HCV-related cirrhosis, but the number and proportion of HCV diagnoses increased between 1997 and 2006. HCV treatment also increased over the review period. However, only 1.4% of the 202 400 people estimated to be living with chronic HCV at the end of 2006 received treatment that year. Conclusion:, The decline in HCV notifications is consistent with a decline in HCV incidence in Australia. However, the burden of advanced HCV disease continues to expand. To reduce this burden, treatment uptake needs to increase. Consistent and sensitive surveillance mechanisms are required to detect newly acquired cases together with an expansion of surveillance for chronic HCV infections. [source] NF-,B and cancer: Mechanisms and targetsMOLECULAR CARCINOGENESIS, Issue 6 2006Michael Karin Abstract In addition to being a central coordinator of immune responses, NF-,B signaling also plays a critical role in cancer development and progression and it may determine the response to therapy. NF-,B activation was shown to provide a critical mechanistic link between inflammation and cancer and is a major factor that controls the ability of both preneoplastic and malignant cells to resist apoptosis-based tumor surveillance mechanisms. NF-,B may also be involved in regulation of tumor angiogenesis and invasiveness. Importantly, NF-,B and the signaling pathways that mediate its activation have become attractive targets for development of new chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic approaches. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Ultraviolet radiation and immunosuppressionBRITISH JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 2009G.M. Murphy Summary Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a complete carcinogen. The effects of UV radiation are mediated via direct damage to cellular DNA in the skin and suppression of image surveillance mechanisms. In the context of organ transplantation, addiction of drugs which suppress the immune system add greatly to the carcinogenicity of UV radiation. This review considers the mechanisms of such effects. [source] | |||||||||||||