Estrogen and progesterone receptor status of mammary carcinomas and correlation with clinical outcome in dogs.

Estrogen and progesterone receptors (ER, PR) were measured in cytosol fractions from 18 primary canine mammary carcinomas by use of biochemical assays. One or both receptors were detected (> 10 fmol/mg of cytosol protein) in 11 tumors: 5 ER and PR; 2 ER only; 4 PR only. Mean cytoplasmic receptor concentrations (fmol/mg of cytosol protein) were 22.8 +/- 2.9 (SEM) for ER and 51.0 +/- 10.3 for PR in tumors containing ER and PR, 28.8 +/- 12.1 for ER in tumors containing only ER and 13.2 +/- 1.5 for PR in tumors containing only PR. Estrogen or progesterone receptors or both were identified in 6 of 9 tubular adenocarcinomas, 4 of 5 papillary adenocarcinomas, and 1 of 1 squamous cell carcinoma. These receptors were not identified in solid carcinomas (n = 2) or a single spindle cell carcinoma. Although the number of cases was limited, survival times of dogs tended to be longest in those with tumors containing ER alone or in combination with PR, intermediate in those with tumors containing only PR, and shortest in those with tumors without ER or PR. A correlation was not apparent between receptor status and age, presence of ovaries, tumor size, or histologic classification of the tumor. In the analysis of this series, the extent of surgery (mastectomy of the involved gland vs unilateral or bilateral mastectomy) did not appear to influence the outcome of the disease, and metastasis to regional lymph nodes did not appear to be a reliable prognostic indicator.     

The spoilage flora and shelf‐life of duck carcasses stored at 2 or ‐ 1°c in oxygen‐permeable or oxygen‐impermeable film

1. A comparison was made of” oven ready “ duck carcasses stored at 2 or — 1 °C and wrapped in either a low‐density oxygen‐permeable polyethylene film or a heat‐shrunk oxygen‐impermeable film.

2. At spoilage the main organisms at 2 and — 1 °C on the carcasses wrapped in the oxygen‐permeable film were pseudomonads, producing unacceptable “off odours” when their numbers were >10⁸/cm². This occurred in about 10 d at 2 °C but in about 19 d at ‐ 1° C.

3. The effect of wrapping in the heat‐shrunk oxygen‐impermeable film was to delay or inhibit the growth of pseudomonads and thus extend the shelf‐life by more than 50% at either temperature. The predominant organisms isolated from the spoiling carcasses were atypical lactobacilli and enterobacteria.

4. Sensory assessment of the carcasses stored at — 1 °C by a trained panel indicated that, although less obvious “ off odours “ were produced by the micro‐organisms growing on the carcasses wrapped in the impermeable film, differences were detected at 33 d when the numbers of bacteria reached about 10⁷/cm² whilst at 41 d the meat was described as rancid.     

A systematic survey of loss-of-function variants in human protein-coding genes

Genome-sequencing studies indicate that all humans carry many genetic variants predicted to cause loss of function (LoF) of protein-coding genes, suggesting unexpected redundancy in the human genome. Here we apply stringent filters to 2951 putative LoF variants obtained from 185 human genomes to determine their true prevalence and properties. We estimate that human genomes typically contain ~100 genuine LoF variants with ~20 genes completely inactivated. We identify rare and likely deleterious LoF alleles, including 26 known and 21 predicted severe disease-causing variants, as well as common LoF variants in nonessential genes. We describe functional and evolutionary differences between LoF-tolerant and recessive disease genes and a method for using these differences to prioritize candidate genes found in clinical sequencing studies.     

Access to stem cells and data: persons, property rights, and scientific progress

Many fields have struggled to develop strategies, policies, or structures to optimally manage data, materials, and intellectual property rights (IPRs). There is growing recognition that the field of stem cell science, in part because of its complex IPRs landscape and the importance of cell line collections, may require collective action to facilitate basic and translational research. Access to pluripotent stem cell lines and the information associated with them is critical to the progress of stem cell science, but simple notions of access are substantially complicated by shifting boundaries between what is considered information versus material, person versus artifact, and private property versus the public domain.     

Spatio-temporal dynamics of gross rainfall partitioning and nutrient fluxes in shaded-cocoa (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Theobroma cocoa</Emphasis>) systems in a tropical semi-deciduous forest

Land-use change from forest to cocoa agroforestry and other tree-based farming systems alters the structure of forest stands and influences the magnitude of canopy water fluxes and subsequent bio-element inputs to the forest floor. The partitioning of incident rainfall (IR) into throughfall (TF), stemflow (SF) and canopy interception loss (IL_C) and their associated nutrient element concentrations and fluxes was examined along a replicated chrono-sequence: forest, 3, 15 and 30-year-old smallholder shaded-cocoa systems in Ashanti Region, Ghana. Mean annual precipitation during the 2-year observational period (2007 and 2008) was 1376.2 ± 93.8 mm. TF contributed between 76.5–90.4%, and SF between 1.4–1.7% of the annual IR to the forest floor. There were significant differences in IR, TF and SF chemistry. While TF and SF were enriched in phosphorus (1.33–5.67-fold), potassium (1.1–5.69 fold), calcium (1.35–2.65 fold) and magnesium (1.4–2.68 fold) relative to IR, total N (NH₄ ⁺+NO₃ ^?) declined (0.5–0.91) of IR values in TF and SF in forest and shaded cocoa systems. Incident rainfall was significantly more acidic than TF and SF in both forest and shaded-cocoa systems. Mean annual total N, P, K, Ca and Mg inputs to the forest floor through IR were 5.7, 0.14, 13.6, 9.43 and 5.6 kg ha^?1year^?1 respectively. Though an important source of available nutrients for plant growth, incident rainfall provides only a small percentage of the annual nutrient requirements. With declining soil fertility and pervasive low cocoa yields, possible effects of the reported nutrient fluxes on nutrient budgets in cocoa systems merit further investigation. Against the background of increased TF and decreased IL_C following forest conversion to shaded-cocoa, it is also recommended that more studies be carried out on rainfall partitioning and its impact on ground water recharge as a way of establishing its influence on the availability of moisture for agriculture in these systems.     

Did cooling oceans trigger Ordovician biodiversification? Evidence from conodont thermometry

The Ordovician Period, long considered a supergreenhouse state, saw one of the greatest radiations of life in Earth's history. Previous temperature estimates of up to approximately 70 degrees C have spawned controversial speculation that the oxygen isotopic composition of seawater must have evolved over geological time. We present a very different global climate record determined by ion microprobe oxygen isotope analyses of Early Ordovician-Silurian conodonts. This record shows a steady cooling trend through the Early Ordovician reaching modern equatorial temperatures that were sustained throughout the Middle and Late Ordovician. This favorable climate regime implies not only that the oxygen isotopic composition of Ordovician seawater was similar to that of today, but also that climate played an overarching role in promoting the unprecedented increases in biodiversity that characterized this period.     

Streptococcus iniae: an aquatic pathogen of global veterinary significance and a challenging candidate for reliable vaccination

Streptococcus iniae has become one the most serious aquatic pathogens in the last decade causing high losses in farmed marine and freshwater finfish in warmer regions. Although first identified in 1976 from a captive Amazon freshwater dolphin, from which it derives its name, disease outbreaks had most likely been occurring for several decades in marine aquaculture in Japan. S. iniae is globally distributed throughout warm water finfish aquaculture. In common with other encapsulated beta-haemolytic streptococci and in direct contradiction to the phenomenal success story of bacterial vaccines in finfish aquaculture, control of S. iniae by vaccination has met with limited success. Thus, antibiotic usage is the current practice for reducing mortality and consequent economic loss. Vaccine failure appears to result in part from serotypic variation and, whilst 2 serotypes have been named, variation would appear to be more complex. S. iniae also has zoonotic potential, with human infections identified in the USA, Canada, and throughout Asia. In humans, infection is clearly opportunistic with all cases to date associated with direct infection of puncture wounds during preparation of contaminated fish, and generally in elderly or immunocompromised individuals. Significant progress has been made in terms of research into pathogenic mechanisms of S. iniae, with recent research elucidating the role of capsule in virulence for fish through antiopsonic activity. In light of this recent coverage in the literature, the present review centres on areas of direct veterinary interest including identification, epidemiology, therapy and prevention in farmed finfish. Clearly as the prevalence of S. iniae and associated economic losses continue to increase, further work towards developing a reliable vaccine is essential. This would appear to require a much better understanding of cell-surface variability amongst S. iniae isolates.