Absence of neurotensin attenuates intestinal dysbiosis and inflammation by maintaining Mmp7/α-defensin axis in diet-induced obese mice

We previously reported that high levels of plasma neurotensin (NT), a gut hormone released from enteroendocrine cells of the small bowel, contribute to obesity and comorbid conditions. Gut microbiota has been implicated in the obesity development. Paneth cells are critical in maintaining gut microbiota composition and homeostasis by releasing antimicrobial proteins including α-defensins. The purpose of our current study was to determine the possible role of NT in gut microbiota composition and α-defensin gene expression associated with obesity. Here we show that the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (F/B ratio) and intestinal proinflammatory cytokines is significantly increased in NT+/+ mice fed with a high-fat diet (HFD) which were improved in NT-deficient mice. HFD disrupted the intestinal Mmp7/α-defensin axis, which was completely prevented in NT-/- mice. In addition, NT treatment inhibited DEFA5 expression and concurrent NF-κB activity, which was blocked by a pan PKC inhibitor (Gö6983) or an inhibitor for atypical PKCs (CRT0066854). More importantly, the shRNA-mediated knockdown of atypical PKCτ reversed NT-attenuated DEFA5 expression and increased NF-κB activity. NT contributes to the HFD-induced disruption of gut microbiota composition and α-defensin expression. PKCτ/λ plays a central role in NT-mediated α-defensin gene expression which might be mediated through the inhibition of NF-κB signaling pathways in Paneth cells.

Barriers to “green operation” of commercial office buildings

Purpose

The built environment is a major source of carbon emissions. However, 80 per cent of the damage arises through the operational phase of a building’s life. Office buildings are the most significant building type in terms of emission-reduction potential. Yet, little research has been undertaken to examine the barriers faced by building operators in transitioning to a green operation of the office buildings in their care. This study aims to identify those barriers.

Design/methodology/approach

Building facilities managers with between 7 and 25 years’ experience in operating primarily Melbourne high-rise office buildings were interviewed. The sample was taken from LinkedIn connections, with ten agreeing to participate in semi-structured interviews – out of the 17 invitations sent out. Interview comments were recorded, coded and categorised to identify the barriers sought by this study.

Findings

Seven categories of barriers to effecting green operation of office buildings were extracted. These were financial, owner-related, tenant-related, technological, regulatory, architectural and stakeholder interest conflicts. Difficulties identifying green operation strategies that improved cost performance or return on investment of buildings was the major barrier.

Practical implications

Government, policymakers and facilities managers themselves have been struggling with how to catalyse a green transition in the operation of office buildings. By identifying the barriers standing in the way, this study provides a concrete point of departure from which remedial strategies and policies may be formulated and put into effect.

Originality/value

The uptake of green operation of office buildings has been extremely slow. Though barriers have been hypothesised in earlier works, this is the first study, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, that categorically identifies and tabulates the barriers that stand in the way of improving the green operational performance of office buildings, drawing on the direct knowledge of facilities experts.

Kinase suppressor of Ras 1 and Exo70 promote fatty acid-stimulated neurotensin secretion through ERK1/2 signaling

Neurotensin is a peptide hormone released from enteroendocrine cells in the small intestine in response to fat ingestion. Although the mechanisms regulating neurotensin secretion are still incompletely understood, our recent findings implicate a role for extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 as positive regulators of free fatty acid-stimulated neurotensin secretion. Previous studies have shown that kinase suppressor of Ras 1 acts as a molecular scaffold of the Raf/MEK/extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 kinase cascade and regulates intensity and duration of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 signaling. Here, we demonstrate that inhibition of kinase suppressor of Ras 1 attenuates neurotensin secretion and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 signaling in human endocrine cells. Conversely, we show that overexpression of kinase suppressor of Ras 1 enhances neurotensin secretion and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 signaling. We also show that inhibition of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 and exocyst complex component 70, a substrate of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 and mediator of secretory vesicle exocytosis, potently inhibits basal and docosahexaenoic acid-stimulated neurotensin secretion, whereas overexpression of exocyst complex component 70 enhances basal and docosahexaenoic acid-stimulated neurotensin secretion. Together, our findings demonstrate a role for kinase suppressor of Ras 1 as a positive regulator of neurotensin secretion from human endocrine cells and indicate that this effect is mediated by the extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 signaling pathway. Moreover, we reveal a novel role for exocyst complex component 70 in regulation of neurotensin vesicle exocytosis through its interaction with the extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 signaling pathway.

Prehospital tracheal intubation in severe facial trauma: a short window of opportunity

A case of severe facial injury is described. The pre-hospital management including pre-hospital anaesthesia and intubation and the importance of advanced anaesthetic skills in rare trauma cases is discussed. In addition the rare situation where large bone fragments are retrieved from the scene and potentially used in reconstruction is mentioned.

Are survival rates for northern spotted owls biased?

The northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina (Merriam, 1898)) is listed as threatened in both Canada and the United States. As part of a 1998–2004 study of habitat usage, we attached radio tags to 197 northern spotted owls. Owls that died or emigrated from the study areas could be identified with high certainty. The long-term data we obtained enabled us to estimate survivorship using multiple statistical methods. Using a pooled data set, we estimated annual survivorship at 0.927. Using a year-by-year analysis, we obtained some variation in survival by year, but the same overall mean. Using a staggered-entry cohort approach, we obtained an estimate of 0.934. Mean annual survival estimated by program MARK was 0.927. These estimates are outside the confidence intervals of prior studies that used capture–recapture methods. Capture–recapture methods are based on the assumption that birds remain within a demographic study area, but our data suggest that owls may disperse or remain undetected within a study area often enough that capture–recapture methods may overestimate mortality. Our results imply that the true finite population growth rate, λ, may be higher than estimated in prior studies that used capture–recapture methods.

First measurement of the double spin asymmetry in (-->)e(-->)p-->e(prime)pi(+)n in the resonance region

The double spin asymmetry in the (-->)e(-->)p --> e(prime)pi(+)n reaction has been measured for the first time in the resonance region for four-momentum transfer Q2 = 0.35-1.5 GeV(2). Data were taken at Jefferson Lab with the CLAS detector using a 2.6 GeV polarized electron beam incident on a polarized solid NH3 target. Comparison with predictions of phenomenological models shows strong sensitivity to resonance contributions. Helicity-1/2 transitions are found to be dominant in the second and third resonance regions. The measured asymmetry is consistent with a faster rise with Q(2) of the helicity asymmetry A1 for the F(15)(1680) resonance than expected from the analysis of the unpolarized data.

GABA(A) receptors containing (alpha)5 subunits in the CA1 and CA3 hippocampal fields regulate ethanol-motivated behaviors: an extended ethanol reward circuitry

GABA receptors within the mesolimbic circuitry have been proposed to play a role in regulating alcohol-seeking behaviors in the alcohol-preferring (P) rat. However, the precise GABA(A) receptor subunit(s) mediating the reinforcing properties of EtOH remains unknown. We examined the capacity of intrahippocampal infusions of an alpha5 subunit-selective ( approximately 75-fold) benzodiazepine (BDZ) inverse agonist [i.e., RY 023 (RY) (tert-butyl 8-(trimethylsilyl) acetylene-5,6-dihydro-5-methyl-6-oxo-4H-imidazo [1,5a] [1,4] benzodiazepine-3-carboxylate)] to alter lever pressing maintained by concurrent presentation of EtOH (10% v/v) and a saccharin solution (0.05% w/v). Bilateral (1.5-20 microgram) and unilateral (0.01-40 microgram) RY dose-dependently reduced EtOH-maintained responding, with saccharin-maintained responding being reduced only with the highest doses (e.g., 20 and 40 microgram). The competitive BDZ antagonist ZK 93426 (ZK) (7 microgram) reversed the RY-induced suppression on EtOH-maintained responding, confirming that the effect was mediated via the BDZ site on the GABA(A) receptor complex. Intrahippocampal modulation of the EtOH-maintained responding was site-specific; no antagonism by RY after intra-accumbens [nucleus accumbens (NACC)] and intraventral tegmental [ventral tegmental area (VTA)] infusions was observed. Because the VTA and NACC contain very high densities of alpha1 and alpha2 subunits, respectively, we determined whether RY exhibited a "negative" or "neutral" pharmacological profile at recombinant alpha1beta3gamma2, alpha2beta3gamma2, and alpha5beta3gamma2 receptors expressed in Xenopus oocytes. RY produced "classic" inverse agonism at all alpha receptor subtypes; thus, a neutral efficacy was not sufficient to explain the failure of RY to alter EtOH responding in the NACC or VTA. The results provide the first demonstration that the alpha5-containing GABA(A) receptors in the hippocampus play an important role in regulating EtOH-seeking behaviors.

Radiation-induced apoptosis of human prostate cancer cells is independent of mutant p53 overexpression

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have demonstrated that androgen-independent prostate cancer cancer cells undergo apoptosis in response to ionizing irradiation. The p53 protein controls cell cycle arrest and apoptosis by acting as a checkpoint control that halts the cell cycle in G1, while DNA damage is present. In this study the effect of overexpression of mutant p53 protein, on radiation-induced apoptotic cell death of human prostate cancer cells PC-3 was investigated.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

PC-3 cells were transfected with the plasmid encoding the mutant p53 sequence, and the neomycin resistance gene. Selected transfectant clones, were characterized at the molecular level (gene integration, and level of mRNA and protein expression) and cloned transfectants expressing high levels of p53 protein were treated with increasing doses of ionizing irradiation. The cellular response to radiation was determined on the basis of: a) clonogenic survival (colony forming ability of irradiated cells); b) induction of apoptosis as determined by the terminal transferase assay; c) apoptotic DNA fragmentation; and d) induction of expression of genes associated with prostate-apoptosis.

RESULTS

Both mutant p53 transfectant and parental PC-3 cells underwent apoptosis in response to ionizing irradiation following similar kinetics of induction of DNA fragmentation. In addition, the magnitude of induction of expression of prostate apoptosis associated genes, SGP-2 and TGF-beta, was similar in the mutant p53 overexpressing and parental PC-3 cells and coincidental with DNA fragmentation.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings seriously challenge the involvement of p53 in radiation-induced apoptosis in human prostate cancer cells and suggest that p53 mutations provide no selective advantage in the development of radioresistance of prostate tumor cells within the context of p53 independent apoptotic pathway.

Special education due process hearings in Illinois

This report analyzes the 314 due process hearings held in Illinois during 1978, 1979, and the first three months of 1980, and the 95 state-level appeals from the hearing officer decisions within these 314 cases. Data were obtained from photocopies of the hearing officer's decisions and the Illinois State Board of Education's (ISBE) appeal rulings provided by the ISBE after all identifying information had been deleted. Data are analyzed and reported by handicapping condition and the issue involved in the hearings. Hearing officer decisions are reported in terms of which party to the hearing was upheld. The analysis of state-level reviews similarly examines the proportion of appeals that upheld the hearing officer's decision or made a different decision. The time involved between certain steps in the process and the cost of the local hearing are discussed, and suggestions for improving due process procedures are offered.