Hostile attributional bias and aggressive behavior in global context.

We tested a model that children's tendency to attribute hostile intent to others in response to provocation is a key psychological process that statistically accounts for individual differences in reactive aggressive behavior and that this mechanism contributes to global group differences in children's chronic aggressive behavior problems. Participants were 1,299 children (mean age at year 1 = 8.3 y; 51% girls) from 12 diverse ecological-context groups in nine countries worldwide, followed across 4 y. In year 3, each child was presented with each of 10 hypothetical vignettes depicting an ambiguous provocation toward the child and was asked to attribute the likely intent of the provocateur (coded as benign or hostile) and to predict his or her own behavioral response (coded as nonaggression or reactive aggression). Mothers and children independently rated the child's chronic aggressive behavior problems in years 2, 3, and 4. In every ecological group, in those situations in which a child attributed hostile intent to a peer, that child was more likely to report that he or she would respond with reactive aggression than in situations when that same child attributed benign intent. Across children, hostile attributional bias scores predicted higher mother- and child-rated chronic aggressive behavior problems, even controlling for prior aggression. Ecological group differences in the tendency for children to attribute hostile intent statistically accounted for a significant portion of group differences in chronic aggressive behavior problems. The findings suggest a psychological mechanism for group differences in aggressive behavior and point to potential interventions to reduce aggressive behavior.

Genetic engineering of mesenchymal stem cells and its application in human disease therapy.

The use of stem cells for tissue regeneration and repair is advancing both at the bench and bedside. Stem cells isolated from bone marrow are currently being tested for their therapeutic potential in a variety of clinical conditions including cardiovascular injury, kidney failure, cancer, and neurological and bone disorders. Despite the advantages, stem cell therapy is still limited by low survival, engraftment, and homing to damage area as well as inefficiencies in differentiating into fully functional tissues. Genetic engineering of mesenchymal stem cells is being explored as a means to circumvent some of these problems. This review presents the current understanding of the use of genetically engineered mesenchymal stem cells in human disease therapy with emphasis on genetic modifications aimed to improve survival, homing, angiogenesis, and heart function after myocardial infarction. Advancements in other disease areas are also discussed.

Direct TLR2 signaling is critical for NK cell activation and function in response to vaccinia viral infection.

Natural killer (NK) cells play an essential role in innate immune control of poxviral infections in vivo. However, the mechanism(s) underlying NK cell activation and function in response to poxviruses remains poorly understood. In a mouse model of infection with vaccinia virus (VV), the most studied member of the poxvirus family, we identified that the Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2-myeloid differentiating factor 88 (MyD88) pathway was critical for the activation of NK cells and the control of VV infection in vivo. We further showed that TLR2 signaling on NK cells, but not on accessory cells such as dendritic cells (DCs), was necessary for NK cell activation and that this intrinsic TLR2-MyD88 signaling pathway was required for NK cell activation and played a critical role in the control of VV infection in vivo. In addition, we showed that the activating receptor NKG2D was also important for efficient NK activation and function, as well as recognition of VV-infected targets. We further demonstrated that VV could directly activate NK cells via TLR2 in the presence of cytokines in vitro and TLR2-MyD88-dependent activation of NK cells by VV was mediated through the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway. Taken together, these results represent the first evidence that intrinsic TLR signaling is critical for NK cell activation and function in the control of a viral infection in vivo, indicate that multiple pathways are required for efficient NK cell activation and function in response to VV infection, and may provide important insights into the design of effective strategies to combat poxviral infections.

Induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiac progenitors differentiate to cardiomyocytes and form biosynthetic tissues.

The mammalian heart has little capacity to regenerate, and following injury the myocardium is replaced by non-contractile scar tissue. Consequently, increased wall stress and workload on the remaining myocardium leads to chamber dilation, dysfunction, and heart failure. Cell-based therapy with an autologous, epigenetically reprogrammed, and cardiac-committed progenitor cell source could potentially reverse this process by replacing the damaged myocardium with functional tissue. However, it is unclear whether cardiac progenitor cell-derived cardiomyocytes are capable of attaining levels of structural and functional maturity comparable to that of terminally-fated cardiomyocytes. Here, we first describe the derivation of mouse induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which once differentiated allow for the enrichment of Nkx2-5(+) cardiac progenitors, and the cardiomyocyte-specific expression of the red fluorescent protein. We show that the cardiac progenitors are multipotent and capable of differentiating into endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells and cardiomyocytes. Moreover, cardiac progenitor selection corresponds to cKit(+) cell enrichment, while cardiomyocyte cell-lineage commitment is concomitant with dual expression of either cKit/Flk1 or cKit/Sca-1. We proceed to show that the cardiac progenitor-derived cardiomyocytes are capable of forming electrically and mechanically coupled large-scale 2D cell cultures with mature electrophysiological properties. Finally, we examine the cell progenitors' ability to form electromechanically coherent macroscopic tissues, using a physiologically relevant 3D culture model and demonstrate that following long-term culture the cardiomyocytes align, and form robust electromechanical connections throughout the volume of the biosynthetic tissue construct. We conclude that the iPS cell-derived cardiac progenitors are a robust cell source for tissue engineering applications and a 3D culture platform for pharmacological screening and drug development studies.

Two Antarctic penguin genomes reveal insights into their evolutionary history and molecular changes related to the Antarctic environment.

BACKGROUND: Penguins are flightless aquatic birds widely distributed in the Southern Hemisphere. The distinctive morphological and physiological features of penguins allow them to live an aquatic life, and some of them have successfully adapted to the hostile environments in Antarctica. To study the phylogenetic and population history of penguins and the molecular basis of their adaptations to Antarctica, we sequenced the genomes of the two Antarctic dwelling penguin species, the Adélie penguin [Pygoscelis adeliae] and emperor penguin [Aptenodytes forsteri]. RESULTS: Phylogenetic dating suggests that early penguins arose ~60 million years ago, coinciding with a period of global warming. Analysis of effective population sizes reveals that the two penguin species experienced population expansions from ~1 million years ago to ~100 thousand years ago, but responded differently to the climatic cooling of the last glacial period. Comparative genomic analyses with other available avian genomes identified molecular changes in genes related to epidermal structure, phototransduction, lipid metabolism, and forelimb morphology. CONCLUSIONS: Our sequencing and initial analyses of the first two penguin genomes provide insights into the timing of penguin origin, fluctuations in effective population sizes of the two penguin species over the past 10 million years, and the potential associations between these biological patterns and global climate change. The molecular changes compared with other avian genomes reflect both shared and diverse adaptations of the two penguin species to the Antarctic environment.

Dispersal and Integration in Female Chimpanzees

In chimpanzees, most females disperse from the community in which they were born to reproduce in a new community, thereby eliminating the risk of inbreeding with close kin. However, across sites, some females breed in their natal community, raising questions about the flexibility of dispersal, the costs and benefits of different strategies and the mitigation of costs associated with dispersal and integration. In this dissertation I address these questions by combining long-term behavioral data and recent field observations on maturing and young adult females in Gombe National Park with an experimental manipulation of relationship formation in captive apes in the Congo.

To assess the risk of inbreeding for females who do and do not disperse, 129 chimpanzees were genotyped and relatedness between each dyad was calculated. Natal females were more closely related to adult community males than were immigrant females. By examining the parentage of 58 surviving offspring, I found that natal females were not more related to the sires of their offspring than were immigrant females, despite three instances of close inbreeding. The sires of all offspring were less related to the mothers than non-sires regardless of the mother’s residence status. These results suggest that chimpanzees are capable of detecting relatedness and that, even when remaining natal, females can largely avoid, though not eliminate, inbreeding.

Next, I examined whether dispersal was associated with energetic, social, physiological and/or reproductive costs by comparing immigrant (n=10) and natal (n=9) females of similar age using 2358 hours of observational data. Natal and immigrant females did not differ in any energetic metric. Immigrant females received aggression from resident females more frequently than natal females. Immigrants spent less time in social grooming and more time self-grooming than natal females. Immigrant females primarily associated with resident males, had more social partners and lacked close social allies. There was no difference in levels of fecal glucocorticoid metabolites in immigrant and natal females. Immigrant females gave birth 2.5 years later than natal females, though the survival of their first offspring did not differ. These results indicate that immigrant females in Gombe National Park do not face energetic deficits upon transfer, but they do enter a hostile social environment and have a delayed first birth.

Next, I examined whether chimpanzees use condition- and phenotype-dependent cues in making dispersal decisions. I examined the effect of social and environmental conditions present at the time females of known age matured (n=25) on the females’ dispersal decisions. Females were more likely to disperse if they had more male maternal relatives and thus, a high risk of inbreeding. Females with a high ranking mother and multiple maternal female kin tended to disperse less frequently, suggesting that a strong female kin network provides benefits to the maturing daughter. Females were also somewhat less likely to disperse when fewer unrelated males were present in the group. Habitat quality and intrasexual competition did not affect dispersal decisions. Using a larger sample of 62 females observed as adults in Gombe, I also detected an effect of phenotypic differences in personality on the female’s dispersal decisions; extraverted, agreeable and open females were less likely to disperse.

Natural observations show that apes use grooming and play as social currency, but no experimental manipulations have been carried out to measure the effects of these behaviors on relationship formation, an essential component of integration. Thirty chimpanzees and 25 bonobos were given a choice between an unfamiliar human who had recently groomed or played with them over one who did not. Both species showed a preference for the human that had interacted with them, though the effect was driven by males. These results support the idea that grooming and play act as social currency in great apes that can rapidly shape social relationships between unfamiliar individuals. Further investigation is needed to elucidate the use of social currency in female apes.

I conclude that dispersal in female chimpanzees is flexible and the balance of costs and benefits varies for each individual. Females likely take into account social cues present at maturity and their own phenotype in choosing a settlement path and are especially sensitive to the presence of maternal male kin. The primary cost associated with philopatry is inbreeding risk and the primary cost associated with dispersal is delay in the age at first birth, presumably resulting from intense social competition. Finally, apes may strategically make use of affiliative behavior in pursuing particular relationships, something that should be useful in the integration process.

Micro-Anatomical Quantitative Imaging Towards Enabling Automated Diagnosis of Thick Tissues at the Point of Care

Histopathology is the clinical standard for tissue diagnosis. However, histopathology has several limitations including that it requires tissue processing, which can take 30 minutes or more, and requires a highly trained pathologist to diagnose the tissue. Additionally, the diagnosis is qualitative, and the lack of quantitation leads to possible observer-specific diagnosis. Taken together, it is difficult to diagnose tissue at the point of care using histopathology.

Several clinical situations could benefit from more rapid and automated histological processing, which could reduce the time and the number of steps required between obtaining a fresh tissue specimen and rendering a diagnosis. For example, there is need for rapid detection of residual cancer on the surface of tumor resection specimens during excisional surgeries, which is known as intraoperative tumor margin assessment. Additionally, rapid assessment of biopsy specimens at the point-of-care could enable clinicians to confirm that a suspicious lesion is successfully sampled, thus preventing an unnecessary repeat biopsy procedure. Rapid and low cost histological processing could also be potentially useful in settings lacking the human resources and equipment necessary to perform standard histologic assessment. Lastly, automated interpretation of tissue samples could potentially reduce inter-observer error, particularly in the diagnosis of borderline lesions.

To address these needs, high quality microscopic images of the tissue must be obtained in rapid timeframes, in order for a pathologic assessment to be useful for guiding the intervention. Optical microscopy is a powerful technique to obtain high-resolution images of tissue morphology in real-time at the point of care, without the need for tissue processing. In particular, a number of groups have combined fluorescence microscopy with vital fluorescent stains to visualize micro-anatomical features of thick (i.e. unsectioned or unprocessed) tissue. However, robust methods for segmentation and quantitative analysis of heterogeneous images are essential to enable automated diagnosis. Thus, the goal of this work was to obtain high resolution imaging of tissue morphology through employing fluorescence microscopy and vital fluorescent stains and to develop a quantitative strategy to segment and quantify tissue features in heterogeneous images, such as nuclei and the surrounding stroma, which will enable automated diagnosis of thick tissues.

To achieve these goals, three specific aims were proposed. The first aim was to develop an image processing method that can differentiate nuclei from background tissue heterogeneity and enable automated diagnosis of thick tissue at the point of care. A computational technique called sparse component analysis (SCA) was adapted to isolate features of interest, such as nuclei, from the background. SCA has been used previously in the image processing community for image compression, enhancement, and restoration, but has never been applied to separate distinct tissue types in a heterogeneous image. In combination with a high resolution fluorescence microendoscope (HRME) and a contrast agent acriflavine, the utility of this technique was demonstrated through imaging preclinical sarcoma tumor margins. Acriflavine localizes to the nuclei of cells where it reversibly associates with RNA and DNA. Additionally, acriflavine shows some affinity for collagen and muscle. SCA was adapted to isolate acriflavine positive features or APFs (which correspond to RNA and DNA) from background tissue heterogeneity. The circle transform (CT) was applied to the SCA output to quantify the size and density of overlapping APFs. The sensitivity of the SCA+CT approach to variations in APF size, density and background heterogeneity was demonstrated through simulations. Specifically, SCA+CT achieved the lowest errors for higher contrast ratios and larger APF sizes. When applied to tissue images of excised sarcoma margins, SCA+CT correctly isolated APFs and showed consistently increased density in tumor and tumor + muscle images compared to images containing muscle. Next, variables were quantified from images of resected primary sarcomas and used to optimize a multivariate model. The sensitivity and specificity for differentiating positive from negative ex vivo resected tumor margins was 82% and 75%. The utility of this approach was further tested by imaging the in vivo tumor cavities from 34 mice after resection of a sarcoma with local recurrence as a bench mark. When applied prospectively to images from the tumor cavity, the sensitivity and specificity for differentiating local recurrence was 78% and 82%. The results indicate that SCA+CT can accurately delineate APFs in heterogeneous tissue, which is essential to enable automated and rapid surveillance of tissue pathology.

Two primary challenges were identified in the work in aim 1. First, while SCA can be used to isolate features, such as APFs, from heterogeneous images, its performance is limited by the contrast between APFs and the background. Second, while it is feasible to create mosaics by scanning a sarcoma tumor bed in a mouse, which is on the order of 3-7 mm in any one dimension, it is not feasible to evaluate an entire human surgical margin. Thus, improvements to the microscopic imaging system were made to (1) improve image contrast through rejecting out-of-focus background fluorescence and to (2) increase the field of view (FOV) while maintaining the sub-cellular resolution needed for delineation of nuclei. To address these challenges, a technique called structured illumination microscopy (SIM) was employed in which the entire FOV is illuminated with a defined spatial pattern rather than scanning a focal spot, such as in confocal microscopy.

Thus, the second aim was to improve image contrast and increase the FOV through employing wide-field, non-contact structured illumination microscopy and optimize the segmentation algorithm for new imaging modality. Both image contrast and FOV were increased through the development of a wide-field fluorescence SIM system. Clear improvement in image contrast was seen in structured illumination images compared to uniform illumination images. Additionally, the FOV is over 13X larger than the fluorescence microendoscope used in aim 1. Initial segmentation results of SIM images revealed that SCA is unable to segment large numbers of APFs in the tumor images. Because the FOV of the SIM system is over 13X larger than the FOV of the fluorescence microendoscope, dense collections of APFs commonly seen in tumor images could no longer be sparsely represented, and the fundamental sparsity assumption associated with SCA was no longer met. Thus, an algorithm called maximally stable extremal regions (MSER) was investigated as an alternative approach for APF segmentation in SIM images. MSER was able to accurately segment large numbers of APFs in SIM images of tumor tissue. In addition to optimizing MSER for SIM image segmentation, an optimal frequency of the illumination pattern used in SIM was carefully selected because the image signal to noise ratio (SNR) is dependent on the grid frequency. A grid frequency of 31.7 mm-1 led to the highest SNR and lowest percent error associated with MSER segmentation.

Once MSER was optimized for SIM image segmentation and the optimal grid frequency was selected, a quantitative model was developed to diagnose mouse sarcoma tumor margins that were imaged ex vivo with SIM. Tumor margins were stained with acridine orange (AO) in aim 2 because AO was found to stain the sarcoma tissue more brightly than acriflavine. Both acriflavine and AO are intravital dyes, which have been shown to stain nuclei, skeletal muscle, and collagenous stroma. A tissue-type classification model was developed to differentiate localized regions (75x75 µm) of tumor from skeletal muscle and adipose tissue based on the MSER segmentation output. Specifically, a logistic regression model was used to classify each localized region. The logistic regression model yielded an output in terms of probability (0-100%) that tumor was located within each 75x75 µm region. The model performance was tested using a receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis that revealed 77% sensitivity and 81% specificity. For margin classification, the whole margin image was divided into localized regions and this tissue-type classification model was applied. In a subset of 6 margins (3 negative, 3 positive), it was shown that with a tumor probability threshold of 50%, 8% of all regions from negative margins exceeded this threshold, while over 17% of all regions exceeded the threshold in the positive margins. Thus, 8% of regions in negative margins were considered false positives. These false positive regions are likely due to the high density of APFs present in normal tissues, which clearly demonstrates a challenge in implementing this automatic algorithm based on AO staining alone.

Thus, the third aim was to improve the specificity of the diagnostic model through leveraging other sources of contrast. Modifications were made to the SIM system to enable fluorescence imaging at a variety of wavelengths. Specifically, the SIM system was modified to enabling imaging of red fluorescent protein (RFP) expressing sarcomas, which were used to delineate the location of tumor cells within each image. Initial analysis of AO stained panels confirmed that there was room for improvement in tumor detection, particularly in regards to false positive regions that were negative for RFP. One approach for improving the specificity of the diagnostic model was to investigate using a fluorophore that was more specific to staining tumor. Specifically, tetracycline was selected because it appeared to specifically stain freshly excised tumor tissue in a matter of minutes, and was non-toxic and stable in solution. Results indicated that tetracycline staining has promise for increasing the specificity of tumor detection in SIM images of a preclinical sarcoma model and further investigation is warranted.

In conclusion, this work presents the development of a combination of tools that is capable of automated segmentation and quantification of micro-anatomical images of thick tissue. When compared to the fluorescence microendoscope, wide-field multispectral fluorescence SIM imaging provided improved image contrast, a larger FOV with comparable resolution, and the ability to image a variety of fluorophores. MSER was an appropriate and rapid approach to segment dense collections of APFs from wide-field SIM images. Variables that reflect the morphology of the tissue, such as the density, size, and shape of nuclei and nucleoli, can be used to automatically diagnose SIM images. The clinical utility of SIM imaging and MSER segmentation to detect microscopic residual disease has been demonstrated by imaging excised preclinical sarcoma margins. Ultimately, this work demonstrates that fluorescence imaging of tissue micro-anatomy combined with a specialized algorithm for delineation and quantification of features is a means for rapid, non-destructive and automated detection of microscopic disease, which could improve cancer management in a variety of clinical scenarios.

Stress-induced outer membrane vesicle production by Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

As an opportunistic Gram-negative pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa must be able to adapt and survive changes and stressors in its environment during the course of infection. To aid survival in the hostile host environment, P. aeruginosa has evolved defense mechanisms, including the production of an exopolysaccharide capsule and the secretion of a myriad of degradative proteases and lipases. The production of outer membrane-derived vesicles (OMVs) serves as a secretion mechanism for virulence factors as well as a general bacterial response to envelope-acting stressors. This study investigated the effect of sublethal physiological stressors on OMV production by P. aeruginosa and whether the Pseudomonas quinolone signal (PQS) and the MucD periplasmic protease are critical mechanistic factors in this response. Exposure to some environmental stressors was determined to increase the level of OMV production as well as the activity of AlgU, the sigma factor that controls MucD expression. Overexpression of AlgU was shown to be sufficient to induce OMV production; however, stress-induced OMV production was not dependent on activation of AlgU, since stress caused increased vesiculation in strains lacking algU. We further determined that MucD levels were not an indicator of OMV production under acute stress, and PQS was not required for OMV production under stress or unstressed conditions. Finally, an investigation of the response of P. aeruginosa to oxidative stress revealed that peroxide-induced OMV production requires the presence of B-band but not A-band lipopolysaccharide. Together, these results demonstrate that distinct mechanisms exist for stress-induced OMV production in P. aeruginosa.

Investigation and Development of a Fully 3D Tilt Capable Hybrid SPECT - CT System for Dedicated Breast Imaging

X-ray mammography has been the gold standard for breast imaging for decades, despite the significant limitations posed by the two dimensional (2D) image acquisitions. Difficulty in diagnosing lesions close to the chest wall and axilla, high amount of structural overlap and patient discomfort due to compression are only some of these limitations. To overcome these drawbacks, three dimensional (3D) breast imaging modalities have been developed including dual modality single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and computed tomography (CT) systems. This thesis focuses on the development and integration of the next generation of such a device for dedicated breast imaging. The goals of this dissertation work are to: [1] understand and characterize any effects of fully 3-D trajectories on reconstructed image scatter correction, absorbed dose and Hounsifeld Unit accuracy, and [2] design, develop and implement the fully flexible, third generation hybrid SPECT-CT system capable of traversing complex 3D orbits about a pendant breast volume, without interference from the other. Such a system would overcome artifacts resulting from incompletely sampled divergent cone beam imaging schemes and allow imaging closer to the chest wall, which other systems currently under research and development elsewhere cannot achieve.

The dependence of x-ray scatter radiation on object shape, size, material composition and the CT acquisition trajectory, was investigated with a well-established beam stop array (BSA) scatter correction method. While the 2D scatter to primary ratio (SPR) was the main metric used to characterize total system scatter, a new metric called ‘normalized scatter contribution’ was developed to compare the results of scatter correction on 3D reconstructed volumes. Scatter estimation studies were undertaken with a sinusoidal saddle (±15° polar tilt) orbit and a traditional circular (AZOR) orbit. Clinical studies to acquire data for scatter correction were used to evaluate the 2D SPR on a small set of patients scanned with the AZOR orbit. Clinical SPR results showed clear dependence of scatter on breast composition and glandular tissue distribution, otherwise consistent with the overall phantom-based size and density measurements. Additionally, SPR dependence was also observed on the acquisition trajectory where 2D scatter increased with an increase in the polar tilt angle of the system.

The dose delivered by any imaging system is of primary importance from the patient’s point of view, and therefore trajectory related differences in the dose distribution in a target volume were evaluated. Monte Carlo simulations as well as physical measurements using radiochromic film were undertaken using saddle and AZOR orbits. Results illustrated that both orbits deliver comparable dose to the target volume, and only slightly differ in distribution within the volume. Simulations and measurements showed similar results, and all measured dose values were within the standard screening mammography-specific, 6 mGy dose limit, which is used as a benchmark for dose comparisons.

Hounsfield Units (HU) are used clinically in differentiating tissue types in a reconstructed CT image, and therefore the HU accuracy of a system is very important, especially when using non-traditional trajectories. Uniform phantoms filled with various uniform density fluids were used to investigate differences in HU accuracy between saddle and AZOR orbits. Results illustrate the considerably better performance of the saddle orbit, especially close to the chest and nipple region of what would clinically be a pedant breast volume. The AZOR orbit causes shading artifacts near the nipple, due to insufficient sampling, rendering a major portion of the scanned phantom unusable, whereas the saddle orbit performs exceptionally well and provides a tighter distribution of HU values in reconstructed volumes.

Finally, the third generation, fully-suspended SPECT-CT system was designed in and developed in our lab. A novel mechanical method using a linear motor was developed for tilting the CT system. A new x-ray source and a custom made 40 x 30 cm2 detector were integrated on to this system. The SPECT system was nested, in the center of the gantry, orthogonal to the CT source-detector pair. The SPECT system tilts on a goniometer, and the newly developed CT tilting mechanism allows ±15° maximum polar tilting of the CT system. The entire gantry is mounted on a rotation stage, allowing complex arbitrary trajectories for each system, without interference from the other, while having a common field of view. This hybrid system shows potential to be used clinically as a diagnostic tool for dedicated breast imaging.