The role of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and type beta transforming growth factot beta (TGF beta1, beta2 and beta3) during rat craniofacial development

Growth factors seem to be part of a complex cellular signalling language, in which individual growth factors are the equivalents of the letters that compose words. According to this analogy, informational content lies, not in an individual growth factor, but in the entire set of growth factors and others signals to which a cell is exposed. The ways in which growth factors exert their combinatorial effects are becoming clearer as the molecular mechanisms of growth factors actions are being investigated. A number of related extracellular signalling molecules that play widespread roles in regulating development in both invertebrates and vertebrates constitute the Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) and type beta Transforming Growth Factor ((TGF beta). The latest research literature about the role and fate of these Growth factors and their influence in the craniofacial bone growth ad development is reviewed

The role of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and type beta transforming growth factot beta (TGF beta1, beta2 and beta3) during rat craniofacial development

Growth factors seem to be part of a complex cellular signalling language, in which individual growth factors are the equivalents of the letters that compose words. According to this analogy, informational content lies, not in an individual growth factor, but in the entire set of growth factors and others signals to which a cell is exposed. The ways in which growth factors exert their combinatorial effects are becoming clearer as the molecular mechanisms of growth factors actions are being investigated. A number of related extracellular signalling molecules that play widespread roles in regulating development in both invertebrates and vertebrates constitute the Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) and type beta Transforming Growth Factor ((TGF beta). The latest research literature about the role and fate of these Growth factors and their influence in the craniofacial bone growth ad development is reviewed

Effects of Sucroferric Oxyhydroxide Compared to Lanthanum Carbonate and Sevelamer Carbonate on Phosphate Homeostasis and Vascular Calcifications in a Rat Model of Chronic Kidney Failure.

Elevated serum phosphorus, calcium, and fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) levels are associated with cardiovascular disease in chronic renal disease. This study evaluated the effects of sucroferric oxyhydroxide (PA21), a new iron-based phosphate binder, versus lanthanum carbonate (La) and sevelamer carbonate (Se), on serum FGF23, phosphorus, calcium, and intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) concentrations, and the development of vascular calcification in adenine-induced chronic renal failure (CRF) rats. After induction of CRF, renal function was significantly impaired in all groups: uremic rats developed severe hyperphosphatemia, and serum iPTH increased significantly. All uremic rats (except controls) then received phosphate binders for 4 weeks. Hyperphosphatemia and increased serum iPTH were controlled to a similar extent in all phosphate binder-treatment groups. Only sucroferric oxyhydroxide was associated with significantly decreased FGF23. Vascular calcifications of the thoracic aorta were decreased by all three phosphate binders. Calcifications were better prevented at the superior part of the thoracic and abdominal aorta in the PA21 treated rats. In adenine-induced CRF rats, sucroferric oxyhydroxide was as effective as La and Se in controlling hyperphosphatemia, secondary hyperparathyroidism, and vascular calcifications. The role of FGF23 in calcification remains to be confirmed.

Towards a digital body: the virtual arm illusion

The integration of the human brain with computers is an interesting new area of applied neuroscience, where one application is replacement of a person"s real body by a virtual representation. Here we demonstrate that a virtual limb can be made to feel part of your body if appropriate multisensory correlations are provided. We report an illusion that is invoked through tactile stimulation on a person"s hidden real right hand with synchronous virtual visual stimulation on an aligned 3D stereo virtual arm projecting horizontally out of their shoulder. An experiment with 21 male participants showed displacement of ownership towards the virtual hand, as illustrated by questionnaire responses and proprioceptive drift. A control experiment with asynchronous tapping was carried out with a different set of 20 male participants who did not experience the illusion. After 5 min of stimulation the virtual arm rotated. Evidence suggests that the extent of the illusion was also correlated with the degree of muscle activity onset in the right arm as measured by EMG during this period that the arm was rotating, for the synchronous but not the asynchronous condition. A completely virtual object can therefore be experienced as part of one"s self, which opens up the possibility that an entire virtual body could be felt as one"s own in future virtual reality applications or online games, and be an invaluable tool for the understanding of the brain mechanisms underlying body ownership.

EPC-projektin hallinta ja johtaminen

Tämän diplomityön tavoitteena oli tutkia erään projektiliiketoimintaa harjoittavan yrityksen toimintajärjestelmää. Työn lähtökohtana oli yrityksen toimittamien projektien laajuuden nopea kasvu lähivuosien aikana. Työssä tutkittiin yrityksen nykyistä toimintajärjestelmää ja sen ohjeistusta nimen omaan EPC (engineering procurement construction) projekteissa. Toimintajärjestelmän ohjeistusta tutkittiin yrityksessä tehdyillä henkilöhaastatteluilla sekä vertaamalla olemassa olevia ohjeita ja kuvauksia projektin hallinnan ja johtamisen teorioihin. Teoriat, joihin yrityksen toimintajärjestelmää työssä verrattiin olivat Project Management Institute:n, Project Management Body of Knowledge ja International standard ISO 10006, Quality Management guidelines to quality in project management. Työn teoriaosassa käsiteltiin projektin hallintaa ja johtamista, projektin eri vaiheita, projektin organisointia ja ositusta sekä projektikulttuuria. Työn tuloksena luotiin käsitys siitä, mitä osaprosesseja EPC-projektin hallintaan ja johtamiseen kohdeyrityksessä liittyy. Prosesseja tutkimalla muodostettiin käsitys yrityksen toimintajärjestelmän ohjeistuksen tasosta ja esitettiin tältä pohjalta mahdollisuuksia toimintajärjestelmän kehittämiseksi. Yhtenä työn keskeisimmistä tuloksista esitettiin EPC-projektin projektikuvaus.

Agricultural land use and human presence around breeding sites increase stress-hormone levels and decrease body mass in barn owl nestlings.

Human activities can have a suite of positive and negative effects on animals and thus can affect various life history parameters. Human presence and agricultural practice can be perceived as stressors to which animals react with the secretion of glucocorticoids. The acute short-term secretion of glucocorticoids is considered beneficial and helps an animal to redirect energy and behaviour to cope with a critical situation. However, a long-term increase of glucocorticoids can impair e.g. growth and immune functions. We investigated how nestling barn owls (Tyto alba) are affected by the surrounding landscape and by human activities around their nest sites. We studied these effects on two response levels: (a) the physiological level of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, represented by baseline concentrations of corticosterone and the concentration attained by a standardized stressor; (b) fitness parameters: growth of the nestlings and breeding performance. Nestlings growing up in intensively cultivated areas showed increased baseline corticosterone levels late in the season and had an increased corticosterone release after a stressful event, while their body mass was decreased. Nestlings experiencing frequent anthropogenic disturbance had elevated baseline corticosterone levels, an increased corticosterone stress response and a lower body mass. Finally, breeding performance was better in structurally more diverse landscapes. In conclusion, anthropogenic disturbance affects offspring quality rather than quantity, whereas agricultural practices affect both life history traits.

International Growth Strategies of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Infocom Sector

Tutkimuksen päätavoite on selvitää infocom-toimialan pk-yritysten kansainväliset kasvustrategiat. Aluksi on tarkasteltu kasvua edesauttaneita ja hidastaneita tekijöitä, jotka muodostavat pohjan kansainvälisen kasvun suunnittelulle. Näiden pohjalta on aikaisemmin esitettyihin teoriamalleihin ja yritysten kansainvälistymisen asteeseen yhdistettynä määritelty infocom-toimialan pk-yrityksten kansainväliset kasvustrategiavaihtoehdot. Tutkimuksen tarkasteluun on vaikuttanut born global-ilmiö, jonka pääpiirre on nopea kansainvälistyminen yrityksen aikaisessa kehitysvaiheessa. Työn empiirisessä osassa on havainnollistettu teoriassa käsiteltyjä kansainväliseen kasvuun liittyviä tekijöitä. Empiirisessä osassa on käytetty sekä kvantitatiivisia että kvalitatiivisia menetelmiä. Kvantitatiivinen survey tutkimus on pohjautunut aineistoon, joka on kerätty vuosina 1999-2000 Telecom Business Research Centerissä Lappeenrannassa. Kvalitatiivisessa case-tutkimuksessa on haastateltu infocom-toimialan pk-yrityksiä. Nopeasti kehittyvän infocom-toimialan pk-yrityksille kansainvälistyminen on haaste ja tärkein menestyksen edellytys. Pk-yritysten kasvuresurssit ovat rajalliset, mutta lisääntyvän verkostoitumisen myötä on yritysten välisestä yhteistyöstä saavutettu etuja, jotka ovat mahdollistaneet kansainvälisen kasvun. Markkinoiden muutosnopeus on suuri ja siksi strategisen suunnittelun aikaväli lyhenee. Kansainvälisiä kasvustrategioita muodostettaessa yritykset joutuvat samanaikaisesti turvautumaan useampaan eri kasvustrategiaan, joiden yhdistelmänä yritysten merkittävimmäksi kasvustrategiaksi muodostuvat hybridit kasvustrategiat.

Cadmium body burden of the Swiss population.

Urinary cadmium (Cd) excretion was measured within a representative Swiss collective. With a median of 0.23 µg/24 h (n = 1409) and the 95th percentile at 0.81 µg/24 h, no increased health risk for the general non-exposed population was identified. The independent variables Age, BMI and Smoking habit had a significant effect on urinary Cd excretion. No association was found with the region of residence and sex. A subsample comparison between 24-h and spot urines of the same subjects (n = 90) did not reveal an evident concentration difference for both creatinine-adjusted sample types. Dependencies on age and gender were observed for creatinine, which consequently impacts on the creatinine normalisation of urine samples.

Bevacizumab, Pemetrexed, and Cisplatin, or Bevacizumab and Erlotinib for Patients With Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Stratified by Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Mutation: Phase II Trial SAKK19/09.

OBJECTIVE: The goal was to demonstrate that tailored therapy, according to tumor histology and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation status, and the introduction of novel drug combinations in the treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer are promising for further investigation. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter phase II trial with mandatory EGFR testing and 2 strata. Patients with EGFR wild type received 4 cycles of bevacizumab, pemetrexed, and cisplatin, followed by maintenance with bevacizumab and pemetrexed until progression. Patients with EGFR mutations received bevacizumab and erlotinib until progression. Patients had computed tomography scans every 6 weeks and repeat biopsy at progression. The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS) ≥ 35% at 6 months in stratum EGFR wild type; 77 patients were required to reach a power of 90% with an alpha of 5%. Secondary end points were median PFS, overall survival, best overall response rate (ORR), and tolerability. Further biomarkers and biopsy at progression were also evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 77 evaluable patients with EGFR wild type received an average of 9 cycles (range, 1-25). PFS at 6 months was 45.5%, median PFS was 6.9 months, overall survival was 12.1 months, and ORR was 62%. Kirsten rat sarcoma oncogene mutations and circulating vascular endothelial growth factor negatively correlated with survival, but thymidylate synthase expression did not. A total of 20 patients with EGFR mutations received an average of 16 cycles. PFS at 6 months was 70%, median PFS was 14 months, and ORR was 70%. Biopsy at progression was safe and successful in 71% of the cases. CONCLUSIONS: Both combination therapies were promising for further studies. Biopsy at progression was feasible and will be part of future SAKK studies to investigate molecular mechanisms of resistance.

Third International Congress on Epilepsy, Brain, and Mind: Part 2.

Epilepsy is both a disease of the brain and the mind. Here, we present the second of two papers with extended summaries of selected presentations of the Third International Congress on Epilepsy, Brain and Mind (April 3-5, 2014; Brno, Czech Republic). Humanistic, biologic, and therapeutic aspects of epilepsy, particularly those related to the mind, were discussed. The extended summaries provide current overviews of epilepsy, cognitive impairment, and treatment, including brain functional connectivity and functional organization; juvenile myoclonic epilepsy; cognitive problems in newly diagnosed epilepsy; SUDEP including studies on prevention and involvement of the serotoninergic system; aggression and antiepileptic drugs; body, mind, and brain, including pain, orientation, the "self-location", Gourmand syndrome, and obesity; euphoria, obsessions, and compulsions; and circumstantiality and psychiatric comorbidities.

First person experience of body transfer in virtual reality

Altering the normal association between touch and its visual correlate can result in the illusory perception of a fake limb as part of our own body. Thus, when touch is seen to be applied to a rubber hand while felt synchronously on the corresponding hidden real hand, an illusion of ownership of the rubber hand usually occurs. The illusion has also been demonstrated using visuomotor correlation between the movements of the hidden real hand and the seen fake hand. This type of paradigm has been used with respect to the whole body generating out-of-the-body and body substitution illusions. However, such studies have only ever manipulated a single factor and although they used a form of virtual reality have not exploited the power of immersive virtual reality (IVR) to produce radical transformations in body ownership.

Impact of body tilt on the central aortic pressure pulse

Le but de cette thèse a été d'investiguer la relation entre, d'une part le temps de propagation de l'onde de pouls artérielle du coeur vers les membres inférieurs, et d'autre part le temps séparant, au niveau de l'aorte ascendante, la génération de l'onde antérograde du retour des ondes réfléchies. Le principe de la méthode employée a été de mesurer ces deux temps par deux méthodes indépendantes, ce en les faisant varier par changement rapide de la position du corps, chez sujets humains volontaires. Le facteur gravitationnel a en effet une influence majeure sur la pression transmurale des artères, dont dépend largement la vitesse de propagation des ondes de pouls, tant dans le sens antérograde que rétrograde. Vingt sujets jeunes, en bonne santé, dontIO hommes et 10 femmes, ont été examinés sur une table de tilt, dans deux positions différentes : tête vers le bas (angle de tilt : - 10°) et tête vers le haut (+45°).Dans chaque position, le temps de propagation carotido- femorale (Tcf, succédané du temps aorto-fémoral) et carotido-tibial (Tct, succédané du temps aorto-tibial) a été mesuré avec l'appareil Complior. De même, dans chaque position la pression aortique centrale a été enregistrée par tonométrie radiale en utilisant l'appareil SphygmoCor qui applique une fonction de transfert généralisé pour reconstruire la forme de l'onde de pouls aortique. L'analyse de celle-ci permet ensuite de calculer les temps d'aller-retour des ondes réfléchies atteignant l'aorte pendant la systole (début de l'onde réfléchie, sT1 r) et pendant la diastole (temps de transit moyen de l'onde diastolique réfléchie dMTT). Le changement de position de tête vers le haut à tête vers le bas, a provoqué une augmentation importante du temps de propagation Tct (chez le femmes de 130±10 à 185±18msec, P<0,001 et chez les hommes de 136±9 à 204±18msec P<0.001) ainsi que du temps moyen de transition de l'onde diastolique réfléchie dMTT (chez les femmes de 364±35 à 499±33msec P<0,001 et chez les hommes de 406±22 à 553±21msec, P<0,001). Un modèle de régression mixte montre qu'entre les deux positions, les variations de dMTT sont environ le double de celles de Tct (coefficient de régression 2.1; 95% intervalle de confiance 1.9-2,3, P<0,001). Ces résultats suggèrent que les ondes diastoliques observées dans l'onde de pouls aortique central reconstruites par tonométrie radiale, correspondent, du moins en partie, aux ondes réfléchies générées au niveau des membres inférieurs.

Life-time growth patterns of pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus introduced to Europe, relative to North American populations

The pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus, an omnivorous, nest guarding North American sunfish, was introduced into European waters about 100 years ago. To assess growth performance following introduction, we reviewed the available data for North American and European populations of pumpkinseed and compared the back-calculated age-specific growth for juveniles (standard length, SL, at age two) and adults (age two to five increment) as well as adult body size (SL at age five), von Bertalanffy growth model parameters and the index of growth (in length) performance (φ′). For continental comparisons of growth trajectory, mean growth curves for North American and Europe were calculated with the von Bertalanffy model using pooled data sets for each continent. Juvenile growth rate did not differ between European and North American pumpkinseed, but mean adult body size and adult growth rate were both significantly greater in North American than European populations. Adult body size decreased with increasing latitude (ANOVA) in North American populations, but this was not observed with adult growth rate. In contrast, adult body size tended to increase with latitude in European populations. Adult body size correlated significantly with φ′. The von Bertalanffy model described the overall growth patterns of North American and European populations reasonably well, but on the individual population level, length asymptotes were unrealistic (estimates that were > 20 % of the mean back-calculated size for the oldest age class) for a third of European populations and 80% of the North American populations. In contrast to North American pumpkinseed populations, somatic growth in European populations appears to be compromised by limited, but adequate, food resources, probably due to strong intraspecific interactions. This appears to be especially acute in adults, having potential ramifications for life span and reproductive allocation

Dpp spreading is required for medial but not for lateral wing disc growth.

Drosophila Decapentaplegic (Dpp) has served as a paradigm to study morphogen-dependent growth control. However, the role of a Dpp gradient in tissue growth remains highly controversial. Two fundamentally different models have been proposed: the 'temporal rule' model suggests that all cells of the wing imaginal disc divide upon a 50% increase in Dpp signalling, whereas the 'growth equalization model' suggests that Dpp is only essential for proliferation control of the central cells. Here, to discriminate between these two models, we generated and used morphotrap, a membrane-tethered anti-green fluorescent protein (GFP) nanobody, which enables immobilization of enhanced (e)GFP::Dpp on the cell surface, thereby abolishing Dpp gradient formation. We find that in the absence of Dpp spreading, wing disc patterning is lost; however, lateral cells still divide at normal rates. These data are consistent with the growth equalization model, but do not fit a global temporal rule model in the wing imaginal disc.

Impact of body tilt on the central aortic pressure pulse.

The present work was undertaken to investigate, in young healthy volunteers, the relationships between the forward propagation times of arterial pressure waves and the timing of reflected waves observable on the aortic pulse, in the course of rapid changes in body position. 20 young healthy subjects, 10 men, and 10 women, were examined on a tilt table at two different tilt angles, -10° (Head-down) and + 45° (Head-up). In each position, carotid-femoral (Tcf) and carotid-tibial forward propagation times (Tct) were measured with the Complior device. In each position also, the central aortic pressure pulse was recorded with radial tonometry, using the SphygmoCor device and a generalized transfer function, so as to evaluate the timing of reflected waves reaching the aorta in systole (onset of systolic reflected wave, sT1r) and diastole (mean transit time of diastolic reflected wave, dMTT). The position shift from Head-up to Head-down caused a massive increase in both Tct (women from 130 ± 10 to 185 ± 18 msec P < 0.001, men from 136 ± 9 to 204 ± 18 msec P < 0.001) and dMTT (women from 364 ± 35 to 499 ± 33 msec P < 0.001, men from 406 ± 22 to 553 ± 21 msec P < 0.001). Mixed model regression showed that the changes in Tct and dMTT observed between Head-up and Head-down were tightly coupled (regression coefficient 2.1, 95% confidence interval 1.9-2.3, P < 0.001). These results strongly suggest that the diastolic waves observed on central aortic pulses reconstructed from radial tonometric correspond at least in part to reflections generated in the lower limbs.