JK1 (FAM134B) represses cell migration in colon cancer : a functional study of a novel gene

Background JK1 is a novel cancer-related gene with unknown functional role in carcinogenesis. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of JK1 gene in carcinogenesis in an in vitro cell proliferation and migration analysis model. Methods Small hairpin RNAs (shRNA) were designed to knock-down JK1 expression in colon cancer cell line (SW480) using transduction ready lentiviral particles. Cell proliferation and cell migration assays were performed on multiple extracellular matrices to investigate the cellular effects of JK1 in colon cancer cells. A non-cancer colonic epithelial cell line (FHC) was used to compare the expression of JK1 in cancer cell line. Results JK1 knock-down did not affect cellular proliferation or survival in colon cancer. However, the manipulation increased cancer cell migration rates on collagen and fibronectin substrates. Conclusions JK1 was shown for the first time to have a functional role in the pathogenesis of colon cancer. The results imply that JK1 represses the capacity of cancer cells to migrate within their tissue. They also concurred with the previous findings of JK1 activity correlations with clinical and pathological features in colon cancer. The capacity may have utility as a means to prevent cancer cells forming metastases.

JK1 (FAM134B) gene and colorectal cancer : a pilot study on the gene copy number alterations and correlations with clinicopathological parameters

AIMS The aims of the study are to characterize changes in JK-1 (FAM134B) at the DNA level in colorectal adenocarcinoma and adenoma and exploring the possible correlations with clinical and pathological features. METHOD JK-1 gene DNA copy number changes were studied in 211 colorectal carcinomas, 32 colorectal adenoma and 20 colorectal non-cancer colorectal tissue samples by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The results were correlated with clinical and pathological parameters. RESULTS Colorectal adenomas were more likely to be amplified than deleted with regard to JK-1 (FAM134B) DNA copy number change. The copy number level of JK-1 (FAM134B) DNA in colorectal adenocarcinomas was significantly lower in comparison to colorectal adenomas. Changes in JK-1 (FAM134B) DNA copy number were associated with histological subtypes, and cancer stage. Lower copy numbers were associated with higher tumor stage, lymph node stage and overall pathological stage of cancer. Conversely, higher DNA copy numbers were detected more often in the mucinous adenocarcinoma. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study showing significant correlations of the JK-1 (FAM134B) gene copy number alterations with clinical and pathological features in a large cohort of pre-invasive and invasive colorectal malignancies. The changes in DNA copy number associated with progression of colorectal malignancies reflect that JK-1 (FAM134B) gene could play a role in controlling some steps in development of the invasive phenotypes.

Gene amplified in oesophageal cancer 1 (GAEC1) amplification in colorectal cancers and its impact on patient's survival

GAEC1 (gene amplified in oesophageal cancer 1) is located at 7q22.1, first identified in oesophageal cancer.1 Initial work indicated that GAEC1 can act as an oncogene.2 Our pilot study found ∼80% of colorectal cancers showing amplification of GAEC1.3 In this research, we will study GAEC1 copy number in colon cancer cell lines and colorectal tissues, and its prognostic significance. Two human colon cancer cell lines (SW480 and SW48) and one normal colonic epithelial cell line (FHC) were obtained from American Type Culture Collection. Culturing conditions for these cell lines were as published previously.4 Tissues were collected from 283 patients (213 Australian; 70 Japanese) diagnosed with colorectal cancers. Ninety surgically removed non-cancer colorectal tissues (diverticular diseases, hyperplastic polyps and volvulus) were used as controls. H&E stained sections from each cancer were checked to select a block with sufficient cancer tissue and representative morphological features for each patient for DNA extraction...

Changes in healthcare-associated Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections after the introduction of a national hand hygiene initiative

Background. Interventions that prevent healthcare-associated infection should lead to fewer deaths and shorter hospital stays. Cleaning hands (with soap or alcohol) is an effective way to prevent the transmission of organisms, but rates of compliance with hand hygiene are sometimes disappointingly low. The National Hand Hygiene Initiative in Australia aimed to improve hand hygiene compliance among healthcare workers, with the goal of reducing rates of healthcare-associated infection. Methods. We examined whether the introduction of the National Hand Hygiene Initiative was associated with a change in infection rates. Monthly infection rates for healthcare-associated Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections were examined in 38 Australian hospitals across 6 states. We used Poisson regression and examined 12 possible patterns of change, with the best fitting pattern chosen using the Akaike information criterion. Monthly bed-days were included to control for increased hospital use over time. Results. The National Hand Hygiene Initiative was associated with a reduction in infection rates in 4 of the 6 states studied. Two states showed an immediate reduction in rates of 17% and 28%, 2 states showed a linear decrease in rates of 8% and 11% per year, and 2 showed no change in infection rates. Conclusions. The intervention was associated with reduced infection rates in most states. The failure in 2 states may have been because those states already had effective initiatives before the national initiative’s introduction or because infection rates were already low and could not be further reduced.

Introduction : Understanding Connections between Time, Space and the Body

The experiences and constructs of time, space and bodies saturate human discourse—naturally enough, since they are fundamental to existence—yet there has long been a tendency for the terms to be approached somewhat independently, belying the depth of their interconnections. It was a desire to address that apparent shortcoming that inspired this book, and the interdisciplinary meetings from which it was born, the 1st Global Conferences on ‘Time, Space and the Body’ and ‘Body Horror’ held in Sydney in February 2013. Following the lively, often provocative, exchange of ideas throughout those meetings, the writing here crosses conventional boundaries inhabiting everyday life and liminal experiences, across cultures, life circumstances, and bodily states. Through numerous theoretical frameworks and with reference to a variety of media, the authors problematize or deconstruct commonplace assumptions to reveal challenging new perspectives on the diverse cultures and communities which make our world. If there is an overarching theme of this collection it is diversity itself. The writers here come from numerous academic fields, but a good number of them also draw on first-hand cultural production in the arts: photography, sculpture and fine art instillation, for example. Of course, however laudable it might be, there is a potential problem in such diversity: does it produce fruitful dialogue moving toward creative, workable syntheses or simply a cacophony of competing, incomprehensible, barely comprehending voices? To a large degree this depends upon the intellectual, existential ambitions as well as the old-fashioned goodnatured tolerance of both writers and readers. But we hope three unifying characteristics are discernable in the following chapters viewed as a whole: firstly, a genuine concern for the world humans inhabit and the communities they form as bodies in space and time; secondly, an emphasis upon the experience of the human subject, exemplified perhaps by the number of chapters drawing on phenomenology; thirdly, an adventurous, explorative impulse associated with an underlying sense that being, since it is inseparable from the body’s temporality, is always becoming, and here the presence of poststructuralist influences is unmistakable, often explicit. Our challenge as editors has been to present the enormous variety of subjects and views in a way that would render the book coherent and at the same time encourage readers to make explorations themselves into realms they might usually consider beyond their field of interest. To that end we have divided the book into six sections around loosely defined themes, each offering different angles on how time and/or space unfold in and around bodies.

Offspring of mothers fed a high fat diet display hepatic cell cycle inhibition and associated changes in gene expression and DNA methylation

The association between an adverse early life environment and increased susceptibility to later-life metabolic disorders such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease is described by the developmental origins of health and disease hypothesis. Employing a rat model of maternal high fat (MHF) nutrition, we recently reported that offspring born to MHF mothers are small at birth and develop a postnatal phenotype that closely resembles that of the human metabolic syndrome. Livers of offspring born to MHF mothers also display a fatty phenotype reflecting hepatic steatosis and characteristics of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. In the present study we hypothesised that a MHF diet leads to altered regulation of liver development in offspring; a derangement that may be detectable during early postnatal life. Livers were collected at postnatal days 2 (P2) and 27 (P27) from male offspring of control and MHF mothers (n = 8 per group). Cell cycle dynamics, measured by flow cytometry, revealed significant G0/G1 arrest in the livers of P2 offspring born to MHF mothers, associated with an increased expression of the hepatic cell cycle inhibitor Cdkn1a. In P2 livers, Cdkn1a was hypomethylated at specific CpG dinucleotides and first exon in offspring of MHF mothers and was shown to correlate with a demonstrable increase in mRNA expression levels. These modifications at P2 preceded observable reductions in liver weight and liver:brain weight ratio at P27, but there were no persistent changes in cell cycle dynamics or DNA methylation in MHF offspring at this time. Since Cdkn1a up-regulation has been associated with hepatocyte growth in pathologic states, our data may be suggestive of early hepatic dysfunction in neonates born to high fat fed mothers. It is likely that these offspring are predisposed to long-term hepatic dysfunction.

Muscle gene electrotransfer is increased by the antioxidant tempol in mice

Electropermeabilization (EP) is an effective method of gene transfer into different tissues. During EP, reactive oxygen species (ROS) are formed, which could affect transfection efficiency. The role of generated ROS and the role of antioxidants in electrotransfer in myoblasts in vitro and in Musculus tibialis cranialis in mice were, therefore, investigated. We demonstrate in the study that during EP of C2C12 myoblasts, ROS are generated on the surface of the cells, which do not induce long-term genomic DNA damage. Plasmid DNA for transfection (pEGFP-N1), which is present outside the cells during EP, neutralizes the generated ROS. The ROS generation is proportional to the amplitude of the electric pulses and can be scavenged by antioxidants, such as vitamin C or tempol. When antioxidants were used during gene electrotransfer, the transfection efficiency of C2C12 myoblasts was statistically significantly increased 1.6-fold with tempol. Also in vivo, the transfection efficiency of M. tibialis cranialis in mice was statistically significantly increased 1.4-fold by tempol. The study indicates that ROS are generated on cells during EP and can be scavenged by antioxidants. Specifically, tempol can be used to improve gene electrotransfer into the muscle and possibly also to other tissues.

Ectopic overexpression of a mungbean vacuolar Na+/H+ antiporter gene (VrNHX1) leads to increased salinity stress tolerance in transgenic Vigna unguiculata L. Walp

Salinity is a major threat to sustainable agriculture worldwide. Plant NHX exchangers play an important role in conferring salt tolerance under salinity stress. In this study, a vacuolar Na+/H+ antiporter gene VrNHX1 (Genbank Accession No. JN656211.1) from mungbean (Vigna radiata) was introduced into cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) by the Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation method. Polymerase chain reaction and Southern blot hybridization confirmed the stable integration of VrNHX1 into the cowpea genome. Comparative expression analysis by semi-quantitative RT-PCR revealed higher expression of VrNHX1 in transgenic cowpea plants than wild-type. Under salt stress conditions, T2 transgenic 35S:VrNHX1 cowpea lines exhibited higher tolerance to 200 mM NaCl treatment than wild-type. Furthermore, T2 transgenic 35S:VrNHX1 lines maintained a higher K+/Na+ ratio in the aerial parts under salt stress and accumulated higher [Na+] in roots than wild-type. Physiological analysis revealed lower levels of lipid peroxidation, hydrogen peroxide and oxygen radical production but higher levels of relative water content and proline, ascorbate and chlorophyll contents in T2 transgenic 35S:VrNHX1 lines.

Introduction : Call Centres, the Networked Economy and the Value Chain

In July 2006, members of Monash University’s Australian Centre for Research in Employment and Work (ACREW) joined with colleagues from King’s College London to hold a conference focused on ‘Socially responsive, socially responsible approaches to employment and work’ (DeCieri et al., 2006). One of the five conference streams was devoted to work and employment in call centres and was organized by the lead author of this introduction (Rainnie). This special edition of the JIR includes a number of articles from that stream.

Introduction : At the Intersection of Entrepreneurship and Human Resource Management

In recent years there has been a growing literature on human resource management (HRM) and smaller firms which has also encompassed firms that are growing and entrepreneurial. For example we have seen a special edition of Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice (Katz et al., 2000), two of Human Resource Management Review (Baron, 2003; Barrett and Mayson, 2006) and one of Human Resource Management (Huselid, 2003; Tansky and Heneman, 2003), with another of Human Resource Management (to be edited by Ribeiro, Roig and Tansky) scheduled for publication in 2010. In addition, symposia on the topic have been undertaken at the Academy of Management in 2005 (organized by Mayson) and in 2004 (organized by Hayton). Papers dealing with issues of HRM for new, small, growing and/or entrepreneurial firms have been presented at a range of different conferences, whether they are management oriented such as the Academy of Management (AoM) and its regional variants (for example, the British Academy of Management (BAM) or the Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management (ANZAM)), entrepreneurially focused ones like the Babson College Entrepreneurship Research conference or ones focused specifically on smaller firms such as the conferences of the Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ISBE) in the UK or the International Council for Small Business (ICSB) and its regional affiliates. With all these papers and all this discussion is there anything left to say? Well yes, we think there is and we are...

The art of the positive pas de deux : putting positive psychology into dance!

Performance psychology has more recently included a focus on applied practice within the performing arts, and specifically the dance industry. Whilst the use of psychology within this field has been occurring for a number of years, it has primarily taken its cues from the area of sport psychology or clinical psychology when dealing with ‘problems’ (e.g. eating disorders). What has been evident with the more recent introduction of positive psychology concepts with this population is the observed responsiveness from dancers towards a strengths-based approach. The aim of the inclusion of these frameworks has been to assist in increasing the empowerment, personal responsibility and effectiveness of the dancers’ psychological preparation and skills in the area of performance – whether on stage or off.

Nucleopolyhedrovirus introduction in Australia

Nucleopolyhedrovirus (NPV) has become an integral part of integrated pest management (IPM) in many Australian agricultural and horticultural crops. This is the culmination of years of work conducted by researchers at the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (QDPI&F) and Ag Biotech Australia Pty Ltd. In the early 1970’s researchers at QDPI&F identified and isolated a virus in Helicoverpa armigera populations in the field. This NPV was extensively studied and shown to be highly specific to Helicoverpa and Heliothis species. Further work showed that when used appropriately the virus could be used effectively to manage these insects in crops such as sorghum, cotton, chickpea and sweet corn. A similar virus was first commercially produced in the USA in the 1970’s. This product, Elcar®, was introduced into Australia in the late 1970’s by Shell Chemicals with limited success. A major factor contributing to the poor adoption of Elcar was the concurrent enormous success of the synthetic pyrethroids. The importance of integrated pest management was probably also not widely accepted at that time. Gradual development of insect resistance to synthetic pyrethroids and other synthetic insecticides in Australia and the increased awareness of the importance of IPM meant that researchers once again turned their attentions to environmentally friendly pest management tools such NPV and beneficial insects. In the 1990’s a company called Rhone-Poulenc registered an NPV for use in Australian sorghum, chickpea and cotton. This product, Gemstar®, was imported from the USA. In 2000 Ag Biotech Australia established an in-vivo production facility in Australia to produce commercial volumes of a product similar to the imported product. This product was branded, ViVUS®, and was first registered and sold commercially in Australia in 2003. The initial production of ViVUS used a virus identical to the American product but replicating it in an Australian Helicoverpa species, H. armigera. Subsequent research collaboration between QDPI&F and Ag Biotech reinvigorated interest in the local virus strain. This was purified and the production system adapted to produce it on a commercial scale. This new version of ViVUS, which was branded ViVUS Gold®, was first registered and sold commercially in 2004. Widespread insect resistance to insecticides and a greater understanding of integrated pest management is leading to increased adoption of technologies such NPV in Australian agriculture.

The Spartan-3E Tutorial 1 : Introduction to FPGA Programming, Version 2.0

This tutorial is designed to help new users become familiar with using the Spartan-3E board. The tutorial steps through: writing a small program in VHDL which carries out simple combinational logic; connecting the program inputs and outputs to the switches, buttons and LEDs on the Spartan-3E board; downloading the program to the Spartan-3E board using version 14.7 of the Xilinx ISE; and simulating the program using the iSim Simulator.

Transcription factories : gene expression in unions?

Transcription is a fundamental step in gene expression, yet it remains poorly understood at a cellular level. Visualization of transcription sites and active genes has led to the suggestion that transcription occurs at discrete sites in the nucleus, termed transcription factories, where multiple active RNA polymerases are concentrated and anchored to a nuclear substructure. However, this concept is not universally accepted. This Review discusses the experimental evidence in support of the transcription factory model and the evidence that argues against such a spatially structured view of transcription. The transcription factory model has implications for the regulation of transcription initiation and elongation, for the organization of genes in the genome, for the co-regulation of genes and for genome instability.