Signaling cross-talk between peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor/retinoid X receptor and estrogen receptor through estrogen response elements.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) and retinoid X receptors (RXRs) are nuclear hormone receptors that are activated by fatty acids and 9-cis-retinoic acid, respectively. PPARs and RXRs form heterodimers that activate transcription by binding to PPAR response elements (PPREs) in the promoter of target genes. The PPREs described thus far consist of a direct tandem repeat of the AGGTCA core element with one intervening nucleotide. We show here that the vitellogenin A2 estrogen response element (ERE) can also function as a PPRE and is bound by a PPAR/RXR heterodimer. Although this heterodimer can bind to several other ERE-related palindromic response elements containing AGGTCA half-sites, only the ERE is able to confer transactivation of test reporter plasmids, when the ERE is placed either close to or at a distance from the transcription initiation site. Examination of natural ERE-containing promoters, including the pS2, very-low-density apolipoprotein II and vitellogenin A2 genes, revealed considerable differences in the binding of PPAR/RXR heterodimers to these EREs. In their natural promoter context, these EREs did not allow transcriptional activation by PPARs/RXRs. Analysis of this lack of stimulation of the vitellogenin A2 promoter demonstrated that PPARs/RXRs bind to the ERE but cannot transactivate due to a nonpermissive promoter structure. As a consequence, PPARs/RXRs inhibit transactivation by the estrogen receptor through competition for ERE binding. This is the first example of signaling cross-talk between PPAR/RXR and estrogen receptor.

A health behaviour cross-sectional study of immigrants and non-immigrants in a Swiss urban general-practice setting.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about smoking, unhealthy use of alcohol, and risk behaviours for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in immigrants from developed and developing countries. METHOD: We performed a cross-sectional study of 400 patients who consulted an academic emergency care centre at a Swiss university hospital. The odds ratios for having one or more risk behaviours were adjusted for age, gender, and education level. RESULTS: Immigrants from developing countries were less likely to use alcohol in an unhealthy manner (OR = 0.35, 95% CI 0.22-0.57) or practise risk behaviours for STDs (OR = 0.31, 95% CI 0.13-0.74). They were also less likely to have any of the three studied risk behaviours (OR = 2.5, 95% CI 1.5-4.3). DISCUSSION: In addition to the usual determinants, health behaviours are also associated with origin; distinguishing between immigrants from developing and developed countries is useful in clinical settings. Surprisingly, patients from developing countries tend to possess several protective characteristics.

The determinants of the prevalence of single mothers: A cross-country analysis

This paper examines the effect of public assistance, labor market and marriage marketconditions on the prevalence of single mother families across countries and over time. Amultinomial logit derived from a random utility approach is estimated using individualleveldata for 14 countries. I find evidence that increases in the level of public support are significantly and positively associated with a higher incidence of both never marriedand divorced mothers. The results also suggest that single mothers are more prevalentwhen female wages are lower. Higher male earnings and employment opportunities in awoman s marriage market appear to lead to fewer never married mothers, but more divorced mothers. Higher child support or alimony payments are associated with a higher prevalence of divorced mothers.

Cross-border banking in Europe: An empirical investigation

This paper investigates bilateral trade in banking services within the European Union. The attention has been addressed to two main issues. First, to test the bank's motivations for setting up the different forms of overseas offices, and secondly, to assess the importance of barriers to entry across national European banking systems. Empirical results confirm the existence of different motivations for establishing representative offices, branches and subsidiaries in foreign locations. In addition, evidence has been achieved about the importance of non-regulatory barriers that could make difficult the existence of a single European market for banking services.

Estimating cross-industry cross-country models using benchmark industry characteristics

International industry data permits testing whether the industry-specific impact of cross-countrydifferences in institutions or policies is consistent with economic theory. Empirical implementationrequires specifying the industry characteristics that determine impact strength. Most of the literature has been using US proxies of the relevant industry characteristics. We show that usingindustry characteristics in a benchmark country as a proxy of the relevant industry characteristicscan result in an attenuation bias or an amplification bias. We also describe circumstances allowingfor an alternative approach that yields consistent estimates. As an application, we reexamine theinfluential conjecture that financial development facilitates the reallocation of capital from decliningto expanding industries.

Temporal Geobiotic Mapping: a conceptual mapping technique toward visualising geobiotic areas in cross-section

Geobiota are defined by taxic assemblages (i.e., biota) and their defining abiotic breaks, which are mapped in cross-section to reveal past and future biotic boundaries. We term this conceptual approach Temporal Geobiotic Mapping (TGM) and offer it as a conceptual approach for biogeography. TGM is based on geological cross-sectioning, which creates maps based on the distribution of biota and known abiotic factors that drive their distribution, such as climate, topography, soil chemistry and underlying geology. However, the availability of abiotic data is limited for many areas. Unlike other approaches, TGM can be used when there is minimal data available. In order to demonstrate TGM, we use the well-known area in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales (NSW), south-eastern Australia and show how surface processes such as weathering and erosion affect the future distribution of a Moist Basalt Forest taxic assemblage. Biotic areas are best represented visually as maps, which can show transgressions and regressions of biota and abiota over time. Using such maps, a biogeographer can directly compare animal and plant distributions with features in the abiotic environment and may identify significant geographical barriers or pathways that explain biotic distributions.

A Novel HLA-B18 Restricted CD8+ T Cell Epitope Is Efficiently Cross-Presented by Dendritic Cells from Soluble Tumor Antigen.

NY-ESO-1 has been a major target of many immunotherapy trials because it is expressed by various cancers and is highly immunogenic. In this study, we have identified a novel HLA-B*1801-restricted CD8(+) T cell epitope, NY-ESO-1(88-96) (LEFYLAMPF) and compared its direct- and cross-presentation to that of the reported NY-ESO-1(157-165) epitope restricted to HLA-A*0201. Although both epitopes were readily cross-presented by DCs exposed to various forms of full-length NY-ESO-1 antigen, remarkably NY-ESO-1(88-96) is much more efficiently cross-presented from the soluble form, than NY-ESO-1(157-165). On the other hand, NY-ESO-1(157-165) is efficiently presented by NY-ESO-1-expressing tumor cells and its presentation was not enhanced by IFN-γ treatment, which induced immunoproteasome as demonstrated by Western blots and functionally a decreased presentation of Melan A(26-35); whereas NY-ESO-1(88-96) was very inefficiently presented by the same tumor cell lines, except for one that expressed high level of immunoproteasome. It was only presented when the tumor cells were first IFN-γ treated, followed by infection with recombinant vaccinia virus encoding NY-ESO-1, which dramatically increased NY-ESO-1 expression. These data indicate that the presentation of NY-ESO-1(88-96) is immunoproteasome dependent. Furthermore, a survey was conducted on multiple samples collected from HLA-B18(+) melanoma patients. Surprisingly, all the detectable responses to NY-ESO-1(88-96) from patients, including those who received NY-ESO-1 ISCOMATRIX? vaccine were induced spontaneously. Taken together, these results imply that some epitopes can be inefficiently presented by tumor cells although the corresponding CD8(+) T cell responses are efficiently primed in vivo by DCs cross-presenting these epitopes. The potential implications for cancer vaccine strategies are further discussed.

Development and cross-amplification of thirty microsatellite loci in five diploid and polyploid Central Asian species of Palearctic green toads (Bufo viridis subgroup)

We report 30 polymorphic microsatellite markers for five species of Palearctic green toads (Bufo viridis subgroup): 23 in the diploid B. latastii, 19 in diploid B. turanensis, 20 in diploid B. shaartusiensis, 27 in tetraploid B. pewzowi, and 30 in triploid B. baturae. Genetic diversity at these loci, measured for 10-18 individuals per species, ranged from 2 to 19 alleles. These microsatellite loci will be useful for conservation plans (genetic diversity, population structure, evolutionary units), inheritance patterns, and evolution of green toads.

[Archives de la Parole]. , The [Parable of] the Prodigal son : in Khariā / [Sir George Grierson], éd. ; Linguistic survey of India ; Voix parlée

[Traditions. Asie. Inde. Chotā Nāgpur]

[Archives de la Parole]. , Parable of the prodigal son in Parjé [i.e. parji], from Bastar (C.P) [i.e. Central Provinces] : dravidien, Linguistic survey of India, [Sir George] Grierson / [Sir George Grierson], éd. ; Linguistic survey of India ; [Bhima Parjā], voix

[Traditions. Asie. Inde. Madhya Pradesh. Chhattisgarh]

[Archives de la Parole]. , Parable of the prodigal son : in Kodaku, from Surguja / [Sir George Grierson], éd. ; Linguistic survey of India ; [Jūthan Koḍākū], voix

[Traditions. Asie. Inde. Madhya Pradesh. Chhattisgarh]

[Archives de la Parole]. , Parable of the prodigal son : in Hō / [Sir George Grierson], éd. ; Linguistic survey of India ; Voix parlée

[Traditions. Asie. Inde. Chotā Nāgpur]

[Archives de la Parole]. , Parable of the prodigal son : in mixed Baghelkhandi (C.P.) [i.e. Central Provinces], from Murwara / [Sir George Grierson], éd. ; Linguistic survey of India ; [Rai Bahadur Hiralal], voix

[Traditions. Asie. Inde. Madhya Pradesh. Baghelkhand]

[Archives de la Parole]. , Parable of the prodigal son : in Santali / [Sir George Grierson], éd. ; Linguistic survey of India ; Voix parlée

[Traditions. Asie. Inde. Chotā Nāgpur]