Fate of inflammatory neutrophils within the joint

OBJECTIVE: Impaired flow-mediated dilation (FMD) occurs in disease states associated with atherosclerosis, including SLE. The primary hemodynamic determinant of FMD is wall shear stress, which is critically dependent on the forearm microcirculation. We explored the relationship between FMD, diastolic shear stress (DSS), and the forearm microcirculation in 32 patients with SLE and 19 controls. METHODS AND RESULTS: DSS was calculated using (mean diastolic velocity x 8 x blood viscosity)/baseline brachial artery diameter. Doppler velocity envelopes from the first 15 seconds of reactive hyperemia were analyzed for resistive index (RI), and interrogated in the frequency domain to assess forearm microvascular hemodynamics. FMD was significantly impaired in SLE patients (median, 2.4%; range, -2.1% to 10.7% versus median 5.8%; range, 1.9% to 14%; P

Investigation of organic xenobiotic transfers, partitioning and processing in air-soil-plant systems using a microcosm apparatus. Part II:comparing the fate of chlorobenzenes in grass planted soil

A microcosm system was used to investigate and compare transfers of 14C labeled-1,2-dichlorobenzene (DCB), 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene (TCB) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) in an air-soil-plant system using single grass tillers planted into spiked soil. This study was the second phase of a development investigation for eventual study of a range of xenobiotic pollutants. Recoveries from the system were excellent at >90%. The predominant loss pathway for 14C labeled-1,2-DCB and 1,2,4-TCB was volatilisation with 85% and 76% volatilisation of parent compound and volatile metabolites over 5 weeks respectively. Most of the added label in the hexachlorobenzene spiked system remained in soil. Mineralisation was

Tracking the Fate of Microbially Sequestered Carbon Dioxide in Soil Organic Matter

The microbial contribution to soil organic matter (SOM) has recently been shown to be much larger than previously thought and thus its role in carbon sequestration may also be underestimated. In this study we employ C-13 ((CO2)-C-13) to assess the potential CO2 sequestration capacity of soil chemoautotrophic bacteria and combine nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) with stable isotope probing (SIP), techniques that independently make use of the isotopic enrichment of soil microbial biomass. In this way molecular information generated from NMR is linked with identification of microbes responsible for carbon capture. A mathematical model is developed to determine real-time CO2 flux so that net sequestration can be calculated. Twenty-eight groups of bacteria showing close homologies with existing species were identified. Surprisingly, Ralstonia eutropha was the dominant group. Through NMR we observed the formation of lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins produced directly from CO2 utilized by microbial biomass. The component of SOM directly associated with CO2 capture was calculated at 2.86 mg C (89.21 mg kg(-1)) after 48 h. This approach can,differentiate between SOM derived through microbial uptake of CO2 and other SOM constituents and represents a first step in tracking the fate and dynamics of microbial biomass in soil.

Modelling the fate of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the North Sea system

The environmental fate of selected persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the North Sea system is modelled with a high resolution Fate and Transport Ocean Model (FANTOM) that uses hydrodynamic model output from the Hamburg Shelf Ocean Model (HAMSOM). Large amounts of POPs enter the North Sea from the surrounding highly populated, industrialised and agricultural countries. Major pathways to the North Sea are atmospheric deposition and river inputs, with additional contributions coming from bottom sediments and adjacent seas. The model domain covers the entire North Sea region, extending northward as far as the Shetland Islands, and includes adjacent basins such as the Skagerrak, Kattegat, and the westernmost part of the Baltic Sea. Model resolution (for both models) is 1.5’ latitude x 2.5’ longitude (approximately 3 km horizontal resolution) with 30 vertical levels. The POP model also has 20 sediment layers. Important model processes controlling the fate of POPs in the North Sea system are discussed. Results focus on Lindane gamma- HCH or gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane) and PCB 153.

Assessing the environmental fate of selected polybrominated diphenyl ethers in the region surrounding the Zhuoshui River of Taiwan based on an Equilibrium Constant fugacity model

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a group of flame retardants that have been in use since the 1970s. They are included in the list of hazardous substances known as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) because they are extremely hazardous to the environment and human health. PBDEs have been extensively used in industry and manufacturing in Taiwan, thus its citizens are at high risk of exposure to these chemicals.
An assessment of the environmental fate of these compounds in the Zhuoshui river and Changhua County regions of western Taiwan, and also including the adjacent area of the Taiwan Strait, was conducted for three high risk congeners, BDE-47, -99 and -209, to obtain information regarding the partitioning, advection, transfer and long range transport potential of the PBDEs in order to identify the level of risk posed by the pollutants in this region.
The results indicate that large amounts of PBDEs presently reside in all model compartments – air, soil, water, and sediment – with particularly high levels found in air and especially in sediment. The high levels found in sediment, particularly for BDE-209, are significant, since there is the threat of these pollutants entering the food chain, either directly through benthic feeding, or through resuspension and subsequent feeding in the pelagic region of the water column which is a distinct possibility in the strong currents found within the Taiwan Strait. Another important result is that a substantial portion of emissions leave the model domain directly through advection, particularly for BDE-47 (58%) and BDE-209 (75%), thus posing a risk to adjacent communities.
Model results were generally in reasonable agreement with available measured concentrations. In air, model concentrations are in reasonably good agreement with available measured values. For both BDE-47 and -99, model concentrations are a factor of 2-3 higher and BDE-209 within the range of measured values. In soil, model results are somewhat less than measured values. In sediment, model results are at the high end of measured values.

The fate of chemoresistance in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC)

Background: Treatment options for women presenting with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) are limited due to the lack of a therapeutic target and as a result, are managed with standard chemotherapy such as paclitaxel (Taxol®). Following chemotherapy, the ideal tumour response is apoptotic cell death. Post-chemotherapy, cells can maintain viability by undergoing viable cellular responses such as cellular senescence, generating secretomes which can directly enhance the malignant phenotype. 
Scope of Review: How tumour cells retain viability in response to chemotherapeutic engagement is discussed. In addition we discuss the implications of this retained tumour cell viability in the context of the development of recurrent and metastatic TNBC disease. Current adjuvant and neo-adjuvant treatments available and the novel potential therapies that are being researched are also reviewed. 
Major conclusions: Cellular senescence and cytoprotective autophagy are potential mechanisms of chemoresistance in TNBC. These two non-apoptotic outcomes in response to chemotherapy are inextricably linked and are neglected outcomes of investigation in the chemotherapeutic arena. Cellular fate assessments may therefore have the potential to predict TNBC patient outcome. 
General Significance: Focusing on the fact that cancer cells can bypass the desired cellular apoptotic response to chemotherapy through cellular senescence and cytoprotective autophagy will highlight the importance of targeting non-apoptotic survival pathways to enhance chemotherapeutic efficacy

The Environmental Fate of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in western Taiwan and coastal waters: evaluation with a fugacity based model

The environmental fate of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), a group of flame retardants that are considered to be persistent organic pollutants (POPs), around the Zhuoshui River and Changhua County regions of Taiwan was assessed. An investigation into emissions, partitioning, and fate of selected PBDEs was conducted based on the equilibrium constant (EQC) fugacity model developed at Trent University, Canada. Emissions for congeners PBDE 47, PBDE 99, and PBDE 209 to air (4.9–92 × 10−3 kg/h), soil (0.91–17.4 × 10−3 kg/h), and water (0.21–4.04 × 10−3 kg/h), were estimated by modifying previous models on PBDE emission rates by considering both industrial and domestic rates. It was found that fugacity modeling can give a reasonable estimation of the behavior, partitioning, and concentrations of PBDE congeners in and around Taiwan. Results indicate that PBDE congeners have a high affinity for partitioning into sediments then soils. As congener number decreases, the PBDEs then partition more readily into air. As the degree of bromination increases, congeners more readily partition to sediments. Sediments may then act as a long-term source of PBDEs which can be released back into the water column due to resuspension during storm events.