p63 regulates commitment to the prostate cell lineage

Molecular mechanisms underlying prostate and urothelial development remain unclear. This situation presents major limitations in identifying the cell type(s) and molecular events involved in the development of prostate and bladder cancer. It has been shown that mice lacking the basal cell marker p63 present several epithelial defects, including epidermis and prostate buds agenesis and urothelial abnormalities. Here, we use the p63-/- mouse as a tool to define cell lineages in the prostate epithelium and urothelium. By complementing p63-/- blastocysts with p63+/+ beta-galactosidase (beta-gal)-positive ES cells, we show that secretory cells of the prostate originate from p63-positive basal progenitor cells. Importantly, our urogenital sinus transplantation studies demonstrate that p63 prevents intestinal differentiation of the urogenital sinus endoderm and is therefore required to maintain commitment to the prostate cell lineage. Finally, in contrast with the prostate findings, analysis of the urothelium from rescued p63-/- chimeras shows that umbrella (superficial) cells can develop and be maintained independently from p63-positive basal and intermediate cells.     

Antibacterial photodynamic activity of photosensitizer-embedded alginate-pectin-carboxymethyl cellulose composite biopolymer films

Lasers in Medical Science - Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (APDT) is a promising approach for treatment of wounds infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In this approach, delivery of...     

Teaching of anatomy in a problem-based curriculum at the Arabian Gulf University: the new face of the museum

The College of Medicine and Medical Sciences of the Arabian Gulf University has an undergraduate medical curriculum that uses problem-based learning as the principal teaching strategy. Teaching of anatomy comes at various places in the curriculum, and the anatomy museum serves as an important resource and engages the students in self-directed learning. Although the museum had sufficient resource materials, the emphasis on individualized instruction and self-directed learning in anatomy has resulted in the need for an effective approach and a reorganization of the facilities in the museum. Thus, we recently rearranged the museum to create 42 modules or stations (learning carrels) focusing on specific organ systems for self-study by students. Computer-assisted programs, videocassettes, ultrasound, and structured living anatomy sessions in the clinical professional skills program facilitated such an arrangement. An increased utilization by the students was observed in the reorganized museum. Thus, the museum can play an effective role in the study of anatomy through problem-based integrated learning modules.     

Trends in medical education: challenges and directions for need-based reforms of medical training in South-East Asia

Most medical schools, especially in South-East Asia, currently are experiencing difficulties in providing the right quality and quantity of educational experiences as the curricula have failed to respond to the needs of the community and country. The pedagogic shift from traditional approach to a need-based approach requires a fundamental change of the roles and commitments of educators, planners and policymakers. Teachers of health professional education in the region are to be well-informed of the trends and innovations and utilize these to increase relevance and quality of education to produce competent human resources for the region. The purpose of this paper is twofold: (i) to discuss innovative strategies and emerging trends, which have been successfully adopted by educators around the world for the reorientation of medical education to overcome existing traditions of educational planning, review and development and (ii) to highlight their implications and importance to initiate need-based reforms of medical training in South-East Asia.     

Antimicrobial susceptibility pattern among methicillin resistant Staphylococcus isolates in Assam

Prevalence of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus from a referral hospital in Assam was studied. Methicillin resistance among the Staphylococcus aureus isolates was 52.9% and 15% among the coagulase negative staphylococci. Resistance to all antibiotics tested among the methicillin resistant and methicillin sensitive staphylococci was found to be 23.2% and 6.6% respectively. Higher resistance to multiple antibiotics in methicillin resistant strains as compared to methicillin sensitive strains was found to be statistically significant. Ciprofloxacin resistance among the strains was still lower in comparison to the findings from other parts of the country.     

Evidence of linkage and association on 18p11.2 for psychosis.

The genetic basis of bipolar disorder (BPD) and schizophrenia (SCZ) has been established through numerous clinical and molecular studies. Although often considered separate nosological entities, evidence now suggests that the two syndromes may share some genetic liability. Recent studies have used a composite phenotype (psychosis) that includes BPD, SCZ, psychosis not otherwise specified, and schizoaffective disorder, to identify shared susceptibility loci. Several chromosomal regions are reported to be shared between these syndromes (18p, 6q, 10p, 13q, 22q). As a part of our endeavor to scan these regions, we report a positive linkage and association finding at 18p11.2 for psychosis. Two-point linkage analysis performed on a series of 52 multiplex pedigrees with 23 polymorphic markers yielded a LOD score of 2.02 at D18S37. An independent set of 159 parent offspring trios was used to confirm this suggestive finding. The TDT analysis yielded support for association between the marker D18S453 and the disease allele (chi2 = 4.829, P < 0.028). This region has been implicated by several studies on BPD [Sjoholt et al. (2004); Mol Psychiatry 9(6):621-629; Washizuka et al. (2004); Biol Psychiatry 56(7):483-489; Pickard et al. (2005); Psychiatr Genet 15(1):37-44], SCZ [Kikuchi et al. (2003); J Med Dent Sci 50(3):225-229; Babovic-Vuksanovic et al. (2004); Am J Med Genet 124(3):318-322] and also as a shared region between the two diseases [Ishiguro et al. (2001); J Neural Transm 108(7):849-854; Reyes et al. (2002); Mol Psychiatry 7(4):337-339; Craddock et al. (2005); J Med Genet 42(3):193-204]. Our findings provide an independent validation of the above reports, and suggest the presence of susceptibility loci for psychoses in this region.     

Restoration of impaired free radical generation and proinflammatory cytokines by MCP-1 in mycobacterial pathogenesis

Mycobacterium tuberculosis exerts its pathogenic effects mainly via its cell wall glycolipid called Mannosylated Lipoarabinomannan (Man-LAM), which subverts the cellular inflammatory responses by the suppression of superoxide anion generation in earlier hours, and nitric oxide (NO) generation at later hours of pathogenic invasion. In this paper, we have shown the prophylactic effect of C-C chemokines, both in vitro and in vivo . Exogenous administration of C-C chemokines, particularly monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, led to the induction of superoxide anion generation via the restoration of impaired protein kinase C (PKC) signalling in Man-LAM-treated macrophages. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 could also potently induce NO generation by upregulation of the proinflammatory cytokines tumour necrosis factor-α and interleukin-12 from Man-LAM-treated macrophages accompanied by inhibition of anti-inflammatory responses. Our in vivo observations clearly exhibited effective restoration of impaired PKC signalling as well as proinflammatory cytokine expression by MCP-1 in Man-LAM treated as well as M. tuberculosis H37Rv-infected C57BL/6 mice. We also observed, as direct evidence, that MCP-1 induced a significant reduction of the number of viable tubercle bacilli in the lungs and spleen of infected mice. Collectively, our findings strongly suggest the effectiveness of MCP-1 as a potent immunoprophylactic tool for controlling the mycobacterial establishment within the host.