Polyfire project- an example of an industrial research project promoting safe industrial production of fire-resistant nanocomposites

New developments based on nanotechnology have to guarantee safe products and processes to be accepted by society. The Polyfire project will develop and scale-up techniques for processing halogen-free, fire-retardant nanocomposite materials and coatings based on unsaturated polyester resins and organoclays. The project includes a work package that will assess the Health and Environmental impacts derived from the manipulation of nanoparticles. This work package includes the following tasks: (1) Identification of Health and Environment Impacts derived from the processes, (2) Experimentation to study specific Nanoparticle Emissions, (3) Development of a Risk Management Methodology for the process, and (4) A Comparison of the Health and Environmental Impact of New and Existing Materials. To date, potential exposure scenarios to nanomaterials have been identified through the development of a Preliminary Hazard Analysis (PHA) of the new production processes. In the next step, these scenarios will be studied and simulated to evaluate potential emissions of nanomaterials. Polyfire is a collaborative European project, funded by the European Commission 7th Framework Programme (Grant Agreement No 229220). It features 11 partners from 5 countries (5 SMEs, 3 research institutes, 2 large companies, 1 association) and runs for three years (1st September 2009 – 31st August 2012). This project is an example of an industrial research development which aims to introduce to the market new products promoting the safe use of nanomaterials

Presynaptic actions of 4-Aminopyridine and γ-aminobutyric acid on rat sympathetic ganglia in vitro

Responses to bath-applications of 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) and -aminobutyric acid (GABA) were recorded intracellularly from neurones in the rat isolated superior cervical ganglion. 4-aminopyridine (0.1–1.0 mmol/l) usually induced spontaneous action potentials and excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs), which were blocked by hexamethonium. Membrane potential was unchanged; spike duration was slightly increased. Vagus nerve B-and C-fibre potentials were prolonged. In 4-AP solution (0.1–0.3 mmol/l), GABA (0.1 mmol/l), 3-aminopropanesulphonic acid or muscimol evoked bursts of spikes and EPSPs in addition to a neuronal depolarization. These bursts, which were not elicited by glycine, glutamate, taurine or (±)-baclofen, were completely antagonised by hexamethonium, tetrodotoxin or bicuculline methochloride. It is concluded that: (a) 4-AP has a potent presynaptic action on sympathetic ganglia; (b) presynaptic actions of GABA can be recorded postsynaptically in the presence of 4-AP; and (c) the presynaptic GABA-receptors revealed in this condition are similar to those on the postsynaptic membrane

Minotaur is critical for primary piRNA biogenesis

Piwi proteins and their associated small RNAs are essential for fertility in animals. In part, this is due to their roles in guarding germ cell genomes against the activity of mobile genetic elements. piRNA populations direct Piwi proteins to silence transposon targets and, as such, form a molecular code that discriminates transposons from endogenous genes. Information ultimately carried by piRNAs is encoded within genomic loci, termed piRNA clusters. These give rise to long, single-stranded, primary transcripts that are processed into piRNAs. Despite the biological importance of this pathway, neither the characteristics that define a locus as a source of piRNAs nor the mechanisms that catalyze primary piRNA biogenesis are well understood. We searched an EMS-mutant collection annotated for fertility phenotypes for genes involved in the piRNA pathway. Twenty-seven homozygous sterile strains showed transposon-silencing defects. One of these, which strongly impacted primary piRNA biogenesis, harbored a causal mutation in CG5508, a member of the Drosophila glycerol-3-phosphate O-acetyltransferase (GPAT) family. These enzymes catalyze the first acylation step on the path to the production of phosphatidic acid (PA). Though this pointed strongly to a function for phospholipid signaling in the piRNA pathway, a mutant form of CG5508, which lacks the GPAT active site, still functions in piRNA biogenesis. We have named this new biogenesis factor Minotaur

Proportionate and disproportionate policy responses to climate change: core concepts and empirical applications

A fresh perspective on policy-making and planning has emerged which views disproportionate policy as an intentional policy response. A disproportionate policy response is understood to be a lack of‘fit’or balance between the costs of a public policy and the benefits that are derived from this policy, and between policy ends and means. This paper applies this new perspective on the proportionality of policy-making to the area of climate change. The first part of the paper discusses the underlying causes of disproportionate policy responses in broad terms and then applies the theoretical reasoning to understand the conditions in which they are likely to appear in relation to climate change. These conditions are hypothesized to relate to four main factors: economic considerations; levels of public demand; focusing events; and strategic considerations. It concludes with the suggestion that societal actors may be able to manipulate these four factors to encourage politicians to adopt policies that mitigate climate change more rapidly than is currently the case in most countries

A Mechanistic Link to Peripheral Endothelial Dysfunction

Background: Sleep‐disordered breathing (SDB) after acute ischemic stroke is frequent and may be linked to stroke‐induced autonomic imbalance. In the present study, the interaction between SDB and peripheral endothelial dysfunction (ED) was investigated in patients with acute ischemic stroke and at 1‐year follow‐up. Methods and Results: SDB was assessed by transthoracic impedance records in 101 patients with acute ischemic stroke (mean age, 69 years; 61% men; median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, 4) while being on the stroke unit. SDB was defined by apnea‐hypopnea index ≥5 episodes per hour. Peripheral endothelial function was assessed using peripheral arterial tonometry (EndoPAT‐2000). ED was defined by reactive hyperemia index ≤1.8. Forty‐one stroke patients underwent 1‐year follow‐up (390±24 days) after stroke. SDB was observed in 57% patients with acute ischemic stroke. Compared with patients without SDB, ED was more prevalent in patients with SDB (32% versus 64%; P<0.01). After adjustment for multiple confounders, presence of SDB remained independently associated with ED (odds ratio, 3.1; [95% confidence interval, 1.2–7.9]; P<0.05). After 1 year, the prevalence of SDB decreased from 59% to 15% (P<0.001). Interestingly, peripheral endothelial function improved in stroke patients with normalized SDB, compared with patients with persisting SDB (P<0.05). Conclusions: SDB was present in more than half of all patients with acute ischemic stroke and was independently associated with peripheral ED. Normalized ED in patients with normalized breathing pattern 1 year after stroke suggests a mechanistic link between SDB and ED

Strategies, methods and tools for managing nanorisks in construction

This paper presents a general overview of the work carried out by European project SCAFFOLD (GA 280535) during its 30 months of life, with special emphasis on risk management component. The research conducted by SCAFFOLD is focused on the European construction sector and considers 5 types of nanomaterials (TiO2, SiO2, carbon nanofibres, cellulose nanofibers and nanoclays), 6 construction applications (Depollutant mortars, selfcompacting concretes, coatings, self-cleaning coatings, fire resistant panels and insulation materials) and 26 exposure scenarios, including lab, pilot and industrial scales. The document focuses on the structure, content and operation modes of the Risk Management Toolkit developed by the project to facilitate the implementation of "nano-management" in construction companies. The tool deploys and integrated approach OHSAS 18001 - ISO 31000 and is currently being validated on 5 industrial case studies.Research carried out by project SCAFFOLD was made possible thanks to funding from the European Commission, through the Seventh Framework Programme (GA 280535

Localization of human chorionic gonadotropin beta subunit transcripts in ovarian cancer tissue.

Recent studies demonstrated that besides placenta and malignant trophoblastic tumors, hCG and especially its beta-subunit is secreted by a varieties of tumors of different origin. The aim of the present investigation was to determine the expression pattern of human chorionic gonadotropin gene in ovarian cancer tissue. The study included 8 patients with epithelial ovarian carcinoma. The expression and distribution of hCGbeta mRNA was assessed by in situ RT-PCR method. The semi-quantitative assessment was performed using computer image analysis. Transformation of the images into the pseudocolour scale showed a clear difference in fluorescence intensity among individual cancer cells. The intensity of ISRT-PCR products corresponding with expression level of hCGbeta demonstrated that its production by individual cancer cells is different. In all studied specimens of the ovarian carcinoma tissue, cancer cells characterized by the presence of active hCGbeta gene were found, whereas noncancerous tissue demonstrated lack of the gene expression. Thus, the study clearly shows that the expression of hCGbeta is the feature of ovarian cancer tissue

Distribution of the DAZ gene transcripts in human testis.

Involvement of variety of genes, especially located on Y chromosome, is critical for the regulation of spermatogenesis. In particular, fertility candidate genes such as deleted in azoospermia (DAZ) are believed to have important function in sperm production, since DAZ is frequently deleted in azoospermic and severy oligozoospermic men. The role of the DAZ gene is supported by its exclusive expression in the testis and by its deletion in about 10% of azoospermic and severely oligozoospermic patients. The distribution of DAZ transcripts in seminiferous epithelium of human testis is reported in the present study. The use of Adobe Photoshop and Scion Image softwares allowed for semi-quantitative analysis of in situ RT-PCR (ISRT-PCR) results. The intensity of ISRT-PCR product's fluorescence was different within individual seminiferous tubules. It was clearly shown by using the pseudocolour scale and transforming the intensity of the fluorescence into levels of greyscale images. The more intense fluorescence characterised single spermatogonia and those organized in small groups inside separate tubules. The most intense accumulation of DAZ mRNA was observed in spermatogonia

Contrasting roles of histone 3 lysine 27 demethylases in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (T-ALL) is a haematological malignancy with a dismal overall prognosis, including a relapse rate of up to 25%, mainly because of the lack of non-cytotoxic targeted therapy options. Drugs that target the function of key epigenetic factors have been approved in the context of haematopoietic disorders, and mutations that affect chromatin modulators in a variety of leukaemias have recently been identified; however, ‘epigenetic’ drugs are not currently used for T-ALL treatment. Recently, we described that the polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) has a tumour-suppressor role in T-ALL. Here we delineated the role of the histone 3 lysine 27 (H3K27) demethylases JMJD3 and UTX in T-ALL. We show that JMJD3 is essential for the initiation and maintenance of T-ALL, as it controls important oncogenic gene targets by modulating H3K27 methylation. By contrast, we found that UTX functions as a tumour suppressor and is frequently genetically inactivated in T-ALL. Moreover, we demonstrated that the small molecule inhibitor GSKJ4 (ref. 5) affects T-ALL growth, by targeting JMJD3 activity. These findings show that two proteins with a similar enzymatic function can have opposing roles in the context of the same disease, paving the way for treating haematopoietic malignancies with a new category of epigenetic inhibitors.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant R37-HD04502