An Alarm Pheromone May Be Released by Defeated Competitors: A Possible Indicator of Danger

Authors:
Ana G. Gutiérrez-García^1, 2, Carlos M. Contreras^2, 3, *, Remedios Mendoza-López⁴, José Madrigal-Madariaga²

Abstract: Among many species, the establishment of hierarchical relations contains a highly ritualized behavioral context accompanied by the delivery of volatile agents, namely ketones and aldehydes, into environment. These substances act as signals contributing to defining and maintaining social hierarchies. Among mammals, some volatile compounds are released into the environment to report the presence of danger or conflict to conspecifics. For example, rats release an alarm pheromone, 2-heptanone, through their urine when subjected to physical stress. However, it is unknown whether some similarity occurs in human being, in spite that many possible alarm compounds have been identified in human fluids, including 2-heptanone. Contact sports may represent a situation of psychosocial interaction in which some hierarchy is established at the end of the contest. In such a case, the first match in martial arts competitions represents a natural model that is seemingly useful for studying alarm conditions in humans since there are two outcomes, winner and non-winner and after a stressful situation represented by contest, some kind of hierarchy is established. The present study measured urinary concentrations of 2-heptanone using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and applied anxiety measures (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, STAI) in a sample of healthy student athletes. Compared with martial-arts winners, the characteristics of the non-winners included an increase in their urinary 2-heptanone content (F_2,18 = 5.541, p < 0.01), with no changes in anxiety scores (STAI-T: F_2,18 = 0.052, p = 0.949; and STAI-S: F_2,18 = 1.083, p = 0.360). The production of this ketone seems to be related with metabolic routes of fatty acids involving the participation of the so called stress hormones that may lead to an increase in the lipolysis of fatty acids and production of their metabolites, and among them, 2-heptanone. The increased release of 2-heptanone at the end of the match in non-winners may be interpreted as the release of an alarm signal that indicates imminent danger, similar to the occurrence in other species.

Keywords: Anxiety, 2-heptanone, Martial Arts, Winners, Tournament, Urine

Introduction

In animals that live in groups, confrontations are part of everyday life and occur within a highly ritualized behavioral context [1,2], leading to the establishment of hierarchical relations but producing a considerable degree of stress, namely in defeated individuals [3]. Some volatile odoriferous substances are released by rodents in corporal fluids and act as signals that contribute to the establishment and maintenance of social hierarchies [4,5]. The preputial gland of dominant male rodents releases two ketones [6], one of which, 2-heptanone, is able to produce anxiety in another receptor conspecific [7].

In primates, some chemical signals are also released in urine during confrontations between males that compete for dominance in the hierarchy or between females that compete for food resources [8]. However, few studies have investigated the role of chemical signals in humans. Contact sports represent a ritualized conflict situation between contenders who are subjected to considerable stress [9,10]. Martial arts competitions may serve as a natural model of social interaction, in which a highly ritualized conflict situation occurs. After physical contact, in most cases, only one winner is possible, thus establishing a type of hierarchy.

Unknown are whether odoriferous substances, identified as alarm pheromones [11], are released by competitors of contact sports and whether urinary excretion is related to the result of the contest. We hypothesized that during martial arts competitions, healthy humans release chemical danger or warning signals. We compared the delivery of urinary 2-heptanone between winners and non-winners in combat sports and associated the results with measurements of anxiety a few minutes prior to the first combat in the tournament, again, a few minutes after the competitors knew the results of the first combat, and 1 week after the tournament.

Read the full article here:http://bit.ly/1ePe2zA

Application of Oncolytic Viruses for Cure of Colorectal Cancer

Della Davis, S. S. Lahiri^*

Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Noida, India

Abstract: Colorectal cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed and lethal cancers worldwide. It is the resultant of multistep processes caused by the accumulation of genetic/epigenetic aberrations. The different therapeutic strategies like radiotherapy, chemotherapy and surgery, used individually or in different combinations, do not remove tumors or their progression all the time. Besides, these procedures involve surrounding cells and tissues. In case of surgery, which is possible only before metastasis, even a single cancer cell left out during surgery, cause further cancer. Focus has been laid in developing agents that could specifically target the cancer cells and leave out the remaining normal cells. This also attempt at total recovery. This was how the focus was laid on viral agents. Over the last two decades, due to various advancements in molecular biology, virotherapy has seen various developments. A special class of viruses called oncolytic viruses have been used as a therapeutic strategy against cancer. These agents have various inherent and engineered factors like enhanced tissue tropism, thereby providing high selectivity; armed with transgenes to deliver therapeutic genes and to perform tumor selective replication, all these factors proving them improved and evolved mechanisms, when compared with other cancer therapeutics. These oncolytic virus provide greater protection in association with herbal remedies. The purpose of this paper is to provide a detailed account of some of the current observations, developments and insights made in the field of oncolytic virotherapy for targeting colorectal cancer cells.  A panel of five oncolytic viruses i.e. adenovirus, herpes virus, reovirus, vaccinia virus and new castle disease virus that are under clinical studies for targeting colorectal cancer cells have been discussed.

Keywords: Oncolytic Virus; Colorectal Cancer, Oncolytic Virotherapy, Oncolysis, Targeted Therapy, Adenovirus, CRAds, Herpes Simplex Virus, Reovirus, Vaccinia Virus, New Castle Disease Virus, Immunostimulatory Response

Introduction

The colon is a tubular structure measuring approx. 1.5 m in length and varying diameters in an adult. The colon is continuous with the small intestine proximally at the ileocecal valve and ends distally at the anal verge. The rectum, 10 cm in length in the adult, begins at the peritoneal reflexion and follows the curve of the sacrum ending at the anal canal.

1.1.Colonic Crypt Organization

The colon is organized into four histologically distinct layers. The epithelial layer, at the luminal surface, consists of a single sheet of columnar epithelial cells folded into finger-like invaginations that are supported by the lamina propria to form the functional unit of the intestine, called crypts of Lieberkühn (Lc). There are four epithelial cell lineages. The terminally differentiated cells (enterocytes, goblet cells, and endocrine cells), which are found in the top third of the crypt, are derived from multipotent stem cells located at the bottom of the crypt. During asymmetric division, these multipotent cells undergo self-renewal and generate a population of transit amplifying cells that, upon migration upward through the crypt, proliferate and differentiate into one of the epithelial cell types of the intestinal wall. The fourth type of cells, the Paneth cells, differentiates during a downward migration to the base of the crypt, where they reside below the stem cell population¹.

A variety of functions have been attributed to Paneth cells. These functions include modulation of the intestinal microflora and maintenance of mucosal defense barriers

A normal human crypt contains roughly 2,000 cells and approx. 19 stem cells. Stem cells are defined by two functional properties: self-renewal and multipotency. Several molecules have been proposed as markers of stem cells in the intestine, including Musashi-1 (Msi-1), Hes1, integrins α2 and β1 subunits, EphB receptors, Bmi-1, Lgr5, and Aldh1.^{2, 3}

Source:Anatomy of the colon and retum, viewed on 8^th July, 2014 < http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/gastroenterology_hepatology/diseases_conditions/small_large_intestine/>.

Fig. 1. (a) Anatomy of Colon (b) Anatomy of Rectum.

Source: Gastrointest Cancer Res. 2010 Nov-Dec; (Suppl 1): S16–S23.

Fig. 2. This represents the crypt of Lieberkühn, (a) Normal intestinal epithelium (b) Tumorigenic intestinal epithelium.

Read the rest of peer reviewed article here:http://bit.ly/1Sqv7x7

Source:http://bit.ly/1HTlPDR

Public Research platform become the main source of scientific information

All along, science and technology are an important force in support of economic development, and in order to continue the progress of human civilization, scientists also are constantly making efforts to science and technology. For a country or company, the ability to master the world's most cutting-edge research and consultation is an important means to improve their competitiveness, and accompanied by the development of information technology in recent years, not only the public information platform on the Internet has started to become the main channels for many scientists to share the scientific information, it is an important means of ordinary people looking for research information.

Currently, the various countries of the world are seeking to build a public information platform for scientific research, the main force of China building platform is the government and universities, such as Gansu Province in China have set up more than two hundred scientific information platform for local small and micro the development of enterprises provide important scientific information base through 28 colleges and universities

Compared to China, overseas research information platform set up mainly relying on various research institutions and groups publishing, such as the American international publishing group: Science Publishing Group, the whole website of SciencePG is a great platform online that we can read and publish scientific papers, academic journals, science research articles for free. In the world, more and more group publishing become a platform open access, on the one hand, scientists and scholars can publish their research paper on these academic journals, on the other hand, and they can share their knowledge with other experts. In the United States, this form the platform has been influential.

Through the survey data show that both the United States or in China, the use of scientific information platform for cutting-edge research to understand the information ratio has more than half, most of the people there is a need to think of scientific information common research platform to search. Also China is also emulate the United States this mode of platform management, such as Jiuquan Steel Group has just opened an open research platform, open platform for Chinese enterprises to set up their own precedent, and also for the technical development of the Group provides a display platform.