“
“In previous studies, feathers of adult predatory birds have been evaluated as valid non-destructive biomonitor matrices for persistent organic pollutants (POPS). In this study, we

assessed for the first time the usefulness of nestling raptor feathers for non-destructive biomonitoring of POPs. For this purpose, we collected body feathers and blood of nestlings from three avian top predators from northern Norway: northern goshawks Pitavastatin order (Accipiter gentilis), white-tailed eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) and golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos). We were able to detect a broad spectrum of legacy POPs in the nestling feathers of all three species (Sigma PCBs: 6.78-140 ng g(-1); DDE: 3.15-145 ng g(-1); Sigma PBDEs: 0.538-7.56 ng g(-1)) However, these concentrations were lower compared to other studies on raptor species, probably due to the aspect of monitoring of nestlings instead of adults. Besides their analytical suitability, nestling feathers also appear to be biologically informative: concentrations of most POPs in nestling feathers showed strong Selleck CUDC-907 and significant correlations with blood plasma concentrations in all species (p<0.050; 0.775<r<0.994). In addition, the reported correlations between

feathers and blood plasma were much higher than those previously reported for adult individuals. Accumulation profiles and species-specific differences were in accordance with other toxicological studies on avian species and generally in agreement with the specific ecology of the studied species. In summary, our results indicate that the use of nestling Selleckchem Savolitinib feathers of northern raptors may be a valid and promising non-destructive biomonitoring strategy for POPs in their ecosystems. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Background: Glatiramer acetate (GA, Copaxone (R)) has beneficial effects on the clinical course of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). However, the exact molecular mechanisms of GA effects are only partially understood.

Objective: To characterized

GA molecular effects in RRMS patients within 3 months of treatment by microarray profiling of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC).

Methods: Gene-expression profiles were determined in RRMS patients before and at 3 months after initiation of GA treatment using Affimetrix (U133A-2) microarrays containing 14,500 well-characterized human genes. Most informative genes (MIGs) of GA-induced biological convergent pathways operating in RRMS were constructed using gene functional annotation, enrichment analysis and pathway reconstruction bioinformatic softwares. Verification at the mRNA and protein level was performed by qRT-PCR and FACS.

Results: GA induced a specific gene expression molecular signature that included altered expression of 480 genes within 3 months of treatment; 262 genes were up-regulated, and 218 genes were down-regulated.