Writing in Biology

BRM270 is made up of 7 distinct types of plants known as Saururus chinensis,, Aloe vera, Arnebia euchroma,Citrus unshiu Markovich, Portulaca oleracea, Scutellaria baicalensis, and P.vulgaris var. Lilacina. Studies have shown that this substance plays a role in inhibiting tumor cell proliferation [19]. Some of these extract plants are known to be involved in anti-inflammatory activity like P.vulgaris var. Lilacina [20] BRM270 has been illustrated to suppress formation of tumors and does this by negatively regulating nuclear factor-kB signaling in drug resistant cancer stem cells. A study was conducted in which lung adenocarcinoma cells migration and invasion to other areas as well as chemoresistant derivatives was inhibited by treating it with BRM270.

What were the authors trying to test, and what predictions did they make?

    The authors were assessing the genetic diversity and relatedness in the critically endangered species hawk Buteu ridgwayi. The island population of birds is expected to exhibit a lower genetic variation than mainland populations. This is because there is reduced gene flow, smaller population sizes and increased genetic drift due to isolation. The island birds also likely suffer from inbreeding depression.

What, exactly, did the authors do?

    The authors collected samples, and monitored nests and breeding pairs over four years. Blood was collected from 149 Ridgway’s Hawks. Fourteen microsatellite loci were tested to examine allelic variation. The program Bottleneck was used to test for the presence of a genetic bottleneck. Alrequin was used to calculate the observed heterozygosity, expected heterozygosity, and number of alleles. The relatedness was determined used a program called Kin Group.

What did the authors find (i.e, what were their data)?

    The allele frequencies ranged from 0.0069 to 0.4960. The observed heterozygosity across loci ranged from 0.521 to 0.884. Relatedness coefficients of the seven sampled breeding

pairs ranged from -0.09 to 0.55.  There was no structure present, all of the samples came from one genetic population. A significant excess of heterozygotes was found.

How did the authors interpret their findings?

    The results from the study show that the population underwent a recent genetic bottleneck, had a high level of heterozygosity, and occurred inbreeding. The significant excess of heterozygotes indicates a recent genetic bottleneck. The relatedness analysis verified the presence of inbreeding. Island avian populations are of great concern, because they have a higher risk of extinction than mainland animals. These island birds are more susceptible to extinction primarily due to human caused habitat loss and introduced species.

The target product of hydrobenzoin was obtained thorugh a reduction reaction of benzoin using sodium borohydride as the reducer and resulted in a 55% yield.  Recrystallization with acetone as a solvent was used to separate the hydrobenzoin product from remaining impurities.  The presence of hydrobenzoin was confirmed from the thin layer chromatography performed. 

Regarding abortion, however, Warren argues that the above cases do not apply to fetuses, even if there are many who view fetuses as valuable. Warren argues that so long that the fetus remains unborn, its survival is dependent on the mother, and thus infringes on her rights to freedom, happiness, and self-determination. Warren argues that a woman’s rights override those of who would like to see the infant preserved. She compares this situation to that of a man defending himself against a wild animal; he has the right to kill it in defense, even if there are those that wish for to see the animal live. Warren continues by stating that when the fetus is born, its preservation no longer violates any of its mother’s rights even if she wants to destroy it, because she is free to put it up for adoption. As such, the moment of birth marks the end of the mother’s right to decide its fate (Warren, 2).

Therefore having a lower recruitment of neutrophils in the lung could result in a decrease of lung metastasis with TLR3 already inhibited. This then suggest that TLR3 is also involved in promoting pre-metastatic niche creation by recruiting neutrophils to the lung [7]. When TLR3 is present in host stromal cells than chemokine production is high and this then means that neutrophils have an easy way to mobilize and be recruited which we already know are known to contain Bv8 and this will then mean that transportation of tumor cells and facilitation is increased as well [7]

Neutrophils are involved in cellular mediating in damaging microorganisms. It damages cells and tissues of the host. It also contains properties involved in healing wounds and they make key contributions to recruiting and then activating and programming dendritic cells and macrophages. Then the adaptive immune system does its job and regulates the rate of neutrophils being produced in bone marrows. [10] Neutrophils have been studied to be involved in facilitating lung cancer metastasis. The main bone marrow derived cells  found in the metastatic niche are known as cKIT+ and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 (VEGFR1+ ) myeloid cells. Bv8 is also present in pro-metastatic neutrophils.

To see whether TLR3 is involved in pre-metastatic niche formation, the expression of Bv8 was studied since it is involved in promoting primary tumor cell migration and invasion to the potential metastatic site [7]. Studies concluded that TLR3 inhibited had a decrease in the expression of Bv8 which means that transportation of the tumor cells was decreased as well. It also was illustrated that a protein known as fibronectin was downregulated which means that this protein involved in binding BMDCs and tumor cells in pre-metastatic niche was inhibited [7] . It has been known that bone marrow cells bring tumor cells to different sites to form metastatic sites.

The traps will be left alone for five days. On the sixth day the researchers will collect and photograph the insects from the trap to allow for identification. Once identified, the insects will be disposed of in accordance to Umass Biological Science policy.

Identification of Insects

    The collected insects will be sorted into groups of insect type. The groups are ants, spiders, larva, centipede/millipede, and other. The researchers will do their best to determine the species of at least some of the insects, and research the relation between the species found and environmental quality.

Their physical and anatomical characteristics, like many other mammals, are tightly connected to their behavior. Being in a semiarid desert environment, their primary concern is shelter from the hot sun and sand. They are able to avoid them due to their long claws, which help them burrow into the sand and lose rock during the day time when temperatures peak. Their secondary concern is food and water. Due to their large eyes and ears, they have an advantage being nocturnal, keeping hidden from prey during the day from burrowing. They hunt insects, primarily grasshoppers, who they lure with their white hair tipped tail to simulate a plant. Once within distance, they use their large claws and lengthy body to lunge towards the prey and hatch them under their claws before consuming. They are able to consume water, or dew, that accumulates on shrubs caused by the change in temperature during night and day. Their large eyes and ears are extremely sensitive which enable them to see and hear both prey and predators during the night. Being nocturnal, they sleep during the day to limit movement to keep cool, and at night they hunt and mate. These mammals are very territorial as they are solitary and do not migrate, they do not like other males in their territory and will fight them off with their claws but will allow females into their territory for food access in return will mate.

            The seemingly immortal cell line collected from unwitting donor Henrietta Lacks in 1951 has had innumerable implications in medical ethics and science.  These ‘HeLa’ cells have gained a tremendous amount of fame without any question as to their origins.  Billions of dollars and countless medications for previously untreatable diseases such as polio, leukemia, Parkinson’s, and influenza have been derived from the HeLa line, proving their significance.  Henrietta Lacks, born in 1920, was a descendent of African American slaves and their white masters, and grew up in rural Roanoke, Virginia. Henrietta, like most of her family members, worked tirelessly as a tobacco farmer starting at an early age. Over the course of her marriage to David Lacks, Henrietta bore a total of five children, one of them only four and a half months before her diagnosis of cervical cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital.  This common diagnosis was treated with radium tube inserts and instructions for follow up visits.  During one of these follow ups, two samples were taken from Henrietta’s cervix without her permission or knowledge and were studied extensively.