Vanderbilt University

About: Vanderbilt University is a education organization based out in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Cancer. The organization has 45066 authors who have published 106528 publications receiving 5435039 citations. The organization is also known as: Vandy.

Involvement of Bone Morphogenetic Protein-4 (BMP-4) and Vgr-1 in morphogenesis and neurogenesis in the mouse

Abstract: Bone Morphogenetic Protein-4 (BMP-4) and Vgr-1 are members of the TGF-beta gene family most closely related to the Drosophila Decapentaplegic and Xenopus Vg-1 genes. Members of this gene family have been implicated in diverse processes during embryogenesis including epithelial-mesenchymal interactions. Here, we use in situ hybridization to localize BMP-4 and Vgr-1 transcripts during murine development. BMP-4 mRNA is found in a variety of tissues. In the 8.5 days p.c. embryo, transcripts are localized to the mesoderm posterior to the last somite. Later gestation embryos show expression in developing limbs, the embryonic heart, the facial processes and condensed mesenchymal cells associated with early whisker follicle formation. In the developing central nervous system (CNS), BMP-4 expression is restricted to the floor of the diencephalon associated with pituitary development. In contrast, Vgr-1 transcripts are found along the anteroposterior axis of the CNS, in cells immediately adjacent to the floor plate and in the roof plate extending to the forebrain. Together, the data support the hypothesis that polypeptide growth factors of the TGF-beta superfamily play key roles in the initial stages of neurogenesis and organogenesis during murine development.

Gonadal steroids and immunity

Abstract: I. Introduction THE remarkable female predominance of such diverse autoimmune diseases as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Hashimoto's thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, and primary biliary cirrhosis has suggested to many clinicians that hormonal differences between the sexes must confer some protective effect on males or enhance the susceptibility of females to these diseases. This review will examine the evidence in support of such an hypothesis. We will examine the effects of gonadal steroids on the function of the normal immune system as well as their impact on autoimmune processes. We will explore current knowledge of the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which gonadal steroids might modulate both normal and disordered function of the immune system. II. Physiology and Pathophysiology of Gonadal Steroid Effects on Immunity A. Normal immune responses are sexually dimorphic A significant body of data establishes that a number of aspects of immune responsiveness normally differ between males and fe...

Defective thrombus formation in mice lacking coagulation factor XII

Abstract: Blood coagulation is thought to be initiated by plasma protease factor VIIa in complex with the membrane protein tissue factor. In contrast, coagulation factor XII (FXII)–mediated fibrin formation is not believed to play an important role for coagulation in vivo. We used FXII-deficient mice to study the contributions of FXII to thrombus formation in vivo. Intravital fluorescence microscopy and blood flow measurements in three distinct arterial beds revealed a severe defect in the formation and stabilization of platelet-rich occlusive thrombi. Although FXII-deficient mice do not experience spontaneous or excessive injury-related bleeding, they are protected against collagen- and epinephrine-induced thromboembolism. Infusion of human FXII into FXII-null mice restored injury-induced thrombus formation. These unexpected findings change the long-standing concept that the FXII-induced intrinsic coagulation pathway is not important for clotting in vivo. The results establish FXII as essential for thrombus formation, and identify FXII as a novel target for antithrombotic therapy.

Rhyolite-MELTS: a Modified Calibration of MELTS Optimized for Silica-rich, Fluid-bearing Magmatic Systems

Abstract: Silicic magma systems are of great scientific interest and societal importance owing to their role in the evolution of the crust and the hazards posed by volcanic eruptions. MELTS is a powerful and widely used tool to study the evolution of magmatic systems over a wide spectrum of compositions and conditions. However, the current calibration of MELTS fails to correctly predict the position of the quartz þ feldspar saturation surface in temperature, pressure and composition space, making it unsuitable to study silicic systems. We create a modified calibration of MELTS optimized for silicic systems, dubbed rhyolite-MELTS, using early erupted Bishop pumice as a reference. Small adjustments to the calorimetrically determined enthalpy of formation of quartz and of the potassium end-member of alkali feldspar in the MELTS calibration lead to much improved predictions of the quartz þ feldspar saturation surface as a function of pressure. Application of rhyolite-MELTS to the Highland Range Volcanic Sequence (Nevada), the Peach Spring Tuff (Arizona^Nevada^California), and the late-erupted Bishop Tuff (California), using compositions that vary from trachydacite to high-silica rhyolite, shows that the calibration is appropriate for a variety of fluid-bearing silicic systems. Some key observations include the following. (1) The simulated evolutionary paths are consistent with petrographic observations and glass compositions; further work is needed to compare predicted and observed mineral compositions. (2) The nearly invariant nature of silicic magmas is well captured by rhyolite-MELTS; unusual behavior is observed after extensive pseudo-invariant crystallization, suggesting that the new calibration works best for relatively small (i.e.550 wt %) crystallization intervals, comparable with what is observed in volcanic rocks. (3) Our success with rhyolite-MELTS shows that water-bearing systems in which hydrous phases do not play a critical role can be appropriately handled; simulations are sensitive to initial water concentration, and although only a pure-H2O fluid is modeled, suitable amounts of water can be added or subtracted to mimic the effect of CO2 in fluid solubility. Our continuing work on natural systems shows that rhyolite-MELTS is very useful in constraining crystallization conditions, and is particularly well suited to explore the eruptive potential of silicic magmas. We show that constraints placed by rhyoliteMELTS simulations using late-erupted Bishop Tuff whole-rock and melt inclusion compositions are inconsistent with a vertically stratified magma body.

The Relationship Between Sex Roles, Marital Status, and Mental Illness

Abstract: In modern Western societies women have higher rates of mental illness than men. In this article it is suggested that this difference can be attributed to the role of married women. More specifically, it is shown that married women have noticeably higher rates of mental illness than married men. In contrast, it is shown that when single women are compared with single men, divorced women with divorced men, and widowed women with widowed men, these women do not have rates of mental illness that are higher than their male counterparts. In fact, if there is a difference within these marital categories, it is that women have lower rates of mental illness. In a recent paper Gove and Tudor (1972) looked at the proportion of men and women who were mentally ill in modern industrial societies as indicated by community surveys, first admissions to mental hospitals, psychiatric treatment in general hospitals, psychiatric outpatient clinics, private outpatient psychiatric care, and psychiatric illness in the practices of general physicians. All of these sources indicated that women are more likely to be mentally ill than men. As most studies indicate that never married and formerly married persons have higher rates of mental illness than those who are married, one might expect that the difference between the rates of men and women could be attributed to unmarried women having extremely high rates of mental illness. This would conform to the stereotype of the carefree bachelor and the rejected spinster (or former wife). However, in this article I will indicate that this expectation is incorrect and that it is the relatively high rates of mental illness in married women that account for the higher rates of mental illness among women. Furthermore, I will attempt to show that it is the roles confronting married men and women that account for the high rates among women and not some other factor such as women being biologically more susceptible to mental ill-