262 research outputs found
Through the looking glass? Prisoners' children and penal policy
No full textArticle by Helen Codd (Principal Lecturer in Law, Lancashire Law School, University of Central Lancashire) published in Amicus Curiae - Journal of the Society for Advanced Legal Studies. The Journal is produced by the Society for Advanced Legal Studies at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, University of London. This article is taken from a paper presented by the author at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies during a workshop on prison & family on May 18, 2006
Through the looking glass? Prisoners' children and penal policy
No full textArticle by Helen Codd (Principal Lecturer
in Law, Lancashire Law School, University of Central Lancashire)
published in Amicus Curiae - Journal of the Society for Advanced
Legal Studies. The Journal is produced by the Society for
Advanced Legal Studies at the Institute of Advanced Legal
Studies, University of London. This article is taken from a paper
presented by the author at the Institute of Advanced Legal
Studies during a workshop on prison & family on May 18,
2006
Prisoners' families: issues in law and policy
No full textThe author begins with a brief discussion
of current policy in relation to prisoners' families, then
considers aspects of prisoners' families interactions with the
legal process, taking recent judgments on artificial insemination
and mother-and-baby units as case studies. Article by Helen Codd
(Senior Lecturer in Law, Lancashire Law School, University of
Central Lancashire) published in Amicus Curiae - Journal of the
Society for Advanced Legal Studies. The Journal is produced by
the Society for Advanced Legal Studies at the Institute of
Advanced Legal Studies, University of London
Prisoners' families: issues in law and policy
No full textThe author begins with a brief discussion of current policy in relation to prisoners' families, then considers aspects of prisoners' families interactions with the legal process, taking recent judgments on artificial insemination and mother-and-baby units as case studies. Article by Helen Codd (Senior Lecturer in Law, Lancashire Law School, University of Central Lancashire) published in Amicus Curiae - Journal of the Society for Advanced Legal Studies. The Journal is produced by the Society for Advanced Legal Studies at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, University of London
A comparative analysis of the circadian clock in diptera
No full textThe circadian central oscillator of Drosophila melanogaster consists of at least two interlocked negative transcriptional feedback loops. This has been taken to be a general model for higher eukaryotes with the core components conserved but their regulation altered. The work presented here indicates that in Musca domestica, a dipteran closely related to Drosophila, one of these regulatory loops, involving PERIOD (PER) and TIMELESS (TIM), functions in a completely different manner. This study shows that in contrast to Drosophila, Musca PER remains constant in western studies in any lighting condition, whereas like Drosophila TIM cycles in both LD and DD and is constantly degraded in LL. In addition within the central brain immunostaining revealed that even in the small set of cells thought to contain the central pacemaker PER staining was restricted exclusively to the cytoplasm. However following the Drosophila model PER was observed to cycle in the cytoplasm of these cells. Although TIM co-localises with PER in these cells, unlike PER, TIM does become nuclear. This indicates that the negative feedback model illustrated by analysis of the Drosophila is inadequate to explain clock function in Musca. A putative Musca PER nuclear export sequence which functions in other species was tested in GFP constructs but not shown to be involved in altered localisation. In contrast in peripheral tissue such as photoreceptor cells both PER and TIM cycle and both proteins become nuclear late at night as in Drosophila. Stability of Musca PER in LL and an altered relationship between transgenic Musca PER and Drosophila DOUBLETIME indicates an altered relationship between PER and the DBT kinase that may be responsible for PER stability. Thus although it can be seen that a different model is required for other insect species how these proteins act remains to be elucidated
Light-dependent interaction between Drosophila CRY and the clock protein PER mediated by the carboxy terminus of CRY
No full textBACKGROUND:
The biological clock synchronizes the organism with the environment, responding to changes in light and temperature. Drosophila CRYPTOCHROME (CRY), a putative circadian photoreceptor, has previously been reported to interact with the clock protein TIMELESS (TIM) in a light-dependent manner. Although TIM dimerizes with PERIOD (PER), no association between CRY and PER has previously been revealed, and aspects of the light dependence of the TIM/CRY interaction are still unclear.
RESULTS:
Behavioral analysis of double mutants of per and cry suggested a genetic interaction between the two loci. To investigate whether this was reflected in a physical interaction, we employed a yeast-two-hybrid system that revealed a dimerization between PER and CRY. This was further supported by a coimmunoprecipitation assay in tissue culture cells. We also show that the light-dependent nuclear interactions of PER and TIM with CRY require the C terminus of CRY and may involve a trans-acting repressor.
CONCLUSIONS:
This study shows that, as in mammals, Drosophila CRY interacts with PER, and, as in plants, the C terminus of CRY is involved in mediating light responses. A model for the light dependence of CRY is discussed
Posttraumatic stress disorder and not depression is associated with shorter leukocyte telomere length: findings from 3,000 participants in the population-based KORA F4 study.
No full textBackgroundA link between severe mental stress and shorter telomere length (TL) has been suggested. We analysed the impact of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) on TL in the general population and postulated a dose-dependent TL association in subjects suffering from partial PTSD compared to full PTSD.MethodsData are derived from the population-based KORA F4 study (2006-2008), located in southern Germany including 3,000 individuals (1,449 men and 1,551 women) with valid and complete TL data. Leukocyte TL was measured using a quantitative PCR-based technique. PTSD was assessed in a structured interview and by applying the Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS) and the Impact of Event Scale (IES). A total of 262 (8.7%) subjects qualified for having partial PTSD and 51 (1.7%) for full PTSD. To assess the association of PTSD with the average TL, linear regression analyses with adjustments for potential confounding factors were performed.ResultsThe multiple model revealed a significant association between partial PTSD and TL (beta = -0.051, p = 0.009) as well as between full PTSD and shorter TL (beta = -0.103, p = 0.014) indicating shorter TL on average for partial and full PTSD. An additional adjustment for depression and depressed mood/exhaustion gave comparable beta estimations.ConclusionsParticipants with partial and full PTSD had significantly shorter leukocyte TL than participants without PTSD. The dose-dependent variation in TL of subjects with partial and full PTSD exceeded the chronological age effect, and was equivalent to an estimated 5 years in partial and 10 years in full PTSD of premature aging
Association of shorter leucocyte telomere length with risk of frailty.
No full textBACKGROUND: Frailty is a multidimensional syndrome of decline that affects multiple systems and predisposes to adverse health outcomes. Although chronological age is the major risk factor, inter-individual variation in risk is not fully understood. Leucocyte telomere length (LTL), a proposed marker of biological age, has been associated with risk of many diseases. We sought to determine whether LTL is associated with risk of frailty. METHODS: We utilized cross-sectional data from 441 781 UK Biobank participants (aged 40-69 years), with complete data on frailty indicators and LTL. Frailty was defined as the presence of at least three of five indicators: weaker grip strength, slower walking pace, weight loss in the past year, lower physical activity, and exhaustion in the past 2 weeks. LTL was measured using a validated qPCR method and reported as a ratio of the telomere repeat number (T) to a single-copy gene (S) (T/S ratio). Association of LTL with frailty was evaluated using adjusted (chronological age, sex, deprivation, smoking, alcohol intake, body mass index, and multimorbidity) multinomial and ordinal regression models, and results are presented as relative risk (RRR) or odds ratios (OR), respectively, alongside the 95% confidence interval (CI). Mendelian randomization (MR), using 131 genetic variants associated with LTL, was used to assess if the association of LTL with frailty was causal. RESULTS: Frail participants (4.6%) were older (median age difference (95% CI): 3 (2.5; 3.5) years, P = 2.73 × 10-33 ), more likely to be female (61%, P = 1.97 × 10-129 ), and had shorter LTL (-0.13SD vs. 0.03SD, P = 5.43 × 10-111 ) than non-frail. In adjusted analyses, both age and LTL were associated with frailty (RRR = 1.03 (95% CI: 1.02; 1.04) per year of older chronological age, P = 3.99 × 10-12 ; 1.10 (1.08; 1.11) per SD shorter LTL, P = 1.46 × 10-30 ). Within each age group (40-49, 50-59, 60-69 years), the prevalence of frailty was about 33% higher in participants with shorter (-2SD) versus longer telomeres (+2SD). MR analysis showed an association of LTL with frailty that was directionally consistent with the observational association, but not statistically significant (MR-Median: OR (95% CI): 1.08 (0.98; 1.19) per SD shorter LTL, P = 0.13). CONCLUSIONS: Inter-individual variation in LTL is associated with the risk of frailty independently of chronological age and other risk factors. Our findings provide evidence for an additional biological determinant of frailty
Variants near TERT and TERC influencing telomere length are associated with high-grade glioma risk
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