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This past term, the US Supreme Court, along with the Federal Circuit, decided a number of patent cases, addressing the need for clarity in the patent sector. The two courts [...]

INTRODUCTION Over the past year, the Federal Circuit has decided a number of patent cases covering different phases of infringement proceedings. In InterDigital Communications, LLC v. ITC, the court addressed [...]

INTRODUCTION The patent cases covered in this year's survey raise a varied set of issues. The court in In re BP Lubricants USA Inc. held that false patent marking cases [...]

INTRODUCTION This year's survey of patent cases includes far-reaching cases and a highly anticipated U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding the patentability of business method patents. The Court in Bilski v. [...]

I. INTRODUCTION This year's survey of intellectual property cases is an exciting collection of cases that have captured the public interest. Of the cases surveyed, two have had writs of [...]

Skeletal muscle regenerates through the activation of resident stem cells. Termed satellite cells, these normally quiescent cells are induced to proliferate by wound-derived signals1. Identifying the source and nature of these cues has been hampered by an inability to visualize the complex cell interactions that occur within the wound. Here we use muscle injury models in zebrafish to systematically capture the interactions between satellite cells and the innate immune system after injury, in real time, throughout the repair process. This analysis revealed that a specific subset of macrophages ‘dwell’ within the injury, establishing a transient but obligate niche for stem cell proliferation. Single-cell profiling identified proliferative signals that are secreted by dwelling macrophages, which include the cytokine nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (Nampt, which is also known as visfatin or PBEF in humans). Nampt secretion from the macrophage niche is required for muscle regeneration, acting through the C-C motif chemokine receptor type 5 (Ccr5), which is expressed on muscle stem cells. This analysis shows that in addition to their ability to modulate the immune response, specific macrophage populations also provide a transient stem-cell-activating niche, directly supplying proliferation-inducing cues that govern the repair process that is mediated by muscle stem cells. This study demonstrates that macrophage-derived niche signals for muscle stem cells, such as NAMPT, can be applied as new therapeutic modalities for skeletal muscle injury and disease.

The purpose of this mixed methods paper is to focus on exploring and analysing the influencing factors on the development of marketing consulting services in Vietnam and thus proposing some practical solutions to promoting this service. The qualitative methodology is used to explore, adjust and provide observation variables for measuring factors. The quantitative methodology is used to test the research model to determine the relationship between factors that affect the development of the marketing consulting services. Using correlations and multiple regressions statistical analysis, the study found that recognition of need, affordability and willingness to pay of service receiver, capability and ability of provider, perceive value of service, and source of information on service providers are correlated with development of marketing consulting services. The study provides direct insight into the factors impacting these developments by having decision-makers focus on these five distinct areas that can help grow these services in Vietnam.

The transition from fins to limbs was an important terrestrial adaptation, but how this crucial evolutionary shift arose developmentally is unknown. Current models focus on the distinct roles of the apical ectodermal ridge (AER) and the signalling molecules that it secretes during limb and fin outgrowth. In contrast to the limb AER, the AER of the fin rapidly transitions into the apical fold and in the process shuts off AER-derived signals that stimulate proliferation of the precursors of the appendicular skeleton. The differing fates of the AER during fish and tetrapod development have led to the speculation that fin-fold formation was one of the evolutionary hurdles to the AER-dependent expansion of the fin mesenchyme required to generate the increased appendicular structure evident within limbs. Consequently, a heterochronic shift in the AER-to-apical-fold transition has been postulated to be crucial for limb evolution. The ability to test this model has been hampered by a lack of understanding of the mechanisms controlling apical fold induction. Here we show that invasion by cells of a newly identified somite-derived lineage into the AER in zebrafish regulates apical fold induction. Ablation of these cells inhibits apical fold formation, prolongs AER activity and increases the amount of fin bud mesenchyme, suggesting that these cells could provide the timing mechanism proposed in Thorogood’s clock model of the fin-to-limb transition. We further demonstrate that apical-fold-inducing cells are progressively lost during gnathostome evolution; the absence of such cells within the tetrapod limb suggests that their loss may have been a necessary prelude to the attainment of limb-like structures in Devonian sarcopterygian fish.