Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

In Vitro Haematopoiesis Of A Novel Dendritic-Like Cell Present In Murine Spleen, Jonathan Tan, Helen O'Neill

Jonathan Tan

Abstract: Dendritic cells (DC) are important antigen presenting cells (APC) which induce and control the adaptive immune response. In spleen alone, multiple DC subsets can be distinguished by cell surface marker phenotype. Most of these have been shown to develop from progenitors in bone marrow and to seed lymphoid and tissue sites during development. This study advances in vitro methodology for haematopoiesis of dendritic-like cells from progenitors in spleen. Since spleen progenitors undergo differentiation in vitro to produce these cells, the possibility exists that spleen represents a specific niche for differentiation of this subset. The fact that an equivalent cell …

Bimanual Reaching Across The Hemispace: Which Hand Is Yoked To Which?, Gavin Buckingham, Gordon Binsted, David Carey

Gavin Buckingham

When both hands perform concurrent goal-directed reaches, they become yoked to one another. To investigate the direction of this coupling (i.e., which hand is yoked to which), the temporal dynamics of bimanual reaches were compared with equivalent-amplitude unimanual reaches. These reaches were to target pairs located on either the left or right sides of space; meaning that in the bimanual condition, one hand's contralateral (more difficult) reach accompanied by the other hand's ipsilateral (easier) reach. By comparing which hand's difficult reach was improved more by the presence of the other hand's easier ipsilateral reach, we were able to demonstrate asymmetries …

Sub-Wavelength Plasmonic Readout For Direct Linear Analysis Of Optically Tagged Dna, Jonathan Varsanik, William Teynor, John Leblanc, Heather Clark, Jeffrey Krogmeier, Tian Yang, Jonathan Bernstein

Heather Clark

This work describes the development and fabrication of a novel nanofluidic flow-through sensing chip that utilizes a plasmonic resonator to excite fluorescent tags with sub-wavelength resolution. We cover the design of the microfluidic chip and simulation of the plasmonic resonator using Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) software. The fabrication methods are presented, with testing procedures and preliminary results. This research is aimed at improving the resolution limits of the Direct Linear Analysis (DLA) technique developed by US Genomics. In DLA, intercalating dyes which tag a specific 8 base-pair sequence are inserted in a DNA sample. This sample is pumped though …

Human Health And Environmental Hazards Of Farmed Fish, Richard B. Philp

Richard B. Philp

Aquaculture, or fish farming, now provides a significant portion of the world's supply of fin-fish for human consumption. Since 1985, the production of farmed fish has nearly quadrupled. Associated problems include levels of persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals as compared to wild-caught fish, enviromnental problems from waste food and excrement, disease hazards for fish and humans and depletion of wild forage fish to produce food pellets for farmed fish. The recent introduction of genetically modified salmon has added another potential hazard for the environment and possible for human health. These and other problems are discussed with recommendations for human …

Fast, Flexible Function-On-Scalar Regression, With An Application To Brain Development, Philip T. Reiss, Lei Huang

Philip T. Reiss

No abstract provided.

Blood Kinetics Of Four Intraperitoneally Administered Therapeutic Candidate Bacteriophages In Healthy And Neutropenic Mice, Jumpei Uchiyama, Yoshihiro Maeda, Iyo Takemura, Russ Chess-Williams, Hiroshi Wakiguchi, Shigenobu Matsuzaki

Russ Chess-Williams

Due to multiple-drug resistant bacteria, phage therapy is being revisited. Although most animal experiments focus on therapeutic efficacy, the blood clearance kinetics of phages have not been well described. For further development of an efficient therapeutic strategy, information on phage blood kinetics is important. In this study, time-course concentration changes in peripheral blood of healthy and neutropenic mice were measured using four therapeutic phages (φMR11, KPP10, φEF24C, and KEP10). The results showed a two- to three-day rapid phage clearance, which fits a two-compartment model.

Pharmacologic Responses Of The Mouse Urinary Bladder, A. Erdem, Christopher Chapple, Russ Chess-Williams

Russ Chess-Williams

The aim of the study was to determine pathways involved in contraction and relaxation of the mouse urinary bladder. Mouse bladder strips were set up in gassed Krebs-bicarbonate solution and responses to various drugs and electrical field stimulation were obtained. Isoprenaline (b-receptor agonist) caused a 63% inhibition of carbachol precontracted detrusor (EC50=2nM). Carbachol caused contraction (EC50=0.3µM), responses were antagonised more potently by 4-DAMP (M3-antagonist) than methoctramine (M2-antagonist). Electrical field stimulation caused contraction, which was inhibited by atropine (60%) and less by guanethidine and α,β-methylene-ATP. The neurogenic responses were not potentiated by inhibition of nitric oxide synthase. Presence of an intact …

Pharmacologic Responses Of The Mouse Urinary Bladder, A. Erdem, Christopher Chapple, Russ Chess-Williams

Russ Chess-Williams

The aim of the study was to determine pathways involved in contraction and relaxation of the mouse urinary bladder. Mouse bladder strips were set up in gassed Krebs-bicarbonate solution and responses to various drugs and electrical field stimulation were obtained. Isoprenaline (b-receptor agonist) caused a 63% inhibition of carbachol precontracted detrusor (EC50=2nM). Carbachol caused contraction (EC50=0.3µM), responses were antagonised more potently by 4-DAMP (M3-antagonist) than methoctramine (M2-antagonist). Electrical field stimulation caused contraction, which was inhibited by atropine (60%) and less by guanethidine and α,β-methylene-ATP. The neurogenic responses were not potentiated by inhibition of nitric oxide synthase. Presence of an intact …

Blood Kinetics Of Four Intraperitoneally Administered Therapeutic Candidate Bacteriophages In Healthy And Neutropenic Mice, Jumpei Uchiyama, Yoshihiro Maeda, Iyo Takemura, Russ Chess-Williams, Hiroshi Wakiguchi, Shigenobu Matsuzaki

Russ Chess-Williams

Due to multiple-drug resistant bacteria, phage therapy is being revisited. Although most animal experiments focus on therapeutic efficacy, the blood clearance kinetics of phages have not been well described. For further development of an efficient therapeutic strategy, information on phage blood kinetics is important. In this study, time-course concentration changes in peripheral blood of healthy and neutropenic mice were measured using four therapeutic phages (φMR11, KPP10, φEF24C, and KEP10). The results showed a two- to three-day rapid phage clearance, which fits a two-compartment model.

Test 1, Adrian Lugo

Adrian Lugo

No abstract provided.

Psychometric Properties Of Three Instruments To Measure Fatigue With Myocardial Infarction, Ann L. Eckhardt, Anne M. Fink, Michelle M. Fennessy, Jessica Jones, Donna Kruse, Kathryn J. Vanderzwan, Catherine J. Ryan, Julie J. Zerwic

Ann L. Eckhardt

The Influence Of Competing Perceptual And Motor Priors In The Context Of The Size-Weight Illusion, Gavin Buckingham, Melvyn Goodale

Gavin Buckingham

When lifting objects of identical mass but different sizes, people perceive the smaller objects as weighing more than the larger ones (the 'size-weight' illusion, SWI). While individual's grip and load force rates are rapidly scaled to the objects' actual mass, the magnitude of the force used to lift these SWI-inducing objects is rarely discussed. Here, we show that participants continue to apply a greater loading force to a large SWI-inducing cube than to a small SWI cube, lift after lift. These differences in load force persisted long after initial errors in grip and load force rates had been corrected. Interestingly, …

Anabolic Androgenic Steroids Effects On The Immune System: A Review, Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik, Rachel Green, Ekua Brenu, Robert Weatherby

Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik

Androgenic anabolic steroids (AAS) are synthetic derivatives of the male hormone testosterone. AAS are used by athletes and recreational users of all ages to enhance their athletic performance and/or physical appearance. While several adverse effects of AAS abuse have been described, their effect on the immune system has not been clearly elucidated. The literature generally indicates that supraphysiologic doses of AAS with an intact steroid nucleus are immunosuppressive, that is they reduce immune cell number and function. While those with alterations to the steroid nucleus are immunostimulatory as they induce the proliferation of T cells and other immune cells. Specifically, …

Postulated Vasoactive Neuropeptide Immunopathology Affecting The Blood-Brain/Blood-Spinal Barrier In Certain Neuropsychiatric Fatigue-Related Conditions: A Role For Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors In Treatment?, Donald R. Staines, Ekua W. Brenu, Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik

Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik

Neuropsychiatric symptoms occur in a number of neurological fatigue-related conditions including multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s disease (PD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). These conditions have been attributed variably to neuroinfl ammatory and neurodegenerative processes. While autoimmune pathology, at least in part, has long been suspected in these conditions proof has been elusive. Autoimmune pathomechanisms affecting the blood–brain barrier (BBB) or blood–spinal barrier (BSB) may predispose the BBB/BSB to ‘leakiness’ and be a precursor to additional autoimmune events resulting in neuroinfl ammatory or neurodegenerative processes. The aim of the paper is to postulate immunopathology of the cerebrospinal …

On The Number Of Trials Necessary For Stabilization Of Error-Related Brain Activity Across The Life Span, Jason Themanson, Matthew Pontifex, Mark Scudder, Michael Brown, Kevin O'Leary, Chien-Ting Wu, Charles Hillman

Jason R. Themanson, Ph.D

The minimum number of trials necessary to accurately characterize the error-related negativity (ERN) and the error positivity (Pe) across the life span was investigated using samples of preadolescent children, college-age young adults, and older adults. Event-related potentials and task performance were subsequently measured during a modified flanker task. Response-locked averages were created using sequentially increasing errors of commission in blocks of two. Findings indicated that across all age cohorts ERN and Pe were not significantly different relative to the within-participants grand average after six trials. Further, results indicated that the ERN and Pe exhibited excellent internal reliability in preadolescent children …

On Distance-Based Permutation Tests For Between-Group Comparisons, Philip T. Reiss, M. Henry H. Stevens, Zarrar Shehzad, Eva Petkova, Michael P. Milham

Philip T. Reiss

Permutation tests based on distances among multivariate observations have found many applications in the biological sciences. Two major testing frameworks of this kind are multiresponse permutation procedures and pseudo-F tests arising from a distance-based extension of multivariate analysis of variance. In this paper we derive conditions under which these two frameworks are equivalent. The methods and equivalence results are illustrated by reanalyzing an ecological data set and by a novel application to functional magnetic resonance imaging data.

Diabetes Induced Changes In Rat Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Alexandra Stolzing, Donna Sellers, Owen Llewelyn, Andy Scutt

Donna Sellers

Diabetes mellitus, the single most important cause of vascular disease in the industrialized world, is also associated with bone loss and impaired fracture healing. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have the potential to differentiate into osteoblasts, chondrocytes and adipocytes and other mesenchymal cells and play a central role in bone formation and repair. Because of this, we have investigated the possibility that diabetes has direct effects on MSCs in vivo and that this might represent a cellular basis for diabetes-induced osteoporosis. We isolated MSCs from rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes and analysed them ex vivo for their ability to proliferate and differentiate …

Descending Branch Of The Lateral Circumflex Femoral Artery - Arterial Genicular Anastomoses, Maher Sabalbal

Maher Sabalbal

Genicular collateral arterial circulation is required for perfusion of the lower leg should the superficial femoral artery (SFA) become obstructed by trauma or disease. When describing the anatomy, textbooks only provide a schematic representation of the genicular collateral circulation and suggest that the descending branch of the lateral circumflex artery (DBLCFA) plays a critical role. The DBLCFA may be removed for bypass and reconstructive surgeries; therefore, a sound anatomical description of this artery is essential. This study combines dissection with 3D reconstruction to describe the anatomy of the DBLCFA and to provide a morphological description of its involvement in the …

Intervention At The Level Of The Neuroendocrine-Immune Axis And Postoperative Pneumonia Rate In Long-Term Alcoholics, Claudia Spies, Verena Eggers, Gyongyi Szabo, Alexandra Lau, Vera Von Dossow, Helge Schoenfeld, Hilke Althoff, Katrin Hegenscheid, Birgit Bohm, Torsten Schroeder, Sebastian Pfeiffer, Sabine Ziemer, Christian Paschen, Martin Klein, Christian Marks, Peter Miller, Michael Sander, Klaus-D. Wernecke, Evelin Achterberg, Udo Kaisers, Hans-Dieter Volk

Gyongyi Szabo

RATIONALE: Postoperative pneumonia is three to four times more frequent in patients with alcohol use disorders followed by prolonged intensive care unit (ICU) stay. Long-term alcohol use leads to an altered perioperative hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and immunity. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate HPA intervention with low-dose ethanol, morphine, or ketoconazole on the neuroendocrine-immune axis and development of postoperative pneumonia in long-term alcoholic patients. METHODS: In this randomized, double-blind controlled study, 122 consecutive patients undergoing elective surgery for aerodigestive tract cancer were included. Long-term alcohol use was defined as consuming at least 60 g of ethanol daily …

De Novo Sequencing And Analysis Of The American Ginseng Root Transcriptome Using A Gs Flx Titanium Platform To Discover Putative Genes Involved In Ginsenoside Biosynthesis, Chao Sun, Ying Li, Qiong Wu, Hongmei Luo, Yongzhen Sun, Jingyuan Song, Ed Lui, Shilin Chen

Edmund M. K. Lui

BACKGROUND: American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) is one of the most widely used herbal remedies in the world. Its major bioactive constituents are the triterpene saponins known as ginsenosides. However, little is known about ginsenoside biosynthesis in American ginseng, especially the late steps of the pathway. RESULTS: In this study, a one-quarter 454 sequencing run produced 209,747 high-quality reads with an average sequence length of 427 bases. De novo assembly generated 31,088 unique sequences containing 16,592 contigs and 14,496 singletons. About 93.1% of the high-quality reads were assembled into contigs with an average 8-fold coverage. A total of 21,684 (69.8%) …

Antimicrobial And Antioxidant Activities Of Essential Oil And Methanol Extract Of Jasminum Sambac From Djibouti, Fatou Abdoul-Latif, Prosper Edou, François Eba, Nabil Mohamed, Adwa Ali, Samatar Djama, Louis-Clément Obame, Mamoudou Hama Dicko

Pr. Mamoudou H. DICKO, PhD

The essential oil of jasminum sambac from Djibouti was subjected to screening for their possible antioxidant activity by two complementary test systems, namely DPPH free radical scavenging and beta-carotene-linoleic acid assays. Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) was used as positive control in both test systems. In the DPPH test system, the IC50 value of essential oil and methanol extract were respectively 7.43 and 2.30 μg/ml. In the beta-carotene-linoleic acid system, oxidation was effectively inhibited by Jasminum sambac, the RAA value of essential oil and methanol extract were respectively 96.6 and 93.9%. When compared to BHT, the essential oil and methanol extract had …

Gating Of Vibrotactile Detection During Visually Guided Bimanual Reaches, Gavin Buckingham, David Carey, Francisco Colino, John Degrosbois, Gordon Binsted

Gavin Buckingham

It is far more difficult to detect a small tactile stimulation on a finger that is moving compared to when it is static. This suppression of tactile information during motion, known as tactile gating, has been examined in some detail during single-joint movements. However, the existence and time course of this gating has yet to be examined during visually guided multi-joint reaches, where sensory feedback may be paramount. The current study demonstrated that neurologically intact humans are unable to detect a small vibratory stimulus on one of their index fingers during a bimanual reach toward visual targets. By parametrically altering …

Prevalence Of Various Human Papillomavirus (Hpv) Genotypes Among Women Who Subjected To Routine Pap Smear Test In Bushehr City (South West Of Iran) 2008-2009, Keivan Zandi

Keivan Zandi

Background: Some genotypes of human papillomaviruses can infect the genital tract and they are important infectious agents which their oncogenicity is regardable. Thus the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of various genital human papillomaviruses (HPV) among women being subjected to routine pap smear test in Bushehr city of Iran. Results: Based on the collected data, 11(5.5%) samples were detected positive for HPV DNA and 189(94.5%) samples out of 200 samples were detected negative for HPV DNA. Meanwhile 4(2%) samples detected positive for HPV DNA by PCR were detected positive for HPV by pap smear test as …

Functional Generalized Linear Models With Images As Predictors, Philip T. Reiss, R. Todd Ogden

Philip T. Reiss

Functional principal component regression (FPCR) is a promising new method for regressing scalar outcomes on functional predictors. In this paper we present a theoretical justification for the use of principal components in functional regression. FPCR is then extended in two directions: from linear to the generalized linear modeling, and from univariate signal predictors to high-resolution image predictors. We show how to implement the method efficiently by adapting generalized additive model technology to the functional regression context. A technique is proposed for estimating simultaneous confidence bands for the coefficient function; in the neuroimaging setting, this yields a novel means to identify …

Lifting Without Seeing: The Role Of Vision In Perceiving And Acting Upon The Size Weight Illusion, Gavin Buckingham, Melvyn Goodale

Gavin Buckingham

BACKGROUND: Our expectations of an object's heaviness not only drive our fingertip forces, but also our perception of heaviness. This effect is highlighted by the classic size-weight illusion (SWI), where different-sized objects of identical mass feel different weights. Here, we examined whether these expectations are sufficient to induce the SWI in a single wooden cube when lifted without visual feedback, by varying the size of the object seen prior to the lift.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Participants, who believed that they were lifting the same object that they had just seen, reported that the weight of the single, standard-sized cube that they …

The Relation Of Aerobic Fitness To Neuroelectric Indices Of Cognitive And Motor Task Preparation, Jason Themanson, Keita Kamijo, Kevin O'Leary, Matthew Pontifex, Charles Hillman

Jason R. Themanson, Ph.D

The relation of aerobic fitness to task preparation was examined in a sample of young adults separated into higher- and lower-fit groups according to their maximal oxygen consumption. Participants performed a modified Sternberg working memory task under speed and accuracy instructions while measures of task performance and contingent negative variation (CNV) were collected. Analyses revealed no significant fitness differences between groups on task performance measures. However, frontal CNVamplitude was significantly larger for lower-fit participants compared to higher-fit participants during the speed instructions, an effect not found for the accuracy instructions. These results suggest that lower-fit individuals may rely to a …

Measuring The Hiv/Aids Epidemic: Approaches And Challenges, Ron Brookmeyer

Ron Brookmeyer

In this article, the author reviews current approaches and methods for measuring the scope of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic and their strengths and weaknesses. In recent years, various public health agencies have revised statistical estimates of the scope of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The author considers the reasons underlying these revisions. New sources of data for estimating HIV prevalence have become available, such as nationally representative probability-based surveys. New technologies such as biomarkers that indicate when persons became infected are now used to determine HIV incidence rates. The author summarizes the main sources of errors and …

Lifting Without Seeing: The Role Of Vision In Perceiving And Acting Upon The Size‐Weight Illusion, Gavin Buckingham, Melvyn Goodale

Gavin Buckingham

Our expectations of an object’s heaviness not only drive our fingertip forces, but also our perception of heaviness. This effect is highlighted by the classic size-weight illusion (SWI), where different‐sized objects of identical mass feel different weights (Charpentier, 1891) long after any initial errors in the application of fingertip forces have been corrected (Flanagan & Beltzner, 2000).

Here, we examined whether our expectations about the weight of an upcoming lift are sufficient to induce the SWI in a single wooden cube when lifted without visual feedback, by varying the size of the object seen prior to the lift during a …

Laterality, Perception, And Action During The Size-Weight Illusion, Gavin Buckingham, Nathalie Ranger, Melvyn Goodale

Gavin Buckingham

In the classic size-weight illusion (SWI), a small object will feel heavier than an larger object of equal weight (Charpentier, 1891). Individuals continue to perceive this illusory difference in weight long after their gripping and lifting forces have scaled to the actual, identical, mass of the illusion-inducing stimuli (Flanagan & Beltzner, 2000).

The independence of our weight perception and fingertip force application has only been quantified in the right hand of right-handers. The immunity to this perceptual illusion may be affected by manual asymmetries (e.g., Gonzalez, Ganel & Goodale, 2006).

We examined perception of heaviness and fingertip force scaling in …

Ganaxolone Suppression Of Behavioral And Electrographic Seizures In The Mouse Amygdala Kindling Model, Doodipala S. Reddy, Michael A. Rogawski

Michael A. Rogawski

Ganaxolone (3alpha-hydroxy-3alpha-methyl-5alpha-pregnan-20-one), a synthetic analog of the endogenous neurosteroid allopregnanolone and a positive allosteric modulator of GABA-A receptors, may represent a new treatment approach for epilepsy. Here we demonstrate that pretreatment with ganaxolone (1.25—20 mg/kg, s.c.) causes a dose-dependent suppression of behavioral and electrographic seizures in fully amygdala-kindled female mice, with nearly complete seizure protection at the highest dose tested. The ED50 for suppression of behavioral seizures was 6.6 mg/kg. The seizure suppression produced by ganaxolone was comparable to that of clonazepam (ED50, 0.1 mg/kg, s.c.). To the extent that amygdala kindling represents a model of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy, …