Extracellular vesicles released by ALL patients contain HNE-adducted proteins: Implications of collateral damage

Off-target neuronal injury is a serious side-effect observed in cancer survivors. It has previously been shown that pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) survivors have a decline in neurocognition compared to healthy age-matched counterparts. Elevated oxidative stress has been documented to be a mediator in off- target tissue damage in cancer survivors. Early detection of oxidative stress markers may provide an opportunity to prevent off-target tissue damage. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have surfaced as a potential diagnostic tool due to molecular cargo they contain. We investigated the potential for EVs to be a sensitive indicator of oxidative stress and off-target tissue damage by isolating EVs from pediatric ALL patients throughout their first 2 months of treatment. EVs were measured throughout the collection points for: 1) number of EV particles generated using nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA); 2) markers of neurons (NeuN), astrocyte activation (GFAP), neuronal stability (BDNF), 3) markers of pre-B cell ALL (CD19 and CD22); and) 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE) adducted proteins. HNE protein adductions were measured in the patient sera and CSF. Pro-inflammatory cytokine levels were also measured in patient sera because of their contribution to oxidative stress and neuronal injury. Our results: 1) demonstrate EVs are a sensitive indicator of oxidative damage; 2) suggest EVs as a marker of a decline in neuronal stability; and 3) show the presence of leukemia has a greater contribution to pro-inflammatory cytokine production in the patient’s serum than the cancer treatment. Spe- cifically, we observed a significant decrease in cytokine levels (e.g., TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8) following the initiation of treatment, highlighting the influence of leukemia burden on systemic inflammation. The results support the utilization of EVs as a sensitive marker of oxidative stress and off-target tissue damage

Introduction and Evaluation of Tropical Forages in Various Ecosystems of Costa Rica

In 1987, three germplasm screening sites were established in Costa Rica for Central America and the Caribbean islands. They represent typical agroecological conditions where cattle are raised : namely subhumid, seasonal and humid tropics. Field work in 1987-88 concentrated on establishing grasses and legumes for trial evaluation of 31 genera and 88 species for a total of 790 accessions. Seed multiplication plots (9 ha) of promising materials were also established, as well as grazing tri­als and on-farm research activities. Preliminary results showed that some accessions of Andropogon gayanus, Brachiaria spp, Panicum maximum, Cen­trosema brasilianum, Arachis pintoi and Desmodium ovalifolium have considerable potential in ecosystems of this region where intensive mixed-farming systems predominate

Basic Aspects, Objectives and Preliminary Results of a Subterranean Clover Improvement Program in Sardinia (Italy)

The process of extended agronomical rehabilitation of the heavily deteriorated pastures, activated in Sardinia in the 1970\u27s, has been largely supported by the introduction of subterranean clover (Trifolium subterranuem L. sensu lato) as a cultivated plant in the island. Although this annual self-reseeding species has readily become the most widely sown pasture legume in Sardinia, the broadscale use of imported varieties has not always been an unqualified success, particularly in terms of long-term persist­ence. Therefore, the need to define clearly the particular combi­nation of characters contributing to adaptation in Sardinia, and to develop local varieties specifically adjusted to Sardi­nian climatic and edaphic conditions, has been invoked for a better exploitation of the potentialities of subterranean clover. According to these requirements, a selection program was activated in the early 1980\u27s. Some basic aspects, objectives and preliminary results of this program are summarized in this paper

ontribution a L’etude des Especes Spontanees du Genre Medicago L. en Algerie. Analyses Chimiques du Fourrage au Stade Vegetatif

En Algerie, l\u27alimentation constitue le principal facteur limi­tant la production animale; son deficit en unites fourrageres (UF) est evalue a 3 milliards (Moskal, 1983). Elle est, outre son deficit, souvent de tres mau��aise qualite. La connaissance de la valeur alimentaire des fourrages est indispensable pour equilibrer au mieux !es rations, etablir des plants de rationnement adaptes aux besoins et valoriser le potentiel genetique du troupeau (Codron, 1986). Dans ce cadre et afin de caracteriser le materiel vegetal local, nous avons realise quelques analyses classiques sur des legumi­neuses du genre Medicago. Les especes de ce genre sont, en effet, appelees a occuper des superficies importantes dans le but d\u27augmenter et de diversifier la production fourragere. Ce travail de caracterisation, sur 7 especes, vient en comple­ment de ceux deja entrepris sur le genre Medicago (auto-ecolo­gie, biometrie, caryologie ... ) en Algerie

The Performance of Wheatgrass Cultivars in Inner Mongolia of China

Crested wheatgrass (Agropyron J. Gaertn) is native to Eurasia and most commonly occurs in southern regions of the U.S.S.R., northern regions of China and the P.R. of Mongolia. It is a main species component of steppe, sandy regions of steppe and mountain vegetation. Crested wheatgrass is a very winter-hardy, drought-resistant, extremely long-lived perennial bunchgrass. It regrows very early in the spring and turns yellow very late in the fall, main­taining a period of green growth more than 7 months. It is more widely used for rangeland improvement and artificial pasture establishment in the arid and semi-arid regions. There are 5 native species of crested wheatgrass, but so far there is no cultivar to be released in China. We introduced the wheatgrass cultivars from America and seeded them on varied locations of Inner Mongolia, testing for adaptability and pro­ductive performance, obtaining a theory data to large area pra­tice of wheatgrass seeding

Methods for the Establishment of Leucaena leucocoephala in Cuba

Studies in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world on the factors influencing the establishment and early manage­ment of legume swards as pure cultures have not been carried out integrally. Thus, the objective of the present study was to define the best options of the main components so as to develop a technology for establishing Leucaena leucocephala under our conditions

Bridge Load Posting Based on Load Testing

AASHTO’s Manual for Bridge Evaluation (MBE) provides guidance for analytically evaluating bridge capacity based on available design information and the results of field inspections. This analysis results in a rating factor (RF), which quantifies a bridge’s safe load carrying capacity. RF accuracy, however, depends on the availability of information about structural details and material properties. As such, load rating bridges without design plans is difficult as field inspections alone often cannot provide enough information to perform detailed analysis. In many instances this means that a bridge would possess a substandard rating factor (RF \u3c 1.0) simply due to the conservative assumptions required to perform traditional analysis. The most effective method for safely modifying such conservative theoretical rating factors is through load testing. Load testing measures actual bridge behavior and, for most bridges in good health, finds an increase in load rating is justified. This project utilized load testing to load rate 14 bridges in Kentucky that lack structural plans. Researchers first determined theoretical ratings using MBE-prescribed methods. For information typically taken from design plans, but which could not be measured directly, data-backed methods for making conservative assumptions were developed. For most bridges included in the study, theoretical rating factors alone suggested load postings were necessary. Load testing was then carried out utilizing tandem rear-axle dump trucks with measured axle weights. Multiple single-lane load cases were selected to maximize the effects being rated. Strain data were collected in real time using a wireless reusable strain gage system. Using these data, researchers computed a field test adjustment factor using MBE methods which directly modified the calculated theoretical RFs. Ultimately, load testing provided sufficient evidence to safely recommend that load postings were not necessary for any bridges in this study

HAND ME DOWN

Hand Me Down is a collection of poetry and visual art by Meg Whelan. This thesis examines how trauma is an act of fracture and how poesis is an act of holding the pieces. This work thematically explores grief, challenges religion, documents sexual violence, reckons with intergenerational abuse, witnesses queer discovery, and upholds a healing love. Hand Me Down is an effort to understand what has been handed down to the poet, how she has been handed down, what her hands might do with what they hold, and what she might hand down in her lifetime

Modeling Plant Species Competition in Conjunction with Selective Grazing

The dynamic simulation model GRAZE (Loewer et al., 1987) incorporates plant and beef animal growth in describing the grazing process. GRAZE had its beginnings at the University of Kentucky in 1976 (Walker et al., 1977; Loewer et al., 1981 ; Loewer and Smith, 1986) and was further developed through three regional research projects (Watson and Wells, 1985). Currently, it is being utilized and enhanced by the regional research project S-221 : Development of Profitable Beef-Forage Production Systems for the Southern Region, in part because of its utility in providing biophysical input-output relationships for purposes of economic analysis (Parsch and Loewer, 1987). GRAZE is a FORTRAN model consisting of approximately 15,000 lines of code. An objective of S-221 is to better describe the interface between plants and grazing animals. Initially, GRAZE contained logic that described the selectivity of grazing beef animals. However, paddocks were restricted to a single species. The objective of this paper is to describe version 3.0 of GRAZE that allows for plant species competition in conjunction with the selective grazing process

Phytosociologie et Estimation des Resources Fourragres D\u27un Territoire

L\u27estimation des ressources fourrageres d\u27un territoire passe par la connaissance de la quantite d\u27herbe produite, de sa dis­ponibilite au cours du temps et clans l\u27espace, de sa qualite et enfin de la marge d\u27amelioration possible, en fonction des objectifs de production animale. L\u27ensemble de ces caracteristi­ques est raisonne par rapport a un potentiel, en termes d\u27opti­mum plutot que de maximum. La plupart des mesures agrono­miques necessitant un travail important, ii est essentiel de pouvoir extrapoler !es resultats sur une base biologique fiable : en prairie permanente, la composition floristique. Les facteurs pedoclimatiques et !es modes d\u27exploitation selectionnent les especes vegetales presentes (Delpech, 1982; Blandin, 1986), dont !\u27amplitude de repartition peut etre etroite (bonne indicatrice) ou large (peu indicatrice, exemple du dac­tyle). La prise en compte de !\u27ensemble des especes presentes clans une station homogene permet d\u27integrer !es valeurs indi­catrices de toutes ces especes, ce qui fournit des indications beaucoup plus precises. La phytosociologie (Braun-Blanquet, 1964) intervient ainsi comme outil preliminaire pour caracteri­ser la vegetation a etudier et permet d\u27elaborer une typologie des groupements vegetaux sur des bases rigoureuses et repro­ductibles. L\u27un des principaux objectifs de l\u27etude est done de repondre a la question suivante·: la typologie phytosociologique permet­elle de relier des caracteristiques agronomiques stables de pro­duction et de qualite fourragere a la composition botanique des stations etudiees, de fa\u3c ;on a fournir un referentiel biologique fiable pour !\u27utilisation et la gestion du territoire pastoral? L\u27application a un contexte precis illustre les interets et limi­tes de cette approche, sa complementarite avec !es etudes agro­nomiques, voire physiologiques. Les resultats presentes concer­nent la vallee de Peisey-Nancroix (Savoie)