Treatment of Rat Spinal Cord Injury with the Neurotrophic Factor Albumin-Oleic Acid: Translational Application for Paralysis, Spasticity and Pain

Sensorimotor dysfunction following incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI) is often characterized by the debilitating symptoms of paralysis, spasticity and pain, which require treatment with novel pleiotropic pharmacological agents. Previous in vitro studies suggest that Albumin (Alb) and Oleic Acid (OA) may play a role together as an endogenous neurotrophic factor. Although Alb can promote basic recovery of motor function after iSCI, the therapeutic effect of OA or Alb-OA on a known translational measure of SCI associated with symptoms of spasticity and change in nociception has not been studied. Following T9 spinal contusion injury in Wistar rats, intrathecal treatment with: i) Saline, ii) Alb (0.4 nanomoles), iii) OA (80 nanomoles), iv) Alb-Elaidic acid (0.4/80 nanomoles), or v) Alb-OA (0.4/80 nanomoles) were evaluated on basic motor function, temporal summation of noxious reflex activity, and with a new test of descending modulation of spinal activity below the SCI up to one month after injury. Albumin, OA and Alb-OA treatment inhibited nociceptive Tibialis Anterior (TA) reflex activity. Moreover Alb-OA synergistically promoted early recovery of locomotor activity to 50±10% of control and promoted de novo phasic descending inhibition of TA noxious reflex activity to 47±5% following non-invasive electrical conditioning stimulation applied above the iSCI. Spinal L4–L5 immunohistochemistry demonstrated a unique increase in serotonin fibre innervation up to 4.2±1.1 and 2.3±0.3 fold within the dorsal and ventral horn respectively with Alb-OA treatment when compared to uninjured tissue, in addition to a reduction in NR1 NMDA receptor phosphorylation and microglia reactivity. Early recovery of voluntary motor function accompanied with tonic and de novo phasic descending inhibition of nociceptive TA flexor reflex activity following Alb-OA treatment, mediated via known endogenous spinal mechanisms of action, suggests a clinical application of this novel neurotrophic factor for the treatment of paralysis, spasticity and pain

Five Nuclear Loci Resolve the Polyploid History of Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) and Relatives

Polyploidy poses challenges for phylogenetic reconstruction because of the need to identify and distinguish between homoeologous loci. This can be addressed by use of low copy nuclear markers. Panicum s.s. is a genus of about 100 species in the grass tribe Paniceae, subfamily Panicoideae, and is divided into five sections. Many of the species are known to be polyploids. The most well-known of the Panicum polyploids are switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) and common or Proso millet (P. miliaceum). Switchgrass is in section Virgata, along with P. tricholaenoides, P. amarum, and P. amarulum, whereas P. miliaceum is in sect. Panicum. We have generated sequence data from five low copy nuclear loci and two chloroplast loci and have clarified the origin of P. virgatum. We find that all members of sects. Virgata and Urvilleana are the result of diversification after a single allopolyploidy event. The closest diploid relatives of switchgrass are in sect. Rudgeana, native to Central and South America. Within sections Virgata and Urvilleana, P. tricholaenoides is sister to the remaining species. Panicum racemosum and P. urvilleanum form a clade, which may be sister to P. chloroleucum. Panicum amarum, P. amarulum, and the lowland and upland ecotypes of P. virgatum together form a clade, within which relationships are complex. Hexaploid and octoploid plants are likely allopolyploids, with P. amarum and P. amarulum sharing genomes with P. virgatum. Octoploid P. virgatum plants are formed via hybridization between disparate tetraploids. We show that polyploidy precedes diversification in a complex set of polyploids; our data thus suggest that polyploidy could provide the raw material for diversification. In addition, we show two rounds of allopolyploidization in the ancestry of switchgrass, and identify additional species that may be part of its broader gene pool. This may be relevant for development of the crop for biofuels

Cell therapy for ischemic stroke : are differences in preclinical and clinical study design responsible for the translational loss of efficacy?

Cell therapy is an attractive strategy for enhancing post‐stroke recovery. Different cell types and several treatment strategies have been successfully applied in animal models, but efficacy in stroke patients has not yet been confirmed. We hypothesize that the significant design differences between preclinical and clinical trials may account for this situation. Using a meta‐analysis approach and comparing preclinical with clinical trials, we reveal and discuss preliminary evidence for such design differences. While available datasets are not yet numerous enough to draw definitive conclusions, these findings may represent signposts on the route to efficacy by harmonizing preclinical and clinical study designs

Analysis of chromosomal polymorphism in barley (Hordeum vulgare L. ssp. vulgare ) and between H. vulgare and H. chilense using three-color fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)

The aim of the present work was to study chromosomal polymorphism within cultivated barley (Hordeum vulgare ssp. vulgare) using three-color fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The physical distribution of the most frequently used, highly repetitive DNA sequences (GAA)7 specific for pericentromeric heterochromatic regions, the ribosomal DNA clone pTa71, specific for the 45S rDNA, and the barley-specific telomere-associated sequence HvT01, was investigated to reveal genetic diversity in metaphase spreads of ten barley genotypes with diverse geographical origin, growth habit and row number. A wild relative of barley, Hordeum chilense was also studied in order to compare the polymorphism between and within Hordeum species. Significant differences in the hybridization patterns of all three DNA probes could be detected between the two related species, but only probes pTa71 and HvT01 showed variation in the intensity and/or position of hybridization sites among genotypes of H. vulgare ssp. vulgare. The extent of polymorphism was less than that earlier reported for molecular markers and was restricted to the long chromosome arms, with differences between the chromosomes. 1H and 3H proved to be the most variable chromosomes and 4H and 6H the most conserved

Ett samtal om samtal : Chefers upplevelse av medarbetarsamtalet som förändringsverktyg

Studien syftar till att undersöka medarbetarsamtal utifrån ett chefsperspektiv och studien intresserar sig för vilka effekter cheferna upplever att samtalet generar i verksamheten och hur de använder sig av samtalet i utveckling av verksamheten. Metoden är kvalitativ och utgörs av åtta stycken semistrukturerade intervjuer, där individer med personalansvar fick möjlighet att berätta sina upplevelser och erfarenheter av samtalet samt reflektera runt dess betydelse utifrån deras position i organisationen. Resultatet visar att medarbetarsamtalet är en tids- och energikrävande insats för cheferna som ibland måste ställa sin fritid till förfogande. Dialog och social kompetens lyfts fram som nyckelfaktorer för ett bra samtal och deltagarna i studien förlitar sig på sin upparbetade erfarenhet och känner en trygghet i sin yrkesroll vid genomförandet av samtalet. Denna studie bidrar till djupare kunskap om chefernas upplevelse av medarbetarsamtalet och dess potential som styrverktyg inom organisationer och kan medverka till framtida forskning som ett komplement till studier rörande medarbetarnas upplevelse. Studien visar att det även kan vara av intresse att via observationer av samtalet undersöka hur väl det praktiska genomförandet stämmer överens med chefens intentioner om verksamhetsutveckling.This study aims to examine employee review, based on a manager perspective with an interest in what effects leaders' experience it is generating, and how they use the employee review in the development of their organization. The method used in this study is qualitative and comprises eight semi-structured interviews, in which individuals with personnel responsibility where given the opportunity to share their comprehension off and experience from the phenomenon employee review, and its importance based on their position in the organization. The result shows that the employee review is a time and energy-intensive effort for the managers who sometimes have to make their spare time available for the task.Dialogue and social skills are highlighted as key factors for a good conversation, and the participants in the study relies on their self-generated experience and feel confident in their professional role in the implementation of employee review. This study contributes to deeper knowledge of the managers' experience regarding the employee review and its potential as an organizational management tool, and can contribute to future research as a complement to studies regarding the employees' experience. The results shows that it may also be of interest to study employee reviews through observations of the interview, how well the practical implementation is in line with the manager's intentions on business development