Canadian Parliament Internship May 2017

STEP Category: InternshipsStudy abroad internship in Ottawa, Canada in the Canadian Parliament for my STEP signature project.The Ohio State University Second-year Transformational Experience Program (STEP)Keith and Linda Monda ScholarshipAcademic Major: Marketin

Bile cast nephropathy after liver transplantation

Bile cast nephropathy is a rare condition of renal dysfunction related to hyperbilirubinemia. The kidney injury is generally reversible if bilirubin levels are decreased early. Pathohistological findings are a result of bile casts formation and direct bile acids toxicity on renal tissue. Herein, we present a case of bile cast nephropathy after liver transplantation. A 60-year old male underwent liver transplantation (LT) in 2016 due to cryptogenic cirrhosis. Seven months after LT his liver function unexpectedly deteriorated and he developed severe jaundice (bilirubin=415 μmol/L) accompanied by acute renal failure (creatinine= 190μmol/L). A liver biopsy revealed an acute injury of unidentified aetiology, while the renal findings indicated bile cast nephropathy with nephroangiosclerosis and fibrosis. The treatment included plasmapheresis which resulted in partial recovery of renal and liver function. However, in proceeding weeks patient’s liver function deteriorated (bilirubin=501 μmol/L; AST=267IU/L; ALT=503IU/L), and due to unidentified liver failure, the patient was retransplanted. His renal function partially improved with resolving hyperbilirubinemia following LT (creatinine=145μmol/L). He was discharged from the hospital with normally functioning graft and improved but still impaired kidney function. There are only a few reported cases of this condition described in the literature and aetiology of this condition is still not completely understood. The presented case report demonstrates the particular background of bile cast nephropathy and the subsequent treatment. Though, we emphasize the need for further investigations of this condition, as well as the established treatment guidelines

Bile cast nephropathy after liver transplantation

Bile cast nephropathy is a rare condition of renal dysfunction related to hyperbilirubinemia. The kidney injury is generally reversible if bilirubin levels are decreased early. Pathohistological findings are a result of bile casts formation and direct bile acids toxicity on renal tissue. Herein, we present a case of bile cast nephropathy after liver transplantation. A 60-year old male underwent liver transplantation (LT) in 2016 due to cryptogenic cirrhosis. Seven months after LT his liver function unexpectedly deteriorated and he developed severe jaundice (bilirubin=415 μmol/L) accompanied by acute renal failure (creatinine= 190μmol/L). A liver biopsy revealed an acute injury of unidentified aetiology, while the renal findings indicated bile cast nephropathy with nephroangiosclerosis and fibrosis. The treatment included plasmapheresis which resulted in partial recovery of renal and liver function. However, in proceeding weeks patient’s liver function deteriorated (bilirubin=501 μmol/L; AST=267IU/L; ALT=503IU/L), and due to unidentified liver failure, the patient was retransplanted. His renal function partially improved with resolving hyperbilirubinemia following LT (creatinine=145μmol/L). He was discharged from the hospital with normally functioning graft and improved but still impaired kidney function. There are only a few reported cases of this condition described in the literature and aetiology of this condition is still not completely understood. The presented case report demonstrates the particular background of bile cast nephropathy and the subsequent treatment. Though, we emphasize the need for further investigations of this condition, as well as the established treatment guidelines

Folding of Alzheimer's core PHF subunit revealed by monoclonal antibody 423

AbstractAt present, the conformation-dependent monoclonal antibodies (mAb) provide the only information on folding of tau in the core PHF. Monoclonal antibody MN423 recognizes all and only those Alzheimer's disease (AD) core paired helical filaments (PHFs) subunits, which terminate at Glu391. Using recombinant analogs of the core PHF subunit corresponding to tau residues τ297–391, we found that the C-terminal pentapeptide 387DHGAE391 represented only one component of the structure recognized by mAb 423. Therefore, deletion mutants of the core subunit were generated to identify assembled parts of this conformational structure. We localized two spatially close components in the region 306–325 (306VQIVYK311 and 321KCGSL325) contributing to formation of the structure identified by mAb 423. Thus, the spatial proximity of three subunit segments 306VQIVYK311, 321KCGSL325 and 387DHGAE391 represents constraints for intramolecular folding of the core PHF subunit. Since PHF represents a compelling drug target in AD, structural knowledge presented could contribute to structure-based drug design

Difference in membrane repair capacity between cancer cell lines and a normal cell line

Electroporation-based treatments and other therapies that permeabilize the plasma membrane have been shown to be more devastating to malignant cells than to normal cells. In this study, we asked if a difference in repair capacity could explain this observed difference in sensitivity. Membrane repair was investigated by disrupting the plasma membrane using laser followed by monitoring fluorescent dye entry over time in seven cancer cell lines, an immortalized cell line, and a normal primary cell line. The kinetics of repair in living cells can be directly recorded using this technique, providing a sensitive index of repair capacity. The normal primary cell line of all tested cell lines exhibited the slowest rate of dye entry after laser disruption and lowest level of dye uptake. Significantly, more rapid dye uptake and a higher total level of dye uptake occurred in six of the seven tested cancer cell lines (p < 0.05) as well as the immortalized cell line (p < 0.001). This difference in sensitivity was also observed when a viability assay was performed one day after plasma membrane permeabilization by electroporation. Viability in the primary normal cell line (98 % viable cells) was higher than in the three tested cancer cell lines (81–88 % viable cells). These data suggest more effective membrane repair in normal, primary cells and supplement previous explanations why electroporation-based therapies and other therapies permeabilizing the plasma membrane are more effective on malignant cells compared to normal cells in cancer treatment

Peculiarities of inventory in public sector of economy of Ukraine

The peculiarity of the activities of public sector institutions of the Ukrainian economy is that they are forced to form and use their resources within the approved budget of revenues and expenditures. That is why it is important to monitor the condition and preservation of the property of such institutions. The purpose of the study is to identify ways to improve the stage of preparation for the inventory and its documentation by developing and approving an internal regulation on the inventory of public sector institutions. During the study of the essence of the concept of "institutions of the public sector of the economy", the principles and features of the inventory were used methods of scientific analysis, synthesis, scientific abstraction, the method of theoretical and logical generalization. One of the methods of control over the proper storage and use of the resource base of public sector institutions is inventory. The purpose of the study is to examine ways to improve the process of preparation and documentation of inventory in public sector institutions of the Ukrainian economy. General scientific and specific methods of scientific research were used in studying the issue. The issue of conducting an inventory and qualitative reflection of its results always remains relevant. According to our study, the emphasis was on recommendations for public sector institutions to develop and implement internal regulations on inventory of assets and liabilities, which will greatly simplify their current work not only before the preparation of annual financial statements but throughout the financial year

Mutations in the HvDWARF, HvCPD and HvBRI1 Genes-Involved in Brassinosteroid Biosynthesis/Signalling : Altered Photosynthetic Efficiency, Hormonal Homeostasis and Tolerance to High/Low Temperatures in Barley

Brassinosteroids (BR) are steroid phytohormones that are involved in the growth and stress response in plants, but the precise mechanisms of their action are still being discovered. In our study we have used BR-deficient barley mutants 522DK and BW084 (which carry missense mutations in the HvDWARF and HvCPD genes, respectively). We have also used a BR-signalling mutant that harbors missense substitutions in the HvBRI1 gene. Our aim was (1) to find out if the content of phytohormones in the mutants grown at 20 °C is different than in the wild types and whether/how the content of phytohormones changes after plant acclimation at temperatures of 5 °C and 27 °C?, (2) to characterise the effectiveness of the light reactions of photosynthesis of the barley mutants in comparison to wild types at various temperatures, and (3) to verify the impact of mutations on the tolerance of barley to high and low temperatures. Hormonal characteristics of the BR mutants of barley show the complexity of the interactions between BR and other plant hormones that are additionally modified by temperature and possibly by other factors. The results suggest the participation of BR in auxin catabolism. Further, BR appears to play a role in maintaining the ABA–ABAGlc balance. As for the gibberellin content in plants at a temperature of 20 °C, more in-depth studies will be required to explain the contradictory effects regarding the accumulation of GA3, GA4 and GA5, which appears to be dependent on the type of mutation and connected to the BR level. A fast-kinetic chlorophyll a fluorescence analysis has revealed that the mutants had lower values of energy absorption than the wild types, but the values of the energy transferred via the electron-transport chain was maintained at the wild-type level. We presumed that BR are involved in regulating plant acclimation to extreme (low/high) temperatures, thus the BR-deficient and BR-signalling mutants should be less tolerant to low/high temperatures when compared to the wild types. Unexpectedly, all of the mutants showed a higher tolerance to high temperatures than the wild types. The BW084 and BW312 mutants were less tolerant to frost than the wild type, but 522DK had a similar frost tolerance as the reference wild-type cultivar

Factors Affecting the Improvement of District Heating. Case Studies of Estonia and Serbia

© 2020 Pavel Rušeljuk et al., published by Sciendo 2020. Factors affecting both the Estonian and Serbian district heating improvement are analysed, including geographical and climate factors, as well as economic and legal factors. This analysis is added by evaluation of main technical and economic parameters related to the district heating networks from the case studies (Estonian Narva city and Serbian Kragujevac district heating). This analysis uncovered the weakest points of Kragujevac district heating and explain why district heating is not considered as sustainable and environmentally friendly heating option