The Role of Second-year College Students\u27 Mindset on Finances and its Impact on Welness

This study examined the differentiation among second-year college students from a small urban religious affiliated college in New York City and their four beliefs about household money on five constructs of wellness. Ninety-two participants completed the “TestWell: Wellness Inventory-College Edition” questionnaire. Discriminant analysis evaluated the differences among groups. It was found that students who believed they have plenty of money revealed higher scores for emotional awareness and physical fitness. Student services on college campuses may use this research to offer student financial planning to support and set short and long term budgeting goals that increase retention rates

Urine sample preparation protocol standarization for selected reaction monitoring (SRM) bases assay

Comunicaciones a congreso

A printed transition for matching improvement of SIW horn antennas

The substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) technology allows to construct several types of commonly used antennas in a planar way. However, frequency limitations associated to commercial substrates appear in the implementation of certain types of antennas, e.g., SIW horn antennas are not well matched when the substrate thickness is much smaller than the wavelength. A printed transition is proposed to overcome this problem. Differently from current solutions, no bulky elements are required allowing to maintain the most important features of this technology namely its compactness and ease of manufacturing. In order to quickly analyze and design the transition, both a coupled resonator and a transmission line models are developed, together with design guidelines. The proposed transition is designed to match a H-plane SIW horn antenna built in a thin substrate (thickness < lambda(0)/10) at different frequency bands at the Ku-band. Experimental results for 3 different transitions show that the matching characteristics are efficiently improved compared with the conventional SIW horn antenna and validates the proposed models

Serum Early Prostate Cancer Antigen (EPCA) Level and Its Association with Disease Progression in Prostate Cancer in a Chinese Population

BACKGROUND: Early prostate cancer antigen (EPCA) has been shown a prostate cancer (PCa)-associated nuclear matrix protein, however, its serum status and prognostic power in PCa are unknown. The goals of this study are to measure serum EPCA levels in a cohort of patients with PCa prior to the treatment, and to evaluate the clinical value of serum EPCA. METHODS: Pretreatment serum EPCA levels were determined with an ELISA in 77 patients with clinically localized PCa who underwent radical prostatectomy and 51 patients with locally advanced or metastatic disease who received primary androgen deprivation therapy, and were correlated with clinicopathological variables and disease progression. Serum EPCA levels were also examined in 40 healthy controls. RESULTS: Pretreatment mean serum EPCA levels were significantly higher in PCa patients than in controls (16.84 ± 7.60 ng/ml vs. 4.12 ± 2.05 ng/ml, P<0.001). Patients with locally advanced and metastatic PCa had significantly higher serum EPCA level than those with clinically localized PCa (22.93 ± 5.28 ng/ml and 29.41 ± 8.47 ng/ml vs. 15.17 ± 6.03 ng/ml, P = 0.014 and P<0.001, respectively). Significantly elevated EPCA level was also found in metastatic PCa compared with locally advanced disease (P < 0.001). Increased serum EPCA levels were significantly and positively correlated with Gleason score and clinical stage, but not with PSA levels and age. On multivariate analysis, pretreatment serum EPCA level held the most significantly predictive value for the biochemical recurrence and androgen-independent progression among pretreatment variables (HR = 4.860, P<0.001 and HR = 5.418, P<0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Serum EPCA level is markedly elevated in PCa. Pretreatment serum EPCA level correlates significantly with the poor prognosis, showing prediction potential for PCa progression

Red blood cell-derived semaphorin 7A promotes thrombo-inflammation in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury through platelet GPIb.

Myocardial ischemia is one of the leading health problems worldwide. Therapy consists of the restitution of coronary perfusion which is followed by myocardial inflammation. Platelet-neutrophil interaction is a crucial process during inflammation, yet its consequences are not fully understood. Here, we show that platelet-neutrophil complexes (PNCs) are increased in patients with acute myocardial infarction and that this is associated with increased levels of neuronal guidance protein semaphorin 7A (SEMA7A). To investigate this further, we injected WT animals with Sema7a and found increased infarct size with increased numbers of PNCs. Experiments in genetically modified animals identify Sema7a on red blood cells to be crucial for this condition. Further studies revealed that Sema7a interacts with the platelet receptor glycoprotein Ib (GPIb). Treatment with anti-Sema7a antibody protected from myocardial tissue injury. In summary, we show that Sema7a binds to platelet GPIb and enhances platelet thrombo-inflammatory activity, aggravating post-ischemic myocardial tissue injury

“Tourism, water, and gender”—An international review of an unexplored nexus

This international literature review of the tourism–water nexus identifies a gender gap. Tourism development can affect water supply both quantitatively and qualitatively. Many regions will face considerable problems of water availability and quality, affecting their tourism sector and increasing competition with local residents, and other industries especially agriculture. This international review of literature explores the tourism–water nexus, comparing and contrasting literature published in English, Chinese, and Spanish. Securing access to safe water for continued tourism development is a common theme and the vast majority of work has focused on hotels including water pricing, water-saving practices and innovative management methods. In all continents, struggles are apparent, and the unsustainability of tourism is having impacts on water quantity and quality. This article identifies significant gaps in the literature including climate change, the energy-water nexus, and the links with the Sustainable Development Goals. Furthermore, studies from a gendered perspective are minimal and the potential for areas of further gendered studies within the tourism–water nexus are highlighted including intersectionality, water insecurity and sanitation, tourism and gender based violence, and additional unpaid care work

Vasodilator Phosphostimulated Protein (VASP) Protects Endothelial Barrier Function During Hypoxia

The endothelial barrier controls the passage of solutes from the vascular space. This is achieved through active reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton. A central cytoskeletal protein involved into this is vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP). However, the functional role of endothelial VASP during hypoxia has not been thoroughly elucidated. We determined endothelial VASP expression through real-time PCR (Rt-PCR), immunhistochemistry, and Western blot analysis during hypoxia. VASP promoter studies were performed using a PGL3 firefly luciferase containing plasmid. Following approval by the local authorities, VASP−/− mice and littermate controls were subjected to normobaric hypoxia (8% O2, 92% N2) after intravenous injection of Evans blue dye. In in vitro studies, we found significant VASP repression in human microvascular and human umbilical vein endothelial cells through Rt-PCR, immunhistochemistry, and Western blot analysis. The VASP promoter construct demonstrated significant repression in response to hypoxia, which was abolished when the binding of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha was excluded. Exposure of wild-type (WT) and VASP−/− animals to normobaric hypoxia for 4 h resulted in an increase in Evans blue tissue extravasation that was significantly increased in VASP−/− animals compared to WT controls. In summary, we demonstrate here that endothelial VASP holds significant importance for endothelial barrier properties during hypoxia

Biochemical markers of bone turnover and clinical outcome in patients with renal cell and bladder carcinoma with bone metastases following treatment with zoledronic acid: The TUGAMO study

Background: Levels of bone turnover markers (BTM) might be correlated with outcome in terms of skeletal-related events (SRE), disease progression, and death in patients with bladder cancer (BC) and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with bone metastases (BM). We try to evaluate this possible correlation in patients who receive treatment with zoledronic acid (ZOL). Methods: This observational, prospective, and multicenter study analysed BTM and clinical outcome in these patients. Serum levels of bone alkaline phosphatase (BALP), procollagen type I amino-terminal propeptide (PINP), and beta-isomer of carboxyterminal telopeptide of type I collagen (b-CTX) were analysed. Results: Patients with RCC who died or progressed had higher baseline b-CTX levels and those who experienced SRE during follow-up showed high baseline BALP levels. In BC, a poor rate of survival was related with high baseline b-CTX and BALP levels, and new SRE with increased PINP levels. Cox univariate analysis showed that b-CTX levels were associated with higher mortality and disease progression in RCC and higher mortality in BC. Bone alkaline phosphatase was associated with increased risk of premature SRE appearance in RCC and death in BC. Conclusion: Beta-isomer of carboxy-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen and BALP can be considered a complementary tool for prediction of clinical outcomes in patients with BC and RCC with BM treated with ZOLNovartis Oncology Spain for supporting this stud

Oxygen-Independent Stabilization of Hypoxia Inducible Factor (HIF)-1 during RSV Infection

BACKGROUND: Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF)-1alpha is a transcription factor that functions as master regulator of mammalian oxygen homeostasis. In addition, recent studies identified a role for HIF-1alpha as transcriptional regulator during inflammation or infection. Based on studies showing that respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is among the most potent biological stimuli to induce an inflammatory milieu, we hypothesized a role of HIF-1alpha as transcriptional regulator during infections with RSV. METHODOLOGY, PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We gained first insight from immunohistocemical studies of RSV-infected human pulmonary epithelia that were stained for HIF-1alpha. These studies revealed that RSV-positive cells also stained for HIF-1alpha, suggesting concomitant HIF-activation during RSV infection. Similarly, Western blot analysis confirmed an approximately 8-fold increase in HIF-1alpha protein 24 h after RSV infection. In contrast, HIF-1alpha activation was abolished utilizing UV-treated RSV. Moreover, HIF-alpha-regulated genes (VEGF, CD73, FN-1, COX-2) were induced with RSV infection of wild-type cells. In contrast, HIF-1alpha dependent gene induction was abolished in pulmonary epithelia following siRNA mediated repression of HIF-1alpha. Measurements of the partial pressure of oxygen in the supernatants of RSV infected epithelia or controls revealed no differences in oxygen content, suggesting that HIF-1alpha activation is not caused by RSV associated hypoxia. Finally, studies of RSV pneumonitis in mice confirmed HIF-alpha-activation in a murine in vivo model. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Taking together, these studies suggest hypoxia-independent activation of HIF-1alpha during infection with RSV in vitro and in vivo

Traditional use of the Andean flicker (Colaptes rupicola) as a galactagogue in the Peruvian Andes

This paper explores the use of the dried meat and feathers of the Andean Flicker (Colaptes rupicola) to increase the milk supply of nursing women and domestic animals in the Andes. The treatment is of preColumbian origin, but continues to be used in some areas, including the village in the southern Peruvian highlands where I do ethnographic research. I explore the factors giving rise to and sustaining the practice, relate it to other galactagogues used in the Andes and to the use of birds in ethnomedical and ethnoveterinary treatments in general, and situate it within the general tendency in the Andes and elsewhere to replicate human relations in the treatment of valuable livestock. The bird's use as a galactagogue appears to be motivated by both metaphorical associations and its perceived efficacy, and conceptually blends human and animal healthcare domains