Heat Shock Protein Induced Protection against Cisplatin-Induced Hair Cell Death

Cisplatin is a highly successful and widely used chemotherapy for the treatment of various solid malignancies in both adult and pediatric patients. Side effects of cisplatin include nephrotoxicity and ototoxicity. Cisplatin\u27s ototoxic effect results in part from damage to and death of cochlear hair cells. Mechanisms underlying cisplatin-induced hair cell death are poorly understood and have been attributed to DNA damage, oxidative stress, and inflammation. This study was designed to determine the role of p53 in cisplatin-induced hair cell death and to investigate heat shock proteins (HSPs) as potential protectants against cisplatin-induced hair cell death using adult mouse utricle as an in vitro model of mature mammalian hair cells. p53 is a well-known transcription factor involved in the DNA damage response. Using p53-/- mice and wild-type litter mates, results indicate that p53 is not necessary for cisplatin-induced death of hair cells and hearing loss. Heat shock has been previously shown to inhibit cisplatin-induced hair cell death. Since HSP70 is upregulated following sublethal heat shock, the role ofHSP70 in heat shock-conferred protection against cisplatin was investigated. HSP70 is necessary for the protective effect conferred by heat shock against cisplatin-induced hair cell death. Constitutive expression of inducible HSP70 offered modest protection against cisplatin-induced hair cell death, indicating that HSP70 is sufficient to protect against cisplatin. HSP32, a stress-inducible protein responsible for the catabolism of free heme, has been shown to protect against oxidative and inflammatory stress in multiple systems. Cobalt protoporphyrin IX (CoPPIX) -induced HSP32 was previously shown to inhibit cisplatin-induced death of hair cells from neonatal rat cochlear explants. Results indicate that HSP32 offers significant protection against cisplatin-induced hair cell death in cultured adult mouse utricle at multiple cisplatin concentrations, that CoPPIX induces expression ofHSP32 primarily in resident macrophages of mouse utricle, and that macrophages are necessary for the protection conferred by CoPPIX-induced HSP32 against cisplatin. Due to the robust protection conferred by HSP32, it may prove promising in the design of a co-therapy for the prevention of cisplatin-induced hearing loss

A Phenomenological Study: Exploring African American Community College Students\u27 First-Year Experiences with College Adjustment and Persistence

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore African American community college students\u27 first-year experiences with college adjustment and persistence at a two-year, predominantly White community college. Tinto\u27s (1975) institutional departure theory which merges the constructs of social psychology and institutional climate was used in this study to analyze how social integration impacts African American community college student’s first-year college adjustment experiences. Tinto’s (1975) theory asserts that college students who experience an inadequate amount of social integration or view themselves as being of trivial value in the social and academic systems of a higher education institution, decrease in institutional commitment. This theoretical viewpoint demonstrates connections between high attrition rates and first-year college adjustment experiences of African American community college students. Due to the scarcity of qualitative literature that examines the interplay between social integration, persistence, and the first-year college adjustment experiences of African American community college students, a qualitative design was determined to be appropriate design for this study. Eleven participants from a large community college were involved in this study and were selected based on ethnicity, age, and academic year. Data was collected using individual interviews, a writing prompt, and a focus group. Data collected was analyzed using the memoing technique and clusters of meaning, and the data was organized and stored using the Microsoft Excel software. The findings of this study indicated that African American students’ adjustment, motivation, and perseverance were impacted by first-year challenges with college transition and support, feeling a sense of belonging, and their institution’s cultural environment

Systems of Quantity Judgment in Various Species: A Meta-Analysis

An abundance of behavioral and neuroimaging literature supports the presence of two cognitive systems for quantity judgments (Agrillo & Bisazza, 2014). In particular, small quantities are thought to be guided by the object-file system, a precise system that uses mental files to map onto real world objects, and large quantities by the approximate number system, an imprecise, estimation system (Dehaene, 1997). Evidence supporting both systems exists in a variety of species including nonhuman primates (Boysen & Hallberg, 2000), birds (Garland, Low, & Burns, 2012), amphibians (Uller, Jaeger, Guidry, & Martin, 2003), and fish (Agrillo, Dadda, Serena, Bisazza, 2009), but support may depend on species and on method of assessment. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to examine differences in the extent of support for object-file versus the approximate number systems, to determine whether type of task affects quantity judgment, and to delineate species differences in abilities to distinguish quantities. Results revealed some success in both large and small set sizes and in both large and small ratio manipulation categories and supported the use of both the approximate number system and the object file system across species. Moderator analyses revealed no effect of the type of task on the proportion of correct judgments during quantity discrimination tasks. Findings support the overall hypothesis that there is not one single quantity judgment system, but rather there is a combination of the approximate number and object file systems plus a role of experience with the environment. Species differences are discussed

An Assessment of Number Representation in the Small-Eared Bushbaby (\u3ci\u3eOtolemur garnettii\u3c/i\u3e)

In an effort to explain the underlying mechanisms of number representation, both the object-file and the approximate number system have been proposed. Despite the recognition in animals, both nonhuman and human, it remains unclear how numbers are represented cognitively or what system is employed. Furthermore, primate numerosity research has been almost exclusively conducted within haplorhine species (monkeys and apes). Within the strepsirhines (lemurs, lorises, and galagos), it has only been investigated in 15 diurnal and cathermal Malagasy primate species. No study to date has looked at this ability in either African strepsirhines or nocturnal primates. To examine the extent of numerical representation among the strepsirhines, the current study examined a nocturnal African primate, Garnett’s Greater Bushbaby (Otolemur garnettii). Using a modified search task developed by Lewis et al. (2005), bushbabies searched for raisins in an opaque pail across 10 paired trials. Each pair consisted of one “honest” presentation (number observed = number retrievable) and one “deceitful” presentation (number observed \u3e number retrievable), with trial conditions consisting of 1 vs. 2, 2 vs. 3, and 3 vs. 4. False bottoms in the pails allowed for “deceitful” presentations. A 5 (1:1, 2:4. 4:8, 2:3, 3:4) X 2 (honest vs deceitful) fully repeated measures analysis of variance examined the within-subject effects of trial type and ratio of raisins revealing longer search times on deceitful versus honest trials only with ratios of 1:2 and 2:4

B Cell IgD Deletion Prevents Alveolar Bone Loss Following Murine Oral Infection

Periodontal disease is one of the most common infectious diseases of humans. Immune responses to infection trigger loss of alveolar bone from the jaw and eventual tooth loss. We investigated the contribution of B cell IgD to alveolar bone loss by comparing the response of B cell normal BALB/cJ mice and IgD deficient BALB/c-Igh-5−/−J mice to oral infection with Porphyromonas gingivalis, a gram-negative periodontopathic bacterium from humans. P. gingivalis-infected normal mice lost bone. Specific antibody to P. gingivalis was lower and oral colonization was higher in IgD deficient mice; yet bone loss was completely absent. Infection increased the proportion of CD69+ activated B cells and CD4+ T cells in immune normal mice compared to IgD deficient mice. These data suggest that IgD is an important mediator of alveolar bone resorption, possibly through antigen-specific coactivation of B cells and CD4+ T cells

Can insecticide-treated netting provide protection for Equids from Culicoides biting midges in the United Kingdom?

BACKGROUND: Biting midges of the genus Culicoides Latreille, 1809 (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) cause a significant biting nuisance to equines and are responsible for the biological transmission of African horse sickness virus (AHSV). While currently restricted in distribution to sub-Saharan Africa, AHSV has a history of emergence into southern Europe and causes one of the most lethal diseases of horses and other species of Equidae. In the event of an outbreak of AHSV, the use of insecticide treated nets (ITNs) to screen equine accomodation is recommended by competent authorities including the Office International des Épizooties (OIE) in order to reduce vector-host contact. METHODS: Seven commercially avaliable pyrethroid insecticides and three repellent compounds, all of which are licensed for amateur use, were assessed in modified World Health Organization (WHO) cone bioassay trials in the laboratory using a colony line of Culicoides nubeculosus (Meigen), 1830. Two field trials were subsequently conducted to test the efficiency of treated net screens in preventing entry of Culicoides. RESULTS: A formulation of cypermethrin (0.15 % w/w) and pyrethrins (0.2 % w/w) (Tri-Tec 14®, LS Sales (Farnham) Ltd, Bloxham, UK) applied to black polyvinyl-coated polyester insect screen (1.6 mm aperture; 1.6 mm thickness) inflicted 100 % mortality on batches of C. nubeculosus following a three minute exposure in the WHO cone bioassays at 1, 7 and 14 days post-treatment. Tri-Tec 14® outperformed all other treatments tested and was subsequently selected for use in field trials. The first trial demonstrated that treated screens placed around an ultraviolet light-suction trap entirely prevented Culicoides being collected, despite their collection in identical traps with untreated screening or no screening. The second field trial examined entry of Culicoides into stables containing horses and found that while the insecticide treated screens reduced entry substantially, there was still a small risk of exposure to biting. CONCLUSIONS: Screened stables can be utilised as part of an integrated control program in the event of an AHSV outbreak in order to reduce vector-host contact and may also be applicable to protection of horses from Culicoides during transport.The work of LEH and GLI was supported by funding from the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) (Vet/PRJ/766); TR was supported by funding from the University of Surrey; and JW was supported by the Alborada Trust and by the European Union FP7 project ANTIGONE (contract number 278976). RN is supported through a combined contribution to the Animal Health Trust’s Equine Infectious Disease Service from the HBLB, the Racehorse Owners’ Association (ROA) and the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association (TBA). The Pirbright Institute receives grant aided support from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council of the United Kingdom.This is the final version of the article. It was first available from BioMed Central via http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13071-015-1182-

Effect of Electron Beam Irradiation on the Tensile Properties of Carbon Nanotubes Sheets and Yarns

Carbon nanotube sheets and yarns were irradiated using electron beam (e-beam) energy to determine the effect of irradiation dose on the tensile properties. Results showed that a slight change in tensile strength occurred after irradiating as-received CNT sheets for 20 minutes, and a slight decrease in tensile strength as the irradiation time approached 90 minutes. On the other hand, the addition of small molecules to the CNT sheet surface had a greater effect on the tensile properties of e-beam irradiated CNT sheets. Some functionalized CNT sheets displayed up to a 57% increase in tensile strength following 90 minutes of e-beam exposure. In addition, as-received CNT yarns showed a significant increase in tensile strength as the irradiation time increased

Influenza and Wastewater Surveillance

Quantitative PCR led to identification of influenza A viral RNA at three schools in Las Vegas, Nevada.https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/durep_lightning/1021/thumbnail.jp

Effect of Electron Beam Irradiation on the Tensile Properties of Carbon Nanotube Sheets and Yarns

No abstract availabl