Obesity and Asthma: Adiponectin Receptor 1 (Adipo R1) and Adiponectin Receptor 2 (Adipo R2) are expressed by normal human bronchial epithelial (NHBE) cells at air-liquid interface (ALI) and expression changes with IL-13 stimulation

Obesity is recognized as an important risk factor for the development of many chronic diseases such as hypertension, Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) cardiovascular disease, cancer, renal disease, neurologic dysfunction, metabolic syndrome and asthma (3, 4). Circulating serum adiponectin levels in obese asthmatics have been reported to be low. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the role of adiponectin in a mucus hypersecretion model and hypothesized that adiponectin would decrease IL-13 induced MUC5AC expression from differentiated NHBE cells and that increasing concentrations of IL-13 would cause a decrease in Adipo R1 and Adipo R2 expression. MUC5AC expression with exposure to adiponectin was not significant. However, mRNA expression of Adipo R1 and Adipo R2 was significantly decreased by stimulation of IL-13 for acute (24 hours) and chronic (14 days) exposure. Therefore, the obese state and specifically IL-13 concentration could play a role in Adipo R1 and Adipo R2 expression within NHBE cells

Cardiac Arrest and Global Ischemia Reperfusion Injury: Role of mitochondria and Cannabinoid Receptor 2 signaling.

We explored the effects of cardiac arrest on mitochondria populations and heart whole tissue lysate proteomics utilizing the Weil Institute’s in vivo rat model of cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. We have discovered that brain mitochondria are more sensitive to global ischemia compared to heart mitochondria. Additionally, complex I is the most sensitive electron transport chain complex to ischemic injury and is a major control point of the rate of oxidative phosphorylation following cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Preservation of brain mitochondrial activity and function during cardiac arrest may enhance outcomes and recovery. A recent article focusing on acute myocardial infarction was able to link S100A8 and S100A9 gene upregulation during ischemia and reperfusion and revealed this caused mitochondrial dysfunction in cardiomyocytes. S100A8 and S100A9 protein expression levels were upregulated in rat LV Apex epicardium whole tissue lysate from animals that experienced global ischemia reperfusion injury via cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Further studies are necessary to confirm S100A8 and S100A9 proteins increase expression in brain and heart tissue samples after cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Testing WIN55 as a possible pharmacologic tool, in vitro results indicated that WIN55 was anti-inflammatory. Therefore, we moved to in vivo studies with intramuscular administration of SR141716A (CB1 antagonist) before ventricular fibrillation + cardiopulmonary resuscitation followed by infusion of WIN55 5 min after return of spontaneous circulation. After treatment, plasma concentrations of TNFα, IL6 and IL10 were decreased at return of spontaneous circulation 4hrs. One possible mechanism to drive down proinflammatory cytokine release is binding CB2

Systematic review of the types of methods and approaches used to assess the effectiveness of healthcare information websites

Author version made available in accordance with the publisher's policyThe objective of this systematic review was to identify types of approaches and methods used to evaluate the effectiveness of healthcare information websites. Simple usage data may not be sufficient to assess if the desired healthcare outcomes were achieved or to determine the relative effectiveness of different web resources on the same health topic. To establish the state of the knowledge base on assessment methods used to determine the effectiveness of healthcare websites, a structured search of the literature was conducted in Ovid Medline resulting in 1,611 articles retrieved, of which 240 met the inclusion criteria for this review. Results of this review found that diverse evaluation methods were used to measure the effectiveness of healthcare websites. These evaluation methods were used during development, prior to release, and after release. Economic assessment was rare and most evaluations looked at content issues such as readability scores. A number of studies did try to assess the usefulness of websites but few studies looked at behaviour change or knowledge transfer following engagement with the designated health website. To assess the effectiveness of the knowledge transfer of healthcare information through the online environment, multiple methods may need to be used to evaluate healthcare websites and may need to be undertaken at all stages of the website development process

Caffeine and Sprint Performance in Habitual and Caffeine Naive Participants

Caffeine is thought to provide ergogenic benefits during endurance performance. However, there is limited research on the effects of caffeine on anaerobic sports performance. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of 6 mg·kg-1 of caffeine on repeated sprint performance. The sample included active college students (N = 18), classified as habitual caffeine or caffeine naïve users. Participants completed a 12 x 30-m sprint test with 35 s rest intervals between sprints. Ratings of Perceived Exertion were collected every 3rd sprint. Height and body mass were measured and participants accommodated to the sprint test on Day 1. Participants were randomly assigned to the placebo or caffeine condition on Day 2 and the treatment was reversed on Day 3. Caffeine was ingested in a sports drink 1 h prior to performing the sprints. Caffeine produced a significantly faster best sprint time compared to the placebo trial, F (1, 17) = 7.38, MSE = .02, H-F p = .02. However, no significant difference was found between caffeine supplementation and placebo on time to complete the total sprint test. Additionally, no significant difference was found in sprint times with caffeine supplementation by sex or between caffeine-naïve and habitual caffeine users. Finally, a significantly higher average RPE was found with caffeine supplementation as compared to the placebo, t (1, 17) = 2.92, d = .38, p = .01. Caffeine has the potential to enhance sprint performance however, further research with women and habitual caffeine consumers is needed

Money Beliefs and Financial Behaviors: Development of the Klontz Money Script Inventory

Financial matters have been identified in the literature as a significant source of stress for individuals and families. However, little is known about the psychological issues related to money that may be contributing to individual and family problems. Using a sample of 422 individuals who identified their level of agreement on 72 money-related beliefs, this study identified four distinct money belief patterns. Three of these belief systems were significantly correlated with income and net worth. Demographic features associated with the four money belief scales are provided. The results of this study may be useful for practitioners interested in quickly and accurately identifying money beliefs in their clients that can have a negative impact on financial health

The Specific Globular Cluster Frequencies of Dwarf Elliptical Galaxies from the Hubble Space Telescope

The specific globular cluster frequencies (S_N) for 24 dwarf elliptical (dE) galaxies in the Virgo and Fornax Clusters and the Leo Group imaged with the Hubble Space Telescope are presented. Combining all available data, we find that for nucleated dEs --- which are spatially distributed like giant ellipticals in galaxy clusters --- S_N(dE,N)=6.5 +- 1.2 and S_N increases with M_V, while for non-nucleated dEs --- which are distributed like late-type galaxies --- S_N(dE,noN)=3.1 +- 0.5 and there is little or no trend with M_V. The S_N values for dE galaxies are thus on average significantly higher than those for late-type galaxies, which have S_N < 1. This suggests that dE galaxies are more akin to giant Es than to late-type galaxies. If there are dormant or stripped irregulars hiding among the dE population, they are likely to be among the non-nucleated dEs. Furthermore, the similarities in the properties of the globular clusters and in the spatial distributions of dE,Ns and giant Es suggest that neither galaxy mass or galaxy metallicity is responsible for high values of S_N. Instead, most metal-poor GCs may have formed in dwarf-sized fragments that merged into larger galaxies.Comment: 12 pages (uses aaspp4.sty), 2 figures, 1 table, to appear in the Astrophysical Journa

Care Planning in Palliative and End-of-Life Care: A Systematic Review of Reviews. A white paper published by the Flinders Research Centre for Palliative Care, Death, and Dying

Copyright Flinders UniversityAdvance care planning (ACP) plays a critical role in determining a person’s values, preferences, and beliefs prior to the point at which that individual may not be able to make or communicate his or her decisions. While ACP has become increasingly important in both policy and practice, a clear, shared understanding of what is meant by advance care planning remains elusive. The consequent variability in meaning and definitional ambiguity in relation to ACP can result in confusion around end-of-life practices and constrain the ability of policy makers, practitioners and others to determine the quality and effectiveness of ACP at different points and in different settings

Three-Year Longitudinal Service-Learning Research Study: Preliminary Findings

Using an experimental design, this study examines the contributions of service-learning to decreased at-risk behaviors, student cognitive, social, and personal development, and academic achievement over a three-year period. During the pilot phase and Years One and Two, teachers and students from eleven different Ohio schools have been surveyed. Preliminary findings are presented