Vitamin D Receptor Activation Mitigates the Impact of Uremia on Endothelial Function in the 5/6 Nephrectomized Rats

Endothelial dysfunction increases cardiovascular disease risk in chronic kidney disease (CKD). This study investigates whether VDR activation affects endothelial function in CKD. The 5/6 nephrectomized (NX) rats with experimental chronic renal insufficiency were treated with or without paricalcitol, a VDR activator. Thoracic aortic rings were precontracted with phenylephrine and then treated with acetylcholine or sodium nitroprusside. Uremia significantly affected aortic relaxation (−50.0 ± 7.4% in NX rats versus −96.2 ± 5.3% in SHAM at 30 μM acetylcholine). The endothelial-dependent relaxation was improved to –58.2 ± 6.0%, –77.5 ± 7.3%, and –90.5 ± 4.0% in NX rats treated with paricalcitol at 0.021, 0.042, and 0.083 μg/kg for two weeks, respectively, while paricalcitol at 0.042 μg/kg did not affect blood pressure and heart rate. Parathyroid hormone (PTH) suppression alone did not improve endothelial function since cinacalcet suppressed PTH without affecting endothelial-dependent vasorelaxation. N-omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester completely abolished the effect of paricalcitol on improving endothelial function. These results demonstrate that VDR activation improves endothelial function in CKD

The Grizzly, April 21, 2005

A Taste of Asia • Students Raise Over $3,000 for Multiple Sclerosis • U.S.-Israeli Relations: On Cold Terms? • Why Kaleidoscope? • Class Elections: Who Will Get Your Vote? • Talent Show this Friday • Ursinus Students Take a Vow of Silence • New Mugs in Zack\u27s Promote Environmental Awareness • Our Town Makes its Mark as Ritter\u27s Last Play • Spread Your Legs and Turn Your Head and Cough • Opinions: Academic Honor Code: Is it Really Necessary?; Scope the Opening ; Questions that Need to be Considered by the Ursinus Campus • Men\u27s Baseball: Trying to Make a Push for the Playoffs • Conference Woes Continue for Men\u27s Lacrosse • A Struggling Season Shows Some Signs of Improvement for Tennis Teamshttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1584/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, March 31, 2005

Poem-palooza Tonight • Senior Speaks About Giving Back • Get Amped for Airband! • No Boredom Allowed • Students Petition for Comcast Cable • SERV Members Attend National Conference • Help Hobson Help Others • Ursinus Students Build House During Spring Break • Study Abroad Cancellations • Erectile Dysfunction in Young Men • Experiencing the London Perspective • A New Drink: Water from the Body • Conversation with Mike Ditty • Fitzgerald Returns to Coach Women\u27s Lacrosse • Chemistry is the Ingredient for Success • Men\u27s Lacrosse Team Loses in a Nail-biter to F&Mhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1581/thumbnail.jp

How Well Do Drivers Understand Their Own Headlights?

The current research represents an initial investigation of drivers’ understanding of high beam and low beam headlight patterns in a nighttime driving environment. Fifty-four university students used a highlighter to indicate on a paper diagram of a roadway scene the portion of the scene that they felt their headlights would illuminate. Although the headlight patterns produced by participants varied more than expected, several consistent patterns emerged. Classification and evaluation of these drivers’ responses revealed that many drivers misunderstand the area of the roadway that is illuminated by their headlights. These misunderstandings fall into fairly distinct patterns. The results indicate many drivers possess an incomplete understanding of the pattern of illumination provided by their headlights. These results are consistent with earlier evidence that many road users fail to appreciate the visibility challenges that exist at night

The economic costs, management and regulation of biological invasions in the Nordic countries

A collective understanding of economic impacts and in particular of monetary costs of biological invasions is lacking for the Nordic region. This paper synthesizes findings from the literature on costs of invasions in the Nordic countries together with expert elicitation. The analysis of cost data has been made possible through the InvaCost database, a globally open repository of monetary costs that allows for the use of temporal, spatial, and taxonomic descriptors facilitating a better understanding of how costs are distributed. The total reported costs of invasive species across the Nordic countries were estimated at $8.35 billion (in 2017 US$ values) with damage costs significantly outweighing management costs. Norway incurred the highest costs ($3.23 billion), followed by Denmark ($2.20 billion), Sweden ($1.45 billion), Finland ($1.11 billion) and Iceland ($25.45 million). Costs from invasions in the Nordics appear to be largely underestimated. We conclude by highlighting such knowledge gaps, including gaps in policies and regulation stemming from expert judgment as well as avenues for an improved understanding of invasion costs and needs for future research

The status of the world's land and marine mammals: diversity, threat, and knowledge

Knowledge of mammalian diversity is still surprisingly disparate, both regionally and taxonomically. Here, we present a comprehensive assessment of the conservation status and distribution of the world's mammals. Data, compiled by 1700+ experts, cover all 5487 species, including marine mammals. Global macroecological patterns are very different for land and marine species but suggest common mechanisms driving diversity and endemism across systems. Compared with land species, threat levels are higher among marine mammals, driven by different processes (accidental mortality and pollution, rather than habitat loss), and are spatially distinct (peaking in northern oceans, rather than in Southeast Asia). Marine mammals are also disproportionately poorly known. These data are made freely available to support further scientific developments and conservation action

A Meta-analysis of Multiple Myeloma Risk Regions in African and European Ancestry Populations Identifies Putatively Functional Loci

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in European populations have identified genetic risk variants associated with multiple myeloma (MM)

The economic costs, management and regulation of biological invasions in the Nordic countries

A collective understanding of economic impacts and in particular of monetary costs of biological invasions is lacking for the Nordic region. This paper synthesizes findings from the literature on costs of invasions in the Nordic countries together with expert elicitation. The analysis of cost data has been made possible through the InvaCost database, a globally open repository of monetary costs that allows for the use of temporal, spatial, and taxonomic descriptors facilitating a better understanding of how costs are distributed. The total reported costs of invasive species across the Nordic countries were estimated at $8.35 billion (in 2017 US$ values) with damage costs significantly outweighing management costs. Norway incurred the highest costs ($3.23 billion), followed by Denmark ($2.20 billion), Sweden ($1.45 billion), Finland ($1.11 billion) and Iceland ($25.45 million). Costs from invasions in the Nordics appear to be largely underestimated. We conclude by highlighting such knowledge gaps, including gaps in policies and regulation stemming from expert judgment as well as avenues for an improved understanding of invasion costs and needs for future research.</p