897 research outputs found
Stable sulforaphane protects against gait anomalies and modifies bone microarchitecture in the spontaneous STR/Ort model of osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis (OA), affecting joints and bone, causes physical gait disability with huge socio-economic burden; treatment remains palliative. Roles for antioxidants in protecting against such chronic disorders have been examined previously. Sulforaphane is a naturally occurring antioxidant. Herein, we explore whether SFX-01Âź, a stable synthetic form of sulforaphane, modifies gait, bone architecture and slows/reverses articular cartilage destruction in a spontaneous OA model in STR/Ort mice. Sixteen mice (n = 8/group) were orally treated for 3 months with either 100 mg/kg SFX-01Âź or vehicle. Gait was recorded, tibiae were microCT scanned and analysed. OA lesion severity was graded histologically. The effect of SFX-01Âź on bone turnover markers in vivo was complemented by in vitro bone formation and resorption assays. Analysis revealed development of OA-related gait asymmetry in vehicle-treated STR/Ort mice, which did not emerge in SFX-01Âź-treated mice. We found significant improvements in trabecular and cortical bone. Despite these marked improvements, we found that histologically-graded OA severity in articular cartilage was unmodified in treated mice. These changes are also reflected in anabolic and anti-catabolic actions of SFX-01Âź treatment as reflected by alteration in serum markers as well as changes in primary osteoblast and osteoclast-like cells in vitro. We report that SFX-01Âź improves bone microarchitecture in vivo, produces corresponding changes in bone cell behaviour in vitro and leads to greater symmetry in gait, without marked effects on cartilage lesion severity in STR/Ort osteoarthritic mice. Our findings support both osteotrophic roles and novel beneficial gait effects for SFX-01Âź in this model of spontaneous OA
L'Association Internationale ForĂȘts MĂ©diterranĂ©ennes
Cet article raconte l'histoire de la crĂ©ation et les diffĂ©rentes rĂ©alisations de l'Association Internationale ForĂȘts MĂ©diterranĂ©ennes crĂ©Ă©e en 1996 par l'association française ForĂȘt MĂ©diterranĂ©enne, pour dĂ©velopper les activitĂ©s d'Ă©changes des connaissances en matiĂšre d'espaces forestiers mĂ©diterranĂ©ens au niveau international. Deux encadrĂ©s prĂ©sentent, en complĂ©ment de l'article, l'association des Ecologistes de l'EuziĂšre et le GRAINE
Investigation of Bio-Regenerative Life Support and Trash-To-Gas Experiment on a 4 Month Mars Simulation Mission
Future crewed missions to other planets or deep space locations will require regenerative Life Support Systems (LSS) as well as recycling processes for mission waste. Constant resupply of many commodity materials will not be a sustainable option for deep space missions, nor will storing trash on board a vehicle or at a lunar or Martian outpost. The habitable volume will decline as the volume of waste increases. A complete regenerative environmentally controlled life support system (ECLSS) on an extra-terrestrial outpost will likely include physico-chemical and biological technologies, such as bioreactors and greenhouse modules. Physico-chemical LSS do not enable food production and bio-regenerative LSS are not stable enough to be used alone in space. Mission waste that cannot be recycled into the bio-regenerative ECLSS can include excess food, food packaging, clothing, tape, urine and fecal waste. This waste will be sent to a system for converting the trash into the high value products. Two crew members on a 120 day Mars analog simulation, in collaboration with Kennedy Space Centers (KSC) Trash to Gas (TtG) project investigated a semi-closed loop system that treated non-edible biomass and other logistical waste for volume reduction and conversion into useful commodities. The purposes of this study are to show the how plant growth affects the amount of resources required by the habitat and how spent plant material can be recycled. Real-time data was sent to the reactor at KSC in Florida for replicating the analog mission waste for laboratory operation. This paper discusses the 120 day mission plant growth activity, logistical and plant waste management, power and water consumption effects of the plant and logistical waste, and potential energy conversion techniques using KSCs TtG reactor technology
Functional diversity of subicular principal cells during hippocampal ripples
Cortical and hippocampal oscillations play a crucial role in the encoding, consolidation, and retrieval of memory. Sharp-wave associated ripples have been shown to be necessary for the consolidation of memory. During consolidation, information is transferred from the hippocampus to the neocortex. One of the structures at the interface between hippocampus and neocortex is the subiculum. It is therefore well suited to mediate the transfer and distribution of information from the hippocampus to other areas. By juxtacellular and whole-cell-recordings in awake mice, we show here that in the subiculum a subset of pyramidal cells is activated, whereas another subset is inhibited during ripples. We demonstrate that these functionally different subgroups are predetermined by their cell subtype. Bursting cells are selectively used to transmit information during ripples, whereas the firing probability in regular firing cells is reduced. With multiple patch-clamp recordings in vitro, we show that the cell subtype-specific differences extend into the local network topology. This is reflected in an asymmetric wiring scheme where bursting cells and regular firing cells are recurrently connected among themselves but connections between subtypes exclusively exist from regular to bursting cells. Furthermore, inhibitory connections are more numerous onto regular firing cells than onto bursting cells. We conclude that the network topology contributes to the observed functional diversity of subicular pyramidal cells during sharp-wave associated ripples
Spectral and stratigraphic mapping of hydrated sulfate and phyllosilicate-bearing deposits in northern Sinus Meridiani, Mars
We present detailed stratigraphic and spectral analyses that focus on a region in
northern Sinus Meridiani located between 1°N to 5°N latitude and 3°W to 1°E longitude.
Several stratigraphically distinct units are defined and mapped using morphologic
expression, spectral properties, and superposition relationships. Previously unreported
exposures of hydrated sulfates and Fe/Mg smectites are identified using MRO CRISM and
MEX OMEGA nearâinfrared (1.0 to 2.5 ”m) spectral reflectance observations. Layered
deposits with monohydrated and polyhydrated sulfate spectral signatures that occur in
association with a northeastâsouthwest trending valley are reexamined using highresolution
CRISM, HiRISE, and CTX images. Layers that are spectrally dominated by
monohydrated and polyhydrated sulfates are intercalated. The observed compositional
layering implies that multiple wetting events, brine recharge, or fluctuations in evaporation
rate occurred. We infer that these hydrated sulfateâbearing layers were unconformably
deposited following the extensive erosion of preexisting layered sedimentary rocks and
may postdate the formation of the sulfateâ and hematiteâbearing unit analyzed by the MER
Opportunity rover. Therefore, at least two episodes of deposition separated by an
unconformity occurred. Fe/Mg phyllosilicates are detected in units that predate the sulfateand
hematiteâbearing unit. The presence of Fe/Mg smectite in older units indicates that the
relatively low pH formation conditions inferred for the younger sulfateâ and hematitebearing
unit are not representative of the aqueous geochemical environment that prevailed
during the formation and alteration of earlier materials. Sedimentary deposits indicative of
a complex aqueous history that evolved over time are preserved in Sinus Meridiani, Mars
NCERA-101 Station Report from Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA (April 2019)
This is our annual "station report" of activities related to controlled environment research to the North Central Education Research Activity (NCERA-101) committee. The committee is sponsored the USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Kennedy Space Center has participated in this committee for over 30 years
Study of the system in the mass range up to 1200 MeV
The reaction has been studied with GAMS-2000
spectrometer in the secondary 38 GeV/c -beam of the IHEP U-70
accelerator. Partial wave analysis of the reaction has been performed in the
mass range up to 1200 MeV. The -meson is seen as a sharp
peak in S-wave. The -dependence of production cross section has
been studied. Dominant production of the at a small transfer
momentum confirms the hypothesis of Achasov and Shestakov about significant
contribution of the exchange () in the mechanism
of meson production in -channel of the reaction.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, talk given at HADRON'9
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