Extracellular matrix remodeling and TGF-β1/Smad signaling in diabetic colon mucosa

Diabetes is associated with metabolic and functional alterations in the gut. Using an experimental model of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes in rodents, we analyzed the extracellular matrix (ECM) and TGF-β/Smad signaling in the colon mucosa. Male rats were divided into normal control, diabetic and insulin treated diabetic groups during 4 and 9 weeks. Sirius red staining showed marked increase in the extracellular matrix deposition in diabetic mucosa. High levels of fibrillar collagen (I and III) and fibronectin mRNAs were also detected with an imbalance between MMPs/TIMPs activities. Moreover, an increased mesenchymal cell proliferation together with an enhanced expression of myofibroblasts markers vimentin and α-SMA were observed. TGF-β/Smad signaling-related genes were determined using RT-PCR, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. Diabetic rats showed a significant up-regulation of TGF-β1, TGF-β receptors and the effectors p-Smad2/3 in the mucosa compared with control rats. Insulin treatment attenuated the stimulating effect of diabetes on colon ECM deposition and TGF-β/Smad signaling. In conclusion, the overall results showed a deregulation of the TGFβ1 pathway associated with the appearance of myofibroblasts and the accumulation of ECM in the mucosa of diabetic colon. These data provide the first in vivo evidence that TGF-β1/Smad is a key component of intestinal tissue remodeling in diabetes.Fil: D'arpino, María Cecilia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Investigaciones Biológicas. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Investigaciones Biológicas; ArgentinaFil: Fuchs, Alicia Graciela. Universidad Abierta Interamericana. Facultad de Medicina. Centro de Altos Estudios en Ciencias de la Salud; ArgentinaFil: Sanchez, Sara Serafina del V.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Investigaciones Biológicas. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Investigaciones Biológicas; ArgentinaFil: Honore, Stella Maris. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Investigaciones Biológicas. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Investigaciones Biológicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Bioquímica, Química y Farmacia; Argentin

Regulation of acetylcholine receptor gene expression in rats treated with α-bungarotoxin

AbstractRegulation of acetylcholine receptor (AChR) gene expression was analyzed in α-bungarotoxin (α-BTX) treated rats. A reduction in available 125l-α-BTX binding sites was accompanied by an increase in the various AChR transcripts. The increase in the AChR α-, β- c- and δ-subunit mRNAs was similar to that observed in rats with experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG). Unlike in EAMG, the γ-subunit transcripts reappeared following α-BTX treatment. The quantitative differences in the levels of AChR transcripts between α-BTX treatment and EAMG on one hand and denervation on the other hand, support the notion that the regulation of AChR gene expression is controlled by muscle activity and by neuronal factors as well. We also demonstrate in this report that myogenin transcripts increase following α-BTX treatment as well as following denervation, whereas MyoD1 transcripts remain stable

Exercise Completed When Young Provides Lifelong Benefit to Cortical Bone Structure and Estimated Strength

poster abstractExercise induces greatest bone gains during growth, yet reduced bone strength is an age-related phenomenon. This raises the question of whether exercise-induced bone changes when young persist into adulthood. The current studies used Major/Minor League Baseball (MLB/MiLB) players to explore whether exercise-induced gains in humeral bone structure and strength accrued when young persist lifelong. MLB/MiLB players are a unique model as the unilateral upper extremity loading associated with throwing enables the contralateral side to serve as an internal control site and former MLB/MiLB players were consistently exposed to extreme loading reducing secular variations in exercise levels between generations. Dominant-to-nondominant (D-to-ND) differences in humeral cross-sectional properties in MLB/MiLB players were normalized to matched controls to correct for side-to-side differences due to elevated habitual loading associated with arm dominance. Exercise when young induced significant skeletal benefits, with active MLB/MiLB players having nearly double the estimated ability to resist torsion (polar moment of inertia, IP) in the humerus of their dominant arm. The cortical bone mass and area benefits of exercise observed in active MLB/MiLB players were lost in former MLB players following 40-49 years of detraining as a result of elevated medullary expansion and endocortical trabecularization. However, 42% of the total bone area benefit persisted following 50+ years of detraining and contributed to the maintenance of 24% of the benefit on IP. In MLB players who continued to exercise during aging, medullary expansion and endocortical trabecularization were reduced and there was maintenance of the cortical bone mass and area benefits of exercise. These cumulative data indicate: 1) the extreme plasticity of the growing skeleton to exercise; 2) that exercise when young has lifelong benefits on cortical bone size and estimated strength, but not bone mass, and; 3) exercise continued during aging maintains the bone mass benefits of exercise

We Are Listening to You (as Good as We Can): A Qualitative Study on the Potential of Internal Corporate Social Listening as a Strategic Approach for Corporate Communication

The aim of this research is to identify the potential of internal corporate Social Listening for corporate communications. To this end, the following research-guiding question is posed: What potential does internal corporate Social Listening offer as a strategic approach for the corporate communication of groups and group-affiliated subsidiaries with a branch office in Germany? To answer this question, qualitative, partially standardized guided interviews were conducted with communication experts from twelve corporate groups or subsidiaries with branches in Germany. The study explores in detail how internal corporate Social Listening is used in corporate communication, to what extent it is integrated into the respective communication strategy, and what strengths and weaknesses it offers for corporate communication. The results suggest that internal corporate Social Listening can contribute to corporate value creation, especially in the context of reputation, issue and stakeholder relationship management. However, this potential has not been fully exploited, as the inbound dimension of corporate communication is still underestimated. Internal corporate Social Listening should be actively incorporated into a company‘s communication strategy

Age-Related Changes in Proximal Humerus Bone Health in White Males

poster abstractThe proximal humerus is a common site for osteoporotic fracture during aging, accounting for up to 5% of fractures to the appendicular skeleton. While falls onto an outstretched hand are usually physically responsible for proximal humerus fractures, the ability of the underlying bone to resist applied loads must also play a role. Few studies have assessed proximal humerus bone health with aging. The aim of the current study was to explore age-related bone changes at the proximal humerus in men. A cross-sectional study design was used to assess peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT)-derived bone properties of the proximal humerus in a cohort of 112 white males (age range = 30-85 yrs). A tomographic slice of the non-dominant upper extremity was acquired at 80% of humeral length proximal from its distal end—a location corresponding to the surgical neck of the humerus. Images were assessed for cortical (Ct.BMC) and trabecular (Tb.BMC) BMC, total (Tt.Ar), cortical (Ct.Ar) and medullary (Me.Ar) area, periosteal (Ps.Pm) and endosteal (Es.Pm) perimeter, cortical thickness (Ct.Th), and bone strength index for compression (BSIc). BSIc was calculated as the product of Tt.Ar and the square of total volumetric BMD. Data were plotted against age and linear regression lines assessed for their slope. Slopes were subsequently converted to percent change in the bone property per year. During aging, the proximal humerus expanded with Tt.Ar and Ps.Pm increasing at rates of 0.40%/yr and 0.19%/yr, respectively. However, Me.Ar (0.62%/yr) and Es.Pm (0.34%/yr) expanded at faster rates such that there was net loss of both Ct.BMC (-0.23%/yr) and Tb.BMC (-1.08%/yr). Also, the more rapid expansion of Me.Ar relative to Tt.Ar meant that Ct.Ar (-0.15%/yr) and Ct.Th (-0.34%/yr) both decreased with age. The net result of these mass and structural changes was progressive loss of bone strength with age, as indicated by a 0.44%/yr decline in BSIc. These data provide a picture of bone changes at the proximal humerus during aging. They suggest that between age 30 and 80 yrs, approximately 54% and 11% of Tb.BMC and Ct.BMC at the proximal humerus is lost, respectively. They also suggest that compressive strength of the proximal humerus declines by 22% between age 30 and 80 years. These declines in proximal humerus bone health have implications for fracture risk at this location during aging

Planning Cooperative Data Curation Services

Presented at Open Repositories 2011, Austin, Texas, June 8-11

Connect Cascade Locks: A Trails Plan for Economic Development

Located in the heart of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, the City of Cascade Locks is a point of entry for regional and national trail systems. Recreational development opportunities abound for the community including mountain biking, hiking, sailing, bird watching, road biking, wind surfing, fishing, and camping. As the only city located directly on the Pacific Crest Trail, Cascade Locks sees thousands of hikers pass through every year. The Historic Columbia River Highway, a National Scenic Byway, draws in bicyclists and motorists from across the region. With these opportunities in mind, Celilo Planning Studio worked with the Port of Cascade Locks to develop a plan that identifies potential areas for economic growth. The purpose of Connect Cascade Locks is to increase the economic development prospects of the community of Cascade Locks through a regionally integrated recreational trails network. Connect Cascade Locks focuses on increasing access to regional trails in town, trail stewardship, identifying goods and services that trail users desire, developing opportunities for local businesses, and recognizing existing local attractions. This plan capitalizes on existing opportunities as well as the enthusiasm of the Cascade Locks community to help revitalize the town. Connect Cascade Locks has already galvanized partner organizations such as the Port and ODOT to start planning new trails and outdoor recreation opportunities in Cascade Locks. The plan is also available at: www.portofcascadelocks.org. This project was conducted under the supervision of Ethan Seltzer and Gil Kelley

Outpatient satisfaction during pharmacotherapy followup

This study aimed to investigate the satisfaction of patients with uncontrolled hypertension referred for pharmacotherapy followup. A cross-sectional study by semi-structured interview was used. The sample comprised patients undergoing pharmacotherapy followup, patients who had discontinued pharmacotherapy followup and patients who had not kept the appointments. A total of 80 (76.9 %) out of 104 patients registered were contacted. The majority of patients undergoing pharmacotherapy followup (91.1 %) were fully satisfied with the pharmacists' care given, their relationship with them (94.9 %), the manner in which their therapy was conducted (99.2 %) and the environment where it was carried out (85.3 %). The reasons for non-attendance were mostly forgetting the date, illness on the appointment day and other arrangements on the same day. Interestingly, all of these patients were completely satisfied with the pharmacists' care given. The satisfaction of patients with the pharmaceutical care is high among patients that have continuous followup, but a relevant proportion discontinued followup. Newer approaches to keep these patients under followup are necessary.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire

Developing Interactive Curricular Elements with Teams of Faculty, Staff and Students

Students are continually searching for new resources to augment their learning. Online resources have become highly favored, especially by the millennial age group, for convenience, self-paced content, and versatility across learning styles. It has been reported that e-learning platforms are as effective as traditional face-to-face instruction, but may be best utilized when used as an adjunctive resource for teaching psychomotor skills.1,2 In a study about student confidence, results showed an increase in self-efficacy following the use of online learning materials.3 Blended learning, the next generation of web-based education, mixes advances in technology with creative faculty to fuse effective delivery methods that promote student engagement and learning. Re-designing all or portions of a course with a fresh prospective can re-energize faculty and render content more engaging for the learner but development can be hampered by limited time and resources. Our academic health science center launched a strategic initiative in 2013 for interprofessional student and faculty teams to build interactive e-learning modules. This presentation will focus on the significant role of medical and allied health science students in the development of interactive curricular elements, which can save faculty time and resources while enhancing student learning. Through this program, a large interprofessional network of collaborators with varying skill sets was created. The network includes nearly 100 students and faculty members from medical and allied health professions that have created over 50 e-learning projects. The greatest benefits of engaging student-faculty teams as e-learning developers have been the trust and cohesion, resource sharing and brokering of information consistent with the social capital theory. In addition, the high quality of e-modules resulting from the creative use of media-rich content in student designs increased peer engagement. With students as e-learning collaborators, faculty as content experts, and instructional design expertise we increased the production of curricular-based e-learning modules within a budget-friendly model while reducing faculty time required for development. More importantly, many additional modules have been created by teams outside of the formal institutional mechanism, suggesting the widespread adoption of this teaching modality in an expanding network. Regardless of educational trends, faculty who implement a novel learning tool should be aware of the learner’s cognitive load, or working memory, which has a limited capacity. Each module is evaluated using a checklist to examine accessibility and educational design. There are content development strategies using visual and auditory channels to maximize learner efficiency and minimize distractions for long-term memory development.4 The presenters will share an overview of this initiative and practical experience. We will a) describe the resultant network structure and composition of faculty, students and staff involved; b) provide a step-by-step timeline of how the e-learning modules went from a sketch and brainstormed idea to a tangible and useful product and the important role of instructional designers and an interprofessional peer-faculty team, c) share resources used for creation, and d) demonstrate exemplars on topics such as joint examination, the cardiopulmonary system, International Classification of Functioning, scanning a hospital room, and reviewing a medical chart

Reliable Facts from Unreliable Figures: Comparing Statistical Packages in DSpace

Presented at Open Repositories 2011, Austin, Texas, June 11, 2011