MicroRNA regulation of CD8+ T cell responses.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of short noncoding RNAs that play critical roles in the regulation of a broad range of biological processes. Like transcription factors, miRNAs exert their effects by modulating the expression of networks of genes that operate in common or convergent pathways. CD8+ T cells are critical agents of the adaptive immune system that provide protection from infection and cancer. Here, we review the important roles of miRNAs in the regulation of CD8+ T cell biology and provide perspectives on the broader emerging principles of miRNA function

Teaching Rhetorical Segmentation as a Countermeasure to Post-Truth in the Composition Classroom

This paper responds to the call for rhetoric and composition instructors to engage with post-truth and fake news in the composition classroom. Pulling from personal experiences with post-truth in the composition classroom, the author leverages recent scholarship to develop a multi-phasic, objective analytical approach – rhetorical segmentation – that students can use to identify the purposes and motivations of a particular text. The approach of rhetorical segmentation relies on three primary steps: measuring rhetorical velocity, evaluating ideological modality, and identifying public harm. By combining these steps in a coherent method of analysis, the author argues that students are better equipped to understand how information has traveled, to where, and why. This ultimately enhances student recognition that every text has an underlying motivation and purpose that can change at each node of re-composition

How Cultural Rhetorics Can Change the Conversation: Towards New Communication Spaces to Address Human Trafficking

Rhetoric, as a discipline, can and should play a part in helping (re)formulate and (re)frame approaches to human trafficking because of the potential for such change to ripple through cultural discourse, leading to shifts across public understanding, law, and policy. Specifically, I argue that a Cultural Rhetorics approach is both necessary for and best suited to initiate the building of new communication spaces to address the issue of human trafficking. Indeed, the lens of Cultural Rhetorics reveals new priorities for scholarly intervention. This work must be rooted in and driven by attentiveness to and careful handling of stories. Such an alternate approach might more closely consider and account for the stories that individuals tell about themselves, the stories that survivors tell about their lived experiences, and the stories that institutions put forward about human trafficking. In so doing, we might then be better able to evaluate how these stories interconnect and constellate not just with each other, but also with a range of cultural influences

Exposure of feral swine (\u3ci\u3eSus scrofa\u3c/i\u3e) in the United States to selected pathogens

Feral swine (Sus scrofa) are widely distributed in the United States. In 2011 and 2012, serum samples and tonsils were recovered from 162 and 37 feral swine, respectively, in the US to evaluate exposure to important swine endemic pathogens. Antibodies against porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) were found in 2.5% and 25.3% of tested sera, respectively. Positive serological reactions against Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae have been detected in 19.7% and 69.7% of animals. More than 15% of animals presented antibodies against these 2 pathogens simultaneously. Most animals were also seropositive for Lawsonia intracellularis. Feral swine can also be involved in transmission of zoonotic agents. Almost 50% of animals possessed antibodies against Salmonella. In addition, 94.4% of animals were carriers of Streptococcus suis in their tonsils. In conclusion, feral swine may be considered as a potential reservoir for different endemic diseases in domestic pigs, as well as for important zoonotic agents. Les porcs sauvages (Sus scrofa) sont largement distribués aux États-Unis. En 2011 et 2012, aux États-Unis des échantillons de sérum et d’amygdales furent obtenus de 162 et 37 porcs sauvages, respectivement, afin d’évaluer l’exposition à d’importants agents pathogènes porcins endémiques. Des anticorps contre le virus du syndrome reproducteur et respiratoire porcin (VSRRP) et le circovirus porcin de type 2 (CVP2) furent détectés chez 2,5 % et 25,3 % des sérums testés, respectivement. Des réactions sérologiques positives envers Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae et Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae ont été détectées chez 19,7 % et 69,7 % des animaux. Plus de 15 % des animaux avaient des anticorps contre ces deux agents pathogènes simultanément. La plupart des animaux étaient également séropositifs pour Lawsonia intracellularis. Les porcs sauvages peuvent également être impliqués dans la transmission d’agents zoonotiques. Près de 50 % des animaux avaient des anticorps contre Salmonella. De plus, 94,4 % des animaux étaient porteurs de Streptococcus suis dans leurs amygdales. En conclusion, les porcs sauvages peuvent être considérés comme des réservoirs potentiels de différentes maladies endémiques des porcs domestiques, aussi bien que d’agents zoonotiques importants

Exposure of feral swine (Sus scrofa) in the United States to selected pathogens

Les porcs sauvages (Sus scrofa) sont largement distribués aux États-Unis. En 2011 et 2012, aux États-Unis des échantillons de sérum et d’amygdales furent obtenus de 162 et 37 porcs sauvages, respectivement, afin d’évaluer l’exposition à d’importants agents pathogènes porcins endémiques. Des anticorps contre le virus du syndrome reproducteur et respiratoire porcin (VSRRP) et le circovirus porcin de type 2 (CVP2) furent détectés chez 2,5 % et 25,3 % des sérums testés, respectivement. Des réactions sérologiques positives envers Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae et Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae ont été détectées chez 19,7 % et 69,7 % des animaux. Plus de 15 % des animaux avaient des anticorps contre ces deux agents pathogènes simultanément. La plupart des animaux étaient également séropositifs pour Lawsonia intracellularis. Les porcs sauvages peuvent également être impliqués dans la transmission d’agents zoonotiques. Près de 50 % des animaux avaient des anticorps contre Salmonella. De plus, 94,4 % des animaux étaient porteurs de Streptococcus suis dans leurs amygdales. En conclusion, les porcs sauvages peuvent être considérés comme des réservoirs potentiels de différentes maladies endémiques des porcs domestiques, aussi bien que d’agents zoonotiques importants.Feral swine (Sus scrofa) are widely distributed in the United States. In 2011 and 2012, serum samples and tonsils were recovered from 162 and 37 feral swine, respectively, in the US to evaluate exposure to important swine endemic pathogens. Antibodies against porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) were found in 2.5% and 25.3% of tested sera, respectively. Positive serological reactions against Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae have been detected in 19.7% and 69.7% of animals. More than 15% of animals presented antibodies against these 2 pathogens simultaneously. Most animals were also seropositive for Lawsonia intracellularis. Feral swine can also be involved in transmission of zoonotic agents. Almost 50% of animals possessed antibodies against Salmonella. In addition, 94.4% of animals were carriers of Streptococcus suis in their tonsils. In conclusion, feral swine may be considered as a potential reservoir for different endemic diseases in domestic pigs, as well as for important zoonotic agents

Test-Retest Reliability and Minimal Detectable Change Scores for the Timed Up & Go Test, the Six-Minute Walk Test, and Gait Speed in People With Alzheimer Disease

Background. With the increasing incidence of Alzheimer disease (AD), determining the validity and reliability Of Outcome measures for people with this disease is necessary. Objective. The goals of this study were to assess test-retest reliability of data for the Timed Up & Go Test (TUG), the Six-Minute Walk Test (6MWT), and gait speed and to calculate minimal detectable change (MDC) scores for each outcome measure. Performance differences between groups With mild to moderate AD and moderately severe to severe AD (as determined by the Functional Assessment Staging [FAST] scale) were Studied. Design. This was a prospective, nonexperimental, descriptive methodological study. Methods. Background data collected for 51 people with AD included: use of an assistive device, Mini-Mental Status Examination scores, and FAST scale scores. Each participant engaged in 2 test sessions, separated by a 30- to 60-minute rest period, which included 2 TUG trials, I 6MWT trial, and 2 gait speed trials using a computerized gait assessment system. A specific cuing protocol was followed to achieve optimal performance during test sessions. Results. Test-retest reliability values for the TUG, the 6MWT, and gait speed were high for all participants together and for the mild to moderate AD and moderately severe to severe AD groups separately (intraclass correlation coefficients \u3e=.973); however, individual variability of performance also was high. Calculated MDC scores at the 90% confidence interval were: TUG=4.09 seconds, 6MWT=33.5 m (110 ft), and gait speed=9.4 cm/s. The 2 groups were significantly different in performance of clinical tests, with the participants who were more cognitively impaired being more physically and functionally impaired. Limitations. A single researcher for data collection limited sample numbers and prohibited blinding to dementia level. Conclusions. The TUG, the 6MWT, and gait speed are reliable outcome measures for use with people with AD, recognizing that individual variability of performance is high. Minimal detectable change scores at the 90% confidence interval can be used to assess change in performance over time and the impact of treatment. © 2009 American Physical Therapy Associatio

Lhermitte's Sign Developing after IMRT for Head and Neck Cancer

Background. Lhermitte's sign (LS) is a benign form of myelopathy with neck flexion producing an unpleasant electric-shock sensation radiating down the extremities. Although rare, it can occur after head and neck radiotherapy. Results. We report a case of Lhermitte's developing after curative intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for a patient with locoregionally advanced oropharyngeal cancer. IMRT delivers a conformal dose of radiation in head and neck cancer resulting in a gradient of radiation dose throughout the spinal cord. Using IMRT, more dose is delivered to the anterior spinal cord than the posterior cord. Conclusions. Lhermitte's sign can develop after IMRT for head and neck cancer. We propose an anterior spinal cord structure, the spinothalamic tract to be the target of IMRT-caused LS

Covalently Functionalized Sawdust for the Remediation of Phosphate from Agricultural Wastewater

Phosphate remediation from wastewater is rapidly becoming an ever more attractive process due to a combination of both the economic pressure of increasing phosphate scarcity and the environmental damage caused by untreated agricultural runoff. Ideally, remediated phosphate will be recoverable and would be able to be reused as fertilizer. Many different resins have been investigated, but due to the scale of the challenge, any feasible solution will involve the use of very inexpensive waste products as the solid support. Sawdust, functionalized with iron-binding ligands, is such a potential resin. Sawdust alone binds 0.3 g/kg of phosphate which is insufficient. Iron has a strong affinity for phosphate, making the formation of iron-phosphate bonds a promising avenue for the development of recyclable resins. Previously prepared iron-chitosan complexes bound 8.2 g/kg. However, as the price of chitosan has rapidly increased, alternatives are required. In this current study, the covalent modification of the sawdust using either carboxymethylcellulose-supported ligands, or direct functionalization of the sawdust can increase this to 40 g/kg using ethylene diamine as the iron-binding ligand. Binding decreases over repeated cycles of phosphate exposure and elution, but can be fully restored through regeneration using iron salts. The simple green synthesis of this material, and the iron-binding capability of the investigated ligands is discussed. These sawdust-based resins show promise as potential candidates for industrial-scale phosphate recovery efforts in the future

Two-Minute Peripheral Motion Contrast Threshold Test Predicts Older Drivers’ Collisions and Hazardous Driving in Simulator

Older drivers’ contrast thresholds for low spatial frequency drifting Gabor stimuli at 15 degrees eccentricity were measured with a previously validated 10-minute forced-choice test and a 2-minute increasing contrast detection test (implemented on an iMac and a PC). Older drivers’ contrast thresholds significantly predict collisions, near collisions, hazardous lane excursions, and speeding, during a simulated drive with surprising hazard encounters and highway merging tasks. The 2-minute tests also correlate with each other and with the 10-minute test. The 2-minute tests are potentially suitable for use in an operational driver assessment setting