Transferrin Binding to Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes Activated by Phytohemagglutinin Involves a Specific Receptor: Ligand Interaction

Immunohistological studies have indicated that membrane sites binding transferrin are present upon activated human peripheral blood lymphocytes. In this study, we have investigated transferrin uptake in human lymphocytes exposed to phytohemagglutinin (PHA), by quantitative radiobinding and immunofluorescence in parallel. In stimulated lymphocytes, binding was maximal after a 30-min incubation, being greatest at 37°C, and greater at 22°C than at 4°C. Although some shedding and endocytosis of transferrin occurred at 22° and 37°C, these factors, and resulting synthesis of new sites, did not affect measurement of binding which was found to be saturable, reversible, and specific for transferrin (Ka 0.5-2.5 x 10^8 M-1). Binding was greater after a 48-h exposure to PHA than after 24 h, and was maximal at 66 h. Sequential Scatchard analysis revealed no significant elevation in affinity of interaction. However, although the total number of receptors increased, the proportion of cells in which binding of ligand was detected immunohistologically increased in parallel, and after appropriate correction, the cellular density of receptors remained relatively constant throughout (60,000-80,000 sites/cell). Increments in binding during the culture period were thus due predominantly to expansion of a population of cells bearing receptors. Similar differences in binding were apparent upon comparison of cells cultured in different doses of PHA, and in unstimulated cells binding was negligible. Transferrin receptors appear, therefore, to be readily detectable only upon lymphocytes that have been activated

Why not just Google it? An assessment of information literacy skills in a biomedical science curriculum

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Few issues in higher education are as fundamental as the ability to search for, evaluate, and synthesize information. The need to develop information literacy, the process of finding, retrieving, organizing, and evaluating the ever-expanding collection of online information, has precipitated the need for training in skill-based competencies in higher education, as well as medical and dental education.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The current study evaluated the information literacy skills of first-year dental students, consisting of two, consecutive dental student cohorts (n = 160). An assignment designed to evaluate information literacy skills was conducted. In addition, a survey of student online search engine or database preferences was conducted to identify any significant associations. Subsequently, an intervention was developed, based upon the results of the assessment and survey, to address any deficiencies in information literacy.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Nearly half of students (n = 70/160 or 43%) missed one or more question components that required finding an evidence-based citation. Analysis of the survey revealed a significantly higher percentage of students who provided incorrect responses (n = 53/70 or 75.7%) reported using Google as their preferred online search method (p < 0.01). In contrast, a significantly higher percentage of students who reported using PubMed (n = 39/45 or 86.7%) were able to provide correct responses (p < 0.01). Following a one-hour intervention by a health science librarian, virtually all students were able to find and retrieve evidence-based materials for subsequent coursework.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study confirmed that information literacy among this student population was lacking and that integration of modules within the curriculum can help students to filter and establish the quality of online information, a critical component in the training of new health care professionals. Furthermore, incorporation of these modules early in the curriculum may be of significant value to other dental, medical, health care, and professional schools with similar goals of incorporating the evidence base into teaching and learning activities.</p

Imaging biomarker roadmap for cancer studies.

Imaging biomarkers (IBs) are integral to the routine management of patients with cancer. IBs used daily in oncology include clinical TNM stage, objective response and left ventricular ejection fraction. Other CT, MRI, PET and ultrasonography biomarkers are used extensively in cancer research and drug development. New IBs need to be established either as useful tools for testing research hypotheses in clinical trials and research studies, or as clinical decision-making tools for use in healthcare, by crossing 'translational gaps' through validation and qualification. Important differences exist between IBs and biospecimen-derived biomarkers and, therefore, the development of IBs requires a tailored 'roadmap'. Recognizing this need, Cancer Research UK (CRUK) and the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) assembled experts to review, debate and summarize the challenges of IB validation and qualification. This consensus group has produced 14 key recommendations for accelerating the clinical translation of IBs, which highlight the role of parallel (rather than sequential) tracks of technical (assay) validation, biological/clinical validation and assessment of cost-effectiveness; the need for IB standardization and accreditation systems; the need to continually revisit IB precision; an alternative framework for biological/clinical validation of IBs; and the essential requirements for multicentre studies to qualify IBs for clinical use.Development of this roadmap received support from Cancer Research UK and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (grant references A/15267, A/16463, A/16464, A/16465, A/16466 and A/18097), the EORTC Cancer Research Fund, and the Innovative Medicines Initiative Joint Undertaking (grant agreement number 115151), resources of which are composed of financial contribution from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) and European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) companies' in kind contribution

The Eleventh and Twelfth Data Releases of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey: Final Data from SDSS-III

The third generation of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-III) took data from 2008 to 2014 using the original SDSS wide-field imager, the original and an upgraded multi-object fiber-fed optical spectrograph, a new near-infrared high-resolution spectrograph, and a novel optical interferometer. All of the data from SDSS-III are now made public. In particular, this paper describes Data Release 11 (DR11) including all data acquired through 2013 July, and Data Release 12 (DR12) adding data acquired through 2014 July (including all data included in previous data releases), marking the end of SDSS-III observing. Relative to our previous public release (DR10), DR12 adds one million new spectra of galaxies and quasars from the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) over an additional 3000 deg2 of sky, more than triples the number of H-band spectra of stars as part of the Apache Point Observatory (APO) Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE), and includes repeated accurate radial velocity measurements of 5500 stars from the Multi-object APO Radial Velocity Exoplanet Large-area Survey (MARVELS). The APOGEE outputs now include the measured abundances of 15 different elements for each star. In total, SDSS-III added 5200 deg2 of ugriz imaging; 155,520 spectra of 138,099 stars as part of the Sloan Exploration of Galactic Understanding and Evolution 2 (SEGUE-2) survey; 2,497,484 BOSS spectra of 1,372,737 galaxies, 294,512 quasars, and 247,216 stars over 9376 deg2; 618,080 APOGEE spectra of 156,593 stars; and 197,040 MARVELS spectra of 5513 stars. Since its first light in 1998, SDSS has imaged over 1/3 of the Celestial sphere in five bands and obtained over five million astronomical spectra. \ua9 2015. The American Astronomical Society

Building a dental sciences collection in a general academic library

This article discusses the web and print resources used in selecting material for a dental sciences collection in an academic library at a public university without a medical library. The process of creating a collection quickly and with limited resources is described, from the initial collection assessment to the decision-making processes involved in actual selection

Creating a virtual branch library to serve a remote campus

Purpose – Aims to present an overview of the implementation of library services to a distinct user population. Design/methodology/approach – Presents a review of the decision-making process behind the development of services to support a new remote campus at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Findings – Provides the rationale behind the decisions that were made regarding the branch library web page. Recognizes the need for continuous assessment and revision of procedures and the web page. Originality/value – This paper provides a practical look at creating a virtual library in a paperless environment

The Integration Seminar: A First-year Dental Course Integrating Concepts from the Biomedical, Professional, and Clinical Sciences

This study describes the planning, implementation, and evaluation of a seminar course designed to facilitate discussion and understanding of cross-disciplinary concepts by first-year dental students. Dental and medical schools are implementing integrated curricula in which clinical courses are taught early in the curriculum and the clinical and basic sciences are taught not only concurrently, but in an integrated manner. This first-year course, Integration Seminar, was developed to cross traditional subject and departmental boundaries with the intent of fostering dental care providers who understand the interdependence of the major concepts within these areas. This report describes the development and structure of the Integration Seminar. Furthermore, student perception of this course was determined by evaluating year-end course surveys, and student performance outcomes were measured by comparing student scores on the National Board Dental Examination Part I (NBDE-I) prior to and after the inception of this course. We determined that a substantial majority of students recognized the integrated nature of the course. In addition, NBDE-I scores were significantly higher for the cohorts of students who had participated in the course, although this observation is likely dependent upon many other factors. This report may thus provide a course model for other schools with a similar goal of achieving an integrated curriculum

Creating an Evidence-based Admissions Formula for a New Dental School: University of Nevada, Las Vegas, School of Dental Medicine

This article reports development of an evidence-based admissions formula that effectively incorporates the admissions criteria most likely to influence dental school performance. This study utilized peer-reviewed literature and analysis of admissions and performance data from the first three classes of students at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, School of Dental Medicine (UNLV-SDM). We used Pearson\u27s correlation, linear regression, and ANOVA to determine the strength and direction of association between admissions variables, both singly and in combination, and performance measures. Our initial results revealed no significant relationship between our previous admissions formula, which was adapted from other dental admissions offices, and student performance for our first class and National Board Dental Examination Part I (NBDE-I) (R=.288) or dental school grade point average (DS-GPA) (R=0.193). After using the combined data from the first three classes of students at UNLV-SDM, we confirmed no significant relationship between our previous admissions formula and DS-GPA (R=0.207) and a slight increase in correlation to NBDE-I (R=0.303). More detailed analysis of the admissions variables within the formula revealed that some Dental Admission Test scores, such as Reading Comprehension, Quantitative Analysis, and Biology, were significantly correlated with dental school performance at UNLV-SDM, allowing for revision of the admissions formula. to a formula score that is now significantly correlated with student performance for the first class to NBDE-I (R=0.458) and DS-GPA (R=0.368), as well as the combined data from the first three cohorts at UNLV-SDM (R=0.361, 0.218, respectively). In addition, this reformulation did not significantly impact the overall ranking of females or minorities. Although formulaic data can never perfectly predict student performance, this study demonstrated that constant review and revision of relevant admissions criteria are needed for each school to maintain an evidence-based admissions program that provides for fair and effective comparison of student admissions data