Investigating the Toxicity of Nonylphenol in Juvenile Faxonius propinquus Crayfish

Nonylphenol (NP) is a commonly used chemical that accumulates in aquatic environments and negatively impacts aquatic life. Previous studies in our lab have shown that NP can reduce olfaction, reproduction, and molting frequency in adult crayfish. Although lethal doses of NP in adult crayfish have been determined, no studies have determined the concentrations in which NP is lethal to juveniles. We hypothesized that juveniles are more susceptible to the effects of NP than adults. Male and female juveniles weighing 3.00g or less were isolated for 2 days prior to a 24-hour exposure to various concentrations of NP. Results indcate that 100% of juvenile crayfish exposed at 0.05 ug/L survived, 75% survived at 0.1 ug/L, 62.5% at 0.125 ug/L, and 0% at or above 0.15 ug/L, indicating that lethal effects occur at very low concentrations. Further studies will investigate the effects of NP on juvenile physiology and could offer insight for other aquatic species exposed to NP during their lifespans

The Rise of a New Mental Health Epidemic: TikTok and Social Media, and Their Negative Impact on Young Adults

The effects of TikTok and social media are explored to understand how detrimental social networking sites are to one\u27s mental health. The research and literature show how the overuse of social media contributes to social media addiction, mental health issues, body dysmorphia, and cyberbullying. A study is analyzed that reports how many are affected by cyberbullying and whether they received counseling for their mental health. It was concluded that social media does much more harm than good, and users could try altering their lives by reducing the amount of time spent on social networking sites

Nutrition Students’ Perception of The Role of the SLPs in Treating People Living with HIV/AIDS

This project explores nutrition students’ perceptions of SLPs\u27 and Nutritionists’ role in healthcare needs of PLWHA through survey research. The results will describe participants’ perceptions of the SLPs\u27 and Nutritionists’ roles in the healthcare needs of PLWHA. Recommendations are made regarding interprofessional training curricula for SLP and Nutrition students

Early propranolol treatment induces lung heme-oxygenase-1, attenuates metabolic dysfunction, and improves survival following experimental sepsis

INTRODUCTION: Pharmacological agents that block beta-adrenergic receptors have been associated with improved outcome in burn injury. It has been hypothesized that injuries leading to a hypermetabolic state, such as septic shock, may also benefit from beta-blockade; however, outcome data in experimental models have been contradictory. Thus, we investigated the effect of beta-blockade with propranolol on survival, hemodynamics, lung heat shock protein (HSP) expression, metabolism and inflammatory markers in a rat cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) model of sepsis. METHODS: Sprague-Dawley rats receiving either repeated doses (30 minutes pre-CLP and every 8 hours for 24 hours postoperatively) of propranolol or control (normal saline), underwent CLP and were monitored for survival. Additionally, lung and blood samples were collected at 6 and 24 hours for analysis. Animals also underwent monitoring to evaluate global hemodynamics. RESULTS: Seven days following CLP, propranolol improved survival versus control (P < 0.01). Heart rates in the propranolol-treated rats were approximately 23% lower than control rats (P < 0.05) over the first 24 hours, but the mean arterial blood pressure was not different between groups. Metabolic analysis of lung tissue demonstrated an increase in lung ATP/ADP ratio and NAD+ content and a decreased ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids to monounsaturated fatty acids (PUFA/MUFA). Cytokine analysis of the inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) demonstrated decreased expression of TNF-alpha in both lung and plasma at 24 hours post CLP induced sepsis. Finally, propranolol led to a significant increase in lung hemeoxygenase-1 expression, a key cellular protective heat shock protein (HSP) in the lung. Other lung HSP expression was unchanged. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that propranolol treatment may decrease mortality during sepsis potentially via a combination of improving metabolism, suppressing aspects of the inflammatory response and enhancing tissue protection

A state-wide education program on opioid use disorder: influential community members\u27 knowledge, beliefs, and opportunities for coalition development

Background: Deep South states, particularly Alabama, experience disproportionately higher opioid prescribing rates versus national rates. Considering limited opioid use disorder (OUD) providers in this region, collaborative efforts between non-healthcare professionals is critical in mitigating overdose mortality. The Alabama Opioid Training Institute (OTI) was created in 2019 to empower community members to take action in combatting OUD in local regions. The OTI included: 1) eight full-day in-person conferences; and 2) an interactive mobile-enabled website ( https://alabamaoti.org ). This study assessed the impact of the OTI on influential community members\u27 knowledge, abilities, concerns, readiness, and intended actions regarding OUD and opioid overdose mitigation. Methods: A one-group prospective cohort design was utilized. Alabama community leaders were purposively recruited via email, billboards, television, and social media advertisements. Outcome measures were assessed via online survey at baseline and post-conference, including: OUD knowledge (percent correct); abilities, concerns, and readiness regarding overdose management (7-point Likert-type scale, 1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree); and actions/intended actions over the past/next 6 months (8-item index from 0 to 100% of the time). Conference satisfaction was also assessed. Changes were analyzed using McNemar or Marginal Homogeneity tests for categorical variables and two-sided paired t-tests for continuous variables (alpha = 0.05). Results: Overall, 413 influential community members participated, most of whom were social workers (25.7%), female (86.4%), and White (65.7%). Community members\u27 OUD knowledge increased from mean [SD] 71.00% [13.32] pre-conference to 83.75% [9.91] post-conference (p \u3c 0.001). Compared to pre-conference, mean [SD] ability scale scores increased (3.72 [1.55] to 5.15 [1.11], p \u3c 0.001) and concerns decreased (3.19 [1.30] to 2.64 [1.17], p \u3c 0.001) post-conference. Readiness was unchanged post-conference. Attendees\u27 intended OUD-mitigating actions in the next 6 months exceeded their self-reported actions in the past 6 months, and 92% recommended the OTI to others. Conclusions: The Alabama OTI improved community leaders\u27 knowledge, abilities, and concerns regarding OUD management. Similar programs combining live education and interactive web-based platforms can be replicated in other states

West-Life: A Virtual Research Environment for structural biology

The West-Life project (https://about.west-life.eu/)is a Horizon 2020 project funded by the European Commission to provide data processing and data management services for the international community of structural biologists, and in particular to support integrative experimental approaches within the field of structural biology. It has developed enhancements to existing web services for structure solution and analysis, created new pipelines to link these services into more complex higher-level workflows, and added new data management facilities. Through this work it has striven to make the benefits of European e-Infrastructures more accessible to life-science researchers in general and structural biologists in particular

Kepler Planet-Detection Mission: Introduction and First Results

The Kepler mission was designed to determine the frequency of Earth-sized planets in and near the habitable zone of Sun-like stars. The habitable zone is the region where planetary temperatures are suitable for water to exist on a planet’s surface. During the first 6 weeks of observations, Kepler monitored 156,000 stars, and five new exoplanets with sizes between 0.37 and 1.6 Jupiter radii and orbital periods from 3.2 to 4.9 days were discovered. The density of the Neptune-sized Kepler-4b is similar to that of Neptune and GJ 436b, even though the irradiation level is 800,000 times higher. Kepler-7b is one of the lowest-density planets (~0.17 gram per cubic centimeter) yet detected. Kepler-5b, -6b, and -8b confirm the existence of planets with densities lower than those predicted for gas giant planets