The Role of Macroeconomic and Group Threat in Prejudice

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Science and Technology at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science by Aaron Haas on June 11, 2012

Novel genetic loci associated with hippocampal volume

The hippocampal formation is a brain structure integrally involved in episodic memory, spatial navigation, cognition and stress responsiveness. Structural abnormalities in hippocampal volume and shape are found in several common neuropsychiatric disorders. To identify the genetic underpinnings of hippocampal structure here we perform a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 33,536 individuals and discover six independent loci significantly associated with hippocampal volume, four of them novel. Of the novel loci, three lie within genes (ASTN2, DPP4 and MAST4) and one is found 200 kb upstream of SHH. A hippocampal subfield analysis shows that a locus within the MSRB3 gene shows evidence of a localized effect along the dentate gyrus, subiculum, CA1 and fissure. Further, we show that genetic variants associated with decreased hippocampal volume are also associated with increased risk for Alzheimer's disease (rg =-0.155). Our findings suggest novel biological pathways through which human genetic variation influences hippocampal volume and risk for neuropsychiatric illness

Novel genetic loci underlying human intracranial volume identified through genome-wide association

Intracranial volume reflects the maximally attained brain size during development, and remains stable with loss of tissue in late life. It is highly heritable, but the underlying genes remain largely undetermined. In a genome-wide association study of 32,438 adults, we discovered five novel loci for intracranial volume and confirmed two known signals. Four of the loci are also associated with adult human stature, but these remained associated with intracranial volume after adjusting for height. We found a high genetic correlation with child head circumference (ρgenetic=0.748), which indicated a similar genetic background and allowed for the identification of four additional loci through meta-analysis (Ncombined = 37,345). Variants for intracranial volume were also related to childhood and adult cognitive function, Parkinson’s disease, and enriched near genes involved in growth pathways including PI3K–AKT signaling. These findings identify biological underpinnings of intracranial volume and provide genetic support for theories on brain reserve and brain overgrowth

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms

Isolation and characterization of canine perivascular stem/stromal cells for bone tissue engineering

For over 15 years, human subcutaneous adipose tissue has been recognized as a rich source of tissue resident mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSC). The isolation of perivascular progenitor cells from human adipose tissue by a cell sorting strategy was first published in 2008. Since this time, the interest in using pericytes and related perivascular stem/stromal cell (PSC) populations for tissue engineering has significantly increased. Here, we describe a set of experiments identifying, isolating and characterizing PSC from canine tissue (N = 12 canine adipose tissue samples). Results showed that the same antibodies used for human PSC identification and isolation are cross-reactive with canine tissue (CD45, CD146, CD34). Like their human correlate, canine PSC demonstrate characteristics of MSC including cell surface marker expression, colony forming unit-fibroblast (CFU-F) inclusion, and osteogenic differentiation potential. As well, canine PSC respond to osteoinductive signals in a similar fashion as do human PSC, such as the secreted differentiation factor NEL-Like Molecule-1 (NELL-1). Nevertheless, important differences exist between human and canine PSC, including differences in baseline osteogenic potential. In summary, canine PSC represent a multipotent mesenchymogenic cell source for future translational efforts in tissue engineering

A critical analysis of the literature on adolescent alcohol comsumption (sic) and possible personal and social effects

Includes bibliographical references

The Baseline Characteristics of Medical Students Pursuing Traditional Medical or Humanities Research

Introduction: Many medical colleges have recently created Scholarly Inquiry (SI) programs where students complete advisor-guided research projects in a discipline of their choice. Despite the increased prevalence of SI programs, their impact has been understudied. This study uses both qualitative and quantitative measures to contrast the baseline character traits, backgrounds, and motivations of new students who are participating in either the Clinical/Translational Research (CTR) or the Humanities (HUM) tracks at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College. Methods: 9 HUM and 34 CTR first-year medical students completed a survey shortly after their track orientations containing character trait metrics and background questions. Three years of HUM SI track selection essays were also thematically analyzed to investigate why students choose to research humanities. Results: The baseline survey results found that there were no significant differences between the groups’ scores for creativity, tolerance for ambiguity, burnout, critical thinking, and humanities exposure. A motivation measure demonstrated that HUM students had higher intrinsic motivation scores (p=0.0006) while CTR students had higher extrinsic motivation scores (p=0.04) relating to their track selection choices. The thematic analysis found that HUM students chose their track because they perceived that the humanities would bring balance to their education, help them to contextualize patients, and foster humanistic skills (empathy, creativity, observational skills, self-care, etc.). Discussion: Due to the lack of statistical significance, the data suggests that both groups have similar traits except for their average motivations. These results were unexpected as the HUM students were predicted to have higher character trait scores. The results may be explained by the medical school admission process picking students who demonstrate similar traits to the ones measured in this study. Longitudinal survey data will be needed to determine if these two groups’ traits are constant overtime or if studying the humanities is protective of the measured traits

Effects of cold-water immersion on physical performance between successive matches in high-performance junior male soccer players

In this study, we investigated the effect of water immersion on physical test performance and perception of fatigue/recovery during a 4-day simulated soccer tournament. Twenty high-performance junior male soccer players (age 15.9 ± 0.6 years) played four matches in 4 days and undertook either cold-water immersion (10 ± 0.5°C) or thermoneutral water immersion (34 ± 0.5°C) after each match. Physical performance tests (countermovement jump height, heart rate, and rating of perceived exertion after a standard 5-min run and 1220-m repeated sprint test), intracellular proteins, and inflammatory markers were recorded approximately 90 min before each match and 22 h after the final match. Perceptual measures of recovery (physical, mental, leg soreness, and general fatigue) were recorded 22 h after each match. There were non-significant reductions in countermovement jump height (1.7-7.3%, P = 0.74, η2 = 0.34) and repeated sprint ability (1.0-2.1%, P = 0.41, η2 = 0.07) over the 4-day tournament with no differences between groups. Post-shuttle run rating of perceived exertion increased over the tournament in both groups (P < 0.001, η2 = 0.48), whereas the perceptions of leg soreness (P = 0.004, η2 = 0.30) and general fatigue (P = 0.007, η2 = 0.12) were lower in the cold-water immersion group than the thermoneutral immersion group over the tournament. Creatine kinase (P = 0.004, η2 = 0.26) and lactate dehydrogenase (P < 0.001, η2 = 0.40) concentrations increased in both groups but there were no changes over time for any inflammatory markers. These results suggest that immediate post-match cold-water immersion does not affect physical test performance or indices of muscle damage and inflammation but does reduce the perception of general fatigue and leg soreness between matches in tournaments