Dietary intake alters behavioral recovery and gene expression profiles in the brain of juvenile rats that have experienced a concussion

Concussion and mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) research has made minimal progress diagnosing who will suffer from lingering symptomology or generating effective treatment strategies. Research demonstrates that dietary intake affects many biological systems including brain and neurological health. This study determined if exposure to a high fat diet (HFD) or caloric restriction (CR) altered post-concussion susceptibility or resiliency using a rodent model of pediatric concussion. Rats were maintained on HFD, CR, or standard diet (STD) throughout life (including the prenatal period and weaning). At postnatal day 30, male and female rats experienced a concussion or a sham injury which was followed by 17 days of testing. Prefrontal cortex and hippocampus tissue was collected for molecular profiling. Gene expression changes in BDNF, CREB, DNMT1, FGF-2, IGF1, LEP, PGC-1α, SIRT1, Tau, and TERT were analyzed with respect to injury and diet. Analysis of telomere length (TL) using peripheral skin cells and brain tissue found that TL in skin significantly correlated with TL in brain tissue and TL was affected by dietary intake and injury status. With respect to mTBI outcomes, diet was correlated with recovery as animals on the HFD often displayed poorer performance than animals on the CR diet. Molecular analysis demonstrated that diet induced epigenetic changes that can be associated with differences in individual predisposition and resiliency to post-concussion syndrome

Anesthesiology for Trauma Medicine: Roles, Medications, Airway Management, and Multidisciplinary Team Coordination

Given the complex nature of trauma, a highly organized, multidisciplinary approach is necessary to ensure the best possible outcomes. Anesthesia providers play a critical role in the management and effective treatment of trauma patients. This chapter will address both the multidisciplinary and multitiered management of trauma patients with a focus on the intersection of trauma staff and anesthesia in three phases: the initial evaluation (i.e., in the bay), intraoperative care, and postoperative care. Included is a brief discussion on more recent methodologies and newly incorporated technologies in the resuscitation of trauma patients

Libyan cochlear implant programme: achievements, difficulties, and future goals

Cochlear implantation has become established worldwide as a safe and effective method of auditory rehabilitation of selected severely and profound deaf children and adults. Over 100,000 patients have received cochlear implants worldwide with the paediatric population proving to be the main beneficiaries. The Libyan cochlear implant programme was set up in 2004. Data relating to the patients who received cochlear implantation at Tripoli Medical Centre between October 2007 and February 2010 were analysed. Implant operations were performed on 37 patients. All patients received Med-El SONATATI100 devices. Thirty-four (91.9%) of these patients were children, whilst three (8.1%) were adults. Combined, congenital hearing loss (56.8%) and perinatal/neonatal (29.7%) were the two main aetiological factors in children. Seventeen patients (45.9%) had a positive family history of deafness. Sixteen patients (43.2%) were born to blood-related parents. The overall rate of minor and major complications was 16.2%, which is comparable to previous studies

The Surgical Outcome of Endoscopic Dacryocystorhinostomy According to the Obstruction Levels of Lacrimal Drainage System

ObjectivesMany factors influence the outcome of endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR). One of the most important prognostic factors is the level of obstruction in the lacrimal drainage system. The main objective of this report is to evaluate both the frequency of obstruction by anatomical region of the lacrimal drainage system on dacryocystography (DCG) and the surgical outcome of endoscopic DCR according to the obstruction level.MethodsA retrospective series of 48 patients (60 eyes) who had undergone endoscopic DCR from January 2005 to November 2007 were enrolled. Preoperative evaluation consisted of a standard examination which included lacrimal irrigation, probing, DCG and osteomeatal unit (OMU) computed tomography. Patients were classified into four groups according to the obstruction level on DCG. Surgical outcome was evaluated postoperatively by subjective improvement of epiphora and patent rhinostomy opening on nasal endoscopic exam.ResultsOf 60 eyes, the levels of obstruction were the common canaliculus in 14 eyes (23.3%), the lacrimal sac in 13 eyes (21.7%), the duct-sac junction in 13 eyes (21.7%) and the nasolacrimal duct (NLD) in 20 eyes (33.3%). The ductsac junction obstruction was treated most successfully (100%), followed by NLD obstruction (90%), common canaliculus obstruction (78.6%) and saccal obstruction (69.2%).ConclusionIn patients with lacrimal drainage system obstruction, preoperative evaluation of obstruction level using DCG may be helpful for predicting the surgical outcome of endoscopic DCR. The saccal obstruction may have a worse prognosis than the other obstruction levels

Pheromonal communication in European earwigs, forficula auricularia l. (Dermaptera: Forficulidae)

European earwigs, Forficula auricularia L., are thought to use an aggregation pheromone but there is controversy about its source. Hence I investigated whether each developmental stage and sex produce and respond to this pheromone and what are its components. Laboratory experiments revealed that females, males and nymphs produce and respond to an airborne aggregation pheromone. Candidate pheromone components obtained from all potential sources were analyzed by gas chromatographic-electroantennographic detection (GC-EAD) and GC-mass spectrometry. A complex synthetic blend (SB) of 30 candidate pheromone components, including benzoquinones, acids, hydroquinone, vanillin, aldehydes, ketones and an acetal significantly arrested females and nymphs in laboratory experiments. In both laboratory and field experiments, the SB lacking benzoquinones elicited significant behavioral responses from nymphs, but not from adults, suggesting that adults, unlike nymphs, use an aggregation pheromone with benzoquinones as constituent components. Additional experiments are required to determine all essential components of the earwig aggregation pheromon

Ecology Lab 4-Own Experiment Dataset

<p>Group members: Harshvir Hehar, Amrutha Balamurgan, Olivia Kazmierczak, Adilah Ismail. This study took place at the Grasslands in York University. There was a lot of grass, plants, and leaves in the Grasslands. However due to the cold temperatures a lot of the species were dying. This experiment took place on a span of two days. The data was collected on Thursday, October 15, 2015 and Thursday, October 22, 2015. 80 White Aster species were observed the first day and 58 were observed on the second day. On October 15 the temperature was 10 but it was really windy and it was raining quite a lot. It was quite cold and gloomy outside. On October 22 the temperature was 15 and it was still cold but it was sunny out. Due to the cold temperatures outside the White Aster species that we were observing were dying out. Also due to the cold temperatures our abundance was quite low as all the other species in the Grasslands were also dying. The sampling size of this study is 138 White Aster flowers. Our goal was to collect data on 80 White Aster species but we managed to do 138. This data was collected by setting out 1m by 1m quadrats randomly in the Grasslands but selecting for places where the species were found. We mostly sampled in areas with not so tall grass. All the White Aster species that were in the quadrat were counted. Some of the places where we had set up the quadrats had high grass abundance some had less but in general there was a lot of grass. The purpose of this data was to collect data on the White Aster species that were found in the Grasslands. We measured the number of leaves by counting them with our fingers. We counted all the leaves that were greater than 3 centimeters. We also measured the height of the plant in centimeters by using a transect and abundance was estimated. The abundance was estimated by looking at a small sample and multiplying that by the total area. This study was conducted to see if there is a correlation between the plant height and the number of leaves that a plant has relating to its density (abundance).</p

Lab 2: Woodlot Dataset 4

<p>Group members: Harshvir Hehar, Amrutha Balamurgan, Olivia Kazmierczak, Adilah Ismail. This study took place at the Woodlots in York University. The sampling size of this study was 10 pairs (or 20 trees in total) of adult and sapling Maple trees that were randomly selected. We considered trees that had a diameter breast height of 3.5 and under a sapling maple tree and anything above 3.5 was considered an adult maple tree. This data was collected by walking around in the York Woodlots. We were looking around for a pair of an adult and sapling maple trees in close proximity to one another. The purpose of this study was to collect data regarding the distance between an adult maple tree and the closest sapling maple tree (how far the adult and sapling trees are from one another). The diameter breast height was taken of both the trees along with the adult tree’s coverage.</p

Ecology Lab 3 Dataset 1

<p>Group members: Harshvir Hehar, Amrutha Balamurgan, Olivia Kazmierczak, Adilah Ismail. This study took place at the Woodlots and Grasslands in York University. The temperature outside was around 15 C but it was quite sunny. The cold temperatures influenced our data significantly. Since it was so cold outside we were not able to see that many organisms. So our abundance was quite low on the organisms. Also we might not have been able to see a lot of the organisms as they could be embedded in the dirt. The sampling size of this study was 20 quadrats in total. The quadrats were randomly set up in both these sites. This data was collected by setting up ten quadrats in the Woodlot and the other ten were set up in the Grassland. The quadrats were randomly set up in these sites. Some of the places where the quadrats were set up it was shady, some places were sunny, or the ground was moist in some cases. In the woodlots the quadrats that were set up had a lot of leaves and garbage in it. In the Grasslands the quadrats had a lot of grass in it. The quadrats were observed in pairs for a time of 1 minute (timed with a stop watch) per each quadrat. In this minute any organism that was spotted was recorded. We recorded any organism that was in the quadrat or that came into the quadrat in that 1 minute time. The purpose of this study was to collect data on the living organisms that were seen in the quadrats at different sites and determine the abundance and RTU of the observed species and compare the results.</p

Association of Patient Characteristics, Diabetes, BMI, and Obesity With Severe COVID-19 in Metropolitan Detroit, MI

Identification of specific risk factors for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is crucial for prevention of poor outcomes and mortality. This retrospective cohort study of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 demonstrated that older age, male sex, Black race, diabetes, elevated BMI, and elevated inflammatory markers were correlated with critical illness in COVID-19. Older age, male sex, diabetes, and inflammatory markers, but not elevated BMI, were associated with mortality. Despite having greater odds of critical illness, Black patients had lower odds of death than White patients. Older age, male sex, diabetes, and elevated inflammatory markers were significantly associated with venous thromboembolism. These findings suggest a need to aggressively identify and manage modifiable risk factors (i.e., diabetes and elevated BMI) and encourage vaccination of at-risk individuals to prevent poor outcomes from COVID-19