Strain-Dependent Variations in Spatial Learning and in Hippocampal Synaptic Plasticity in the Dentate Gyrus Of Freely Behaving Rats

Hippocampal synaptic plasticity is believed to comprise the cellular basis for spatial learning. Strain-dependent differences in synaptic plasticity in the CA1 region have been reported. However, it is not known whether these differences extend to other synapses within the trisynaptic circuit, although there is evidence for morphological variations within that path. We investigated whether Wistar and Hooded Lister (HL) rat strains express differences in synaptic plasticity in the dentate gyrus in vivo. We also explored whether they exhibit differences in the ability to engage in spatial learning in an eight-arm radial maze. Basal synaptic transmission was stable over a 24-h period in both rat strains, and the input–output relationship of both strains was not significantly different. Paired-pulse analysis revealed significantly less paired-pulse facilitation in the HL strain when pulses were given 40–100 ms apart. Low frequency stimulation at 1 Hz evoked long-term depression (>24 h) in Wistar and short-term depression (<2 h) in HL rats; 200 Hz stimulation induced long-term potentiation (>24 h) in Wistar, and a transient, significantly smaller potentiation (<1 h) in HL rats, suggesting that HL rats have higher thresholds for expression of persistent synaptic plasticity. Training for 10 days in an eight-arm radial maze revealed that HL rats master the working memory task faster than Wistar rats, although both strains show an equivalent performance by the end of the trial period. HL rats also perform more efficiently in a double working and reference memory task. On the other hand, Wistar rats show better reference memory performance on the final (8–10) days of training. Wistar rats were less active and more anxious than HL rats. These data suggest that strain-dependent variations in hippocampal synaptic plasticity occur in different hippocampal synapses. A clear correlation with differences in spatial learning is not evident however

The 70 Percent Solution Summary Report

This summary report offers a different vision of how educators, employers, parents, and all those who care about the development of young people should understand and address life after high school. The report finds that students and all Americans need better and more informed choices for the next step after high school, and at every stage of their careers, as they seek the knowledge and skills that will help them succeed in the workplace and meet their economic necessities. It calls upon parents, students, policymakers, and educators to recognize the realities and opportunities of the changing new economy for people of different educational backgrounds -- and to support the increasing importance of lifelong learning to the success of so many Americans

The 70 Percent Solution: Five Principles for Helping Young People Make Decisions During and After High School

This report offers a different vision of how educators, employers, parents, and all those who care about the development of young people should understand and address life after high school. The report finds that students and all Americans need better and more informed choices for the next step after high school, and at every stage of their careers, as they seek the knowledge and skills that will help them succeed in the workplace and meet their economic necessities. It calls upon parents, students, policymakers, and educators to recognize the realities and opportunities of the changing new economy for people of different educational backgrounds -- and to support the increasing importance of lifelong learning to the success of so many Americans

Perceptions and Attitudes of the Local Community towards Urban Refugees Living in Mbarara City, Southwestern Uganda: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background:  There is an increasing number of refugees choosing to live in urban centers even when this makes them forego humanitarian assistance such as shelter and food from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and host governments. Refugees in urban centers have to fend for themselves. This situation sometimes makes them ‘lock horns’ with the local communities. We examined the perception of the local community towards urban refugees in Mbarara city southwestern Uganda.   Methods:  We conducted 6 Focus Group Discussions composed of local leaders of the villages where refugees live. We also conducted 4 Key Informants Interviews with the Refugee Desk Officer (Office of The Prime Minister), the Officer in Charge of Mbarara Police Station, the Mayor Mbarara city, and the Resident City Commissioner. All participants were purposively selected due to their knowledge about the study topic. They were interviewed about their perceptions towards refugees in Mbarara city. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and thematically analyzed.  Results:  Three themes emerged from the data: 1) Economic perceptions (employment competition, competition for land, basic needs scarcity, skilled labor, and economic favoritism) 2) Political perceptions (corruption, involvement in local politics, and security threat) 3) Sociocultural perceptions (religiosity, cultural acculturation, social inclusion, stigma, and sexual immorality) of society towards urban refugees.  Conclusions:  The community views refugees as people who are given preferential treatment by the government, civil society organizations, and the international community. Recommendation: Integration interventions are designed to ensure peaceful and cordial coexistence between the host community and refugees for sustainable development.

Faculty and Staff Perspectives

University of Dayton is an employer across all sorts of levels. We are citizens of the University in lots of ways, and what we contribute as faculty and staff creates the place. We have longevity that students do not have. We hope that this will develop into a deeper dive into the University of Dayton\u27s past and thinking about the lives of Black faculty and staff. This isn’t the culmination of a project but rather a beginning of thinking about learning from and remembering that past because if we don’t cultivate these things, we lose them. This is what we’re doing today. We’re going to feature the voices of Black faculty and staff who have contributed to the life of our University, many of whom keep the University running and going. These proceedings are available free for download but also available for purchase in print for $6 plus tax and shipping.https://ecommons.udayton.edu/global_voices_4/1012/thumbnail.jp

Dendritic polyglycerol nanoparticles show charge dependent bio-distribution in early human placental explants and reduce hCG secretion

A thorough understanding of nanoparticle bio-distribution at the feto-maternal interface will be a prerequisite for their diagnostic or therapeutic application in women of childbearing age and for teratologic risk assessment. Therefore, the tissue interaction of biocompatible dendritic polyglycerol nanoparticles (dPG-NPs) with first- trimester human placental explants were analyzed and compared to less sophisticated trophoblast-cell based models. First-trimester human placental explants, BeWo cells and primary trophoblast cells from human term placenta were exposed to fluorescence labeled, ∼5 nm dPG-NPs, with differently charged surfaces, at concentrations of 1 µM and 10 nM, for 6 and 24 h. Accumulation of dPGs was visualized by fluorescence microscopy. To assess the impact of dPG-NP on trophoblast integrity and endocrine function, LDH, and hCG releases were measured. A dose- and charge- dependent accumulation of dPG-NPs was observed at the early placental barrier and in cell lines, with positive dPG-NP-surface causing deposits even in the mesenchymal core of the placental villi. No signs of plasma membrane damage could be detected. After 24 h we observed a significant reduction of hCG secretion in placental explants, without significant changes in trophoblast apoptosis, at low concentrations of charged dPG-NPs. In conclusion, dPG-NP’s surface charge substantially influences their bio-distribution at the feto- maternal interface, with positive charge facilitating trans-trophoblast passage, and in contrast to more artificial models, the first-trimester placental explant culture model reveals potentially hazardous influences of charged dPG-NPs on early placental physiology

Gravimetric anomaly maps from Cidade Universitária Armando Salles de Oliveira – USP/SP

A Cidade Universitária Armando de Salles Oliveira, da Universidade de São Paulo (CUASO –USP/SP), é considerada um laboratório natural de pesquisas em Ciências da Terra. Ao longo de mais de duas décadas, dados gravimétricos foram obtidos como forma de treinamento de alunos e técnicos, formando um conjunto de 787 pontos distribuídos em 8 km2. O mapa de anomalia ar-livre apresenta forte correlação com a topografia, enquanto o mapa de anomalia Bouguer não apresenta correlação com a topografia e a geologia. Este mapa permitiu identificar um gradiente EW centrado na área, revelando uma estrutura de subsuperfície, modelada, neste mesmo estudo, como uma falha praticamente vertical, com atitude 090/80 N e cerca de 50 m de deslocamento vertical.The Cidade Universitária Armando de Salles Oliveira at Universidade de São Paulo (CUASO – USP/SP) is considered a natural research laboratory in Geosciences. For more than two decades gravity stations were set in the area as part of the training of students and technicians. It formed a set of 787 points distributed in 8 km2. The free-air anomaly map shows a strong correlation with topography, but Bouguer anomaly map does not show correlation with topography and geology. This map enhances an EW gradient through the central part of the area. This was modeled as an almost vertical fault, 090/80 N, with circa 50 m of vertical displacement

Efeito da claritromicina na celularidade do lavado broncoalveolar em camundongos com doença pulmonar neutrofílica induzida

OBJECTIVE: Macrolide antibiotics have anti-inflammatory properties in lung diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of clarithromycin in pulmonary cellular inflammatory response in mice. METHOD: Eight adult Swiss mice were studied. All animals received an intranasal challenge (80 µL) with dead Pseudomonas aeruginosa (1.0 x 10(12) CFU/mL). Bronchoalveolar lavage was performed 2 days later, with total cell count and differential cell analysis. The study group (n = 4) received clarithromycin treatment (50 mg/kg/day, intraperitoneal) for 5 days. Treatment was initiated 2 days before intranasal challenge. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in total cell count between the groups (mean: 2.0 x 10(6) and 1.3 x 10(6), respectively). In both groups, there was a predominance of neutrophils. However, the study group had a higher percentage of lymphocytes in the bronchoalveolar lavage than the control group (median of 19% vs 2.5%, P = .029). CONCLUSION: Clarithromycin alters the cytological pattern of bronchoalveolar lavage of Swiss mice with neutrophil pulmonary inflammation, significantly increasing the percentage of lymphocytes.OBJETIVO: Os antibióticos macrolídeos podem apresentar um efeito antiinflamatório em doenças pulmonares. O objetivo deste estudo é investigar o efeito da claritromicina na resposta inflamatória celular pulmonar em camundongos Swiss. MÉTODO: Foram utilizados 8 camundongos Swiss adultos (6-8 semanas). Todos os animais receberam um desafio intranasal (80 µL) com Pseudomonas aeruginosa mortas (1 x 10(12) UFC/mL). Dois dias após o desafio, foi realizado lavado broncoalveolar (LBA) com contagem total de células (CTC) e exame citológico diferencial. O grupo em estudo (n=4) recebeu tratamento com claritromicina (50mg/kg/dia, intraperitoneal) por 5 dias, sendo iniciado o tratamento 2 dias antes do desafio intranasal. O grupo controle (n=4) não recebeu tratamento com claritromicina. RESULTADOS: Não houve diferença significativa na CTC entre os grupos (média de 2x10(6) e 1,3x10(6), respectivamente). Em ambos os grupos, houve predomínio absoluto de neutrófilos. Contudo, o grupo tratado com claritromicina, apresentou um número percentual significativamente maior de linfócitos no LBA (mediana de 2,5% vs 19%, p=0,029). CONCLUSÃO: O uso de claritromicina altera o exame citológico diferencial do lavado bronco-alveolar de camundongos Swiss com inflamação pulmonar neutrofílica, aumentando significativamente o número percentual de linfócitos

Prediagnostic serum biomarkers as early detection tools for pancreatic cancer in a large prospective cohort study

Background: The clinical management of pancreatic cancer is severely hampered by the absence of effective screening tools. Methods: Sixty-seven biomarkers were evaluated in prediagnostic sera obtained from cases of pancreatic cancer enrolled in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial (PLCO). Results: The panel of CA 19-9, OPN, and OPG, identified in a prior retrospective study, was not effective. CA 19-9, CEA, NSE, bHCG, CEACAM1 and PRL were significantly altered in sera obtained from cases greater than 1 year prior to diagnosis. Levels of CA 19-9, CA 125, CEA, PRL, and IL-8 were negatively associated with time to diagnosis. A training/validation study using alternate halves of the PLCO set failed to identify a biomarker panel with significantly improved performance over CA 19-9 alone. When the entire PLCO set was used for training at a specificity (SP) of 95%, a panel of CA 19-9, CEA, and Cyfra 21-1 provided significantly elevated sensitivity (SN) levels of 32.4% and 29.7% in samples collected 1 year prior to diagnosis, respectively, compared to SN levels of 25.7% and 17.2% for CA 19-9 alone. Conclusions: Most biomarkers identified in previously conducted case/control studies are ineffective in prediagnostic samples, however several biomarkers were identified as significantly altered up to 35 months prior to diagnosis. Two newly derived biomarker combinations offered advantage over CA 19-9 alone in terms of SN, particularly in samples collected >1 year prior to diagnosis. However, the efficacy of biomarker-based tools remains limited at present. Several biomarkers demonstrated significant velocity related to time to diagnosis, an observation which may offer considerable potential for enhancements in early detection. © 2014 Nolen et al

RAGE (Receptor for Advanced Glycation Endproducts), RAGE Ligands, and their role in Cancer and Inflammation

The Receptor for Advanced Glycation Endproducts [RAGE] is an evolutionarily recent member of the immunoglobulin super-family, encoded in the Class III region of the major histocompatability complex. RAGE is highly expressed only in the lung at readily measurable levels but increases quickly at sites of inflammation, largely on inflammatory and epithelial cells. It is found either as a membrane-bound or soluble protein that is markedly upregulated by stress in epithelial cells, thereby regulating their metabolism and enhancing their central barrier functionality. Activation and upregulation of RAGE by its ligands leads to enhanced survival. Perpetual signaling through RAGE-induced survival pathways in the setting of limited nutrients or oxygenation results in enhanced autophagy, diminished apoptosis, and (with ATP depletion) necrosis. This results in chronic inflammation and in many instances is the setting in which epithelial malignancies arise. RAGE and its isoforms sit in a pivotal role, regulating metabolism, inflammation, and epithelial survival in the setting of stress. Understanding the molecular structure and function of it and its ligands in the setting of inflammation is critically important in understanding the role of this receptor in tumor biology