THE INFLUENCE OF BINGE DRINKING ON SOCIAL SUPPORT NETWORKS

People and environments influence each other, negatively and positively. The abuse of alcohol affects any network negatively. The concepts “social support” and “networks” are described to demonstrate the interdependence and interrelatedness of systems and how they are affected by binge drinking. The emphasis is on the type of support, recipient perception, reciprocal support and behaviour of providers. Social support is important for the optimal functioning of social support networks and binge drinking could inhibit provision of such support and lead to social dysfunctioning. In order to address the problem of alcohol abuse an appropriate, relevant, holistic multidisciplinary intervention strategy is neede

Tissue factor pathway inhibitor-2 is a novel inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinases with implications for atherosclerosis

Degradation of ECM, particularly interstitial collagen, promotes plaque instability, rendering atheroma prone to rupture. Previous studies implicated matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in these processes, suggesting that dysregulated MMP activity, probably due to imbalance with endogenous inhibitors, promotes complications of atherosclerosis. We report here that the serine proteinase inhibitor tissue factor pathway inhibitor-2 (TFPI-2) can function as an MMP inhibitor. TFPI-2 diminished the ability of the interstitial collagenases MMP-1 and MMP-13 to degrade triple-helical collagen, the primary load-bearing molecule of the ECM within human atheroma. In addition, TFPI-2 also reduced the activity of the gelatinases MMP-2 and MMP-9. In contrast to the "classical" tissue inhibitors of MMPs (TIMPs), TFPI-2 expression in situ correlated inversely with MMP levels in human atheroma. TFPI-2 colocalized primarily with smooth muscle cells in the normal media as well as the plaque's fibrous cap. Conversely, the macrophage-enriched shoulder region, the prototypical site of matrix degradation and plaque rupture, stained only weakly for TFPI-2 but intensely for gelatinases and interstitial collagenases. Evidently, human mononuclear phagocytes, an abundant source of MMPs within human atheroma, lost their ability to express this inhibitor during differentiation in vitro. These findings establish a new, anti-inflammatory function of TFPI-2 of potential pathophysiological significance for human diseases, including atherosclerosis

The Iowa Homemaker vol.37, no.3

What Does a Dean Do?, Dean Helen LeBaron, page 5 Concerning Friendship, Noel BreDahl, page 6 If I Were a Freshman, Orma Herman, page 7 Look Where You’re Going, Martha Glenn, page 8 The New Core, Martha Glenn, page 9 Joe Jalope, the Car Without a Friend, Carole Boughton, page 9 Testing and Tasting, Rosalyn McBride, page 10 Young Iowans Face the Future, Sandra Schnur, page 12 I Hated Physics, Diane Rasmussen, page 13 We Present with Pride, Martha Burleigh, page 16 Follow the Dotted Line, Marilyn Jones, page 2

The Iowa Homemaker vol.37, no.1

Verse, page 4 Today I’m in a Millinery Mood, Sally Mahedy, page 5 Paper-Quick Parties, Nancy Fox, page 6 “Sizzle a Steak” Hawaiian Style, Muriel Hirotsu, page 7 CD Majors on Tour, Nancy Merchant, page 8 “Daddy…?”, Greg Hawkes, page 9 “Yes, Son…?”, Dr. Glenn Hawkes, page 9 When I Grow Up, I Can Wear Real Perfume, Diane Rasmussen, page 10 Dolls are for the Young at Heart, Orma Herman, page 11 It’s Child’s Play Acting, Marilyn Jones, page 12 Crossword Puzzle, Marilyn Jones and Sandra Hammerand, page 13 A Child’s View of Iowa State, Diane Robinson, page 14 Answer to Crossword Puzzle, page 1

Virulence Characteristics of Klebsiella and Clinical Manifestations of K. pneumoniae Bloodstream Infections

Differences in clinical manifestations are due to virulence factors expressed by the organism

Diverse Effects on Mitochondrial and Nuclear Functions Elicited by Drugs and Genetic Knockdowns in Bloodstream Stage Trypanosoma brucei

The parasite Trypanosoma brucei causes human African trypanosomiasis, which is fatal unless treated. Currently used drugs are toxic, difficult to administer, and often are no longer effective due to drug resistance. The search for new drugs is long and expensive, and determining which compounds are worth pursuing is a key challenge in that process. In this study we sought to determine whether different compounds elicited different responses in the mammalian-infective stage of the parasite. We also examined whether genetic knockdown of parasite molecules led to similar responses. Our results show that, depending on the treatment, the replication of the parasite genomes, proper division of the cell, and mitochondrial function can be affected. Surprisingly, these different responses were not able to predict which compounds affected the long term proliferative potential of T. brucei. We found that some of the compounds had irreversible effects on the parasites within one day, so that even cells that appeared healthy could not proliferate. We suggest that determining which compounds set the parasites on a one-way journey to death may provide a means of identifying those that could lead to drugs with high efficacy

Mapping quantitative trait loci (QTL) in sheep. I. A new male framework linkage map and QTL for growth rate and body weight

A male sheep linkage map comprising 191 microsatellites was generated from a single family of 510 Awassi-Merino backcross progeny. Except for ovine chromosomes 1, 2, 10 and 17, all other chromosomes yielded a LOD score difference greater than 3.0 between the best and second-best map order. The map is on average 11% longer than the Sheep Linkage Map v4.7 male-specific map. This map was employed in quantitative trait loci (QTL) analyses on body-weight and growth-rate traits between birth and 98 weeks of age. A custom maximum likelihood program was developed to map QTL in half-sib families for non-inbred strains (QTL-MLE) and is freely available on request. The new analysis package offers the advantage of enabling QTL × fixed effect interactions to be included in the model. Fifty-four putative QTL were identified on nine chromosomes. Significant QTL with sex-specific effects (i.e. QTL × sex interaction) in the range of 0.4 to 0.7 SD were found on ovine chromosomes 1, 3, 6, 11, 21, 23, 24 and 26