Uranium and Associated Heavy Metals in Ovis aries in a Mining Impacted Area in Northwestern New Mexico.

The objective of this study was to determine uranium (U) and other heavy metal (HM) concentrations (As, Cd, Pb, Mo, and Se) in tissue samples collected from sheep (Ovis aries), the primary meat staple on the Navajo reservation in northwestern New Mexico. The study setting was a prime target of U mining, where more than 1100 unreclaimed abandoned U mines and structures remain. The forage and water sources for the sheep in this study were located within 3.2 km of abandoned U mines and structures. Tissue samples from sheep (n = 3), their local forage grasses (n = 24), soil (n = 24), and drinking water (n = 14) sources were collected. The samples were analyzed using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry. Results: In general, HMs concentrated more in the roots of forage compared to the above ground parts. The sheep forage samples fell below the National Research Council maximum tolerable concentration (5 mg/kg). The bioaccumulation factor ratio was >1 in several forage samples, ranging from 1.12 to 16.86 for Mo, Cd, and Se. The study findings showed that the concentrations of HMs were greatest in the liver and kidneys. Of the calculated human intake, Se Reference Dietary Intake and Mo Recommended Dietary Allowance were exceeded, but the tolerable upper limits for both were not exceeded. Food intake recommendations informed by research are needed for individuals especially those that may be more sensitive to HMs. Further study with larger sample sizes is needed to explore other impacted communities across the reservation

The yeast integral membrane protein Apq12 potentially links membrane dynamics to assembly of nuclear pore complexes

Although the structure and function of components of the nuclear pore complex (NPC) have been the focus of many studies, relatively little is known about NPC biogenesis. In this study, we report that Apq12 is required for efficient NPC biogenesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Apq12 is an integral membrane protein of the nuclear envelope (NE) and endoplasmic reticulum. Cells lacking Apq12 are cold sensitive for growth, and a subset of their nucleoporins (Nups), those that are primarily components of the cytoplasmic fibrils of the NPC, mislocalize to the cytoplasm. APQ12 deletion also causes defects in NE morphology. In the absence of Apq12, most NPCs appear to be associated with the inner but not the outer nuclear membrane. Low levels of benzyl alcohol, which increases membrane fluidity, prevented Nup mislocalization and restored the proper localization of Nups that had accumulated in cytoplasmic foci upon a shift to lower temperature. Thus, Apq12p connects nuclear pore biogenesis to the dynamics of the NE

Folgen nosokomialer Infektionen:der Vergleich von Patienten mit und ohne nosokomiale Infektion

In der Klinik und Poliklinik für Technische Orthopädie und Rehabilitation erkrankten im Zeitraum von 1998 bis 1999 58 Patienten an einer NI (6,9%). Diese Patienten waren signifikant häufiger männlich und älter als die nicht NI Patienten. Die NI Patienten wurden auf intrinsische Risikofaktoren auf eine NI untersucht und mit einer nach Alter und Geschlecht randomisierten Kontrollgruppe verglichen. Beim Vergleich ergaben sich neben Alter und Geschlechterverteilung statistisch signifikante Unterschiede in Bezug auf die Art der Aufnahme, die Aufnahmediagnose und die Liegedauer. In einem zweiten Untersuchungsschritt wurden die NI analysiert. Die größte Gruppe stellten die Wundinfektionen, gefolgt von Harnwegsinfektionen und Pneumonien. Die Konsequenzen für die Patienten waren weitreichend, von lokaler Wundbehandlung über antibiotische Therapie zu Amputation. Eine Möglichkeit der Einschätzung des intrinsischen Risikos eines Patienten ist ein Score zu Beginn der stationären Aufnahme

Environmental Contexts of Vulnerable Populations: Implications for Nursing Practice, Research, and Education

Health disparities research has been identified as a priority by the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR). Training nurse scholars in Vulnerable Populations (VP) research has been one strategy to address this issue. Involvement of university sponsored pre- and postdoctoral nurse fellows in groupdeveloped projects are coordinated to advance the science of VP. A group of pre- and postdoctoral nurse fellows report on research that illustrates environmentally-induced barriers to health care experienced by VP. Topics cover health disparities, VP research, and culturally appropriate approaches to enhance access and acceptability of quality health care. Five studies are presented that illustrate the interplay of biologic, social, economic, behavioral, environmental, and cultural influences in the health and healthcare of individuals, populations, and sub-groups. These studies have common factors as well as unique barriers requiring exploration for better understanding and culturally appropriate intervention. The studies drew upon the VP Conceptualization Framework (VPCF) to describe the unique barriers encountered. These barriers are of significant concern and have implications for nursing practice, research, and education. Key recommendations to address these barriers are provided

Community Chairs as a Catalyst for Campus Collaboration in STEM

Strong collaborative partnerships are critical to the ongoing success of any urban or metropolitan university in its efforts to build the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career pathways so critical to our nation. At the University of Nebraska at Omaha, we have established a faculty leadership structure of community chairs that work across colleges to support campus priorities. This paper describes UNO’s STEM community chair model, including selected initiatives, impacts, and challenges to date

Insights into mRNP Biogenesis Provided by New Genetic Interactions Among Export and Transcription Factors

The various steps of mRNP biogenesis (transcription, processing and export) are interconnected. It has been shown that the transcription machinery plays a pivotal role in mRNP assembly, since several mRNA export factors are recruited during transcription and physically interact with components of the transcription machinery. Although the shuttling DEAD-box protein Dbp5p is concentrated on the cytoplasmic fibrils of the NPC, previous studies demonstrated that it interacts physically and genetically with factors involved in transcription initiation. We investigated the effect of mutations affecting various components of the transcription initiation apparatus on the phenotypes of mRNA export mutant strains. Our results show that growth and mRNA export defects of dbp5 and mex67 mutant strains can be suppressed by mutation of specific transcription initiation components, but suppression was not observed for mutants acting in the very first steps of the pre-initiation complex (PIC) formation

Conductive interpenetrating networks of polypyrrole and polycaprolactone encourage electrophysiological development of cardiac cells

Conductive and electroactive polymers have the potential to enhance engineered cardiac tissue function. In this study, an interpenetrating network of the electrically-conductive polymer polypyrrole (PPy) was grown within a matrix of flexible polycaprolactone (PCL) and evaluated as a platform for directing the formation of functional cardiac cell sheets. PCL films were either treated with sodium hydroxide to render them more hydrophilic and enhance cell adhesion or rendered electroactive with PPy grown via chemical polymerization yielding PPy–PCL that had a resistivity of 1.0 ± 0.4 kΩ cm, which is similar to native cardiac tissue. Both PCL and PPy–PCL films supported cardiomyocyte attachment; increasing the duration of PCL pre-treatment with NaOH resulted in higher numbers of adherent cardiomyocytes per unit area, generating cell densities which were more similar to those on PPy–PCL films (1568 ± 126 cells mm−2, 2880 ± 439 cells mm−2, 3623 ± 456 cells mm−2 for PCL with 0, 24, 48 h of NaOH pretreatment, respectively; 2434 ± 166 cells mm−2 for PPy–PCL). When cardiomyocytes were cultured on the electrically-conductive PPy–PCL, more cells were observed to have peripheral localization of the gap junction protein connexin-43 (Cx43) as compared to cells on NaOH-treated PCL (60.3 ± 4.3% vs. 46.6 ± 5.7%). Cx43 gene expression remained unchanged between materials. Importantly, the velocity of calcium wave propagation was faster and calcium transient duration was shorter for cardiomyocyte monolayers on PPy–PCL (1612 ± 143 μm/s, 910 ± 63 ms) relative to cells on PCL (1129 ± 247 μm/s, 1130 ± 20 ms). In summary, PPy–PCL has demonstrated suitability as an electrically-conductive substrate for culture of cardiomyocytes, yielding enhanced functional properties; results encourage further development of conductive substrates for use in differentiation of stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes and cardiac tissue engineering applications. Statement of Significance Current conductive materials for use in cardiac regeneration are limited by cytotoxicity or cost in implementation. In this manuscript, we demonstrate for the first time the application of a biocompatible, conductive polypyrrole–polycaprolactone film as a platform for culturing cardiomyocytes for cardiac regeneration. This study shows that the novel conductive film is capable of enhancing cell–cell communication through the formation of connexin-43, leading to higher velocities for calcium wave propagation and reduced calcium transient durations among cultured cardiomyocyte monolayers. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that chemical modification of polycaprolactone through alkaline-mediated hydrolysis increased overall cardiomyocyte adhesion. The results of this study provide insight into how cardiomyocytes interact with conductive substrates and will inform future research efforts to enhance the functional properties of cardiomyocytes, which is critical for their use in pharmaceutical testing and cell therapy

Yeast Integral Membrane Proteins Apq12, Brl1, and Brr6 Form a Complex Important for Regulation of Membrane Homeostasis and Nuclear Pore Complex Biogenesis

Proper functioning of intracellular membranes is critical for many cellular processes. A key feature of membranes is their ability to adapt to changes in environmental conditions by adjusting their composition so as to maintain constant biophysical proper- ties, including fluidity and flexibility. Similar changes in the biophysical properties of membranes likely occur when intracellular processes, such as vesicle formation and fusion, require dramatic changes in membrane curvature. Similar modifications must also be made when nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) are constructed within the existing nuclear membrane, as occurs during in- terphase in all eukaryotes. Here we report on the role of the essential nuclear envelope/endoplasmic reticulum (NE/ER) protein Brl1 in regulating the membrane composition of the NE/ER. We show that Brl1 and two other proteins characterized previous- ly—Brr6, which is closely related to Brl1, and Apq12—function together and are required for lipid homeostasis. All three trans- membrane proteins are localized to the NE and can be coprecipitated. As has been shown for mutations affecting Brr6 and Apq12, mutations in Brl1 lead to defects in lipid metabolism, increased sensitivity to drugs that inhibit enzymes involved in lipid synthesis, and strong genetic interactions with mutations affecting lipid metabolism. Mutations affecting Brl1 or Brr6 or the absence of Apq12 leads to hyperfluid membranes, because mutant cells are hypersensitive to agents that increase membrane flu- idity. We suggest that the defects in nuclear pore complex biogenesis and mRNA export seen in these mutants are consequences of defects in maintaining the biophysical properties of the NE

Prevalence, risk factors, and impact on outcome of cytomegalovirus replication in serum of Cambodian HIV-infected patients (2004-2007)

BACKGROUND: In developing countries, the study of cytomegalovirus (CMV) coinfection in HIV-infected patients remains neglected. Quantitative CMV polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is the gold standard diagnostic tool for analyzing serum CMV replication and for predicting CMV disease. We estimated the prevalence of replicating CMV in sera of newly diagnosed HIV-infected Cambodian patients and examined its impact on mortality. METHODS: This cohort study was based on 2 highly active antiretroviral therapy treatment programs in Cambodia between 2004 and 2007. Quantitative CMV PCR was performed on baseline serum samples of 377 HIV-infected patients. RESULTS: The prevalence of serum CMV DNA was 55.2% (150 of 272) in patients with CD4 count <100/mm. In multivariate analysis, hemoglobin <9 g/dL, CD4 count <100/mm, and Karnofsky index <50 were independently associated with positive serum CMV DNA at baseline. During a 3-year follow-up period, CMV viral load >or=3.1 log10 copies per milliliter was significantly associated with death independently of CD4 count, other opportunistic infections, and highly active antiretroviral therapy. CONCLUSIONS: As in industrialized countries, serum CMV replication is highly prevalent among HIV-infected Cambodian patients and is associated with increased mortality. This underscores the importance of diagnostic CMV infection by PCR in sera of HIV-infected patients with CD4 count <100/mm and treating this opportunistic infection to reduce its associated mortality

Draft genome sequences of two extensively drug-resistant strains of acinetobacter baumannii isolated from clinical samples in Pakistan

Infections in immunocompromised patients that are caused by extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Acinetobacter baumannii strains have been increasingly reported worldwide. In particular, carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii strains are a prominent cause of health care-associated infections. Here, we report draft genome assemblies for two clinical XDR A. baumannii isolates obtained from hospitalized patients in Pakistan