Celiac disease

Celiac disease is a chronic intestinal disease caused by intolerance to gluten. It is characterized by immune-mediated enteropathy, associated with maldigestion and malabsorption of most nutrients and vitamins. In predisposed individuals, the ingestion of gluten-containing food such as wheat and rye induces a flat jejunal mucosa with infiltration of lymphocytes. The main symptoms are: stomach pain, gas, and bloating, diarrhea, weight loss, anemia, edema, bone or joint pain. Prevalence for clinically overt celiac disease varies from 1:270 in Finland to 1:5000 in North America. Since celiac disease can be asymptomatic, most subjects are not diagnosed or they can present with atypical symptoms. Furthermore, severe inflammation of the small bowel can be present without any gastrointestinal symptoms. The diagnosis should be made early since celiac disease causes growth retardation in untreated children and atypical symptoms like infertility or neurological symptoms. Diagnosis requires endoscopy with jejunal biopsy. In addition, tissue-transglutaminase antibodies are important to confirm the diagnosis since there are other diseases which can mimic celiac disease. The exact cause of celiac disease is unknown but is thought to be primarily immune mediated (tissue-transglutaminase autoantigen); often the disease is inherited. Management consists in life long withdrawal of dietary gluten, which leads to significant clinical and histological improvement. However, complete normalization of histology can take years

Kate Holtmeier Honors Portfolio

Kate Holtmeier\u27s honors portfolio captured in May 2023

Response of Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris) to Warming Climate at Its Altitudinal Limit in Northernmost Subarctic Finland

The present study aims to contribute to a fine regional differentiation of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) response to climate change at its altitudinal margins in subarctic Finland north of 69˚ N (Utsjoki) and to find out whether a prompt establishment of new pines in response to climate change can be expected above the old pine tree limit in and above the mountain birch zone. In 10 sampling areas, distribution, site characteristics, and condition (damage degree, growth forms) of the new pines (pines that have become established since the mid 20th century) were checked in a zone 50 m to the left and right of our field routes. The field routes extended from the scattered birch forest to the treeless alpine zone and mountaintops and covered a total area of more than 4 km2. In total, 213 new pines were found. Tree height was measured and age estimated by counting the whorls. The degree of damage was estimated and then attributed to four damage classes. Pine establishment was most successful during the 1970s and up until the end of the last century. Pines younger than 10 years are rare (< 3%) in the study areas, with one exception (about 8%). Pine recruitment is comparatively intense in close proximity to old pines in the birch forest while it is sporadic within the scattered birch stands at higher elevations and in the alpine tundra. More than 80% of the new pines show disturbed growth forms due to frequent winter injury, reindeer, and moose. About 66% exhibit severe damage, and 15% have already died. On windswept terrain, microsite facilitation is essential for pine establishment. Lack of local seed sources and severe site conditions at high elevations have probably delayed pine altitudinal advance. New pine generations may become effective seed sources speeding up pine advance beyond the present seed trees. In view of the high proportions of severely damaged and dead new pines, we do not expect that climatic warming will bring about a rapid advance of the pine tree limit.La présente étude vise à contribuer à une fine différenciation régionale de la réponse du pin écossais (Pinus sylvestris) au changement climatique à l’emplacement des marges altitudinales de la Finlande subarctique au nord du 69˚ N (Utsjoki) et à déterminer si on peut s’attendre à l’établissement rapide des nouveaux pins en réponse au changement climatique au-dessus de l’ancienne limite des pins située dans la zone des bouleaux de montagne et au-dessus de celle-ci. Dans dix lieux d’échantillonnage, la répartition, les caractéristiques du site et les conditions (ampleur des dommages, formes de croissance) des nouveaux pins (soit les pins qui se sont établis depuis le milieu du siècle précédent) ont été vérifiés dans une zone située à 50 m à la gauche et à la droite de nos voies d’accès. Ces voies commençaient à partir de la forêt parsemée de bouleaux et s’étendaient jusqu’à la zone alpine dépourvue d’arbres et aux pics montagneux. Elles couvraient une surface totale de plus de 4 km2. En tout, 213 nouveaux pins ont été répertoriés. Nous avons mesuré la hauteur des arbres et évalué leur âge en comptant les verticilles. Ensuite, nous avons estimé le degré des dommages et les avons attribués à quatre catégories. L’établissement des pins a connu le plus de succès dans les années 1970 et jusqu’à la fin du dernier siècle. Les pins de moins de dix ans sont rares (< 3 %) dans les aires visées par l’étude, sauf une exception (environ 8 %). Le recrutement des pins est comparativement intense à proximité des anciens pins de la forêt de bouleaux, tandis qu’il est sporadique dans les peuplements de bouleaux épars des hautes altitudes et de la toundra alpine. Plus de 80 % des nouveaux pins affichent des formes de croissance instables attribuables à la destruction par l’hiver de même qu’à l’activité des rennes et des orignaux. Environ 66 % d’entre eux présentent des dommages prononcés, tandis que 15 % d’entre eux sont morts. Sur le terrain exposé au vent, la facilitation des niches écologiques est essentielle à l’établissement des pins. Le manque de sources de graines locales et les conditions sévères aux emplacements en haute altitude ont probablement eu pour effet de retarder l’avancement des pins en altitude. Les nouvelles générations de pins sont susceptibles de représenter des sources efficaces de graines, ce qui aurait pour effet d’accélérer l’avancement des pins au-delà des arbres semenciers actuels. À la lumière des fortes proportions de nouveaux pins gravement endommagés ou morts, nous ne nous attendons pas à ce que le réchauffement climatique se traduise par l’avancement rapide de la limite forestière des pins

Celiac disease

Celiac disease is a chronic intestinal disease caused by intolerance to gluten. It is characterized by immune-mediated enteropathy, associated with maldigestion and malabsorption of most nutrients and vitamins. In predisposed individuals, the ingestion of gluten-containing food such as wheat and rye induces a flat jejunal mucosa with infiltration of lymphocytes. The main symptoms are: stomach pain, gas, and bloating, diarrhea, weight loss, anemia, edema, bone or joint pain. Prevalence for clinically overt celiac disease varies from 1:270 in Finland to 1:5000 in North America. Since celiac disease can be asymptomatic, most subjects are not diagnosed or they can present with atypical symptoms. Furthermore, severe inflammation of the small bowel can be present without any gastrointestinal symptoms. The diagnosis should be made early since celiac disease causes growth retardation in untreated children and atypical symptoms like infertility or neurological symptoms. Diagnosis requires endoscopy with jejunal biopsy. In addition, tissue-transglutaminase antibodies are important to confirm the diagnosis since there are other diseases which can mimic celiac disease. The exact cause of celiac disease is unknown but is thought to be primarily immune mediated (tissue-transglutaminase autoantigen); often the disease is inherited. Management consists in life long withdrawal of dietary gluten, which leads to significant clinical and histological improvement. However, complete normalization of histology can take years

Differential Mating Success of Male Wing Morphs of the Cricket, \u3ci\u3eGryllus rubens\u3c/i\u3e

Genetically marked individuals were used to study differential mating success between male wing morphs of the cricket, Gryllus rubens. Previous studies of Gryllus rubens and other wing-dimorphic insects have documented that flightless short-winged or wingless females typically attain reproductive maturity earlier and oviposit more eggs relative to their long-winged counterparts. This study was done to determine if flightless males also exhibit enhanced reproductive characteristics. Segregation analyses documented the genetic basis of allozymes used to infer paternity in subsequent experiments. Control experiments documented the absence of effects on mating success independent of wing morph due to (1) the genetic stock from which males were taken; (2) male size; or (3) female wing morph. Mating trials involving a long-winged male, a short-winged male and a female of either wing morph documented no significant differences in the number of progeny sired by male wing morphs. This pattern was true for both the first group of offspring and for the entire set of offspring produced during a 20-day period. Thus, in contrast to females, we observed no increase in reproductive output in males resulting from the loss of the flight apparatus. However, substantial variance in mating success was observed between males independent of wing morph. This result was likely due to the existence of a dominance hierarchy and the increased mating success of the dominant male

Differential Mating Success of Male Wing Morphs of the Cricket, \u3ci\u3eGryllus rubens\u3c/i\u3e

Genetically marked individuals were used to study differential mating success between male wing morphs of the cricket, Gryllus rubens. Previous studies of Gryllus rubens and other wing-dimorphic insects have documented that flightless short-winged or wingless females typically attain reproductive maturity earlier and oviposit more eggs relative to their long-winged counterparts. This study was done to determine if flightless males also exhibit enhanced reproductive characteristics. Segregation analyses documented the genetic basis of allozymes used to infer paternity in subsequent experiments. Control experiments documented the absence of effects on mating success independent of wing morph due to (1) the genetic stock from which males were taken; (2) male size; or (3) female wing morph. Mating trials involving a long-winged male, a short-winged male and a female of either wing morph documented no significant differences in the number of progeny sired by male wing morphs. This pattern was true for both the first group of offspring and for the entire set of offspring produced during a 20-day period. Thus, in contrast to females, we observed no increase in reproductive output in males resulting from the loss of the flight apparatus. However, substantial variance in mating success was observed between males independent of wing morph. This result was likely due to the existence of a dominance hierarchy and the increased mating success of the dominant male

Identifizierung, Charakterisierung und Regulation des LOXL4-Gens in Plattenepithelkarzinomzellen und -Biopsaten des oberen Aerodigestivtraktes

Das LOXL4-Gen zeigt auf mRNA-Level eine Überexpression in 54% der untersuchten Plattenepithelkarzinome des Kopf-Hals-Bereichs im Vergleich zu gesunden epithelialen Schleimhautzellen. Die Überexpression ist positiv korreliert mit dem invasiven Potential der Tumore und stellt einen kumulativen Effekt dar, der durch unterschiedliche molekulargenetische Veränderungen in den Karzinomzellen im Vergleich zum gesunden Zelltyp hervorgerufen wird. Eine Veränderung ist die erhöhte Konzentration der Transkriptionsaktivatoren TBP und RFX1, die eine Erhöhung der Transkriptionsrate herbeiführt. Diese erhöhte Transkriptionsrate wird vermutlich dadurch verstärkt, indem die Kopienzahl des LOXL4-Gens in diesen Karzinomzellen stark erhöht ist, was auf eine numerisch und intrachromosomale Aberration des Chromosoms 10 zurückzuführen ist, auf dem das Gen lokalisiert ist. Mit dieser Arbeit wurde ein Beitrag zur Erweiterung des molekulargenetischen Repertoires von Plattenepithelkarzinomen des oberen Aerodigestivtraktes geleistet, da diese Tumorentität aufgrund ihrer geringen Prävalenz relativ wenig erforscht ist

Backwards By Design, Summer 2013 Retreat Assessment

At the 2013 TLA retreat, the main task I set for myself was building a new course around the film and television of the Pacific Northwest. The main challenge of this course was how to create a syllabus centered on the media of a ‘region’ rather than a particular concept or genre. The guiding question for developing this course was what aspects of the Pacific Northwest films and television were able to contribute to. Since our retreat was focused on \u27threshold concepts,\u27 and this course was primarily focused on content rather than skills (studying media of the region as opposed to creating media, although like most English courses this was a writing skills-based class), I used Paul Feyerabend\u27s Against Method as a conceptual skill-set through which to approach the material. The intended goal was to use Feyerabend as a methodology, and to treat this methodology as the threshold concept

Long‐lived larch clones may conserve adaptations that could restrict treeline migration in northern Siberia

The occurrence of refugia beyond the arctic treeline and genetic adaptation therein play a crucial role of largely unknown effect size. While refugia have potential for rapidly colonizing the tundra under global warming, the taxa may be maladapted to the new environmental conditions. Understanding the genetic composition and age of refugia is thus crucial for predicting any migration response. Here, we genotype 194 larch individuals from an ~1.8 km2 area in northcentral Siberia on the southern Taimyr Peninsula by applying an assay of 16 nuclear micro- satellite markers. For estimating the age of clonal individuals, we counted tree rings at sections along branches to establish a lateral growth rate that was then combined with geographic distance. Findings reveal that the predominant reproduction type is clonal (58.76%) by short distance spreading of ramets. One outlier of clones 1 km apart could have been dispersed by reindeer. In clonal groups and within individuals, we find that somatic mutations accumulate with geographic distance. Clonal groups of two or more in- dividuals are observed. Clonal age estimates regularly suggest individuals as old as 2,200 years, which coincides with a major environmental change that forced a tree- line retreat in the region. We conclude that individuals with clonal growth mode were naturally selected as it lowers the likely risk of extinction under a harsh environment. We discuss this legacy from the past that might now be a maladaptation and hinder expansion under currently strongly increasing temperatures