Catastrophe and Environmental Restoration: Analyzing the Frames and Sources of Oyster Restoration News Stories

Restoration of oyster habitats is a critical solution to halt the decline of one of the world’s most threatened resources. News coverage about environmental topics, like oyster restoration, is important to local communities that are directly impacted. However, little research has assessed how restoration topics are framed by journalists, nor how environmental disasters may affect framing of news stories for the public. This study employed a longitudinal framing analysis, using the quantity of coverage and social responsibility theories, to examine how coverage of the restoration of oyster ecosystems shifted before, during, and after the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The frames and sources of 763 newspaper articles were assessed, including 18 local newspapers from five U.S. Gulf Coast states and three high-circulation national newspapers. Logistic regression analyses revealed that the occurrence of an environmental catastrophe shifted media focus from environmental frames before the spill to community and economic frames during and after the spill. Stories were dominated by environmental frames (49%) and primarily relied on quotes from resource managers (50%) over all other groups. Local resource users were quoted less than 5% of the time in local articles. Findings provide a foundation for natural resource managers and communication specialists to understand how information about natural resources changes during disasters and reveals the perspectives that are most and least commonly used to frame and define stories about coastal resources and important gaps in coverage

Effects of Heparin and Enoxaparin on APP Processing and Aβ Production in Primary Cortical Neurons from Tg2576 Mice

BACKGROUND Alzheimer's disease (AD) is caused by accumulation of Aβ, which is produced through sequential cleavage of β-amyloid precursor protein (APP) by the β-site APP cleaving enzyme (BACE1) and γ-secretase. Enoxaparin, a low molecular weight form of the glycosaminoglycan (GAG) heparin, has been reported to lower Aβ plaque deposition and improve cognitive function in AD transgenic mice. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We examined whether heparin and enoxaparin influence APP processing and inhibit Aβ production in primary cortical cell cultures. Heparin and enoxaparin were incubated with primary cortical cells derived from Tg2576 mice, and the level of APP and proteolytic products of APP (sAPPα, C99, C83 and Aβ) was measured by western blotting. Treatment of the cells with heparin or enoxaparin had no significant effect on the level of total APP. However, both GAGs decreased the level of C99 and C83, and inhibited sAPPα and Aβ secretion. Heparin also decreased the level of β-secretase (BACE1) and α-secretase (ADAM10). In contrast, heparin had no effect on the level of ADAM17. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE The data indicate that heparin and enoxaparin decrease APP processing via both α- and β-secretase pathways. The possibility that GAGs may be beneficial for the treatment of AD needs further study.This work was funded by a project grant (490031) from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (http://www.nhmrc.gov.au). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

NQO1 protects against clioquinol toxicity

Clioquinol (CQ) was widely used as oral antibiotic before being taken off the market in many countries in 1970, after it was linked to subacute myelo-optic neuropathy (SMON) in Japan, leading to vision loss with many patients left wheelchair-bound. The common pathology of CQ-associated SMON was reproduced in animals but none of the proposed modes of toxicity explained the restriction of CQ-induced SMON to Japan. Given a re-emergence of CQ and related analogues as neuroprotectants, it is crucial to understand the underlying mechanism of CQ-induced toxicity to prevent any potential CQ-associated risks to future patients. A small molecule screen to find drugs that induce mitochondrial dysfunction in vitro identified CQ and the structurally related 8-hydroxyquinoline (8-OHQ). Their mitochondrial liability, pro-oxidative and cytotoxic activity was subsequently confirmed in some cell lines but surprisingly not in others. Subsequent studies in isogenic cell lines demonstrated that the antioxidant protein NQO1 is differentially expressed in the cell lines tested and potently protects against CQ toxicity. CQ-induced reduction of cellular ATP levels, increased lipid peroxidation and elevated cell death was also attenuated by antioxidants, implicating oxidative stress as the core mechanism of CQ-induced toxicity. These in-vitro findings were replicated in zebrafish. Visual acuity in zebrafish larvae that do not express NQO1, was reduced by CQ in a dose-dependent manner, while CQ did not affect visual function in the adult zebrafish that express NQO1. Similarly, pharmacological inhibition of NQO1 activity resulted in CQ-induced oxidative stress in the retina and severe acute systemic toxicity in the adult fish. Given the much higher prevalence of the inactivating C609T NQO1 polymorphism in the Japanese population compared to the European population, the results of this study could for the first time indicate how the geographic restriction of SMON cases to Japan could be explained. Importantly, if CQ or its derivatives are to be used safely for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, it seems imperative that NQO1 levels and activity of prospective patients should be ascertained

Coordinated Adenine Nucleotide Phosphohydrolysis and Nucleoside Signaling in Posthypoxic Endothelium: Role of Ectonucleotidases and Adenosine A2B Receptors

Limited oxygen delivery to tissues (hypoxia) is common in a variety of disease states. A number of parallels exist between hypoxia and acute inflammation, including the observation that both influence vascular permeability. As such, we compared the functional influence of activated polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) on normoxic and posthypoxic endothelial cells. Initial studies indicated that activated PMN preferentially promote endothelial barrier function in posthypoxic endothelial cells (>60% increase over normoxia). Extension of these findings identified at least one soluble mediator as extracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Subsequent studies revealed that ATP is coordinately hydrolyzed to adenosine at the endothelial cell surface by hypoxia-induced CD39 and CD73 (>20-and >12-fold increase in mRNA, respectively). Studies in vitro and in cd39-null mice identified these surface ecto-enzymes as critical control points for posthypoxia-associated protection of vascular permeability. Furthermore, insight gained through microarray analysis revealed that the adenosine A2B receptor (AdoRA2B) is selectively up-regulated by hypoxia (>5-fold increase in mRNA), and that AdoRA2B antagonists effectively neutralize ATP-mediated changes in posthypoxic endothelial permeability. Taken together, these results demonstrate transcription coordination of adenine nucleotide and nucleoside signaling at the vascular interface during hypoxia

Amyloid Myopathy as an Inclusion Body Myositis Mimic

Introduction: Amyloid myopathy is a rare presentation of systemic amyloidosis. Amyloid myopathy can be initially misdiagnosed as sporadic inclusion body myositis (IBM). Methods: We report 4 cases of amyloid myopathy clinically mimicking inclusion body myositis and initially thought to be phenotypically IBM by neuromuscular experts. Results: Case 1 is an 81-year-old woman who presented with distal arm and proximal leg asymmetric weakness (myopathy pattern 4). Case 2 is a 76-year-old man with primary systemic amyloidosis who presented with myopathy pattern 4 and progressive dysphagia for four years. Case 3 is an 82-year-old man with progressive myopathy pattern 4 weakness and swallowing difficulty. Case 4 is a 62-year-old man with progressive bilateral finger flexor weakness. Muscle biopsies in all 4 cases showed perivascular amyloid deposits Discussion: Amyloid myopathy may be clinically indistinguishable from IBM. Muscle biopsy is of critical importance in the evaluation of patients suspected to have IBM

CBT for eating disorders: The impact of early changes in eating pathology on later changes in personality pathology, anxiety and depression.

Whilst studies have consistently identified early symptom reduction as an important predictor of treatment outcome, the impact of early change on common comorbid features has not been investigated. This study of CBT for eating disorders explored patterns of early change in eating pathology and longer-term change in personality pathology, anxiety and depression. It also explored the impact of early change in eating pathology on overall change in personality pathology, anxiety and depression. Participants were 179 adults diagnosed with eating disorders who were offered a course of CBT in an out-patient community eating disorders service in the UK. Patients completed a measure of eating disorder psychopathology at the start of treatment and following the 6th session. They also completed measures of personality disorder cognitions, anxiety and depression at the start and end of treatment. There were significant changes in eating pathology over the first six sessions of treatment. Significant improvements were also seen in personality disorder pathology, anxiety and depression by the end of therapy. Effect sizes were medium to large for both completer and intention to treat analyses. Early changes in eating pathology were associated with later changes in common comorbid features, with early reduction in restraint being a key predictor. These findings demonstrate that early symptom change can be achieved in CBT for eating disorders when delivered in routine clinical practice. Such change has long-term benefits that go beyond the domain of eating pathology, enhancing change in personality pathology, anxiety and depression