Stress impairs decision-making in rats

Stress influences various types of memory, but its effects on other cognitive functions are relatively unknown. We investigated the effects of uncontrollable stress on subsequent decision-making in rats, using a computer vision-based water foraging choice task. Stress impaired the animals' ability to bias their responses toward the larger reward when transitioning from equal to unequal quantities, and this stress effect was dependent on the amygdala

Band Gap Engineering with Ultralarge Biaxial Strains in Suspended Monolayer MoS2

We demonstrate the continuous and reversible tuning of the optical band gap of suspended monolayer MoS2 membranes by as much as 500 meV by applying very large biaxial strains. By using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) to grow crystals that are highly impermeable to gas, we are able to apply a pressure difference across suspended membranes to induce biaxial strains. We observe the effect of strain on the energy and intensity of the peaks in the photoluminescence (PL) spectrum, and find a linear tuning rate of the optical band gap of 99 meV/%. This method is then used to study the PL spectra of bilayer and trilayer devices under strain, and to find the shift rates and Gr\"uneisen parameters of two Raman modes in monolayer MoS2. Finally, we use this result to show that we can apply biaxial strains as large as 5.6% across micron sized areas, and report evidence for the strain tuning of higher level optical transitions.Comment: Nano Lett., Article ASA

Utilization of a multimodal preoperative pain regimen prior to gynecologic oncology exploratory laparotomies

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of a combination of non-opioid preoperative pain medications including Tylenol, Lyrica, and Celecoxib (TLC) in patients undergoing gynecologic oncologic exploratory laparotomies. We evaluated postoperative narcotic use in morphine equvalents (ME) as well as pain scores, anti-emetic use, and length of stay.https://jdc.jefferson.edu/patientsafetyposters/1055/thumbnail.jp

Promoting motor skills in low-income, ethnic children: The Physical Activity in Linguistically Diverse Communities (PALDC) nonrandomized trial

This study reports the long-term effects of a professional learning program for classroom teachers on fundamental motor skill (FMS) proficiency of primary school students from ethnically diverse backgrounds. Design: A cluster non-randomized trial using a nested cross-sectional design. Methods: The study was conducted in 8 primary schools located in disadvantaged and culturally diverse areas in Sydney, Australia. The intervention used an action learning framework, with each school developing and implementing an action plan for enhancing the teaching of FMS in their school. School teams comprised 4-5 teachers and were supported by a member of the research team. The primary outcome was total proficiency score for 7 FMS (run, jump, catch, throw, kick, leap, side gallop). Outcome data were analyzed using mixed effects models. Results: Eight-hundred and sixty-two students (82% response rate) were assessed at baseline in 2006 and 830 (82%) at follow-up in 2010. Compared with students in the control schools, there was a significantly greater increase in total motor skill proficiency among children in the intervention schools at follow-up (adjusted difference = 5.2 components, 95%CI [1.65, 8.75]; p. = 0.01) and in four of the seven motor skills. Conclusions: Training classroom teachers to develop and implement units of work based around individual FMS is a promising strategy for increasing FMS among ethnically diverse children over an extended period of time

Content Uniformity of Over-the-Counter Melatonin

Dietary supplements are loosely regulated in comparison to over-the-counter and prescription drugs. Numerous tests for safety and efficacy are required before drugs can be marketed. However, the Food and Drug Administration does not require thorough examination of supplements before they are sold. Dietary supplements generally adhere to the phrase, “safe, until proven unsafe,” with safety determined solely through post-market adverse event reports. Substandard regulation of supplement manufacturing leads to warranted doubt about the safety and efficacy of dietary supplements. Within the dietary supplement market there are regulatory bodies, such as the United States Pharmacopeia (USP), that provide optional verification services to manufacturers. If utilized, these regulatory bodies ensure that manufacturers meet specific standards in regard to Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP), purity of ingredients, and overall integrity of their product. Numerous studies have revealed a history of inaccuracies in supplement product labeling. Researchers conducting these studies consistently conclude that there is a need for stricter regulation and finer application of cGMP within supplement manufacturing companies. One of the most popular dietary supplements on the market, melatonin, has been the focus in a number of studies evaluating supplement product content integrity. Melatonin is commonly used to treat insomnia and to cure symptoms of jet lag. According to past research, these melatonin products often contain an amount of active ingredient that significantly differs from respective product labeling. Most research regarding melatonin product integrity has occurred outside of the past ten years, leaving the need for newer research. Melatonin 3 mg will be purchased from six different manufacturers with three manufacturers possessing USP verification. Within each manufacturer, melatonin 3 mg from five separate lot numbers will be purchased. Ten tablets from each bottle (totaling 300 tablets) will be analyzed using a high-pressure liquid chromatography machine in order to determine actual melatonin content in each tablet. Data will be recorded and compared to determine accuracy of product labeling and batch-to-batch content uniformity. Data from USP-verified melatonin will be compared with non-verified products in order to determine if regulatory body verification is effective at improving content uniformity

Comprehensive methylome map of lineage commitment from haematopoietic progenitors.

Epigenetic modifications must underlie lineage-specific differentiation as terminally differentiated cells express tissue-specific genes, but their DNA sequence is unchanged. Haematopoiesis provides a well-defined model to study epigenetic modifications during cell-fate decisions, as multipotent progenitors (MPPs) differentiate into progressively restricted myeloid or lymphoid progenitors. Although DNA methylation is critical for myeloid versus lymphoid differentiation, as demonstrated by the myeloerythroid bias in Dnmt1 hypomorphs, a comprehensive DNA methylation map of haematopoietic progenitors, or of any multipotent/oligopotent lineage, does not exist. Here we examined 4.6 million CpG sites throughout the genome for MPPs, common lymphoid progenitors (CLPs), common myeloid progenitors (CMPs), granulocyte/macrophage progenitors (GMPs), and thymocyte progenitors (DN1, DN2, DN3). Marked epigenetic plasticity accompanied both lymphoid and myeloid restriction. Myeloid commitment involved less global DNA methylation than lymphoid commitment, supported functionally by myeloid skewing of progenitors following treatment with a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor. Differential DNA methylation correlated with gene expression more strongly at CpG island shores than CpG islands. Many examples of genes and pathways not previously known to be involved in choice between lymphoid/myeloid differentiation have been identified, such as Arl4c and Jdp2. Several transcription factors, including Meis1, were methylated and silenced during differentiation, indicating a role in maintaining an undifferentiated state. Additionally, epigenetic modification of modifiers of the epigenome seems to be important in haematopoietic differentiation. Our results directly demonstrate that modulation of DNA methylation occurs during lineage-specific differentiation and defines a comprehensive map of the methylation and transcriptional changes that accompany myeloid versus lymphoid fate decisions

A cancer rainbow mouse for visualizing the functional genomics of oncogenic clonal expansion.

Field cancerization is a premalignant process marked by clones of oncogenic mutations spreading through the epithelium. The timescales of intestinal field cancerization can be variable and the mechanisms driving the rapid spread of oncogenic clones are unknown. Here we use a Cancer rainbow (Crainbow) modelling system for fluorescently barcoding somatic mutations and directly visualizing the clonal expansion and spread of oncogenes. Crainbow shows that mutations of ß-catenin (Ctnnb1) within the intestinal stem cell results in widespread expansion of oncogenes during perinatal development but not in adults. In contrast, mutations that extrinsically disrupt the stem cell microenvironment can spread in adult intestine without delay. We observe the rapid spread of premalignant clones in Crainbow mice expressing oncogenic Rspondin-3 (RSPO3), which occurs by increasing crypt fission and inhibiting crypt fixation. Crainbow modelling provides insight into how somatic mutations rapidly spread and a plausible mechanism for predetermining the intratumor heterogeneity found in colon cancers

The Student Movement Volume 107 Issue 1: We\u27re Back: Andrews Begins First Post-Covid School Year

HUMANS Interview of NEST performer: Sandrine Adap, Interviewed by: Nora Martin Meet Helena Hilton!, Interviewed by: Nora Martin Meet Aya Pagunsan, AUSA President, Interviewed by: Lauren Kim ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Currently..., Solana Campbell Film and a Fling, Jonathon Woolford-Hunt Fleabag: Simply Human, Lily Rodriguez Summer Rewind, Ysabelle Fernando NEWS Andy\u27s Welcome Back Party, Gloria Oh News Analysis: Gun Violence in Cities, Julia Randall What\u27s New? Genesis Fellowship, Lauren Butler IDEAS Bring Balance to the Forest, Alexander Navaro In Rebuttal of Andrew Tate, Elizabeth Getahun Student Loan Forgiveness, Gabriela Francisco The Death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II: The Right to Mourn (and Not), Alexander J. Hess PULSE Campus Life After Covid-19: A Newfound Freedom, Amelia Stefanescu Environmental Fridays Begins a New Season, Princella Tobias Freshmen Advice, Gloria Oh What to Eat in a Small Town, Lexie Dunhamhttps://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/sm-107/1000/thumbnail.jp

System Dynamics of Cognitive Vulnerabilities and Family Support Among Latina Children and Adolescents

The paper describes an approach to developing a data-driven development of a feedback theory of cognitive vulnerabilities and family support focused on understanding the dynamics experienced among Latina children, adolescents, and families. Family support is understood to be a response to avoidant and maladaptive behaviors that may be characteristic of cognitive vulnerabilities commonly associated depression and suicidal ideation. A formal feedback theory is developed, appraised, and analyzed using a combination of secondary analysis of qualitative interviews (N = 30) and quantitative analysis using system dynamics modeling and simulation. Implications for prevention practice, treatment, and future research are discussed