Dual photochemical replenisher system reduces chemical losses

Dual replenisher system reduces chemical losses and maintains optimum solution concentration during long nonprocessing cycles of photo processing machines. Using a single 3-position switch and solenoid control valves, the system provides instantaneous flow control to each processing tank

PolyMorphine provides extended analgesic-like effects in mice with spared nerve injury.

AbstractMorphine is a well-characterized and effective analgesic commonly used to provide pain relief to patients suffering from both acute and chronic pain conditions. Despite its widespread use and effectiveness, one of the major drawbacks of morphine is its relatively short half-life of approximately 4 h. This short half-life often necessitates multiple administrations of the drug each day, which may contribute to both dependence and tolerance to morphine. Here, we tested the analgesic properties of a new polymer form of morphine known as PolyMorphine. This polymer has monomeric units of morphine incorporated into a poly(anhydride-ester) backbone that has been shown to hydrolyze into free morphine in vitro. Using an animal model of chronic pain, the spared nerve injury surgery, we showed that PolyMorphine is able to block spared nerve injury-induced hypersensitivity in mice for up to 24-h post-administration. Free morphine was shown to only block spared nerve injury-induced hypersensitivity for up to 2-h post-injection. PolyMorphine was also shown to act through the mu opioid receptor due to the ability of naloxone (a mu opioid receptor antagonist) to block PolyMorphine-induced analgesia in spared nerve injury animals pretreated with PolyMorphine. Additionally, we observed that PolyMorphine causes similar locomotor and constipation side effects as free morphine. Finally, we investigated if PolyMorphine had any effects in a non-evoked pain assay, conditioned place preference. Pretreatment of spared nerve injury mice with PolyMorphine blocked the development of conditioned place preference for 2-methyl-6-(phenylethynyl)pyridine (MPEP), a short-lasting mGluR5 antagonist with analgesic-like properties. Free morphine does not block the development of preference for MPEP, suggesting that PolyMorphine has longer lasting analgesic effects compared to free morphine. Together, these data show that PolyMorphine has the potential to provide analgesia for significantly longer than free morphine while likely working through the same receptor

Nitrogen and phosphorus limitation of oceanic microbial growth during spring in the Gulf of Aqaba

Bioassay experiments were performed to identify how growth of key groups within the microbial community was simultaneously limited by nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) availability during spring in the Gulf of Aqaba's oceanic waters. Measurements of chlorophyll a (chl a) concentration and fast repetition rate (FRR) fluorescence generally demonstrated that growth of obligate phototrophic phytoplankton was co-limited by N and P and growth of facultative aerobic anoxygenic photoheterotropic (AAP) bacteria was limited by N. Phytoplankton exhibited an increase in chl a biomass over 24 to 48 h upon relief of nutrient limitation. This response coincided with an increase in photosystem II (PSII) photochemical efficiency (F v /F m), but was preceded (within 24 h) by a decrease in effective absorption crosssection (σPSII) and electron turnover time (τ). A similar response for τ and bacterio-chl a was observed for the AAPs. Consistent with the up-regulation of PSII activity with FRR fluorescence were observations of newly synthesized PSII reaction centers via low temperature (77K) fluorescence spectroscopy for addition of N (and N + P). Flow cytometry revealed that the chl a and thus FRR fluorescence responses were partly driven by the picophytoplankton (æ10 μm) community, and in particular Synechococcus. Productivity of obligate heterotrophic bacteria exhibited the greatest increase in response to a natural (deep water) treatment, but only a small increase in response to N and P addition, demonstrating the importance of additional substrates (most likely dissolved organic carbon) in moderating the heterotrophs. These data support previous observations that the microbial community response (autotrophy relative to heterotrophy) is critically dependent upon the nature of transient nutrient enrichment. © Inter-Research 2009

A New Prescription for Pain Management in Humans: Does Exercise Dose Matter?

Please refer to the pdf version of the abstract located adjacent to the title

Summer undergraduate research: A new pipeline for pain clinical practice and research

BACKGROUND: Most medical schools fail to provide adequate training of clinicians in the treatment of pain. Similarly, despite the fact that over 1/3 of Americans suffer from chronic pain, National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for pain represents only ~1 % of the NIH budget. These issues may dissuade students from pursing pain in their clinical and research careers. To address these gaps in training and funding, we argue that exposing students to pain science early in their careers, at the undergraduate level, may be an effective method to develop a pipeline for future pain clinicians and scientists. To highlight our argument, we will describe our recent successful implementation of a cross-disciplinary and community-engaged biomedical summer research program. The Pain Undergraduate Research Experience (PURE) summer program involved both off-site and on-site experiences to expose undergraduate students to the range of careers in the pain field from basic science to clinical practice. The objective of the 10-week long PURE program was to evaluate whether a combination of basic science research, clinical practice visits, and patient interactions would increase student understanding of and exposure to the underlying science of pain. METHODS: A pre-post cohort study was used without a comparison group. Entry and exit surveys were used to evaluate students’ perceptions about pain clinical practice and research, student interest in pain, and student confidence about communicating about pain and doing basic science pain research. RESULTS: Students reported significant increases to a number of questions in the survey. Questions were scored on 5 point Likert scales and there was significant increases in student understanding of what life is like with chronic pain (2.6 vs 4.3 post survey), their confidence in explaining pain to a patient (2.8 vs 4.1) or researcher (2.8 vs 4), and their comfort with pain terminology(2.8 vs 3.9). CONCLUSIONS: With the PURE program, we wanted to entice top undergraduates to consider pain as a future area of study, practice, and/or research. We present a model that can be easily implemented at research universities throughout the United States

Activation of metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 in the amygdala modulates pain-like behavior

The central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) has been identified as a site of nociceptive processing important for sensitization induced by peripheral injury. However, the cellular signaling components underlying this function remain unknown. Here, we identify metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) as an integral component of nociceptive processing in the CeA. Pharmacological activation of mGluRs with R,S-3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine (DHPG) in the CeA of mice is sufficient to induce peripheral hypersensitivity in the absence of injury. DHPG-induced peripheral hypersensitivity is reduced via pharmacological blockade of mGluR5 or genetic disruption of mGluR5. Further, pharmacological blockade or conditional deletion of mGluR5 in the CeA abrogates inflammation-induced hypersensitivity, demonstrating the necessity of mGluR5 in CeA-mediated pain modulation. Moreover, we demonstrate that phosphorylation of extracellular-signal regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) is downstream of mGluR5 activation in the CeA and is necessary for the full expression of peripheral inflammation-induced behavioral sensitization. Finally, we present evidence of right hemispheric lateralization of mGluR5 modulation of amygdalar nociceptive processing. We demonstrate that unilateral pharmacological activation of mGluR5 in the CeA produces distinct behavioral responses depending on whether the right or left amygdala is injected. We also demonstrate significantly higher levels of mGluR5 expression in the right amygdala compared to the left under baseline conditions, suggesting a potential mechanism for right hemispheric lateralization of amygdala function in pain processing. Taken together, these results establish an integral role for mGluR5 and ERK1/2 in nociceptive processing in the CeA

Central amygdala metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 in the modulation of visceral pain

Painful bladder syndrome is a debilitating condition that affects 3–6% of women in the United States. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that changes in central nervous system processing are key to the development of chronic bladder pain conditions, but little is known regarding the underlying cellular, molecular, and neuronal mechanisms. Using a mouse model of distension-induced bladder pain, we found that the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) is a critical site of neuromodulation for processing of bladder nociception. Furthermore, we demonstrate that metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) activation in the CeA induces bladder pain sensitization by increasing CeA output. Thus, pharmacological activation of mGluR5 in the CeA is sufficient to increase the response to bladder distension. Additionally, pharmacological blockade or virally-mediated conditional deletion of mGluR5 in the CeA reduced responses to bladder distention suggesting that mGluR5 in the CeA is also necessary for these responses. Finally, we used optogenetic activation of the CeA and demonstrated that this caused a robust increase in the visceral pain response. The CeA localized effects on responses to bladder distention are associated with changes in extracellular signal regulated kinases 1/2 phosphorylation in the spinal cord. Overall, these data demonstrate that mGluR5 activation leads to increased CeA output that drives bladder pain sensitization

Newspaper Article – The H Company

An article published in Dan Garliner\u27s Corner in a 1943 issue of Recoil describing the soldier literacy training school at Fort Ontario in Oswego, New York.https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/stu_1210th_fort_ontario/1003/thumbnail.jp