Foster Youth In College

Foster youth in higher education struggle with unique challenges that need attention in order for them to succeed. Programs such as the ones talked about in this paper focus on these unique challenges and proceed to support these students for their potential of success

Exercise, cognition and Alzheimer’s disease: More is not necessarily better

Regional hypoperfusion, associated with a reduction in cerebral metabolism, is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and contributes to cognitive decline. Cerebral perfusion and hence cognition can be enhanced by exercise. The present review describes first how the effects of exercise on cerebral perfusion in AD are mediated by nitric oxide (NO) and tissue-type plasminogen activator, the release of which is regulated by NO. A conclusion of clinical relevance is that exercise may not be beneficial for the cognitive functioning of all people with dementia if cardiovascular risk factors are present. The extent to which cardiovascular risk factors play a role in the selection of older people with dementia in clinical studies will be addressed in the second part of the review in which the effects of exercise on cognition are presented. Only eight relevant studies were found in the literature, emphasizing the paucity of studies in this field. Positive effects of exercise on cognition were reported in seven studies, including two that excluded and two that included patients with cardiovascular risk factors. These findings suggest that cardiovascular risk factors do not necessarily undo the beneficial effects of exercise on cognition in cognitively impaired people. Further research is called for, in view of the limitations of the clinical studies reviewed here.

Invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the conjunctiva presenting as necrotizing scleritis with scleral perforation and uveal prolapse

A 64-year-old white man presented with necrotizing scleritis with scleral perforation and uveal prolapse. Pathologic examination revealed squamous cell carcinoma of the conjunctiva invading adjacent corneal stroma and ciliary body. Invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the conjunctiva is uncommon, and intraocular invasion has rarely been reported in the literature.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/27228/1/0000235.pd

High-level expression of thermostable cellulolytic enzymes in tobacco transplastomic plants and their use in hydrolysis of an industrially pretreated Arundo donax L. biomass

Biofuels production from plant biomasses is a complex multi‐step process with important economic burdens. Several biotechnological approaches have been pursued to reduce biofuels production costs. The aim of the present study was to explore the production in tobacco plastome of three genes encoding (hemi)cellulolytic enzymes from hyperthermophilic Bacteria and Archaea and test their application in the bioconversion of an important industrially pretreated biomass feedstock for production of second‐generation biofuels. The selected enzymes, endoglucanase, endoxylanase and β‐glucosidase, were expressed in tobacco plastome with a protein yield upto 75 % of total soluble proteins. The accumulation of endoglucanase gave altered plant phenotypes whose severity was directly linked to the enzyme yield and that was due to the impairment of plastid development associated to the binding of endoglucanase protein to thylakoids. Endoxylanase and β‐glucosidase, produced at very high level without detrimental effects on plant development, were enriched by heat treatment. Both biocatalysts retained the main features of the native or recombinantly expressed enzymes, but resulted more thermophilic than the E. coli recombinant counterparst. Bioconversion experiments, carried out at 50 and 60 °C, demonstrated that plastid‐derived enzymes were able to hydrolyse an industrially pretreated giant reed biomass. In particular, the replacement of commercial enzyme with plastid‐derived xylanase, produced an increase of both xylose recovery and hydrolysis rate; whereas the replacement of both xylanase and β‐glucosidase produced glucose levels similar to those observed with the commercial cocktails, and xylose yields always higher. The very high production level of hyperthermophilic enzymes, their stability and bioconversion effciencies described in this study demonstrate that plastid transformation represents a real cost‐effective production platform for cellulolytic enzymes