Adolescent Binge Alcohol Exposure Effects on Heart Structure and Function

More than 5 million underage Americans report binge drinking at least once per month. While the effects of alcohol consumption on the adult heart have been well studied, the impact to the adolescent heart is almost entirely unknown. Adolescents primarily consume alcohol in a binge pattern, which elevates blood alcohol content (BAC) to 0.08 g/dL within 2 hours. During adolescence the body grows rapidly, and the heart must also grow by cellular hypertrophy to meet this increasing demand. Our goal was to determine the impact of adolescent binge alcohol exposure on the heart, using an outbred rat model. This thesis project first suggested that binge alcohol exposure slowed down the heart growth in adolescence, so the heart increased systolic function to compensate the increased demand from the body by activating beta-adrenergic signaling (increased Troponin I phosphorylation). In addition, our data revealed novel findings that adolescent binge alcohol exposure decreased diastolic function, including increased single cell passive stiffness. Our H&E histological staining showed different myocyte remodeling at different positions of the left ventricle. Furthermore, we performed RNA-seq and identified 58 down-regulated and 10 up-regulated genes in the Binge group. Many of these genes suggest a switch in substrate utilization from preferred fatty acid metabolism to less efficient glucose metabolism in the Binge rats. These data reveal a previously unappreciated pathological impact of adolescent binge alcohol exposure. The young heart can compensate for these consequences at first and appear healthy. However, the long term impact of these effects may be significant and whose underlying cause was previously unknown

Drying ginger and preserving 6-gingerol content

Ginger rhizome (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) is widely used as a spice or a folk medicine. 6-gingerol is the major bioactive component in fresh ginger and has numerous physiological effects. 6-gingerol is heat sensitive while cooking and drying will transform 6-gingerol to 6-shogaol. Therefore, 6-gingerol content is used to determine the quality of ginger after drying. A drying model called the Two layer model was tested for prediction of drying ginger and compared with a single layer model. In this study, two layer model was used to describe ginger drying process. 6-gingerol content was measured by using HPLC method. Several factors which could affect 6-gingerol content were reviewed and a 6-gingerol prediction model was established from the experimental data. The results showed that the two layer drying model gave no significant improvement to describing the ginger drying process compared with the single layer model. Drying time and relative humidity (ranging from 10% to 40%) impacted 6-gingerol content, although drying temperature (ranging from 30°C to 60°C) had less effects on 6-gingerol content. It was found that 6-gingerol content was highly variable in fresh ginger, which making conclusions on models difficult

Social Distance and Information Avoidance in Public Security Events: A Dual Involvement Perspective

With the large spread of information thanks to ICT, public security events are increasingly focused on by the public. But meanwhile, the phenomenon of people’s information avoidance in these events still exists and even becomes more prominent. However, existing studies on information avoidance have ignored such an important context (i.e., public security event) and the influence of people’s perceptions of social relationship. To fill the gaps, we develop a model to explore the influence of social distance on information avoidance through two opposite mechanisms from a dual involvement perspective, perceived relevance and negative affect, in the context of public security events. We also consider self-efficacy’s moderating role to identify the boundary conditions. A scenario-based survey with college students was conducted to test the proposed research model. Finally, theoretical contributions and practical implications are discussed

The impact of mouth breathing on dentofacial development: A concise review

Mouth breathing is one of the most common deleterious oral habits in children. It often results from upper airway obstruction, making the air enter completely or partially through oral cavity. In addition to nasal obstruction caused by various kinds of nasal diseases, the pathological hypertrophy of adenoids and/or tonsils is often the main etiologic factor of mouth breathing in children. Uncorrected mouth breathing can result in abnormal dental and maxillofacial development and affect the health of dentofacial system. Mouth breathers may present various types of growth patterns and malocclusion, depending on the exact etiology of mouth breathing. Furthermore, breathing through the oral cavity can negatively affect oral health, increasing the risk of caries and periodontal diseases. This review aims to provide a summary of recent publications with regard to the impact of mouth breathing on dentofacial development, describe their consistencies and differences, and briefly discuss potential reasons behind inconsistent findings

The role of potassium ion channels in chronic sinusitis

Chronic sinusitis is a common inflammatory disease of the nasal and sinus mucosa, leading to symptoms such as nasal congestion, runny nose, decreased sense of smell, and headache. It often recurs and seriously affects the quality of life of patients. However, its pathological and physiological mechanisms are not fully understood. In recent years, the role of potassium ion channels in the regulation of mucosal barrier function and inflammatory cell function has received increasing attention. In chronic sinusitis, there are often changes in the expression and function of potassium channels, leading to mucosal damage and a stronger inflammatory response. However, the related research is still in its early stages. This article will review the role of the potassium channel in the pathological and physiological changes of chronic sinusitis. The studies revealed that BK/TREK-1 potassium channel play a protective role in the nasal mucosal function through p38-MAPK pathway, and KCa3.1/Kv1.3 enhance the inflammatory response of Chronic rhinosinusitis by regulating immune cell function, intracellular Ca2+ signaling and ERK/MAPK/NF-κB pathway. Because ion channels are surface proteins of cell membranes, they are easier to intervene with drugs, and the results of these studies may provide new effective targets for the prevention and treatment of chronic sinusitis

Endothelial Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Nuclear Translocator Mediates the Angiogenic Response to Peripheral Ischemia in Mice With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) are the master regulators of angiogenesis, a process that is impaired in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). The transcription factor aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator (ARNT, also known as HIF1β) has been implicated in the development and progression of diabetes. Angiogenesis is driven primarily by endothelial cells (ECs), but both global and EC-specific loss of ARNT-cause are associated with embryonic lethality. Thus, we conducted experiments in a line of mice carrying an inducible, EC-specific ARNT-knockout mutation (ArntΔEC, ERT2) to determine whether aberrations in ARNT expression might contribute to the vascular deficiencies associated with diabetes. Mice were first fed with a high-fat diet to induce diabetes. ArntΔEC, ERT2 mice were then adminstrated with oral tamoxifen to disrupt Arnt and peripheral angiogenesis was evaluated by using laser-Doppler perfusion imaging to monitor blood flow after hindlimb ischemia. The ArntΔEC, ERT2 mice had impaired blood flow recovery under both non-diabetic and diabetic conditions, but the degree of impairment was greater in diabetic animals. In addition, siRNA-mediated knockdown of ARNT activity reduced measurements of tube formation, and cell viability in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) cultured under high-glucose conditions. The ArntΔEC, ERT2 mutation also reduced measures of cell viability, while increasing the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in microvascular endothelial cells (MVECs) isolated from mouse skeletal muscle, and the viability of ArntΔEC, ERT2 MVECs under high-glucose concentrations increased when the cells were treated with an ROS inhibitor. Collectively, these observations suggest that declines in endothelial ARNT expression contribute to the suppressed angiogenic phenotype in diabetic mice, and that the cytoprotective effect of ARNT expression in ECs is at least partially mediated by declines in ROS production

Nano Catalyst Design and Application in Sustainable Chemistry

Heterogenous catalytic process is a complex art of surface, the surface properties, especially the properties of active sites such as geometric structure and chemical environment would drastically influence the reaction performance. Traditionally, most studies for catalyst surface properties rely on the ex situ characterisation which examines catalysts out of reaction condition. However, considering most of the heterogenous catalytic reactions are carried out under a harsh condition, i.e. elevated temperatures and pressures, the surface dynamic change over catalyst under reaction condition is generally not negligible and dominating the reaction performance. Thus, for understanding the real catalyst surface behaviour, we must observe the catalyst during reaction condition. Three different catalytic systems were selected in this research and the combined in situ microscopy and spectroscopy techniques, including in situ TEM, in situ EELS spectroscopy and in situ DRIFTS spectroscopy, were implemented to investigate the catalyst behaviour during the reactions. The first reaction is the oxidative methane coupling reaction over Li/MgO. Then followed by the oxidative methane coupling over La/MgO and ammonia synthesis over Ru/MgO. The in situ TEM provides the information of surface geometric change while the in situ EELS and DRIFTS give the chemical information of catalyst surface as well as adsorbed intermediates. Combined with ex situ characterisation results, the more comprehensive pictures for the mechanism of the investigated reactions can be depicted. The outcome of this thesis bridged the gap between surface geometric-chemical change over catalysts active sites and the reaction performance over heterogenous catalyst, which might even be the guidance for heterogenous catalyst development in the similar systems

Drying ginger and preserving 6-gingerol: Poster

Ginger rhizome (Zingiber officinale) is widely used as a spice or as a medicinal plant. The major bioactive compound in fresh ginger rhizome is 6-gingerol and it is known for having a number of physiological effects. This compound is heat-sensitive and during cooking or drying will transform into 6-shogaol. Hence, the 6- gingerol content is used to evaluate the quality of dried ginger. The content of 6-gingerol during drying was measured using HPLC. Several factors that could affect the 6-gingerol content were considered and a predictive model for changes in 6-gingerol has been developed from the experimental data. The predictive model includes a single term drying model that predicts the changes of moisture content during drying. Drying time and relative humidity (ranging from 10% to 40%) impacted 6-gingerol content whereas drying air temperature (ranging from 30ºC to 60ºC) had a lesser effect. It was also found that the 6-gingerol content in fresh rhizomes was highly variable and thus required thorough testing prior to drying to be able to make the prediction more accurate.Ginger rhizome (Zingiber officinale) is widely used as a spice or as a medicinal plant. The major bioactive compound in fresh ginger rhizome is 6-gingerol and it is known for having a number of physiological effects. This compound is heat-sensitive and during cooking or drying will transform into 6-shogaol. Hence, the 6- gingerol content is used to evaluate the quality of dried ginger. The content of 6-gingerol during drying was measured using HPLC. Several factors that could affect the 6-gingerol content were considered and a predictive model for changes in 6-gingerol has been developed from the experimental data. The predictive model includes a single term drying model that predicts the changes of moisture content during drying. Drying time and relative humidity (ranging from 10% to 40%) impacted 6-gingerol content whereas drying air temperature (ranging from 30ºC to 60ºC) had a lesser effect. It was also found that the 6-gingerol content in fresh rhizomes was highly variable and thus required thorough testing prior to drying to be able to make the prediction more accurate