Geochemical Study of Lake Erie Water near Cleveland, Ohio

Author Institution: Department of Geological Sciences, Cleveland State UniversityIn August 1981, 88 surface, intermediate-depth, and near-bottom water samples from 30 locations near Cleveland, Ohio, were collected from Lake Erie. The distribution of K, Na, Ca, and Mg with respect to water depth and location was investigated. Surface water generally had higher K, Na, Ca, and Mg contents than near-bottom water. Elemental concentrations increased sharply near the mouths of the Cuyahoga and Rocky Rivers, and these higher levels are probably the result of cultural inputs from residential and industrial wastes. The average concentrations of K, Na, Ca, and Mg were 1.5, 12.0, 38.2, and 9.6 ppm, respectively, in Lake Erie water far from the river mouths. These values are comparable with those reported for mid-lake water of Lake Erie but are considerably lower than values found for water near the mouths of the Cuyahoga and Rocky Rivers

Geochemical Investigation of the Lower Cuyahoga River, Cleveland, Ohio

Author Institution: Department of Geology, Cleveland State UniversityFifty-four surface and near-bottom water samples from the lower Cuyahoga River were collected in the early spring of 1974. The distribution of K, Na, Ca, Mg and Zn with respect to water depth and location in the river was investigated. The average concentrations of K, Na, and Zn of the surface samples are slightly higher than those of the near-bottom samples. Correlation between element concentration and distance along the river indicates that Mg stays nearly constant and other elements fluctuate, particularly along the sections with local industries. The sharp drop of K and Na contents in near-bottom samples near the river's mouth could be caused by the intrusion of cooler lake water. pH values of water samples were slightly alkaline, ranging from 6.98 to 7.45. The average concentrations of K, Na, Ca, Mg, and Zn of the lower Cuyahoga River were 6.2, 60.8, 58.2, 15.0, and 0.020 ppm respectively. These values are considerably higher than those of the mid-lake water of Lake Erie

Chemical Composition of the Rocky River Near Cleveland, Ohio

Author Institution: Department of Geological Sciences, Cleveland State UniversityOn 29 and 30 October 1978, 44 water samples were collected from the Rocky River and selected tributaries. We investigated the distribution of K, Na, Ca and Sr with respect to location along the river and found that the Lower Rocky River has the highest average concentrations of K, Na and Ca, compared to the East Branch and West Branch, a finding probably attributable to cultural inputs from waste water and industrial dumps. The higher average concentrations of K, Na and Ca in the West Branch relative to the East Branch of the Rocky River may be caused by the agricultural and industrial input. The sharp drop of element concentrations near the mouth of the Rocky River may be the result or mixing of lake water with the river water. The average concentrations of K, Na, Ca and Sr found in the Lower Rocky River were 7.4, 62.0, 59.0, and 0.15 ppm, respectively. These values are comparable with those of the Lower Cuyahoga River but are considerably higher than those reported for the midlake water of Lake Erie

Implicit sequence learning in people with Parkinson\u27s disease

Implicit sequence learning involves learning about dependencies in sequences of events without intent to learn or awareness of what has been learned. Sequence learning is related to striatal dopamine levels, striatal activation, and integrity of white matter connections. People with Parkinson’s disease (PD) have degeneration of dopamine-producing neurons, leading to dopamine deficiency and therefore striatal deficits, and they have difficulties with sequencing, including complex language comprehension and postural stability. Most research on implicit sequence learning in PD has used motor-based tasks. However, because PD presents with motor deficits, it is difficult to assess whether learning itself is impaired in these tasks. The present study used an implicit sequence learning task with a reduced motor component, the Triplets Learning Task (TLT). People with PD and age- and education-matched healthy older adults completed three sessions (each consisting of 10 blocks of 50 trials) of the TLT. Results revealed that the PD group was able to learn the sequence, however, when learning was examined using a Half Blocks analysis (Nemeth et al., 2013), which compared learning in the 1st 25/50 trials of all blocks to that in the 2nd 25/50 trials, the PD group showed significantly less learning than Controls in the 2nd Half Blocks, but not in the 1st. Nemeth et al. (2013) hypothesized that the 1st Half Blocks involve recall and reactivation of the sequence learned, thus reflecting hippocampal-dependent learning, while the 2nd Half Blocks involve proceduralized behavior of learned sequences, reflecting striatal-based learning. The present results suggest that the PD group had intact hippocampal-dependent implicit sequence learning, but impaired striatal-dependent learning. Thus, sequencing deficits in PD are likely due to striatal impairments, but other brain systems, such as the hippocampus, may be able to partially compensate for striatal decline to improve performance

T-Bet controls cellularity of intestinal group 3 innate lymphoid cells

Innate lymphoid cells (ILC) play a significant immunological role at mucosal surfaces such as the intestine. T-bet-expressing group 1 innate lymphoid cells (ILC1) are believed to play a substantial role in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, a role of T-bet-negative ILC3 in driving colitis has also been suggested in mouse models questioning T-bet as a critical factor for IBD. We report here that T-bet deficient mice had a greater cellularity of NKp46-negative ILC3 correlating with enhanced expression of RORγt and IL-7R, but independent of signaling through STAT1 or STAT4. We observed enhanced neutrophilia in the colonic lamina propria (cLP) of these animals, however, we did not detect a greater risk of T-bet-deficient mice to develop spontaneous colitis. Furthermore, by utilizing an in vivo fate-mapping approach, we identified a population of T-bet-positive precursors in NKp46-negative ILC3s. These data suggest that T-bet controls ILC3 cellularity, but does do not drive a pathogenic role of ILC3 in mice with a conventional specific pathogen-free microbiota

A fungal family of lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase-like copper proteins

Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) are copper-containing enzymes that play a key role in the oxidative degradation of various biopolymers such as cellulose and chitin. While hunting for new LPMOs, we identified a new family of proteins, defined here as X325, in various fungal lineages. The three-dimensional structure of X325 revealed an overall LPMO fold and a His brace with an additional Asp ligand to Cu(II). Although LPMO-type activity of X325 members was initially expected, we demonstrated that X325 members do not perform oxidative cleavage of polysaccharides, establishing that X325s are not LPMOs. Investigations of the biological role of X325 in the ectomycorrhizal fungus Laccaria bicolor revealed exposure of the X325 protein at the interface between fungal hyphae and tree rootlet cells. Our results provide insights into a family of copper-containing proteins, which is widespread in the fungal kingdom and is evolutionarily related to LPMOs, but has diverged to biological functions other than polysaccharide degradation

SSTR2 in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma:Relationship with Latent EBV Infection and Potential as a Therapeutic Target

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) is a malignant epithelial tumor endemic to parts of Asia and associated with infection by the Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) in these regions. The cancer is often detected at a late stage which is associated with poor outcomes (63% 5-year survival). Advances for the management of this disease have remained largely stagnant and treatment relies primarily on radiotherapy and chemotherapy, as well as surgery when indicated. Nevertheless, our understanding of its underlying biology has grown rapidly in the past two decades, laying the foundation for the development of improved therapeutics which have the potential to improve outcomes. This review offers a comprehensive, up-to-date summary of this disease, with a focus on the role of somatostatin receptor 2 (SSTR2) in NPC and how this increased knowledge may lead to improved diagnosis and management of this disease. ABSTRACT: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a malignant epithelial tumor, most commonly located in the pharyngeal recess and endemic to parts of Asia. It is often detected at a late stage which is associated with poor prognosis (5-year survival rate of 63%). Treatment for this malignancy relies predominantly on radiotherapy and/or systemic chemotherapy, which can be associated with significant morbidity and impaired quality of life. In endemic regions NPC is associated with infection by Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) which was shown to upregulate the somatostatin receptor 2 (SSTR2) cell surface receptor. With recent advances in molecular techniques allowing for an improved understanding of the molecular aetiology of this disease and its relation to SSTR2 expression, we provide a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of this disease and highlight the emergence of SSTR2 as a key tumor biomarker and promising target for imaging and therapy