Development of a 3D coculture system to study adipocyte and lymph node cell interactions

We have developed a long term 3-dimensional coculture system with adipocytes and lymph node cells for the purpose of investigating interactions between these cells in vitro. Present experimental work with the culture system is aimed at introducing lymph node cells, in proportions similar to those found in intact lymph nodes, among differentiated adipocytes and observing interactions and the establishment of a spatial relationship between them. Co-cultures will be used to investigate the lymph node adipocyte interactions following immune stimulation (lipopolysaccharide treatment) measuring production of inflammatory mediators (cytokines) and lipolytic activity

The most precious of all things is life itself – ultimate cost for perfect value”: The Alien and the Struggle of Life and Death in Starship Troopers

This paper will consider Hegelian and post-Hegelian discussion of the struggle of life and death in relationship to Starship Troopers. Robert Heinlein wrote Starship Troopers in 1959 and it has been interpreted as a right-wing, “fascist,” and Greco- Roman-inspired discussion of citizen-soldiership. At the centre of Heinlein’s work lies an explicit political and civil morality: there are many human bodies, but only some that have earned full political citizenship by staking their life in military service. But what significance does the Other have in Heinlein’s book? Why is the Other destroyed, occupied, alienated? How does this struggle form the basis of subjectivation? This paper will consider how we can interpret the Other, the alien, on the basis of Hegelian and post-Hegelian discussion of the struggle of life and death. It will utilize Judith Butler, Michel Foucault, and Hegel to interpret the struggle for life and death in Heinlein’s work and the Film interpretation by Paul Verhoeven (1997). This struggle is a central pivot of Hegel’s social ontology: selfconsciousness exists only through an explicit staking of life and struggle (the famous dialectic of Lord and Bondsman, or Mastery and Servitude as interpreted by Kojève). Further, Foucault—in his attempt to escape dialectics and Hegel— utilized the struggle over life and death, and war, as the basis for power and subjectivation

Alternative Substrates and Fertilization Routine Relationships for Bedding Pot Plants: Impatiens wallerana

This study was carried out searching for alternative substrates to traditional peat based on river waste and Sphagnum and Carex peat from Argentinean peatlands and used to grow Impatiens wallerana bedding plant. The aim of this study was i) to characterize physical and chemical effects from seven growing media on I. wallerana plants grown under different fertilization rates and ii) to describe the physiological mechanisms in plants, involved in the use of such substrates. Particle stability was lower for the six alternative substrates compared to the Canadian peat-base control substrate. However, with a high fertilization dose it is possible to reach non significant differences in plant growth compared to the control substrate. It is suggested, for future research, that nitrogen signalling associated to cytokinin synthesis by roots is involved.Fil: Thibaud, J.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomia. Departamento de Producción Vegetal. Cátedra de Floricultura; ArgentinaFil: Loughlin, T. Mc.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomia. Departamento de Producción Vegetal. Cátedra de Floricultura; ArgentinaFil: Pagani, A.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomia. Departamento de Producción Vegetal. Cátedra de Floricultura; ArgentinaFil: Lavado, Raul Silvio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biociencias Agrícolas y Ambientales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biociencias Agrícolas y Ambientales; ArgentinaFil: Di Benedetto, Adalberto Hugo. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomia. Departamento de Producción Vegetal. Cátedra de Floricultura; Argentin

Functional analysis of the osteoarthritis susceptibility locus marked by the polymorphism rs10492367

https://nsuworks.nova.edu/nsudigital_harrison/3337/thumbnail.jp

Multilocus sequence typing of Cronobacter sakazakii and Cronobacter malonaticus reveals stable clonal structures with clinical significance which do not correlate with biotypes

Background: The Cronobacter genus (Enterobacter sakazakii) has come to prominence due to its association with infant infections, and the ingestion of contaminated reconstituted infant formula. C. sakazakii and C. malonaticus are closely related, and are defined according their biotype. Due to the ubiquitous nature of the organism, and the high severity of infection for the immunocompromised, a multilocus sequence typing (MLST) scheme has been developed for the fast and reliable identification and discrimination of C. sakazakii and C. malonaticus strains. It was applied to 60 strains of C. sakazakii and 16 strains of C. malonaticus, including the index strains used to define the biotypes. The strains were from clinical and non-clinical sources between 1951 and 2008 in USA, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the Far East. Results: This scheme uses 7 loci; atpD, fusA, glnS, gltB, gyrB, infB, and pps. There were 12 sequence types (ST) identified in C. sakazakii, and 3 in C. malonaticus. A third (22/60) of C. sakazakii strains were in ST4, which had almost equal numbers of clinical and infant formula isolates from 1951 to 2008. ST8 may represent a particularly virulent grouping of C. sakazakii as 7/8 strains were clinical in origin which had been isolated between 1977 - 2006, from four countries. C. malonaticus divided into three STs. The previous Cronobacter biotyping scheme did not clearly correspond with STs nor with species. Conclusion: In conclusion, MLST is a more robust means of identifying and discriminating between C. sakazakii and C. malonaticus than biotyping. The MLST database for these organisms is available online at http://pubmlst.org/cronobacter

An interdisciplinary approach to volcanic risk reduction under conditions of uncertainty: a case study of Tristan da Cunha

The uncertainty brought about by intermittent volcanic activity is fairly common at volcanoes worldwide. While better knowledge of any one volcano's behavioural characteristics has the potential to reduce this uncertainty, the subsequent reduction of risk from volcanic threats is only realised if that knowledge is pertinent to stakeholders and effectively communicated to inform good decision making. Success requires integration of methods, skills and expertise across disciplinary boundaries. This research project develops and trials a novel interdisciplinary approach to volcanic risk reduction on the remote volcanic island of Tristan da Cunha (South Atlantic). For the first time, volcanological techniques, probabilistic decision support and social scientific methods were integrated in a single study. New data were produced that (1) established no spatio-temporal pattern to recent volcanic activity; (2) quantified the high degree of scientific uncertainty around future eruptive scenarios; (3) analysed the physical vulnerability of the community as a consequence of their geographical isolation and exposure to volcanic hazards; (4) evaluated social and cultural influences on vulnerability and resilience; and (5) evaluated the effectiveness of a scenario planning approach, both as a method for integrating the different strands of the research and as a way of enabling on-island decision makers to take ownership of risk identification and management, and capacity building within their community. The paper provides empirical evidence of the value of an innovative interdisciplinary framework for reducing volcanic risk. It also provides evidence for the strength that comes from integrating social and physical sciences with the development of effective, tailored engagement and communication strategies in volcanic risk reduction

A 3D <i>in vitro</i> model reveals differences in the astrocyte response elicited by potential stem cell therapies for CNS injury.

Aim: This study aimed to develop a 3D culture model to test the extent to which transplanted stem cells modulate astrocyte reactivity, where exacerbated glial cell activation could be detrimental to CNS repair success. Materials & methods: The reactivity of rat astrocytes to bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, neural crest stem cells (NCSCs) and differentiated adipose-derived stem cells was assessed after 5 days. Schwann cells were used as a positive control. Results: NCSCs and differentiated Schwann cell-like adipose-derived stem cells did not increase astrocyte reactivity. Highly reactive responses to bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and Schwann cells were equivalent. Conclusion: This approach can screen therapeutic cells prior to in vivo testing, allowing cells likely to trigger a substantial astrocyte response to be identified at an early stage. NCSCs and differentiated Schwann cell-like adipose-derived stem cells may be useful in treating CNS damage without increasing astrogliosis

Summary of the OA biomarkers workshop 2010 – genetics and genomics: new targets in OA

SummaryOn November fourth and fifth 2010 a group of more than 100 international investigators gathered in Atlanta for the second Osteoarthritis (OA) Biomarkers Global Initiative workshop titled “Genetics and Genomics: New Targets in OA”. The first workshop took place in April 2009 and focused on in vitro (soluble) biomarkers whilst the third and final workshop will take place in 2012 and will focus on imaging biomarkers. The OA Research Society International (OARSI) has organized the workshops. In addition to OARSI, the National Institute of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, the Arthritis Foundation, Amgen, Genzyme, the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine and Pfizer sponsored the second meeting. It was clear from this meeting that experiments in the genetics, epigenetics and genomics of OA, are yielding valuable insights into the etiology of this heterogeneous disease but that much still needs to be learnt. Combining genetic insights with conventional biomarkers and imaging modalities may provide scientists with the enhanced tools to understand this complex disease. With those tools in hand, clinicians and industry can develop protocols to ultimately improve patient care

A proteomic analysis of chondrogenic, osteogenic and tenogenic constructs from ageing mesenchymal stem cells

Background Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have prospective applications in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering but to what extent phenotype and differentiation capacity alter with ageing is uncertain. Consequently, any loss in functionality with age would have profound consequences for the maintenance of tissue viability and the quality of tissues. Proteomics enables the set of proteins responsible for a particular cell phenotype to be identified, as well as enabling insights into mechanisms responsible for age-related alterations in musculoskeletal tissues. Few proteomic studies have been undertaken regarding age-related effects on tissue engineered into cartilage and bone, and none for tendon. This study provides a proteome inventory for chondrogenic, osteogenic and tenogenic constructs synthesised from human MSCs, and elucidates proteomic alterations as a consequence of donor age. Methods Human bone-marrow derived MSCs from young (n = 4, 21.8 years ± 2.4SD) and old (n = 4, 65.5 years ± 8.3SD) donors were used to make chondrogenic, osteogenic and tenogenic tissue-engineered constructs. We utilised an analytical method relying on extracted peptide intensities as a label-free approach for peptide quantitation by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. Results were validated using western blotting. Results We identified proteins that were differentially expressed with ageing; 128 proteins in chondrogenic constructs, 207 in tenogenic constructs and four in osteogenic constructs. Differentially regulated proteins were subjected to bioinformatic analysis to ascertain their molecular functions and the signalling pathways. For all construct types, age-affected proteins were involved in altered cell survival and death, and antioxidant and cytoskeletal changes. Energy and protein metabolism were the principle pathways affected in tenogenic constructs, whereas lipid metabolism was strongly affected in chondrogenic constructs and mitochondrial dysfunction in osteogenic constructs. Conclusions Our results imply that further work on MSC-based therapeutics for the older population needs to focus on oxidative stress protection. The differentially regulated proteome characterised by this study can potentially guide translational research specifically aimed at effective clinical interventions