Communication Problem Between International Students and American Students

Color poster with text, charts, and graphs.Our research goal is to reduce the communication and language barrier between international students and American students for a better learning environment. We used our survey to collect the data for our research. Many international students who are nonnative speakers of English experience culture shock when studying in a different country. Therefore, this research is important to understand how to overcome communication barriers among international and local students.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Program

Fermented fruits ameliorate obesity by controlling food intake and regulating lipid metabolism in high-fat dietary mice

Some fruits after long-term fermentation have anti-obesity function, however, the mechanisms have not been systematically determined. This study aimed to screen the effective fermented fruits and explore the mechanisms. C57BL/6J male mice were fed with a high fat diet (HFD) to establish an obese model and intervened with nine kinds of fermented fruits individually. Fermented fruits significantly lowered body weight gain (BWG), average daily feed intake (ADFI) and adipose tissue coefficient, and attenuated the hepatic steatosis. Serum triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol (T-CHO) were significantly reduced, but leptin was remarkably increased. While the expressions of PPARα and CPT1 were upregulated, that of PPARγ and aP2 were downregulated. Additionally, fermented fruits improved the gut microflora structures of HFD-fed mice. This study suggested that fermented fruits, especially fermented blueberry and fermented apple, could ameliorate obesity by controlling food intake and regulating lipid metabolism and gut microbiota dysbiosis, potentially replacing anti-obesity drugs

Arginase-1 promotes lens epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in different models of anterior subcapsular cataract

Abstract Background Arginase-1 (ARG1) promotes collagen synthesis and cell proliferation. ARG1 is highly expressed in various tumour cells. The mechanisms of ARG1 in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-associated cataracts were studied herein. Methods C57BL/6 mice, a human lens epithelial cell line (HLEC-SRA01/04), and human lens capsule samples were used in this study. The right lens anterior capsule of the mouse eye was punctured through the central cornea with a 26-gauge hypodermic needle. Human lens epithelial cells (HLECs) were transfected with ARG1-targeted (siARG1) or negative control siRNA (siNC). For gene overexpression, HLECs were transfected with a plasmid bearing the ARG1 coding sequence or an empty vector. Medium containing 0.2% serum with or without transforming growth factor beta-2 (TGF-β2) was added for 6 or 24 h to detect mRNA or protein, respectively. The expression of related genes was measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT–qPCR), western blotting, and immunohistochemical staining. Transwell assays and wound healing assays were used to determine cell migration. Cell proliferation, superoxide levels, nitric oxide (NO) levels, and arginase activity were estimated using Cell Counting Kit-8 assays, a superoxide assay kit, an NO assay kit, and an arginase activity kit. Results ARG1, alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), fibronectin, and Ki67 expression increased after lens capsular injury, while zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) expression decreased. Fibronectin and collagen type I alpha1 chain (collagen 1A1) expression increased, and cell migration increased significantly in ARG1-overexpressing HLECs compared with those transfected with an empty vector after TGF-β2 treatment. These effects were reversed by ARG1 knockdown. The arginase-related pathway plays an important role in EMT. mRNAs of enzymes of the arginase-related pathway were highly expressed after ARG1 overexpression. ARG1 knockdown suppressed these expression changes. Numidargistat (CB-1158) dihydrochloride (CB-1158), an ARG1 inhibitor, suppressed TGF-β2-induced anterior subcapsular cataract (ASC) by reducing the proliferation of lens epithelial cells (LECs) and decreasing fibronectin, α-SMA, collagen 1A1, and vimentin expression. Compared with that in nonanterior subcapsular cataract (non-ASC) patients, the expression of ARG1, collagen 1A1, vimentin, fibronectin, and Ki67 was markedly increased in ASC patients. Conclusions ARG1 can regulate EMT in EMT-associated cataracts. Based on the pathogenesis of ASC, these findings are expected to provide new therapeutic strategies for patients. Graphical abstrac