Nurses\u27 Alumnae Association Bulletin, June 1965

President\u27s Page Officers and Committee Chairmen Financial Report Hospital and School of Nursing Report Student Activities Annual Report Students Activities Annual Report Student Activities Annual Report Jefferson Expansion Program Psychiatric Unit Progress of the Alumnae Association Nightingale Pledge Resume of Alumnae Meetings Nursing Service Staff Association Scholarship Program Sick and Welfare Social Committee Report Bulletin Membership- WHY JOIN? Private Duty Report Annual Giving Report - 1964 PIT Alumnae Day Notes Building Fund Report - 1965 Vital Statistics IN MEMORIAM Class News Affiliated Institutions Notice

Uncoupling protein-2 is an antioxidant that is up-regulated in the enamel organ of fluoride-treated rats

Dental fluorosis is characterized by subsurface hypomineralization and retention of enamel matrix proteins. Fluoride (F−) exposure generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) that can cause ER-stress. We therefore screened oxidative stress arrays to identify genes regulated by F− exposure. Vitamin E is an antioxidant so we asked if a diet high in vitamin E would attenuate dental fluorosis. Maturation stage incisor enamel organs (EO) were harvested from F− treated rats and mice were assessed to determine if vitamin E ameliorates dental fluorosis. Uncoupling protein-2 (Ucp2) was significantly up-regulated by F− (~1.5 & 2.0 fold for the 50 or 100 ppm F− treatment groups respectively). Immunohistochemical results on maturation stage rat incisors demonstrated that UCP2 protein levels increased with F− treatment. UCP2 down-regulates mitochondrial production of ROS, which decreases ATP production. Thus, in addition to reduced protein translation caused by ER-stress, a reduction in ATP production by UCP2 may contribute to the inability of ameloblasts to remove protein from the hardening enamel. Fluoride treated mouse enamel had significantly higher quantitative fluorescence (QF) than the untreated controls. No significant QF difference was observed between control and vitamin E enriched diets within a given F− treatment group. Therefore, a diet rich in vitamin E did not attenuate dental fluorosis. We have identified a novel oxidative stress response gene that is up-regulated in vivo by F− and activation of this gene may adversely affect ameloblast function

Exome Sequencing Implicates Impaired GABA Signaling and Neuronal Ion Transport in Trigeminal Neuralgia

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a common, debilitating neuropathic face pain syndrome often resistant to therapy. The familial clustering of TN cases suggests that genetic factors play a role in disease pathogenesis. However, no unbiased, large-scale genomic study of TN has been performed to date. Analysis of 290 whole exome-sequenced TN probands, including 20 multiplex kindreds and 70 parent-offspring trios, revealed enrichment of rare, damaging variants in GABA receptor-binding genes in cases. Mice engineered with a TN-associated de novo mutation (p.Cys188Trp) in the GABAA receptor Cl− channel γ-1 subunit (GABRG1) exhibited trigeminal mechanical allodynia and face pain behavior. Other TN probands harbored rare damaging variants in Na+ and Ca+ channels, including a significant variant burden in the α-1H subunit of the voltage-gated Ca2+ channel Cav3.2 (CACNA1H). These results provide exome-level insight into TN and implicate genetically encoded impairment of GABA signaling and neuronal ion transport in TN pathogenesis

Exome sequencing implicates genetic disruption of prenatal neuro-gliogenesis in sporadic congenital hydrocephalus

Congenital hydrocephalus (CH), characterized by enlarged brain ventricles, is considered a disease of excessive cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) accumulation and thereby treated with neurosurgical CSF diversion with high morbidity and failure rates. The poor neurodevelopmental outcomes and persistence of ventriculomegaly in some post-surgical patients highlight our limited knowledge of disease mechanisms. Through whole-exome sequencing of 381 patients (232 trios) with sporadic, neurosurgically treated CH, we found that damaging de novo mutations account for >17% of cases, with five different genes exhibiting a significant de novo mutation burden. In all, rare, damaging mutations with large effect contributed to ~22% of sporadic CH cases. Multiple CH genes are key regulators of neural stem cell biology and converge in human transcriptional networks and cell types pertinent for fetal neuro-gliogenesis. These data implicate genetic disruption of early brain development, not impaired CSF dynamics, as the primary pathomechanism of a significant number of patients with sporadic CH

Mutations disrupting neuritogenesis genes confer risk for cerebral palsy

In addition to commonly associated environmental factors, genomic factors may cause cerebral palsy. We performed whole-exome sequencing of 250 parent-offspring trios, and observed enrichment of damaging de novo mutations in cerebral palsy cases. Eight genes had multiple damaging de novo mutations; of these, two (TUBA1A and CTNNB1) met genome-wide significance. We identified two novel monogenic etiologies, FBXO31 and RHOB, and showed that the RHOB mutation enhances active-state Rho effector binding while the FBXO31 mutation diminishes cyclin D levels. Candidate cerebral palsy risk genes overlapped with neurodevelopmental disorder genes. Network analyses identified enrichment of Rho GTPase, extracellular matrix, focal adhesion and cytoskeleton pathways. Cerebral palsy risk genes in enriched pathways were shown to regulate neuromotor function in a Drosophila reverse genetics screen. We estimate that 14% of cases could be attributed to an excess of damaging de novo or recessive variants. These findings provide evidence for genetically mediated dysregulation of early neuronal connectivity in cerebral palsy

2′-OMe-phosphorodithioate-modified siRNAs show increased loading into the RISC complex and enhanced anti-tumour activity

Improving small interfering RNA (siRNA) efficacy in target cell populations remains a challenge to its clinical implementation. Here, we report a chemical modification, consisting of phosphorodithioate (PS2) and 2′-O-Methyl (2′-OMe) MePS2 on one nucleotide that significantly enhances potency and resistance to degradation for various siRNAs. We find enhanced potency stems from an unforeseen increase in siRNA loading to the RNA-induced silencing complex, likely due to the unique interaction mediated by 2′-OMe and PS2. We demonstrate the therapeutic utility of MePS2 siRNAs in chemoresistant ovarian cancer mouse models via targeting GRAM domain containing 1B (GRAMD1B), a protein involved in chemoresistance. GRAMD1B silencing is achieved in tumours following MePS2-modified siRNA treatment, leading to a synergistic anti-tumour effect in combination with paclitaxel. Given the previously limited success in enhancing siRNA potency with chemically modified siRNAs, our findings represent an important advance in siRNA design with the potential for application in numerous cancer types

Contribution of rare inherited and de novo variants in 2,871 congenital heart disease probands

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of mortality from birth defects. Exome sequencing of a single cohort of 2,871 CHD probands including 2,645 parent- offspring trios implicated rare transmitted mutations in 1.8%, including a recessive founder mutation in GDF1 accounting for ~5% of severe CHD in Ashkenazim, recessive genotypes in MYH6 accounting for ~11% of Shone complex, and dominant FLT4 mutations accounting for 2.3% of Tetralogy of Fallot. De novo mutations (DNMs) accounted for 8% of cases, including ~3% of isolated CHD patients and ~28% with both neurodevelopmental and extra-cardiac congenital anomalies. Seven genes surpassed thresholds for genome-wide significance and 19 genes not previously implicated in CHD had > 70% probability of being disease-related; DNMs in ~440 genes are inferred to contribute to CHD. There was striking overlap between genes with damaging DNMs in probands with CHD and autism

Nanolipopolymersomes with a fluorescent wall as imaging agents in medical diagnostics

Przedmiotem badań była synteza biokompatybilnych kapsułek polimerowych, które mogłyby spełniać rolę sondy fluorescencyjnej wykorzystywanej jako kontrasty w żywych komórkach. Otrzymaliśmy nanolipopolimersomy otoczone fluorescencyjną powłoką z usieciowanego polistyrenu z dodatkiem kumaryny 6. Wykazaliśmy na przykładzie barwników (Procion red, Procion blue, Lucifer yellow), że możliwa jest enkapsulacja hydrofilowych związków we wnętrzu trwałych, polimerowych pęcherzyków. Opracowana przez nas uniwersalna metoda syntezy stabilnych nanokapsułek wykorzystujących nietrwałe struktury liposomów może znaleźć szerokie zastosowanie w diagnostyce medycznej do transportu wielu substancji aktywnych oraz monitorowania ich lokalizacji w komórkach.In our research we synthesized biocompatible probes for developing a stable macromolecule imaging system using nanolipopolymersomes in living cells. We prepared polymer vesicles with a fluorescent wall surrounded by on outer phospholipids shell suitable for dual detection (spectrophotometric and fluorescence). We developed highly fluorescent coumarinated poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) capsules with encapsulated hydrophilic dyes (Procion Red, Procion blue, Lucifer yellow). Our method of synthesis novel fluorescent hybrid materials can help in medical diagnostics, which can be uses in studies of the transport routs in living cells