Postsecondary and Vocational Education Programs and the Otherwise Qualified Provision of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

While the Rehabilitation Act defines a handicapped individual,\u27\u27 neither the language of section 504 nor its legislative history sheds much light on the exact meaning of the term \u27\u27otherwise qualified handicapped individual.\u27\u27 This article will argue that the definition of this term must be broad enough to include severely handicapped persons, the primary group that Congress intended to benefit and protect in enacting section 504. Focussing on the area of postsecondary education, this article will argue that the interpretation developed in the Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) Regulation most effectively fulfills the purposes which Congress intended in enacting section 504. The article examines who is a qualified handicapped student entitled to non- . discriminatory admission to and participation in college, university, and vocational programs. The article also examines the challenges to affirmative duties placed upon schools which admit handicapped applicants

Youth is wasted on the young

Amphibians and zebrafish are able to regenerate lost myocardial tissue without loss of cardiac function; whereas mammals, in response to myocardial injury, develop scar and lose cardiac function. This dichotomy of response has been thought to be due to the fact that adult mammalian cardiac myocytes are multinucleated and have limited proliferative capacity. Neonatal mammalian cardiac myocytes do have a limited capacity to proliferate. What has been unknown is whether this limited proliferative capacity is associated with the ability to regenerate myocardial tissue soon after birth. Recently, it has been demonstrated that 1-day-old neonatal mice do have the ability to regenerate resected cardiac tissue, and that the capacity to regenerate cardiac tissue is lost by 7 days after birth. The present commentary reviews these results and attempts to offer perspective as to how these important findings relate to current and future strategies to prevent and treat cardiac dysfunction in clinical populations

Pelvic Organ Distribution of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Injected Intravenously after Simulated Childbirth Injury in Female Rats

The local route of stem cell administration utilized presently in clinical trials for stress incontinence may not take full advantage of the capabilities of these cells. The goal of this study was to evaluate if intravenously injected mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) home to pelvic organs after simulated childbirth injury in a rat model. Female rats underwent either vaginal distension (VD) or sham VD. All rats received 2 million GFP-labeled MSCs intravenously 1 hour after injury. Four or 10 days later pelvic organs and muscles were imaged for visualization of GFP-positive cells. Significantly more MSCs home to the urethra, vagina, rectum, and levator ani muscle 4 days after VD than after sham VD. MSCs were present 10 days after injection but GFP intensity had decreased. This study provides basic science evidence that intravenous administration of MSCs could provide an effective route for cell-based therapy to facilitate repair after injury and treat stress incontinence

Detection and Quantification of Fluorescent Cell Clusters in Cryo-Imaging

We developed and evaluated an algorithm for enumerating fluorescently labeled cells (e.g., stem and cancer cells) in mouse-sized, microscopic-resolution, cryo-image volumes. Fluorescent cell clusters were detected, segmented, and then fit with a model which incorporated a priori information about cell size, shape, and intensity. The robust algorithm performed well in phantom and tissue imaging tests, including accurate (<2% error) counting of cells in mouse. Preliminary experiments demonstrate that cryo-imaging and software can uniquely analyze delivery, homing to an organ and tissue distribution of stem cell therapeutics

In Utero Environmental Tobacco Smoke Exposure Alters Gene Expression in Lungs of Adult BALB/c Mice

BACKGROUND: In utero environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure exacerbates initial lung responses of adult mice to ovalbumin (OVA), a common allergen in rodent models of allergic asthma. OBJECTIVE: We tested the hypothesis that in utero ETS exposure alters expression of genes (including asthma-related and inflammatory genes) in the lungs of adult mice and that this differential expression is reflected in differential respiratory and immune responses to nontobacco allergens. METHODS: Using Affymetrix Mouse Genome 430 2.0 arrays, we examined gene expression changes in lungs of BALB/c mice exposed to ETS in utero, OVA, or saline aerosol at weeks 7-8, and OVA sensitization and challenge at weeks 11-15. Data sets were filtered by transcript p-value (\u3c or = 0.05), false discovery rate (\u3c or = 0.05), and fold change (\u3e or = 1.5). Differential expression of selected genes was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). RESULTS: Genes differentially expressed as a result of in utero ETS exposure are involved in regulation of biological processes (immune response, cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell metabolism) through altered cytoskeleton, adhesion, transcription, and enzyme molecules. A number of genes prominent in lung inflammation were differentially expressed on PCR but did not pass selection criteria for microarray, including arginase (Arg1), chitinases (Chia, Chi3l3, Chi3l4), eotaxins (Ccl11, Ccl24), small proline-rich protein 2a (Sprr2a), and cytokines (Il4, Il6, Il10, Il13, Tnfa) . CONCLUSION: The differential lung gene expression reported here is consistent with previously reported functional changes in lungs of mice exposed in utero to ETS and as adults to the nontobacco allergen OVA

Pelvic Organ Distribution of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Injected Intravenously after Simulated Childbirth Injury in Female Rats

The local route of stem cell administration utilized presently in clinical trials for stress incontinence may not take full advantage of the capabilities of these cells. The goal of this study was to evaluate if intravenously injected mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) home to pelvic organs after simulated childbirth injury in a rat model. Female rats underwent either vaginal distension (VD) or sham VD. All rats received 2 million GFP-labeled MSCs intravenously 1 hour after injury. Four or 10 days later pelvic organs and muscles were imaged for visualization of GFP-positive cells. Significantly more MSCs home to the urethra, vagina, rectum, and levator ani muscle 4 days after VD than after sham VD. MSCs were present 10 days after injection but GFP intensity had decreased. This study provides basic science evidence that intravenous administration of MSCs could provide an effective route for cell-based therapy to facilitate repair after injury and treat stress incontinence

Myeloperoxidase and Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 Play a Central Role in Ventricular Remodeling after Myocardial Infarction

Left ventricular (LV) remodeling after myocardial infarction (MI) results in LV dilation, a major cause of congestive heart failure and sudden cardiac death. Ischemic injury and the ensuing inflammatory response participate in LV remodeling, leading to myocardial rupture and LV dilation. Myeloperoxidase (MPO), which accumulates in the infarct zone, is released from neutrophils and monocytes leading to the formation of reactive chlorinating species capable of oxidizing proteins and altering biological function. We studied acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in a chronic coronary artery ligation model in MPO null mice (MPO−/−). MPO−/− demonstrated decreased leukocyte infiltration, significant reduction in LV dilation, and marked preservation of LV function. The mechanism appears to be due to decreased oxidative inactivation of plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) in the MPO−/−, leading to decreased tissue plasmin activity. MPO and PAI-1 are shown to have a critical role in the LV response immediately after MI, as demonstrated by markedly delayed myocardial rupture in the MPO−/− and accelerated rupture in the PAI-1−/−. These data offer a mechanistic link between inflammation and LV remodeling by demonstrating a heretofore unrecognized role for MPO and PAI-1 in orchestrating the myocardial response to AMI

Searching for a Stochastic Background of Gravitational Waves with LIGO

The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) has performed the fourth science run, S4, with significantly improved interferometer sensitivities with respect to previous runs. Using data acquired during this science run, we place a limit on the amplitude of a stochastic background of gravitational waves. For a frequency independent spectrum, the new limit is $\Omega_{\rm GW} < 6.5 \times 10^{-5}$. This is currently the most sensitive result in the frequency range 51-150 Hz, with a factor of 13 improvement over the previous LIGO result. We discuss complementarity of the new result with other constraints on a stochastic background of gravitational waves, and we investigate implications of the new result for different models of this background.Comment: 37 pages, 16 figure