Satori 2018

The Satori is a student literary publication that expresses the artistic spirit of the students of Winona State University. Student poetry, prose, and graphic art are published in the Satori every spring since 1970. The Satori 2018 editors are Sajda Omar (Editor-in-Chief), Kylie Hoff, Keyanna Hultman, Audrey Sitte, Elyse Hoffmann. Art Director and Designer by Elyse Hoffmann. The 2018 Faculty advisor is Dr. Elizabeth Oness, Professor of English.https://openriver.winona.edu/satori/1012/thumbnail.jp

Archaeometric evidence for the earliest exploitation of lignite from the bronze age Eastern Mediterranean

This paper presents the earliest evidence for the exploitation of lignite (brown coal) in Europe and sheds new light on the use of combustion fuel sources in the 2nd millennium BCE Eastern Mediterranean. We applied Thermal Desorption/Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry and Polarizing Microscopy to the dental calculus of 67 individuals and we identified clear evidence for combustion markers embedded within this calculus. In contrast to the scant evidence for combustion markers within the calculus samples from Egypt, all other individuals show the inhalation of smoke from fires burning wood identified as Pinaceae, in addition to hardwood, such as oak and olive, and/ or dung. Importantly, individuals from the Palatial Period at the Mycenaean citadel of Tiryns and the Cretan harbour site of Chania also show the inhalation of fire-smoke from lignite, consistent with the chemical signature of sources in the northwestern Peloponnese and Western Crete respectively. This first evidence for lignite exploitation was likely connected to and at the same time enabled Late Bronze Age Aegean metal and pottery production, significantly by both male and female individuals

Pre-emptive priming of human skin improves cutaneous scarring and is superior to immediate and delayed topical anti-scarring treatment post-wounding: a double-blind randomised placebo-controlled clinical trial

The concept of pre-emptive priming of skin pre-surgery offers a novel approach in optimizing cutaneous scarring outcome. We previously showed an anti-scarring topical (epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG)) is effective in improving skin scarring when applied post-surgery. The objective was to deliver an active compound at the optimal time in order to maximize its impact and improve cutaneous scarring. Therefore, pre-emptive application of anti-scarring topical pre-surgery compared with post-surgery can potentially be superior on scarring outcome. This double-blinded randomized placebo-controlled trial compares the effects of pre-emptive priming of skin with an anti-scarring topical pre-surgery versus post-surgery. Healthy volunteers (n = 40) were split into 4-groups; each undergoing different modes of application versus placebo: Group-1 = priming (7Days) pre-injury, Group-2 = priming (3D) pre-injury, Group-3 = immediate (0D) day-of-injury, Group-4 = delayed application (14D) post-injury. Excisional skin-biopsies in upper-arms were evaluated weekly with multiple quantitative devices over 8-weeks. Histological, immunohistochemical, mRNA sequencing and QRT-PCR studies were performed on tissue-biopsies. EGCG reduced mast cells at weeks-4 and 8 by gene and protein analyses (p < 0.01). Group 1 was superior to other groups (p < 0.01) in both clinical (blood flow) and laboratory parameters (elastin and immune marker expression). Additionally, there was down-regulation of angiogenic-markers by mRNA-sequencing and of CD31 and VEGF-A at weeks-4 and 8 (p < 0.01) by immunohistochemistry and at week-4 (p < 0.05) by QRT-PCR. EGCG increased antioxidant levels (HO-1) at week-4 (p < 0.01) plus elastin at week-8 (p < 0.01). In conclusion, pre-emptive priming of skin pre-injury has significant beneficial effects on surgically induced skin scarring shown by reducing mast cells, blood flow and angiogenesis plus increasing elastin content. This clinical trial was registered with ISRCTN (ISRCTN70155584)

Admission Serum Metabolites and Thyroxine Predict Advanced Hepatic Encephalopathy in a Multicenter Inpatient Cirrhosis Cohort.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Grades 3 to 4 hepatic encephalopathy (advanced HE), also termed brain failure, is an organ failure that defines acute-on-chronic liver failure. It is associated with poor outcomes in cirrhosis but cannot be predicted accurately. We aimed to determine the admission metabolomic biomarkers able to predict the development of advanced HE with subsequent validation. METHODS: Prospective inpatient cirrhosis cohorts (multicenter and 2-center validation) without brain failure underwent admission serum collection and inpatient follow-up evaluation. Serum metabolomics were analyzed to predict brain failure on random forest analysis and logistic regression. A separate validation cohort also was recruited. RESULTS: The multicenter cohort included 602 patients, of whom 144 developed brain failure (105 only brain failure) 3 days after admission. Unadjusted random forest analysis showed that higher admission microbially derived metabolites and lower isoleucine, thyroxine, and lysophospholipids were associated with brain failure development (area under the curve, 0.87 all; 0.90 brain failure only). Logistic regression area under the curve with only clinical variables significantly improved with metabolites (95% CI 0.65-0.75; P = .005). Four metabolites that significantly added to brain failure prediction were low thyroxine and maltose and high methyl-4-hydroxybenzoate sulfate and 3-4 dihydroxy butyrate. Thyroxine alone also significantly added to the model (P = .05). The validation cohort including 81 prospectively enrolled patients, of whom 11 developed brain failure. Admission hospital laboratory thyroxine levels predicted brain failure development despite controlling for clinical variables with high specificity. CONCLUSIONS: In a multicenter inpatient cohort, admission serum metabolites, including thyroxine, predicted advanced HE development independent of clinical factors. Admission low local laboratory thyroxine levels were validated as a predictor of advanced HE development in a separate cohort

Gut Microbial Signature of Hepatocellular Cancer in Men With Cirrhosis.

The gut microbiome is altered in cirrhosis. Recent evidence has suggested a key role for the gut microbiota in the progression of cirrhosis and the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We studied the differences in the microbial composition in patients with cirrhosis with prior and future HCC in the context of other complications (eg, infections, hepatic encephalopathy). The following 2 cohorts were recruited prospectively: the prior HCC cohort, in which outpatients with HCC within 2 years were age-matched, sex-matched, and Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score-matched with those without HCC; and the future HCC cohort, in which patients were followed for 2 years and divided into future HCC versus no HCC after age, sex, and MELD-score matching and other complications were also recorded. Microbiota composition and predicted function were analyzed with ribosomal RNA sequencing and Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States (PiCRUST)and compared between (1) prior HCC versus none and (2) future HCC versus none, and in the future cohort, comparisons were also made between those patients who developed (1) HCC only versus without complications, (2) HCC only versus non-HCC complications only, and (3) HCC + other complications versus non-HCC complications only. A total of 142 men (76 total in the prior cohort [38 with/38 without HCC] and 66 total in the future cohort [33 with/33 without future HCC]) were included. The groups had similar etiology, lactulose/rifaximin/proton pump inhibitor use, diabetes mellitus, and non-HCC complications. Microbial diversity was similar between prior HCC/not or future HCC/not. On DESeq2 higher Clostridium sensu stricto and Anaerotruncus were significantly associated with protection from HCC, whereas the reverse was seen with Raoultella and Haemophilus regardless of prior/future HCC comparisons. Functions focused on urea cycle, bioenergetics, tryptophan, and toluene metabolism were different between the groups. Rothia was specific for other complications. Despite age, sex, and MELD-score matching and accounting for other complications, gut microbiota composition and the predicted function are different in men with cirrhosis with and without prior HCC and can be extended toward future HCC development