In My Opinion… If I Were a Carpenter

Starting a career in the hospitality travel and tourism industries today requires more than a nice smile, a love of people and a willingness to help solve their problems technology and number crunching are must have capabilities for up-and-coming managers graduating from hospitality and tourism pro- grams The article provides student counselors and mentors insights from industry leaders, career path choices, and questions that applicants should be asking in the decision-making process

Liposomes encapsulating polymeric chitosan based vesicles - a vesicle in vesicle system for drug delivery

Drug delivery systems comprising vesicles prepared from one amphiphile encapsulating vesicles prepared from a second amphiphile have not been prepared previously due to a tendency of the bilayer components of the different vesicles to mix during preparation. Recently we have developed polymeric vesicles using the new polymer-palmitoyl glycol chitosan and cholesterol in a 2:1 weight ratio. These polymeric vesicles have now been encapsulated within egg phosphatidylcholine (egg PC), cholesterol (2:1 weight ratio) liposomes yielding a vesicle in vesicle system. The vesicle in vesicle system was visualised by freeze fracture electron microscopy. The mixing of the different bilayer components was studied by monitoring the excimer fluorescence of pyrene-labelled polymeric vesicles after their encapsulation within egg PC liposomes or hexadecyl diglycerol ether niosomes. A minimum degree of lipid mixing was observed with the polymeric vesicle-egg PC liposome system when compared to the polymeric vesicle-hexadecyl diglycerol ether niosome system. The polymeric vesicle-egg PC vesicle in vesicle system was shown to retard the release of encapsulated solutes. 28% of 5(6)-carboxyfluorescein (CF) encapsulated in the polymeric vesicle compartment of the vesicle in vesicle system was released after 4 h compared to the release of 62% of encapsulated CF from plain polymeric vesicles within the same time period

A synthetic cell permeable antioxidant protects neurons against acute oxidative stress

Funding: Royal Society University Fellowship and grant (RF 120645) (JEL).Excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) can damage proteins, lipids, and DNA, which result in cell damage and death. The outcomes can be acute, as seen in stroke, or more chronic as observed in age-related diseases such as Parkinson’s disease. Here we investigate the antioxidant ability of a novel synthetic flavonoid, Proxison (7-decyl-3-hydroxy-2-(3,4,5-trihydroxyphenyl)-4-chromenone), using a range of in vitro and in vivo approaches. We show that, while it has radical scavenging ability on par with other flavonoids in a cell-free system, Proxison is orders of magnitude more potent than natural flavonoids at protecting neural cells against oxidative stress and is capable of rescuing damaged cells. The unique combination of a lipophilic hydrocarbon tail with a modified polyphenolic head group promotes efficient cellular uptake and moderate mitochondrial enrichment of Proxison. Importantly, in vivo administration of Proxison demonstrated effective and well tolerated neuroprotection against cell loss in a zebrafish model of dopaminergic neurodegeneration.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Pseudomonas fluorescens SBW25 produces furanomycin, a non-proteinogenic amino acid with selective antimicrobial properties

Background: Pseudomonas fluorescens SBW25 has been extensively studied because of its plant growth promoting properties and potential as a biocontrol agent. The genome of SBW25 has been sequenced, and among sequenced strains of pseudomonads, SBW25 appears to be most closely related to P. fluorescens WH6. In the authors' laboratories, WH6 was previously shown to produce and secrete 4-formylaminooxyvinylglycine (FVG), a non-proteinogenic amino acid with selective herbicidal and antimicrobial activity. Although SBW25 does not have the genetic capacity to produce FVG, we were interested in determining whether this pseudomonad might produce some other type of non-proteinogenic amino acid. Results: P. fluorescens SBW25 was found to produce and secrete a ninhydrin-reactive compound with selective antimicrobial properties. This compound was purified from SBW25 culture filtrate and identified as the non-proteinogenic amino acid L-furanomycin [2S,2'R,5'S)-2-amino-2-(5'methyl-2',5'-dihydrofuran-2'-yl)acetic acid]. Conclusions: The identification of furanomycin as a secondary metabolite of SBW25 is the first report of the production of furanomycin by a pseudomonad. This compound was known previously only as a natural product produced by a strain of Streptomyces. This report adds furanomycin to the small list of non-proteinogenic amino acids that have been identified as secondary products of pseudomonads. This study also extends the list of bacteria that are inhibited by furanomycin to include several plant pathogenic bacteria.Keywords: Non-proteinogenic amino acids, 4-formylaminooxyvinylglycine, Pseudomonas fluorescens SBW25, Pseudomonas fluorescens WH6, Furanomycin, Secondary metabolites, Antimicrobial activit

Antitumour Activity of the Novel Flavonoid Oncamex in Preclinical Breast Cancer Models

We thank SULSA (Scottish Universities Life Science Alliance) for supporting this project through a SULSA BioSkape Industry PhD Studentship and Antoxis Limited for providing additional funding. We also thank the 7th Framework Programme of the European Union (METOXIA project; HEALTH-F2-2009-222741) for support.Background: The natural polyphenol myricetin induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in preclinical cancer models. We hypothesised that myricetin-derived flavonoids with enhanced redox properties, improved cell uptake and mitochondrial targeting might have increased potential as antitumour agents. Methods: We studied the effect of a second-generation flavonoid analogue, Oncamex, in a panel of 7 breast cancer cell lines, applying western blotting, gene expression analysis, fluorescence microscopy, and immunohistochemistry to xenograft tissue to investigate its mechanism of action. Results: Proliferation assays showed that Oncamex: treatment for 8 h reduced cell viability and induced cytotoxicity and apoptosis, concomitant with increased caspase activation. Microarray analysis showed that Oncamex was associated with changes in expression of genes controlling cell cycle and apoptosis . Fluorescence microscopy showed the compound’s mitochondrial targeting and ROS-modulating properties, inducing superoxide production at concentrations associated with anti-proliferative effects. A preliminary in vivo study in mice implanted with the MDA-MB-231 breast cancer xenograft showed that Oncamex inhibited tumour growth, reduced tissue viability and Ki-67 proliferation, with no overall systemic toxicity. Conclusion: Oncamex is a novel flavonoid capable of specific mitochondrial delivery and redox modulation. It has shown antitumour activity in preclinical models of breast cancer, supporting the potential of this prototypic candidate for its continued development as an anticancer agent.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)

Meeting abstrac

Facilitating Collective Psychosocial Resilience in the Public in Emergencies: Twelve Recommendations Based on the Social Identity Approach

Accumulated evidence demonstrates the centrality of social psychology to the behavior of members of the public as immediate responders in emergencies. Such public behavior is a function of social psychological processes—in particular identities and norms. In addition, what the authorities and relevant professional groups assume about the social psychology of people in emergencies shapes policy and practice in preparedness, response, and recovery. These assumptions therefore have consequences for the public's ability to act as immediate responders. In this Policy and Practice Review, we will do three things. First, we will overview research on the behavior of survivors of emergencies and disasters, drawing out key factors known to explain the extent to which survivors cooperate in these events and contribute to safe collective outcomes. We will demonstrate the utility of the social identity approach as an overarching framework for explaining the major mechanisms of collective supportive behavior among survivors in emergencies. Second, we will critically review recent and current UK government agency guidance on emergency response, focusing particularly on what is stated about the role of survivors in emergencies and disasters. This review will suggest that the “community resilience” agenda has only been partly realized in practice, but that the social identity approach is progressing this. Third, we will derive from the research literature and from dialogue with groups involved in emergencies a set of 12 recommendations for both emergency managers and members of the public affected by emergencies and disasters. These focus on the crucial need to build shared identity and to communicate, and the connection between these two aims. Including our recommendations within emergency guidance and training will facilitate collective psychosocial resilience, which refers to the way a shared identity allows groups of survivors to express and expect solidarity and cohesion, and thereby to coordinate and draw upon collective sources of support. In sum, this evidence-base and the recommendations we derive from it will help professionals involved in emergency management to support public resilient behaviors and will help the public to develop and maintain their own capacity for such resilience

A systematic study of the Dolly Varden, Salvelinus malma (Walbaum)

Sympatric populations of S. malma and S. alpinus from Alaska were compared using a discriminant function analysis. The comparison indicated little or no hybridization. S. malma is, therefore, regarded as a distinct species. S. malma has fewer gill rakers, pyloric caeca and pores along the lateral line than S. alpinus. Five hundred specimens of S. malma from 42 North American localities were examined. Considerable geographic variability was observed. The variation showed no correlation with latitude. Evidence is presented that subspecific distinctions are invalid in S. malma. It is suggested that S. malma evolved in the North Pacific area sometime during the Pliestocene.Science, Faculty ofZoology, Department ofGraduat

[The] postglacial dispersal of freshwater fishes in northern North America

Glaciated areas offer a unique opportunity to study the dispersal of animals . During glaciation the fauna of glaciated areas was either destroyed or forced into ungla iated refugia. ..When the icesheets retreated the glaciated regions were open to reinvasion