A Systematic Literature Review of Household Food Security and Overweight/Obese Status Among Low-Income Children

A systematic literature review approach was used to determine the extent of knowledge regarding low-income children’s BMI and household food insecurity. Recommendations were made for impending research, studies, and practices regarding the consensus of current knowledge in relation to low-income children with higher BMIs that come from a food insecure household. Current studies were analyzed, with special attention to methods and findings

THE EFFECT OF MELOXICAM ON THE ABILITY OF NEONATAL DAIRY CALVES TO ABSORB IGG PROVIDED BY COLOSTRUM REPLACER

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of meloxicam, administered either in pill form immediately prior to colostrum replacer (CR), or powder form, mixed in solution with CR, on the immunoglobulin G (IgG) uptake, growth, and health of pre-weaned calves. A pilot study considering the potential benefits of meloxicam in pre-weaned heifers indicated administration of the drug following difficult parturition improved body weight (BW) and overall health, but was not associated with passive transfer of immunity (Murray et al., 2015). However, calves from this study were sampled from 10 commercial farms, and therefore, treatment administration was inconsistent, indicated by highly variable passive transfer rates from farm to farm. A total of 30 Holstein dairy calves (16 bulls and 14 heifers) with an average BW of 44.3 kg were housed in a naturally ventilated enclosed calf room and blocked by expected birth date. Calves were removed from the dam within 30 min, prior to suckling, weighed, and randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatments in a randomized complete block design. Treatments were as follows: (1) CR at 0 hours with no meloxicam (control, CON), (2) 1 mg/kg meloxicam in pill form, before administration of CR (P), or (3) 1 mg/kg meloxicam during administration of CR, crushed and mixed into solution (S). All calves were fed 675 g dry matter (DM) CR for a total fluid volume of just over 3 L, providing a dose of 180 g IgG. Beginning at 24 h of life, calves were offered 432 g DM of milk replacer (MR) (24% CP, 17% fat) daily, split into 2 feedings. Free choice textured starter and water were offered from 24 hours until completion of the study at 42 d. Blood samples were collected at 0 h to analyze initial serum IgG and circulating ketone concentrations, and at 6, 12, 18, and 24 h of life to analyze IgG uptake. Blood samples were collected weekly thereafter for analysis of glucose, plasma urea nitrogen (PUN), and blood ketone concentration. Measurements such as time of consumption for MR, BW, length, hip and withers height, and heart girth were also recorded weekly. There was no effect of meloxicam on skeletal measurements or average daily gain (ADG); however, calves having received meloxicam in pill form before CR administration tended to gain length at a faster rate (cm/d) than those having received colostrum crushed into powder and mixed into solution. There was no significant effect of meloxicam on MR intake, time of consumption for MR, total DMI, or feed efficiency; however, calves having received meloxicam tended to consume a greater amount of starter than those having received the CON treatment. This coincided ketone levels which tended to be greater in blood samples from calves having received meloxicam, compared to those which did not, indicative of greater rumen development. There was no effect of meloxicam on PUN. Calves having received meloxicam in pill form had lesser blood glucose concentrations than those having received meloxicam in powder form, mixed into solution. While all calves met passive transfer, and meloxicam did not affect apparent efficiency of absorption (AEA) of IgG, serum total protein (STP), or IgG uptake at 6, 18, and 24 h after birth, calves having received the drug did show decreased IgG uptake at 12 hours. Results of this study suggest that administration of meloxicam at 0 h offers positive effects on starter intake, and therefore rumen development of pre-weaned dairy calves. The dosing of meloxicam in pill form prior to CR, as compared to powder form in solution, also offers positive results for rumen development, indicated by lower blood glucose levels

Post-traumatic amnesia and the nature of post-traumatic stress disorder after mild traumatic brain injury

The prevalence and nature of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) is controversial because of the apparent paradox of suffering PTSD with impaired memory for the traumatic event. In this study, 1167 survivors of traumatic injury were assessed for PTSD symptoms and post-traumatic amnesia during hospitalization, and were subsequently assessed for PTSD 3 months later. At the follow-up assessment, 90 patients met criteria for PTSD; MTBI patients were more likely to develop PTSD than no-TBI patients, after controlling for injury severity. Longer post-traumatic amnesia was associated with less severe intrusive memories at the acute assessment. These findings indicate that PTSD may be more likely following MTBI, however, longer post-traumatic amnesia appears to be protective against selected re-experiencing symptoms

The sympathetic nervous system regulates skeletal muscle motor innervation and acetylcholine receptor stability

Aim: Symptoms of autonomic failure are frequently the presentation of advanced age and neurodegenerative diseases that impair adaptation to common physiologic stressors. The aim of this work was to examine the interaction between the sympathetic and motor nervous system, the involvement of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) in neuromuscular junction (NMJ) presynaptic motor function, the stability of postsynaptic molecular organization, and the skeletal muscle composition and function. Methods: Since muscle weakness is a symptom of diseases characterized by autonomic dysfunction, we studied the impact of regional sympathetic ablation on muscle motor innervation by using transcriptome analysis, retrograde tracing of the sympathetic outflow to the skeletal muscle, confocal and electron microscopy, NMJ transmission by electrophysiological methods, protein analysis, and state of the art microsurgical techniques, in C57BL6, MuRF1KO and Thy-1 mice. Results: We found that the SNS regulates motor nerve synaptic vesicle release, skeletal muscle transcriptome, muscle force generated by motor nerve activity, axonal neurofilament phosphorylation, myelin thickness, and myofibre subtype composition and CSA. The SNS also modulates the levels of postsynaptic membrane acetylcholine receptor by regulating the Gα i2 -Hdac4-Myogenin-MuRF1pathway, which is prevented by the overexpression of the guanine nucleotide-binding protein Gα i2 (Q205L), a constitutively active mutant G protein subunit. Conclusion: The SNS regulates NMJ transmission, maintains optimal Gα i2 expression, and prevents any increase in Hdac4, myogenin, MuRF1, and miR-206. SNS ablation leads to upregulation of MuRF1, muscle atrophy, and downregulation of postsynaptic AChR. Our findings are relevant to clinical conditions characterized by progressive decline of sympathetic innervation, such as neurodegenerative diseases and aging.Fil: Rodrigues, Anna C. Zaia. Wake Forest School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Messi, Maria Laura. Wake Forest School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Wang, Zhong Min. Wake Forest School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Abba, Martín Carlos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Centro de Investigaciones Inmunológicas Básicas y Aplicadas; ArgentinaFil: Pereyra, Andrea Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina. Wake Forest School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Birbrair, Alexander. Wake Forest School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Zhang, Tan. Wake Forest School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: O´Meara, Meaghan. Wake Forest School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Kwan, Ping. Wake Forest School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Lopez, Elsa I. S.. Wake Forest School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Willis, Monte S.. University of North Carolina; Estados UnidosFil: Mintz, Akiva. Wake Forest School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Files, D. Clark. University of North Carolina; Estados UnidosFil: Furdui, Cristina. Wake Forest School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Oppenheim, Ronald W.. Wake Forest School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Delbono, Osvaldo. Wake Forest School of Medicine; Estados Unido

The sympathetic nervous system regulates skeletal muscle motor innervation and acetylcholine receptor stability

Aim: Symptoms of autonomic failure are frequently the presentation of advanced age and neurodegenerative diseases that impair adaptation to common physiologic stressors. The aim of this work was to examine the interaction between the sympathetic and motor nervous system, the involvement of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) in neuromuscular junction (NMJ) presynaptic motor function, the stability of postsynaptic molecular organization, and the skeletal muscle composition and function. Methods: Since muscle weakness is a symptom of diseases characterized by autonomic dysfunction, we studied the impact of regional sympathetic ablation on muscle motor innervation by using transcriptome analysis, retrograde tracing of the sympathetic outflow to the skeletal muscle, confocal and electron microscopy, NMJ transmission by electrophysiological methods, protein analysis, and state of the art microsurgical techniques, in C57BL6, MuRF1KO and Thy-1 mice. Results: We found that the SNS regulates motor nerve synaptic vesicle release, skeletal muscle transcriptome, muscle force generated by motor nerve activity, axonal neurofilament phosphorylation, myelin thickness, and myofibre subtype composition and CSA. The SNS also modulates the levels of postsynaptic membrane acetylcholine receptor by regulating the Gαi2 -Hdac4-Myogenin-MuRF1pathway, which is prevented by the overexpression of the guanine nucleotide-binding protein Gαi2 (Q205L), a constitutively active mutant G protein subunit. Conclusion: The SNS regulates NMJ transmission, maintains optimal Gαi2 expression, and prevents any increase in Hdac4, myogenin, MuRF1, and miR-206. SNS ablation leads to upregulation of MuRF1, muscle atrophy, and downregulation of postsynaptic AChR. Our findings are relevant to clinical conditions characterized by progressive decline of sympathetic innervation, such as neurodegenerative diseases and aging.Centro de Investigaciones Inmunológicas Básicas y Aplicada

The COS Legacy Archive Spectroscopy SurveY (CLASSY) Treasury Atlas

Far-ultraviolet (FUV; ~1200-2000 angstroms) spectra are fundamental to our understanding of star-forming galaxies, providing a unique window on massive stellar populations, chemical evolution, feedback processes, and reionization. The launch of JWST will soon usher in a new era, pushing the UV spectroscopic frontier to higher redshifts than ever before, however, its success hinges on a comprehensive understanding of the massive star populations and gas conditions that power the observed UV spectral features. This requires a level of detail that is only possible with a combination of ample wavelength coverage, signal-to-noise, spectral-resolution, and sample diversity that has not yet been achieved by any FUV spectral database. We present the COS Legacy Spectroscopic SurveY (CLASSY) treasury and its first high level science product, the CLASSY atlas. CLASSY builds on the HST archive to construct the first high-quality (S/N_1500 >~ 5/resel), high-resolution (R~15,000) FUV spectral database of 45 nearby (0.002 < z < 0.182) star-forming galaxies. The CLASSY atlas, available to the public via the CLASSY website, is the result of optimally extracting and coadding 170 archival+new spectra from 312 orbits of HST observations. The CLASSY sample covers a broad range of properties including stellar mass (6.2 < logM_star(M_sol) < 10.1), star formation rate (-2.0 < log SFR (M_sol/yr) < +1.6), direct gas-phase metallicity (7.0 < 12+log(O/H) < 8.8), ionization (0.5 < O_32 < 38.0), reddening (0.02 < E(B-V < 0.67), and nebular density (10 < n_e (cm^-3) < 1120). CLASSY is biased to UV-bright star-forming galaxies, resulting in a sample that is consistent with z~0 mass-metallicity relationship, but is offset to higher SFRs by roughly 2 dex, similar to z >~2 galaxies. This unique set of properties makes the CLASSY atlas the benchmark training set for star-forming galaxies across cosmic time.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap

DNA binding and photophysical properties of platinum(II) polypyridines

Platinum(II) polypyridines typically have unique photophysical properties because of the occurrence of several charge transfer states. All platinum(II) polypyridines have a metal to ligand charge transfer (MLCT) state, but alteration of the terdentate ligand can introduce an intraligand charge transfer (ILCT) state. Modification of the ancillary ligand can also alter the photophysical properties and introduce another charge transfer state, a ligand to ligand charge transfer (LLCT). The work in Chapter 2 describes the binding mode of [Pt(dma-T)CN]+ to double stranded DNA. The DNA binding of [Pt(dma-T)CN] + is easy to monitor because of the impressive photophysics of the complex. [Pt(dma-T)CN]+ aggregates to DNA at high drug loading and intercalates at low loading. When the complex intercalates into DNA the complex is protected from solvent quenching. Chapter 3 describes how modification of the substituents in the 4’ position of the terpyridine can change the orbital parentage of the lowest energy excited state. The [Pt(4’-NR 2-T)X]+ complexes emit from a mixed MLCT/ILCT state and the amount of ILCT character varies with the donor character of the substituent. In Chapter 4, the photophysics of orthometalated platinum(II) complexes are studied. The 6-phenyl-2,2’-bipyridine complexes have electronically active substituents on the terdentate ligand and/or the ancillary ligand. All of the complexes emit at room temperature in fluid solution, except the complexes with ethynyltrialkoxygallate co-ligands which undergo electronic reorganization. Surprisingly, the complexes with chloride ancillary ligands have the highest quantum efficiencies because the emitting state of the complexes with ethynylaryl co-ligands exhibits LLCT character which facilitates radiationless decay

Modeling Particle Inflation from Poly(amic acid) Powdered Precursors. III: Experimental Determination of Kinetic Parameters

Several concurrent phenomena occur during the thermal inflation of poly(amic acid) precursor particles leading to polyimide foams as part of the solid-state powder foaming process. The precursor experiences bubble growth from within while volatiles desorb and the polymer itself increases its molecular weight and changes its backbone structure. These changes affect the transport properties of the material by modifying significantly the effective glass transition temperature, Tg. By studying the chemical transformations that take place during the inflation process (amidation and imidization reactions), a complete understanding of the material\u27s molecular changes can be obtained and corresponding property changes can be followed. This article is the third of a series where the inflation of precursor materials for polyimide foams has been studied. The two previous articles in the series present numerical models that simulate the inflation process from first principles. In this article, the authors discuss the experimental and analytical methodologies employed to accurately characterize and incorporate the changes in material and transport properties as a function of the glass transition temperature. POLYM. ENG SCI., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineer

Modeling Particle Inflation from Poly(amic acid) Powdered Precursors (Part II): Morphological Development During Bubble Growth

The morphological development of cellular polyimide microstructures from poly(amic acid) powders has been shown to depend on the processing conditions throughout the inflation process and the morphological characteristics of the precursor particles. In an earlier publication the authors presented a numerical study of the preliminary stages prior to particle inflation when the processing temperature is below the glass transition temperature, Tg. In the present article, a second numerical scheme is presented for behavior above Tg in which bubble growth is modeled to account for the effect of multiple phenomena in the final stages of morphological development. The bubble growth kinematics and subsequent cessation of growth are predicted as a function of process parameters and material properties. Morphological characteristics of the precursor particles have also been shown to influence the kinematics of inflation. These results provide a clearer understanding of the solid-state foaming processes for polyimide cellular materials