And He Shall Make Music

The Robert McCowen family was getting ready to go to a circus in Des Moines when I arrived to visit with them on a Saturday morning several wekes ago

Home Economics Super Saleswomen

The Marines may soon be taking tips from a group of ace Iowa State coed recruiters who are enlisting support for Home Economics throughout the state

A Conserved Antiviral Role For A Virus-Induced Cytoplasmic Exosome Complex

RNA degradation is a tightly regulated and highly conserved process which selectively targets aberrant RNAs using both 5’ and 3’ exonucleases. The RNAs degraded by this process include viral RNA, but the mechanisms by which viral RNA is identified and recruited to the degradation machinery are incompletely understood. To identify new antiviral genes, we performed RNAi screening of genes with known roles in RNA metabolism in Drosophila cells. We identified the RNA exosome, which targets RNA for 3’ end decay, and two components of the exosome cofactor TRAMP complex, dMtr4 and dZcchc7, as antiviral against a panel of RNA viruses. As these genes are highly conserved, I extended these studies to human cells and found that the exosome as well as TRAMP components hMTR4 and hZCCHC7 are antiviral. While hMTR4 and hZCCHC7 are normally nuclear, I found that infection by cytoplasmic RNA viruses induces their export to cytoplasmic granules, where they form a complex that specifically recognizes and induces degradation of viral mRNAs. Furthermore, I found that the 3’ UTR of bunyaviral mRNA is sufficient to confer virus-induced exosomal degradation, demonstrating cis-regulation. Several types of ribonucleoprotein (RNP) granules interact with both 5’ and 3’ decay machinery to facilitate degradation of sequestered RNAs. In order to determine whether TRAMP component-containing granules contain components of other defined RNP granules, I performed immunofluorescence for hZCCHC7 as well as components of P-bodies, stress granules, and exosome granules and found that hZCCHC7 can colocalize with proteins resident in exosome granules and stress granules during viral infection, suggesting that hZCCHC7 may bind translationally-stalled viral RNAs and bring them to exosome granules for degradation. To further characterize the regulation of TRAMP component nuclear export during infection, I investigated the viral signals necessary for this transport. I found that transfection with dsRNA is sufficient to induce relocalization, while infection with UV-inactivated viruses is not. Moreover, I tested the role of canonical innate immune adaptors in this process and found that the dsRNA sensor PKR promoted relocalization during Sindbis virus infection. Altogether, my results reveal that the presence of replicating viral RNA causes TRAMP components to be repurposed to a cytoplasmic surveillance role in several classes of RNP granules including stress granules and exosome granules. There, they selectively engage viral RNAs for degradation to restrict a broad range of viruses

Role of Octreotide in Pediatric Gastrointestinal Bleeding Secondary to Angiodysplasia in Children With Right Heart Failure

Objectives: Angiodysplasia (AD) is a relatively uncommon cause of gastrointestinal bleeding in children and may be seen in right heart failure. Octreotide has been used successfully in adult patients with gastrointestinal bleeding due to ADs. Methods: We describe 2 patients who had congenital heart disease with right heart failure and gastrointestinal bleeding from AD. Results: AD lesions were documented on traditional endoscopy and capsule endoscopy. Bleeding resolved after initiation of IV octreotide and did not recur on subcutaneous octreotide during the 2-year follow-up period. Conclusions: Based on the successful outcomes in the 2 patients, a trial of octreotide may be considered in pediatric patients who present with gastrointestinal bleeding secondary to AD

Hepatic lipid peroxidation and cytochrome P-450 2E1 in pediatric nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and its subtypes

GOAL: To compare hepatic lipid peroxidation and cytochrome P-450 2E1 (CYP2E1) protein content in liver biopsies from children with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and 2 control groups. BACKGROUND: Elevated hepatic lipid peroxidation resulting from increased hepatic CYP2E1 enzyme activity is involved in the pathogenesis of NAFLD and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in adults, but studies in children are lacking. STUDY: Liver biopsies from 59 children with NAFLD (49 with NASH), 10 children with normal liver histology, and 9 children with mild chronic hepatitis C (HCV) infection were examined. Hepatic malondialdehyde (a measure of lipid peroxidation) levels and CYP2E1 protein content were quantitated, as a percentage of the total area, by immunohistochemical staining of liver biopsy material followed by digital image quantitation. RESULTS: Lipid peroxidation was significantly greater in NAFLD liver biopsies (46.7 ± 20.8%) compared with biopsies from children with normal liver histology (7.6 ± 9.4%; P<0.001) or HCV infection (7.7 ± 7.6%; P<0.001). However, hepatic CYP2E1 expression was not different across the NAFLD, normal liver histology, and HCV groups (60.7 ± 8.7%, 53.5 ± 10.7%, and 60.0 ± 11.9%, respectively; P=0.116). Among children with NAFLD, lipid peroxidation and CYP2E1 protein content did not differ between biopsies with and without NASH. Body mass index was independently associated with hepatic lipid peroxidation levels (r=0.549; P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Hepatic lipid peroxidation is increased in children with NAFLD but this is not related to hepatic CYP2E1 expression. No difference in lipid peroxidation in pediatric NAFLD versus NASH argues against a role in disease progression

The Iowa Homemaker vol.40, no.4

Is There An American Woman?, Maxwell D. Epstein, page 4 Bounced Any Berries Lately?, Patty Anderson, page 5 Homemaker Visits Dean LeBaron, Ruth Ann Walter, page 6 An Experience in Education, Helen Rank, page 7 Scholars in Saris, Mary Ellen Muckenhirn, page 8 Super Saleswoman, Ellen Molleston, page 10 Blouses White Again, Melva LaFrenz, page 1

Perspectives on Colon Cancer Screening—A Physician Panel Discussion for Preclinical Medical Students

Introduction Colon cancer is the third most common cancer in the US, and the survival rate improves drastically with early detection. It is important for medical students to understand screening options, and to be able to effectively discuss these options with their patients. While basic information about colon cancer screening is ubiquitous in US medical school curricula, no published curricula describe teaching students the nuances of negotiating this discussion with patients and tailoring screening to individual patients' needs. Methods We developed a 90-minute session for second-year medical students as part of a gastroenterology and nutrition course. We provided a short lecture on colon cancer screening. We then had a panel of practicing gastroenterologists and a primary care physician discuss their approaches to six hypothetical cases. The students reflected in writing on what they learned from the session and on their opinions of the session format. Results Of second-year medical students, 139 attended the session and 110 submitted written reflections on the session (79% response rate). The students perceived significant gains in knowledge, communication skills, and attitudes around the discussions. Discussion This expert panel session taught medical students knowledge and communication skills related to colon cancer screening. The session could be easily implemented at any medical school, either at the preclinical or clinical level