A Nutrition Perspective on the Ketogenic Diet as Therapy for Malignant Brain Cancer

Glioblastoma multiforme is the most deadly primary brain tumor. Current therapies have not demonstrated improved outcomes for patients; generally the median life expectancy is 8–15 months. Due to brain tumor cells dependence on glucose as a sole energy source, there is potential to target treatments towards glucose metabolism. The ketogenic diet (KD) is a high fat, low carbohydrate diet that has proven successful in the animal model. However, human studies are limited and there currently is not enough research to conclude the KD is an effective therapy. A few aspects need to be addressed for inclusion in protocols of future studies: (1) when to initiate the KD during treatment; (2) how much carbohydrate per day to provide to patients; (3) how to ensure patient compliance to diet; (4) the optimum duration of the diet; (5) how to mitigating patient weight loss. In addition, the registered dietitian nutritionist (RD or RDN) is a vital, and underutilized, member of the health care team. The inclusion of a RD to future KD protocol, as well as oncology practices, can enhance patient outcomes and help future patients overcome barriers when adhering to the KD

Logging-on to Sai Baba: the poetics of sacred globalization

Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba is the leader of a progressive religious movement steeped in the Hindu tradition. The Sathya Sai Baba Organization claims to have over thirty million members in approximately 170 countries. The dedicated followers of the movement believe Sai Baba to be an avatar or incarnation of God in human form. Sai Baba utilizes the Internet to transmit his universalistic philosophies around the world. With this digital universe, devotees can log-on to a multitude of official Sai websites that act as training ground for achieving liberation of the mind and soul. This path of devotion that Sai Baba teaches his followers has its foundation in Hinduism\u27s sacred scriptures. The Sathya Sai Baba Organization is attempting to restructure the Hindu tradition, marketing a new hegemony fit for global consumption. The organization is one of many spiritual movements that have embraced globalization and become part of the religious landscapes of the World Wide Web. Using websites as field sites, I conducted an in-depth case study on the cyberspace activities of this organization. This annointment of cyberspace as sacred space illustrates how the Internet can be a powerful source in cultural production. The religious subculture that links a global network of Sai Centers and dedicated participants utilizes information technology to spread the ideology of the movement. The Internet has the potential to change how social scientists engage in data collection and cultural documentation. The fieldwork that I conducted in cyberspace and during interviews with my consultant reveals the Internet as both a vessel for sacred space and a venue for a cyberperformance that is shaped by the poetics of sacred globalization

Revitalizing the suburban dream: disaster, displacement and resilience in Eastern Orleans Parish

Hurricane Katrina tested the disaster resiliency of communities throughout the city of New Orleans. More than four years after breaches in levees led to the flooding of one hundred forty square miles of the Crescent City, some residents are still struggling to reclaim their neighborhoods one block at a time. Eastern Orleans Parish is a portion of the local landscape whose long-term sustainability remains uncertain. Rebuilding is extremely slow with only a fraction of residents returning to the area. Development in New Orleans East began after World War II as a result of urban sprawl. Many New Orleanians desired a more suburban lifestyle away from the hustle and bustle of the central city. Financial gains from the oil boom of the 1970’s led to the construction of dozens of neighborhoods in Eastern Orleans Parish, fueling a mass expansion eastward. Consensus over whether to continue to spend federal aid dollars rebuilding the eastern portion of the city is tenuous at best. A number of New Orleanians are reluctant to reconstruct an area that some regard as being too far gone to fully recover, with others adding that the land should be returned to its natural state as a swamp, creating a buffer that would lessen the impact of future storm surge on the historic center. The uncertainty that surrounds the fate of New Orleans East influences the decision of the local population to return and rebuild. However, there are many residents who chose to ignore the naysayers, striving to revitalize their suburban dream against all odds. This research offers a cross-cultural and interdisciplinary exploration of the human impact of a disaster event. The text sheds light on the complexities that surround the dual concepts of disaster resilience and vulnerability by revealing the disaster experiences and community recovery processes of Vietnamese and African-American populations living in New Orleans East

Food Access and Security During Coronavirus: A Vermont Study

Key Findings 1. Respondents reported a 33% increase in food insecurity since the coronavirus outbreak began in Vermont (from 18% to 24%). 2. 45% of respondents with jobs experienced a job disruption or loss. 3. Respondents said the most helpful actions for meeting their food needs would be increased trust in the safety of going to stores and more food in stores. 4. Respondents worried most about food becoming unaffordable and running out of food if they were unable to go out. 5. Vermonters are using a variety of strategies to adapt: a majority of respondents are at least somewhat likely to buy foods that don\u27t go bad quickly (90%); buy different, cheaper foods (69%); and stretch the food they have by eating less (52%)

Employment and Food During Coronavirus

Key Findings 1. 45% of respondents with jobs experienced some type of job disruption or loss. 19.7% had a reduction in hours or income, 9.3% had been furloughed, and 15.5% had lost their job since the coronavirus outbreak. 2. 38.5% of respondents experiencing job loss or disruption since the outbreak were classified as food insecure. 3. Respondents experiencing job disruption or loss were significantly more likely to be already implementing food purchasing or eating changes and concerned about food access compared to those who did not experience a change in employment. 4. Respondents with job disruption or loss were significantly more likely to need higher amounts of money per week to help meet their basic needs if they could no longer afford food ($100 with a reduction in hours/income,$107 furloughed, $158 with job loss, compared to$82 with no job impact)

The Impact of Coronavirus on Vermonters Experiencing Food Insecurity

Key Findings 1. Respondents experiencing food insecurity were more likely to be people of color, female, live in households with children, and live in larger households. 2. 84.2% of respondents who experienced food insecurity at some point in the year before the coronavirus pandemic remained food insecure during the early days of the outbreak. 3. The majority of respondents experiencing food insecurity are not utilizing food assistance programs. 4. ⅔ of respondents experiencing food insecurity are already buying different, cheaper foods or eating less to make their food last. 5. ⅔ of respondents experiencing food insecurity with a job had job disruption or loss since the coronavirus outbreak. 6. Vermonters are helping each other – there was a reported doubling in the percentage of people receiving their food via delivery from other people

Targeting Neddylation Pathways to Inactivate Cullin-RING Ligases for Anticancer Therapy

Significance: Protein neddylation is catalyzed by an E1 NEDD8-activating enzyme (NAE), an E2 NEDD8-conjugating enzyme, and an E3 NEDD8 ligase. Known physiological substrates of neddylation are cullin family members. Cullin neddylation leads to activation of cullin-RING ligases (CRLs), the largest family of E3 ubiquitin ligases responsible for ubiquitylation and degradation of many key signaling/regulatory proteins. Thus, through modulating CRLs, neddylation regulates many biological processes, including cell cycle progression, signal transduction, and tumorigenesis. Given that NEDD8 is overexpressed and CRLs are abnormally activated in many human cancers, targeting protein neddylation, in general, and cullin neddylation, in particular, appears to be an attractive anticancer approach. Recent Advances: MLN4924, a small molecule inhibitor of NAE, was discovered that inactivates CRLs and causes accumulation of CRL substrates to suppress tumor cell growth both in vitro and in vivo. Promising preclinical results advanced MLN4924 to several clinical trials for anticancer therapy. Critical Issues: In preclinical settings, MLN4924 effectively suppresses tumor cell growth by inducing apoptosis, senescence, and autophagy, and causes sensitization to chemoradiation therapies in a cellular context-dependent manner. Signal molecules that determine the cell fate upon MLN4924 treatment, however, remain elusive. Cancer cells develop MLN4924 resistance by selecting target mutations. Future Directions: In the clinical side, several Phase 1b trials are under way to determine the safety and efficacy of MLN4924, acting alone or in combination with conventional chemotherapy, against human solid tumors. In the preclinical side, the efforts are being made to develop additional neddylation inhibitors by targeting NEDD8 E2s and E3s. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 21, 2383?2400.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/140276/1/ars.2013.5795.pd

Effect of Postural Position and Utensil Use on Stimulated Pill Swallows

The study set out to determine if different postural positions influence the perceived effort of swallowing and sip size taken during simulated pill swallows. The questions driving this analysis were based on the clinical observations and standard nursing practices for medication administration to patients in reclining hospital beds. Nurses state there is no standard oral medication protocol for safe swallowing practices in patients with dysphagia. 22 participants were recruited and instructed to swallow one or two gel capsules at 6 conditions with cup and straw use. Water in grams was measured before and after swallows

I act therefore I am: identity and performance in Shakespeare's Hamlet

Due to the character of the original source materials and the nature of batch digitization, quality control issues may be present in this document. Please report any quality issues you encounter to [email protected], referencing the URI of the item.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 53-54).The command to "Know thyself," ascribed to Greek wisdom, and further propounded by Socrates' proclamation "the unexamined life is not worth living" suggests that the prerequisite for life extends beyond mere existence to self-reflection. The emergence of selfhood in the Renaissance was due to the artists and thinkers of the time, who in obedience to the command to know thyself, engaged in reflection upon the self and further sought to express this selfhood. Shakespeare's drama Hamlet depicts the emergent interiority of the individual, through the character of Hamlet. In the character of Hamlet, Shakespeare gives shape to the struggle of man to apprehend an understanding of himself and his fellow men. Hamlet's emergent identity is in contrast to the drunken revelries of his native Denmark, to the effect that Hamlet experiences isolation from the other characters, and frustration as he cannot express his inner self. The Renaissance Man moves beyond the requirements of daily life to become a creator, whether of art, ideas, or scientific experiment. He responds to both internal impulses and external inspiration to attempt to reflect the cosmos in which he lives. Such creative expression is necessary to bring forth the developing inner self, yet Hamlet is called to be a force of destruction in avenging his father's murder, a requirement quite antithetical to his emergent selfhood. Hamlet's need for creative expression and his duty of revenge prove irreconcilable in the play, as the destiny of the play moves from cosmos to chaos and destruction. Hamlet is Shakespeare's most theatrically conscious play, incorporating the language of theater, as well as a play within the play. The arrival of a troupe of players present Hamlet with an opportunity for creative expression as Hamlet acts as both playwright and director to the players. The biblical God asserts, "I am that I am" philosopher Ren ̌Descartes, "I think therefore I am," and the character of Hamlet "I act therefore I am," suggesting that the developing inner self, must find outward expression to be actualized

Species-specific, age-varying plant traits affect herbivore growth and survival.

Seasonal windows of opportunity represent intervals of time within a year during which organisms have improved prospects of achieving life history aims such as growth or reproduction, and may be commonly structured by temporal variation in abiotic factors, bottom-up factors, and top-down factors. Although seasonal windows of opportunity are likely to be common, few studies have examined the factors that structure seasonal windows of opportunity in time. Here, we experimentally manipulated host-plant age in two milkweed species (Asclepias fascicularis and Asclepias speciosa) in order to investigate the role of plant-species-specific and plant-age-varying traits on the survival and growth of monarch caterpillars (Danaus plexippus). We show that the two plant species showed diverging trajectories of defense traits with increasing age. These species-specific and age-varying host-plant traits significantly affected the growth and survival of monarch caterpillars through both resource quality- and quantity-based constraints. The effects of plant age on monarch developmental success were comparable to and sometimes larger than those of plant-species identity. We conclude that species-specific and age-varying plant traits are likely to be important factors with the potential to structure seasonal windows of opportunity for monarch development, and examine the implications of these findings for both broader patterns in the ontogeny of plant defense traits and the specific ecology of milkweed-monarch interactions in a changing world