37 research outputs found
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Overexpression of HuD, but Not of Its Truncated Form HuD I+II, Promotes GAPâ43 Gene Expression and Neurite Outgrowth in PC12 Cells in the Absence of Nerve Growth Factor
: We have previously shown that the RNAâbinding protein HuD binds to a regulatory element in the growthâassociated protein (GAP)â43 mRNA and that this interaction involves its first two RNA recognition motifs (RRMs). In this study, we investigated the functional significance of this interaction by overexpression of human HuD protein (pcHuD) or its truncated form lacking the third RRM (pcHuD I+II) in PC12 cells. Morphological analysis revealed that pcHuD cells extended short neurites containing GAPâ43âpositive growth cones in the absence of nerve growth factor (NGF). These processes also contained tubulin and Fâactin filaments but were not stained with antibodies against neurofilament M protein. In correlation with this phenotype, pcHuD cells contained higher levels of GAPâ43 without changes in levels of other NGFâinduced proteins, such as SNAPâ25 and tau. In mRNA decay studies, HuD stabilized the GAPâ43 mRNA, whereas HuD I+II did not have any effect either on GAPâ43 mRNA stability or on the levels of GAPâ43 protein. Likewise, pcHuD I+II cells showed no spontaneous neurite outgrowth and deficient outgrowth in response to NGF. Our results indicate that HuD is sufficient to increase GAPâ43 gene expression and neurite outgrowth in the absence of NGF and that the third RRM in the protein is critical for this function
The Promotion of Policy Changes Restricting Access to Codeine Medicines on Twitter: What do National Pain Organizations Say?
Codeine is one of the most common opioid medicines for treating pain. Australia introduced policy changes in February 2018 to up-schedule codeine to prescription-only medicine due to concerns of adverse effects, opioid dependency, and overdose-related mortality. This study investigated the frequency and content of messages promoted on Twitter by 4 Australian peak pain organizations, pre- and postpolicy implementation. A time series analysis examined frequency of Twitter posts over a 48-week period. Text analysis via Leximancer examined message content. Results showed that promotion and education of the pending policy change dominated the Twitter feed prior to up-scheduling. However, immediately following policy change, there was a shift in content towards promoting conferences and research, and a significant decrease in the frequency of codeine-related posts, compared to opioid-related non-codeine posts. The findings suggest that pain organizations can provide timely and educational policy dissemination in the online environment. They have implications for individuals with chronic pain who use the Internet for health information and the degree to which they can trust these sources, as well as health professionals. Further research is required to determine if public health campaigns can be targeted to prevent opioid-related harm and improve pain care via this increasingly used medium.PerspectiveThis study presents a first look at what information is being communicated by influential pain organizations that have an online Twitter presence and how messages were delivered during a major policy change restricting access to codeine medicines. Insights could drive targeted future online health campaigns for improved pain management