Research Roundtable (SCRC Behind the Scenes)

This entry briefly describes Maarten van Gageldonk\u27s resarch as it relates to the SCRC holdings, as well as the research roundtable on the same topic

Gender differences in renal growth and function after uninephrectomy in adult rats

Gender differences in renal growth and function after uninephrectomy in adult rats.BackgroundIt is known that compensatory renal growth (CRG) following unilateral nephrectomy (UNX) increases both the size of the kidney and its functional capacity; however, few studies have investigated whether differences in CRG exist between the sexes. Our study examined the sex-related differences in remnant kidney growth and function two months following UNX.MethodsAdult male and female Wistar rats underwent either left UNX or sham operation and recovered for 8 to 10 weeks. Another group of female rats underwent ovariectomy (Ox), with vehicle, estrogen, or testosterone replacement: two-weeks postsurgery animals underwent UNX and recovered for 8 to 10 weeks. Metabolic studies, acute renal function studies [response to acute saline volume expansion (2 to 4% of body wt) or phosphate (Pi) infusions in thyroparathyroidectomized rats (to determine the transport maximum (TmPi)], and renal morphology were assessed at the end of the experimental period.ResultsTwo months post-UNX, male remnant kidneys grew 114 ± 7% of their excised kidney weight (KW), whereas female remnant kidneys grew only 57 ± 4% (P < 0.05). There was a significant increase in the glomerular volume of male remnant kidneys (126.2 ± 13.4%, P < 0.001) compared with control kidney volume, whereas there was no change in glomerular volume in female remnant kidneys (20.2 ± 16.1%, P = NS). There was also glomerular and tubular damage in the male remnant kidneys, whereas female remnant kidneys were intact. Studies in Ox female rats supplemented with gonadal steroids determined that testosterone is the driving force for the enhanced remnant kidney growth and glomerular hypertrophy. Renal function studies determined that UNX males had significantly higher glomerular filtration rates (GFRs) than UNX females, although the GFR/single KW was not different between the sexes, indicating a proportional increase in GFR. Basal urinary sodium excretion and urine flow rates were significantly higher in anesthetized UNX rats than their sham-operated controls, and urinary sodium excretion and urine flow rates in UNX males were significantly higher than in UNX females. Both male and female UNX rats responded to volume expansion with an exaggerated initial sodium and urine excretion compared with their controls. Phosphate handling was not altered in UNX male rats; however, UNX female rats had increases in fractional Pi excretion that were associated with significant reductions in the maximum capacity for Pi reabsorption (2.10 ± 0.07 vs. 3.43 ± 0.24 μmol/ml GFR in female controls, P < 0.0001). This difference was also observed in Ox rats treated with estrogen and testosterone (2.31 ± 0.07 vs. 3.12 ± 0.11 μmol/ml GFR, P < 0.0007).ConclusionsThese findings indicate that sexual dimorphism exists in remnant kidney growth and function two months following UNX. Indeed, morphological abnormalities and impairment in renal phosphate handling are affected by gonadal steroids by two-months post-UNX. The fact that renal Pi transport was reduced in female but not male UNX rats may also have important implications during periods of high metabolic demand for phosphate in the female

Doing It Yourself: Special Collections as a Springboard for Personal, Critical Approaches to Information

This chapter documents the collaboration between a curator of special collections, a subject specialist librarian, and a writing instructor to develop a different kind of instructional approach for undergraduate research and writing. We sought to use special collections as a springboard to create an environment in which students could investigate research questions that connect to their personal lives and interests; engage in various of modes of writing; conceive of the potential networks of production and circulation for their work; and identify the library as a locus for sustained, organic, social, and productive inquiry

A stone shall cry out from a wall: studies on the translation style of Old Greek Habakkuk

What was the Old Greek translator’s literary and theological understanding of the book of Habakkuk? This is the central question of this thesis. The prophecy of Ambakoum (OG translation of “Habakkuk”) shows evidence of Greek rhetoric amidst numerous linguistic transformations. These features reflect part of the translator’s personal literary and translational style in the transformation process – an act of interpretation. The meaning of the Hebrew Scriptures was carried over into a new Greek text by a multi-lingual translator, working in Alexandria sometime in the second century B.C.E. The process of interpretation was affected by more than so-called literalism, but also by socio-historical, linguistic and theological considerations. When the translator was not literal his approach was not simply free or exegetical. A real challenge for the translator was not his comprehension of, or ability with, his Hebrew text, but his choice of words, syntax and grammar in his own language. Sometimes his knowledge of Aramaic, which was more familiar than Classical Hebrew, was a quicker or more logical recourse through which to make decisions when rendering his Koine text. An understanding of the translator’s style is derived from an examination of the linguistics (i.e. lexemes, morphosyntax, semantics, etc.) and literary shapes of the new target text. This provides a basis upon which to then derive the translator’s sense for his Hebrew Vorlage. It is the Greek translation that lays out his view(s). This thesis puts the translator’s style on display by providing studies on the different aspects of it. The shape of the target text highlights subtle differences that reveal the translator’s particular textual and thematic perspective. These studies answer the main question; they draw out and explain the translator’s approach, linguistic hurdles and inventions, Aramaic interference, and some subtle theological distinctions. Only by building upon a study of the Greek document can one then form a constructive response to this enquiry. This thesis contributes to the field by clearly presenting the translator’s adept ability with his own language, which was also marked with some Greek rhetorical devices. It also examines the concept of literalism in the Septuagint by drawing into focus the multi-faceted aspects of the translational, and therefore interpretational, process. And by reading Ambakoum as a religious and historical product, the theological differences with that of MT appear germane to the target text, unbound from our later readings of the source. The translator simply read his Hebrew text differently from the way we read ours; this thesis shows how

Senior scientists: Engaging the elderly in National Science Week activities

Science and technology outreach events often focus on children and teenagers, intending to incentivise their interest in STEM to the detriment of other age groups. Other populations, including our seniors are afforded few opportunities to interact with technological developments in a positive way, making their encounters with this technology on hospital visits even more distressful. Through a series of outreach activities for National Science Week, we aimed to highlight an approach for interaction with the elderly in a safe and adaptive environment. These events are taken directly to elderly facilities and community spaces in the Perth metropolitan area, using an LED screen truck to display the activities and make the sensory experience accessible to the elderly community. We demonstrate how glass can allow us to capture more than meets the eye with health-integrated examples (e.g. lenses, microscopy and cameras). The event series aimed to stimulate an enhanced sense of agency and comfortability around new technology. Here, we will share the event’s logistical considerations, interest and outcomes of delivering this event to encourage future activities with our elderly population

Peritonitis in Peritoneal Dialysis patients: the case for rapid diagnosis, targeted treatment and monitoring to improve outcomes

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a cost-effective, home-based treatment option for patients with end-stage renal disease; however, PD is declining in many countries. A major reason for this is peritonitis, which commonly leads to technique failure and has led to negative perceptions of PD by clinicians and patients. To restore confidence in PD, better diagnostics are required to enable appropriate treatment to be started earlier; this needs to be coupled with improved understanding of the biology of peritonitis. Advances in culture-independent microbiological methods, in particular the use of bacterial flow cytometry and immune fingerprinting techniques, can enable organism detection and antimicrobial susceptibility testing to be performed in as little as 3 hours after samples are received. At the same time, improved understanding of peritoneal mesothelial cell responses to infection is providing insights into pathways that may be targeted to dampen deleterious elementsof the host immune response, promote healing, and preserve membrane function

Consumption of a high-salt diet by ewes during pregnancy alters nephrogenesis in 5-month-old offspring

Maternal nutrition during pregnancy can affect kidney development in the foetus, which may lead to adverse consequences in the mature kidney. It was expected that high-salt intake by pregnant ewes would lead to a reduction in foetal glomerular number but that the ovine kidney would adapt to maintain homoeostasis, in part by increasing the size of each glomerulus. Merino ewes that were fed either a control (1.5% NaCl) or high-salt (10.5% NaCl) diet during pregnancy, as well as their 5-month-old offspring, were subjected to a dietary salt challenge, and glomerular number and size and sodium excretion were measured. The high-salt offspring had 20% fewer glomeruli compared with the control offspring ( P,0.001), but they also had larger glomerular radii compared with the control offspring ( P,0.001). Consequently, the cross-sectional area of glomeruli was 18% larger in the high-salt offspring than in the control offspring ( P,0.05). There was no difference in the daily urinary sodium excretion between the two offspring groups ( P.0.05), although the high-salt offspring produced urine with a higher concentration of sodium. Our results demonstrated that maternal high-salt intake during pregnancy affected foetal nephrogenesis, altering glomerular number at birth. However, the ability to concentrate and excrete salt was not compromised, which indicates that the kidney was able to adapt to the reduction in the number of glomeruli