Occurrence of Escherichia coli harbouring stx genes in popiah, a Malaysian street food

Irrespective of its health effects, street foods are very popular with the consumers. The main purpose of this research was to study the biosafety of Escherichia coli in popiah, a Malaysian street food sold at a roadside food stall and a restaurant in Sri Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia, using the combination of the most probable number (MPN)-Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) assay-plating on Eosin Methylene Blue (EMB) agar methods. Using these biomolecular methods, E. coli was detected in 12/15 (80%) and 11/15 (73%) of the collected samples from the roadside food stall and the restaurant respectively. The incidence of stx virulence-associated genes was detected in 1/15 (7%) among the E. coli isolated from samples taken from the roadside food stall while the E. coli isolated from the restaurant was 3/15 (20%). The density of E. coli ranged from 1100 MPN/g and the density of E. coli positive with stx genes was <3 to 53 MPN /g in samples from both the roadside food stall and the restaurant. The presence of the stx-positive E. coli in popiah are significant to risk assessments of food and epidemiological studies. Therefore, from the information obtained in this study, it is obvious that the screening for STEC markers in food samples would be useful for food safety survey

The novel RAGE interactor PRAK is associated with autophagy signaling in Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis

BACKGROUND: The receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) has been found to interact with amyloid β (Aβ). Although RAGE does not have any kinase motifs in its cytosolic domain, the interaction between RAGE and Aβ triggers multiple cellular signaling involved in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, the mechanism of signal transduction by RAGE remains still unknown. Therefore, identifying binding proteins of RAGE may provide novel therapeutic targets for AD. RESULTS: In this study, we identified p38-regulated/activated protein kinase (PRAK) as a novel RAGE interacting molecule. To investigate the effect of Aβ on PRAK mediated RAGE signaling pathway, we treated SH-SY5Y cells with monomeric form of Aβ. We demonstrated that Aβ significantly increased the phosphorylation of PRAK as well as the interaction between PRAK and RAGE. We showed that knockdown of PRAK rescued mTORC1 inactivation induced by Aβ treatment and decreased the formation of Aβ-induced autophagosome. CONCLUSIONS: We provide evidence that PRAK plays a critical role in AD pathology as a key interactor of RAGE. Thus, our data suggest that PRAK might be a potential therapeutic target of AD involved in RAGE-mediated cell signaling induced by Aβ. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13024-016-0068-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

The genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex

The cerebral cortex underlies our complex cognitive capabilities, yet little is known about the specific genetic loci that influence human cortical structure. To identify genetic variants that affect cortical structure, we conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis of brain magnetic resonance imaging data from 51,665 individuals. We analyzed the surface area and average thickness of the whole cortex and 34 regions with known functional specializations. We identified 199 significant loci and found significant enrichment for loci influencing total surface area within regulatory elements that are active during prenatal cortical development, supporting the radial unit hypothesis. Loci that affect regional surface area cluster near genes in Wnt signaling pathways, which influence progenitor expansion and areal identity. Variation in cortical structure is genetically correlated with cognitive function, Parkinson's disease, insomnia, depression, neuroticism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

The genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex

The cerebral cortex underlies our complex cognitive capabilities, yet little is known about the specific genetic loci that influence human cortical structure. To identify genetic variants that affect cortical structure, we conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis of brain magnetic resonance imaging data from 51,665 individuals. We analyzed the surface area and average thickness of the whole cortex and 34 regions with known functional specializations. We identified 199 significant loci and found significant enrichment for loci influencing total surface area within regulatory elements that are active during prenatal cortical development, supporting the radial unit hypothesis. Loci that affect regional surface area cluster near genes in Wnt signaling pathways, which influence progenitor expansion and areal identity. Variation in cortical structure is genetically correlated with cognitive function, Parkinson's disease, insomnia, depression, neuroticism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Laying Cornerstone of Association Building (Seoul, Korea)

This lantern slide, “Laying Cornerstone of Association Building (Seoul, Korea),” shows a man wearing a mortarboard and academic gown in the middle of giving a speech. The are an array of flags representing numerous countries above him. This scene is from the laying of the cornerstone of a Y.M.C.A. Association Building in Seoul, Korea around 1909.During the early twentieth-century, the International Y.M.C.A. Training School (now known as Springfield College) taught a number of international students who eventually worked at the Y.M.C.A. in Seoul. Perhaps the most famous was Phillip Loring Gillett who brought Baseball to Korea. Although the first Y.M.C.A. activities in Korea began in 1888 under the guidance of missionaries from the University of Toronto, formal organization of a Korean association did not happen until ten years later, when missionaries in Seoul requested assistance from the American Y.M.C.A.'s International Committee. In 1901, Philip L. Gillett became the first secretary of the Seoul Association, launching the start of the Y.M.C.A.'s long and significant history on the Korean Peninsula. The Y.M.C.A. introduced the nation to baseball and offered bible study, career training, and agricultural assistance programs, among many other activities. As a result of the organization's openness and promotion of democratic values, the Y.M.C.A. became popular among Korean nationalists who opposed the Japanese annexation of the country. In 1912, the Seoul Association was accused of playing a role in a plot to assassinate the Japanese governor of Korea. In 1919, many Christians affiliated with the Y.M.C.A. were involved in a revolt against Japanese occupation. In 1922, the Korean Association was formally separated from the Y.M.C.A.s of Japan. Following the Armistice Agreement in 1953, the Korean Y.M.C.A.s shifted their focus to reconstruction and nation building. They provided rice and milk lines for refugees, rural reconstruction programs, and English typing classes to meet the needs of the United Nations. In addition, the Seoul Y.M.C.A. established Boy's Town, an orphanage that would operate for several decades following the war. By 1955, the Korean Y.M.C.A. regained its momentum and had grown to include 25 city associations, 29 university associations, and 145 boy's clubs. In 1969, the Korean Y.M.C.A. announced that they would shift their focus to outreach programs, which included constructing roads and community centers in rural areas, as well as anti-poverty efforts in six city slums. In 1971, the Korean Y.M.C.A.s established programs to promote financial self-sufficiency and increased Korean leadership in the organization. Today, the Y.M.C.A. in Korea maintains its traditional services in addition to a variety of social betterment programs that include environmental conservation, electoral transparency, and consumer protection.Text on border reads, "John F. Sweeney & Son, High Class Lantern Slides;" This image was used in the publication "Contributions of International Y.M.C.A. College to Association Work in Foreign Lands,” call number BV1125.C65 1909

Silver Bay Institute Groups (August 1908)

This lantern slide shows the nine YMCA groups who visited the Silver Bay YMCA in August 1908: educational directors, physical directors, railroad secretaries, boys secretaries, religious work instructors, army and navy, advanced-physical directors, secretarial institute, and county work.The Silver Bay YMCA is a facility over one hundred years old that primarily hosts conferences, trainings, and private events on its seven-hundred-acre campus. During the late 19th-century, Silas Paine purchased the Silver Bay Hotel, where he offered guests a “sylvan fairy-land.” In 1900, Luther Wishard proposed to reserve the hotel for YMCA conferences; Paine agreed. In 1903, Springfield College developed a close relationship with the Silver Bay Summer Training Institute and had representatives on the Lake George Committee. Many faculty members and undergrads spent the summer working there, and students who desired a more extensive course of preparation were given credit at Springfield College School for work done at Silver Bay. The Silver Bay Association was incorporated in 1904. In 1909, a new auditorium with a slate roof was built to replace the old one, which had burned down. The YMCA used the Silver Bay campus as a training center for their staff, who worked in factories, foreign missions, college campuses, and in urban social centers. After Sir Robert Baden-Powell organized the Boy Scouts, the idea took root across the United States. Recognizing that the movement needed organization on a national level, the YMCA hosted an experimental training camp for Boy Scout leaders at Silvery Bay. The camp focused on nature studies, woodcraft, and camping skills. In 1918, Silver Bay opened a boys’ school founded on principles of cooperative education.This was originally digitized in March 2003, but rescanned because the image was too small

Athletics (c. 1903)

This lantern slide shows an athletic event. It is unsure where this event took place, but it could have been on the campus of the International YMCA Training School, now known as Springfield College. A large group of people are standing in a wide semicircle around the competitors. There are hills in the background, which may indicate that the location was not Springfield College.Springfield College has a long history of successful athletics dating back to the 1800s. Before Pratt Field was completed in 1910, students used six acres adjoining the gymnasium. This land had a ball field, quarter-mile running and bicycle track, and tennis courts. They also used fourteen acres on the north side of Alden Street, where the baseball and football teams trained. This image was likely taken on one of these properties.Glass is cracked; Text on border reads, "Athletics.

Silver Bay YMCA

This lantern slide shows buildings nestled at the base of a steep, tree-covered ridge on the shores of Lake George in the . The buildings belong to the Silver Bay YMCA, a facility over one hundred years old that primarily hosts conferences, trainings, and private events on its seven-hundred-acre campus.During the late 19th-century, Silas Paine purchased the Silver Bay Hotel, where he offered guests a “sylvan fairy-land.” In 1900, Luther Wishard proposed to reserve the hotel for YMCA conferences. After the program’s success, the Silver Bay Association was incorporated in 1904. In 1909, a new auditorium with a slate roof was built to replace the old one, which had burned down. The YMCA used the Silver Bay campus as a training center for their staff, who worked in factories, foreign missions, college campuses, and in urban social centers. After Sir Robert Baden-Powell organized the Boy Scouts, the idea took root across the United States. Recognizing that the movement needed organization on a national level, the YMCA hosted an experimental training camp for Boy Scout leaders at Silvery Bay. The camp focused on nature studies, woodcraft, and camping skills. In 1918, Silver Bay opened a boys’ school founded on principles of cooperative education. In addition to rigorous academics and athletics, the boys worked at building paths and bridges, cutting and storing ice, and hauling timber from the woods.Text on border reads, "Subject Property; Auditor.