The Effect of Ethanol on Cellular Movements and Development in C. elegans

Neural tube development, which gives rise to the central nervous system, is vital to embryonic development. Neural tube defects, like spina bifida, are serious and common congenital defects which can result in life-long medical complications. Folic acid has been used as a preventative measure for neural tube defects and has appeared to decrease the occurrences of neural tube defects. However, the mechanism behind folic acid’s role in neural tube development is unclear. Furthermore, some evidence suggests that ethanol decreases the levels of folates and folate coenzymes in the fetal brain and downregulates folic acid metabolism genes. To better understand the connections between ethanol, folic acid, and neural tube defects, we are using the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans as a model system. C. elegans are a good model system for this study because despite lacking a neural tube, cellular processes involved in neural tube development are conserved. Upon the introduction of ethanol to reproductive worms, my data indicate there was an increase in the embryonic lethality and a decrease in the brood sizes of the worms. We show that around the embryonic elongation stage some worm embryos born from worms exposed to ethanol cease development. We also provide evidence that in these ethanol exposed worms, cell migration of the endoderm may be affected but intestinal cell fate is not. Through studying the movements of the cells during development we hope to be able to uncover specific cellular events that are affected upon exposure to ethanol

Analyzing the Lifecycle of a Modular Cutting Board from Design to Production

This Capstone project is intended to demonstrate the process of product development for a modular cutting board from design to production by applying manufacturing principles, utilizing the stage-gate format, and developing a marketing plan. The guiding principles for the project would be the implementation of lean manufacturing and analyzing the quality, performance, lifecycle cost, and time needed for market introduction. Team voting and assignment occurred in Manufacturing 451 in Fall 2020, and the project was completed during Spring 2021. Teams were required to meet outside of class time in order to discuss ideas and build designs. Lab times were scheduled in advance with the assigned technician, Richard Hairston, to utilize the equipment on the factory floor to create a prototype. The team consisted of five group members pursuing degrees in mechanical engineering, accounting, banking and finance, and general business. After developing a product plan, the team built and documented the process to create a working prototype. The team conducted market research and developed a cost strategy that would make full scale production of this product possible. The ultimate goal for the project would be to ramp up production to 12 boards in one production line. Projections for the materials and labor requirements for larger scale production, future sales expectations, pricing, and demand estimates were forecasted after prototype completion

Action Anthropology and Pedagogy: University-Community Collaborations in Setting Policy

This article describes a student-led, community-participatory project focused on reducing the burden of childhood lead poisoning in rental housing. A multidisciplinary group of students and faculty worked with community members. We compiled the social, public health, economic, and policy information on the human and fiscal costs of childhood lead poisoning. This analysis was done for community advocates to use to persuade policymakers to enact a local law strengthening the prevention of childhood lead poisoning in rental property. In conducting this work, the students gained experience in qualitative research methods, quantitative data analysis, the health consequences of lead exposure, health policy, urban health, science writing, and public presentation

The Grizzly, November 9, 2006

Philly Soft Pretzel Factory Now Open • English for All • WeCAN Make(s) a Difference! Workers\u27 Rights Conference Held at Ursinus • Wearing Justice on Our Sleeves • Students Protest at the Mall • Genital Warts and HPV: The Facts, Part I • Spotlight: Psychology Club • Guy Fawkes Day Revisited • Triangle People : The Work of Lynn Chadwick • Opinions: The Significance of Kyke ; Open Letter to Ursinus; 2008 Preview: Part II; Gay Marriage: Who Should Decide? • Bears Beat Rival LaSalle, Take Home Second Title • Explosive Offense Shoots Bears Past Diplomatshttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1724/thumbnail.jp

Prenatal metal(loid) mixtures and birth weight for gestational age: A pooled analysis of three cohorts participating in the ECHO program

Background: A growing number of studies have identified both toxic and essential metals which influence fetal growth. However, most studies have conducted single-cohort analyses, which are often limited by narrow exposure ranges, and evaluated metals individually. The objective of the current study was to conduct an environmental mixture analysis of metal impacts on fetal growth, pooling data from three geographically and demographically diverse cohorts in the United States participating in the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes program. Methods: The pooled sample (N = 1,002) included participants from the MADRES, NHBCS, and PROTECT cohorts. Associations between seven metals (antimony, cadmium, cobalt, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, tin) measured in maternal urine samples collected during pregnancy (median: 16.0 weeks gestation) and birth weight for gestational age z-scores (BW for GA) were investigated using Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR). Models were also stratified by cohort and infant sex to investigate possible heterogeneity. Chromium and uranium concentrations fell below the limits of detection for most participants and were evaluated separately as binary variables using pooled linear regression models. Results: In the pooled BKMR analysis, antimony, mercury, and tin were inversely and linearly associated with BW for GA, while a positive linear association was identified for nickel. The inverse association between antimony and BW for GA was observed in both males and females and for all three cohorts but was strongest for MADRES, a predominantly low-income Hispanic cohort in Los Angeles. A reverse j-shaped association was identified between cobalt and BW for GA, which was driven by female infants. Pooled associations were null for cadmium, chromium, molybdenum, and uranium, and BKMR did not identify potential interactions between metal pairs. Conclusions: Findings suggest that antimony, an understudied metalloid, may adversely impact fetal growth. Cohort- and/or sex-dependent associations were identified for many of the metals, which merit additional investigation

The SRG Rat, a Sprague-Dawley Rag2/Il2rg Double-Knockout Validated for Human Tumor Oncology Studies

We have created the immunodeficient SRG rat, a Sprague-Dawley Rag2/Il2rg double knockout that lacks mature B cells, T cells, and circulating NK cells. This model has been tested and validated for use in oncology (SRG OncoRat®). The SRG rat demonstrates efficient tumor take rates and growth kinetics with different human cancer cell lines and PDXs. Although multiple immunodeficient rodent strains are available, some important human cancer cell lines exhibit poor tumor growth and high variability in those models. The VCaP prostate cancer model is one such cell line that engrafts unreliably and grows irregularly in existing models but displays over 90% engraftment rate in the SRG rat with uniform growth kinetics. Since rats can support much larger tumors than mice, the SRG rat is an attractive host for PDX establishment. Surgically resected NSCLC tissue from nine patients were implanted in SRG rats, seven of which engrafted and grew for an overall success rate of 78%. These developed into a large tumor volume, over 20,000 mm3 in the first passage, which would provide an ample source of tissue for characterization and/or subsequent passage into NSG mice for drug efficacy studies. Molecular characterization and histological analyses were performed for three PDX lines and showed high concordance between passages 1, 2 and 3 (P1, P2, P3), and the original patient sample. Our data suggest the SRG OncoRat is a valuable tool for establishing PDX banks and thus serves as an alternative to current PDX mouse models hindered by low engraftment rates, slow tumor growth kinetics, and multiple passages to develop adequate tissue banks