Bits & Pieces: Project Review

This project explores the impact of creative collaboration on social connections between participants and volunteers in a friendly visiting program to answer the following questions: What is the significance of a participatory based research process where older adults, staff, and volunteers are all primary contributors? How can we co-design programming to elevate a sense of meaning and connection for staff, participants, and volunteers

A Modified Surface on Titanium Deposited by a Blasting Process

Abstract : Hydroxyapatite (HA) coating of hard tissue implants is widely employed for its biocompatible and osteoconductive properties as well as its improved mechanical properties. Plasma technology is the principal deposition process for coating HA on bioactive metals for this application. However, thermal decomposition of HA can occur during the plasma deposition process, resulting in coating variability in terms of purity, uniformity and crystallinity, which can lead to implant failure caused by aseptic loosening. In this study, CoBlast™, a novel blasting process has been used to successfully modify a titanium (V) substrate with a HA treatment using a dopant/abrasive regime. The impact of a series of apatitic abrasives under the trade name MCD, was investigated to determine the effect of abrasive particle size on the surface properties of both microblast (abrasive only) and CoBlast (HA/abrasive) treatments. The resultant HA treated substrates were compared to substrates treated with abrasive only (microblasted) and an untreated Ti. The HA powder, apatitic abrasives and the treated substrates were characterized for chemical composition, coating coverage, crystallinity and topography including surface roughness. The results show that the surface roughness of the HA blasted modification was affected by the particle size of the apatitic abrasives used. The CoBlast process did not alter the chemistry of the crystalline HA during deposition. Cell proliferation on the HA surface was also assessed, which demonstrated enhanced osteo-viability compared to the microblast and blank Ti. This study demonstrates the ability of the CoBlast process to deposit HA coatings with a range of surface properties onto Ti substrates. The ability of the CoBlast technology to offer diversity in modifying surface topography offers exciting new prospects in tailoring the properties of medical devices for applications ranging from dental to orthopedic settings

Confronting Environmental Inequality: Assessing and Mitigating Students\u27 Exposure to Near Roadway Air Pollution in Silicon Valley

Near roadway vehicle emissions, such as particulate matter (PM), nitrous oxides, and other contaminants, are major sources of air pollution, which can cause respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses.1 Chronic air and noise pollution exposures can also negatively influence cognitive function and student learning. Of greatest concern are concentrations within 500 feet of high traffic street edges, but concentrations can be harmful at distances up to 1320 ft.2 Vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly, or those with impaired health are likely to suffer the greatest impacts. In 2003, the California legislature passed SB 352, prohibiting building new schools within 500 ft of high traffic roadways. However, SB 352 does not address what action should be taken to reduce the health risks for children at school sites already near high traffic roadways, and the Bill acknowledges that a disproportionate amount of low income students attend such schools. A recent report found that nationwide more than 8000 public schools or about one in every 11 public schools, serving roughly 4.4 million students is located within 500 ft. of a road with more than 30,000 vehicles per day, or at least 10,000 cars and 500 trucks per day. Many more head start and private schools are also exposed.3 An earlier study, found that 13.5% of students attended schools within 820 ft of a major roadway, concluding that minority and underprivileged children were disproportionately affected, although some results varied regionally.4 To better understand pollution patterns, environmental justice issues, and the community responses in Santa Clara County (SCC), we started field research in the Greater Washington Neighborhood of San Jose, CA. We started here because of the proximity of schools to high traffic roadways, and the support that Thriving Neighbors Initiative offered through partnerships with Washington Elementary School (WES) and a network of promotoras that are improving their community and interested in a community-based research

The Lantern Vol. 75, No. 1, Fall 2007

• Black Cat • Divorce • The Picture in the Basement • An Ode to the \u2750s Housewife; or Go Go Sylvia Plath • Paradise from a Clock • The Fifth • Moveable Feast • Deathbed • July 17th • Words • Autobiography • The Raving • The Dream Hater • The Moon Rose Late • Tree, the Big, Very Old One in the Middle of Campus • Apple Bit • Sub Atomic Romance • God Came • Extinction • Ski Masks and Knee Caps • Of Silhouettes and Dominoeshttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/lantern/1171/thumbnail.jp

Pivotal Advance: Eosinophil infiltration of solid tumors is an early and persistent inflammatory host response

Tumor-associated eosinophilia has been observed in numerous human cancers and several tumor models in animals; however, the details surrounding this eosinophilia remain largely undefined and anecdotal. We used a B16-F10 melanoma cell injection model to demonstrate that eosinophil infiltration of tumors occurred from the earliest palpable stages with significant accumulations only in the necrotic and capsule regions. Furthermore, the presence of diffuse extracellular matrix staining for eosinophil major basic protein was restricted to the necrotic areas of tumors, indicating that eosinophil degranulation was limited to this region. Antibody-mediated depletion of CD4+ T cells and adoptive transfer of eosinophils suggested, respectively, that the accumulation of eosinophils is not associated with T helper cell type 2-dependent immune responses and that recruitment is a dynamic, ongoing process, occurring throughout tumor growth. Ex vivo migration studies have identified what appears to be a novel chemotactic factor(s) released by stressed/dying melanoma cells, suggesting that the accumulation of eosinophils in tumors occurs, in part, through a unique mechanism dependent on a signal(s) released from areas of necrosis. Collectively, these studies demonstrate that the infiltration of tumors by eosinophils is an early and persistent response that is spatial-restricted. It is more important that these data also show that the mechanism(s) that elicit this host response occur, independent of immune surveillance, suggesting that eosinophils are part of an early inflammatory reaction at the site of tumorigenesis. © Society for Leukocyte Biology

Defining a link with asthma in mice congenitally deficient in eosinophils

Eosinophils are often dominant inflammatory cells present in the lungs of asthma patients. Nonetheless, the role of these leukocytes remains poorly understood. We have created a transgenic line of mice (PHIL) that are specifically devoid of eosinophils, but otherwise have a full complement of hematopoietically derived cells. Allergen challenge of PHIL mice demonstrated that eosinophils were required for pulmonary mucus accumulation and the airway hyperresponsiveness associated with asthma. The development of an eosinophi-less mouse now permits an unambiguous assessment of a number of human diseases that have been linked to this granulocyte, including allergic diseases, parasite infections, and tumorigenesis

A causative relationship exists between eosinophils and the development of allergic pulmonary pathologies in the mouse

Asthma and mouse models of allergic respiratory inflammation are invariably associated with a pulmonary eosinophilia; however, this association has remained correlative. In this report, a causative relationship between eosinophils and allergen-provoked pathologies was established using eosinophil adoptive transfer. Eosinophils were transferred directly into the lungs of either naive or OVA-treated IL-5-/- mice. This strategy resulted in a pulmonary eosinophilia equivalent to that observed in OVA-treated wild-type animals. A concomitant consequence of this eosinophil transfer was an increase in Th2 bronchoalveolar lavage cytokine levels and the restoration of intracellular epithelial mucus in OVA-treated IL-5-/- mice equivalent to OVA-treated wild-type levels. Moreover, the transfer also resulted in the development of airway hyperresponsiveness. These pulmonary changes did not occur when eosinophils were transferred into naive IL-5-/- mice, eliminating nonspecific consequences of the eosinophil transfer as a possible explanation. Significantly, administration of OVA-treated IL-5-/- mice with GK1.5 (anti-CD4) Abs abolished the increases in mucus accumulation and airway hyperresponsiveness following adoptive transfer of eosinophils. Thus, CD4+ T cell-mediated inflammatory signals as well as signals derived from eosinophils are each necessary, yet alone insufficient, for the development of allergic pulmonary pathology. These data support an expanded view of T cell and eosinophil activities and suggest that eosinophil effector functions impinge directly on lung function

Investigating the Potential and Pitfalls of EV-Encapsulated MicroRNAs as Circulating Biomarkers of Breast Cancer

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) shuttle microRNA (miRNA) throughout the circulation and are believed to represent a fingerprint of the releasing cell. We isolated and characterized serum EVs of breast tumour-bearing animals, breast cancer (BC) patients, and healthy controls. EVs were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), protein quantification, western blotting, and nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA). Absolute quantitative (AQ)-PCR was employed to analyse EV-miR-451a expression. Isolated EVs had the appropriate morphology and size. Patient sera contained significantly more EVs than did healthy controls. In tumour-bearing animals, a correlation between serum EV number and tumour burden was observed. There was no significant relationship between EV protein yield and EV quantity determined by NTA, highlighting the requirement for direct quantification. Using AQ-PCR to relate miRNA copy number to EV yield, a significant increase in miRNA-451a copies/EV was detected in BC patient sera, suggesting potential as a novel biomarker of breast cancer

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Prehospital comprehensive stroke center vs primary stroke center triage in patients with suspected large vessel occlusion stroke

Importance: Endovascular therapy (EVT) improves functional outcomes in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) with large vessel occlusion (LVO). Whether implementation of a regional prehospital transport policy for comprehensive stroke center triage increases use of EVT is uncertain. Objective: To evaluate the association of a regional prehospital transport policy that directly triages patients with suspected LVO stroke to the nearest comprehensive stroke center with rates of EVT. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective, multicenter preimplementation-postimplementation study used an interrupted time series analysis to compare treatment rates before and after implementation in patients with AIS arriving at 15 primary stroke centers and 8 comprehensive stroke centers in Chicago, Illinois, via emergency medical services (EMS) transport from December 1, 2017, to May 31, 2019 (9 months before and after implementation in September 2018). Data were analyzed from December 1, 2017, to May 31, 2019. Interventions: Prehospital EMS transport policy to triage patients with suspected LVO stroke, using a 3-item stroke scale, to comprehensive stroke centers. Main Outcomes and Measures: Rates of EVT before and after implementation among EMS-transported patients within 6 hours of AIS onset. Results: Among 7709 patients with stroke, 663 (mean [SD] age, 68.5 [14.9] years; 342 women [51.6%] and 321 men [48.4%]; and 348 Black individuals [52.5%]) with AIS arrived within 6 hours of stroke onset by EMS transport: 310 of 2603 (11.9%) in the preimplementation period and 353 of 2637 (13.4%) in the postimplementation period. The EVT rate increased overall among all patients with AIS (preimplementation, 4.9% [95% CI, 4.1%-5.8%]; postimplementation, 7.4% [95% CI, 7.5%-8.5%]; P \u3c .001) and among EMS-transported patients with AIS within 6 hours of onset (preimplementation, 4.8% [95% CI, 3.0%-7.8%]; postimplementation, 13.6% [95% CI, 10.4%-17.6%]; P \u3c .001). On interrupted time series analysis among EMS-transported patients, the level change within 1 month of implementation was 7.15% (P = .04) with no slope change before (0.16%; P = .71) or after (0.08%; P = .89), which indicates a step rather than gradual change. No change in time to thrombolysis or rate of thrombolysis was observed (step change, 1.42%; P = .82). There were no differences in EVT rates in patients not arriving by EMS in the 6- to 24-hour window or by interhospital transfer or walk-in, irrespective of time window. Conclusions and Relevance: Implementation of a prehospital transport policy for comprehensive stroke center triage in Chicago was associated with a significant, rapid, and sustained increase in EVT rate for patients with AIS without deleterious associations with thrombolysis rates or times