Applying Chemometrics to Evaluate Mine Tailings’ Potential As Partial Cement Replacement

This study investigates the utilization of mine tailings, the by-product originating from metal- and mineral-based ore mining, as a new cement replacement material. This paper is based on the chemical and physical characteristics of 13 mine tailing samples. In this study, Chemometrics were applied to consider all parameters simultaneously and obtain a thorough screening of potential relations in the large data set. Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) groups samples according to (dis)similar features and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) visualizes predominating variables and relations to samples. The application of HCA highlighted a clear grouping between mine tailings according to characteristics. Meanwhile, PCA identified the predominant chemical and physical characteristics in the mine tailing samples. Chemometrics therefore provided a thorough overview of mine tailings’ physical and chemical characteristics. Keywords: mine tailings, chemometrics, cement replacemen

Regional Gene Expression of LOX-1, VCAM-1, and ICAM-1 in Aorta of HIV-1 Transgenic Rats

BACKGROUND: Increased prevalence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in HIV-infected patients has been observed. The cause of this accelerated atherosclerosis is a matter of controversy. As clinical studies are complicated by a multiplicity of risk-factors and a low incidence of hard endpoints, studies in animal models could be attractive alternatives. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We evaluated gene expression of lectin-like oxidized-low-density-lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in HIV-1 transgenic (HIV-1Tg) rats; these genes are all thought to play important roles in early atherogenesis. Furthermore, the plasma level of sICAM-1 was measured. We found that gene expressions of LOX-1 and VCAM-1 were higher in the aortic arch of HIV-1Tg rats compared to controls. Also, the level of sICAM-1 was elevated in the HIV-1Tg rats compared to controls, but the ICAM-1 gene expression profile did not show any differences between the groups. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: HIV-1Tg rats have gene expression patterns indicating endothelial dysfunction and accelerated atherosclerosis in aorta, suggesting that HIV-infection per se may cause atherosclerosis. This transgenic rat model may be a very promising model for further studies of the pathophysiology behind HIV-associated cardiovascular disease

“To be your own medicine”

Introduksjon Tittelen er: ”Å være sin egen medisin”. Oppgaven handler om hvordan god sykepleie kan bidra til styrket egenomsorg ved diabetes type 2. Den er begrenset til personer over 60 år, som mottar hjemmesykepleie. Problemstillingen er: Hvordan kan sykepleieren styrke den hjemmeboende brukers egenomsorg, ved nyoppdaget diabetes type 2? Hensikt Som nyutdannede sykepleiere skal vi kunne gi hensiktsmessig veiledning og opplæring. Dette kan styrke brukernes egenomsorg, forebygge senkomplikasjoner og bevare livskvaliteten. Dette er nødvendig, da ansvar for egen helse blir mer og mer vektlagt i dagens samfunn med høyt press på helsevesenet. Metode Oppgaven er en litteraturstudie, og er derfor basert på relevant faglitteratur og forskning på området. Det er anvendt pensumlitteratur, og den selvvalgte litteraturen er skrevet av forfattere som er anerkjente på sitt fagfelt. De sju forskningsartiklene er i funnet i databaser som er godkjent av Høgskolen i Hedmark. Diskusjon I første del av drøftingen ser vi hvordan Dorothea Orems sykepleieprosess kan benyttes. Brukermedvirkning og relasjonen mellom sykepleier og bruker er vektlagt, og vi diskuterer videre utfordringer ved ivaretakelse av egenomsorg i hjemmesykepleien. Gjennom hele drøftingen brukes forskning, litteratur og egne erfaringer for å belyse problemstillingen

Roles of acid-extruding ion transporters in regulation of breast cancer cell growth in a 3-dimensional microenvironment

BACKGROUND: The 3-dimensional (3D) microenvironment of breast carcinomas is characterized by profoundly altered pH homeostasis, reflecting increased metabolic acid production and a confined extracellular space characterized by poor diffusion, yet the relative contributions of specific pH-regulatory transporters to 3D growth are poorly understood. The aim of this work was to determine how 3D spheroid growth of breast cancer cells impacts the expression and spatial organization of major acid extruding proteins, and how these proteins in turn are required for spheroid growth. METHODS: MCF-7 (Luminal-A) and MDA-MB-231 (Triple-negative) human breast cancer cells were grown as ~700-950 μm diameter spheroids, which were subjected to Western blotting for relevant transporters (2- and 3D growth), quantitative immunohistochemical analysis, and spheroid growth assays. Individual transporter contributions were assessed (i) pharmacologically, (ii) by stable shRNA- and transient siRNA-mediated knockdown, and (iii) by CRISPR/Cas9 knockout. RESULTS: In MCF-7 spheroids, expression of the lactate-H(+) cotransporter MCT1 (SLC16A1) increased from the spheroid periphery to its core, the Na(+),HCO(3)(−) cotransporter NBCn1 (SLC4A7) was most highly expressed at the periphery, and the Na(+)/H(+) exchanger NHE1 (SLC9A1) and MCT4 (SLC16A3) were evenly distributed. A similar pattern was seen in MDA-MB-231 spheroids, except that these cells do not express MCT1. The relative total expression of NBCn1 and NHE1 was decreased in 3D compared to 2D, while that of MCT1 and MCT4 was unaltered. Inhibition of MCT1 (AR-C155858) attenuated MCF-7 spheroid growth and this was exacerbated by addition of S0859, an inhibitor of Na(+),HCO(3)(−) cotransporters and MCTs. The pharmacological data was recapitulated by stable knockdown of MCT1 or NBCn1, whereas knockdown of MCT4 had no effect. CRISPR/Cas9 knockout of NHE1, but neither partial NHE1 knockdown nor the NHE1 inhibitor cariporide, inhibited MCF-7 spheroid growth. In contrast, growth of MDA-MB-231 spheroids was inhibited by stable or transient NHE1 knockdown and by NHE1 knockout, but not by knockdown of NBCn1 or MCT4. CONCLUSIONS: This work demonstrates the distinct expression and localization patterns of four major acid-extruding transporters in 3D spheroids of human breast cancer cells and reveals that 3D growth is dependent on these transporters in a cell type-dependent manner, with potentially important implications for breast cancer therapy. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12943-016-0528-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Original Article

Recovery cycle of the evoked potential in the thalamic nuclei was investigated in 18 adult cats under moderate chloralose-urethane anesthesia. Both concentric bipolar electrode and glass-insulated tungsten microelectrode were used to record the amplitude of mass response or the number of the unit discharge respectively. Stimuli were applied to the peripheral (radial, tibial, peroneal and sural) nerves in the following three different ways : 1) double shocks to a nerve in a extremity, 2) two shocks separately to two different nerve trunks in the same extremity, 3) two shocks separately to two different nerve trunks in the different extremities. It was observed that the time course of the recovery cycle became shorter in the following order : 1) recovery tested by the routine double shock method in the same nerve trunk, 2) recovery tested by the stimuli separately applied to the different nerve trunks in the same extremity, 3) recovery tested by stimuli separately applied to the different nerve trunks in the different extremities. Such an order was also found to exist in the absolute refractoriness. This conclusion is schematically illustrated in Fig. 10 of the text. Different degrees of interference between two responses were discussed from the point of view that they might be attributed to the different overlapping density in the termination of sensory neurons at the thalamus where sensory afferents have some aspect of somatotopic alignment. The relatively long absolute refractoriness was also discussed in the text and might be explained by the thalamic recurrent inhibitory neurons which were proposed by Andersen and others (1962), to which the present observation also gave further confirmation (Fig. 9)

Systematic review of interventions targeting sickness absence among pregnant women in healthcare settings and workplaces

Objectives: The high rate of sickness absence from work during pregnancy is recognised as a problem, and may be higher than necessary from a health perspective. The aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions in healthcare settings and workplaces targeting sickness absence among pregnant women. Methods: Studies were eligible if they included pregnant women participating in any intervention in healthcare settings or workplaces. The outcome was length of sickness absence in days or number of episodes. Study design had to be either randomised controlled trials (RCTs) or quasi-experimental studies. The search for studies was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ClinicalTrials.gov and WHO trial registry. Risk of bias was assessed by the Joanna Briggs Institute standardised quality assessment instrument. Results: A total of nine studies were quality assessed and of these, four were excluded due to insufficient methodological quality. Five RCTs conducted in healthcare settings in Sweden and Norway were included. Due to heterogeneity, meta-analysis was not performed. Two RCTs examined complementary and alternative medicine and three RCTs the effect of physical exercise. In general, the frequency of women on sickness absence was lower in the intervention groups than the control groups, however, only among pregnant women who participated in a 12-week exercise programme, the frequency was significantly lower (22% vs 30%, p=0.04). Conclusion: The evidence of interventions targeting sickness absence among pregnant women in healthcare settings is sparse, and no studies were conducted at workplaces. Future interventions including physical activity provided in collaboration with healthcare settings and workplaces are requested. Studies should measure sickness absence based on valid methods, measure compliance to the intervention and provide transparency of statistical methods