Chaubal, Kishori Interview

https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/witw/1018/thumbnail.jp

Gendered Discourse in the Political Behavior of Adolescents

The roots of adult civic and political participation originate in pre-adult experiences (Verba et al. 1995) and high school extracurricular activities offer students opportunities to develop interpersonal and leadership skills. In this research, we ask whether adolescents also learn gendered norms of political discourse through extracurricular activities. This project assessed gender differences in participation at the 1999 Model United Nations of the Southwest (MUNSW) at the University of Oklahoma. Important differences in participation were observed in the number and character of speaking turns taken by male and female delegates. We find that contextual factors, such as the sex of the committee chair, the issue areas addressed by the committee, and the timing of the session in the conference significantly influence who participates in the discourse, but the percentage of female participants surprisingly does not. The character of the political discourse suggests norms dominated by masculinity.Yeshttps://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/manuscript-submission-guideline

Skeletal Protection and Promotion of Microbiome Diversity by Dietary Boosting of the Endogenous Antioxidant Response

There is an unmet need for interventions with better compliance that prevent the adverse effects of sex steroid deficiency on the musculoskeletal system. We identified a blueberry cultivar (Montgomerym [Mont]) that added to the diet protects female mice from musculoskeletal loss and body weight changes induced by ovariectomy. Mont, but not other blueberries, increased the endogenous antioxidant response by bypassing the traditional antioxidant transcription factor Nrf2 and without activating estrogen receptor canonical signaling. Remarkably, Mont did not protect the male skeleton from androgen-induced bone loss. Moreover, Mont increased the variety of bacterial communities in the gut microbiome (α-diversity) more in female than in male mice; shifted the phylogenetic relatedness of bacterial communities (β-diversity) further in females than males; and increased the prevalence of the taxon Ruminococcus1 in females but not males. Therefore, this nonpharmacologic intervention (i) protects from estrogen but not androgen deficiency; (ii) preserves bone, skeletal muscle, and body composition; (iii) elicits antioxidant defense responses independently of classical antioxidant/estrogenic signaling; and (iv) increases gut microbiome diversity toward a healthier signature. These findings highlight the impact of nutrition on musculoskeletal and gut microbiome homeostasis and support the precision medicine principle of tailoring dietary interventions to patient individualities, like sex.Fil: Sato, Amy Y.. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; Estados Unidos. Indiana University. School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Pellegrini, Gretel Gisela. Indiana University. School of Medicine; Estados Unidos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Inmunología, Genética y Metabolismo. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Inmunología, Genética y Metabolismo; ArgentinaFil: Cregor, Meloney. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; Estados Unidos. Indiana University. School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: McAndrews, Kevin. Indiana University. School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Choi, Roy B. Indiana University. School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Maiz, Maria. Purdue University; Estados UnidosFil: Johnson, Olivia. Indiana University. School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: McCabe, Linda D.. Purdue University; Estados UnidosFil: McCabe, George P.. Purdue University; Estados UnidosFil: Ferruzzi, Mario G.. North Carolina State University; Estados UnidosFil: Lila, Mary Ann. North Carolina State University; Estados UnidosFil: Peacock, Munro. Indiana University. School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Burr, David B.. Indiana University. School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Nakatsu, Cindy H.. Purdue University; Estados UnidosFil: Weaver, Connie M.. Purdue University; Estados UnidosFil: Bellido, Teresita. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; Estados Unidos. Indiana University. School of Medicine; Estados Unido

Simulated Microgravity Compromises Mouse Oocyte Maturation by Disrupting Meiotic Spindle Organization and Inducing Cytoplasmic Blebbing

In the present study, we discovered that mouse oocyte maturation was inhibited by simulated microgravity via disturbing spindle organization. We cultured mouse oocytes under microgravity condition simulated by NASA's rotary cell culture system, examined the maturation rate and observed the spindle morphology (organization of cytoskeleton) during the mouse oocytes meiotic maturation. While the rate of germinal vesicle breakdown did not differ between 1 g gravity and simulated microgravity, rate of oocyte maturation decreased significantly in simulated microgravity. The rate of maturation was 8.94% in simulated microgravity and was 73.0% in 1 g gravity. The results show that the maturation of mouse oocytes in vitro was inhibited by the simulated microgravity. The spindle morphology observation shows that the microtubules and chromosomes can not form a complete spindle during oocyte meiotic maturation under simulated microgravity. And the disorder of γ-tubulin may partially result in disorganization of microtubules under simulated microgravity. These observations suggest that the meiotic spindle organization is gravity dependent. Although the spindle organization was disrupted by simulated microgravity, the function and organization of microfilaments were not pronouncedly affected by simulated microgravity. And we found that simulated microgravity induced oocytes cytoplasmic blebbing via an unknown mechanism. Transmission electron microscope detection showed that the components of the blebs were identified with the cytoplasm. Collectively, these results indicated that the simulated microgravity inhibits mouse oocyte maturation via disturbing spindle organization and inducing cytoplasmic blebbing

Urban Environmental Health and Sensitive Populations: How Much are the Italians Willing to Pay to Reduce Their Risks?

We use contingent valuation to elicit WTP for a reduction in the risk of dying for cardiovascular and respiratory causes, the most important causes of premature mortality associated with heat wave and air pollution, among the Italian public. The purpose of this study is three-fold. First, we obtain WTP and VSL figures that can be applied when estimating the benefits of heat advisories, other policies that reduce the mortality effects of extreme heat, and environmental policies that reduce the risk of dying for cardiovascular and respiratory causes. Second, our experimental study design allows us to examine the sensitivity of WTP to the size of the risk reduction. Third, we examine whether the WTP of populations that are especially sensitive to extreme heat and air pollution - such as the elderly, those in compromised health, and those living alone and/or physically impaired - is different from that of other individuals. We find that WTP, and hence the VSL, depends on the risk reduction, respondent age (via the baseline risk), and respondent health status. WTP increases with the size of the risk reduction, but is not strictly proportional to it. All else the same, older individuals are willing to pay less for a given risk reduction than younger individuals of comparable characteristics. Poor health, however, tends to raise WTP, so that the appropriate VSL of elderly individuals in poor health may be quite large. Our results support the notion that the VSL is individuated

Chaubal, Kishori Interview

https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/witw/1018/thumbnail.jp

Expenditures for Public Health: Assessing Historical and Prospective Trends

We integrated publicly available fiscal and budgetary data to assess historical and prospective trends in public health system funding at the federal, state, and local levels in relation to the recommended objectives outlined in the Institute of Medicine's definitive 2002 report. Although historical growth rates for public health expenditures at all levels were competitive with other major funding objects (requested or funded budget items), outlays for health care services and medical research dwarfed public health spending in absolute amounts. Competition for scarce discretionary resources, competing policy priorities, and protracted fiscal pressures will make it difficult for public health systems to achieve the recommended objectives

A blueberry-enriched diet counteracts the effects of estrogen deficiency in mice on bone, skeletal muscle, and peripheral fat, and alters the gut microbiome.

Diets containing natural plant products exhibit protective effects on the adult skeleton by unclear mechanisms. We previously identified a blueberry cultivar (Montgomery= Mont) that protects from ovariectomy (OVX)-induced bone loss, when 10% lyophilized (freeze dried) berry was incorporated into a control diet (AIN-93M) and fed for 6 wks to sham/OVX 4 mo mice. We report here that bones from Mont-fed mice exhibited increased endogenous antioxidant response (EAR), assessed by phase-II detoxifying/antioxidant enzyme gene expression. In contrast, EAR was not increased in bones from mice fed 2 other berry-containing diets that did not protect from OVX-induced bone loss. Mont did not prevent OVX-induced reduction in the expression of C3, an estrogen receptor ERE-containing responsive gene. Thus, Mont diet specifically counteracted the harmful oxidative actions of OVX by increasing EAR, without activating canonical estrogenic actions in bone. Mont-fed mice were also protected from OVX-induced decreased BV/TV, TbTh, and TbN, assessed by micro-CT, and the increase in resorption (CTX). In addition, OVX induced skeletal muscle loss in control-fed mice, quantified by gastrocnemius weight, whereas Mont-fed mice were protected. Further, OVX control-fed mice exhibited increased body weight and peripheral fat mass, quantified by DEXA; and mice fed with Mont, but not with the 2 other berries, did not gain weight or peripheral fat upon OVX. We next examined potential effects of OVX and the Mont diet on the gut microbiome, known to affect homeostasis of several tissues. Fecal bacterial DNA was analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequences from high throughput paired end MiSeq technology. We found that OVX did not induce significant changes in the microbiome regardless of the diet. In contrast, Mont-fed mice exhibited a statistically significant alteration of the microbiome compared with control- fed mice (axis1=54.4% per MANOVA, p=0.001). Further, analysis of the phylogenetic diversity detected higher prevalence of the bacterial communities Alloprevotella, Ruminococcus (starch fermenters), and an unclassified taxon Coriobacteriales Incertae in Mont-fed mice. In contrast, control-fed mice exhibited higher prevalence of Bifidobacterium and Coriobacteriaceae UCG-002 communities. These findings highlight the impact of nutrition on musculoskeletal tissue maintenance and the gut microbiome, and suggest alternative interventions to prevent the harmful effects of estrogen deficiency.Fil: Sato, Amy Y.. Indiana University; Estados UnidosFil: Cregor, Meloney. Indiana University; Estados UnidosFil: Mcandrews, Kevin. Indiana University; Estados UnidosFil: Bosco, Sam. Indiana University; Estados UnidosFil: Burr, David B.. Indiana University; Estados UnidosFil: Nakatsu, Cindy H.. Purdue University; Estados UnidosFil: Pellegrini, Gretel Gisela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Inmunología, Genética y Metabolismo. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Inmunología, Genética y Metabolismo; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Hospital de Clínicas General San Martín; ArgentinaFil: McCabe, Linda D.. Purdue University; Estados UnidosFil: McCabe, George P.. Purdue University; Estados UnidosFil: Ferruzzi, Mario G.. North Carolina State University; Estados UnidosFil: Lila, Mary Ann. North Carolina State University; Estados UnidosFil: Peackock, Munro. Indiana University; Estados UnidosFil: Weaver, Connie M.. Purdue University; Estados UnidosFil: Bellido, Teresita M.. Indiana University; Estados UnidosAnnual Meeting Annual Meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research Orange County Convention CenterEstados UnidosAmerican Society for Bone and Mineral Researc

Receptor dimerization dynamics as a regulatory valve for plasticity of type I interferon signaling.

International audienc