Moonlight Down In Dixie

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Hydrogen Sulfide Donor GYY4137 Acts Through Endothelial Nitric Oxide to Protect Intestine in Murine Models of Necrotizing Enterocolitis and Intestinal Ischemia

BACKGROUND: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in premature infants is often a devastating surgical condition with poor outcomes. GYY4137 is a long-acting donor of hydrogen sulfide, a gasotransmitter that is protective against intestinal injury in experimental NEC, likely through protection against injury secondary to ischemia. We hypothesized that administration of GYY4137 would improve mesenteric perfusion, reduce intestinal injury, and reduce inflammatory responses in experimental NEC and ischemia-reperfusion injury, and that these benefits would be mediated through endothelial nitric oxide synthase-dependent pathways. METHODS: NEC was induced in C57BL/6 wild-type (WT) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) knockout (eNOSKO) pups via maternal separation, formula feeding, enteral lipopolysaccharide, and intermittent hypoxic and hypothermic stress. Pups received daily intraperitoneal injections of 50 mg/kg GYY4137 or phosphate buffered saline vehicle. In separate groups, adult male WT and eNOSKO mice underwent superior mesenteric artery occlusion for 60 min. Before abdominal closure, 50 mg/kg GYY4137 or phosphate buffered saline vehicle was administered into the peritoneal cavity. Laser doppler imaging was used to assess mesenteric perfusion of pups at baseline and on postnatal day 9, and the adult mice at baseline and 24 h after ischemic insult. After euthanasia, the terminal ileum of each animal was fixed, paraffin embedded, sectioned, and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Sections were blindly graded using published injury scores. Intestinal tissue was homogenized and cytokines measured by ELISA. Data were compared using Mann-Whitney U test, and P-values <0.05 were significant. RESULTS: After NEC and ischemia reperfusion (I/R) injury, GYY4137 improved perfusion in WT mice compared to vehicle, but this effect was lost in the eNOSKO animals. Histologic injury followed a similar pattern with reduced intestinal injury in WT mice treated with GYY4137, and no significant improvement in the eNOSKO group. Cytokine expression after GYY4137 administration was altered by the ablation of eNOS in both NEC and I/R injury groups, with significant differences noted in Interleukin 6 and vascular endothelial growth factor. CONCLUSIONS: GYY4137, a long-acting donor of hydrogen sulfide, has potential as a therapeutic compound for NEC. It improves mesenteric perfusion and intestinal injury in experimental NEC and intestinal I/R injury, and these benefits appear to be mediated through eNOS-dependent pathways

The Effelsberg-Bonn HI Survey (EBHIS)

The new L-band 7-feed-array at the 100-m telescope in Effelsberg will be used to perform an unbiased fully sampled HI survey of the entire northern hemisphere observing the galactic and extragalactic sky using simultaneously two different backends. The survey will be extremely valuable for a broad range of research topics: study of the low-mass end of the HI mass function (HIMF) in the local volume, environmental and evolutionary effects (as seen in the HIMF), the search for galaxies near low-redshift Lyman-alpha absorbers, and analysis of multiphase and extraplanar gas, HI shells, and ultra-compact high-velocity-clouds.Comment: 2 pages, 1 figure, to appear in proceeding of "Galaxies in the Local Volume" Sydney 8-13 July 200

Racionalidades campesinas en los Andes del Sur : reflexiones en torno al cultivo de la quinua y otros vegetales andinos

International audienceThis book originated in a workshop organised in La Paz (Bolivia) in December 2008, as part of the Franco-Bolivian ANR-EQUECO programme, with the aim of reflecting on socio-environmental changes in agriculture in the southern Andes over the last 1,000 years. Subsequently, as a result of international collaborations, including the Franco-Argentine ECOS programme, the editors invited other experts to contribute their work to these reflections. The authors of this book - archaeologists, anthropologists, geographers, geneticists, agronomists and ecologists - represent a balanced panel of human and biophysical sciences. All have direct and recent experience of the current or past reality of the societies and natural environment of the Southern Andes. Despite the diversity of their respective disciplines and perspectives, the authors have endeavoured to make their contributions accessible to a non-specialist audience, presenting tables and figures to facilitate understanding of the data and using a glossary to define, where necessary, certain technical or vernacular terms. The temporal scope of the book covers pre-Hispanic periods to the present, while geographically, it covers the southern altiplano and inter-Andean valleys of southern Bolivia, the puna and valleys of northwestern Argentina, and the contrasting regions of Chile.Este libro tuvo su origen en un taller cuyo objetivo fue reflexionar sobre los cambios socio ambientales en la agricultura del sur andino en los últimos 1.000 años, encuentro organizado en La Paz (Bolivia) en diciembre de 2008, en el marco del programa franco-boliviano EQUECO. Luego, como fruto de colaboraciones internacionales entre ellas el programa franco-argentino ECOS, los editores invitaron a otros expertos más para que aporten con sus trabajos a estas reflexiones.Los autores de este libro –arqueólogos, antropólogos, geógrafos, genetistas, agrónomos y ecólogos– representan un panel equilibradoentre ciencias humanas y biofísicas. Todos cuentan con una experiencia directa y reciente de la realidad actual o pasada de las sociedades y del ambiente natural de los Andes del Sur. A pesar de la diversidad de sus respectivas disciplinas y perspectivas, los autores se aplicaron en hacer sus contribuciones accesibles al público no especializado, presentando tablas y figuras que faciliten la comprensión de los datos y utilizando un glosario para definir, cuando necesario, ciertos términos técnicos o vernaculares. El alcance temporal del libro cubre desde los períodos prehispánicos hasta el presente mientras que en lo geográfico, recorre desde el altiplano sur y los valles interandinos del sur de Bolivia, hasta la puna y los valles del noroeste de Argentina pasando por las contrastadas regiones de Chile

The route and timing of hydrogen sulfide therapy critically impacts intestinal recovery following ischemia and reperfusion injury

PURPOSE: Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has many beneficial properties and may serve as a novel treatment in patients suffering from intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury (I/R). The purpose of this study was to examine the method of delivery and timing of administration of H2S for intestinal therapy during ischemic injury. We hypothesized that 1) route of administration of hydrogen sulfide would impact intestinal recovery following acute mesenteric ischemia and 2) preischemic H2S conditioning using the optimal mode of administration as determined above would provide superior protection compared to postischemic application. METHODS: Male C57BL/6J mice underwent intestinal ischemia by temporary occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery. Following ischemia, animals were treated according to one of the following (N=6 per group): intraperitoneal or intravenous injection of GYY4137 (H2S-releasing donor, 50mg/kg in PBS), vehicle, inhalation of oxygen only, inhalation of 80ppm hydrogen sulfide gas. Following 24-h recovery, perfusion was assessed via laser Doppler imaging, and animals were euthanized. Perfusion and histology data were assessed, and terminal ileum samples were analyzed for cytokine production following ischemia. Once the optimal route of administration was determined, preischemic conditioning with H2S was undertaken using that route of administration. All data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney. P-values <0.05 were significant. RESULTS: Mesenteric perfusion following intestinal I/R was superior in mice treated with intraperitoneal (IP) GYY4137 (IP vehicle: 25.6±6.0 vs. IP GYY4137: 79.7±15.1; p=0.02) or intravenous (IV) GYY4137 (IV vehicle: 36.3±5.9 vs. IV GYY4137: 100.7±34.0; p=0.03). This benefit was not observed with inhaled H2S gas (O2 vehicle: 66.6±11.4 vs. H2S gas: 81.8±6.0; p=0.31). However, histological architecture was only preserved with intraperitoneal administration of GYY4127 (IP vehicle: 3.4±0.4 vs. IP GYY4137: 2±0.3; p=0.02). Additionally, IP GYY4137 allowed for significant attenuation of inflammatory chemokine production of IL-6, IP-10 and MIP-2. We then analyzed whether there was a difference between pre- and postischemic administration of IP GYY4137. We found that preconditioning of animals with intraperitoneal GYY4137 only added minor improvements in outcomes compared to postischemic application. CONCLUSION: Therapeutic benefits of H2S are superior with intraperitoneal application of an H2S donor compared to other administration routes. Additionally, while intraperitoneal treatment in both the pre- and postischemic period is beneficial, preischemic application of an H2S donor was found to be slightly better. Further studies are needed to examine long term outcomes and further mechanisms of action prior to widespread clinical application. TYPE OF STUDY: Basic science. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: N/A

Disgust implicated in obsessive-compulsive disorder

Psychiatric classificatory systems consider obsessions and compulsions as forms of anxiety disorder. However, the neurology of diseases associated with obsessive-compulsive symptoms suggests the involvement of fronto-striatal regions likely to be involved in the mediation of the emotion of disgust, suggesting that dysfunctions of disgust should be considered alongside anxiety in the pathogenesis of obsessive-compulsive behaviours. We therefore tested recognition of facial expressions of basic emotions (including disgust) by groups of participants with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and with Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome (GTS) with and without co-present obsessive-compulsive behaviours (GTS with OCB; GTS without OCB). A group of people suffering from panic disorder and generalized anxiety were also included in the study. Both groups with obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCD; GTS with OCB) showed impaired recognition of facial expressions of disgust. Such problems were not evident in participants with panic disorder and generalized anxiety, or for participants with GTS without obsessions or compulsions, indicating that the deficit is closely related to the presence of obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Participants with OCD were able to assign words to emotion categories without difficulty, showing that their problem with disgust is linked to a failure to recognize this emotion in others and not a comprehension or response criterion effect. Impaired recognition of disgust is consistent with the neurology of OCD and with the idea that abnormal experience of disgust may be involved in the genesis of obsessions and compulsions

Machismo Predicts Prejudice toward Lesbian and Gay Individuals: Testing a Mediating Role of Contact

This study examined the relationship between traditional machismo and prejudice toward lesbian and gay individuals as mediated by contact in a Latino college sample. Gender was examined as a potential moderator. Undergraduate students from a public university in South Texas (128 males and 447 females; mean age = 22.1. SD = 4.75) completed online measures of prejudice toward lesbian and gay individuals, machismo, and contact experience with lesbian and gay individuals. Contact significantly mediated the relationship between machismo and anti-gay prejudice, yet this indirect effect was relatively small. Significant direct and indirect effects of machismo on prejudiced attitudes toward lesbian and gay individuals were found. Gender did not moderate the relationship between machismo and contact. Our findings suggest that efforts to reduce Latinos’ prejudice toward gay men and lesbian women should take cultural views toward gender roles into consideration. Increased positive contact experience with lesbian and gay individuals may be a possible avenue to decrease anti-gay prejudice that stems from heightened traditional machismo

Utah Gender Wage Gap: A 2021 Update

The gender wage gap is the difference between what women and men earn for performing full-time, year-round paid work. Nationally, women earn 16–18% less than men. Although the gap has substantially narrowed from 41% when the Equal Pay Act was passed in 1963, varying reports estimate that, depending on the rate of change, it may take anywhere from 40 to 130 years to close the gap. Estimates suggest that over a 40-year career, the wage gap can amount to a lifetime earnings deficit of $80k to$800k. In Utah, women earn approximately 30% less than men, ranking close to last in most state comparisons, which is consistent with what we reported in 2017. With approximately 60% of women over age 16 participating in the labor force, this topic is highly relevant for Utah. Closing the gender wage gap will strengthen economic stability and prosperity for families, communities, and the state. This research snapshot, an update from a 2017 report, focuses on three main areas