Families at Five: Extending Land-Grant Research Findings to Families

Families at Five is a joint community outreach partnership between Colorado State University (CSU) Department of Human Development and Family Studies and CSU Cooperative Extension. The program provides research-based family life education and resources to families, Extension educators, and family life community professionals. Comprised of an adult program with accompanying programs for adolescents and children, Families at Five is designed to educate family members on ways to strengthen family relationships. Included in the article are suggestions for engaging Cooperative Extension agents and other community practitioners in the program planning and delivery of educational programs

Protein Delivery of an Artificial Transcription Factor Restores Widespread Ube3a Expression in an Angelman Syndrome Mouse Brain.

Angelman syndrome (AS) is a neurological genetic disorder caused by loss of expression of the maternal copy of UBE3A in the brain. Due to brain-specific genetic imprinting at this locus, the paternal UBE3A is silenced by a long antisense transcript. Inhibition of the antisense transcript could lead to unsilencing of paternal UBE3A, thus providing a therapeutic approach for AS. However, widespread delivery of gene regulators to the brain remains challenging. Here, we report an engineered zinc finger-based artificial transcription factor (ATF) that, when injected i.p. or s.c., crossed the blood-brain barrier and increased Ube3a expression in the brain of an adult mouse model of AS. The factor displayed widespread distribution throughout the brain. Immunohistochemistry of both the hippocampus and cerebellum revealed an increase in Ube3a upon treatment. An ATF containing an alternative DNA-binding domain did not activate Ube3a. We believe this to be the first report of an injectable engineered zinc finger protein that can cause widespread activation of an endogenous gene in the brain. These observations have important implications for the study and treatment of AS and other neurological disorders

Is a community still a community? Reviewing definitions of key terms in community ecology

Community ecology is an inherently complicated field, confounded by the conflicting use of fundamental terms. Nearly two decades ago, Fauth etal. (1996) demonstrated that imprecise language led to the virtual synonymy of important terms and so attempted to clearly define four keywords in community ecology; community, assemblage, guild, and ensemble. We revisit Fauth etal.\u27s conclusion and discuss how the use of these terms has changed over time since their review. An updated analysis of term definition from a selection of popular ecological textbooks suggests that definitions have drifted away from those encountered pre-1996, and slightly disagreed with results from a survey of 100 ecology professionals (comprising of academic professors, nonacademic PhDs, graduate and undergraduate biology students). Results suggest that confusion about these terms is still widespread in ecology. We conclude with clear suggestions for definitions of each term to be adopted hereafter to provide greater cohesion among research groups

Modulation of Sleep Quality and Autonomic Functioning by Symptoms of Depression in Women with Irritable Bowel Syndrome

The objective of this study was to determine how depressive symptoms affect autonomic activity during sleep, objective and subjective sleep, and gastrointestinal symptom severity in women with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Seventy women who met the Rome II criteria for IBS and 21 healthy volunteers participated. All participants were recruited from the surrounding community. IBS patients were stratified into two groups based on their Beck Depression Inventory II score and 44 IBS patients with depressive symptoms (IBS+DS) were compared to 26 IBS patients without depressive symptoms (IBS−DS). Autonomic activity was measured by heart rate variability (HRV) analysis. Fifteen-minute segments were selected from a baseline presleep period, stage 2, slow-wave sleep, and rapid-eye movement sleep for heart rate variability spectral analysis. Subjective sleep quality was assessed by the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and gastrointestinal symptom severity was assessed by an 18-item questionnaire. The IBS+DS group reported significantly ( P <0.01) more sleep complaints, measured by the PSQI, than the IBS−DS group and healthy controls. The IBS+DS group took significantly ( P <0.05) longer to enter their first rapid-eye movement period than healthy controls. The IBS+DS group reported significantly ( P =0.01) increased gastrointestinal symptom severity compared to the IBS−DS group. There were no significant group differences in autonomic activity during the baseline presleep period or sleep stages. The results demonstrated that IBS patients with significant depressive symptoms had increased gastrointestinal symptom severity, increased sleep complaints, and alterations in sleep architecture compared to healthy controls and IBS patients without significant depressive symptoms.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44433/1/10620_2004_Article_494230.pd

Feasibility, Safety, and Compliance in a Randomized Controlled Trial of Physical Therapy for Parkinson's Disease

Both efficacy and clinical feasibility deserve consideration in translation of research outcomes. This study evaluated the feasibility of rehabilitation programs within the context of a large randomized controlled trial of physical therapy. Ambulant participants with Parkinson's disease (PD) (n = 210) were randomized into three groups: (1) progressive strength training (PST); (2) movement strategy training (MST); or (3) control (“life skills”). PST and MST included fall prevention education. Feasibility was evaluated in terms of safety, retention, adherence, and compliance measures. Time to first fall during the intervention phase did not differ across groups, and adverse effects were minimal. Retention was high; only eight participants withdrew during or after the intervention phase. Strong adherence (attendance >80%) did not differ between groups (P = .435). Compliance in the therapy groups was high. All three programs proved feasible, suggesting they may be safely implemented for people with PD in community-based clinical practice

Universal quantum computation and simulation using any entangling Hamiltonian and local unitaries

What interactions are sufficient to simulate arbitrary quantum dynamics in a composite quantum system? We provide an efficient algorithm to simulate any desired two-body Hamiltonian evolution using any fixed two-body entangling n-qubit Hamiltonian and local unitaries. It follows that universal quantum computation can be performed using any entangling interaction and local unitary operations.Comment: Added references to NMR refocusing and to earlier work by Leung et al and Jones and Knil

Relationship Between Foveal Cone Specialization and Pit Morphology in Albinism

Purpose.Albinism is associated with disrupted foveal development, though intersubject variability is becoming appreciated. We sought to quantify this variability, and examine the relationship between foveal cone specialization and pit morphology in patients with a clinical diagnosis of albinism. Methods. We recruited 32 subjects with a clinical diagnosis of albinism. DNA was obtained from 25 subjects, and known albinism genes were analyzed for mutations. Relative inner and outer segment (IS and OS) lengthening (fovea-to-perifovea ratio) was determined from manually segmented spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) B-scans. Foveal pit morphology was quantified for eight subjects from macular SD-OCT volumes. Ten subjects underwent imaging with adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscopy (AOSLO), and cone density was measured. Results. We found mutations in 22 of 25 subjects, including five novel mutations. All subjects lacked complete excavation of inner retinal layers at the fovea, though four subjects had foveal pits with normal diameter and/or volume. Peak cone density and OS lengthening were variable and overlapped with that observed in normal controls. A fifth hyper-reflective band was observed in the outer retina on SD-OCT in the majority of the subjects with albinism. Conclusions. Foveal cone specialization and pit morphology vary greatly in albinism. Normal cone packing was observed in the absence of a foveal pit, suggesting a pit is not required for packing to occur. The degree to which retinal anatomy correlates with genotype or visual function remains unclear, and future examination of larger patient groups will provide important insight on this issue

The health profile of people living with Parkinson\u27s Disease managed in a comprehensive care setting

Background: Globally there are few reports of the impairments, disabilities and medications used in people living with idiopathic Parkinson&rsquo;s disease. Caregiver characteristics and caregiver burden have seldom been reported. We examined the health status in a large cohort of people living with Parkinson&rsquo;s disease and their caregivers managed in a comprehensive health care setting. Methods/Design: A prospective, cross sectional analysis of impairments, disabilities and Parkinson&rsquo;s disease medication use was conducted in a sample of 100 people with Parkinson&rsquo;s disease rated I-IV on the modified Hoehn &amp; Yahr scale. Participants were recruited from the Victorian Comprehensive Parkinson Program in Melbourne, Australia. Their caregivers were invited to provide their views on the burden of care, services provided and support received. Results: The severity of impairments and disabilities was strongly associated with disease duration (mean of 5.5 years). Those with long standing disease or more severe disease also used more Parkinson&rsquo;s disease medications and participated in fewer social roles than people who were newly diagnosed or mildly affected. The severity of impairments was strongly correlated with limitations in performing activities of daily living. Limitations in performing daily activities were also found to be a significant contributing factor for health-related quality of life (PDQ-39 SI &beta;=0.55, p=0.000; EQ-5D SI &beta;=0.43, p=0.001). People with Parkinson&rsquo;s disease lived at home with relatives. The average caregiver was a spouse or child providing approximately 3.5 hours of care per day, with the capacity to provide 9.4 hours per day and had provided care for four years. Additional support was high (63%) for 2.5 hours per day. Conclusion: The comprehensive care setting of this cohort describes a relatively benign condition despite a wide range of disease duration and severity. This report provides a baseline with which to compare other delivery models

Cyclic DI-GMP Phosphodiesterases RmdA and RmdB are involved in regulating colony morphology and development in Streptomyces coelicolor. Journal of Bacteriology

Cyclic dimeric GMP (c-di-GMP) regulates numerous processes in Gram-negative bacteria, yet little is known about its role in Gram-positive bacteria. Here we characterize two c-di-GMP phosphodiesterases from the filamentous high-GC Gram-positive actinobacterium Streptomyces coelicolor, involved in controlling colony morphology and development. A transposon mutation in one of the two phosphodiesterase genes, SCO0928, hereby designated rmdA (regulator ofmorphology and development A), resulted in decreased levels of spore-specific gray pigment and a delay in spore formation. The RmdA protein contains GGDEF-EAL domains arranged in tandem and possesses c-di-GMP phosphodiesterase activity, as is evident from in vitro enzymatic assays using the purified protein. RmdA contains a PAS9 domain and is a hemoprotein. Inactivation of another GGDEF-EAL-encoding gene, SCO5495, designated rmdB, resulted in a phenotype identical to that of the rmdA mutant. Purified soluble fragment of RmdB devoid of transmembrane domains also possesses c-di-GMP phosphodiesterase activity. ThermdA rmdB double mutant has a bald phenotype and is impaired in aerial mycelium formation. This suggests that RmdA and RmdB functions are additive and at least partially overlapping. The rmdA and rmdB mutations likely result in increased local pools of intracellular c-di-GMP, because intracellular c-di-GMP levels in the single mutants did not differ significantly from those of the wild type, whereas in the double rmdA rmdB mutant, c-di-GMP levels were 3-fold higher than those in the wild type. This study highlights the importance of c-di-GMP-dependent signaling in actinomycete colony morphology and development and identifies two c-di-GMP phosphodiesterases controlling these processes