The role of ascorbate in antioxidant protection of biomembranes: Interaction with vitamin E and coenzyme Q

One of the vital roles of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is to act as an antioxidant to protect cellular components from free radical damage. Ascorbic acid has been shown to scavenge free radicals directly in the aqueous phases of cells and the circulatory system. Ascorbic acid has also been proven to protect membrane and other hydrophobic compartments from such damage by regenerating the antioxidant form of vitamin E. In addition, reduced coenzyme Q, also a resident of hydrophobic compartments, interacts with vitamin E to regenerate its antioxidant form. The mechanism of vitamin C antioxidant function, the myriad of pathologies resulting from its clinical deficiency, and the many health benefits it provides, are reviewed.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44796/1/10863_2004_Article_BF00762775.pd

A Grammar of Kuuk Thaayorre

© 2006 Dr. Alice Rose GabyThis thesis is a comprehensive description of Kuuk Thaayorre, a Paman language spoken on the west coast of Cape York Peninsula, Australia. On the basis of elicited data, narrative and semi-spontaneous conversation recorded between 2002 and 2005, this grammar details the phonetics and phonology, morphosyntax, lexical and constructional semantics and pragmatics of one of the few indigenous Australian languages still used as a primary means of communication. Kuuk Thaayorre possesses features of typological interest at each of these levels. At the phonological level, Kuuk Thaayorre possesses a particularly rich vowel inventory from an Australian perspective, with five distinct vowel qualities and two contrastive lengths producing ten vowel phonemes. It is in the phonotactic combination of sounds that Kuuk Thaayorre phonology is particularly noteworthy, however. Kuuk Thaayorre’s tendency towards closed syllables (with codas containing up to three consonants) frequently leads to consonant clusters of as many as four segments. Kuuk Thaayorre is also cross-linguistically unusual in allowing sequences of its two rhotics (an alveolar tap/trill and retroflex continuant) within the syllable – either as a complex coda or as onset plus syllabic rhotic. Finally, monosyllables are ubiquitous across all Thaayorre word classes, despite being generally rare in Australian languages

Genome typing of nonhuman primate models: implications for biomedical research.

The success of personalized medicine rests on understanding the genetic variation between individuals. Thus, as medical practice evolves and variation among individuals becomes a fundamental aspect of clinical medicine, a thorough consideration of the genetic and genomic information concerning the animals used as models in biomedical research also becomes critical. In particular, nonhuman primates (NHPs) offer great promise as models for many aspects of human health and disease. These are outbred species exhibiting substantial levels of genetic variation; however, understanding of the contribution of this variation to phenotypes is lagging behind in NHP species. Thus, there is a pivotal need to address this gap and define strategies for characterizing both genomic content and variability within primate models of human disease. Here, we discuss the current state of genomics of NHP models and offer guidelines for future work to ensure continued improvement and utility of this line of biomedical research.peerReviewe

Mouse neutrophils express the decoy type 2 interleukin-1 receptor (IL-1R2) constitutively and in acute inflammatory conditions

The proinflammatory activities of IL-1 are tightly controlled at different levels. IL-1R2 acts as a decoy receptor and has been shown to regulate the biological effects of IL-1 in vitro and in vivo. However, little is known about its natural expression in the mouse in physiologic and pathologic conditions. In this study, we examined IL-1R2 mRNA and protein expression in isolated cells and tissues in response to different stimulatory conditions. Data obtained using ex vivo CD11b(+)Ly6G(+) peripheral blood cells and in vitro-differentiated CD11b(+)Ly6G(+) BMG indicated that neutrophils are the major source of constitutively expressed IL-1R2 in the mouse. The expression of IL-1R2 on BMG and ex vivo Ly6G(+) peripheral blood cells was highly up-regulated by HC. IL-1R2 pull-down experiments showed that mouse rIL-1β binds to BMG IL-1R2, whereas binding of IL-1Ra could not be detected. Furthermore, LPS treatment induced shedding of IL-1R2 from the neutrophil membrane in vitro and in vivo, executed mainly by ADAM17. Finally, in in vivo models of inflammation, including thioglycolate-induced acute peritonitis and acute lung injury, infiltrating Ly6G(+) neutrophils, expressed IL-1R2. Our data show that in the mouse, neutrophils mainly express the decoy receptor IL-1R2 under naïve and inflammatory conditions. These data suggest that neutrophils may contribute to the resolution of acute inflammation

Latino Americans, 500 Years of History: Exploring the Latino Experience in Tacoma Panel Discussion

Hosted by the Collins Memorial Library, “Exploring the Latino Experience in Tacoma: A Panel Discussion,” was held in the Rasmussen Rotunda at Wheelock Student Center on Thursday, February 18th, 2016 from 6:00PM – 8:00PM. The event featured a student-led panel discussion between members of Puget Sound’s Latinos Unidos student group and individuals affiliated with Centro Latino, a local organization that supports the Latino community in Tacoma. The discussion was preceded by a reception for our campus and community guests, and accompanied by a free form canvas from a local Latina artist. The panel was developed through a partnership between the University of Puget Sound, Tacoma Art Museum, and Centro Latino in support of Latino Americans: 500 Years of History, a nationwide public programming initiative from the American Library Association (ALA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Affiliated programming seeks to engage people in examining and documenting the histories of Latino Americans in their communities and facilitate informed discussion about Latino history and culture