Holistic Pest Management Program for Master Gardener Volunteers

There is a growing interest among Master Gardener volunteers in the use of sustainable and non-chemical solutions for pest control. A holistic pest management program was designed to provide unbiased, research-based information and resources that would support the educational efforts of Extension and these volunteers. The results of pre- and post-survey instruments, completed by 54 volunteer participants, identified knowledge and attitude changes, as well as instructional areas needing modification. The framework of this program has allowed for replacing emotion with science and offers flexibility for adapting the program to suit the audience

Forages for Horses

According to the 1997 Census of Agriculture, Ohio had 11,668 horse farms. An OSU survey estimated nearly 250,000 horses in Ohio. The large number of horses in the state has prompted many questions from producers to Extension personnel on the topic of improving forage resources. While many horse producers are proficient at equine management, they have not had formal training in forage production and management. Often, traditional agronomic programs don\u27t target this audience. Many horse producers do not have the land mass, and/or experience to utilise large mechanical equipment for renovation and managemen

Surgical implications and variability in the use of the flat epithelial atypia diagnosis on breast biopsy specimens.

OBJECTIVES: Flat epithelial atypia (FEA) is a relatively new diagnostic term with uncertain clinical significance for surgical management. Any implied risk of invasive breast cancer associated with FEA is contingent upon diagnostic reproducibility, yet little is known regarding its use. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Pathologists in the Breast Pathology Study interpreted one of four 60-case test sets, one slide per case, constructed from 240 breast biopsy specimens. An electronic data form with standardized diagnostic categories was used; participants were instructed to indicate all diagnoses present. We assessed participants\u27 use of FEA as a diagnostic term within: 1) each test set; 2) 72 cases classified by reference as benign without FEA; and 3) six cases classified by reference as FEA. 115 pathologists participated, providing 6900 total independent assessments. RESULTS: Notation of FEA ranged from 0% to 35% of the cases interpreted, with most pathologists noting FEA on 4 or more test cases. At least one participant noted FEA in 34 of the 72 benign non-FEA cases. For the 6 reference FEA cases, participant agreement with the case reference FEA diagnosis ranged from 17% to 52%; diagnoses noted by participating pathologists for these FEA cases included columnar cell hyperplasia, usual ductal hyperplasia, atypical lobular hyperplasia, and atypical ductal hyperplasia. CONCLUSIONS: We observed wide variation in the diagnosis of FEA among U.S. pathologists. This suggests that perceptions of diagnostic criteria and any implied risk associated with FEA may also vary. Surgical excision following a core biopsy diagnosis of FEA should be reconsidered and studied further

Genome-wide trans-ancestry meta-analysis provides insight into the genetic architecture of type 2 diabetes susceptibility.

To further understanding of the genetic basis of type 2 diabetes (T2D) susceptibility, we aggregated published meta-analyses of genome-wide association studies (GWAS), including 26,488 cases and 83,964 controls of European, east Asian, south Asian and Mexican and Mexican American ancestry. We observed a significant excess in the directional consistency of T2D risk alleles across ancestry groups, even at SNPs demonstrating only weak evidence of association. By following up the strongest signals of association from the trans-ethnic meta-analysis in an additional 21,491 cases and 55,647 controls of European ancestry, we identified seven new T2D susceptibility loci. Furthermore, we observed considerable improvements in the fine-mapping resolution of common variant association signals at several T2D susceptibility loci. These observations highlight the benefits of trans-ethnic GWAS for the discovery and characterization of complex trait loci and emphasize an exciting opportunity to extend insight into the genetic architecture and pathogenesis of human diseases across populations of diverse ancestry

The specificity and the development of social-emotional competence in a multi-ethnic-classroom

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Ethnic diversity in schools increases due to globalization. Thus, the children's social-emotional competence development must be considered in the context of a multi-ethnic classroom.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In this study, the social-emotional competence of 65 Asian-American and Latin-American children was observed at the beginning and the end of their kindergarten year.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Initially, significant differences existed among these ethnic groups in respect to moral reasoning. Furthermore, the male children showed more dysregulated aggression but the female children implemented more moral reasoning than their male counterparts. These ethnic specificities did not disappear over the course of the year. In addition, a significant change in avoidance strategies as well as expressed emotions in the narrative took place over the course of one year.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Ethnic specificity in social-emotional competence does exist independent of gender at the beginning as well as at the end of the kindergarten year in a multi-ethnic kindergarten classroom.</p

Modulation of the expression of components of the stress response by dietary arachidonic acid in European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) larvae

This study reports for the first time in European sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax (L.), larvae, the effect of different levels of dietary arachidonic acid (ARA; 20:4n-6) on the expression of genes related to the fish stress response. Copies of mRNA from genes related to steroidogenesis (StAR (steroidogenic acute regulatory protein), c-Fos, and CYP11&beta; (11&beta;- hydroxylase gene)), glucocorticoid receptor complex (GR (glucorticoid receptor) and HSP (heat shock proteins) 70 and 90) and antioxidative stress (catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX)) were quantified. Eighteen day-old larvae were fed for 14 days with three experimental diets with increasing levels of ARA (0.3, 0.6 and 1.2% d.w.) and similar levels of docosahexaenoic (DHA; 22:6n-3) and eicosapentaenoic (EPA; 20:5n-3) acids (5 and 3%, respectively). The quantification of stress-related genes transcripts was conducted by One-Step TaqMan real time RT-PCR with the standard curve method (absolute quantification). Increase dietary levels of ARA induced a significantly (p&lt;0.05) down-regulation of genes related to cortisol synthesis, such as StAR and CYP11&beta; and up-regulated genes related to glucocorticoid receptor complex, such as HSP70 and GR. No effects were observed on antioxidant enzymes gene expression. These results revealed the regulatory role of dietary ARA on the expression of stress-related genes in European sea bass larvae

Interaction between FTO gene variants and lifestyle factors on metabolic traits in an Asian Indian population

Background Lifestyle factors such as diet and physical activity have been shown to modify the association between fat mass and obesity–associated (FTO) gene variants and metabolic traits in several populations; however, there are no gene-lifestyle interaction studies, to date, among Asian Indians living in India. In this study, we examined whether dietary factors and physical activity modified the association between two FTO single nucleotide polymorphisms (rs8050136 and rs11076023) (SNPs) and obesity traits and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Methods The study included 734 unrelated T2D and 884 normal glucose-tolerant (NGT) participants randomly selected from the urban component of the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study (CURES). Dietary intakes were assessed using a validated interviewer administered semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Physical activity was based upon the self-report. Interaction analyses were performed by including the interaction terms in the linear/logistic regression model. Results There was a significant interaction between SNP rs8050136 and carbohydrate intake (% energy) (Pinteraction = 0.04), where the ‘A’ allele carriers had 2.46 times increased risk of obesity than those with ‘CC’ genotype (P = 3.0 × 10−5) among individuals in the highest tertile of carbohydrate intake (% energy, 71 %). A significant interaction was also observed between SNP rs11076023 and dietary fibre intake (Pinteraction = 0.0008), where individuals with AA genotype who are in the 3rd tertile of dietary fibre intake had 1.62 cm lower waist circumference than those with ‘T’ allele carriers (P = 0.02). Furthermore, among those who were physically inactive, the ‘A’ allele carriers of the SNP rs8050136 had 1.89 times increased risk of obesity than those with ‘CC’ genotype (P = 4.0 × 10−5). Conclusions This is the first study to provide evidence for a gene-diet and gene-physical activity interaction on obesity and T2D in an Asian Indian population. Our findings suggest that the association between FTO SNPs and obesity might be influenced by carbohydrate and dietary fibre intake and physical inactivity. Further understanding of how FTO gene influences obesity and T2D through dietary and exercise interventions is warranted to advance the development of behavioral intervention and personalised lifestyle strategies, which could reduce the risk of metabolic diseases in this Asian Indian population

Membrane fluidity matters: Hyperthermia from the aspects of lipids and membranes

Hyperthermia is a promising treatment modality for cancer in combination both with radio- and chemotherapy. In spite of its great therapeutic potential, the underlying molecular mechanisms still remain to be clarified. Due to lipid imbalances and 'membrane defects' most of the tumour cells possess elevated membrane fluidity. However, further increasing membrane fluidity to sensitise to chemo-or radiotherapy could have some other effects. In fact, hyperfluidisation of cell membrane induced by membrane fluidiser initiates a stress response as the heat shock protein response, which may modulate positively or negatively apoptotic cell death. Overviewing some recent findings based on a technology allowing direct imaging of lipid rafts in live cells and lipidomics, novel aspects of the intimate relationship between the 'membrane stress' of tumour cells and the cellular heat shock response will be highlighted. Our findings lend support to both the importance of membrane remodelling and the release of lipid signals initiating stress protein response, which can operate in tandem to control the extent of the ultimate cellular thermosensitivity. Overall, we suggest that the fluidity variable of membranes should be used as an independent factor for predicting the efficacy of combinational cancer therapies

Consensus recommendation for mouse models of ocular hypertension to study aqueous humor outflow and its mechanisms

Due to their similarities in anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology to humans, mice are a valuable model system to study the generation and mechanisms modulating conventional outflow resistance and thus intraocular pressure. In addition, mouse models are critical for understanding the complex nature of conventional outflow homeostasis and dysfunction that results in ocular hypertension. In this review, we describe a set of minimum acceptable standards for developing, characterizing, and utilizing mouse models of open-angle ocular hypertension. We expect that this set of standard practices will increase scientific rigor when using mouse models and will better enable researchers to replicate and build upon previous findings