NCNPR Scientist Honored for Parasitic Diseases Research

Babu Tekwani presented Distinguished Scientist Award for work on tropical illnesse

UM Hosts World Health Organization Working Group

Three-day session helps group develop guidelines for herb and drug interaction

UM Pharmacy Student Awarded Phi Kappa Phi Scholarship

Meghan Walker is university\u27s second straight fellow of the honor societ

Transcriptional Profiles for Glutamate Transporters Reveal Differences Between Organophosphates but Similarities with Unrelated Neurotoxicants

The developmental neurotoxicity of organophosphates involves mechanisms other than their shared property as cholinesterase inhibitors, among which are excitotoxicity and oxidative stress. We used PC12 cells as a neurodevelopmental model to compare the effects of chlorpyrifos and diazinon on the expression of genes encoding glutamate transporters. Chlorpyrifos had a greater effect in cells undergoing nerve growth factor-induced neurodifferentiation as compared to undifferentiated PC12 cells, with peak sensitivity at the initiation of differentiation, reflecting a global upregulation of all the glutamate transporter genes expressed in this cell line. In differentiating cells, chlorpyrifos had a significantly greater effect than did diazinon and concordance analysis indicated no resemblance in their expression patterns. At the same time, the smaller effects of diazinon were highly concordant with those of an organochlorine pesticide (dieldrin) and a metal (divalent nickel). We also performed similar evaluations for the cystine/glutamate exchanger, which provides protection against oxidative stress by moving cystine into the cell; again, chlorpyrifos had the greatest effect, in this case reducing expression in undifferentiated and differentiating cells. Our results point to excitotoxicity and oxidative stress as major contributors to the noncholinesterase mechanisms that distinguish the neurodevelopmental outcomes between different organophosphates while providing a means whereby apparently unrelated neurotoxicants may produce similar outcomes

“You Can Rely on the Old Man\u27s Money”: The Incumbency Advantage and Potential for Favor Exchanging in Congressional Elections

The definition of corruption currently used by the United States judicial system for congresspeople is very stringent, requiring full knowledge of exchanging money for legislative favors in order to convict. However, the increasing amount of outside money in congressional elections suggests that the environment is ripe for a quid pro quo exchange. This is especially true for incumbents, who have an established, built-in advantage favoring reelection and receive the majority of outside spending. To investigate whether there exists the potential for a quid pro quo, I look at incumbents fundraising and expenditure data in 2010 and 2014, after the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. I find that incumbents strategically take advantage of incumbency benefits to build war chests of savings and scare off higher quality challengers. This implies a level of integration with political elites and wealthy donors that suggests a quid pro quo between the two sides

An Institutional Commitment to Minorities and Diversity: The Evolution of a Law School Academic Support Program

Given the severe underrepresentation of minorities in the legal profession, law schools have begun to realize their obligation to provide minorities with access to a quality legal education. This Article profiles the ongoing efforts of one private, free-standing law school to fulfill its commitment to diversity in education

Should I Have Learned to Cook? Interviews with Women Lawyers Juggling Multiple Roles

This 1996 empirical study explores the quality of the professional and personal lives of a selected sample of women lawyers practicing in San Diego, California. The sixteen women interviewed are successful and productive attorneys. Their stories show these women lawyer\u27s ability to find solutions to work-family issues. They are super women, managing rewarding careers, marriage, family, and community responsibilities. Women have found workplaces that accommodate conflicting demands, and thus allow for a balanced life. They have realized contentment in their professional and personal lives, but this research suggests a persistence of role conflict, a clash between their ideals and their self-perception. Women can have it all, though all is measured by each woman\u27s perception of ambition, success, and productivity

Cwbr Author Interview: No Quarter: The Battle Of The Crater, 1864

Interview with Dr. Richard Slotkin Interviewed by Nathan Buman CWBR: My first question, what led you to venture away from your three-volume study of the American frontier in Gunfighter Nation, The Fatal Environment, and Regeneration Through Violence to examine the Battle of the Crater during the American Civil War