Subregional Hippocampal Thickness Abnormalities in Older Adults with a History of Heavy Cannabis Use.

Background and Aims: Legalization of cannabis (CB) for both medicinal and, in some states, recreational use, has given rise to increasing usage rates across the country. Of particular concern are indications that frequent CB use may be selectively harmful to the developing adolescent brain compared with adult-onset usage. However, the long-term effects of heavy, adolescent CB use on brain structure and cognitive performance in late-life remain unknown. A critical brain region is the hippocampus (HC), where there is a striking intersection between high concentrations of cannabinoid 1 (CB1) receptors and age-related pathology. Design: We investigated whether older adults (average age=66.6+7.2 years old) with a history of early life CB use show morphological differences in hippocampal subregions compared with older, nonusers. Methods: We performed high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging combined with computational techniques to assess cortical thickness of the medial temporal lobe, neuropsychological testing, and extensive drug use histories on 50 subjects (24 formerly heavy cannabis users [CB+ group] abstinent for an average of 28.7 years, 26 nonusers [CB- group]). We investigated group differences in hippocampal subregions, controlling for age, sex, and intelligence (as measured by the Wechsler Test of Adult Reading), years of education, and cigarette use. Results: The CB+ subjects exhibited thinner cortices in subfields cornu ammonis 1 [CA1; F(1,42)=9.96, p=0.0003], and CA2, 3, and the dentate gyrus [CA23DG; F(1,42)=23.17, p<0.0001], and in the entire HC averaged over all subregions [F(1,42)=8.49, p=0.006]. Conclusions: Negative effects of chronic adolescent CB use on hippocampal structure are maintained well into late life. Because hippocampal cortical loss underlies and exacerbates age-related cognitive decline, these findings have profound implications for aging adults with a history of early life usage. Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov # NCT01874886

Physical Activity and Hippocampal Sub-Region Structure in Older Adults with Memory Complaints.

BackgroundPhysical activity (PA) plays a major role in maintaining cognition in older adults. PA has been shown to be correlated with total hippocampal volume, a memory-critical region within the medial temporal lobe (MTL). However, research on associations between PA and MTL sub-region integrity is limited.ObjectiveTo examine the relationship between PA, MTL thickness, and its sub-regions, and cognitive function in non-demented older adults with memory complaints.MethodsTwenty-nine subjects aged ≥60 years, with memory complaints were recruited for this cross-sectional study. PA was tracked for 7 days using accelerometers, and average number of steps/day determined. Subjects were categorized into two groups: those who walked ≤4000 steps/day (lower PA) and those with >4000 steps/day (higher PA). Subjects received neuropsychological testing and 3T MRI scans. Nonparametric ANCOVAs controlling for age examined differences between the two groups.ResultsTwenty-six subjects aged 72.7(8.1) years completed the study. The higher PA group (n = 13) had thicker fusiform gyrus (median difference = 0.11 mm, effect size (ES) = 1.43, p = 0.001) and parahippocampal cortex (median difference = 0.12 mm, ES = 0.93, p = 0.04) compared to the lower PA group. The higher PA group also exhibited superior performance in attention and information-processing speed (median difference = 0.90, ES = 1.61, p = 0.003) and executive functioning (median difference = 0.97, ES = 1.24, p = 0.05). Memory recall was not significantly different between the two groups.ConclusionOlder non-demented individuals complaining of memory loss who walked >4000 steps each day had thicker MTL sub-regions and better cognitive functioning than those who walked ≤4000 steps. Future studies should include longitudinal analyses and explore mechanisms mediating hippocampal related atrophy

Obama FY2017 Budget Proposal: Sustainable Energy, Buildings, Transportation and Climate

On February 9, 2016, President Obama released his $4.15 trillion fiscal year (FY) 2017 federal budget proposal, a 5 percent increase over 2016. In his final budget request, President Obama is calling for investment into clean energy research and development to double by 2021, from$6.4 billion (in 2016) to $12.8 billion. The budget seeks$7.7 billion for clean energy research at 12 federal agencies, with the Department of Energy receiving the bulk of the funding (80 percent). The extra funding would support the development of clean, renewable energies such as bioenergy, geothermal, hydrogen, solar, water, and wind, as well as clean-vehicle technologies and energy storage. The proposed 2017 budget increases the Department of Energy's (DOE) funding by 10 percent over 2016 estimated levels, raises the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) budget by 4.23 percent, and increases the Department of Transportation's (DOT) funding by 10.27 percent.This issue brief outlines the Obama administration's FY 2017 budget request for several clean energy programs within key agencies

Staying the Course: Toward Strong HQIM Implementation in Delaware

With the implementation of high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) and curriculum-based professional learning, Delaware educators, students, and families have ventured into promising, challenging new territory. HQIM ask a great deal of their users. Educators are called upon to abandon traditional approaches to instruction, allowing kids to loudly drive classroom discourse rather than passively taking notes on teacher lectures. Students are asked to grapple with rigorous, problem-based subject matter that offers no easy answers and requires deep analytical thinking and collaboration. Families are asked to support their children’s learning when the materials and resources that come home may feel unfamiliar and overwhelming. For all stakeholders, implementation can, at times, feel like an arduous journey with no clear destination

Equine gestational length and location: is there more that the research could be telling us?

Clear definitions of 'normal' equine gestation length (GL) are elusive, with GL being subject to a considerable number of internal and external variables that have confounded interpretation and estimation of GL for over 50 years. Consequently, the mean GL of 340 days first established by Rossdale in 1967 for Thoroughbred horses in northern Europe continues to be the benchmark value referenced by veterinarians, breeders and researchers worldwide. Application of a 95% confidence limit to reported GL range values indicates a possible connection between geographic location and GL. Improved knowledge of this variable may help in assessing the degree of the neonate's prematurity and dysmaturity at or soon after birth, and identification of conditions such as incomplete ossification of the carpal and tarsal bones. Associated pathologies such as bone malformation and fracture, angular limb deformity and degenerative joint disease can cause chronic unsoundness, rendering horses unsuitable for athletic purpose and shortening ridden careers. This review will examine both the factors contributing to GL variation and the published data to determine whether there is potential to refine our understanding of GL by establishing a more accurate and regionally relevant GL range based on a 95% confidence limit. This may benefit both equine industry economics and equine welfare by improving early identification of skeletally immature neonates, so that appropriate intervention may be considered

Changes in blood parameters and electroencephalogram of cattle as affected by different stunning and slaughter methods in cattle

The present study aimed to provide a comparative analysis of the effects of penetrative stunning, non-penetrative stunning and post-slaughter stunning on biochemical parameters and electroencephalogram (EEG) associated with stress in heifers and steers. Ten animals were assigned to each of the following four treatment groups: (1) animals were subjected to conventional halal slaughter (a clean incision through the structures on the ventral neck at the approximate level of vertebrae C2–C3 – the trachea, oesophagus, carotid arteries and jugular veins) and post-cut penetrating mechanical stun within 10–20 s of the halal cut (U); (2) high-power non-penetrating mechanical stunning using a mushroom-headed humane killer, followed by conventional halal slaughter (HPNP); (3) low-power non-penetrating mechanical percussive stunning using a mushroom-headed humane killer, followed by conventional halal slaughter (LPNP); and (4) penetrative stunning using a captive-bolt pistol humane killer, followed by conventional halal slaughter (P). For each animal, blood samples and electroencephalogram recordings were taken before stunning, post-stunning (if applicable) and post-slaughter, and plasma concentrations of cortisol, adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH), adrenaline, noradrenaline and β-endorphin were determined. Irrespective of the stunning method, except for percentage change in plasma concentrations of noradrenaline, the values of blood parameters attained before and after stunning were not significantly different. The plasma noradrenaline concentration of the HPNP animals was significantly elevated following stunning. Following slaughter, the percentage change of plasma ACTH concentration in the P animals was significantly elevated. Neither stunning method nor sampling time had a significant effect on plasma β-endorphin concentration. On the basis of the EEG results, penetrative stunning seemed to be better in maximising the possibility of post-stunning insensibility, whereas U animals appeared to demonstrate an evident increase in EEG activity which is consistent with the presence of post-slaughter noxious stimuli associated with tissue cut and injury. The U animals had consistently higher, if not the highest, RMS values than did other stunned animals. This indicates a degree of EEG changes associated with stress and pain. On the basis of EEG data, our results suggested that penetrative stunning would be the most reliable method of ensuring insensibility and minimising pain. However, at slaughter, the P animals showed a dramatic elevation in the percentage change of circulating ACTH, suggesting physiological stress response. On a cautionary note, the results are not unequivocal, and it may be that the range of analyses available to researchers at this point of time are not sufficiently specific to allow definitive conclusions to be drawn

Vocal behaviour as an indicator of lamb vigour

The viability and survival of the neonate lamb relies on its ability to communicate and maintain a strong attachment with its dam. To date there has been little concise information available about the role of the lamb's behaviour, and in particular the importance of acoustic cues, in this relationship as greater attention has been focused on maternal attributes important in facilitating the maternal-young bond. In human and rodent neonates, acoustic features of the distress vocalisation are used as indices of neurological deficit and integrity both at birth and in infant acoustic cry analysis. The aim of this thesis was to investigate potential behavioural indicators of lamb vigour, with a particular focus on vocal behaviour, within the first 12 hours of life. Such measures could provide valuable information for development of reproductive breeding objectives, and provide clarity regarding the role of the lamb in failed maternal-young interactions. Delayed vocalisation initiation in response to a separation stimulus was found to be associated with poor vigour-related behaviour reflecting the capacity of the lamb to reunite and follow the dam over 12 hours postpartum. Vocalisation delay was also associated with risk factors related to poor lamb survival including longer parturition duration, male sex, first parity, heavier birth weight and sire-related conformational attributes likely to result in a more difficult birth. Blood assay markers reflecting fetal distress including poor blood oxygenation, and elevated plasma glucose and lactate levels sampled at birth were also demonstrated to be correlated with vocalisation latency. These associations were concluded to reflect impacts on the lamb's neurological system rather than genetic influences because of evidence provided by within-litter comparisons, and to demonstrate neuroregenerative processes over a 12 hour measurement period. An analysis of lamb distress signals modelled on acoustic cry analysis of the human neonate was also undertaken to compare vocalisation characteristics of lambs with delayed responses to those with rapid responses indicating vigour. Signal features of delayed response lambs were more likely to demonstrate acoustic parameters reflecting glottal instability, lower amplitude and reduced repetition rate. These lambs were more likely to emit inefficient or inappropriate signals in the context of isolation. A significantly higher fundamental frequency, an indicator of pathology in the human infant, was not clearly demonstrated to be associated with compromised lambs in this study. It was also found in a two-choice test, where sheep dams were required to demonstrate a preference for signals of their own co-twins, that ewes preferred acoustic signals of lambs correlated with rapid vocalisation response, higher pitch and greater signal stability. The results indicate that delayed vocalisation responsiveness and other acoustic measures are associated with fetal compromise in the neonate lamb, as shown in the human and rodent models. It was concluded that delayed vocal initiation is a marker for poor postnatal outcome characterised by diminished responsiveness to a distress condition. This research has important implications for understanding failed maternal-young relationships and the consequences for survival in mammalian neonates

Neighborhood Social Environment and Patterns of Adherence to Oral Hypoglycemic Agents among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

This study examined whether neighborhood social environment was related to patterns of adherence to oral hypoglycemic agents among primary care patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Residents in neighborhoods with high social affluence, high residential stability, and high neighborhood advantage, compared to residents in neighborhoods with one or no high features present, were significantly more likely to have an adherent pattern compared to a nonadherent pattern. Neighborhood social environment may influence patterns of adherence. Reliance on a multilevel contextual framework, extending beyond the individual, to promote diabetic self-management activities may be essential for notable public health improvements

Quality assessment of longissimus and semitendinosus muscles from beef cattle subjected to non-penetrative and penetrative percussive stunning methods

This study provides a comparative analysis of the effects of pre-slaughter penetrative and non-penetrative stunning and post-slaughter stunning on meat quality attributes in longissimus lumborum (LL) and semitendinosus (ST) muscles in heifers. Ten animals were assigned to each of four treatment groups: i) animals were subjected to conventional Halal slaughter (a clean incision through the structures at the front of the upper neck - the trachea, oesophagus, carotid arteries and jugular veins) and post-cut penetrating mechanical stun within 10 to 20 s of the neck cut (Unstunned; US); ii) high power non-penetrating mechanical stunning followed by the neck cut (HPNP); iii) low power non-penetrating mechanical stunning followed by the neck cut (LPNP); and iv) penetrative stunning using a captive bolt pistol followed by the neck cut (P). For each carcass, muscle samples were removed within 45 min of slaughter, portioned and analysed for pH, cooking loss, water holding capacity (WHC), tenderness (WBS), lipid oxidation (TBARS) and color, over a two week storage period. Stunning did not affect pH and cooking loss. Significant differences in water holding capacity, tenderness, lipid oxidation and color were present at different storage time points. HPNP stunning resulted in lower WHC and color values, particularly lightness (L*), higher TBARS values and peak force values compared with those stunned using LPNP, P and US. These adverse effects on quality were mostly encountered in the ST muscle. In conclusion, the meat quality achieved using P, LPNP and US treatments was comparable, and no treatment stood out as considerably better than another