Ariel - Volume 11 Number 5

Executive Editors Ellen Feldman Leonardo S. Nasca, Jr. Business Managers Alex Macones Martin B. Getzow News Editor Hugh A. Gelabert Features Editor Aaron D. Bleznak CAHS Editor Joan M. Greco Editorial Page Editor Samuel Markind Photography Editor Todd L. Demmy Sports Editor Paul F. Mansfield Commons Editor Saul I. Helfin

Flea‘in Around: A Look at the Identification, Preservation, Clearing, and Mounting of Siphonaptera

Fleas are remarkable and highly specialized insects, with no part of their external anatomy being easily mistaken for that of any other insect. Due to their small size, the subtle differences among the distinguishing morphological characteristics of each species, and complexities of preparing specimens, identifying, and working with fleas is challenging. Various documents and taxonomic keys are available that discuss mounting procedures and the identification of medically important fleas for large regions of the world including the United States; however, many of these have become antiquated over time. Some of the distinguishing specialized characteristics exhibited among flea species, as presented in older keys, come in the form of line drawings, which are accurate but can be difficult to use when comparing it to structures on a whole specimen when viewed through a microscope. This paper presents a guide which describes in detail previously developed, but obscure techniques covering the preservation, preparation, clearing, and mounting of Siphonaptera specimens. In addition, we are also presenting an easy-to-use photographic key of twelve flea species collected from back yard wildlife, as well as pet cats and dogs in Orange County, CA. This key, which is freely available online at the Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District’s website, is an effective tool for the identification of common flea species found in southern California. Using the key in conjunction with the mounting guide will provide users with a full-circle guide to preserving, identifying, and mounting flea specimens. Keyed flea genera include Cediopsylla, Ctenocephalides, Diamanus, Echidinophaga, Hoplopsyllus, Leptopsylla, Nosopsyllus, Orchopoeas, Pulex, and Xenopsylla. Examined hosts include cats, coyotes, dogs, mice, opossums, rabbits, raccoons, rats, skunks, squirrels, and woodrats

Ariel - Volume 5 Number 6

Editors J.D. Kanofsky Mark Dembert Entertainment Robert Breckenridge Joe Conti Gary Kaskey Photographer Scot Kastner Overseas Editor Mike Sinason Circulation Jay Amsterdam Humorist Jim McCann Staff Ken Jaffe Bob Sklaroff Janet Welsh Dave Jacoby Phil Nimoityn Frank Chervane

Toward food sovereignty for coastal communities of eastern Québec : co-designing a website to support consumption of edible resources from the St. Lawrence River, Estuary, and Gulf

Background. Despite the abundance and proximity of edible marine resources, coastal communities along the St. Lawrence in Eastern Québec rarely consume these resources. Within a community-based food sovereignty project, Manger notre Saint-Laurent (‘‘Sustenance from our St. Lawrence''), members of participating communities (3 nonIndigenous, 1 Indigenous) identified a need for a web-based decision tool to help make informed consumption choices. Methods. We thus aimed to co-design a prototype website that facilitates informed choices about consuming local edible marine resources based on seasonal and regional availability, food safety, nutrition, and sustainability, with community members, regional stakeholders, and experts in user experience design and web development. We conducted 48 interviews with a variety of people over 3 iterative cycles, assessing the prototype's ease of use with a validated measure, the System Usability Scale. Results. Community members, regional stakeholders, and other experts identified problematic elements in initial versions of the website (e.g., confusing symbols). We resolved issues and added features people identified as useful. Usability scores reached ‘‘best imaginable'' for both the second and the third versions and did not differ significantly between sociodemographic groups. The final prototype includes a tool to explore each species and index cards to regroup accurate evidence relevant to each species. Conclusions. Engaging co-designers with different sociodemographic characteristics brought together a variety of perspectives. Several components would not have been included without co-designers' input; other components were greatly improved thanks to their feedback. Co-design approaches in research and intervention development are preferable to foster the inclusion of a variety of people. Once the prototype is programmed and available online, we hope to evaluate the website to determine its effects on food choices

PTSD as an Endothelial Disease: Insights From COVID-19

SARS-CoV-2 virus, the etiologic agent of COVID-19, has affected almost every aspect of human life, precipitating stress-related pathology in vulnerable individuals. As the prevalence rate of posttraumatic stress disorder in pandemic survivors exceeds that of the general and special populations, the virus may predispose to this disorder by directly interfering with the stress-processing pathways. The SARS-CoV-2 interactome has identified several antigens that may disrupt the blood-brain-barrier by inducing premature senescence in many cell types, including the cerebral endothelial cells. This enables the stress molecules, including angiotensin II, endothelin-1 and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1, to aberrantly activate the amygdala, hippocampus, and medial prefrontal cortex, increasing the vulnerability to stress related disorders. This is supported by observing the beneficial effects of angiotensin receptor blockers and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors in both posttraumatic stress disorder and SARS-CoV-2 critical illness. In this narrative review, we take a closer look at the virus-host dialog and its impact on the renin-angiotensin system, mitochondrial fitness, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor. We discuss the role of furin cleaving site, the fibrinolytic system, and Sigma-1 receptor in the pathogenesis of psychological trauma. In other words, learning from the virus, clarify the molecular underpinnings of stress related disorders, and design better therapies for these conditions. In this context, we emphasize new potential treatments, including furin and bromodomains inhibitors

Adaptive Manufacturing for Healthcare During the COVID-19 Emergency and Beyond

During the COVID-19 pandemic, global health services have faced unprecedented demands. Many key workers in health and social care have experienced crippling shortages of personal protective equipment, and clinical engineers in hospitals have been severely stretched due to insufficient supplies of medical devices and equipment. Many engineers who normally work in other sectors have been redeployed to address the crisis, and they have rapidly improvised solutions to some of the challenges that emerged, using a combination of low-tech and cutting-edge methods. Much publicity has been given to efforts to design new ventilator systems and the production of 3D-printed face shields, but many other devices and systems have been developed or explored. This paper presents a description of efforts to reverse engineer or redesign critical parts, specifically a manifold for an anaesthesia station, a leak port, plasticware for COVID-19 testing, and a syringe pump lock box. The insights obtained from these projects were used to develop a product lifecycle management system based on Aras Innovator, which could with further work be deployed to facilitate future rapid response manufacturing of bespoke hardware for healthcare. The lessons learned could inform plans to exploit distributed manufacturing to secure back-up supply chains for future emergency situations. If applied generally, the concept of distributed manufacturing could give rise to “21st century cottage industries” or “nanofactories,” where high-tech goods are produced locally in small batches

Fibrolase: Trials and Tribulations

Fibrolase is the fibrinolytic enzyme isolated from Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix (southern copperhead snake) venom. The enzyme was purified by a three-step HPLC procedure and was shown to be homogeneous by standard criteria including reverse phase HPLC, molecular sieve chromatography and SDS-PAGE. The purified enzyme is a zinc metalloproteinase containing one mole of zinc. It is composed of 203 amino acids with a blocked amino-terminus due to cyclization of the terminal Gln residue. Fibrolase shares a significant degree of homology with enzymes of the reprolysin sub-family of metalloproteinases including an active site homology of close to 100%; it is rapidly inhibited by chelating agents such as EDTA, and by alpha2-macroglobulin (α2Μ). The enzyme is a direct-acting thrombolytic agent and does not rely on plasminogen for clot dissolution. Fibrolase rapidly cleaves the A(α)-chain of fibrinogen and the B(β)-chain at a slower rate; it has no activity on the γ-chain. The enzyme exhibits the same specificity with fibrin, cleaving the α-chain more rapidly than the β-chain. Fibrolase was shown to have very effective thrombolytic activity in a reoccluding carotid arterial thrombosis model in the canine. A recombinant version of the enzyme was made in yeast by Amgen, Inc. (Thousand Oaks, CA, USA) and called alfimeprase. Alfimeprase is identical to fibrolase except for a two amino acid truncation at the amino-terminus and the insertion of a new amino-terminal amino acid in the truncated protein; these changes lead to a more stable enzyme for prolonged storage. Alfimeprase was taken into clinical trials by Nuvelo, Inc. (San Carlos, CA), which licensed the enzyme from Amgen. Alfimeprase was successful in Phase I and II clinical trials for peripheral arterial occlusion (PAO) and central venous access device (CVAD) occlusion. However, in Phase III trials alfimeprase did not meet the expected end points in either PAO or CVAD occlusion and in a Phaase II stroke trial, and Nuvelo dropped further development in 2008