Appropriate Practices in College/University Physical Activity Instructional Programs

This session will introduce the audience to a new NASPE document that supports basic instructional programming at the college and university level. Based on NASPE’s former K-12 Appropriate Practice documents, this document will serve as an advocacy document for the importance of quality programming at the college/university level. Come and preview this new document

Intended Consequences Statement in Conservation Science and Practice

As the biodiversity crisis accelerates, the stakes are higher for threatened plants and animals. Rebuilding the health of our planet will require addressing underlying threats at many scales, including habitat loss and climate change. Conservation interventions such as habitat protection, management, restoration, predator control, trans location, genetic rescue, and biological control have the potential to help threatened or endangered species avert extinction. These existing, well-tested methods can be complemented and augmented by more frequent and faster adoption of new technologies, such as powerful new genetic tools. In addition, synthetic biology might offer solutions to currently intractable conservation problems. We believe that conservation needs to be bold and clear-eyed in this moment of great urgency

Bi-allelic Loss-of-Function CACNA1B Mutations in Progressive Epilepsy-Dyskinesia.

The occurrence of non-epileptic hyperkinetic movements in the context of developmental epileptic encephalopathies is an increasingly recognized phenomenon. Identification of causative mutations provides an important insight into common pathogenic mechanisms that cause both seizures and abnormal motor control. We report bi-allelic loss-of-function CACNA1B variants in six children from three unrelated families whose affected members present with a complex and progressive neurological syndrome. All affected individuals presented with epileptic encephalopathy, severe neurodevelopmental delay (often with regression), and a hyperkinetic movement disorder. Additional neurological features included postnatal microcephaly and hypotonia. Five children died in childhood or adolescence (mean age of death: 9 years), mainly as a result of secondary respiratory complications. CACNA1B encodes the pore-forming subunit of the pre-synaptic neuronal voltage-gated calcium channel Cav2.2/N-type, crucial for SNARE-mediated neurotransmission, particularly in the early postnatal period. Bi-allelic loss-of-function variants in CACNA1B are predicted to cause disruption of Ca2+ influx, leading to impaired synaptic neurotransmission. The resultant effect on neuronal function is likely to be important in the development of involuntary movements and epilepsy. Overall, our findings provide further evidence for the key role of Cav2.2 in normal human neurodevelopment.MAK is funded by an NIHR Research Professorship and receives funding from the Wellcome Trust, Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital Charity, and Rosetrees Trust. E.M. received funding from the Rosetrees Trust (CD-A53) and Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity. K.G. received funding from Temple Street Foundation. A.M. is funded by Great Ormond Street Hospital, the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), and Biomedical Research Centre. F.L.R. and D.G. are funded by Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre. K.C. and A.S.J. are funded by NIHR Bioresource for Rare Diseases. The DDD Study presents independent research commissioned by the Health Innovation Challenge Fund (grant number HICF-1009-003), a parallel funding partnership between the Wellcome Trust and the Department of Health, and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (grant number WT098051). We acknowledge support from the UK Department of Health via the NIHR comprehensive Biomedical Research Centre award to Guy's and St. Thomas' National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust in partnership with King's College London. This research was also supported by the NIHR Great Ormond Street Hospital Biomedical Research Centre. J.H.C. is in receipt of an NIHR Senior Investigator Award. The research team acknowledges the support of the NIHR through the Comprehensive Clinical Research Network. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR, Department of Health, or Wellcome Trust. E.R.M. acknowledges support from NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, an NIHR Senior Investigator Award, and the University of Cambridge has received salary support in respect of E.R.M. from the NHS in the East of England through the Clinical Academic Reserve. I.E.S. is supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (Program Grant and Practitioner Fellowship)

A preliminary study of changes in tear film proteins in the feline eye following nictitating membrane removal

Objective To investigate the influence of nictitating membrane (third eyelid) removal on selected proteins in feline tears. Animal studied Domestic short-haired cats (7-17months; 2.6-5.2kg) were used. Procedures Eye-flush tears were collected periodically for up to 18weeks from both eyes of animals with nictitating membranes removed, but nictitating gland left intact, (n=4) or with nictitating membranes intact (n=4). Tear comparisons were based on total protein content (TPC) using micro bicinchoninic acid assay, immunoglobulin A (IgA), and matrix-metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 measurements using sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and tear gelatinase activity using gelatin zymography. Expression of MMP-2 and -9 in nictitating membranes removed at baseline (week 0) and eyes collected at 18weeks were also investigated in histological sections using immunoperoxidase for visualization. Results Nictitating membrane removal did not significantly change TPC and MMP-9 in tears within the first 4weeks. MMP-9 was not detected by ELISA in tears from eyes without nictitating membranes from week 5 onwards. IgA (%IgA of TPC) data varied between animals. Gelatin zymography showed increased MMP-2 and -9 activity in tears from eyes without nictitating membranes at week1 and a decrease following week 2 post-surgery. MMP-2 and -9 were immunolocalised to conjunctival goblet cells of removed nictitating membranes and to the conjunctival epithelium, respectively. After 18weeks, the distribution of MMPs in tissue was comparable between eyes with and without nictitating membranes. Conclusions Based on this preliminary study, nictitating membrane removal appeared to cause long-term changes in expression of tear proteins, including reduced MMP-9 expression

A comparison of basal and eye-flush tears for the analysis of cat tear proteins

Purpose: To identify a rapid and effective tear collection method providing sufficient tear volume and total protein content (TPC) for analysis of individual proteins in cats. Methods: Domestic adult short-haired cats (12-37 months; 2.7-6.6 kg) were used in the study. Basal tears without stimulation and eye-flush tears after instillation of saline (10 ÃŽ l) were collected using microcapillary tubes from animal eyes either unwounded control or wounded with 9-mm central epithelial debridement giving four groups with n = 3. Tear comparisons were based on total time and rate for tear collection, TPC using micro bicinchoninic acid (BCA), tear immunoglobulin A (IgA), total matrix-metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 concentration using sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and MMP-9 activity. Results: Eye-flush tears were collected significantly faster than basal tears in wounded eyes with higher rates for tear collection in unwounded control and wounded eyes. TPC was significantly lower in eye-flush tears compared to basal tears. The relative proportion of tear IgA normalized to TPC (% IgA of TPC) was not significantly different between basal and eye-flush tears. In unwounded control eyes, MMP-9 was slightly higher in eye-flush than in basal tears; activity of MMP-9 in both tear types was similar. In wounded eyes, eye-flush tears showed highest MMP-9 levels and activity on Day 1, which subsequently decreased to Day 7. MMP-9 activity in basal tears from wounded eyes did not display changes in expression. Conclusions: Eye-flush tears can be collected rapidly providing sufficient tear volume and TPC. This study also indicates that eye-flush tears may be more suitable than basal tears for the analysis of MMPs following corneal wounding

Tear sample grouping based on wound healing stages for both wounded and procedural control eyes.

<p>Tear sample grouping based on wound healing stages for both wounded and procedural control eyes.</p

MMP-9 expression in ocular surface tissues.

<p>Representative light micrographs of tissue sections showing MMP-9 expression in (A–D) corneal epithelium, (E–H) stromal keratocytes, (I–L) bulbar conjunctival epithelium, (M–P) lacrimal gland and (Q–T) meibomian gland of unwounded control eyes collected prior to surgery, and wounded eyes at various stages of healing. Arrows indicate stromal keratocytes. Arrow head shows an example of a conjunctival goblet cell.</p

MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression in conjunctival associated lymphoid tissue (CALT) in the palpebral conjunctiva.

<p>Representative light micrographs of a section through CALT showing (A) MMP-2, (B) MMP-9 expression and (C) IgG control, at the time of corneal wound closure.</p