New engine concept development process: from green field to friction assessment for cam-roller follower valvetrain system, through an integrate engine designmethodology

New engine concept development process: from green field to friction assessment for cam-roller follower valvetrain system, through an integrate engine design methodolog

New engine concept development process: from green field to friction assessment for cam-roller follower valvetrain system, through an integrate engine designmethodology

New engine concept development process: from green field to friction assessment for cam-roller follower valvetrain system, through an integrate engine design methodolog

Elucidating the role of dopamine in the avoidance response of Caenorhabditis Elegans utilizing microfluidics

This study looks at dopamine modulation of ASH neurons, which are part of the avoidance circuit of C. elegans, and their response to water soluble stimuli. Because nematodes such as Caenorhabditis elegans utilize dopamine at the molecular and cellular level in much the same way as mammals, they offer researchers a unique opportunity to study the mechanisms of dopamine signaling

Rate of complications due to neuromuscular scoliosis spine surgery in a 30-years consecutive series

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the rate of intraoperative and postoperative complications in a large series of patients affected by neuromuscular scoliosis. METHODS: It was a monocentric retrospective study. In this study have been considered complications those events that significantly affected the course of treatment, such as getting the hospital stay longer, or requiring a subsequent surgical procedure, or corrupting the final result of the treatment. RESULTS: Of the 358 patients affected by neuromuscular scoliosis treated from January 1985 to December 2010, 185 that met the inclusion criteria were included in the study. There were recorded 66 complications in 55/185 patients. Of that 66 complications, 54 complications occurred in 46/120 patients with Luque's instrumentation, while only 12 complications occurred in 9/65 patients with hybrid instrumentation and this difference was statistically significant (p 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The surgical treatment in neuromuscular scoliosis is burdened by a large number of complications. An accurate knowledge of possible complications is mandatory to prepare strategies due to prevent adverse events. A difference in definitions could completely change results in good or bad as well as in our same series the adverse events amounted at almost 30% of cases, but complications that due to complete failure would amount at 9.19% of patients. KEYWORDS: Complications; Neuromuscular scoliosis; Scoliosis; Scoliosis surgery PMID: 28314995 DOI: 10.1007/s00586-017-5034-6 Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Google

Service-Learning as a Professional Development Tool

The authors examined students’ attitudes towards grant writing and program evaluation when service learning was integrated into the assignment. Over a two-year period, 71 graduate students participated in an online survey responding to both qualitative and quantitative items. Students overwhelmingly reported that they learned more through the servicelearning experience than they would have doing the assignment as an academic exercise. It is recommended that all disciplines seek out service-learning opportunities to promote professional development

Creating Opportunities: Gerontological Service Learning in a Community Practice Project

Ten graduate gerontology students volunteered for a service learning project, My Life: Connect with Me, which was developed, supervised and evaluated by a graduate social work intern in a community practice internship. The social work intern trained volunteers in interviewing skills at a continuing care retirement community. Student volunteers’ self-reported confidence in interviewing older adults was measured by a questionnaire created by the social work intern, using Likert scaling and short qualitative responses, as well as journaling. All student volunteers reported increases from pre to posttest, and the social work intern successfully completed all community internship competencies (Council on Social Work Education, 2008). The stakeholders have moved toward a broader implementation of this project

Response to dexamethasone is glucose-sensitive in multiple myeloma cell lines

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Hyperglycemia is among the major side effects of dexamethasone (DEX). Glucose or glucocorticoid (GC) regulates the expression of thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) that controls the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) through the modulation of thioredoxin (TRX) activity.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Multiple myeloma (MM) cells were grown in 5 or 20 mM/L glucose with or without 25 μM DEX. Semiquantitative reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) was used to assess TXNIP RNA expression in response to glucose and DEX. ROS were detected by 5-6-chloromethyl-2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (CM-H2DCFDA). TRX activity was assayed by the insulin disulfide-reducing assay. Proliferation was evaluated using CellTiter96 reagent with 490-nm absorbtion and used to calculate the DEX IC₅₀in 20 mM/L glucose using the Chou's dose effect equation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>TXNIP RNA level responded to glucose or DEX with the same order of magnitude ARH77 > NCIH929 > U266B1 in these cells. MC/CAR cells were resistant to the regulation. ROS level increased concurrently with reduced TRX activity. Surprisingly glucose increased TRX activity in MC/CAR cells keeping ROS level low. DEX and glucose were lacking the expected additive effect on TXNIP RNA regulation when used concurrently in sensitive cells. ROS level was significantly lower when DEX was used in conditions of hyperglycemia in ARH77/NCIH9292 cells but not in U266B1 cells. Dex-IC₅₀increased 10-fold when the dose response effect of DEX was evaluated with glucose in ARH && and MC/Car cells</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our study shows for the first time that glucose or DEX regulates important components of ROS production through TXNIP modulation or direct interference with TRX activity in MM cells. We show that glucose modulates the activity of DEX through ROS regualtion in MM cells. A better understanding of these pathways may help in improving the efficacy and reducing the toxicity of DEX, a drug still highly used in the treatment of MM. Our study also set the ground to study the relevance of the metabolic milieu in affecting drug response and toxicity in diabetic versus non-diabetic patients with MM.</p