The Role of Red Raspberry (Rubus Idaeus) on Inflammation, Lipid Metabolism, and Endothelial Dysfunction as Related to the Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is major public health concern. Diet can play a major role in the prevention and/or progression of the MetS. At 8 weeks of age, male obese Zucker rat (OZR) and their lean littermates (LZR) were placed on a control or an 8% w/w whole red raspberry (WRR)-enriched diet for 8 weeks. Circulating levels of inflammatory cytokines and their gene expression in the liver and adipose tissue were evaluated. Several lipid markers were measured in the plasma, liver and adipose tissue. The expression of eight genes related to lipid metabolism were evaluated, both in liver and adipose tissue. Phenylephrine (Phe)-induced vasoconstriction and acetylcholine (Ach)-induced vasorelaxation were measured in aortic rings in the presence or absence of L-N-monomethyl-arginine (L-NMMA) and mefenamic acid (MFA). Prostanoid levels were measured in the aortic effluent. Vascular function related gene were analyzed in the aorta. Plasma levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) decreased in the OZR consuming a WRR diet compared to the OZR-C (

The Shalem Counselling Assistance Plan for Students (CAPS): Delivering Social Work Services to Faith-Based School Systems

In Ontario, Canada, non-Catholic faith-based schools do not receive provincial government funding but are funded primarily by families of students and through fundraising. As a result, historically school-based provision of counselling or school social work resources to students has been the exception rather than the rule, as this has typically been considered an adjunct resource. A new initiative was launched in the province of Ontario in 2011 to address this gap, the Counselling Assistance Plan for Students (CAPS). CAPS was premised on another novel idea, a Congregational Assistance Plan, which itself grew out of concepts derived from Employee Assistance Programming that has roots dating back to the 19th century in Canada. While CAPS has parallels to Student Assistance Programming (SAP), which exists throughout the United States, development of SAP has not taken hold in Canada. This article examines the origins of CAPS, its development, and the nature of assistance it has provided to the schools that have been early adopters

Amyloids: From molecular structure to mechanical properties

AbstractMany proteins of diverse sequence, structure and function self-assemble into morphologically similar fibrillar aggregates known as amyloids. Amyloids are remarkable polymers in several respects. First of all, amyloids can be formed from proteins with very different amino acid sequences; the common denominator is that the individual proteins constituting the amyloid fold predominantly into a β-sheet structure. Secondly, the formation of the fibril occurs through non-covalent interactions between primarily the β-sheets, causing the monomers to stack into fibrils. The fibrils are remarkably robust, considering that the monomers are bound non-covalently. Finally, a common characteristic of fibrils is their unbranched, straight, fiber-like structure arising from the intertwining of the multiple β-sheet filaments. These remarkably ordered and stable nanofibrils can be useful as building blocks for protein-based functional materials, but they are also implicated in severe neurodegenerative diseases. The overall aim of this article is to highlight recent efforts aimed at obtaining insights into amyloid proteins on different length scales. Starting from molecular information on amyloids, single fibril properties and mechanical properties of networks of fibrils are described. Specifically, we focus on the self-assembly of amyloid protein fibrils composed of peptides and denatured model proteins, as well as the influence of inhibitors of fibril formation. Additionally, we will demonstrate how the application of recently developed vibrational spectroscopic techniques has emerged as a powerful approach to gain spatially resolved information on the structure–function relation of amyloids. While spectroscopy provides information on local molecular conformations and protein secondary structure, information on the single fibril level has been developed by diverse microscopic techniques. The approaches to reveal basic mechanical properties of single fibrils like bending rigidity, shear modulus, ultimate tensile strength and fracture behavior are illustrated. Lastly, mechanics of networks of amyloid fibrils, typically forming viscoelastic gels are outlined, with a focus on (micro-) rheological properties. The resulting fundamental insights are essential for the rational design of novel edible and biodegradable protein-based polymers, but also to devise therapeutic strategies to combat amyloid assembly and accumulation during pathogenic disorders

John B. vandenAkker 1940

Student field notes from zoology classes in 194

THE ACTION OF MEBEVERINE AND METABOLITES ON MAMMALIAN NONMYELINATED NERVE-FIBERS

The effect of mebeverine, mebeverine-alcohol and veratric acid on voltage-operated ion channels and on sodium pump activity were studied. The amplitude and duration of the compound action potential evoked in the vagus nerve were decreased by mebeverine but not by the metabolites. The amplitude of the post-tetanic hyperpolarization was decreased by mebeverine while the time constant of decay, representing sodium-potassium pump activity, was not affected by the compounds tested. These results show that mebeverine exerts a local anaesthetic action by blocking voltage-operated sodium channels