The Running Estimate (RE) for the MEF Command Element

NPS NRP Executive SummaryThe Running Estimate (RE) for the MEF Command ElementII Marine Expeditionary Forces (II MEF)This research is supported by funding from the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Research Program (PE 0605853N/2098). https://nps.edu/nrpChief of Naval Operations (CNO)Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Reversing microcrystalline tests: an analytical approach to recycling of microcrystals from drugs of abuse

A combined analysis of microcrystalline tests followed by LC-MS or GC-MS analysis is described. Microcrystalline tests are shown to be non-destructive as addition products formed were easily dissociated after the application of an appropriate solvent. Subsequent analysis of the sample was done to quantify the recovery of the drug. Examples were performed using the date rape drug γ-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) and the synthetic opioid methadone

RAMSTRONG: AN EMPLOYEE WELLNESS INITIATIVE

The RAMSTRONG project’s mission is to create a mobile website accessible online and through the VCU Mobile app that provides VCU employees with user-friendly, accessible resources to support their holistic well-being. The RAMSTRONG project seeks to meet three basic needs. First, while VCU and the Greater Richmond area offer a plethora of resources to promote health, information about these resources is not readily accessible, and especially not accessible from one website or mobile app. RAMSTRONG aims to provide an accessible means for employees to learn about and take advantage of these resources. Second, while a growing body of scientific literature indicates employer sponsored health promotion programs increase job satisfaction, productivity, and retention, these programs are only effective if they are utilized. RAMSTRONG aims to increase their utilization by promoting awareness of their availability. Third, our society invests a substantial sum of resources to the care of those suffering from injury and illness and less to promoting our health and well-being. The RAMSTRONG project is motivated by a vision of a society that invests significantly in the promotion of wellness so as to reduce the incidence of injury and illness and to increase the prevalence of personal and social satisfaction at work and in life. Our model for the RAMSTRONG app draws from the public health concept of the Wheel of Wellness, which specifies eight interrelated and interdependent dimensions of health: emotional, environmental, financial, social, spiritual, occupational, physical, and intellectual. When a person can demonstrate strength and well-being in each of these areas, they are more productive and receive greater satisfaction in life. Universities, including Princeton University, that have implemented similar website resources and the National Wellness Institute define wellness as “an active process through which people become aware of, and make choices toward, a more successful existence”. Our RAMSTRONG website and mobile app will provide employees with an efficient, friendly means for becoming aware of campus and community resources and making choices that actively contribute to individual and community well-being in each of the eight dimensions. It is our hope that with the implementation of this project, VCU employees will have the resources to take charge of their wellness in each dimension and become RAMSTRONG

Reports of recovered memories in therapy in undergraduate students

Psychologists have debated the wisdom of recovering traumatic memories in therapy that were previously unknown to the client, with some concerns over accuracy and memory distortions. The current study surveyed a sample of 576 undergraduates in the south of the United States. Of 188 who reported attending therapy or counselling, 8% reported coming to remember memories of abuse, without any prior recollection of that abuse before therapy. Of those who reported recovered memories, 60% cut off contact with some of their family. Within those who received therapy, those who had a therapist discuss the possibility of repressed memory were 28.6 times more likely to report recovered memories, compared to those who received therapy without such discussion. These findings mirror a previous survey of US adults and suggest attempts to recover repressed memories in therapy may continue in the forthcoming generation of adults

Reports of Recovered Memories In Therapy In Undergraduate Students

Psychologists have debated the wisdom of recovering traumatic memories in therapy that were previously unknown to the client, with some concerns over accuracy and memory distortions. The current study surveyed a sample of 576 undergraduates in the south of the United States. Of 188 who reported attending therapy or counselling, 8% reported coming to remember memories of abuse, without any prior recollection of that abuse before therapy. Of those who reported recovered memories, 60% cut off contact with some of their family. Within those who received therapy, those who had a therapist discuss the possibility of repressed memory were 28.6 times more likely to report recovered memories, compared to those who received therapy without such discussion. These findings mirror a previous survey of US adults and suggest attempts to recover repressed memories in therapy may continue in the forthcoming generation of adults

Pharmacological postconditioning against myocardial infarction with a slow-releasing hydrogen sulfide donor, GYY4137

Exogenous hydrogen sulfide (H2S) protects against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury but the mechanism of action is unclear. The present study investigated the effect of GYY4137, a slow-releasing H2S donor, on myocardial infarction given specifically at reperfusion and the signalling pathway involved. Thiobutabarbital-anesthetised rats were subjected to 30min of left coronary artery occlusion and 2h reperfusion. Infarct size was assessed by tetrazolium staining. In the first study, animals randomly received either no treatment or GYY4137 (26.6, 133 or 266μmolkg-1) by intravenous injection 10min before reperfusion. In a second series, involvement of PI3K and NO signalling were interrogated by concomitant administration of LY294002 or L-NAME respectively and the effects on the phosphorylation of Akt, eNOS, GSK-3β and ERK1/2 during early reperfusion were assessed by immunoblotting. GYY4137 266μmolkg-1 significantly limited infarct size by 47% compared to control hearts (P<0.01). In GYY4137-treated hearts, phosphorylation of Akt, eNOS and GSK-3β was increased 2.8, 2.2 and 2.2 fold respectively at early reperfusion. Co-administration of L-NAME and GYY4137 attenuated the cardioprotection afforded by GYY4137, associated with attenuated phosphorylation of eNOS. LY294002 totally abrogated the infarct-limiting effect of GYY4137 and inhibited Akt, eNOS and GSK-3β phosphorylation. These data are the first to demonstrate that GYY4137 protects the heart against lethal reperfusion injury through activation of PI3K/Akt signalling, with partial dependency on NO signalling and inhibition of GSK-3β during early reperfusion. H2S-based therapeutic approaches may have value as adjuncts to reperfusion in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction

A pyrene-appended spiropyran for selective photo-switchable binding of Zn(II): UV-visible and fluorescence spectroscopy studies of binding and non-covalent attachment to graphene, graphene oxide and carbon nanotubes

PublishedArticleSynthesis of photo-switchable, Zn2+ sensitive hybrid materials was achieved by facile non-covalent functionalization of graphene, graphene oxide and carbon nanotubes with a pyrene-appended spiropyran. Solution phase binding studies, using UV–visible and fluorescence spectroscopy, indicated that the pyrene-spiropyran dyad was highly selective for Zn2+ over a range of potentially competitive cations and that binding occurred with 1:1 stoichiometry and a binding constant of K=1.4×104 mol−1 dm3 at 295 K. Zn2+ binding was promoted by UV irradiation or in darkness and reversed upon irradiation with visible light.Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC

Mitochondria-targeted hydrogen sulfide donor AP39 improves neurological outcomes after cardiac arrest in mice

Copyright © 2015 Elsevier. NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in . Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Nitric Oxide, Vol. 49, pp. 90–96 (2015), DOI:10.1016/j.niox.2015.05.001Aims Mitochondria-targeted hydrogen sulfide donor AP39, [(10-oxo-10-(4-(3-thioxo-3H-1,2-dithiol-5yl)phenoxy)decyl) triphenylphosphonium bromide], exhibits cytoprotective effects against oxidative stress in vitro. We examined whether or not AP39 improves the neurological function and long term survival in mice subjected to cardiac arrest (CA) and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Methods Adult C57BL/6 male mice were subjected to 8 min of CA and subsequent CPR. We examined the effects of AP39 (10, 100, 1000 nmol kg−1) or vehicle administered intravenously at 2 min before CPR (Experiment 1). Systemic oxidative stress levels, mitochondrial permeability transition, and histological brain injury were assessed. We also examined the effects of AP39 (10, 1000 nmol kg−1) or vehicle administered intravenously at 1 min after return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) (Experiment 2). ROSC was defined as the return of sinus rhythm with a mean arterial pressure >40 mm Hg lasting at least 10 seconds. Results Vehicle treated mice subjected to CA/CPR had poor neurological function and 10-day survival rate (Experiment 1; 15%, Experiment 2; 23%). Administration of AP39 (100 and 1000 nmol kg−1) 2 min before CPR significantly improved the neurological function and 10-day survival rate (54% and 62%, respectively) after CA/CPR. Administration of AP39 before CPR attenuated mitochondrial permeability transition pore opening, reactive oxygen species generation, and neuronal degeneration after CA/CPR. Administration of AP39 1 min after ROSC at 10 nmol kg−1, but not at 1000 nmol kg−1, significantly improved the neurological function and 10-day survival rate (69%) after CA/CPR. Conclusion The current results suggest that administration of mitochondria-targeted sulfide donor AP39 at the time of CPR or after ROSC improves the neurological function and long term survival rates after CA/CPR by maintaining mitochondrial integrity and reducing oxidative stress.National Institutes of Healt

AP39, A Mitochondrially- Targeted Hydrogen Sulfide Donor, Exerts Protective Effects in Renal Epithelial Cells Subjected to Oxidative Stress in Vitro and in Acute Renal Injury in Vivo.

This is the author's accepted manuscript. The article is published in final form in Shock, DOI: 10.1097/SHK.0000000000000478This study evaluated the effects of AP39 [(10-oxo-10-(4-(3-thioxo-3H-1,2-dithiol-5yl) phenoxy)decyl) triphenyl phosphonium bromide], a mitochondrially targeted donor of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in an in vitro model of hypoxia/oxidative stress injury in NRK-49F rat kidney epithelial cells (NRK cells) and in a rat model of renal ischemia-reperfusion injury. Renal oxidative stress was induced by the addition of glucose oxidase, which generates hydrogen peroxide in the culture medium at a constant rate. Glucose oxidase (GOx)-induced oxidative stress led to mitochondrial dysfunction, decreased intracellular ATP content, and, at higher concentrations, increased intracellular oxidant formation (estimated by the fluorescent probe 2, 7-dichlorofluorescein, DCF) and promoted necrosis (estimated by the measurement of lactate dehydrogenase release into the medium) of the NRK cells in vitro. Pretreatment with AP39 (30-300 nM) exerted a concentration-dependent protective effect against all of the above effects of GOx. Most of the effects of AP39 followed a bell-shaped concentration-response curve; at the highest concentration of GOx tested, AP39 was no longer able to afford cytoprotective effects. Rats subjected to renal ischemia/reperfusion responded with a marked increase (over 4-fold over sham control baseline) blood urea nitrogen and creatinine levels in blood, indicative of significant renal damage. This was associated with increased neutrophil infiltration into the kidneys (assessed by the myeloperoxidase assay in kidney homogenates), increased oxidative stress (assessed by the malondialdehyde assay in kidney homogenates) and an increase in plasma levels of IL-12. Pretreatment with AP39 (0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 mg/kg) provided a dose-dependent protection against these pathophysiological alterations; the most pronounced protective effect was observed at the 0.3 mg/kg dose of the H2S donor; nevertheless AP39 failed to achieve a complete normalization of any of the injury markers measured. The partial protective effects of AP39 correlated with a partial improvement of kidney histological scores and reduced TUNEL staining (an indicator of DNA damage and apoptosis). In summary, the mitochondria-targeted H2S donor AP39 exerted dose-dependent protective effects against renal epithelial cell injury in vitro and renal ischemia-reperfusion injury in vivo. We hypothesize that the beneficial actions of AP39 are related to the reduction of cellular oxidative stress, and subsequent attenuation of various positive feed-forward cycles of inflammatory and oxidative processes.National Institutes of Healt