Jessica Burley on Africa: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles. By Richard Dowden (New York: Public Affairs, 2009). 592 pp.

A review of: Africa: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles. By Richard Dowden (New York: Public Affairs, 2009). 592 pp

Jessica Burley on The Poor Always Pay Back: The Grameen II Story by Asif Dowla and Dipal Barua. Bloomfield, CT: Kumarian Press, Inc. 2006. 320pp.

A review of: The Poor Always Pay Back: The Grameen II Story by Asif Dowla and Dipal Barua. Bloomfield, CT: Kumarian Press, Inc. 2006. 320pp

Imagination Enviro-Station: Students Connecting Students to Ecological Sustainability

The development of an environmental identity is viewed by many as essential if we are to reorganize our societies toward ecological sustainability (Bell 2009; Clayton and Opotow 2003; Thomashow 2002). That, along with an eye toward environmental justice, was the major impetus for our graduate seminar in applied environmental sociology to partner with an elementary school in our small city of Hammond, LA, during the spring semester of 2010. After conducting focus groups with a group of fourth to sixth grade students and holding decision-making discussions with them for this community-based research (CBR) project, we went about two projects – planting native, “water loving” trees and installing rain barrels to mitigate flooding on their playground. A major goal of the project and purpose of CBR is to democratize the knowledge-making process (Strand et al. 2003). Thus, we sought to assist the students in gaining valuable skills. Specifically, students learned how to sustainably remedy their school’s drainage problem, enhance their outdoor space, encourage more communal interaction, and develop more of an ecological identity (Thomashow 2002). We also hoped to plant the seeds of future career possibilities that would benefit their communities. This paper traces the development and learning outcomes of this CBR project focused on environmental identity

Near-infrared photoimmunotherapy targeting EGFR-Shedding new light on glioblastoma treatment

Glioblastomas (GBMs) are high-grade brain tumors, differentially driven by alterations (amplification, deletion or missense mutations) in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), that carry a poor prognosis of just 12–15 months following standard therapy. A combination of interventions targeting tumor-specific cell surface regulators along with convergent downstream signaling pathways may enhance treatment efficacy. Against this background, we investigated a novel photoimmunotherapy approach combining the cytotoxicity of photodynamic therapy with the specificity of immunotherapy. An EGFR-specific affibody (ZEGFR:03115) was conjugated to the phthalocyanine dye, IR700DX, which when excited with near-infrared light produces a cytotoxic response. ZEGFR:03115–IR700DX EGFR-specific binding was confirmed by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. The conjugate showed effective targeting of EGFR positive GBM cells in the brain. The therapeutic potential of the conjugate was assessed both in vitro, in GBM cell lines and spheroids by the CellTiter-Glo® assay, and in vivo using subcutaneous U87-MGvIII xenografts. In addition, mice were imaged pre- and post-PIT using the IVIS/Spectrum/CT to monitor treatment response. Binding of the conjugate correlated to the level of EGFR expression in GBM cell lines. The cell proliferation assay revealed a receptor-dependent response between the tested cell lines. Inhibition of EGFRvIII+ve tumor growth was observed following administration of the immunoconjugate and irradiation. Importantly, this response was not seen in control tumors. In conclusion, the ZEGFR:03115–IR700DX showed specific uptake in vitro and enabled imaging of EGFR expression in the orthotopic brain tumor model. Moreover, the proof-of-concept in vivo PIT study demonstrated therapeutic efficacy of the conjugate in subcutaneous glioma xenografts

Selective vulnerability of tripartite synapses in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Authors would like to acknowledge the following funders: Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association UK (Miles/Apr18/863-791), the Euan MacDonald Centre and Chief Scientist Office, The European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme (695568 SYNNOVATE), Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (529085), and the Wellcome Trust (Technology Development grant 202932).Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder. Separate lines of evidence suggest that synapses and astrocytes play a role in the pathological mechanisms underlying ALS. Given that astrocytes make specialised contacts with some synapses, called tripartite synapses, we hypothesise that tripartite synapses could act as the fulcrum of disease in ALS. To test this hypothesis, we have performed an extensive microscopy-based investigation of synapses and tripartite synapses in the spinal cord of ALS model mice and post-mortem human tissue from ALS cases. We reveal widescale synaptic changes at the early symptomatic stages of the SOD1G93a mouse model. Super-resolution microscopy reveals that large complex postsynaptic structures are lost in ALS mice. Most surprisingly, tripartite synapses are selectively lost, while non-tripartite synapses remain in equal number to healthy controls. Finally, we also observe a similar selective loss of tripartite synapses in human post-mortem ALS spinal cords. From these data we conclude that tripartite synaptopathy is a key hallmark of ALS.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Public involvement in the governance of population-level biomedical research: unresolved questions and future directions.

Population-level biomedical research offers new opportunities to improve population health, but also raises new challenges to traditional systems of research governance and ethical oversight. Partly in response to these challenges, various models of public involvement in research are being introduced. Yet, the ways in which public involvement should meet governance challenges are not well understood. We conducted a qualitative study with 36 experts and stakeholders using the World Café method to identify key governance challenges and explore how public involvement can meet these challenges. This brief report discusses four cross-cutting themes from the study: the need to move beyond individual consent; issues in benefit and data sharing; the challenge of delineating and understanding publics; and the goal of clarifying justifications for public involvement. The report aims to provide a starting point for making sense of the relationship between public involvement and the governance of population-level biomedical research, showing connections, potential solutions and issues arising at their intersection. We suggest that, in population-level biomedical research, there is a pressing need for a shift away from conventional governance frameworks focused on the individual and towards a focus on collectives, as well as to foreground ethical issues around social justice and develop ways to address cultural diversity, value pluralism and competing stakeholder interests. There are many unresolved questions around how this shift could be realised, but these unresolved questions should form the basis for developing justificatory accounts and frameworks for suitable collective models of public involvement in population-level biomedical research governance

Selective Breeding for a Behavioral Trait Changes Digit Ratio

The ratio of the length of the second digit (index finger) divided by the fourth digit (ring finger) tends to be lower in men than in women. This 2D∶4D digit ratio is often used as a proxy for prenatal androgen exposure in studies of human health and behavior. For example, 2D∶4D ratio is lower (i.e. more “masculinized”) in both men and women of greater physical fitness and/or sporting ability. Lab mice have also shown variation in 2D∶4D as a function of uterine environment, and mouse digit ratios seem also to correlate with behavioral traits, including daily activity levels. Selective breeding for increased rates of voluntary exercise (wheel running) in four lines of mice has caused correlated increases in aerobic exercise capacity, circulating corticosterone level, and predatory aggression. Here, we show that this selection regime has also increased 2D∶4D. This apparent “feminization” in mice is opposite to the relationship seen between 2D∶4D and physical fitness in human beings. The present results are difficult to reconcile with the notion that 2D∶4D is an effective proxy for prenatal androgen exposure; instead, it may more accurately reflect effects of glucocorticoids, or other factors that regulate any of many genes

Modern meat: the next generation of meat from cells

Modern Meat is the first textbook on cultivated meat, with contributions from over 100 experts within the cultivated meat community. The Sections of Modern Meat comprise 5 broad categories of cultivated meat: Context, Impact, Science, Society, and World. The 19 chapters of Modern Meat, spread across these 5 sections, provide detailed entries on cultivated meat. They extensively tour a range of topics including the impact of cultivated meat on humans and animals, the bioprocess of cultivated meat production, how cultivated meat may become a food option in Space and on Mars, and how cultivated meat may impact the economy, culture, and tradition of Asia