Mirror Mirror: A Look into Muscle Dysmorphia

Muscle dysmorphia is a subcategory of body dysmorphia. There is an extreme desire to gain body mass, and this is characterized by many psychological and behavioral symptoms. Previous research has found that mirror checking is a symptom of muscle dysmorphia. The purpose of this study is to continue the investigation into mirror checking as a diagnostic symptom of muscle dysmorphia. Our hypothesis is that participants who score higher on a scale of muscle dysmorphia will spend more time looking in a mirror than those who score low on the scale of muscle dysmorphia. Participants were males enrolled in psychology courses at Western Kentucky University. Participants were placed in front of a mirror and completed three questionnaires regarding levels of muscle dysmorphia, as well as completed one distractor task. The session was recorded in order to code mirror checking behavior. With our findings, we hope to determine the relation between mirror checks and presence of muscle dysmorphia in participants. Data collection is still ongoing and is projected to be finished by December

A giant mystery in giant cell myocarditis: navigating diagnosis, immunosuppression, and mechanical circulatory support.

Giant cell myocarditis is a rare but often devastating diagnosis. Advances in cardiac imaging and mechanical circulatory support have led to earlier and more frequent diagnoses and successful management. This disease state has wide variation in acuity of presentation, and consequently, optimal treatment ranging from intensity and type of immunosuppression to mechanical circulatory support is not well defined. The following case describes the management of a patient with an unusual presentation of giant cell myocarditis over a 10 year course of advanced heart failure therapies and immunomodulatory support. This case highlights emerging concepts in the management of giant cell myocarditis including sub-acute presentations, challenges in diagnosis, and treatment modalities in the modern era

Chapter 8 Difference, Diversity, and Inclusion

Movements in Organizational Communication Research is an essential resource for anyone wishing to become familiar with the current state of organizational communication research and key trends in the field. Seasoned organizational communication scholars will find that the book provides unique insights by way of the intergenerational dialogue that is found in the book, as well as the contributors’ stories about their scholarly trajectories. Those who are new to the field will find that the book enables them to familiarize themselves with the field and become a part of the organizational communication scholarly community in an inviting and accessible way. Key features of the book include: A review of current issues and future directions in 13 topical areas of organizational communication research. Intergenerational dialogue and collaboration between both established and emerging scholars in their specialty areas. Reflections by the authors on their scholarly trajectories and how they became a part of the field. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter that prompt reflections and debate. The book also features online resources for instructors: Sample course syllabus Suggested case studies from the book Cases in Organization and Managerial Communication to align with this book’s chapters The book is recommended as the anchor text for introductory graduate-level courses and upper-level undergraduate courses in organizational communication. It is also an excellent supplementary text for advanced doctoral-level courses in organizational communication, and courses in related fields such as organization studies, organizational behavior, and management

Quality of life for hospice caregivers

The goal of hospice care is to enhance the quality of life (QOL) of patients and their families during the final stages of illness, the dying process, and the bereavement period. This goal involves using an interdisciplinary approach to attend to patients and families as a "unit of care" and to address the spiritual, physical, emotional, financial, and psychological aspects of living with a terminal illness. Despite efforts, research shows a decrease in the overall quality of life of hospice caregivers after the first 30 days of hospice care, especially in four quality of life domains: physical, financial, emotional, and social domains. The purpose of this study was to examine the following questions: 1) How does the QOL of hospice caregivers change over time? 2) How does a defined intervention affect their QOL? 3) How do different interventions affect the usual trajectory of QOL? 4) How do various aspects of QOL change over time? This poster addresses the first research question

Ex-vivo perfusion bioassay : an excellent technique to measure the bioactivity of inhalable insulin coated microcrystals

Purpose: To measure the bioactivity of inhalable insulin coated microcrystals using a perfusion bioassay that measures its vasodilatory effect on smooth muscle arterial tissue. Methods: The bioactivity of an insulin protein coated microcrystal (PCMC), a potential candidate for pulmonary drug delivery and commercial insulin was determined on a Danish Myo Tech P110 pressure myograph system. 12 week old Mesenteric resistance arteries from Male Wistar rats were isolated and immersed in a physiological salt solution (PSS) and attached to 2 opposing hollow glass micro-cannula (outer diameter 80 microns). The PSS was gradually warmed to 37°C (at a pressure less than 5mm Hg) for 1hr. Subsequently the pressure was increased up to 40mm Hg over a period 15 minutes and equilibrated for a further 15 minutes after gassing with 95%O2 / 5%CO2 to achieve a pH of 7.4 at 37°C. After normalisation by two washes of 123mM KCl and exposure to 1-10mM noradrenaline the arteries were exposed intraluminally to each insulin preparation by gradual infusion directly into the lumen via a fetal microcannulae inserted to the tip of the glass mounting cannula, at a constant pressure. Results: The preliminary results (full cummulative response curve yet to be determined) demonstrate insulin mediated relaxation to noradrenaline preconstriction. The level of constriction drops from 100% to 42% as the concentration of insulin increases from -11 to -9 Log M for the PCMC compared with a drop from 100 % to 65% for the commercial insulin preparation. However the more potent vasodilatory effect found for the insulin PCMC is more likely to be a result of variance introduced in each dilution step than a real increase in potency. Conclusion: The perfusion bioassay technique provides an excellent method of measuring insulin bioactivity and indicates the insulin loaded on the microcrystal support is fully active

IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY EXPRESSION OF KLOTHO IN BONE MARROW BIOPSIES FROM NORMAL, MGUS, AND PLASMA CELL MYELOMA

poster abstractKlotho is an anti-aging gene, which has been shown to inhibit the insulin and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) pathways in mice hepatocytes and myocytes. Immunochemistry analysis of Klotho expression in breast tissue arrays revealed high expression in normal breast, but very low expression in breast cancer. In this study we examined eight normal bone marrow, eight MGUS (monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance), and forty-two cases of plasma cell myeloma by immunohistochemistry with the Klotho antibody. The immunostaining of the Klotho antibody was localized in the cyto-plasm and as punctate granular staining of myeloma cells in the marrow. In the accompanying bone marrow clots, Klotho was seen as strong punctate granules on myeloma cells and not on other peripheral white blood cells. There was no staining of plasma cells in the eight normal bone marrow cas-es. Slight cytoplasmic staining was seen in myeloid series of cells in the normal bone marrow and in megakaryocytes. In the eight MGUS cases, there was very minimal cytoplasmic staining in a few of the myeloma cells. Minimal staining was seen in the myeloid series of cells in the marrow in these cases. Klotho was highly expressed in the myeloma cases and no staining in the normal and MGUS cases. In conclusion, Klotho was highly expressed in patients with myeloma in myelomas cells in the bone marrow. This project was sponsored by the Life Health Science Internship Progra

Comments Submitted in Response to Request for Information to Inform Interagency Working Group on Mining Regulations, Laws, and Permitting

On March 31, 2022, the Department of Interior announced the formation of an interagency working group to develop recommendations for improving Federal hardrock mining regulations, laws, and permitting processes, and invited public comment to help inform the efforts of the working group. The Request for Information sought, among other things, recommendations on “opportunities to reduce time, cost, and risk of permitting without compromising strong environmental and consultation benchmarks.” Members of the Wallace Stegner Center of Land Resources and the Environment, at the S.J. Quinney College of Law, University of Utah submitted comments based on their shared expertise in mining law, public land planning and management, federal Indian law, tribal sovereignty and governance, intergovernmental coordination, and federal permitting issues. The recommendations covered four broad categories: (1) increasing agency capacity to deal with strategic mineral development and associated issues by ensuring sufficient staff, adequate budgets, and institutional knowledge; (2) using land use planning procedures to facilitate mine permitting without causing unnecessary or undue environmental degradation; and (3) creating a voluntary “fast-track” program with a dedicated inter-agency permit processing team for applicants who voluntarily choose to meet the most stringent applicable performance and mitigation standards; and (4) developing incentives to stabilize the strategic mineral supply chain and ensure that strategic minerals are available for domestic needs

A single dose of trichloroethylene given during development does not substantially alter markers of neuroinflammation in brains of adult mice

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a widespread environmental contaminant associated with developmental immu- notoxicity and neurotoxicity. Previous studies have shown that MRLþ/þ mice exposed to TCE from gesta- tion through early-life demonstrate robust increases in inflammatory markers in peripheral CD4þ T-cells, as well as glutathione depletion and increased oxidative stress in cerebellum-associated with alterations in behavior. Since increased oxidative stress is associated with neuroinflammation, we hypothesized that neuroinflammatory markers could be altered relative to unexposed mice. MRLþ/þ mice were given 0.5mg/ml of TCE in vehicle or vehicle (water with 1% Alkamuls EL-620) from conception through early adulthood via drinking water to dams and then directly to post-weaning offspring. Animals were euthan- ized at 49days of age and levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, density of T-cell staining, and micro-glial morphology were evaluated in brains to begin to ascertain a neuroinflammatory profile. Levels of IL-6 were decreased in female animals and while not statistically significant, and levels of IL-10 were higher in brains of exposed male and female animals. Supportive of this observation, although not statis- tically significant, the number of ameboid microglia was higher in exposed relative to unexposed animals. This overall profile suggests the emergence of an anti-inflammatory/neuroprotective phenotype in exposed animals, possibly as a compensatory response to neuroinflammation that is known to be induced by developmental exposure to TCE

Functional Lung MRI at 3.0 T using Oxygen-Enhanced MRI (OE-MRI) and Independent Component Analysis (ICA)

Analysis of dynamic lung OE-MRI is challenging due to the presence of substantial artefacts and poor SNR, particularly at 3 T. We propose a cyclical oxygen delivery scheme and ICA to separate the oxygen-enhancement signal from these confounding factors at 3 T. The proposed method extracts a well-defined oxygen-enhancement signal that removes confounds due to proton density changes, blood flow and motion. We also demonstrate the ability to resolve the opposite enhancement effects of the parenchymal and vascular OE-MRI signals to provide information on pulmonary vasculature and gas distribution. The method is shown to be sensitive to smoking status