Antinociception Following Implantation of AtT-20 and Genetically Modified AtT-20/hENK Cells in Rat Spinal Cord

AtT-20 cells, which produce β-endorphin, and AtT-20/hENK cells, which are AtT-20 cells transfected with a proenkephalin gene, were implanted in the rat spinal subarachnoid space in an effort to produce an antinociceptive effect. Host rats were tested for antinociceptive activity by standard nociceptive tests, tail flick and hot plate. Although cell implants had minimal effect on the basal response to thermal nociceptive stimuli, administration of the β2-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol produced antinociception in the cell-implanted group but not in the control group. The antinociceptive effect of isoproterenol was dose-related and could be blocked by the opioid antagonist naloxone. Immunohistochemical analysis of spinal cords revealed the presence of enkephalin-negative cells surrounding the spinal cord of rats receiving AtT-20 cell implants, and enkephalinpositive cells surrounding the spinal cord of rats. receiving AtT-20/hENK cell implants. These results suggest that opioid-releasing cells implanted around rat spinal cord can produce antinociception and may provide an alternative therapy for chronic pain

Fitness, Friendship, and Fun: University Sponsored Community PE Program

This paper describes a University-sponsored community physical education program and the feedback received about it from teachers, children, and the college students who oversaw it. The program, called Fitness, Friendship, and Fun, was staffed by 65 first-year student interns from the University of Dayton; four graduate assistants; and two university professors. It began with 65 male and female elementary students, primarily from the fifth and sixth grades at a nearby elementary school

of induction of persistent nociception by dynorphin

ABSTRACT The opioid peptide dynorphin has been demonstrated to be both nociceptive and antinociceptive. This article will review the potential mechanisms through which dynorphin contributes to spinally mediated nociception. Specifically, we will examine the interaction of dynorphin with multiple sites on the NMDA receptor complex. Dynorphin-induced opioid activity is generally inhibitory, with a tendency to impede nociceptive signals and serve in a neuroprotective capacity. In contrast, dynorphin's interaction with multiple sites on the NMDA receptor complex produces excitatory responses resulting in nociceptive and even toxic effects. Thus, it is hypothesized that dynorphin has both physiological and pathological roles in acute and chronic pain states

Exploring Aerosols near Clouds with High-Spatial-Resolution Aircraft Remote Sensing During SEAC4RS

Since aerosols are important to our climate system, we seek to observe the variability of aerosol properties within cloud systems. When applied to the satelliteborne Moderateresolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), the Dark Target retrieval algorithm provides global aerosol optical depth (AOD; at 0.55 m) in cloudfree scenes. Since MODIS' resolution (500m pixels, 3 or 10km product) is too coarse for studying nearcloud aerosol, we ported the Dark Target algorithm to the highresolution (~50m pixels) enhancedMODIS Airborne Simulator (eMAS), which flew on the highaltitude ER2 during the Studies of Emissions, Atmospheric Composition, Clouds, and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys Airborne Science Campaign over the United States in 2013. We find that even with aggressive cloud screening, the ~0.5km eMAS retrievals show enhanced AOD, especially within 6 km of a detected cloud. To determine the cause of the enhanced AOD, we analyze additional eMAS products (cloud retrievals and degradedresolution AOD), coregistered Cloud Physics Lidar profiles, MODIS aerosol retrievals, and groundbased Aerosol Robotic Network observations. We also define spatial metrics to indicate local cloud distributions near each retrieval and then separate into nearcloud and farfromcloud environments. The comparisons show that low cloud masking is robust, and unscreened thin cirrus would have only a small impact on retrieved AOD. Some of the enhancement is consistent with clearcloud transition zone microphysics such as aerosol swelling. However, 3D radiation interaction between clouds and the surrounding clear air appears to be the primary cause of the high AOD near clouds

Northampton County Dune Inventory

Northampton County is located on the Eastern Shore of Virginia (Figure 1). Only dune sites on Chesapeake Bay were analyzed. A total of 30 dune sites were identified along Northampton’s shoreline (Figure 2). It is the intent of this publication to provide the user with information on the status of dunes in Northampton County. This information comes from research performed in 1999 and 2000 which was presented in a report entitled “Chesapeake Bay Dune Systems: Evolution and Status (Hardaway et al., 2001). Although somewhat dated, the information provides a short historical perspective of the state of each site at the time of the site visit. Since much of the data was collected several years ago and the beach and dune systems may have changed, this report is intended only as a resource for coastal zone managers and homeowners; it is not intended for use in determining legal jurisdictional limits

Lancaster County Dune Inventory

Lancaster County, Virginia is located at the confluence of the Rappahannock River and Chesapeake Bay (Figure 1). Most of the dunes are located along the Rappahannock River with the remainder along Chesapeake Bay. There are a total of 45 dune sites identified along the Lancaster County shoreline (Figure 2). It is the intent of this publication to provide the user with information on the status of dunes in Lancaster County. This information comes from research performed in 1999 and 2000 which was presented in a report entitled “Chesapeake Bay Dune Systems: Evolution and Status (Hardaway et al., 2001). Although somewhat dated, the information provides a short historical perspective of the state of each site at the time of the site visit. Since much of the data was collected several years ago and the beach and dune systems may have changed, this report is intended only as a resource for coastal zone managers and homeowners; it is not intended for use in determining legal jurisdictional limits

City of Norfolk Dune Inventory

City of Norfolk, Virginia is located on the southern shore of Chesapeake Bay (Figure 1). Thirteen dune sites were identified along it’s Chesapeake Bay shore from Little Creek Inlet to Willoughby Spit (Figure 2). It is the intent of this publication to provide the user with information on the status of dunes in City of Norfolk. This information comes from research performed in 1999 and 2000 which was presented in a report entitled “Chesapeake Bay Dune Systems: Evolution and Status (Hardaway et al., 2001). Although somewhat dated, the information provides a short historical perspective of the state of each site at the time of the site visit. Since much of the data was collected several years ago and the beach and dune systems may have changed, this report is intended only as a resource for coastal zone managers and homeowners; it is not intended for use in determining legal jurisdictional limits

Accomack County Dune Inventory

Accomack County is located on the Eastern Shore of Virginia (Figure 1). Only dune sites on Chesapeake Bay were analyzed. A total of 33 dune sites were identified along Accomack’s shoreline (Figure 2). It is the intent of this publication to provide the user with information on the status of dunes in Accomack County. This information comes from research performed in 1999 and 2000 which was presented in a report entitled “Chesapeake Bay Dune Systems: Evolution and Status (Hardaway et al., 2001). Although somewhat dated, the information provides a short historical perspective of the state of each site at the time of the site visit. Since much of the data was collected several years ago and the beach and dune systems may have changed, this report is intended only as a resource for coastal zone managers and homeowners; it is not intended for use in determining legal jurisdictional limits

Differential adeno-associated virus mediated gene transfer to sensory neurons following intrathecal delivery by direct lumbar puncture

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Neuronal transduction by adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors has been demonstrated in cortex, brainstem, cerebellum, and sensory ganglia. Intrathecal delivery of AAV serotypes that transduce neurons in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and spinal cord offers substantial opportunities to 1) further study mechanisms underlying chronic pain, and 2) develop novel gene-based therapies for the treatment and management of chronic pain using a non-invasive delivery route with established safety margins. In this study we have compared expression patterns of AAV serotype 5 (AAV5)- and AAV serotype 8 (AAV8)-mediated gene transfer to sensory neurons following intrathecal delivery by direct lumbar puncture.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Intravenous mannitol pre-treatment significantly enhanced transduction of primary sensory neurons after direct lumbar puncture injection of AAV5 (rAAV5-GFP) or AAV8 (rAAV8-GFP) carrying the green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene. The presence of GFP in DRG neurons was consistent with the following evidence for primary afferent origin of the majority of GFP-positive fibers in spinal cord: 1) GFP-positive axons were evident in both dorsal roots and dorsal columns; and 2) dorsal rhizotomy, which severs the primary afferent input to spinal cord, abolished the majority of GFP labeling in dorsal horn. We found that both rAAV5-GFP and rAAV8-GFP appear to preferentially target large-diameter DRG neurons, while excluding the isolectin-B4 (IB4) -binding population of small diameter neurons. In addition, a larger proportion of CGRP-positive cells was transduced by rAAV5-GFP, compared to rAAV8-GFP.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The present study demonstrates the feasibility of minimally invasive gene transfer to sensory neurons using direct lumbar puncture and provides evidence for differential targeting of subtypes of DRG neurons by AAV vectors.</p

Detecting spatio-temporal mortality clusters of European countries by sex and ag

[EN] Background: Mortality decreased in European Union (EU) countries during the last century. Despite these similar trends, there are still considerable differences in the levels of mortality between Eastern and Western European countries. Sub-group analysis of mortality in Europe for different age and sex groups is common, however to our knowledge a spatio-temporal methodology as in this study has not been applied to detect significant spatial dependence and interaction with time. Thus, the objective of this paper is to quantify the dynamics of mortality in Europe and detect significant clusters of mortality between European countries, applying spatio-temporal methodology. In addition, the joint evolution between the mortality of European countries and their neighbours over time was studied. Methods: The spatio-temporal methodology used in this study takes into account two factors: time and the geographical location of countries and, consequently, the neighbourhood relationships between them. This methodology was applied to 26 European countries for the period 1990-2012. Results: Principally, for people older than 64 years two significant clusters were obtained: one of high mortality formed by Eastern European countries and the other of low mortality composed of Western countries. In contrast, for ages below or equal to 64 years only the significant cluster of high mortality formed by Eastern European countries was observed. In addition, the joint evolution between the 26 European countries and their neighbours during the period 1990-2012 was confirmed. For this reason, it can be said that mortality in EU not only depends on differences in the health systems, which are a subject to national discretion, but also on supra-national developments. Conclusions: This paper proposes statistical tools which provide a clear framework for the successful implementation of development public policies to help the UE meet the challenge of rethinking its social model (Social Security and health care) and make it sustainable in the medium term.The authors are grateful for the financial support provided by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, project MTM2013-45381-P. Adina Iftimi gratefully acknowledges financial support from the MECyD (Ministerio de Educacion, Cultura y Deporte, Spain) Grant FPU12/04531. Francisco Montes is grateful for the financial support provided by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, project MTM2016-78917-R. The research by Patricia Carracedo and Ana Debon has been supported by a grant from the Mapfre Foundation.Carracedo-Garnateo, P.; Debón Aucejo, AM.; Iftimi, A.; Montes-Suay, F. (2018). Detecting spatio-temporal mortality clusters of European countries by sex and ag. 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