Software and methods for oligonucleotide and cDNA array data analysis.

Two HTML-based programs were developed to analyze and filter gene-expression data: 'Bullfrog' for Affymetrix oligonucleotide arrays and 'Spot' for custom cDNA arrays. The programs provide intuitive data-filtering tools through an easy-to-use interface. A background subtraction and normalization program for cDNA arrays was also built that provides an informative summary report with data-quality assessments. These programs are freeware to aid in the analysis of gene-expression results and facilitate the search for genes responsible for interesting biological processes and phenotypes

The Effect of Sedentary Behavior on Arterial Stiffness in Healthy and Metabolic Syndrome Women

Overweight and obese physical stature has been associated with increased endothelial dysfunction and the development of cardiovascular disease. This dysfunction may further be progressed as this population develops Metabolic Syndrome and Diabetes. To understand the mechanisms responsible for the vascular dysfunction in the Metabolic Syndrome participants in our research study, we aimed to identify if there is a difference in the Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV) as an effective measurement of peripheral arterial stiffness. Previous studies show that adults with higher superficial femoral artery stiffness experienced greater perceived fatigue and thus are less likely to continue daily physical activity. PURPOSE: To determine if daily ambulatory activity, as measured by peak cadence accelerometers, is associated with carotid arterial compliance and vascular response in young sedentary healthy and Metabolic Syndrome women. METHODS: 32 sedentary control women and 7 Metabolic Syndrome women (N=39) wore an accelerometer for 7 consecutive days to determine their daily activity and sedentary phases. Carotid and radial arterial compliance was measured using Tonometry technique to gather data on PWV (m/s) in both groups of women. Each participant performed a graded handgrip exercise procedure on a dynamic handgrip device while beat-to-beat blood pressure, brachial artery diameter, and blood flow with Doppler Ultrasound and B-mode imaging were measured simultaneously. Statistical analysis included correlations between daily step activity and peripheral arterial stiffness. Additional group comparisons were analyzed by a ANOVA using Sigmastat Analysis software. RESULTS: Metabolic Syndrome women, unlike the control group of women have a positive correlation (0.760, p=0.0476) between PWV and total time of sedentary bouts. Metabolic Equivalents (METs) compared with total time in sedentary breaks displayed a stronger, positive correlation (0.637, p=0.0000882) in the group of control women than the group of Metabolic Syndrome women. Stronger, negative correlation (-0.517, p=0.00242) was also found between the average kilocalories burnt off per hour and the total time in sedentary bouts in the control group of women. The Metabolic Syndrome group have a significantly (p\u3c0.05) diminished arterial conductance in the brachial artery during handgrip conductance from rest to peak (1.5 watts). CONCLUSION: The results indicate that individuals who sustain longer sedentary periods in their daily activity, such as Metabolic Syndrome women, have higher peripheral stiffness. The increase in peripheral arterial stiffness would indicate a significant rational for the mechanisms responsible for the vascular response deficit in Metabolic Syndrome participants during the small muscle exercise. Research reported in this publication was supported by an Institutional Development Award (IDeA) from the National Institute of General Medicine Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under grant number P20GM103451

Assessment of Multiple Concussive Athletes with Dual Task Triple Stroop and Aerobic Exercise

BACKGROUND: Athletic concussion testing has mostly recently relied on a sedentary computer neurocognitive test battery called the Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT). Previous tests directly compare baseline with post-concussion analysis of patient in regards to different cognitive aspects including; working memory, processing speed, and response time. No physical tests are included in the ImPACT analysis for return-to-play action. PURPOSE: In previous studies from our lab in these populations we concluded that the combination of a physical neural impediment with cognitive tests (dual-task with balance impairment) created a greater degree of impairment not observed in the sedentary ImPACT test. However, changes in the Post-concussed group were significant but not statistically significant in the participants with 5 or more concussions without a concussion diagnosed in the past month. Thus we hypothesized that increasing the degree of neural impediment with exercise at a moderate workload during treadmill exercise while completing a neurocognitive test (Triple Stroop) would show a higher cognitive impairment in the Post-concussed participants. METHODS: In this test participants were asked to come back to the lab within a week of completing their hour long cognitive battery to assess potential neurocognitive deficits of post concussive symptoms similar to our previous work. During the follow-up visit that participants completed the battery of Triple Dual Task Stroop while on a treadmill. After a brief 4 minute walking warm up, participants were tasked with increasing their speed in one minute speed increases until they reached their age and resting heart rate calculated 60% of heart rate reserve. At that point they were given a random sequence from the 4 possible patterns of the Triple Stroop 120 question cognitive test which asks the shape, color of the work, the word color, and/or the color of the shape. RESULTS: Of those who participated in the study (9 non-concussed and 7 multi-concussed) there is significant differneces in the cognitive deficites between the two groups of control and multi-concussed tested. However, there is a time deficit on average in the multi-concussed group, 108 seconds to complete as opposed to the non-concussed (84 sec) In addition the number of correct per minute was higher in the control than the multi-concussed group.DISCUSSION: These results have shown that it takes multi-concussed participants a greater time to process the cognitive testing while having the distraction of a physical test. The ultimate concern associated with the cognitive and reaction time deficits can be that atheltic trainers and/or coaches are allowing their athletes to participate in the event placing the athlete at a greater risk for additional head injury in sports with higher incidence of concussion including football, basketball, soccer and hockey. In addition to testing non-concussed and multi-concussed athletes, we aim to conduct the procedure on those who are recently diagnosed as post-concussed to determin whether a more appropriate field test like the Triple Stroop would show a more sensitive assessment of cognitive deficit in sports concussion protocols

Analysis of Cognitive Deficits of Concussion Patients: Dual Task, Motor Cognition, and Memory

The severity of a concussion is determined by the magnitude of the force of impact and the symptoms expressed post-injury. The most current and widely used test to identify a concussion in college athletics is called the Immediate Post Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT). It is a computerized neurocognitive test battery that measures different cognitive abilities and compares baseline with post-injury results. In the current study we formulated a series of physical and psychological cognition tests that measure similar cognitive abilities as the ImPACT. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that physical tests paired with neurocognitive tests are a better determinate of post-concussion symptoms in athletes than a sedentary neurocognitive battery test alone. Such tests included balance, memory, spatial relations, attention and reaction time. Three different groups of post-concussed history were statistically compared. Group one (controls), consisted of participants with no previous history of a concussion (n=32). Group two (concussed), consisted of participants with a concussion in the past three months and who had recently been cleared to resume full sports activities (n=11). Group three (multiple concussed), consisted of participants with at least five concussions in their lifespan (n=7). A one-way ANOVA and two-tailed independent t-test were ran to observe any differences in tests between groups (

Insulin Sensitivity Effects on Peripheral Vascular Responses to FMD in Metabolic Syndrome Women.

Sedentary populations with obesity and metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) have presented with impaired vascular dysfunction, including vasodilation reduced 40-50%. The mechanisms of vascular endothelial dysfunction has also been associated to the bioavailability of nitric oxide levels and in metabolic compromised individuals the diminished content of endothelial NO are a prime mechanistic target for study. PURPOSE: We hypothesize that decreased reactive hyperemia observed in MetSyn compared to age matched-control patients are primarily due to mechanistic dysfunction of the eNOS pathway and lower Insulin Sensitivity Index (ISI). METHODS: 30 participants (10 MetSyn and 20 Controls) completed brachial FMD testing and vascular changes were recorded using Doppler ultrasound with a linear vascular probe. A blood pressure cuff was placed on the upper forearm and upper calf for analysis of brachial and popliteal arteries sheer rate and reactive hyperemia. Images were analyzed with Brachial Analyzer software and sheer rate calculated by digital recordings of blood velocity with a digital auditory transducer recordings with a BIOPAC 150 system and AcqKnowlege software. Insulin sensitivity index was assessed by an oral glucose tolerance test with fasting and post-prandal glucose measured with a glucometer and insulin measured by a Human Insulin ELISA kit (Cayman Chemical). The resting bioavailability of Nitric Oxide assessed by Nitrate/Nitrite ELISA assay and NO EPR spectroscopy measurements. RESULTS: In the brachial arteries there is significant differences (PCONCLUSION: We predict that the significant deficiencies observed between the control and MetSyn group may be explained by the vascular mechanisms of developing deficits associated with the metabolic deficiencies. A postulated mechanism of this endothelial dysfunction during insulin resistance begins with the decreased sensitivity of the insulin receptor preventing the effect of insulin and the AKT/PKB eNOS pathway. Research reported in this publication was supported by an Institutional Development Award (IDeA) from the National Institute of General Medicine Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under grant number P20GM103451

The Politics of Fiscal Legitimacy in Developmental States : Emergency Taxes in Argentina under Kirchnerism

In times of crisis, governments can resort to tax rises and emergency taxation schemes to finance extraordinary needs. These schemes often generate tensions in the fiscal contract between the state and society, as they affect basic definitions regarding who is taxed, for how much, and what for. In the context of developing economies, where available sources of extraordinary rents are limited, dealing with these tensions can be problematic as it involves reconciling questions of fiscal legitimacy with the interests of influential economic sectors. This article analyses these tensions by exploring the case of Argentina in the aftermath of the 2001 debt default crisis, when emergency taxes on agricultural exports were implemented and then expanded under Kirchnerist administrations pursuing a ‘post-neoliberal’ developmental agenda. However, we argue that the government failed in legitimating this fiscal agreement, resulting in a tax rebellion by the rural sector in 2008 followed by the growing polarisation of the policy in partisan terms. By bringing to the fore the challenges and conflicts involved in legitimating tax collection, the article illuminates an overlooked aspect of the political economy of developmental states, particularly those seeking to enhance state autonomy while pursuing redistributive goals

The Effect of Acute Consumption of Overtime Essential Amino Acids Sports Drink on Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness in the Older Sedentary Population

Essential amino acids are necessary for nutrition whether obtained by digestion of proteins or by oral supplementation of amino acids. The elderly experience loss of skeletal muscles and decrease in their strength and function, which can lead to poor quality of life. Increased quantity and quality of proteins stimulates muscle protein synthesis that can help combat this natural aging process. Purpose: The aim of this study was to see if consumption of essential amino acid drink high concentrations of leucin (2040 mg/serving) during exercise will attenuate the condition of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness in the elderly. Also, we aimed to assess the degree of muscle flexibility and endurance followed the three-day exercise protocol. We hypothesized that the older participants acutely ingesting the essential amino acid supplement during the exercise regime will have increased physical performance and diminished symptoms of DOMS. Methods: In this study, 16 participants (6 P, 10 EAA-O) completed a health screening visit and an exercise routine (sit, stretch and reach, shoulder flexibility distance, MVC isometric handgrip, push-ups (reps), flexed arm hang (time), cable triceps extension (50% of one repetition max until failure), and a 1.5-mile run, with intermittent consumption of the sports drink) for three consecutive days. The study participants were randomly assigned to either the EAA-O group (6.6g of EAA-O + Gatorade) or the control group (Gatorade-only). The study design is a double blinded study as neither the recording analysis researchers nor study participants were aware of the assigned group. Results: The EAA-O group improved significantly from day one to two in flexed arm hang (p = 0.036) and the 1.5-mile run (p = 0.040). The EAA-O group improved significantly from day two to three in push-ups (p = 0.002), flexed arm hang (p = 0.035), and 1.5-mile run (0.001). The EAA-O group improved significantly from day one to three in push-ups (p = 0.045), flexed arm hang (p = 0.006), 1.5-mile run (p = 0.0003), and the top speed (p = 0.026). The placebo group did not improve significantly in any of the exercise parameters. Conclusions: Results suggest that the Overtime essential amino acid supplementation combined with training improves overall athletic performance in the older sedentary population. Research reported in this publication was supported by a research contract with Calwood Nutritionals and was approved by the ENMU IRB

Vascular deficits in Native American Women with Metabolic Syndrome during Dynamic Exercise

Native Americans of the Southwest are predisposed to vascular diseases due to health disparate lifestyles influenced by diet, lack of exercise and decreased access to health care. These factors together may be responsible for the co-morbidities developed with Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome (MetSyn) which are indicators of early onset cardiovascular disease. In a previous study, we evaluated Native Americans (NA) diagnosed with MetSyn or Type II Diabetes and compared the sedentary control NA and Caucasians (CA) during vascular measurements of FMD. We found that NA Control and MetSyn groups exhibited a decrease in vascular function during rate to peak and % dilation in the popliteal artery. Based on these previous findings we also evaluated the reactive vascular changes in the brachial and femoral arteries during dynamic handgrip (DHG) and single leg knee-kick (SLKK) to measure of the same groups in the previous study. PURPOSE: We hypothesize that the NA population with MetSyn will have lower vascular responses due to underlying vascular function restrictions compared to CA of the same groups and that similarly the sedentary control NA women would have blunted blood flow responses as seen in the FMD data. METHODS: 24 NA (Control=10, MetSyn=10) and 28 CA (Control=15, MetSyn=12) completed two visits. MetSyn women identified with 3 out of 5 criteria (high triglycerides, HDLRESULTS: During DHG the CA Controls have no significantly difference conductance (ml/min/mmHg/100ml limb volume) compared the NA control or MetSyn groups. However, during SLKK the femoral artery conductance was significantly lower the CA MetSyn (0.0015+0.001) compared to the CA control (0.0036+0.0006) at the higher workload (p=0.03). The NA Controls and MetSyn were lower 0.0031+0.0001, and 0.0012+0.0008) at the peak exercise however the findings were not significant. CONCLUSION: MetSyn NA and CA exhibited significant differences in vascular conductance in the limbs during dynamic exercise. In addition, normal healthy sedentary NA also had lower vascular conductance compared to the CA Control group indicating an ethnic difference