The Ursinus Weekly, November 2, 1972

Election 1972: Vote! • Ecology group gears up truck • The U.C. Student Activities Committee divides eleven thousand dollars • Negative demerit proposal accepted by administration • Specks burns • Halloween dance draws one hundred fifty people, or U.C., the east coast\u27s number one suitcase college • Editorial: The Rot • Spotlight: Cris Crane • Fidler on the wax: Close to the edge • Forum guest Fred Kolb: mentalist or magician? • West Chester vs Ursinus: What a game! • Harriers bounce back! • Won, lost, and tied • Sports buff\u27s cornerhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/weekly/1090/thumbnail.jp

A Novel Intracellular Isoform of Matrix Metalloproteinase-2 Induced by Oxidative Stress Activates Innate Immunity

Experimental and clinical evidence has pinpointed a critical role for matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) in ischemic ventricular remodeling and systolic heart failure. Prior studies have demonstrated that transgenic expression of the full-length, 68 kDa, secreted form of MMP-2 induces severe systolic failure. These mice also had unexpected and severe mitochondrial structural abnormalities and dysfunction. We hypothesized that an additional intracellular isoform of MMP-2, which affects mitochondrial function is induced under conditions of systolic failure-associated oxidative stress.Western blots of cardiac mitochondria from the full length MMP-2 transgenics, ageing mice and a model of accelerated atherogenesis revealed a smaller 65 kDa MMP-2 isoform. Cultured cardiomyoblasts subjected to transient oxidative stress generated the 65 kDa MMP-2 isoform. The 65 kDa MMP-2 isoform was also induced by hypoxic culture of cardiomyoblasts. Genomic database analysis of the MMP-2 gene mapped transcriptional start sites and RNA transcripts induced by hypoxia or epigenetic modifiers within the first intron of the MMP-2 gene. Translation of these transcripts yields a 65 kDa N-terminal truncated isoform beginning at M(77), thereby deleting the signal sequence and inhibitory prodomain. Cellular trafficking studies demonstrated that the 65 kDa MMP-2 isoform is not secreted and is present in cytosolic and mitochondrial fractions, while the full length 68 kDa isoform was found only in the extracellular space. Expression of the 65 kDa MMP-2 isoform induced mitochondrial-nuclear stress signaling with activation of the pro-inflammatory NF-κB, NFAT and IRF transcriptional pathways. By microarray, the 65 kDa MMP-2 induces an innate immunity transcriptome, including viral stress response genes, innate immunity transcription factor IRF7, chemokines and pro-apoptosis genes.A novel N-terminal truncated intracellular isoform of MMP-2 is induced by oxidative stress. This isoform initiates a primary innate immune response that may contribute to progressive cardiac dysfunction in the setting of ischemia and systolic failure

Post-discharge outcomes of hospitalized children diagnosed with acute SARS-CoV-2 or MIS-C

IntroductionHospitalized children diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2-related conditions are at risk for new or persistent symptoms and functional impairments. Our objective was to analyze post-hospital symptoms, healthcare utilization, and outcomes of children previously hospitalized and diagnosed with acute SARS-CoV-2 infection or Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C).MethodsProspective, multicenter electronic survey of parents of children <18 years of age surviving hospitalization from 12 U.S. centers between January 2020 and July 2021. The primary outcome was a parent report of child recovery status at the time of the survey (recovered vs. not recovered). Secondary outcomes included new or persistent symptoms, readmissions, and health-related quality of life. Multivariable backward stepwise logistic regression was performed for the association of patient, disease, laboratory, and treatment variables with recovered status.ResultsThe children [n = 79; 30 (38.0%) female] with acute SARS-CoV-2 (75.7%) or MIS-C (24.3%) had a median age of 6.5 years (interquartile range 2.0–13.0) and 51 (64.6%) had a preexisting condition. Fifty children (63.3%) required critical care. One-third [23/79 (29.1%)] were not recovered at follow-up [43 (31, 54) months post-discharge]. Admission C-reactive protein levels were higher in children not recovered vs. recovered [5.7 (1.3, 25.1) vs. 1.3 (0.4, 6.3) mg/dl, p = 0.02]. At follow-up, 67% overall had new or persistent symptoms. The most common symptoms were fatigue (37%), weakness (25%), and headache (24%), all with frequencies higher in children not recovered. Forty percent had at least one return emergency visit and 24% had a hospital readmission. Recovered status was associated with better total HRQOL [87 (77, 95) vs. 77 (51, 83), p = 0.01]. In multivariable analysis, lower admission C-reactive protein [odds ratio 0.90 (95% confidence interval 0.82, 0.99)] and higher admission lymphocyte count [1.001 (1.0002, 1.002)] were associated with recovered status.ConclusionsChildren considered recovered by their parents following hospitalization with SARS-CoV-2-related conditions had less symptom frequency and better HRQOL than those reported as not recovered. Increased inflammation and lower lymphocyte count on hospital admission may help to identify children needing longitudinal, multidisciplinary care.Clinical Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04379089)

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Impacts of land use change to short rotation forestry for bioenergy on soil greenhouse gas emissions and soil carbon

Short Rotation Forestry (SRF) for bioenergy could be used to meet biomass requirements and contribute to achieving renewable energy targets. As an important source of biomass it is important to gain an understanding of the implications of large-scale application of SRF on the soil-atmosphere greenhouse gas (GHG) exchange. This study examined the effects of land use change (LUC) from grassland to SRF on soil fluxes of methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2), and the important drivers in action. Examining soils from a range of sites across the UK, CO2 emission potentials were reduced under SRF with differences between coniferous and broadleaved transitions; these changes were found to be related to changes in soil pH and microbial biomass. However, there were limited effects of SRF tree species type on CH4 and N2O fluxes. A detailed study at an experimental SRF site over 16 months demonstrated a reduction in CH4 and net CO2 emissions from soils under SRF and revealed intriguing temporal dynamics of N2O under Sitka spruce and common alder. A significant proportion of the variation in soil N2O fluxes was attributed to differences between tree species, water table depth, spatial effects, and their interactions. The effects of microtopography (ridges, troughs, flats), and its interactions with water table depth on soil GHG fluxes under different tree species was tested using mesocosm cores collected in the field. Microtopography did not significantly affect soil GHG fluxes but trends suggested that considering this spatial factor in sampling regimes could be important. N2O fluxes from Sitka spruce soils did not respond to water table depth manipulation in the laboratory suggesting that they may also be determined by tree-driven nitrogen (N) availability, with other research showing N deposition to be higher in coniferous plantations. An N addition experiment lead to increased N2O emissions with greatest relative response in the Sitka spruce soils. Overall, LUC from rough grassland to SRF resulted in a reduction in soil CH4 emissions, increased N2O emissions and a reduction or no change in net CO2 emissions. These changes in emissions were influenced both directly and indirectly by tree species type with Sitka spruce having the greatest effect on N2O in particular, thus highlighting the importance of considering soil N2O emissions in any life cycle analysis or GHG budgets of LUC to SRF for bioenergy. This research can help inform decisions around SRF tree species selection in future large-scale bioenergy planting

Top Contender

Photograph used for a newspaper owned by the Oklahoma Publishing Company. Caption: "TOP CONTENDER in the National Hot Rod Association's world championship will be Oklahoma City's Jimmy Nix.

The Jaybird-Woodpecker War: Reconstruction and redemption in Fort Bend County, Texas, 1869-1889

Beginning with the emergence of Fort Bend County, Texas, as an antebellum plantation society, this thesis examines the effects of emancipation and reconstruction within this community. The Jaybird-Woodpecker War, which culminated in August 1889, brought a violent end to a unique twenty-year period of biracial government in Fort Bend County, notable for outlasting reconstruction in the rest of the former Confederacy. Through the auspices of the Jay Bird Democratic Association of Fort Bend County, an all white political organization, county whites established one of Texas' first white primaries, effectively negating black political involvement at the county level. Between 1869 and 1889 blacks and whites experienced a revolutionary period of political equality; on August 16, 1889, county whites revolted against post-war changes in their society, restoring white supremacy as the guiding principle of Fort Bend County politics

The distribution and analysis of all the streams on the Kansas State University pilot flour mill

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1967 L652Master of Scienc