Redox regulation in disease and ageing

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Stage-variations of anandamide hydrolase activity in the mouse uterus during the natural oestrus cycle

Recent studies have demonstrated that the endogenous cannabinoids are important modulators of fertility in mammals. In particular, a role of the endocannabinoid system in early stages of embryo development, oviductal transport of embryos, pregnancy maintenance and labour has been demonstrated in rodents and/or in humans. In the present paper, we report the analysis of FAAH activity and protein content in the mouse uterus as a function of the natural oestrus cycle stages. Variations of FAAH activity are discussed in relationship to changes in sex steroid levels and to the possible action of AEA on remodelling of uterine tissues

Gerodiversity - How Facing Adversity across the Lifespan can Foster Workplace Resilience

Symposium Topic: Older Women Who Work: Examinations of Grey and Grit Chair: Lisa Hollis-Sawyer, PhD, Northeastern Illinois University Participants: Mary Gergen, PhD, Penn State University; and Ellen Cole, PhD, The Sage Colleges. When Just Getting by Is Getting Old: Women Working in Later Life to Pay the Bills- Monica Teixeira, MA, Columbia College. The Impact of Aging and Authentic Leadership in a Higher Education Latina Leader - Julie Hicks Patrick, PhD, West Virginia University. Appalachian Grit and Older Working Women - Niva Piran, PhD, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. Missions Continued: The Meaning of Work in Older Women’s Lifelong Journey - Ashley Stripling, PhD, and Jodie Maccarrone, MS, Nova Southeastern University. Gerodiversity - How Facing Adversity Across the Lifespan Can Facilitate Workplace Resilience Discussant: Ellen Cole, PhD, The Sage College

Endocannabinoid Signaling in Autism

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex behavioral condition with onset during early childhood and a lifelong course in the vast majority of cases. To date, no behavioral, genetic, brain imaging, or electrophysiological test can specifically validate a clinical diagnosis of ASD. However, these medical procedures are often implemented in order to screen for syndromic forms of the disorder (i.e., autism comorbid with known medical conditions). In the last 25 years a good deal of information has been accumulated on the main components of the “endocannabinoid (eCB) system”, a rather complex ensemble of lipid signals (“endocannabinoids”), their target receptors, purported transporters, and metabolic enzymes. It has been clearly documented that eCB signaling plays a key role in many human health and disease conditions of the central nervous system, thus opening the avenue to the therapeutic exploitation of eCB-oriented drugs for the treatment of psychiatric, neurodegenerative, and neuroinflammatory disorders. Here we present a modern view of the eCB system, and alterations of its main components in human patients and animal models relevant to ASD. This review will thus provide a critical perspective necessary to explore the potential exploitation of distinct elements of eCB system as targets of innovative therapeutics against ASD

Limitations to testing the equivalence principle with satellite laser ranging

Abstract We consider the possibility of testing the equivalence principle (EP) in the gravitational field of the Earth from the orbits of LAGEOS and LAGEOS II satellites, which are very accurately tracked from ground by laser ranging. The orbital elements that are affected by an EP violation and can be used to measure the corresponding dimensionless parameter ? are semimajor axis and argument of pericenter. We show that the best result is obtained from the semimajor axis, and it is limited-with all available ranging data to LAGEOS and LAGEOS II-to ? = 2 × 10-9, more than 3 orders of magnitude worse than experimental results provided by torsion balances. The experiment is limited because of the non uniformity of the gravitational field of the Earth and the error in the measurement of semimajor axis, precisely in the same way as they limit the measurement of the product GM of the Earth. A better use of the pericenter of LAGEOS II can be made if the data are analyzed searching for a new Yukawa-like interaction with a distance scale of one Earth radius. It is found that the pericenter of LAGEOS II is 3 orders of magnitude more sensitive to a composition dependent new interaction with this particular scale than it is to a composition dependent effect expressed by the ? parameter only. Nevertheless, the result is still a factor 500 worse than EP tests with torsion balances in the gravitational field of the Earth (i.e. at comparable distance), though a detailed data analysis has yet to be performed. While EP tests with satellite laser ranging are not competitive, laser ranging to the Moon has been able to provide a test of the EP almost 1 order of magnitude better than torsion balances. We show that this is due to the much greater distance of the test masses (the Earth and the Moon) from the primary body (the Sun) and the correspondingly smaller gradients of its gravity field. We therefore consider a similar new experiment involving the orbit of LAGEOS: testing LAGEOS and the Earth for an EP violation in the gravitational field of the Sun. We show that this test may be of interest, though it is a factor 300 less sensitive than in the case of the Moon due to the fact that LAGEOS is closer to the Earth than theMoon and consequently its orbit is less affected by the Sun. The limitations we have pointed out for laser ranging can be overcome by flying in low Earth orbit a spacecraft carrying concentric test masses of different composition with the capability, already demonstrated in ground laboratories, to accurately sense in situ any differential effects between them

The (endo)cannabinoid signaling in female reproduction: What are the latest advances?

Cannabis extracts like marijuana have the highest consumption rate worldwide. Yet, their societal acceptance as recreational and therapeutic drugs could represent a serious hazard to female human reproduction, because cannabis ingredients [termed (phyto)cannabinoids] can perturb an endogenous system of lipid signals known as endocannabinoids. Accumulated evidence on animal models and humans has demonstrated a crucial role of these endogenous signals on different aspects of female reproduction, where they act through an ensamble of proteins that synthesize, transport, degrade and traffic them. Several reports have recently evidenced the potential role of endocannabinoids as biomarkers of female infertility for disease treatment and prevention, as well as their possible epigenetic effects on pregnancy. The purpose of this review is to provide an update of data collected in the last decade on the effects of cannabinoids and endocannabinoids on female reproductive events, from development and maturation of follicles and oocytes, to fertilization, oviductal transport, implantation and labor. In this context, a particular attention has ben devoted to the ovary and the production of fertilizable oocytes, because recent studies have addressed this hot topic with conflicting results among species

Limitations to testing the equivalence principle with satellite laser ranging

Abstract We consider the possibility of testing the equivalence principle (EP) in the gravitational field of the Earth from the orbits of LAGEOS and LAGEOS II satellites, which are very accurately tracked from ground by laser ranging. The orbital elements that are affected by an EP violation and can be used to measure the corresponding dimensionless parameter ? are semimajor axis and argument of pericenter. We show that the best result is obtained from the semimajor axis, and it is limited-with all available ranging data to LAGEOS and LAGEOS II-to ? = 2 × 10-9, more than 3 orders of magnitude worse than experimental results provided by torsion balances. The experiment is limited because of the non uniformity of the gravitational field of the Earth and the error in the measurement of semimajor axis, precisely in the same way as they limit the measurement of the product GM of the Earth. A better use of the pericenter of LAGEOS II can be made if the data are analyzed searching for a new Yukawa-like interaction with a distance scale of one Earth radius. It is found that the pericenter of LAGEOS II is 3 orders of magnitude more sensitive to a composition dependent new interaction with this particular scale than it is to a composition dependent effect expressed by the ? parameter only. Nevertheless, the result is still a factor 500 worse than EP tests with torsion balances in the gravitational field of the Earth (i.e. at comparable distance), though a detailed data analysis has yet to be performed. While EP tests with satellite laser ranging are not competitive, laser ranging to the Moon has been able to provide a test of the EP almost 1 order of magnitude better than torsion balances. We show that this is due to the much greater distance of the test masses (the Earth and the Moon) from the primary body (the Sun) and the correspondingly smaller gradients of its gravity field. We therefore consider a similar new experiment involving the orbit of LAGEOS: testing LAGEOS and the Earth for an EP violation in the gravitational field of the Sun. We show that this test may be of interest, though it is a factor 300 less sensitive than in the case of the Moon due to the fact that LAGEOS is closer to the Earth than theMoon and consequently its orbit is less affected by the Sun. The limitations we have pointed out for laser ranging can be overcome by flying in low Earth orbit a spacecraft carrying concentric test masses of different composition with the capability, already demonstrated in ground laboratories, to accurately sense in situ any differential effects between them

Use of Foley catheter in control of internal carotid hemorrhage during endoscopic endonasal surgery

Internal carotid artery (ICA) injuries during endoscopic endonasal surgery (EES) are rare life-threatening events. We describe a technique to manage ICA injuries based on the use of Foley catheters.A 26-year-old female underwent endoscopic transnasal trans-sphenoidal removal of pituitary adenoma. Cerebrospinal fluid leak occurred 4 days postoperatively. During repair procedure, accidental injury of ICA occurred. Emergency nasal packing through positioning of four Foley urologic catheters was successfully performed to stop bleeding. The patient did not report neurologic deficits.In author's opinion, Foley catheters are suitable to obtain immediate bleeding control since they are rapidly available and easily usable