The photons payload, G-494: A learning experience

PHOTONS (Photometric Thermospheric Oxygen Nightglow Study) is an optical remote sensing payload developed for Get Away Special (GAS) flight by the National Research Council of Canada. The device is extremely sensitive and is suitable for making measurements of low intensity, aeronomically generated atmospheric emissions in the nadir and the limb and of Shuttle ram glow. The unit uses a sealed canister and UV transmitting viewing ports. During the flight of STS 61-C, PHOTONS received one hour of operation and aeronomic observations were made. Good diagnostic data were obtained and the science part of the experiment malfunctioned. Post flight inspection revealed that the payload was in perfect working order except for total failure of the photomultiplier detectors. The experiment and the payload are described and the flight results are discussed along with the cause of the malfunctions. It is shown that enough was learned from the flight diagnostic data and about the cause of the malfunction to conclude that the engineering flight was successful and that subsequent flight of the PHOTONS payload will be productive

A stage-structured model to predict the effect of temperature and salinity on glass eel Anguilla anguilla pigmentation development

The pigmentation development process of glass eels Anguilla anguilla from stage V-B to VIA3 was modelled by gamma cumulative functions. These functions varied with respect to the factors temperature and salinity whose effects were adjusted by beta functions. Temperature was shown to accelerate pigmentation, while salinity acted as a secondary factor slowing down the pigmentation. The model fits the development of 15 samples kept at various temperatures and salinities in the Vilaine River, as well as samples monitored at other dates and places in Europe. It allows the prediction of the duration of estuarine residency for glass eels, in winter and spring, in the Atlantic estuaries

Acute neuroinflammation elicited by TLR-3 systemic activation combined with early life stress induces working memory impairments in male adolescent mice

Toll-like Receptors (TLRs) are implicated with the pathogenesis of cognitive impairment induced by inflammation. Early life stress is associated with altered trajectories of neuroimmune signaling with implications for cognitive development. However, effects of TLR-3 activation on early life stress-related cognitive outcomes are understudied. We investigated the effects of maternal separation (MS) during postnatal development and a viral immune challenge during adolescence on working memory performance. BALB/c mice exposed to MS were separated from their dams daily for 180-min from postnatal day (PND) 2 to 15. At PND 45, animals were challenged with a single i.p. injection of either Poly (I:C) or sterile saline, and then subjected to a spatial working memory test in a Y-maze apparatus. Gene expression was determined by qPCR. Protein levels of oxidative stress markers were also assessed. A single peripheral administration of a TLR-3 agonist was able to induce working memory impairments in adolescent mice exposed to MS. At a molecular level, exposure to MS was associated with lower mRNA levels of Tlr3 in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). However, when MS animals were exposed to Poly (I:C), a more robust activation of Tlr3, Il6 and Nfkb1 gene transcription was observed in these mice compared with control animals. These modifications did not result in oxidative stress. Finally, higher mRNA levels of Nfkb1 in the mPFC were correlated with lower working memory performance, suggesting that altered NF-\u3baB signaling might be related with poor cognitive functioning. These results have implications for how ELS affects neuroimmune signaling in the mPFC

Effect of octanoic acid-rich formula on plasma ghrelin levels in cachectic patients with chronic respiratory disease

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>For cachectic patients with chronic respiratory disease (CRD), conventional enteral nutrition formula is an optional treatment to maintain energy balance. The molecular mechanisms by which enteral nutrition formula controls appetite and weight remain unknown. We examined whether enteral nutrition formula rich in octanoic acids would increase plasma levels of ghrelin, an appetite-stimulating hormone produced in the stomach, in cachectic patients with CRD.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Plasma ghrelin profiles in cachectic patients with CRD were assessed and compared with those in age- and sex-matched controls. Plasma levels of acyl-ghrelin, an active ghrelin modified by octanoic acids, and desacyl-ghrelin were measured separately. We examined changes in 24-h plasma ghrelin profiles before and after single administration of the formula. We also evaluated the effects of 2-week administration of the formula on plasma ghrelin levels and nutritional status in patients.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The ratio of acyl-ghrelin to desacyl-ghrelin in plasma was lower in patients than in controls. Single administration of the formula did not change plasma desacyl-ghrelin levels, but induced an increase in acyl-ghrelin levels. Two-week treatment with the formula was effective in increasing weight and acyl-ghrelin, along with improving nutritional status in patients.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results show that the formula contributes to increased weight, which may be associated with induction of acyl-ghrelin production in cachectic patients with CRD.</p

Exposure to chronic stress impairs the ability to cope with an acute challenge : Modulation by lurasidone treatment

Chronic stress represents a major contributor for the development of mental illness. This study aimed to investigate how animals exposed to chronic mild stress (CMS) responded to an acute stress (AS), as a vulnerability's challenge, and to establish the potential effects of the antipsychotic drug lurasidone on such mechanisms. Adult male Wistar rats were exposed or not (controls) to a CMS paradigm for 7 weeks. Starting from the end of week 2, animals were randomized to receive vehicle or lurasidone for 5 weeks. Sucrose intake was used to measure anhedonia. At the end, half of the animals were exposed to an acute stress before sacrifice. Exposure to CMS produced a significant reduction in sucrose consumption, whereas lurasidone progressively normalized such alteration. We found that exposure to AS produced an upregulation of Brain derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf) in the prefrontal cortex of controls animals. This response was impaired in CMS rats and restored by lurasidone treatment. While in control animals, AS-induced increase of Bdnf mRNA levels was specific for Parvalbumin cells, CMS rats treated with lurasidone show a significant upregulation of Bdnf in pyramidal cells. Furthermore, when investigating the activation of different brain regions, CMS rats showed an impairment in the global response to the acute stressor, that was largely restored by lurasidone treatment. Our results suggest that lurasidone treatment in CMS rats may regulate specific circuits and mechanisms, which will ultimately contribute to boost resilience under stressful challenges

A room‐based diagnostic imaging system for measurement of patient setup

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135081/1/mp8461.pd

Behavioral phenotyping of a rat model of the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism reveals selective impairment of fear memory

The common brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met polymorphism is associated with reduced activity-dependent BDNF release and increased risk for anxiety disorders and PTSD. Here we behaviorally phenotyped a novel Val66Met rat model with an equivalent valine to methionine substitution in the rat Bdnf gene (Val68Met). In a three-day fear conditioning protocol of fear learning and extinction, adult rats with the Met/Met genotype demonstrated impaired fear memory compared to Val/Met rats and Val/Val controls, with no genotype differences in fear learning or extinction. This deficit in fear memory occurred irrespective of the sex of the animals and was not seen in adolescence (4 weeks of age). There were no changes in open-field locomotor activity or anxiety measured in the elevated plus maze (EPM) nor in other types of memory measured using the novel-object recognition test or Y-maze. BDNF exon VI expression in the dorsal hippocampus was higher and BDNF protein level in the ventral hippocampus was lower in female Val/Met rats than female Val/Val rats, with no other genotype differences, including in total BDNF, BDNF long, or BDNF IV mRNA. These data suggest a specific role for the BDNF Met/Met genotype in fear memory in rats. Further studies are required to investigate gene–environment interactions in this novel animal model

Psychometric validation of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer–Quality of Life Questionnaire Sexual Health (EORTC QLQ-SH22)

BACKGROUND: The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Group developed a questionnaire to assess sexual health in patients with cancer and cancer survivors. This study evaluates the psychometric properties of the questionnaire. METHODS: The 22-item EORTC sexual health questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-SH22) was administered with the EORTC QLQ-C30 to 444 patients with cancer. The hypothesised scale structure, reliability and validity were evaluated through standardised psychometric procedures. RESULTS: The cross-cultural field study showed that the majority of patients (94.7%) were able to complete the QLQ-SH22 in less than 20 min; 89% of the study participants did not need any help to fill in the questionnaire. Multi-item multi-trait scaling analysis confirmed the hypothesised scale structure with two multi-item scales (sexual satisfaction, sexual pain) and 11 single items (including five conditional items and four gender-specific items). The internal consistency yielded acceptable Cronbach's alpha coefficients (.90 for the sexual satisfaction scale, .80 for the sexual pain scale). The test-retest correlations (Pearson's r) ranged from .70 to .93 except for the scale communication with professionals (.67) and male body image (.69). The QLQ-SH22 discriminates well between subgroups of patients differing in terms of their performance and treatment status. CONCLUSION: The study supports the reliability, the content and construct validity of the QLQ-SH22. The newly developed questionnaire is clinically applicable to assess sexual health of patients with cancer at different treatment stages and during survivorship for clinical trials and for clinical practice

Substantial lymphovascular space invasion is an adverse prognostic factor in high-risk endometrial cancer

Approximately 15% of patients with endometrial cancer present with high-risk disease (HREC). Moreover, assessing the extent of lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI) may provide prognostic insight among patients with HREC. The aim of this study was to determine whether the extent of LVSI can serve as a prognostic factor in HREC. All cases of ESMO-ESGO-ESTRO 2016 classified HREC in the Danish Gynecological Cancer Database (DGCD) diagnosed from 2005 to 2012 were reviewed for the presence and extent of LVSI (categorized using a 3-tiered definition). We used the Kaplan-Meier analysis to calculate actuarial survival rates, both adjusted and unadjusted Cox regression analyses were used to calculate the proportional hazard ratio (HR). A total of 376 patients were included in our analysis. Among 305 patients with stage I/II HREC, 8.2% and 6.2% had focal or substantial LVSI, respectively, compared with 12.7% and 38.0% of 71 patients with stage III/IV HREC, respectively. Moreover, the estimated 5-yr recurrence-free survival rate was significantly lower among patients with substantial LVSI compared with patients with no LVSI for both stage I/II (HR: 2.8; P=0.011) and stage III/IV (HR: 2.9; P=0.003) patients. Similarly, overall survival was significantly lower among patients with substantial LVSI for both stage I/II (HR: 3.1; PP=0.020) patients. In patients with HREC, substantial LVSI is an independent adverse prognostic factor for lymph node and distant metastases, leading to reduced survival. Thus, the extent of LVSI should be incorporated into routine pathology reports in order to guide the appropriate choice of adjuvant treatment.Biological, physical and clinical aspects of cancer treatment with ionising radiatio