The lumbrical muscle: a novel in situ system to evaluate adult skeletal muscle proteolysis and anticatabolic drugs for therapeutic purposes

Bergantin LB, Figueiredo LB, Godinho RO. the lumbrical muscle: a novel in situ system to evaluate adult skeletal muscle proteolysis and anticatabolic drugs for therapeutic purposes. J Appl Physiol 111: 1710-1718, 2011. First published September 15, 2011; doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.00586.2011.-The molecular regulation of skeletal muscle proteolysis and the pharmacological screening of anticatabolic drugs have been addressed by measuring tyrosine release from prepubertal rat skeletal muscles, which are thin enough to allow adequate in vitro diffusion of oxygen and substrates. However, the use of muscle at accelerated prepubertal growth has limited the analysis of adult muscle proteolysis or that associated with aging and neurodegenerative diseases. Here we established the adult rat lumbrical muscle (4/hindpaw; 8/rat) as a new in situ experimental model for dynamic measurement of skeletal muscle proteolysis. By incubating lumbrical muscles attached to their individual metatarsal bones in Tyrode solution, we showed that the muscle proteolysis rate of adult and aged rats (3-4 to 24 mo old) is 45-25% of that in prepubertal animals (1 mo old), which makes questionable the usual extrapolation of proteolysis from prepubertal to adult/senile muscles. While acute mechanical injury or 1- to 7-day denervation increased tyrosine release from adult lumbrical muscle by up to 60%, it was reduced by 20-28% after 2-h incubation with beta-adrenoceptor agonists, forskolin or phosphodiesterase inhibitor IBMX. Using inhibitors of 26S-proteasome (MG132), lysosome (methylamine), or calpain (E64/leupeptin) systems, we showed that ubiquitin-proteasome is accountable for 40-50% of total lumbrical proteolysis of adult, middle-aged, and aged rats. in conclusion, the lumbrical model allows the analysis of muscle proteolysis rate from prepubertal to senile rats. By permitting eight simultaneous matched measurements per rat, the new model improves similar protocols performed in paired extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles from prepubertal rats, optimizing the pharmacological screening of drugs for anticatabolic purposes.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Div Cellular Pharmacol, Dept Pharmacol, Escola Paulista Med, BR-04044020 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Div Cellular Pharmacol, Dept Pharmacol, Escola Paulista Med, BR-04044020 São Paulo, BrazilFAPESP: 05/59006-1FAPESP: 08/55988-2CNPq: 304602/2008-6Web of Scienc

TESS Discovery of an ultra-short-period planet around the nearby M dwarf LHS 3844

Data from the newly-commissioned \textit{Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite} (TESS) has revealed a "hot Earth" around LHS 3844, an M dwarf located 15 pc away. The planet has a radius of $1.32\pm 0.02$ $R_\oplus$ and orbits the star every 11 hours. Although the existence of an atmosphere around such a strongly irradiated planet is questionable, the star is bright enough ($I=11.9$, $K=9.1$) for this possibility to be investigated with transit and occultation spectroscopy. The star's brightness and the planet's short period will also facilitate the measurement of the planet's mass through Doppler spectroscopy.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures. Submitted to ApJ Letters. This letter makes use of the TESS Alert data, which is currently in a beta test phase, using data from the pipelines at the TESS Science Office and at the TESS Science Processing Operations Cente

Light wavelength modulates search behavior performance in zebrafish

Long-term internal states drive many behaviors in animals. Zebrafish is a common vertebrate model conducive to finding the neural coding to these behaviors. In the Horstick lab, the larval zebrafish light search behavior is central to our research. This behavior, which is the locomotor response to the loss of light in larval zebrafish, is controlled by multiple neural populations that drive different internal states. The sensory neurons initially responsible for this behavior are photosensitive due to the expression of light-absorbing proteins called opsins. Opsins vary in the ranges of wavelengths of light that they absorb, and are expressed in distinct photoreceptor populations in the retina and the central nervous system of the zebrafish. The presence of these discrete photoreceptor types and the fact that other light-mediated behaviors in zebrafish are modulated by wavelength presents the possibility that the zebrafish light search behavior is wavelength-sensitive. In this thesis, I present a series of experiments performed on larval zebrafish that ascertain the wavelength-sensitivity of the light search behavior, and discuss possible conclusions and significances of the project. Additionally, I showcase several other projects relating to zebrafish behavior I contributed to in the appendices at the end of the thesis. Overall, this thesis highlights how even subtle changes to sensory stimuli can have broad impacts to behavior, and espouses the usefulness of zebrafish in exploring visual behaviors and the neural anatomy that drives them

NOTES ON MALAYSIAN MALVACEAE-I *

Twelve new species of Hibiscus sect. Azanza DC. from the Malaysian region are described and illustrated. The genus Wilhelminia Hochr. is reduced to a synonym of this section, which requires the new combination Hisbiscus sciadiolepidns (Hochr.) Borss. for W. sciadiolepida Hochr. the only species of the genus

A Duoethnographic Investigation of a Cross-Cultural Dissertation Chairing Relationship

Despite the importance of cross-cultural mentorship in supporting doctoral counselor education students with international backgrounds in overcoming barriers, few have researched the specific complexities of these relationships with critical depth. Therefore, in this duoethnographic study rooted in relational cultural theory, we offer a critical and transformative polyvocal dialogue of the cross-cultural dissertation mentoring relationship of [author 1], a White counselor educator, and [author 2], an Asian-Japanese former doctoral student with an international background. We discussed how our cultural backgrounds impacted the relationship, our experiences of imposter phenomenon, and how broaching may have impacted our relationship. We present a series of critical questions raised by our dialogue for readers to reflect upon and discuss the impact of their cultural identities and contexts

Developing Authentic Problem Solving Skills in School Counselors-in-Training through Problem Based Learning

According to the American School Counseling Association’s school counseling competencies and the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Program’s standards, school counselors should have skills, abilities, and attitudes to address complex and authentic problems in their practice. Yet, school counselors often do not feel prepared by their preparation programs in being able to address the realities of their practice. Problem Based Learning activities, such as the one proposed in this article, may help school counselors-in-training develop the skills in internship supervision to address complex problems they will face in their future work. Implementation guidelines, a case example, and limitations of this activity are provided