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Amelioration of Acrolein Effects on the Small Intestine of Rats by Curcumin and Compound 20
Get PDFAcrolein is an unsaturated aldehyde which produce chemicals used as an intermediate reactive aldehyde in the chemical industry. The primary component of acrolein, is derived from the incomplete combustion of wood, plastic, fossil fuels, the main component of cigarette smoke, the burning of fats and overheating of oil. The purpose of this research is to investigate whether curcumin and compound 20 prevents the induction of inflammatory and oxidative response caused by acrolein in the small intestine. Curcumin is the yellow pigment, lipophilic polyphenol substance that gives turmeric the medicinal properties. It can also define as the primary bioactive substance in turmeric with anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. Objectives • Evaluate acrolein effects in the small intestine; Method - Measuring lipid peroxidation and antioxidant activities. • Compare curcumin and compound20 effects in reversing/inhibiting the effects of acrolein in the small intestine. Method - Measuring lipid peroxidation and antioxidative activities. • Determine the mechanism that compound 20 reverse/inhibit the changes caused by acrolein in the small intestine. Method - Cytokines activities and Nrf2 activity and expression. Methodology/Results In vivo, male Sprague–Dawley rats received curcumin or compound 20 mixed in peanut butter via voluntary oral consumption followed by intraperitoneal (IP) administration of acrolein. The levels of glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and malondialdehyde (MDA) were detected by a GSH assay kit, SOD kit and MDA kit respectively. In addition, levels of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 in ileum was detected and showed increased whereas pro-inflammatory cytokine expression (TNF-α) was found to be significantly lower in the ileum of treated animals as compared to the control except for significantly increase with the acrolein treated group. GSH was found to be significantly increased in the treated animals as compared to the control. SOD did not show significant increase except animals treated with compound20 compared to control and significantly in group treated with acrolein compared to control. The MDA lipid peroxidation showed significant increase in animals treated with acrolein compared to the control. In this study, curcumin is shown to be capable of targeting the Nrf2 signaling pathway in protecting the cells against inflammatory and oxidative damage. Conclusion These results suggest that curcumin and compound20 might be a useful agent against small intestine dysfunction caused by acrolein-induced inflammatory and oxidative response
Analysis of Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Electric Transformer Oil Using Gas Chromatography With Electron Capture Detector.
Get PDFPolychlorinated biphenyls (PCB’s) are a group of synthetic chemicals which are environmentally insistent that were once used as coolants and lubricants in paints, heat transfer fluids, transformers, capacitors, caulking materials and other electrical materials owning to their property of good insulators. PCBs are persistent organic pollutants since they are persistent, resistant to biodegradation, bioaccumulate and have shown to cause a variety of deleterious effects on human health and the environment. Due to this the manufacturing of PCBs was banned in the United States in 1977. Although, production of PCBs has reportedly stopped, the potential or actual release of PCBs into the environment has not, as significant number of existing PCBs continue in use (electrical transformers and capacitors) or in storage. The Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants (POPS) has already banned any further manufacture of nine transformer oil samples collected randomly from different sites. A standard quantitative analysis calibration curve was created using clean transformer oil spiked with 5 different concentration and using decachlorobiphenyl as internal standard. Selective ion GC with electron capture device was performed on each sample, and the amount of PCBs were estimated using the calibration curve
Experimental Validation of Gene Expression of MYBL1, MYBL2, UBXN8, and ADRM1 Genes in Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cell Lines
Get PDFA previous study conducted in our laboratory demonstrated V-Myb Avian Myeloblast Viral Oncogene Homolog Like 1 (MYBL1) gene over-expression in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) compared to normal, some luminal, and a subpopulation of other TNBC. The MYBL1 gene belongs to the Avian myeloblastosis virus (MYB) family and is classified as proto-oncogene that functions as a strong transcription factor. The MYBL1 gene is related to cancer progression which involves dysregulation of cell cycle signaling, apoptosis and differentiation processes. A primary goal of our laboratory is to further characterize MYBL1 gene expression in TNBC samples. To achieve this goal, we performed a knockdown study to identify genes that co-operate with MYBL1 to affect the phenotype of TNBC. The MDA MB231 TNBC cells were ransduced with a short hairpin ribonucleic acid (shRNA) lentiviral knockdown of the MYBL1 gene. When MYBL1 was knocked down, MYBL2 and Adhesion Regulating Molecule 1 (ADRM1) genes were down regulated and UBX Domain Protein 8 (UBXN8) gene was unregulated. Since MYBL2, UBXN8 and ADRM1 were affected by MYBL1 knockdown, for the current study, we compared the gene expression patterns of MYBL2, UBXN8 and ADRM1 to that of MYBL1 using different methods. Two approaches are utilized to achieve our goal. For approach 1 we utilized polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry to assess RNA and protein expression levels, respectively. For the second approach, we analyzed MYBL1, MYBL2, UBXN8 and ADRM1 transcript levels in TNBC patient samples etrieved from Gene Expression Omnibus Results from this project should assist in our understanding of MYBL1 in TNBC
COVID-19 and Rural Food Security: A Case Study of Sheshegu in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
Get PDFThis study is an attempt to determine COVID-19\u27s impact on household food safety. The study adopted a case study approach, and Sheshegu location was chosen as the research area for the Amathole District of the South African Eastern Cape Province. Data collection was done in multiple households with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire, as well as collecting information from secondary sources. The study focused on the notion of food security as a theoretical basis for the analysis, which was primarily a cross-case analysis. This study does not address the analysis of individual cases; however, individual cases are provided as examples and as backup for the synthesis. In addition, the food safety analysis focused only on the availability of calories and not on nutritional quality. The findings of this study show the need for household empowerment in a more sustainable way through income-generating skills training and small-scale home gardening practice. It was also revealed the need for nutrition education, so that conventional and healthy choices can be included in the patterns of household food consumption and not only seen as an alternative when preferred foods such as meat are not present. The research further showed that COVID-19’s effect correlated with the position in which the household was prior to the onset of the disease or subsequent death. Coping methods often differed, depending on the position of the household and the amount of contribution that the sick family member made to the food budget. During the time of care for the sick family member, inter-household effects and gender differentials were noted. During times of food shortages interhousehold effects were also observed. There was also a high degree of dependence on government safety nets among these households, which contributed to some extent to the lack of diversification of livelihoods
Mirrored Windows Theory and the NYPD: Does Heavy Surveillance Policing Translate into Greater Use of Force
Get PDFDo Open Records Facilitate Criminal Behavior? The Case of Property Tax Records
Get PDFProperty tax records are generally public records. In order to improve access to these records and enhance transparency, most local governments have adopted online-based property tax record searches. Anecdotal evidence, however, suggests that online-access to private information allows criminals to more efficiently target their victims. Thus, government officials face the tradeoff of improving transparency at the expense of protecting privacy, and vice versa. It is unclear from existing research if greater transparency in fact facilitates criminal behavior. To test this possibility, property-related crime data were obtained from 150 Georgia counties in 2005 and 2007 and used in a difference-in-difference research design. The results indicate that no systematic relationship exists between online property tax records and property crime. The policy implications of the finding are discussed
Structural Obstacles for Women in Academia: Availability and Costs of Campus Child Care
Get PDFWomen face tremendous obstacles to success in academic institutions. While we have witnessed incredible progress in some areas of representation of students, staff, or faculty who are women, outcomes by gender continue to be impacted by structural challenges in higher education. One structural barrier is the availability of child care. The article examines the availability and characteristics of child care centers at institutions with a public service commitment to social equity, as evidenced by offering degree programs accredited by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Public Affairs, and Public Administration (NASPAA). Findings indicate that, of the 173 schools with NASPAA-accredited programs, 127 schools (73%) provide some type of child care for students, faculty, or staff members. However, the average full-time cost per child exceeds affordability guidelines which indicates a significant structural factor in child-care accessibility. While findings are descriptive, this study provides evidence of institutional barriers for women in academia
Screening TCF19 and KIF18B to Determine Co-Regulation With MYBL1 in Triple Negative Breast Cancer Patient Tissues
Get PDFThe aggressive behavior in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is due to genetic signaling events, which call for the comprehensive analyses of genes differentially regulated in the cancers. Our laboratory previously found that MYBL1 was over-expressed in a fraction of the TNBC, compared to some luminal, and other breast cancer subtypes. The MYBL1 gene is a proto-oncogene that serves as a strong transcriptional activator. The gene is involved in signaling events related to cell cycle signaling, differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis, all which are differentially regulated in cancers. Because MYBL1 is a transcription regulator, involved in cancer-related mechanisms and differentially expressed in TNBC, our lab designed studies to better characterize the gene in TNBC. We performed shRNA lentiviral knockdown of MYBL1 in TNBC as the first goal to identify genes directly or indirectly affected by knockdown of the MYBL1 gene in these cancers. Our hypothesis is that some (not all) genes identified by this method likely cooperate with MYBL1 to affect the genotype and phenotype of TNBC. The TCF19 and KIF18b genes were two of the first candidate genes identified in our knockdown study. When MYBL1 was knocked down, TCF19 and KIF18b were also downregulated. Although we performed preliminary analyses of TCF19 and KIF18b RNA transcript levels in cell lines and using online patient datasets, a main goal of the current study was to examine TCF19 and KIF18b protein expression in clinically diagnosed TNBC (tissue) patient samples. We want to view, in situ, the protein level of our candidate genes in tissue samples isolated from women with clinically described breast cancer. Since TCF19 and KIF18b genes are downregulated when MYBL1 is knocked down, we will determine if these genes are co-expressed in the same tissue samples as MYBL1 protein. We also expand our bioinformatic analyses of the three genes, but the focus is protein analyses of MYBL1, TCF19 and KIF18b in patients’ tissues with defined clinical diagnoses
The Predictability of Faculty Participation in Professional development Programs using Demographic, Academic, and Occupational Factors in Higher Education
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to determine if there exist any predictive relationships between faculty demographic, academic, and occupational factors, and faculty participation in professional development programs. Despite the established benefits of faculty participating in professional development programs and its corresponding impact on student learning and graduation rates, a critical issue for professional development centers has been how to attract and motivate faculty to participate in these programs (James Jacob et. al., 2019). A correlational research procedure was used as the structural framework for conducting this study, and the population of interest were higher education faculty from two private research-intensive higher education institutions found in North America and West Africa. A voluntary response sample of 177 faculty was reached via the respective institutional email system of both institutions. The data was collected using a survey instrument managed by survey monkey. Data analysis was carried out on SPSS using binary logistic regression analysis at a .05 significance level. The demographic, academic, and occupational factors were all found to be statistically reliable in predicting those faculty who were more likely to participate in professional development programs and those who were less likely to participate in professional development programs. Faculty voiced their opinion on the rewards they would like to see associated with participation in professional development programs in an open-ended question and the results were summarized and presented. These findings formed the foundation of the recommendations made to administrators and to faculty with the hope that this could encourage institution wide practices that can work together to motivate higher participation rates in professional development programs among faculty members
Discovery of OJT008 as a Novel Inhibitor of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Get PDFDespite recent progress in the diagnosis of Tuberculosis (TB), the chemotherapeutic management of TB is still challenging. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is the etiological agent of TB, and TB is classified as the 13th leading cause of death globally [WHO 2021]. 558,000 people were reported to develop multi-drug resistant TB globally [WHO 2020]. Our research focuses on targeting Methionine Aminopeptidase (MetAP), an essential protein for the viability of Mtb. MetAP is a metalloprotease that catalyzes the removal of N-terminal methionine (NME) during translation of protein [Giglione et al., 2003]. This essential role of MetAPs makes this enzyme an auspicious target for the development of novel therapeutic agents for the treatment of TB. Mtb possesses two MetAP1 isoforms: MtMetAP1a and MtMetAP1c, which are vital for Mtb viability, hence a promising chemotherapeutic target for Mtb infection [Zhang et al., 2009; Olaleye et al., 2010; Griffin et al., 2011; Vanunu et al., 2019]. In our study, we cloned, overexpressed recombinant MtMetAP1c, and investigated the in vitro inhibitory effect of OJT008 on cobalt and nickel ion activated MtMetAP1c. The compound’s potency against replicating and multidrug-resistant (MDR) Mtb strains was also investigated. The induction of the overexpressed recombinant MtMetAP1c was optimized at hours with a final concentration of 1mM Isopropyl β-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside. The average yield for MtMetAP1c was 4.65 mg/L of Escherichia coli culture. A preliminary MtMetAP1c metal dependency screen showed optimum activation with nickel and cobalt ions at 100µM. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of OJT008 against MtMetAP1c activated with CoCl2 and NiCl2 were in the micromolar range. Our in silico study showed OJT008 strongly binds to both metal activated MtMetAP1c, as evidenced by strong molecular interactions and higher binding score thereby corroborating our result. Thus, validating the pharmacophore’s metal specificity. The potency of OJT008 against both active and multidrug-resistant (MDR) Mtb was in the low micromolar concentrations, correlating well with our biochemical data on MtMetAP1c inhibition. These results suggest that OJT008 is a potential lead compound for the pre-clinical development of novel small molecules for the therapeutic management of TB