1997 research outputs found
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Sr. Therese Tackett
Get PDFIn this interview Sr. Therese Tackett discusses the challenges of her entry into religious life, especially coming from her home in Bluefield, West Virginia. She goes on to describe her work as an educator in poverty-stricken schools, as well as her service to other Sisters in the convent. Specifically, she details much of the artwork that has inspired her, as well as her hobby for creating puzzles. Additionally, she recounts how the loss of her leg has not deterred her from being a service-oriented member in community.https://mushare.marian.edu/wrp/1006/thumbnail.jp
Sr. Jean Marie Cleveland
Get PDFIn this oral history Sr. Jean Marie Cleveland discusses her unlikely path of entering religious life in Indianapolis, her early entry into teaching math and physics, to eventually becoming a school principal, a Director of Religious Education, and her work at Marian University. Additionally, she discusses being inspired by The Consistent Ethic of Life, her experience in Hispanic ministry in Indianapolis, her ministry leadership in various places such as Montana, Tohatchi, New Mexico, and Papua New Guinea, and her involvement in spreading awareness of human trafficking among the Sisters and within Indianapolis.https://mushare.marian.edu/wrp/1002/thumbnail.jp
Genetic Identification of SEMA3F as an Antilymphangiogenic Metastasis Suppressor Gene in Head and Neck Squamous Carcinoma.
No full textHead and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) often metastasize to locoregional lymph nodes, and lymph node involvement represents one of the most important prognostic factors of poor clinical outcome. HNSCCs are remarkably lymphangiogenic and represent a clear example of a cancer that utilizes the lymphatic vasculature for malignant dissemination; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying lymphangiogenesis in HNSCC is still poorly understood. Of interest, we found that an axon guidance molecule, Semaphorin 3F (SEMA3F), is among the top 1% underexpressed genes in HNSCC, and that genomic loss of SEMA3F correlates with increased metastasis and decreased survival. SEMA3F acts on its coreceptors, plexins and neuropilins, among which neuropilin-2 (NRP2) is highly expressed in lymphatic endothelial cells (LEC) but not in oral epithelium and most HNSCCs. We show that recombinant SEMA3F promotes LEC collapse and potently inhibits lymphangiogenesis in vivo. By reconstituting all possible plexin and neuropilin combinations, we found that SEMA3F acts through multiple receptors, but predominantly requires NRP2 to signal in LECs. Using orthotopic HNSCC metastasis mouse models, we provide direct evidence that SEMA3F re-expression diminishes lymphangiogenesis and lymph node metastasis. Furthermore, analysis of a large tissue collection revealed that SEMA3F is progressively lost during HNSCC progression, concomitant with increased tumor lymphangiogenesis. SEMA3F is localized to 3p21, an early and frequently deleted locus in HNSCC and many other prevalent human malignancies. Thus, SEMA3F may represent an antilymphangiogenic metastasis suppressor gene widely lost during cancer progression, hence serving as a prognostic biomarker and an attractive target for therapeutic intervention to halt metastasis
Effects of Whole-Body Heating on Skin Blood Flowmotion in Rosacea
No full textPrevious research indicates that sympathetic outflow to the face may be altered in rosacea (Metzler-Wilson & Toma, et al, J Neurophysiol, 2015). To identify if control and regulatory mechanisms of skin blood flow (SkBF) are affected by these outflow differences, SkBF oscillations were assessed in subjects with and without rosacea during basal conditions and during symptom-triggering heat stress. We hypothesized that individuals with rosacea would demonstrate greater changes in spectral power in the low (LF; 0.02-0.06 Hz; sympathetic) but not the very-low (VLF; 0.009-0.02 Hz; vascular endothelial) frequency range in a facial skin site during systemic heating. Nine otherwise healthy subjects with rosacea and healthy age-sex matched controls underwent whole-body heating to increase SkBF and trigger symptoms. Forehead SkBF (laser-Doppler flowmetry) was measured during whole-body heating via perfusing 50 °C water through a tube-lined suit for ~30-60 min. Changes in SkBF spectral power in VLF and LF ranges from baseline to heating were determined using fast-Fourrier transform. Both groups increased spectral power within both the VLF and LF ranges. Compared to healthy controls, individuals with rosacea trended toward greater changes in LF SkBF spectral power (1.48 ± 0.68 vs. 0.31 ± 0.34 au, for rosacea and control, respectively; p=0.08). There were no significant differences in the change in VLF SkBF spectral power between groups (p=0.14). These data indicate that individuals with rosacea may have alterations in sympathetic but not vascular endothelial mechanisms of control of facial SkBF during symptom-triggering systemic heat stress
Vibrational Bonding : A New Type of Chemical Bond is Discovered
No full textA long-sought but elusive new type of chemical bond, occurring on a minimum-free, purely repulsive potential energy surface, has recently been convincingly shown to be possible on the basis of high-level quantum-chemical calculations. This type of bond, termed a vibrational bond, forms because the total energy, including the dynamical energy of the nuclei, is lower than the total energy of the dissociated products, including their vibrational zero-point energy. For this to be the case, the ZPE of the product molecule must be very high, which is ensured by replacing a conventional hydrogen atom with its light isotope muonium (Mu, mass = 1/9 u) in the system Br-H-Br, a natural transition state in the reaction between Br and HBr. A paramagnetic species observed in the reaction Mu + Br-2 has been proposed as a first experimental sighting of this species, but definitive identification remains challenging
Genetic Identification of SEMA3F as an Antilymphangiogenic Metastasis Suppressor Gene in Head and Neck Squamous Carcinoma
No full textHead and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) often metastasize to locoregional lymph nodes, and lymph node involvement represents one of the most important prognostic factors of poor clinical outcome. HNSCCs are remarkably lymphangiogenic and represent a clear example of a cancer that utilizes the lymphatic vasculature for malignant dissemination; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying lymphangiogenesis in HNSCC is still poorly understood. Of interest, we found that an axon guidance molecule, Semaphorin 3F (SEMA3F), is among the top 1% underexpressed genes in HNSCC, and that genomic loss of SEMA3F correlates with increased metastasis and decreased survival. SEMA3F acts on its coreceptors, plexins and neuropilins, among which neuropilin-2 (NRP2) is highly expressed in lymphatic endothelial cells (LEC) but not in oral epithelium and most HNSCCs. We show that recombinant SEMA3F promotes LEC collapse and potently inhibits lymphangiogenesis in vivo. By reconstituting all possible plexin and neuropilin combinations, we found that SEMA3F acts through multiple receptors, but predominantly requires NRP2 to signal in LECs. Using orthotopic HNSCC metastasis mouse models, we provide direct evidence that SEMA3F re-expression diminishes lymphangiogenesis and lymph node metastasis. Furthermore, analysis of a large tissue collection revealed that SEMA3F is progressively lost during HNSCC progression, concomitant with increased tumor lymphangiogenesis. SEMA3F is localized to 3p21, an early and frequently deleted locus in HNSCC and many other prevalent human malignancies. Thus, SEMA3F may represent an antilymphangiogenic metastasis suppressor gene widely lost during cancer progression, hence serving as a prognostic biomarker and an attractive target for therapeutic intervention to halt metastasis
Teaching Professional Networking: Students Building Contacts Outside the Classroom
Get PDFThis pilot study implemented a method for teaching professional networking to college business communication students. The method introduced students to data on new college graduate unemployment and underemployment, research on methods for filling open positions, and the concept of six degrees of separation. Where most examples of professional networking instruction in prior research took place exclusively in the classroom, this method required students to make and track contacts in their chosen professional fields. Student reactions were captured in reflection papers and an open response survey and analyzed qualitatively using coding and similarity comparison (Boeije, 2010). Responses were not overly surprising as students indicated learning about their career field, the importance of utilizing connections, challenges in networking, and the benefits that can come from networking. The hands-on nature of the instruction and need for networking as a skill among CTE students creates opportunities for future research
SDF-1/CXCL12 induces directional cell migration and spontaneous metastasis via a CXCR4/Gαi/mTORC1 axis.
No full textMultiple human malignancies rely on C-X-C motif chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) and its ligand, SDF-1/CXCL12 (stroma cell-derived factor 1/C-X-C motif chemokine 12), to metastasize. CXCR4 inhibitors promote the mobilization of bone marrow stem cells, limiting their clinical application for metastasis prevention. We investigated the CXCR4-initiated signaling circuitry to identify new potential therapeutic targets. We used HeLa human cancer cells expressing high levels of CXCR4 endogenously. We found that CXCL12 promotes their migration in Boyden chamber assays and single cell tracking. CXCL12 activated mTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin) potently in a pertussis-sensitive fashion. Inhibition of mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) by rapamycin [drug concentration causing 50% inhibition (IC50) = 5 nM] and mTORC1/mTORC2 by Torin2 (IC50 = 6 nM), or by knocking down key mTORC1/2 components, Raptor and Rictor, respectively, decreased directional cell migration toward CXCL12. We developed a CXCR4-mediated spontaneous metastasis model by implanting HeLa cells in the tongue of SCID-NOD mice, in which 80% of the animals develop lymph node metastasis. It is surprising that mTORC1 disruption by Raptor knockdown was sufficient to reduce tumor growth by 60% and spontaneous metastasis by 72%, which were nearly abolished by rapamycin. In contrast, disrupting mTORC2 had no effect in tumor growth or metastasis compared with control short hairpin RNAs. These data suggest that mTORC1 may represent a suitable therapeutic target in human malignancies using CXCR4 for their metastatic spread.
Targeting the PI3 K-mTOR Signaling Circuitry in HPV-Associated Oral Malignancies: Novel Precision Molecular Therapies
No full textHPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection and it is predicted that up to 80 % of Americans will have HPV infections in their lifetime (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2015). The etiology of cervical cancer has long been linked with persistent HPV infection, but the correlation between HPV and other cancer types, including head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC), oropharyngeal carcinomas (OPCs), anal carcinomas, and cancers of the genital tract is emerging (Forman et al. 2012). Compared to alcohol- and tobacco-related HNSCC, HPV-associated head and neck cancer involves activation of specific molecular mechanisms, making HPV(+) HNSCCs diagnostically and therapeutically distinct. Here, we will review the current understanding of the molecular mechanisms in HPV(+) HNSCC with emphasis on the signaling events that drive the growth of HPV-associated HNSCC and the emerging opportunities for the development of novel precision molecular-targeted therapies for this disease
Sr. Margaret Peg Maher
Get PDFIn this segment, Sr. Margaret Peg Maher discusses the influence the Sisters of Saint Francis had on her early life growing up in Saint Bernard in the heart of Cincinnati, Ohio. She had Sisters of Saint Francis for teachers from grade school through high school and two aunts that were Sisters of Saint Francis. When she was a baby she was brought to the Convent at Oldenburg and offered to God by her Aunt Rose. Sr. Maher describes how it was only “natural to be a part of the community.” After teaching two years of grade school, Sr. Maher taught 36 years of high school Biology at Catholic high schools in Cincinnati. She offers tips on classroom management and unique assignments. After her career in teaching, Sr. Maher became a member of the Council of Religious Sisters for the Convent at Oldenburg. She shares how her leadership was shaped by a concerned for the growth and development of the sisters—physically, spiritually, and emotionally—and the importance of teamwork and the Holy Spirit guiding all of their decisions. Sr. Maher describes her new role as manager of Michaela Farm at the convent in Oldenburg, where she sees emerging ministries of religious sisters taking care of the “gifts of creation” and modeling “natural farming” that is gentle to the earth, compassionate towards the animals, and produces a healthy product. Sr. Maher concludes her oral history by emphasizing the important role nature plays in her prayer life and the influence author Thomas Berry has had on her spirituality.https://mushare.marian.edu/wrp/1027/thumbnail.jp