119 research outputs found
A novel protective prion protein variant that colocalizes with kuru exposure.
No full textBACKGROUND: Kuru is a devastating epidemic prion disease that affected a highly restricted geographic area of the Papua New Guinea highlands; at its peak, it predominantly affected adult women and children of both sexes. Its incidence has steadily declined since the cessation of its route of transmission, endocannibalism. METHODS: We performed genetic and selected clinical and genealogic assessments of more than 3000 persons from Eastern Highland populations, including 709 who participated in cannibalistic mortuary feasts, 152 of whom subsequently died of kuru. RESULTS: Persons who were exposed to kuru and survived the epidemic in Papua New Guinea are predominantly heterozygotes at the known resistance factor at codon 129 of the prion protein gene (PRNP). We now report a novel PRNP variant--G127V--that was found exclusively in people who lived in the region in which kuru was prevalent and that was present in half of the otherwise susceptible women from the region of highest exposure who were homozygous for methionine at PRNP codon 129. Although this allele is common in the area with the highest incidence of kuru, it is not found in patients with kuru and in unexposed population groups worldwide. Genealogic analysis reveals a significantly lower incidence of kuru in pedigrees that harbor the protective allele than in geographically matched control families. CONCLUSIONS: The 127V polymorphism is an acquired prion disease resistance factor selected during the kuru epidemic, rather than a pathogenic mutation that could have triggered the kuru epidemic. Variants at codons 127 and 129 of PRNP demonstrate the population genetic response to an epidemic of prion disease and represent a powerful episode of recent selection in humans
The Mouse Social Frailty Index (mSFI): A Standardized Protocol
No full textThe advent of geroscience engendered the development of approaches to quantify the aging process and estimate biological age on an individual level. Recognizing that declines observed in aging are not only physical but also social led us to develop a mouse Social Frailty Index (mSFI) designed to quantify age-related impairments of social functioning in mice. The mSFI consists of seven behavioral assays that measure essential facets of social behavioral functioning in mice: social communication, social interaction, and social functional ability. The assays that comprise the mSFI are all minimally disruptive, relatively simple to execute, and optimized for compatibility with longitudinal studies utilizing experimental interventions relevant to geroscience. The mSFI is conducted over AM and PM sessions spanning a maximum of 3.5 days, using materials common to most animal facilities. The data for all assays is obtained observationally, manually recorded, and entered into predefined template sheets that automate the computation of the mSFI. We have demonstrated the validity and applicability of the mSFI across multiple laboratory sites and experiments. This index has proven to discriminate between differential trajectories of biological aging driven by sex, progeria, or social stress-relevant contexts. The mSFI represents a novel index to quantify trajectories of biological aging in mice, and its application may help elucidate the social dimensions of the aging process
Indian Child Welfare
No full textThis file contains correspondence of American for Indian Opportunities, a bibliography on Native American Child and Family Welfare by William B. Collinge in the American Indian/Alaska Native Program School of Social Welfare at UC Berkley, a copy of the Joseph and Josephine A. et al. vs. The New Mexico Department of Human Services Consent Decree on Native American Children Welfare, Congressional records on American Child Welfare Act Amendments, communications.https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/lhnac/1128/thumbnail.jp
The mouse Social Frailty Index (mSFI): a novel behavioral assessment for impaired social functioning in aging mice
No full textVarious approaches exist to quantify the aging process and estimate biological age on an individual level. Frailty indices based on an age-related accumulation of physical deficits have been developed for human use and translated into mouse models. However, declines observed in aging are not limited to physical functioning but also involve social capabilities. The concept of "social frailty" has been recently introduced into human literature, but no index of social frailty exists for laboratory mice yet. To fill this gap, we developed a mouse Social Frailty Index (mSFI) consisting of seven distinct assays designed to quantify social functioning which is relatively simple to execute and is minimally invasive. Application of the mSFI in group-housed male C57BL/6 mice demonstrated a progressively elevated levels of social frailty through the lifespan. Conversely, group-housed females C57BL/6 mice manifested social frailty only at a very old age. Female mice also showed significantly lower mSFI score from 10 months of age onward when compared to males. We also applied the mSFI in male C57BL/6 mice under chronic subordination stress and in chronic isolation, both of which induced larger increases in social frailty compared to age-matched group-housed males. Lastly, we show that the mSFI is enhanced in mouse models that show accelerated biological aging such as progeroid Ercc1-/Delta and Xpg-/- mice of both sexes compared to age matched littermate wild types. In summary, the mSFI represents a novel index to quantify trajectories of biological aging in mice and may help elucidate links between impaired social behavior and the aging process
Proving your worth as a clinical librarian
No full textIn this article, the author shares his tips on gathering evidence of the beneficial impact of the role of clinical librarian posts within the British National Health Service (NHS). Number of clinical librarians working in the NHS have steadily increased, as medical library teams have sought to expand, strengthen and diversify the services offered to medical and health service personnel. Clinical librarianship aims to provide medical information and learning services directly to where it is needed in the hospital environment. Moreover, the author features the services he offered which were designed to help with staff learning and development and encompassed teaching session
Proving your worth as a clinical librarian
No full textIn this article, the author shares his tips on gathering evidence of the beneficial impact of the role of clinical librarian posts within the British National Health Service (NHS). Number of clinical librarians working in the NHS have steadily increased, as medical library teams have sought to expand, strengthen and diversify the services offered to medical and health service personnel. Clinical librarianship aims to provide medical information and learning services directly to where it is needed in the hospital environment. Moreover, the author features the services he offered which were designed to help with staff learning and development and encompassed teaching session
Foreword
No full textIt has been six years since the Journal of the Short Story in English began accepting contributions on the origins of the short story and on pioneers in short fiction writing. In the present issue three of the eight articles study such early writers of short fiction – Chaucer, Congreve and Charles Brockden Brown. The remaining articles discuss more contemporary well-known writers – Wharton and Updike – as well as some very recent writers which we invite you to discover – Bessie Head, Bobbie M..
Foreword
No full textIt has been six years since the Journal of the Short Story in English began accepting contributions on the origins of the short story and on pioneers in short fiction writing. In the present issue three of the eight articles study such early writers of short fiction – Chaucer, Congreve and Charles Brockden Brown. The remaining articles discuss more contemporary well-known writers – Wharton and Updike – as well as some very recent writers which we invite you to discover – Bessie Head, Bobbie M..
Re-evaluating the Ecological Role of a Keystone Species at the Urban-Wildland Interface
No full textPrairie dogs are receiving increased attention from landscape restoration managers as a result of intensified interactions at the urban-wildlife interface. While prairie dogs are regarded as a keystone species in natural grasslands due to their effects on ecosystem function and biodiversity, recent studies at the urban-wildland interface have linked the presence of prairie dogs to unexpected plant compositional changes and the creation of novel plant communities. Due to the link between plant community composition, ecosystem structure, and function, the development of novel communities on prairie dog colonies at the urban-wildland interface suggests the creation of a system highly resilient to restoration efforts with altered ecosystem services. To this aim, my dissertation examines prairie dog colony restoration at the urban-wildland interface by observing changes to plant communities and species following the removal of prairie dogs due to plague epizootics and management intervention. I demonstrate that plague extirpations will not restore plant communities to historical compositions, but rather allow for a potential proliferation of introduced winter active species and exotic forbs. Furthermore, I determine that three years of prairie dog removal will not return plant communities, groups, or vegetation diversity to the levels equivalent to those found on uncolonized areas, and will transition the restored communities to alternative compositions. I also examine the relationship between prairie dogs at the urban-wildland interface and two ecosystem services: wind erosion mitigation and plant productivity, which are both regulated by prairie dogs in a more natural landscape. My analyses showed nearly ten times the amount of wind erosion emanating from prairie dog colonies at the urban-wildland interface compared to adjacent uncolonized areas, as well as lower forage biomass on colonies than uncolonized grasslands in the region. This research shows that prairie dogs at the urban-wildland interface are operating outside of their historical context, and have the ability to dramatically impact grasslands ranging from plant community compositions to higher level ecosystem services. The ecological role of the prairie dog has changed at the urban-wildland interface, and understanding thes
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