Southern Illinois University Carbondale

About: Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a education organization based out in Carbondale, Illinois, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 13570 authors who have published 24819 publications receiving 667385 citations. The organization is also known as: SIU Carbondale & SIUC.

Research priorities in spasmodic dysphonia.

Abstract: Objective To identify research priorities to increase understanding of the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and improved treatment of spasmodic dysphonia. Study Design and Setting A multidisciplinary working group was formed that included both scientists and clinicians from multiple disciplines (otolaryngology, neurology, speech pathology, genetics, and neuroscience) to review currently available information on spasmodic dysphonia and to identify research priorities. Results Operational definitions for spasmodic dysphonia at different levels of certainty were recommended for diagnosis and recommendations made for a multicenter multidisciplinary validation study. Conclusions The highest priority is to characterize the disorder and identify risk factors that may contribute to its onset. Future research should compare and contrast spasmodic dysphonia with other forms of focal dystonia. Development of animal models is recommended to explore hypotheses related to pathogenesis. Improved understanding of the pathophysiology of spasmodic dysphonia should provide the basis for developing new treatment options and exploratory clinical trials. Significance This document should foster future research to improve the care of patients with this chronic debilitating voice and speech disorder by otolaryngology, neurology, and speech pathology.

Short-chain fatty acids induced autophagy serves as an adaptive strategy for retarding mitochondria-mediated apoptotic cell death

Abstract: Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are the major by-products of bacterial fermentation of undigested dietary fibers in the large intestine. SCFAs, mostly propionate and butyrate, inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis in colon cancer cells, but clinical trials had mixed results regarding the anti-tumor activities of SCFAs. Herein we demonstrate that propionate and butyrate induced autophagy in human colon cancer cells to dampen apoptosis whereas inhibition of autophagy potentiated SCFA induced apoptosis. Colon cancer cells, after propionate treatment, exhibited extensive characteristics of autophagic proteolysis: increased LC3-I to LC3-II conversion, acidic vesicular organelle development, and reduced p62/SQSTM1 expression. Propionate-induced autophagy was associated with decreased mTOR activity and enhanced AMP kinase activity. The elevated AMPKα phosphorylation was associated with cellular ATP depletion and overproduction of reactive oxygen species due to mitochondrial dysfunction involving the induction of MPT and loss of Δψ. In this context, mitochondria biogenesis was initiated to recover cellular energy homeostasis. Importantly, when autophagy was prevented either pharmacologically (3-MA or chloroquine) or genetically (knockdown of ATG5 or ATG7), the colon cancer cells became sensitized toward propionate-induced apoptosis through activation of caspase-7 and caspase-3. The observations indicate that propionate-triggered autophagy serves as an adaptive strategy for retarding mitochondria-mediated apoptotic cell death, whereas application of an autophagy inhibitor (Chloroquine) is expected to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of SCFAs in inducing colon tumor cell apoptosis.

Minority-Related Stressors and Coping Processes among African American College Students.

Abstract: This study is an investigation of stress and coping among African American students at a predominantly White college/university (PWCU) and a Historically Black College/University (HBCU) and their relationship to academic performance. Participants were 203 African American students (101 from a mid-size predominantly White midwestern state university and 102 from an HBCU located on the East Coast). Perceived stress, minority status stress, and coping behaviors were measured. Multivariate comparisons revealed that African American students on the PWCU campus experienced higher levels of minority status stressors compared to their counterparts at the HBCU. Participants from both universities were generally similar in their use of coping strategies and in their levels of overall perceived stress. An exploratory model and an alternate model of stress and coping processes were tested. Both models highlight the unique contribution of minority status stressors to academic performance.

The impact of information and risk perception on the hurricane evacuation decision-making of greater new orleans residents

Abstract: This article contributes to the current discussion on how residents living in vulnerable areas make the decision to evacuate when they are in harms way. Key in this discussion is the question, what role does information and risk play in shaping evacuation behavior? This study used a sample of respondents from the greater New Orleans region (Orleans, Jefferson, and St. Bernard Parishes) of the Twelve Parish Survey (N = 1,207) conducted prior to Hurricane Katrina. The findings indicate that information sources are vitally important in the evacuation process. By examining the role of information from authorities, family, and friends; visual imagery; and the media we found that individuals use a variety of sources when they decide to evacuate. Further, the importance of visual imagery in the evacuation process is discussed. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of information dissemination and its importance to members of the media and public policy makers.

National Geophysical Data Center candidate for the World Digital Magnetic Anomaly Map

Abstract: Marine and airborne magnetic anomaly data have been collected for more than half a century, providing global coverage of the Earth. Furthermore, the German CHAMP satellite is providing increasingly accurate information on large-scale magnetic anomalies. The World Digital Magnetic Anomaly Map project is an international effort to integrate all available near-surface and satellite magnetic anomaly data into a global map database. Teams of researchers were invited to produce candidate maps using a common pool of data sets. Here we present the National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) candidate. To produce a homogeneous map, the near-surface data were first line-leveled and then merged by Least Squares Collocation. Long wavelengths were found to agree surprisingly well with independent satellite information. This validates our final processing step of merging the short-wavelength part of the near-surface data with long-wavelength satellite magnetic anomalies.