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.

Ethanol, nicotine, amphetamine, and aspartame consumption and preferences in C57BL/6 and DBA/2 mice

Abstract: Using a two-bottle choice paradigm, adult C57BL/6 and DBA/2 mice (11 males an 10 females per strain) were given access to tapwater and an ascending series of concentrations of ethanol, nicotine, amphetamine, and th artificial sweetener, aspartame. The C57 mice consumed more ethanol, nicotine, and amphetamine, and showed greater preferences for these substances, than did the DBA/2 mice. In contrast, DBAs consumed more and showed greater preference for aspartame than C57s. However, measures of drug and aspartame consumption and preference were moderately intercorrelated when the effects of gender and strain were controlled for. This pattern of results suggests that factors modulating differences between C57BL/6 and DBA/2 mice in ethanol consumption and preference also modulate differences in consumption of nicotine and amphetamine.

Vagus nerve stimulation: analysis of device parameters in 154 patients during the long-term XE5 study.

Abstract: Summary: Purpose: To determine the effect of changes in device settings and duty cycle (on and off times) on the efficacy of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) for refractory epilepsy. In the long-term XE5 study of VNS for intractable epilepsy, the median reduction in seizure frequency improved significantly after 1 year of follow-up. A central question is whether device changes improve efficacy. We analyzed the effects of device parameter changes on seizure frequency in 154 subjects who completed the study and who had complete data for analysis. Methods: Retrospective analysis of device changes during the XE5 long-term study of VNS. During the XE5 long-term follow-up study, the subject's device settings were modified within a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved range of output current, pulse duration, frequency, on time, and off time. Significant changes in device settings occurred after 3 months. We investigated the relationship between percentage reduction in seizures and changes in device parameters between the 3- and 12-month visits. Within-group comparisons were performed for those who continued on standard on/off cycle of 30 s on and 5 min off, and those with the most common off times of 3, 1.8, and <1.1 min. Results: Output current, pulse duration, frequency, and off time changed significantly between the 3- and 12-month long-term follow-ups. For the group as a whole, changes in device settings were not correlated with an improvement in efficacy. However, a significant improvement in efficacy occurred in a subgroup whose off time was reduced to ≤1.1 min. In this group, the median reduction in seizures improved from 21% before the change in off time, to 39% after the change in off time (Wilcoxon Signed-Rank, p = 0.011). The responder rate (>50% reduction in seizures) also significantly improved from 19 to 35% (McNemar's test, p = 0.046). Conclusions: The data from this retrospective analysis indicate that device changes were not the primary determinant of increased efficacy at 12 months of long-term follow-up. In general, patients who remained on the original settings of 30 s on and 5 min off continued to respond or improve in their response over the 1-year period. However, some patients may benefit from reductions in off time (increases in duty cycle). In a subgroup initially resistant to VNS, a change in off time to ≤1.1 min off did result in significant improvements in efficacy.

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back on U.S. Floodplains

Abstract: The Midwestern flood of 1993 was a milestone, breaking flow records along 1600 km of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and causing $12 to $16 billion in damages. Since 1993, there has been a widespread perception that the flood caused a fundamental shift in U.S. policies toward flood mitigation and floodplain management. New emphases on flood-damage prevention included widely publicized FEMA buyouts of floodplain properties. In Illinois and Missouri, 8700 properties were acquired at a cost of $56.3 million, but these buyouts are now being massively counterbalanced by new construction on U.S. floodplains. The epicenter of this recent rush onto the floodplain is the St. Louis metropolitan region, with $2.2 billion in new development on land that was under water in 1993. This Policy Forum describes the scale of floodplain encroachment across the United States, explores negative impacts of such encroachment, and outlines alternatives that have been proposed and implemented worldwide.

Evidence for Down-Regulation of Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase/Akt/Mammalian Target of Rapamycin (PI3K/Akt/mTOR)-Dependent Translation Regulatory Signaling Pathways in Ames Dwarf Mice

Abstract: How growth hormone (GH) stimulates protein synthesis is unknown. Phosphoinositide 3-kinase/ Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/Akt/mTOR) signaling pathways balance anabolic and catabolic activities in response to nutrients and growth factor signaling. As a test of GH signaling, immunoassays of two downstream translation regulatory proteins were compared in ad libitum-fed 2-month-old normal and Ames (Prop1df) dwarf mice. Phosphorylation of the p70 and p85 isoforms of S6 kinase 1 in liver and the p70 isoform in gastrocnemius muscle were significantly decreased in dwarfs. Messenger RNA (mRNA) Cap-binding demonstrated significantly higher levels of translation repressor 4E-BPl/eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) (coprecipitates) from dwarf livers, but not muscle. Consistent with these binding data, significantly less phosphorylation of 4E-BP1 was documented in dwarf liver. These data suggest a link between GH signaling and translation control in a model of extended longevity.

Isolation of Sertoli, Leydig, and spermatogenic cells from the mouse testis.

Abstract: A thorough understanding of the events during mammalian spermatogenesis requires studying specific molecular signatures of individual testicular cell populations as well as their interaction in co-cultures. However, most purification techniques to isolate specific testicular cell populations are time-consuming, require large numbers of animals, and/or are only able to isolate a few cell types. Here we describe a cost-effective and timesaving approach that uses a single protocol to enrich multiple testicular cell populations (Sertoli, Leydig, and several spermatogenic cell populations) from as few as one mouse. Our protocol combines rigorous enzymatic digestion of seminiferous tubules with counter-current centrifugal elutriation, yielding specific testicular cell populations with >80%-95% purity.