University of Alberta

About: University of Alberta is a education organization based out in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 65403 authors who have published 154847 publications receiving 5358338 citations. The organization is also known as: Ualberta & UAlberta.

Synthesis of β-Tubulin, Actin, and Other Proteins in Axons of Sympathetic Neurons in Compartmented Cultures

Abstract: The proteins needed for growth and maintenance of the axon are generally believed to be synthesized in the cell bodies and delivered to the axons by anterograde transport. However, recent reports suggest that some proteins can also be synthesized within axons. We used [35S]methionine metabolic labeling to investigate axonal protein synthesis in compartmented cultures of sympathetic neurons from newborn rats. Incubation of distal axons for 4 hr with [35S]methionine resulted in a highly specific pattern of labeled axonal proteins on SDS-PAGE, with 4 prominent bands in the 43–55 kDa range. The labeled proteins in axons were not synthesized in the cell bodies, because they were also produced by axons after the cell bodies had been removed. Two of the proteins were identified by immunoprecipitation as actin and β-tubulin. Axons synthesized <1% of the actin and tubulin synthesized in the cell bodies and transported into the axons, and 75–85% inhibition of axonal protein synthesis by cycloheximide and puromycin failed to inhibit axonal elongation. Nonetheless, the specific production by axons of the major proteins of the axonal cytoskeleton suggests that axonal protein synthesis arises from specific mechanisms and likely has biological significance. One hypothetical scenario involves neurons with long axons in vivo in which losses from turnover during axonal transport may limit the availability of cell body synthesized proteins to the distal axons. In this case, a significant fraction of axonal proteins might be supplied by axonal synthesis, which could, therefore, play important roles in axonal maintenance, regeneration, and sprouting.

Ethics Creep: Governing Social Science Research in the Name of Ethics

Abstract: This article presents an analysis of the Canadian ethics review process by a member of a Research Ethics Board. The author suggests that the new formal system for regulating the ethical conduct of scholarly research is experiencing a form of “ethics creep.” This is characterized by a dual process whereby the regulatory system is expanding outward to incorporate a host of new activities and institutions, while at the same time intensifying the regulation of activities deemed to fall within its ambit. These tendencies are demonstrated through an analysis of: 1) the scope of research ethics protocols, 2) the concept of “harm” employed by these boards, 3) the use of informed consent provisions, and 4) the presumption that research participants will remain anonymous. To accentuate the nature of this ethics creep, comparisons are made between the ways in which identical knowledge generation activities are governed within journalism and the academy. The conclusion suggests that one effect of the increasingly formalized research ethics structure is to rupture the relationship between following the rules and acting ethically. Some of the reasons for this “creep” are highlighted along with the risks that it poses for scholarship.

Practice Parameter update: The care of the patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: Multidisciplinary care, symptom management, and cognitive/behavioral impairment (an evidence-based review) Report of the Quality Standards Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology

Abstract: Objective: To systematically review evidence bearing on the management of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Methods: The authors analyzed studies from 1998 to 2007 to update the 1999 practice parameter. Topics covered in this section include breaking the news, multidisciplinary clinics, symptom management, cognitive and behavioral impairment, communication, and palliative care for patients with ALS. Results: The authors identified 2 Class I studies, 8 Class II studies, and 30 Class III studies in ALS, but many important areas have been little studied. More high-quality, controlled studies of symptomatic therapies and palliative care are needed to guide management and assess outcomes in patients with ALS. Recommendations: Multidisciplinary clinic referral should be considered for managing patients with ALS to optimize health care delivery and prolong survival (Level B) and may be considered to enhance quality of life (Level C). For the treatment of refractory sialorrhea, botulinum toxin B should be considered (Level B) and low-dose radiation therapy to the salivary glands may be considered (Level C). For treatment of pseudobulbar affect, dextromethorphan and quinidine should be considered if approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (Level B). For patients who develop fatigue while taking riluzole, withholding the drug may be considered (Level C). Because many patients with ALS demonstrate cognitive impairment, which in some cases meets criteria for dementia, screening for cognitive and behavioral impairment should be considered in patients with ALS (Level B). Other management strategies all lack strong evidence.

Modifiable Risk Factors and Major Cardiac Events Among Adult Survivors of Childhood Cancer

Abstract: Purpose To evaluate the relative contribution of modifiable cardiovascular risk factors on the development of major cardiac events in aging adult survivors of childhood cancer. Patients and Methods Among 10,724 5-year survivors (median age, 33.7 years) and 3,159 siblings in the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study, the prevalence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and obesity was determined, along with the incidence and severity of major cardiac events such as coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular disease, and arrhythmia. On longitudinal follow-up, rate ratios (RRs) of subsequent cardiac events associated with cardiovascular risk factors and cardiotoxic therapy were assessed in multivariable Poisson regression models. Results Among survivors, the cumulative incidence of coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular disease, and arrhythmia by 45 years of age was 5.3%, 4.8%, 1.5%, and 1.3%, respectively. Two or more cardiovascular risk factors were reported by 10.3% of survivors and ...