University of Rochester

About: University of Rochester is a education organization based out in Rochester, New York, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Laser. The organization has 63915 authors who have published 112762 publications receiving 5484122 citations. The organization is also known as: Rochester University.

Measuring Trends in Leisure: The Allocation of Time Over Five Decades

Abstract: In this paper, we use five decades of time-use surveys to document trends in the allocation of time within the United States. We find that a dramatic increase in leisure time lies behind the relatively stable number of market hours worked between 1965 and 2003. Specifically, using a variety of definitions for leisure, we show that leisure for men increased by roughly six to nine hours per week (driven by a decline in market work hours) and for women by roughly four to eight hours per week (driven by a decline in home production work hours). Lastly, we document a growing inequality in leisure that is the mirror image of the growing inequality of wages and expenditures, making welfare calculation based solely on the latter series incomplete.

Oxidative damage and age-related macular degeneration.

Abstract: This article provides current information on the potential role of oxidation in relation to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The emphasis is placed on the generation of oxidants and free radicals and the protective effects of antioxidants in the outer retina, with specific emphasis on the photoreceptor cells, the retinal pigment epithelium and the choriocapillaris. The starting points include a discussion and a definition of what radicals are, their endogenous sources, how they react, and what damage they may cause. The photoreceptor/pigment epithelium complex is exposed to sunlight, is bathed in a near-arterial level of oxygen, and membranes in this complex contain high concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acids, all considered to be potential factors leading to oxidative damage. Actions of antioxidants such as glutathione, vitamin C, superoxide dismutase, catalase, vitamin E and the carotenoids are discussed in terms of their mechanisms of preventing oxidative damage. The phototoxicity of lipofuscin, a group of complex autofluorescent lipid/protein aggregates that accumulate in the retinal pigment epithelium, is described and evidence is presented suggesting that intracellular lipofuscin is toxic to these cells, thus supporting a role for lipofuscin in aging and AMD. The theory that AMD is primarily due to a photosensitizing injury to the choriocapillaris is evaluated. Results are presented showing that when protoporphyric mice are exposed to blue light there is an induction in the synthesis of Type IV collagen synthesis by the choriocapillary endothelium, which leads to a thickened Bruch's membrane and to the appearance of sub-retinal pigment epithelial fibrillogranular deposits, which are similar to basal laminar deposits. The hypothesis that AMD may result from oxidative injury to the retinal pigment epithelium is further evaluated in experiments designed to test the protective effects of glutathione in preventing damage to cultured human pigment epithelial cells exposed to an oxidant. Experiments designed to increase the concentration of glutathione in pigment epithelial cells using dimethylfumarate, a monofunctional inducer, are described in relation to the ability of these cells to survive an oxidative challenge. While all these models provide undisputed evidence of oxidative damage to the retinal pigment epithelium and the choriocapillaris that is both light- and oxygen-dependent, it nevertheless is still unclear at this time what the precise linkage is between oxidation-induced events and the onset and progression of AMD.

Exosome‐Mediated Transfer of miR‐133b from Multipotent Mesenchymal Stromal Cells to Neural Cells Contributes to Neurite Outgrowth

Abstract: Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have potential therapeutic benefit for the treatment of neurological diseases and injury. MSCs interact with and alter brain parenchymal cells by direct cell-cell communication and/or by indirect secretion of factors and thereby promote functional recovery. In this study, we found that MSC treatment of rats subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo) significantly increased microRNA 133b (miR-133b) level in the ipsilateral hemisphere. In vitro, miR-133b levels in MSCs and in their exosomes increased after MSCs were exposed to ipsilateral ischemic tissue extracts from rats subjected to MCAo. miR-133b levels were also increased in primary cultured neurons and astrocytes treated with the exosome-enriched fractions released from these MSCs. Knockdown of miR-133b in MSCs confirmed that the increased miR-133b level in astrocytes is attributed to their transfer from MSCs. Further verification of this exosome-mediated intercellular communication was performed using a cel-miR-67 luciferase reporter system and an MSC-astrocyte coculture model. Cel-miR-67 in MSCs was transferred to astrocytes via exosomes between 50 and 100 nm in diameter. Our data suggest that the cel-miR-67 released from MSCs was primarily contained in exosomes. A gap junction intercellular communication inhibitor arrested the exosomal microRNA communication by inhibiting exosome release. Cultured neurons treated with exosome-enriched fractions from MSCs exposed to 72 hours post-MCAo brain extracts significantly increased the neurite branch number and total neurite length. This study provides the first demonstration that MSCs communicate with brain parenchymal cells and may regulate neurite outgrowth by transfer of miR-133b to neural cells via exosomes.

Treatment of human immunodeficiency virus infection with saquinavir, zidovudine, and zalcitabine. AIDS Clinical Trials Group.

Abstract: Background In patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, combined treatment with several agents may increase the effectiveness of antiviral therapy. We studied the safety and efficacy of saquinavir, an HIV-protease inhibitor, given with one or two nucleoside antiretroviral agents, as compared with the safety and efficacy of a combination of two nucleosides alone. Methods In this double-blind trial, patients with HIV infection were randomly assigned to receive either saquinavir (1800 mg per day) plus both zidovudine (600 mg per day) and zalcitabine (2.25 mg per day) or zidovudine plus either saquinavir or zalcitabine. The 302 patients enrolled had CD4+ counts of 50 to 300 cells per cubic millimeter and had previously received zidovudine for a median of 27 months. The study lasted 24 weeks, with an optional double-blind extension period of an additional 12 to 32 weeks. Results Ninety-six percent of the patients completed the 24-week study. In all three treatment groups, CD4+ cell counts ros...

PGC-1α, A Potential Therapeutic Target for Early Intervention in Parkinson’s Disease

Abstract: Parkinson’s disease affects 5 million people worldwide, but the molecular mechanisms underlying its pathogenesis are still unclear. Here, we report a genome-wide meta-analysis of gene sets (groups of genes that encode the same biological pathway or process) in 410 samples from patients with symptomatic Parkinson’s and subclinical disease and healthy controls. We analyzed 6.8 million raw data points from nine genome-wide expression studies, and 185 laser-captured human dopaminergic neuron and substantia nigra transcriptomes, followed by two-stage replication on three platforms. We found 10 gene sets with previously unknown associations with Parkinson’s disease. These gene sets pinpoint defects in mitochondrial electron transport, glucose utilization, and glucose sensing and reveal that they occur early in disease pathogenesis. Genes controlling cellular bioenergetics that are expressed in response to peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) are underexpressed in Parkinson’s disease patients. Activation of PGC-1α results in increased expression of nuclear-encoded subunits of the mitochondrial respiratory chain and blocks the dopaminergic neuron loss induced by mutant α-synuclein or the pesticide rotenone in cellular disease models. Our systems biology analysis of Parkinson’s disease identifies PGC-1α as a potential therapeutic target for early intervention.