Biology

Methylphenidate (MP) is a psychostimulant prescribed for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Previously, we developed a dual bottle 8-h-limited-access-drinking-paradigm for oral MP treatment of rats that mimics the pharmacokinetic profile of treated patients. This study assessed sex differences in response to this treatment. Male and female Sprague Dawley rats were assigned to one of three treatment groups at 4 weeks of age (n = 12/group): Control (water), low dose (LD) MP, and high dose (HD) MP. Rats drank 4 mg/kg MP (LD) or 30 mg/kg MP (HD) during the first hour, and 10 mg/kg (LD) or 60 mg/kg MP (HD) for the remaining 7 h each day. Throughout 3 months of treatment, rats were monitored for body weight, food intake, and fluid intake; as well as tested for open field behavior, circadian activity, novel object recognition, and social interaction. Chronic MP treated rats exhibited reduced fluid intake during distinct treatment weeks to a greater extent in males, and reduced total...

Background: Colored overlays may produce an improvement in reading when superimposed over printed materials. This study determined whether improvements in reading occur when the overlays are placed over a computer monitor. Methods: Subjects (N=30) read from a computer screen for 10 minutes with either a Cerium or control overlay positioned on the monitor. In a third condition, no overlay was present. Immediately following each trial, subjects reported ocular and visual symptoms experienced during the task. Results: Mean symptom scores following the Cerium, control, and no overlay conditions were 12.83, 17.37, and 15.65, respectively (p=0.47). However, a subgroup of 7 subjects (23%) reported significant improvements with the Cerium overlay. The mean symptom scores for the Cerium, control, and no overlay trials for this subgroup were 12.14, 29.86, and 28.93, respectively (p=0.03). No significant improvements in either reading speed or reading errors were observed in this subgroup. Con...

Similar forms often evolve repeatedly in nature, raising long-standing questions about the underlying mechanisms. Here, we use repeated evolution in stickleback to identify a large set of genomic loci that change recurrently during colonization of freshwater habitats by marine fish. The same loci used repeatedly in extant populations also show rapid allele frequency changes when new freshwater populations are experimentally established from marine ancestors. Marked genotypic and phenotypic changes arise within 5 years, facilitated by standing genetic variation and linkage between adaptive regions. Both the speed and location of changes can be predicted using empirical observations of recurrence in natural populations or fundamental genomic features like allelic age, recombination rates, density of divergent loci, and overlap with mapped traits. A composite model trained on these stickleback features can also predict the location of key evolutionary loci in Darwin’s finches, suggesti...

We characterized the complete genome sequence of Siphoviridae bacteriophage Erla, an obligatory lytic subcluster EA1 bacteriophage infecting Microbacterium foliorum NRRL B-24224, with a capsid width of 65 nm and a tail length of 112 nm. The 41.5-kb genome, encompassing 62 predicted protein-coding genes, is highly similar (99.52% identity) to that of bacteriophage Calix.

At StudyFind, we strive to make technological innovations in the clinical research sphere by creating a means of connection and communication between academic researchers and research participants. We value the ability to provide our interns with the space to apply themselves and learn a myriad of new skills through our internships. Our ambitions have led us to expand outside of the typical internship model, which often tasks interns with rudimentary and mundane busy work in environments that don’t prioritize their professional development and aspirations. We explored other frameworks, specifically fellowships, to create opportunities for underrepresented individuals seeking to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering Mathematics (STEM) degrees. StudyFind aims to encourage companies to establish corporate-academic fellowships with colleges and universities that have STEM enrichment programs, as leaders within tech companies have the ability to create a plethora of impactful opportunities for college students. This brief should guide the implementation of inter-organizational collaborations that will create diversity and an expanded workforce from which all can benefit.

SUMMARYCryptochromes (CRYs) are evolutionarily conserved blue-light receptors that evolved from bacterial photolyases that repair damaged DNA. Today, CRYs have lost their ability to repair damaged DNA; however, prior reports suggest that human CRYs can respond to DNA damage. Currently, the role of CRYs in the DNA damage response (DDR) is lacking, especially in plants. Therefore, we evaluated the role of plant CRYs in DDR along with UBP12/13 deubiquitinases, which interact with and regulate the CRY2 protein. We found thatcry1cry2was hypersensitive, whileubp12ubp13was hyposensitive to UVC-induced DNA damage. Elevated UV-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) and the lack of DNA repair protein RAD51 accumulation incry1cry2plants indicate that CRYs are required for DNA repair. On the contrary, CPD levels diminished and RAD51 protein levels elevated in plants lacking UBP12 and UBP13, indicating their role in DDR repression. Temporal transcriptomic analysis revealed that DDR-induced...

Purpose To test the hypothesis that mild chronic hyperoxia treatment would improve retinal function despite a progressive decline in ocular blood flow in the DBA/2J mouse model of glaucoma. Materials and methods DBA/2J mice were treated with chronic mild hyperoxia (30% O2) beginning at 4.5 months of age or were untreated by giving normal room air. Retinal and choroidal blood flow (RBF and ChBF, respectively) were measured at 4, 6, and 9 months of age by MRI. Blood flow was additionally measured under hypercapnia challenge (5% CO2 inhalation) to assess vascular reactivity. Intraocular pressure (IOP) was measured using a rebound tonometer at the same time points. Scotopic flash electroretinograms (ERGs) were recorded at 9 months of age. Results Both ChBF and RBF were reduced and significantly affected by age (p < 0.01), but neither were significantly affected by O2-treatment (p > 0.05). ChBF significantly increased in response to hypercapnia (p < 0.01), which was also unaffec...