bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Incorporating Retrieval Into Classroom Activities: Setting Good Habits
Authors: Anderson Lisa Carney 
Published: April 2020

Retrieval is a learning strategy in which the student attempts to recall concepts from memory without consulting course notes, a textbook or the internet. Classical studies of retrieval support retrieval as an effective study technique. However, when students have had previous success with storage techniques such as listening to videos, reading textbook, or re‐reading course notes, it is difficult to convince students to use evidence‐based techniques.Three instances of introducing retrieval to students in clinical physiology are presented. In all three cases, students heard about the classical experiments of Karpicke and Roediger. In addition, the instructor shared her own retrieval success. In the first instance, students were exposed to retrieval practice questions throughout class time activities, mainly power point lectures interspersed with active learning exercises. Students completed an anonymous survey about their attitudes about retrieval as part of their final exam. In the second instance, students in a systems physiology course were given retrieval exercises at the beginning of each of a series of 5 lectures on endocrine physiology. After student completed the exam on this material, students were invited to complete an online survey of their use of and attitudes toward retrieval. In the third instance, student in a clinical physiology course worked to answer a series of short answer questions without the benefit of any course resources. After 30 minutes of work, the instructor led a discussion of the activity in terms of retrieval and confidence.These three classroom experiences provide evidence that there is an association between positive attitudes towards and use of retrieval and exam performance. For example, in a sample of 200 physiology students, agreement with the statement I used retrieval methods as I studied for this exam, is significantly correlated with exam performance (r= 0.33, p < 0.00001). However, there was no significant correlation between agreement with the statement, I think retrieval is an effective study technique supported by evidence and exam performance. In addition, student comments indicate that students may require multiple opportunities to learn about and practice retrieval before they are ready to incorporate retrieval into their regular study habits.
Mesenchymal stem cells in tissue homeostasis and regeneration
Authors: Chai Yang 
Published: April 2020

The human skull is composed of twenty‐two bones connected by sutures, which are fibrous joints that contain skeletal progenitor cells. The calvarial sutures allow compression of the skull during childbirth and dramatic postnatal growth. Craniosynostosis is a common congenital defect characterized by premature suture fusion, which can cause severe outcomes including abnormal growth of the skull, increased intracranial pressure, retarded brain development and impaired neurocongnitive function. Currently, the only treatment option for infants with craniosynostosis is surgery that involves cutting the calvaria into pieces, manually reshaping them, and fixing them in place mechanically, necessitating blood transfusion and complex post‐surgical care. In many cases, the calvarial bones fuse again, which requires repeated operations to relieve the constriction on the brain during the sensitive period of development in order to improve physiological function. Clearly, there is an immense need for a better approach to the treatment of craniosynostosis and prevention of re‐occurrence.Recent studies have shown that Gli1+ cells are an indispensable mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) source within the cranial sutures. Ablation of Gli1+ cells leads to fusion of all craniofacial sutures in adult mice; we have also demonstrated there is a premature loss of Gli1+ cells prior to coronal suture fusion in Twist1+/− mice, which provide an important, clinically relevant craniosynostosis model of Saethre‐Chotzen syndrome. Here we took advantage of the Twist1+/− mouse model, developed an innovative scaffold combined with Gli1+ MSCs and were able to regenerate a coronal suture and improved the morphology and function of Twist1+/− mice. This discovery provides a potential new approach for treating patients with craniosynostosis.Support or Funding InformationSupported by the NIDCR, NIH R01 DE026339; U01 DE 026914
Effective Near‐peers in Anatomy
Authors: Quiroga-Garza Alejandro , Elizondo-Omaña Rodrigo Enrique , Salinas-Alvarez Yolanda Enrique , Guzman-Lopez Santos Enrique 
Published: April 2020

With the breaking down of 700–1,000 student semesters into discussion groups of 6–8 students, effective near‐peers are needed. Gross Anatomy is a 2nd‐semester course of a 12‐semester Medical School program. 3er‐semester students may apply as near‐peers and undergo a selection process. After this, they begin their training in accordance with seniority. Between 40 and 60 near‐peers aid professors in class and practice hours. Weekly sessions are scheduled to discuss the clinical relevance of the anatomy being taught that week. The theory is reviewed by anatomists, and clinical cases by specialists from different fields (Surgery, Gynecology, Orthopedics, Sports Medicine, Radiology, Otorhinolaryngology, Ophthalmology, Neurosurgery, Neurology, Psychiatry, ect.), according to the topic. Cadaveric dissections are guided amongst peers with the most seniority and surveillance by professors. Near‐peers, are exposed to clinical scenarios and practice, to better understand the topics, and transmit the knowledge to 2nd‐semester students during clinical sessions.With a high volume of students and a low ratio of professors, near‐peers have been an effective solution. 70.7% perceived sessions with near‐peers to have no difference from that imparted by a professor. Only 12% reported some aspects of the sessions to be confusing when given by near‐peers. Satisfaction and acceptance were high. With a high volume of near‐peers, scholarships or economic remuneration is only available to the 20 most senior and participative near‐peers. A “payment with knowledge” method and integration activities have been beneficial in keeping near‐peers satisfied and committed to the Department. Specialized courses are offered. All near‐peers from their first semester to their last may take the advanced dissection, advanced suturing, and basic fundamentals of ultrasonography courses offered by experts. Those in their 3er semester are offered laparoscopic anatomy and ultrasound‐guided vascular access courses. In their 7th semester, virtual arthroscopy, and minimally invasive surgical skill courses are added. If the near‐peers complete all 7 courses offered during their time in the Department, a Clinical Anatomy and Surgical Training Diploma are emitted.Social activities between the Department staff and near‐peers are also promoted. Social gatherings are scheduled every semester. Breakfasts are sponsored by the department after every test (3 exams and 1 final per semester). Student sports teams are encouraged, with jerseys made for all near‐peers in solidarity. Department chief and professors integrate with near‐peers. Near‐peer satisfaction and loyalty are high. Most visualize Gross Anatomy as the best depart to be a near‐peer of and are inspired to become anatomists.Support or Funding InformationNone
Breaking Down Large Anatomy Groups
Authors: Elizondo-Omaña Rodrigo Enrique , Quiroga-Garza Alejandro , Salinas-Alvarez Yolanda Enrique , Guzman-Lopez Santos 
Published: April 2020

Our School of Medicine has over 10,000 applicants annually, accepting between 1,000 and 1,200 per semester. Every 6 months, the Human Anatomy Department (a second‐semester course) receives between 700 to 1,000 students for a staff of 16 professors. The students are broken down into groups of 30–45 students for dynamic teaching classes in which students actively participate using intellectual abilities to promote clinical reasoning. Professors facilitate information and guide the classes, while students discuss regional anatomy with group participation. With the aid of qualified near‐peers, students are split into small 6 to 8 student groups and distributed between clinical cases, imaging study cases, ultrasound anatomy, and prosection/dissection modules, promoting clinical reasoning for solving anatomical oriented cases. With a high student/low cadaver ratio, the IFA (identify, function, application) method has proven effective in prosection time.Questionnaires have demonstrated students’ satisfaction with the course distribution of time, and exposure to clinical cases and imaging to be high with a 94% approval.Support or Funding InformationNone
Addressing Craniofacial Anomalies through International Collaborations and Capacity Building
Authors: Butali Azeez 
Published: April 2020

Craniofacial anomalies especially orofacial clefts (OFC) are one of the most common congenital anomalies in Humans. The global prevalence of OFC is 1/700 live births but could be as high as 1/500 in Asians or as low as 0.5/1000 in Africans. These differences in prevalence suggest that there may be different genetic and environmental contributions which requires collective experts across the world for the identification and understanding of genetics, genomics, and environmental factors as well as the interplay between these factors. International collaborations literally mean multi‐ethnic research to identify the causes, risk factors and opportunities for prevention of OFC by collecting data and samples from individuals around the world. The clinical ‐basic‐translational research required for OFC means requisite experts around the world, which then means training and capacity building. In this talk, the audience will have the opportunity to listen to how international collaborations around OFC is driving new discoveries and capacity building in Africa. Additional information on how multidisciplinary expertise in clinical medicine/dentistry, human genetics, developmental biology, anthropology, epidemiology, bioinformatics and implementation science is setting the stage for prevention of OFC will also be shared.Support or Funding InformationDE022378 and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Grant number 72429
Salvador‐Warts‐Hippo Genes Methylation status in Osteosarcoma Cell Lines
Authors: ALOAKIL MAJED S. , Al-HAZMI HAZIM S. , ALENAD AMAL M. , ALNAAMI ABDULLAH S. , Al-DAGHRI NASSER M. 
Published: April 2020

Osteosarcoma is an aggressive malignant bone tumour greatly prevalent in children and adolescent. The Salvador‐Warts‐Hippo signalling pathway is a highly conserved and is important in regulating organ size, cell proliferation and cell death. Tumorigenesis has been extensively studied along with the genetic alterations of the promoters of Salvador‐Warts‐Hippo genes which promote poor prognosis. Although, the epigenetical modifications, which present a fundamental controlling points for genetic regulations, remain inadequately clear. Such as the methylation status of CpG islands which are associated to key components genes of the hippo signalling pathway which includes MST1, MST2, LATS1, LATS2, WW45 and SAV1. We applied two pairs of primers were needed with one pair specific for methylated DNA (M) and the other for unmethylated DNA in several bone cancer cell lines including SaOS2, HT1080 and Ewing’s sarcoma A673. Combined Bisulfite Restriction Analysis (CoBRA) carried out on these cell lines and the methylation patterns were varied between osteosarcoma and Ewing’s sarcoma cells. This approach of combination techniques provides a clear note of the methylation status profile of CpG islands that governs the expression of these Salvador‐Warts‐Hippo genes in osteosarcoma cell lines. In addition, the level of expression of Salvador‐Warts‐Hippo pathway genes during demethylating agents treatment play a corresponding evidence of the biological relevance that the methylation status has on the transcriptome. The outcomes of the present study offer distinguishable means that allow the ability to differentiate between several epigenetic variations in different osteosarcoma cell lines. We conclude that Salvador‐Warts‐Hippo needs further investigation in osteosarcoma progression.Support or Funding InformationDeanship of graduate studies, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Best Practices for Inclusion of Deaf and Hard‐of‐Hearing Scientists at Conferences
Authors: Craig Paul A. , Samar Vincent , Womack Kathryn , Listman Jason 
Published: April 2020

Deaf and Hard‐of‐Hearing (Deaf/HoH) scientists use a very broad range of communication modes: some use American Sign Language while others use Signed English, and still others use spoken English. A series of interviews were conducted with Deaf/HoH scientists about their experiences in attending national scientific conferences. These scientists are highly visual in their communication and they provided some great insights on adjustments at conferences that would dramatically improve the experiences of all scientists at conferences. These suggestions included specific approaches to conference planning and preparation, making arrangements for interpreters with discipline‐specific training, seating arrangements, captioning and interpreting services for plenary sessions, and the availability of floating interpreters that would enable Deaf/HoH scientists to more spontaneously and fully participate in poster sessions and conversations with vendors. It should be noted that these adjustments for Deaf/HoH attendees usually benefit other attendees as well ‐ for example live captioning benefits people who aren’t native English speakers and people whose hearing is declining as they age. In addition to best practices for Deaf/HoH participation at conferences, some specific comments from the scientists will be shared to add depth and perspective to these practices.Support or Funding InformationThe RIT RISE Scholars program is supported by the NIH Research Training Initiative for Student Enhancement #1R25GM122672.
L‐lactate dehydrogenase A selectively interacts with phosphatidic acid species containing stearic acid at the sn‐1 position
Authors: HOSHINO FUMI , SAKANE FUMIO 
Published: April 2020

IntroductionPhosphatidic acid (PA) acts as a lipid second messenger and is involved in a wide variety of cellular events. PA consists of various molecular species that have different acyl chains at the sn‐1 and sn‐2 positions, and consequently, mammalian cells contain at least 50 structurally distinct PA species. However, the different roles of each PA species are poorly understood.ResultsIn the present study, we attempted to identify 16:0/16:0‐PA (X:Y = the number of carbon atoms:the number of double bonds)‐binding proteins from the mouse skeletal muscle via a screening method using 16:0/16:0‐PA‐containing liposome precipitation and MS/MS analysis. Intriguingly, we have found for the first time that
l‐lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) bound to 16:0/16:0‐PA. LDHA catalyzes conversion of pyruvate to lactate and is considered to be a important checkpoint of anaerobic glycolysis. Moreover, its expression level is elevated in many types of cancers and has been linked to tumor growth, maintenance, and invasion.Further characterization revealed that LDHA specifically bound to PA and did not associate with other phospholipids, such as phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol and cardiolipin. Interestingly, in addition to 16:0/16:0‐PA, PA species containing stearic acid (18:0) at the sn‐1 position, 18:0/18:0‐PA, 18:0/20:4‐PA and 18:0/22:6‐PA, also interacted with LDHA in vitro and their binding activities were significantly stronger than 16:0/16:0‐PA. However, LDHA failed to associate with 16:0/18:1‐PA, 16:0‐lyso phosphatidic acid (LPA) and 18:0‐LPA. We are now examining whether the 18:0‐containing PAs affect the localization and activity of LDHA.ConclusionWe demonstrated for the first time that LDHA is a PA‐binding protein. Moreover, we revealed that LDHA is a very unique PA‐binding protein that possesses exceptional preference to PA species containing 18:0 at the sn‐1 position. We have already reported that creatine kinase muscle type and α‐synuclein bound to saturated fatty acid‐ and/or monounsaturated fatty acid‐containing PAs (e.g. 16:0/16:0‐ and 16:0/18:1‐PA) and monounsaturated fatty acid‐containing PAs (e.g. 18:1/18:1‐PA), respectively. Taken together, these results indicate that there are many functionally distinct PA‐binding proteins having different selectivities to PA species. Therefore, it is likely that each PA species individually regulate diverse physiological functions through different PA‐binding proteins.
Focused Library Screening for Isoform Selective Adenylyl Cyclase 1 Inhibitors as Non‐Opioid Alternatives for Chronic and Inflammatory Pain
Authors: Hayes Michael P. , Wiernicki Todd R. , Martinez-Grau Maria Angeles , Burris Kevin D. , Watts Val J. 
Published: April 2020

Due to the socioeconomic burden associated with chronic pain conditions and the fact that opioids have severe side effects, there is a need for new approaches and drug targets for the treatment of chronic pain. An increasing body of evidence suggests that inhibition of neuronal Adenylyl Cyclase 1 (AC1) may be one way to achieve this goal, as mice lacking AC1 are significantly less responsive in neuropathic and inflammatory pain models. ACs catalyze the formation of cAMP from ATP following stimulation by a variety of cellular inputs, like G protein subunits, kinases, calmodulin, and the exogenous small molecule forskolin. Here we used a recently developed cell model which lacks forskolin stimulated cAMP accumulation due to genetic ablation using CRISPR/Cas9 of AC3 and AC6, the major forskolin responsive AC isoforms in parental HEK293 cells. Following stable overexpression of recombinant human AC1, we screened over 20,000 compounds from the Eli Lilly Open Innovation Drug Discovery program against calcium‐calmodulin stimulated AC1 activity. The hit rate from the preliminary screen was less than 1%, highlighting the utility of this cell model as compared to parental HEK293 cells. Primary screen actives were retested against AC1 to confirm activity in dose‐response experiments. Counter‐screening was performed against representative AC isoforms AC2, AC5, and AC8, leading to the identification of two novel, promising scaffolds with distinct AC1 inhibition profiles. Subsequently, we evaluated the mechanism of inhibition of these lead compounds as compared to previously identified AC inhibitors in our cellular model, isolated membrane fractions, and mouse hippocampal homogenates in response to various stimuli, including GPCR‐Gαs, forskolin, and calcium‐calmodulin. Further, we have also initiated structure activity relationships for these two scaffolds, as well as begun examining their selectivity for AC1 over other unrelated neurological targets. Taken together, these scaffolds may hold promise as tool compounds for further interrogating the role of selective AC1 inhibition in pain neurobiology and for the development of AC1‐targeting therapeutics in the future.Support or Funding InformationThis work was supported by the Eli Lilly Open Innovation Drug Discovery program, Rick and Anne Borch Research Award, and Purdue University College of Pharmacy.
Differential Regulation of DJ‐1 in Glial Cells upon MHV‐A59 ‐Induced Oxidative Stress
Authors: Kundu Soumya , Anthony Gisha Rose , Kumar Rahul , Raveendran Vineeth , Pal Debnath , Sarma Jayasri Das 
Published: April 2020

Astrocyte and microglial activation are two hallmarks associated with oxidative stress induction in neural cells. Generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is one of the molecular outcomes of neurotropic Mouse Hepatitis Virus A59 (MHV‐A59) infection in the Central Nervous System in an experimental animal model for human demyelinating disease Multiple Sclerosis. MHV‐A59 infection has been found to cause encephalitis, meningitis, and hepatitis in acute stage (Day 5–7 post‐infection) and progressive demyelination in chronic stage (Day 30 post‐infection). The virus has shown glial cell tropism leading to its activation, although the role of oxidative stress in this aspect is not well understood. Therefore, our work focuses on the regulation and function of important anti‐oxidative markers like DJ‐1, Nrf2, and HMOX‐1, upon viral infection in animal CNS tissue, isolated cells from tissues, primary culture and cell culture‐based studies. All three genes were found to be upregulated in vivo in mice brain at acute stage (Day 3 and 5) and chronic stage (Day 30) post‐infection. Similar upregulation was also observed in isolated microglia from mice brain, primary astrocytes, and microglia cultured from neonatal mice brain. In vitro studies with DBT astrocytoma cell line and N9 microglia cell line showed oxidative stress generation and upregulation in all three genes at initial time points of viral infection; however all the genes were found to be downregulated at higher time points. DBT cells exhibited decrease in cell viability and oxidative stress generation upon viral infection, and such changes had been observed to be ameliorated when DJ‐1 was stably transfected into DBT cells. Literature studies indicate that XBP1, an ER stress marker, upregulates DJ‐1 expression upon oxidative stress induction. In silico and in vitro studies showed that XBP1 was differentially activated in both DBT and N9 cells and was associated with DJ‐1 promoter upon viral infection in N9 cells. MHV‐A59 has shown tropism for glial cells resulting in their activation, and oxidative stress‐related cellular mechanisms involving these genes can contribute to the activation process of these glial cells.Support or Funding InformationThis study was supported by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata (IISER Kolkata). Soumya Kundu was supported by University Grant Commission (UGC). Gisha Rose Anthony, Vineeth A. Raveendran, and Rahul Kumar were supported by DST‐INSPIRE fellowship under the banner of IISER Kolkata.