scholarly journals Role of the Undergraduate Student Research Assistant in the New Millennium

2004 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 235-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thais Dutra Nascimento Silva ◽  
Lúcia Cristina da Cunha Aguiar ◽  
Jaqueline Leta ◽  
Dilvani Oliveira Santos ◽  
Fernanda Serpa Cardoso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Undergraduate Student ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Scientific Data ◽  
Research Assistant ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Research Careers ◽  
New Research

In this study, we analyze the contribution of the undergraduate student who participates in the process of generating scientific data and developing a research project using Brazilian research as an example. Historically, undergraduate students have performed the critical role of research assistants in developing countries. This aspect has been underappreciated as a means of generating scientific data in Brazilian research facilities. Brazilian educational institutions are facing major age-related generational changes among the science faculty within the next 5–10 yr. A lack of adequate support for graduate students leads to a concern that undergraduates will not be interested in choosing research assistant programs and, subsequently, academic research careers. To remedy this situation it is important to focus on ways to encourage new research careers and enhance university–industry collaborations.

Pathogenesis of Age-related Cataract: a systematic review of proteomic studies

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Karakosta ◽  
Argyrios Tzamalis ◽  
Michalis Aivaliotis ◽  
Ioannis Tsinopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Oxidant Stress ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Human Lens ◽  
Nuclear Cataract ◽  
Cataract Formation ◽  
Post Translational Modification ◽  
Ability To Act ◽  
Age Related

Background/Objective:: The aim of this systematic review is to identify all the available data on human lens proteomics with a critical role to age-related cataract formation in order to elucidate the physiopathology of the aging lens. Materials and Methods:: We searched on Medline and Cochrane databases. The search generated 328 manuscripts. We included nine original proteomic studies that investigated human cataractous lenses. Results:: Deamidation was the major age-related post-translational modification. There was a significant increase in the amount of αA-crystallin D-isoAsp58 present at all ages, while an increase in the extent of Trp oxidation was apparent in cataract lenses when compared to aged normal lenses. During aging, enzymes with oxidized cysteine at critical sites included GAPDH, glutathione synthase, aldehyde dehydrogenase, sorbitol dehydrogenase, and PARK7. Conclusion:: D-isoAsp in αA crystallin could be associated with the development of age-related cataract in human, by contributing to the denaturation of a crystallin, and decreasing its ability to act as a chaperone. Oxidation of Trp may be associated with nuclear cataract formation in human, while the role of oxidant stress in age-related cataract formation is dominant.

scholarly journals Critical role of the CD44lowCD62Llow CD8+ T cell subset in restoring antitumor immunity in aged mice

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (23) ◽  
pp. e2103730118
Author(s):  
Yuka Nakajima ◽  
Kenji Chamoto ◽  
Takuma Oura ◽  
Tasuku Honjo
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
T Cell ◽  
T Cell Activation ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Cell Subset ◽  
Effector Memory ◽  
T Cell Subset ◽  
Aged Mice ◽  
Age Related

CD8+ T cells play a central role in antitumor immune responses that kill cancer cells directly. In aged individuals, CD8+ T cell immunity is strongly suppressed, which is associated with cancer and other age-related diseases. The mechanism underlying this age-related decrease in immune function remains largely unknown. This study investigated the role of T cell function in age-related unresponsiveness to PD-1 blockade cancer therapy. We found inefficient generation of CD44lowCD62Llow CD8+ T cell subset (P4) in draining lymph nodes of tumor-bearing aged mice. In vitro stimulation of naive CD8+ T cells first generated P4 cells, followed by effector/memory T cells. The P4 cells contained a unique set of genes related to enzymes involved in one-carbon (1C) metabolism, which is critical to antigen-specific T cell activation and mitochondrial function. Consistent with this finding, 1C-metabolism–related gene expression and mitochondrial respiration were down-regulated in aged CD8+ T cells compared with young CD8+ T cells. In aged OVA-specific T cell receptor (TCR) transgenic mice, ZAP-70 was not activated, even after inoculation with OVA-expressing tumor cells. The attenuation of TCR signaling appeared to be due to elevated expression of CD45RB phosphatase in aged CD8+ T cells. Surprisingly, strong stimulation by nonself cell injection into aged PD-1–deficient mice restored normal levels of CD45RB and ameliorated the emergence of P4 cells and 1C metabolic enzyme expression in CD8+ T cells, and antitumor activity. These findings indicate that impaired induction of the P4 subset may be responsible for the age-related resistance to PD-1 blockade, which can be rescued by strong TCR stimulation.

scholarly journals Critical role of Frizzled1 in age-related alterations of Wnt/β-catenin signal in myogenic cells during differentiation

2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 287-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryosuke Doi ◽  
Mitsuharu Endo ◽  
Kimi Yamakoshi ◽  
Yuji Yamanashi ◽  
Michiru Nishita ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Critical Role ◽  
Myogenic Cells ◽  
Age Related

scholarly journals Becoming a Nurse Scientist: The Critical Role of Mentorship, Collaboration, and Foundational Experiences as a Graduate Student

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shelley Doucet
Keyword(s):  
Health Policy ◽  
Graduate Student ◽  
Undergraduate Student ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Scientific Work ◽  
Collaborative Networks

This article is a narrative of my journey to becoming a nurse scientist, which began as an undergraduate student in nursing. Throughout this paper, I share the ingredients that have been critical to my success as a new scientist, how my past and present perceptions of the role of a scientist have evolved, and the personal benefits I have experienced in this role. I conclude with a summary of how I perceive the scientific work that I do contributes to knowledge and society. Overall, my mentors, collaborative networks, and foundational experiences as a graduate student have laid the foundation for my career as a new scientist and have prepared me to conduct multi-method intersectoral research, which I believe is critical to informing health policy.

scholarly journals What is the physiological role of hypothalamic tanycytes in metabolism?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matei Bolborea ◽  
Fanny Langlet
Keyword(s):  
Energy Balance ◽  
Metabolic Disorders ◽  
Neural Circuits ◽  
Physiological Function ◽  
Physiological Role ◽  
Optimal Conditions ◽  
Age Related ◽  
New Research ◽  
Opening Up

In vertebrates, the energy balance process is tightly controlled by complex neural circuits that sense metabolic signals and adjust food intake and energy expenditure in line with the physiological requirements of optimal conditions. Within neural networks controlling energy balance, tanycytes are peculiar ependymoglial cells that are nowadays recognized as multifunctional players in the metabolic hypothalamus. However, the physiological function of hypothalamic tanycytes remains unclear, creating a number of ambiguities in the field. Here, we review data accumulated over the years that demonstrate the physiological function of tanycytes in the maintenance of metabolic homeostasis, opening up new research avenues. The presumed involvement of tanycytes in the pathophysiology of metabolic disorders and age-related neurodegenerative diseases will be finally discussed.

scholarly journals WILL I SURVIVE? THE ROLE OF PERCEIVED RISK AND KNOWLEDGE TOWARD HOPE IN THE TIME OF PANDEMIC: STUDY ON INDONESIAN STUDENTS

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 106-114
Author(s):  
Gumgum Gumelar ◽  
Herdiyan Maulana ◽  
Gita Irianda Rizkyani Medellu
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Health Knowledge ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
New Research ◽  
Risk Knowledge

Purpose of the study: The purpose of this study was to examine participant’s hopes whether the pandemic will end based on the perception of risk concerning vulnerability, severity, and anxiety as well as their knowledge about the pandemic among university students in Indonesia. Methodology: 431 (20 % male and 80 % female; Age mean = 19.98; SD = 1.421) undergraduate students in psychology were recruited from across university in Indonesia. A battery scale consists of three questionnaires evaluating perceived risk, knowledge, and hope were administered using the online survey. A multiple regression analysis was applied to examine the hypotheses. Main Findings: The results demonstrated that perceived risk and knowledge emerge as significant predictors of hope. The results also showed that there was a negative relationship between the dimension of perceived risk and hope. There was no significant correlation between health knowledge and hope. The results indicated a statistically significant model of regression. However, this study revealed that there was no statistically significant difference between health knowledge and hope. Applications of this study: The psychological aspect of risk perception and knowledge could be acknowledged as important variables to enhance the hope of university students to face this pandemic. Novelty/Originality of this study: The study offers a further explanation about the scope of earlier research in the field of hope in pandemic -19. It also provides a new research paradigm to the area of perceived risk by introducing understudied individual factors, such as knowledge associated with the hope of facing the pandemic among college students.

How Does Thought-Action Fusion Relate to Responsibility Attitudes and Thought Suppression to Aggravate the Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms?

2010 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Müjgan Altın ◽  
Tülin Gençöz
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Thought Suppression ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive Symptoms ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Thought Action Fusion

Background: Comprehensive cognitive theories of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) propose that clinical obsessions and compulsions arise from specific sorts of dysfunctional beliefs and appraisals, such as inflated sense of responsibility, thought-action fusion (TAF), and thought suppression. Aims: The present study aimed to examine the mediator roles of responsibility and thought suppression between TAF and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Specifically, it aimed to explore the relative effects of TAF factors (i.e. morality and likelihood) on inflated sense of responsibility and on thought suppression to increase the obsessive qualities of intrusions. Method: Two hundred and eighty-three Turkish undergraduate students completed a battery of measures on responsibility, thought suppression, TAF, OC symptoms, and depression. Results: A series of hierarchical regression analyses, where depressive symptoms were controlled for, indicated that TAF-morality and TAF-likelihood follow different paths toward OC symptoms. Although TAF-morality associated with inflated sense of responsibility, TAF-likelihood associated with thought suppression efforts, and in turn these factors increased OC symptoms. Conclusions: These findings provide support for the critical role of sense of responsibility and thought suppression between the relationship of TAF and OC symptoms. Findings were discussed in line with the literature.

scholarly journals Nrf2 activation induces mitophagy and reverses Parkin/Pink1 knock down-mediated neuronal and muscle degeneration phenotypes

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sentiljana Gumeni ◽  
Eleni-Dimitra Papanagnou ◽  
Maria S. Manola ◽  
Ioannis P. Trougakos
Keyword(s):  
Critical Role ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Degenerative Diseases ◽  
Knock Down ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Degenerative Disorders ◽  
Pathway Activation

AbstractThe balanced functionality of cellular proteostatic modules is central to both proteome stability and mitochondrial physiology; thus, the age-related decline of proteostasis also triggers mitochondrial dysfunction, which marks multiple degenerative disorders. Non-functional mitochondria are removed by mitophagy, including Parkin/Pink1-mediated mitophagy. A common feature of neuronal or muscle degenerative diseases, is the accumulation of damaged mitochondria due to disrupted mitophagy rates. Here, we exploit Drosophila as a model organism to investigate the functional role of Parkin/Pink1 in regulating mitophagy and proteostatic responses, as well as in suppressing degenerative phenotypes at the whole organism level. We found that Parkin or Pink1 knock down in young flies modulated proteostatic components in a tissue-dependent manner, increased cell oxidative load, and suppressed mitophagy in neuronal and muscle tissues, causing mitochondrial aggregation and neuromuscular degeneration. Concomitant to Parkin or Pink1 knock down cncC/Nrf2 overexpression, induced the proteostasis network, suppressed oxidative stress, restored mitochondrial function, and elevated mitophagy rates in flies’ tissues; it also, largely rescued Parkin or Pink1 knock down-mediated neuromuscular degenerative phenotypes. Our in vivo findings highlight the critical role of the Parkin/Pink1 pathway in mitophagy, and support the therapeutic potency of Nrf2 (a druggable pathway) activation in age-related degenerative diseases.

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