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Abstract Interplanetary space travel poses many hazards to the human body. To protect astronaut health and performance on critical missions, there is first a need to understand the effects of deep space hazards, including ionizing radiation, confinement, and altered gravity. Previous studies of rodents exposed to a single such stressor document significant deficits, but our study is the first to investigate possible cumulative and synergistic impacts of simultaneous ionizing radiation, confinement, and altered gravity on behavior and cognition. Our cohort was divided between 6-month-old female and male mice in group, social isolation, or hindlimb unloading housing, exposed to 0 or 50 cGy of 5 ion simplified simulated galactic cosmic radiation (GCRsim). We report interactions and independent effects of GCRsim exposure and housing conditions on behavioral and cognitive performance. Exposure to GCRsim drove changes in immune cell populations in peripheral blood collected early after irradiation, while housing conditions drove changes in blood collected at a later point. Female mice were largely resilient to deficits observed in male mice. Finally, we used principal component analysis to represent total deficits as principal component scores, which were predicted by general linear models using GCR exposure, housing condition, and early blood biomarkers.

Natural bioactive compounds are proposed as alternatives in mitigating obesity-associated skeletal muscle dysfunction. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that the combination of geranylgeraniol (GGOH) and green tea polyphenols (GTPs) can alleviate high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced muscle atrophy and alter gut microbiome composition. Male C57BL/6J mice fed an HFD were assigned to four groups (12 mice each) in a 2 (no GGOH vs. 400 mg GGOH/kg diet) × 2 (no GTPs vs. 0.5% weight/volume GTPs in water) factorial design. After 14 weeks of diet intervention, skeletal muscle and cecal samples were collected and examined. Compared to the control groups, the group that consumed a combination of GGOH and GTPs (GG + GTPs) had significantly decreased body and fat mass but increased skeletal muscle mass normalized by body weight and cross-sectional area. In soleus muscle, the GG + GTP diet increased citrate synthase activity but decreased lipid peroxidation. Gut microbiome beta-diversity analysis revealed a significant difference in the microbiome composition between diet groups. At the species level, the GG + GTP diet decreased the relative abundance of Dorea longicatena, Sporobacter termitidis, and Clostridium methylpentosum, and increased that of Akkermansia muciniphila and Subdoligranulum variabile. These results suggest that the addition of GGOH and GTPs to an HFD alleviates skeletal muscle atrophy, which is associated with changes in the gut microbiome composition.

With increased life expectancy, age-associated cognitive decline becomes a growing concern, even in the absence of recognizable neurodegenerative disease. The integrated stress response (ISR) is activated during aging and contributes to age-related brain phenotypes. We demonstrate that treatment with the drug-like small-molecule ISR inhibitor ISRIB reverses ISR activation in the brain, as indicated by decreased levels of activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) and phosphorylated eukaryotic translation initiation factor eIF2. Furthermore, ISRIB treatment reverses spatial memory deficits and ameliorates working memory in old mice. At the cellular level in the hippocampus, ISR inhibition (i) rescues intrinsic neuronal electrophysiological properties, (ii) restores spine density and (iii) reduces immune profiles, specifically interferon and T cell-mediated responses. Thus, pharmacological interference with the ISR emerges as a promising intervention strategy for combating age-related cognitive decline in otherwise healthy individuals.

Granulomatous amebic encephalitis, caused by the free-living amebae Balamuthia mandrillaris or Acanthamoeba species, is a rare and deadly infectious syndrome with a current mortality rate of >90%. Much work remains to define the optimal treatment for these infections. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of the supporting evidence behind antimicrobials currently recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with updated statistics on survival rates and medication usage from the CDC Free-Living Ameba Database. We also discuss promising treatments, especially the emerging therapeutic agent nitroxoline, and provide recommendations for the next steps in this area.

A patient in California, USA, with rare and usually fatal Balamuthia mandrillaris granulomatous amebic encephalitis survived after receiving treatment with a regimen that included the repurposed drug nitroxoline. Nitroxoline, which is a quinolone typically used to treat urinary tract infections, was identified in a screen for drugs with amebicidal activity against Balamuthia.

The object of interregional archaeological reviews is the publication of the results of the archaeological research carried out on the French territory, as well in the framework of the preventive archeology as the programmed archeology. They are characterized by the institutional plurality of researchers engaged in these projects since their creation. They cover a chronological field from the Paleolithic to the contemporary period. More than thirty years later, how have they evolved?

Background and Purpose: Therapeutic reasoning—the mental process of making judgments and decisions about treatment—is developed through acquisition of knowledge and application in actual or simulated experiences. Health professions education frequently uses collaborative small group work to practice therapeutic reasoning. This pilot study compared the impact of a web-based/mobile tool for collaborative case work and discussion to usual practice on student perceptions and performance on questions designed to test therapeutic knowledge and reasoning. Methods: In a therapeutics course that includes case-based workshops, student teams of 3 to 4 were randomly assigned to usual workshop preparation (group SOAP sheet) or preparation using the Practice Improvement using Virtual Online Training (PIVOT) platform. PIVOT was also used in the workshop to review the case and student responses. The next week, groups crossed over to the other condition. Students rated favorability with the preparatory and in-workshop experiences and provided comments about the PIVOT platform via a survey. Student performance on examination items related to the 2 workshop topics was compared. Results: One hundred and eleven students (94%) completed post-workshop surveys after both workshops. The majority of students (57%) preferred using the PIVOT platform for workshop collaboration. Favorability ratings for the in-workshop experience did not change significantly from first to second study week, regardless of sequence of exposure. There was no relationship between examination item scores and the workshop platform the students were exposed to for that content ( P = .29). Student responses highlighted the efficiency of working independently before collaborating as a group and the ability to see other students’ thought processes as valuable aspects of PIVOT. Students expressed frustration with the PIVOT user interface and the lack of anonymity when discussing their answers in the workshop. Conclusion: A web-based/mobile platform for student team collaboration on therapeutic reasoning cases discussed in small group settings yielded favorable ratings, examination performance comparable to standard approaches, and was preferred by a majority of students. During the rapid shift to substantial online learning for the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual collaboration tools like PIVOT may help health professions teachers to better support groups working virtually on scaffolded therapeutic reasoning tasks.

This article focuses on an experiment aimed at extracting information from text in order to automatically feed databases in the field of archaeology. The first experiments concerned a set of books: the Cartes archéologiques de la Gaule (CAG). Knowledge transfer and meaning evolution phenomena were observed when thesauri were examined, since the same term can refer to different notions, and the same archaeological site may be categorised differently, at different points in time.

Objective: To design and assess an innovative session for pharmacy students that addresses the role of pharmaceuticals with climate change and sustainability. Innovation: One hundred and sixteen third-year students at the University of California, San Francisco School of Pharmacy participated during their required Health Policy course. This 3-hour session included guided pre-course activities, an interactive lecture, a panel of healthcare professionals discussing complex decision-making and small group case-based learning. Curricular assessment was conducted through pre-/post-test measures of knowledge acquisition, student evaluations, and course projects. Critical Analysis: One hundred and two students (response rate 88%) completed the pre-test and 115 students (response rate 99%) completed the post-test assessment. We identified a significant increase in the proportion of correct answers on post-test questions addressing drug disposal legislation (75% pre-test vs 91% post-test, p=0.002) and the predicted effects of climate change on health (55% pre-test vs 90% post-test, p < 0.001). The session was also well received; average student evaluation scores were above 4 in all areas of course evaluation (where 5=ideal). In addition, 17% of student groups (relative to 0% in 2015) proposed a sustainability-related policy as their final coursework project. Next Steps: The development and implementation of this brief session resulted in knowledge gain and favorable student response. This project is feasible for other Schools of Pharmacy to adapt and implement. Conflict of Interest: None Type: Note

Of the three arverni oppida situated in the southern part of the Clermont-Ferrand basin, Gondole is the least known to the general public and to the scientific communities. Unlike her sister sites, Corent and Gergovie, detailed surveys of Gondole have only recently begun, mainly because Gondole lay undiscovered until the early 1990’s.The rescue archaeology trial trenching carried out between 2002 and 2005 led to the discovery of the famous horses and human burial, and marked the beginning of the archaeological research around this site. An open-area excavation conducted outside the Late Iron Age fortification has permitted partial examination of the defenses (ditch) and detailed analysis of an area dedicated to domestic and craft activities (metal working, bone working and ceramic production).In summary, the site is now richly documented and we are able to understand the layout of this large protohistoric occupation that spreads over 70 ha. We are also able to clarify the site’s chronology (La Tène D2).

The development of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) allows information in archaeological databases to be georeferenced. It is thus possible to obtain distribution maps which can then be interpreted using statistical and spatial analyses. Maps and statistics highlight the state of research, the condition of sites, and moreover historical and cultural phenomena.Through a research programme on the Iron Age in France (Basefer), a global database was established for the entire country. This article puts forward some analyses of the general descriptive criteria represented in a corpus of 11000 sites (departments along the Mediterranean Sea coast are excluded from this test). The control and development of finer descriptors will be undertaken by an enlarged team, before the data are networked.