Institution Reentry Coordinators Proving to be Important Link, Data Download, Iowa Department of Corrections, March 2010

An offender reentry grant program funded through the Governor’s Office of Drug Control Policy supports one reentry coordinator at each of the following institutions: Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility (MPCF), Fort Dodge Correctional Facility and the Clarinda Correctional Facility. The reentry coordinators there engage in a myriad of activities, working with institution educators, counselors and medical personnel, probation/parole officers and counselors, and most importantly the offenders themselves. The program has not been in operation for very long, and only MPCF has operated long enough to be looking at outcomes. The early returns for MPCF show good promise.

Targeted Small Business Link, Fall 2012

Targeted Small Business News from the Iowa Economic Development Authority

Casado Rigalt, Daniel, 2009: El arqueólogo enamorado. Historia oculta de la arqueología española: de los hallazgos fortuitos a los falsificadores de tesoros. La esfera de los libros, Madrid, 275 pp.

Pyrenae acoge la reseña de una obra divulgativa, que debe ser valorada dentro de ese género. No obstante, su lectura también será útil para cualquier profesional que quiera abrir una cata en el estado de la arqueología peninsular de finales de la primera década del siglo XXI, puesto que la firma un doctor en la materia y no un divulgador procedente de otro campo. El arqueólogo enamorado va precedido de un prólogo escrito con amor por Carmen Rigalt, periodista y madre del autor. Bajo el subtítulo Historia oculta de la arqueología española: de los hallazgos fortuitos a los falsificadores de tesoros, se plantea un proyecto elogiable, que aspira a ofrecer un panorama completo del pasado hispánico, desde la más remota prehistoria a los visigodos, haciendo cuadrar, de forma bastante equilibrada, la amplia geografía peninsular en 14 capítulos y una introducción.

Blood pressure modifies the association between serum adiponectin and uric acid, in a sex-dependent manner

Purpose: Plasma adiponectin and serum uric acid (SUA) levels are negatively correlated. To better understand the possible mechanisms linking adiponectin and uric acid, we analyzed whether the association between adiponectin and SUA differed by hypertension status (or blood pressure level) and by sex. Methods and materials: We analyzed data from the populationbased CoLaus study (Switzerland). Fasting plasma adiponectin levels were assessed by ELISA and SUA by uricase-PAP. Blood pressure (BP) was measured using a validated automated device and hypertension was defined as having office BP 140/90 mm Hg or being on current antihypertensive treatment. Results: In the 2897 men and 3181 women, aged 35-74, BMI (mean ± SD) was 26.6 ± 4.0 and 25.1 ± 4.8 Kg/m2, systolic blood pressure (SBP) was 132.2 ± 16.6 and 124.8 ± 18.3 mm Hg, median (interquartile range) plasma adiponectin was 6.2 (4.1-9.2) and 10.6 (6.9-15.4) mg/dL, and hypertension prevalence was 42.0% and 30.2%, respectively. The age- and BMI- adjusted partial correlation coefficients between log-adiponectin and SUA were 0.09 and 0.06 in normotensive men and women (P <0.01), and 0.004 (P = 0.88) and 0.15 (P <0.001) in hypertensive men and women, respectively. In median regression adjusted for BMI, insulin, smoking, alcohol consumption, menopausal status and HDL-cholesterol, there was a significant three-way interaction between SUA, SBP and sex for their effect on adiponectin (dependent variable, P = 0.005), as well as interactions between SBP and sex (P = 0.014) and between SUA and sex (P = 0.033). Conclusion: Plasma adiponectin and SUA are negatively associated, independently of BMI and insulin, in a population-based study in Caucasians. However, BP modifies this inverse relationship, as it was significant mainly in women with elevated BP. This observation suggests that the link between adiponectin and SUA may be mediated by sex hormones and the hypertension status.

CD3 delta establishes a functional link between the T cell receptor and CD8.

T cells expressing T cell receptor (TCR) complexes that lack CD3 delta, either due to deletion of the CD3 delta gene, or by replacement of the connecting peptide of the TCR alpha chain, exhibit severely impaired positive selection and TCR-mediated activation of CD8 single-positive T cells. Because the same defects have been observed in mice expressing no CD8 beta or tailless CD8 beta, we examined whether CD3 delta serves to couple TCR.CD3 with CD8. To this end we used T cell hybridomas and transgenic mice expressing the T1 TCR, which recognizes a photoreactive derivative of the PbCS 252-260 peptide in the context of H-2K(d). We report that, in thymocytes and hybridomas expressing the T1 TCR.CD3 complex, CD8 alpha beta associates with the TCR. This association was not observed on T1 hybridomas expressing only CD8 alpha alpha or a CD3 delta(-) variant of the T1 TCR. CD3 delta was selectively co-immunoprecipitated with anti-CD8 antibodies, indicating an avid association of CD8 with CD3 delta. Because CD8 alpha beta is a raft constituent, due to this association a fraction of TCR.CD3 is raft-associated. Cross-linking of these TCR-CD8 adducts results in extensive TCR aggregate formation and intracellular calcium mobilization. Thus, CD3 delta couples TCR.CD3 with raft-associated CD8, which is required for effective activation and positive selection of CD8(+) T cells.

Le docteur Petrus : notions d'hygiène (2e édition) / par A.-Daniel Lévy,...

Collection : Bibliothèque des écoles et des familles

Neuropeptide Y: a missing link?

Yet another 'orphan' molecule that had to find its place in life after isolation and sequencing, neuropeptide Y appears to be an important cardiovascular neuroregulator and also links the sympathetic and renin-angiotensin systems. The peptide's physiologic and pathophysiologic roles, as well as its potential therapeutic value, are examined.

Low adiponectin is associated with increased ambulatory pulse pressure and activation of the renin-angiotensin system in subjects of African descent

Purpose: Adiponectin, arterial stiffness, as well components of the renin-angiotensin system are associated with cardiovascular risk. This study was aimed to investigate whether plasma adiponectin was directly linked with pulse pressure (PP), as a marker for arterial stiffness, and the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). Methods and materials: A family-based study in subjects of African descent enriched with hypertensive patients was carried out in the Seychelles. Fasting plasma adiponectin was determined by ELISA, plasma renin activity according to the antibody-trapping principle and plasma aldosterone by radioimmunoassay. Daytime ambulatory blood pressure (BP) was measured using Diasys Integra devices. PP was calculated as the difference between systolic and diastolic BP. The association of adiponectin with PP, plasma renin activity and plasma aldosterone were analyzed using generalized estimating equations with a gaussian family link and an exchangeable correlation structure to account for familial aggregation. Results: Data from 335 subjects from 73 families (152 men, 183 women) were available. Men and women had mean (SD) age of 45.4 ± 11.1 and 47.3 ± 12.4 years, BMI of 26.3 ± 4.4 and 27.8 ± 5.1 kg/m2, daytime systolic/diastolic BP of 132.6 ± 15.4 / 86.1 ± 10.9 and 130 ± 17.6 / 83.4 ± 11.1 mmHg, and daytime PP of 46.5 ± 9.9 and 46.7 ± 10.7 mmHg, respectively. Plasma adiponectin was 4.4± 3.04 ng/ml in men and 7.39 ± 5.44 ng/ml in women (P <0.001). After adjustment for age, sex and BMI, log-transformed adiponectin was negatively associated with daytime PP (-0.009 ± 0.003, P = 0.004), plasma renin activity (-0.248 ± 0.080, P = 0.002) and plasma aldosterone (-0.004 ± 0.002, P = 0.014). Conclusion: Low adiponectin is associated with increased ambulatory PP and RAS activation in subjects of African descent. Our data are consistent with the observation that angiotensin II receptor blockers increase adiponectin in humans.