Recent csnd items

Biomedical Research Mentorship: The Young Investigators' Innovative High School Program

Mon, 23 Jan 2006 00:00:00 +0000

The Young Investigators’ Program was a four-year biomedical research mentorship program aimed at providing advanced high school students the opportunity to actively participate in university-level research at the University of California, Santa Barbara. After three years the program had undergone many changes in its curriculum to evolve into its successful multidisciplinary format. Students were found to respond better to a structured, point-based system rather than a less formal approach, and four students contributed to research that is being submitted for publication. This program could serve as a model for establishing future university-community collaborative mentorship programs.

Medicinal Plant Mentorship Program

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 00:00:00 +0000

In collaboration with local high schools and the University of California, Santa Barbara, Dr. Cynthia Husted’s eight-year High School Mentorship Program allowed students to participate in biomedical research. The first four years were conducted in her lab at UCSB and the last four years were held at a Medicinal Plant Project on the private Dos Pueblos Ranch in collaboration with UCSB. During all eight years interns were required to provide a one year commitment that included a six-week summer intensive of 20 hours per week followed by 10 hours per week during the school year. The program included both educational and community service components. This paper describes activities during the last summer at the Medicinal Plant Project. This paper was written unsolicited by the high school students at the end of the summer to share their experiences from at the Medicinal Plant Project. A short video of the program is included.

Confocal and light microscopy of myelination in cerebellar slice cultures

Tue, 14 Dec 2004 00:00:00 +0000

In this study we used organotypic cerebellar slice cultures from neonatal rat pups in combination with scanning laser confocal microscopy to monitor the cellular events associated with the formation of central nervous system (CNS) myelin. Our images showed the migration of neural precursor cells, differentiation of these cells into glial cells and neurons, and the subsequent myelination of neuronal axons. Both light and confocal microscopy provided valuable information on morphological changes associated with neural differentiation and the formation of CNS tissue. The combined use of confocal microscopy with cerebellar slice cultures holds promise for evaluating the effects of agents that promote myelination. This in turn will help with understanding of demyelination and myelin repair in disorders such as multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injury.

Synergistic interactions of lipids and myelin basic protein

Tue, 30 Nov 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Synergistic interactions of lipids and myelin basic protein

Sphingomyelin-cholesterol superlattices as detected with Langmuir isotherms: their potential role in myelin and demyelination

Tue, 14 Oct 2003 00:00:00 +0000

ABSTRACT In Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Experimental Allergic Encephalomyelitis (EAE) in the common marmoset, demyelination appears to result from loss of adhesion between adjacent myelin lamellae and the formation of small myelin vesicles. Although proteins are involved in maintaining normal myelin structure, lipids may play an essential role in myelin stability. In the current study we focused on the effect that disturbed ratios of sphingomyelin (SM) and cholesterol may have on the regular distribution of those molecules. Mixtures of egg SMs (saturated) and bovine brain SMs (partially unsaturated) with cholesterol were made and examined with Langmuir isotherms. The cholesterol-induced condensations of the average molecular areas were determined by classic mean molecular area vs. composition plots. The results showed that egg SMs are significantly more expanded than bovine brain SMs, contrary to the fact that they are more saturated. We believe this is due to the fact that...