Scientists continue to strive towards finding cures for debilitating conditions like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other diseases that impact the brain and cause neuronal cells to die prematurely. Apoptosis, also known as programmed cell death, is a natural biological process in which cells deliberately destroy themselves. Cell death is generated extrinsically or intrinsically and plays a crucial role in maintaining a balance between apoptosis and cell growth and division. In the process of apoptosis, nuclear DNA is destroyed, and cells shrink due to the disruption of the cell cytoskeleton, mainly caused by caspases. Flavonoids, rich in antioxidant activity, have been shown to protect normal cells from premature death and force cancer cells to undergo apoptosis. This project will determine if Cannabidiol and Quercetin, natural antioxidants, will act as protective agents to prevent apoptosis in HT22 cells. HT22 cells are derived from mouse hippocampal neurons. The hippocampus of the brain is involved in learning and memory. Our previous results show that RT4 cells express less caspase 3 in the presence of quercetin, which suggests protective effects. Our current research will expand on these findings and study the impact of quercetin and cannabidiol on the expression of caspase 3 in HT22 cells. Our research suggests that quercetin, a substance found in many healthy foods, helps keep brain cells alive and healthy by reducing protein activity that causes cell death. This could be important for developing new treatments for brain diseases.

Developing eye optics, must coordinate with axial length of growing eyes, focusing light onto the retina to form an image. It was found that larval zebrafish (Danio rerio) lens nucleus is initially, anteriorly localized in the optical axis, then centralizes at juvenile stages—resembling non-aquatic species. This adaptation increases lens power, enabling a functional visual system in young zebrafish, where eye axial length is short. The clawed frog, Xenopus laevis, is another fully aquatic species that similarly relies on vision for survival at stages where the eye is small and lens-retina distance is short. We examined if lens nucleus asymmetry found in young zebrafish, occurs in Xenopus. Dissected tadpole and adult frog lenses were imaged perpendicular to optical axis to quantify relative distance of the lens nucleus center to the lens center. We found tadpoles had lens nuclei localized closer to the anterior pole while adult frog lens nuclei were located centrally in the optical axis. Initial studies showed that the lens nucleus of regenerated tadpole eyes is also asymmetrically localized. Suggesting that lens nucleus centralization is a conserved evolutionary mechanism across at least two fully aquatic species, Danio and Xenopus, supporting the hypothesis that it is a requirement of a functional visual system. An understanding of key mechanisms regulating crosstalk between eye optics and eye axial length will aid in discoveries of therapies to prevent or delay formation of diseases resulting in a mismatch between these, as occurs in short-sightedness, when the eye grows too long for eye optics.

Squirrels and chipmunks forage and cache food in designated spots throughout the summer to sustain them throughout the winter and spring months. The presence of a predator near a known food source may force the squirrels and chipmunks to alter foraging patterns and change feeding routines. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether foraging patterns will change when the squirrels and chipmunks become aware of a predator in their surroundings. Two designated locations were monitored twice a day, early morning and late afternoon, over three weeks. There were three experimental groups at both the forest and open landscape locations: a control (a feeder with seeds), a feeder with the auditory predator (a speaker playing predatory noise), and a feeder with the physical predator (a plastic owl nearby). The treatments were presented in the morning and afternoon in an increasing risk order (i.e. control, auditory, physical). The data collected contains the number of visits, duration (sec), and vigilance (number of head raises). It was recorded if certain foraging activity happened in the designated amount of time (1,0). The squirrels and chipmunks were expected to alter their foraging patterns when threatened in the designated feeding area: decreasing their number of visits, decreasing their visit duration, and/or increasing their vigilance. This study aims to analyze whether squirrels and chipmunks can assess risk versus reward and to what degree they process threats while foraging.

Congenital heart defects (CHD) encompass a wide range of structural heart abnormalities, most commonly dilated cardiomyopathy, atrial septal defects, and cardiomyositis. These heart conditions manifest at birth and significantly contribute to morbidity and mortality in the pediatric population, whose ultimate goal is heart transplantation. The treatment options are limited for these pediatric patients making timing more critical compared to adults. The development of ventricular assist devices (VAD) has been one of the key therapeutic advances in the treatment of severe heart failure in patients with CHD, either as a bridge to heart transplantation or as destination therapy. The Berlin Heart EXCOR Pediatric VAD, in particular, provides mechanical circulatory support tailored to the anatomical and physiological needs of children. Despite its success in aiding children with CHDs, current supply chain issues, increased demand, and regulatory hurdles have led to a shortage, affecting the timely treatment of pediatric patients with severe heart failure. This review explores the indications for VAD implantation, the associated risks, and the outcomes for children with CHDs requiring VAD support. Furthermore, it highlights the importance of comprehensive care, integrating advanced technological solutions like VADs with robust support systems for patients and their families. The overall objective is to raise awareness among families, policymakers, and stakeholders about the complex issues surrounding CHDs and the vital role of VADs in enhancing survival and quality of life for affected children.