Publications by authors named "Jessica Snyder"
Neurosensory circuits of the gastrointestinal tract sense microbial and nutrient changes in the gut; however, studying these circuits in vivo is hindered by invasive techniques and ethical concerns. Here, an in vitro model of enteroendocrine cells (EECs) and calcium reporting enteric neurons (ENs) is established and validated for functional signaling. Both mechanical and sucrose stimulation of co-cultures increased the percentage of neurons undergoing a calcium flux, indicating an action potential.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study investigates the effects of repeated administration of three types of pharmaceutical-grade medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) in mice, focusing on their tolerability via oral and intraperitoneal routes.
- Results showed significant toxicity and 100% mortality in mice receiving a higher dose of MCTs intraperitoneally, while those receiving the same dose orally did not experience adverse effects.
- The findings highlight the importance of dose and route of administration in evaluating the safety of MCTs, indicating a need for careful consideration in pharmacological studies.
Article Synopsis
- Retinoic acid (RA) is crucial for sperm production, and inhibiting its synthesis via ALDH1A enzymes leads to infertility in mice, suggesting a potential method for male contraception.
- A study was conducted where male mice were given an ALDH1A inhibitor, WIN 18,446, for 4 weeks and then returned to a normal diet, analyzing changes in testicular function and structure during treatment and recovery.
- Results showed that while the inhibitor caused a decline in testicular health and spermatogenesis, these effects were reversible, with normal spermatogenesis resuming after 8 weeks post-treatment, indicating the potential for temporary male contraception.
Article Synopsis
- Retinoic acid (RA) plays a key role in regulating weight and energy metabolism, and inhibiting the enzyme ALDH1A1, responsible for RA production, can help resist diet-induced obesity.
- In a study on mice, N42 (an ALDH1A1-specific inhibitor) was tested alongside a moderate fat diet and showed significant weight loss primarily by reducing fat mass, without affecting lean mass, food intake, or activity levels.
- N42 demonstrated effective postprandial fat utilization and maintained energy expenditure while not impacting male fertility, suggesting potential for further investigation in combination with current weight loss treatments.
Article Synopsis
- - The study explores the use of therapeutic limb hypothermia to reduce tissue injury during traumatic limb ischemia, focusing on its effects during damage control resuscitation in a swine model.
- - Fifteen swine were subjected to a 6-hour resuscitation protocol, with one hindlimb cooled to either 5°C or 15°C, while the other limb remained uncooled for comparison; various physiological and tissue measurements were taken during this time.
- - Results showed that cooling to 15°C lowered harmful metabolites in the tissues without increasing damage, while cooling to 5°C led to more muscle damage, suggesting that local hypothermia can help prevent ischemic injury but needs further study.
Article Synopsis
- * A study using female pigtail macaques showed that prenatal Zika virus exposure disrupts fetal myelin formation, impacting crucial gene expression for brain development.
- * The research highlights significant myelin loss and oligodendrocyte dysfunction in Zika-exposed fetuses, indicating potential long-term neurodevelopmental issues in children, even without noticeable brain size reduction (microcephaly).
Article Synopsis
- Traumatic injury is a major global cause of suffering and death, highlighting the need for effective prehospital therapies that balance organ perfusion and blood loss.
- Current options for damage control resuscitation (DCR) are limited, prompting research into synthetic polymers as injectable therapies that are portable and stable in tough conditions.
- This study designs and tests a specific polymer, which shows promise by not interfering with blood coagulation and effectively resuscitating rats from severe blood loss, suggesting its potential use in trauma medicine.
Article Synopsis
- SSRIs, particularly fluoxetine, are widely prescribed not only for mental health but also for their effects on the immune and metabolic systems.
- Recent research shows that fluoxetine can protect against infections like sepsis and COVID-19, although the reasons for this protection were unclear.
- The study reveals that fluoxetine boosts IL-10 levels, which helps prevent harmful metabolic changes during sepsis, suggesting a new therapeutic use for the drug beyond its original purpose.
Article Synopsis
- Zika virus infection during pregnancy can lead to congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) and negatively affect brain development in infants without microcephaly, but the mechanisms are not fully understood.
- Researchers used a model with pigtail macaques to study the effects of Zika virus on fetal brain development.
- They discovered that Zika exposure significantly disrupted myelin formation, which is crucial for brain function, indicating potential long-term neurodevelopmental issues in children.
Article Synopsis
- - The study investigated the effects of WIN 18,446, a male contraceptive, on fertility recovery and potential transgenerational impact in mice.
- - Male mice were treated for 4 weeks to suppress sperm production, then given a 9-week recovery before mating with normal females; results indicated normal litter sizes for both treated mice and their offspring.
- - While fertility returned to normal post-treatment, some testes showed minor mineralization, but overall findings suggest that both treated males and their resulting progeny retain normal fertility.
Article Synopsis
- * An orally administered ALDH1A inhibitor, WIN 18,466, was tested in a chronic mouse model of IBD, showing reduced clinical symptoms and improved histopathologic scores for colitis.
- * Treatment led to significant changes in immune cell populations, indicating ALDH1A inhibition could be a viable new approach for managing IBD, though further research is necessary to compare its effectiveness with existing medications.
Article Synopsis
- - Neonatal encephalopathy (NE) is a significant issue in infant health, often resulting from hypoxia-ischemia, which can lead to brain injuries affecting areas like the basal ganglia and thalamus.
- - In this study, ferrets were subjected to a hypoxia-ischemia/hyperoxia protocol, and researchers measured their rectal temperature one hour post-injury to see if it could indicate the extent of brain damage.
- - The findings revealed that ferrets who developed spontaneous hypothermia had worse long-term neurological outcomes, suggesting that early temperature readings might serve as an important marker for predicting injury severity in neonatal brain injury contexts.
Ferroptosis is a newly defined form of programmed cell death. It possesses unique processes of cell demise, cytopathological changes, and independent signal regulation pathways. Ferroptosis is considered to be deeply involved in the development of many diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and neurodegeneration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- * In a mouse model of Leigh syndrome, rapamycin and acarbose have been shown to improve survival and reduce symptoms, with acarbose working differently than rapamycin by modifying the gut microbiome and enhancing the production of beneficial molecules.
- * This research suggests the gut microbiome significantly impacts severe mitochondrial diseases, indicating shared mechanisms between biological aging and these disorders, highlighting potential new treatment avenues.
As renewed interest in human space-exploration intensifies, a coherent and modernized strategy for mission design and planning has become increasingly crucial. Biotechnology has emerged as a promising approach to increase resilience, flexibility, and efficiency of missions, by virtue of its ability to effectively utilize in situ resources and reclaim resources from waste streams. Here we outline four primary mission-classes on Moon and Mars that drive a staged and accretive biomanufacturing strategy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- - Disease tolerance is a vital survival strategy that minimizes physical damage from infections without directly killing the pathogens, and this tolerance shifts as an organism ages.
- - Research using a polymicrobial sepsis model revealed distinct health responses in young and old mice after infection, highlighting different disease courses related to their age.
- - Young mice utilized a protective mechanism involving FoxO1 that helped them survive, while the same mechanism contributed to heart issues and death in older mice, underscoring the need for age-specific therapy in infections.
Long-term treatment with Elamipretide enhances healthy aging phenotypes in mice.
Aging Pathobiol Ther
September 2022
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the effects of Elamipretide (Elam) on aging in mice, specifically targeting mitochondrial function to combat signs of aging.
- Mice were treated with Elam or saline while being fed either a standard diet or a high-fat diet over a period of 10 months, with assessments conducted at 28 months.
- Results showed that Elam improved physical and cognitive performance differently in male and female mice, suggesting potential for Elam in future aging-related therapies.
Article Synopsis
- cGAS is a DNA sensor that plays a crucial role in the immune response against viruses and tumors by producing cGAMP, which activates STING to trigger antiviral responses.
- Recent findings show that cGAMP can be exported from cells, and ABCC1 has been identified as the primary protein responsible for this export process.
- Overexpression of ABCC1 reduces STING signaling by promoting cGAMP export, while its deficiency can lead to heightened STING signaling and worsen autoimmune conditions, highlighting its role in regulating immune responses.
Article Synopsis
- Invasive bacterial infections, particularly from Group B streptococcus (GBS), are a significant health concern, with gender differences affecting susceptibility, as shown in studies on factor XIIIA-deficient female mice.
- Male mice with higher levels of factor XIIIA displayed increased resistance to GBS, while administering FXIIIA enhanced resistance in male mice, and inhibiting it reduced resistance in females.
- The study also found that FXIIIA helps trap GBS within fibrin clots by linking it to fibronectin, and mast cell-derived FXIIIA plays a crucial role in defending against GBS infections, highlighting the complex interplay of gender and immune response.
Article Synopsis
- - Canagliflozin (Cana) increases lifespan by 14% in male mice but doesn’t affect female mice, according to a study involving 7-month-old genetically diverse male mice.
- - A histopathological analysis of 22-month-old mice showed that Cana reduced the severity of various age-related diseases in male mice, including heart disease, kidney issues, and certain tumors, but also provided protection against pancreas atrophy in both sexes.
- - The findings suggest that Canagliflozin may slow down the aging process and could have potential benefits for other health issues associated with aging, warranting further research.
Article Synopsis
- Over a 3-year study, 12 adult NZW rabbits showed symptoms like loss of appetite and diarrhea before dying, prompting postmortem examinations.
- Key findings included fluid in body cavities, kidney lesions, inflamed intestines, and lung edema, all hinting at a syndrome similar to hemolytic uremic syndrome typically caused by Shiga toxin.
- Although gram-negative bacteria were found in their intestines, tests didn't confirm Shiga toxin production or an infection, suggesting that similar bacteria should be considered when diagnosing renal issues in rabbits with gastrointestinal problems.
Article Synopsis
- - ADAR1 is an RNA-editing enzyme that prevents the immune system from mistakenly attacking the body's own RNA, and a mutation in its Z-DNA-binding domain (ZBD) is linked to severe autoinflammatory diseases.
- - The activation of ZBP1, the only other protein with a ZBD in mammals, contributes to the pathology observed with ADAR1 mutation by initiating cell death and inflammation through specific cellular pathways.
- - Research shows that removing ZBP1 can alleviate symptoms caused by the ADAR1 mutation, highlighting that ADAR1 acts as a negative regulator of ZBP1, thus playing a crucial role in controlling autoinflammatory responses.
Article Synopsis
- Intravascular perfusion with tissue fixatives is crucial in neuroscience to minimize artifacts during the handling of sensitive central nervous system tissues, with 10% NBF and 4% PFA commonly used.
- The study compared the effects of these two fixatives on handling artifacts and neurodegenerative changes in mice with experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE), finding that NBF-perfused animals had fewer severe dark neuron artifacts than those perfused with PFA.
- Results showed that while immersion fixation led to higher artifact scores, both NBF and PFA perfusion methods were equally effective for histopathological analysis in the EAE model.