From natural disaster to pandemic: A health-system pharmacy rises to the challenge.

Purpose: This report describes a health-system pharmacy's response to a natural disaster while staff members simultaneously prepared for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. By detailing our experience, we hope to help other institutions that are current facing or could encounter similar crises.

Summary: In early March 2020, a tornado destroyed the health system's warehouse for storage of most clinical supplies, including personal protective equipment and fluids.

Using Cultured Mammalian Neurons to Study Cellular Processes and Neurodegeneration: A Suite of Undergraduate Lab Exercises.

Cell culture is a powerful tool for exploring cellular function. Culturing primary neurons has revealed how neurons communicate in learning and memory (Kandel, 2006) and provided insights into the mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease (Alberio et al., 2012; Trinchese, et al.

Patient-perceived differences between constant current and constant voltage spinal cord stimulation systems.

Introduction: Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) systems employ implantable pulse generators that use either a constant current (CC) or a constant voltage (CV) power source. CC power sources adjust voltage in response to resistance (impedance) to ensure that consistent current is delivered to the patient. CV power sources do not adjust voltage in response to impedance; therefore, current delivered to the patient will vary in response to changes in impedance.

Restoration of hepatic glucokinase expression corrects hepatic glucose flux and normalizes plasma glucose in zucker diabetic fatty rats.

Objective: We examined in 20-week-old Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats whether restoration of hepatic glucokinase (GK) expression would alter hepatic glucose flux and improve hyperglycemia.

Research Design And Methods: ZDF rats were treated at various doses with an adenovirus that directs the expression of rat liver GK (AdvCMV-GKL) dose dependently, and various metabolic parameters were compared with those of nondiabetic lean littermates (ZCL rats) before and during a hyperglycemic clamp. Viral infection per se did not affect hepatic GK activity, since expression of a catalytically inactive form of GK did not alter endogenous hepatic GK activity.

Hepatic overexpression of glycerol-sn-3-phosphate acyltransferase 1 in rats causes insulin resistance.

Fatty liver is commonly associated with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, but it is unclear whether triacylglycerol accumulation or an excess flux of lipid intermediates in the pathway of triacyglycerol synthesis are sufficient to cause insulin resistance in the absence of genetic or diet-induced obesity. To determine whether increased glycerolipid flux can, by itself, cause hepatic insulin resistance, we used an adenoviral construct to overexpress glycerol-sn-3-phosphate acyltransferase-1 (Ad-GPAT1), the committed step in de novo triacylglycerol synthesis. After 5-7 days, food intake, body weight, and fat pad weight did not differ between Ad-GPAT1 and Ad-enhanced green fluorescent protein control rats, but the chow-fed Ad-GPAT1 rats developed fatty liver, hyperlipidemia, and insulin resistance.