Socioeconomic and environmental influences are established factors promoting cancer disparity but the contribution of biological factors is not clear. We report a mechanistic link between carbohydrate derived metabolites and cancer which may provide a biological consequence of established factors of cancer disparity. Glycation is the non-enzymatic glycosylation of carbohydrates to macromolecules which produces reactive metabolites called advanced glycation end products (AGEs). A sedentary lifestyle and poor diet all promote disease and the AGE accumulation pool in our bodies and also increase cancer risk. We examined AGE metabolites in clinical specimens of African American and European American prostate cancer patients and found a higher AGE concentration in these specimens among African American patients when compared to European American patients. Elevated AGE levels corresponded with expression of the receptor for AGE (RAGE or AGER). We show that AGE mediated increases in cancer associated processes is dependent upon RAGE. Aberrant AGE accumulation may represent a metabolic susceptibility difference that contributes to cancer disparity.

It is well known that denervated adults newt limbs do not regenerate. Not understood is why denervated newt limb stumps fail to initiate regeneration upon reinnervation. In an effort to define the regeneration limiting factors, we examined the histology of long-term denervated newt limb stumps and tested the effects of various kinds of reinjury. In 5-week denervated limb stumps there were present dedifferentiated cells, differentiated cartilage, and densely packed layered cells. The epidermis covering the limb tip resembled skin epidermis rather than wound epidermis. The kinds of reinjury that were successful in restoring the regeneration capabilities to 5-week denervated limb stumps included; reamputation (100%), a single razor incision (60%), and removal of the healed tissues from the distal limb tip (70%). The results of the study emphasize the importance of both injury and wound epidermis in initiating regeneration.

The US is experiencing a severe shortage of underrepresented biomedical researchers. The purpose of this paper is to present two case examples of cancer research mentoring programs for underrepresented biomedical sciences students. The first case example is a National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute (NIH/NCI) P20 grant titled "South Carolina Cancer Disparities Research Center (SC CaDRe)" Training Program, contributing to an increase in the number of underrepresented students applying to graduate school by employing a triple-level mentoring strategy. Since 2011, three undergraduate and four graduate students have participated in the P20 SC CaDRe program. One graduate student published a peer-reviewed scientific paper. Two graduate students (50 %) have completed their master's degrees, and the other two graduate students will receive their degrees in spring 2015. Two undergraduate students (67 %) are enrolled in graduate or professional school (grad./prof. school), and the other graduate student is completing her final year of college. The second case example is a prostate cancer-focused Department of Defense grant titled "The SC Collaborative Undergraduate HBCU Student Summer Training Program," providing 24 students training since 2009. Additionally, 47 students made scientific presentations, and two students have published peer-reviewed scientific papers. All 24 students took a GRE test preparation course; 15 (63 %) have applied to graduate school, and 11 of them (73 %) are enrolled in grad./prof. school. Thirteen remaining students (54 %) are applying to grad./prof. school. Leveraged funding provided research-training opportunities to an additional 201 National Conference on Health Disparities Student Forum participants and to 937 Ernest E. Just Research Symposium participants at the Medical University of South Carolina.

No abstract

The intrinsic viscosity [η] of poly(3,5-dimethyl-phenyl-acrylate) (35PDMPA) solutions were evaluated throughout the measurements of the flow times of toluene and polymer solutions by classical Huggins, and Kraemer's methods using a Cannon-Ubbelohde semi-micro-dilution capillary viscometer in a Cannon thermostated water bath at 40˚C ± 0.02˚C. The values of Huggins' constant estimated ranged from 0.2 to 0.4 which were within expectations. The intrinsic viscosities and molecular weight relationship was established with the two-parameter classical models of Staudinger-Mark-HouwinkSakurada and Stockmayer-Fixman. Conformational parameter C ∞ and σ indicated 35PDMPA be semi flexible. Also, the rigidity of 35PDMPA was confirmed by Yamakawa-Fuji wormlike theory modified by Bohdanecký. The molecular parameters were estimated and compared. The results showed that 35PDMPA behaves like a semi-rigid polymer in toluene at 40˚C rather than a random coil flexible macromolecule.