| 1. |
- Achilleos, Achilleas, et al.
(author)
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SciChallenge : A Social Media Aware Platform for Contest-Based STEM Education and Motivation of Young Students
- 2019
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In: IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies. - : IEEE. - 1939-1382. ; 12:1, s. 98-111
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Scientific and technological innovations have become increasingly important as we face the benefits and challenges of both globalization and a knowledge-based economy. Still, enrolment rates in STEM degrees are low in many European countries and consequently there is a lack of adequately educated workforce in industries. We believe that this can be mainly attributed to pedagogical issues, such as the lack of engaging hands-on activities utilized for science and math education in middle and high schools. In this paper, we report our work in the SciChallenge European project, which aims at increasing the interest of pre-university students in STEM disciplines, through its distinguishing feature, the systematic use of social media for providing and evaluation of the student-generated content. A social media-aware contest and platform were thus developed and tested in a pan-European contest that attracted >700 participants. The statistical analysis and results revealed that the platform and contest positively influenced participants STEM learning and motivation, while only the gender factor for the younger study group appeared to affect the outcomes (confidence level – p<.05).
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| 2. |
- Chandrasekaran, Abinaya, et al.
(author)
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Astrocytic reactivity triggered by defective autophagy and metabolic failure causes neurotoxicity in frontotemporal dementia type 3
- 2021
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In: Stem Cell Reports. - : Elsevier BV. - 2213-6711. ; , s. 2736-2751
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Frontotemporal dementia type 3 (FTD3), caused by a point mutation in the charged multivesicular body protein 2B (CHMP2B), affects mitochondrial ultrastructure and the endolysosomal pathway in neurons. To dissect the astrocyte-specific impact of mutant CHMP2B expression, we generated astrocytes from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) and confirmed our findings in CHMP2B mutant mice. Our data provide mechanistic insights into how defective autophagy causes perturbed mitochondrial dynamics with impaired glycolysis, increased reactive oxygen species, and elongated mitochondrial morphology, indicating increased mitochondrial fusion in FTD3 astrocytes. This shift in astrocyte homeostasis triggers a reactive astrocyte phenotype and increased release of toxic cytokines, which accumulate in nuclear factor kappa b (NF-κB) pathway activation with increased production of CHF, LCN2, and C3 causing neurodegeneration.
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| 3. |
- Krebs, Alice, et al.
(author)
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The EU-ToxRisk method documentation, data processing and chemical testing pipeline for the regulatory use of new approach methods
- 2020
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In: Archives of Toxicology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0340-5761 .- 1432-0738. ; 94:7, s. 2435-2461
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Hazard assessment, based on new approach methods (NAM), requires the use of batteries of assays, where individual tests may be contributed by different laboratories. A unified strategy for such collaborative testing is presented. It details all procedures required to allow test information to be usable for integrated hazard assessment, strategic project decisions and/or for regulatory purposes. The EU-ToxRisk project developed a strategy to provide regulatorily valid data, and exemplified this using a panel of > 20 assays (with > 50 individual endpoints), each exposed to 19 well-known test compounds (e.g. rotenone, colchicine, mercury, paracetamol, rifampicine, paraquat, taxol). Examples of strategy implementation are provided for all aspects required to ensure data validity: (i) documentation of test methods in a publicly accessible database; (ii) deposition of standard operating procedures (SOP) at the European Union DB-ALM repository; (iii) test readiness scoring accoding to defined criteria; (iv) disclosure of the pipeline for data processing; (v) link of uncertainty measures and metadata to the data; (vi) definition of test chemicals, their handling and their behavior in test media; (vii) specification of the test purpose and overall evaluation plans. Moreover, data generation was exemplified by providing results from 25 reporter assays. A complete evaluation of the entire test battery will be described elsewhere. A major learning from the retrospective analysis of this large testing project was the need for thorough definitions of the above strategy aspects, ideally in form of a study pre-registration, to allow adequate interpretation of the data and to ensure overall scientific/toxicological validity.
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| 4. |
- Martikainen, Maria-Viola, et al.
(author)
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TUBE project: Transport-derived ultrafines and the brain effects
- 2022
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In: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. - : MDPI. - 1661-7827 .- 1660-4601. ; 19:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The adverse effects of air pollutants on the respiratory and cardiovascular systems are unquestionable. However, in recent years, indications of effects beyond these organ systems have become more evident. Traffic-related air pollution has been linked with neurological diseases, exacerbated cognitive dysfunction, and Alzheimer’s disease. However, the exact air pollutant compositions and exposure scenarios leading to these adverse health effects are not known. Although several components of air pollution may be at play, recent experimental studies point to a key role of ultrafine particles (UFPs). While the importance of UFPs has been recognized, almost nothing is known about the smallest fraction of UFPs, and only >23 nm emissions are regulated in the EU. Moreover, the role of the semivolatile fraction of the emissions has been neglected. The Transport-Derived Ultrafines and the Brain Effects (TUBE) project will increase knowledge on harmful ultrafine air pollutants, as well as semivolatile compounds related to adverse health effects. By including all the major current combustion and emission control technologies, the TUBE project aims to provide new information on the adverse health effects of current traffic, as well as information for decision makers to develop more effective emission legislation. Most importantly, the TUBE project will include adverse health effects beyond the respiratory system; TUBE will assess how air pollution affects the brain and how air pollution particles might be removed from the brain. The purpose of this report is to describe the TUBE project, its background, and its goals.
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| 5. |
- Schmidt, Bela Z., et al.
(author)
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In vitro acute and developmental neurotoxicity screening : an overview of cellular platforms and high-throughput technical possibilities
- 2017
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In: Archives of Toxicology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0340-5761 .- 1432-0738. ; 91:1, s. 1-33
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Neurotoxicity and developmental neurotoxicity are important issues of chemical hazard assessment. Since the interpretation of animal data and their extrapolation to man is challenging, and the amount of substances with information gaps exceeds present animal testing capacities, there is a big demand for in vitro tests to provide initial information and to prioritize for further evaluation. During the last decade, many in vitro tests emerged. These are based on animal cells, human tumour cell lines, primary cells, immortalized cell lines, embryonic stem cells, or induced pluripotent stem cells. They differ in their read-outs and range from simple viability assays to complex functional endpoints such as neural crest cell migration. Monitoring of toxicological effects on differentiation often requires multiomics approaches, while the acute disturbance of neuronal functions may be analysed by assessing electrophysiological features. Extrapolation from in vitro data to humans requires a deep understanding of the test system biology, of the endpoints used, and of the applicability domains of the tests. Moreover, it is important that these be combined in the right way to assess toxicity. Therefore, knowledge on the advantages and disadvantages of all cellular platforms, endpoints, and analytical methods is essential when establishing in vitro test systems for different aspects of neurotoxicity. The elements of a test, and their evaluation, are discussed here in the context of comprehensive prediction of potential hazardous effects of a compound. We summarize the main cellular characteristics underlying neurotoxicity, present an overview of cellular platforms and read-out combinations assessing distinct parts of acute and developmental neurotoxicology, and highlight especially the use of stem cell-based test systems to close gaps in the available battery of tests.
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