Titin--springing back to youth?

Mutations in the muscle protein titin have been linked to dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition in which the heart chambers are enlarged and blood is ineffectively pumped, in humans and in animal models. This protein, which is a component of sarcomeres, provides essential scaffolding for other muscle proteins and acts as a spring to confer passive elasticity on the cardiomyocyte. Several titin isoforms exist, and they display varying size and degrees of elasticity. We review two interesting reports that show how variations in titin isoforms might be implicated in cardiac failure.     

Episodic Volunteering at a Religious Megaevent

In preparation for Pope Francis's visit to Philadelphia and the 2015 World Meeting of Families, organizers looked for thousands of volunteers to help carry out these events. This is common for many one‐time and episodic events, such as large sporting events (from marathons to Special Olympics), arts and cultural events (such as festivals and concerts), and fundraising events. After the pope's visit, volunteers were asked to respond to a questionnaire about their experiences and the volunteer management of the event; 2,408 responded (34.4 percent). Data on motivation, who volunteered, recruitment, training, assignment, supervision, communication, satisfaction, and suggestions for improvement were elicited. We focused on episodic volunteering at a religious event and on a broad spectrum of issues pertaining to management of episodic volunteers. Our findings add to the knowledge regarding volunteer management and also add to conceptual understanding of the distinction between ongoing and episodic volunteers.     

Telomerase and the aging heart

Telomeres are highly conserved structures that cap and protect the ends of linear chromosomes. The telomerase enzyme is present in germline cells as well as in many rapidly dividing tissues and serves to maintain chromosome length and integrity during cell division. Telomerase activity is typically reduced as an organism ages, and this phenomenon has been implicated in the aging process. In this Perspective, we focus on the effects of both gene knockout and gene replacement of telomerase in the heart and discuss the implications of these findings for potential cardiovascular therapeutics.     

The Emigration of Pro-social Behaviors: A Comparative Analysis of Colombian and US Latter-day Saints

VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations - Scholars have studied the differences in pro-social behaviors among countries for over 50 years. Religious...