Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

J. Barker Lab

@jbarkerlab.bsky.social

1.1K followers 950 following 120 posts

Drexel Pharm Phys, jbarkerlab.com

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

J. Barker Lab @jbarkerlab.bsky.social · Dec 2

Excited to share new work from Qiaowei Xie's thesis! Qiaowei identified increased cocaine locomotor sensitization in the EcoHIV mouse model of HIV infection, and further demonstrated that it could be reversed by chemogenetically modulating NAc astrocytes.

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Astrocytic Regulation of Cocaine Locomotor Sensitization in EcoHIV Infected Mice

Cocaine use disorder (CUD) is highly comorbid with HIV infection and worsens HIV outcomes. Preclinical research on the outcomes of HIV infection may y…

www.sciencedirect.com

2 2 15

J. Barker Lab @jbarkerlab.bsky.social · 16h

New preprint from work led by @curranalfaro.bsky.social !

Tina looked at the impacts of chronic exposure to low-dose ethanol on brain and behavior and id'd altered cFos engagement in NAc circuits and sex specific effects on sensitivity to changes in reward value.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Sex Differences in Low-dose Ethanol Effects on Motivated Behavior and Limbic Corticostriatal Activity

Background: In 2023, the World Health Organization declared that there is no safe amount of alcohol consumption. It is becoming increasingly clear that even at lower doses, ethanol exposure impacts bo...

www.biorxiv.org

3 6

Reposted by J. Barker Lab

Philadelphia Inquirer @inquirer.com · 1d

OPINION: "Signing on to the Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education offered by the Trump administration would end the school's ability to determine its own future." — The Inquirer Editorial Board

Federal funding is not worth Penn’s independence | Editorial

Signing on to the Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education offered by the Trump administration would end the school's ability to determine its own future.

www.inquirer.com

31 77

Reposted by J. Barker Lab

Bisexual Kaiju @bisexualkaiju.myatproto.social · 2d

So you want to support living marginalized banned authors but your local banned books week displays and events are full of famous dead people?

Not to worry: your helpful non-binary bookseller is here to help!

A thread!

7 420 740

Reposted by J. Barker Lab

Philadelphia Department of Public Health @phlpublichealth.bsky.social · 6d

“Toilet paper is offered for free in public bathrooms. Tampons and pads should be too."

Phlow Philly is a citywide initiative addressing period poverty by installing free-vend dispensers in public spaces and distributing 4,500 period kits.

Learn more: https://ow.ly/rsBn50X4kmB

2 16 46

J. Barker Lab @jbarkerlab.bsky.social · 7d

Also, this was part of a special issue on Alcohol Use and Pain Interactions, edited by @jeffbphd.bsky.social - bunch of great stuff here! www.sciencedirect.com/special-issu...

Alcohol | Alcohol Use and Pain Interactions | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier

This special issue addresses the bidirectional association between alcohol use and pain, including preclinical studies, clinical/translational studies, and narrative and systematic reviews.

www.sciencedirect.com

J. Barker Lab @jbarkerlab.bsky.social · 7d

This paper describes outcomes in males based on our previous findings of sex differences in ethanol effects on allodynia, but we are in parallel working on a follow up data set in females...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36521835/

Effects of ethanol on mechanical allodynia and dynamic weight bearing in male and female mice with spared nerve injury - PubMed

These data indicate that while ethanol has antiallodynic and antinociceptive effects in male and female mice, the doses and time course of these effects are distinct. Studies investigating the relatio...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

1 1

J. Barker Lab @jbarkerlab.bsky.social · 7d

Final version of this work is now live! Mitch developed this model and found that a history of chronic neuropathic pain in the SNI model facilitates pain-induced reinstatement of ethanol CPP in male mice.

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Graphical abstract from publication. Image summarizes findings that show that (1) male mice with a spared nerve injury (chronic neuropathic pain) exhibit greater sensitivity to pain-induced reinstatement of ethanol CPP and that (2) control and injured mice exhibit reinstatement following high force stimulation.

1 3 10

Reposted by J. Barker Lab

Philadelphia Science Action @philadelphiascienceaction.substack.com · 7d

This Friday! 🍻🔬

Join us at National Mechanics for a science happy hour!
📅 Friday, Oct 3
⏰ 4:30–6:00 PM
🎉 10% off drinks
🤝 Connect with Philly’s science community

Then head to the FREE First Friday poster session at the Science History Institute!
🔗 tinyurl.com/3z8sh4ax

A flyer advertising Philly Science Action Social. Happy Hour for Philly's Science Community. Friday, Oct 3. 4:30-6PM National Mechanics. 22 S 3rd St #24, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Connect. Share. Build Community.

1 4 3

Reposted by J. Barker Lab

Nixon Lab @nixonlab.bsky.social · 23d

Nixon Lab is hoping to recruit a postdoctoral fellow interested in alcohol-microglia and/or alcohol-neural stem cell interactions in recovery from alcohol-induced brain and behavioral damage/dysfunction. Open fellowships on our NIAAA-funded T32! Please spread the word!

13 10

J. Barker Lab @jbarkerlab.bsky.social · 25d

(you can see what they're up to here, if you're into that - www.jbarkerlab.com/lab-members )

Lab Members | Barker Lab

www.jbarkerlab.com

J. Barker Lab @jbarkerlab.bsky.social · 25d

Working on an acknowledgements slide for a talk, and just thought I'd brag on how adorbs my lab is!

Group of 10 smiling scientists posing for a photo. They have elected to all wear pink and black, though they deny that they were channeling the Barbenheimer energy of 2023.

1 11

Reposted by J. Barker Lab

David Dayen @ddayen.bsky.social · Sep 4

My entire feed rn is

Senator: Do you think heart failure causes death

RFK: Senator, medicine doesn't work, we all need to be drinking raccoon blood

61 570 2.8K

Reposted by J. Barker Lab

Nigel Goldenfeld @nigelgoldenfeld.bsky.social · Aug 29

Very few PhD students finish within 4 years. But international students will need to do that if US proposed visa rules change go through.

Sound reasonable to you?

Fed register is accepting comments for next month. Details at the link & comment button

www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...

Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure for Nonimmigrant Academic Students, Exchange Visitors, and Representatives of Foreign Information Media

Unlike most nonimmigrant classifications, which are admitted for a fixed time period, aliens in the F (academic student), J (exchange visitor), and most I (representatives of foreign information media...

www.federalregister.gov

1 19 9

Reposted by J. Barker Lab

Dan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · Aug 29

BREAKING: per email sent to agency staff NIH will _NOT_ reterminate the ~900 grants which were reinstated.

"[W]e would strongly recommend against re-terminating such grants, because it will likely be viewed as a reapplication of the now-vacated Challenged Directives."

After conferring with DOJ, we'd like to provide the following guidance on the implications of last week's Supreme Court's decision. First, the Challenged Directives identified in the Rite to adamante o tune romain verated and cannot be applied to the identified plaintiffs in the two cases going forward. Second, for any terminated grant that has nc already been reinstated, NIH may stop all work toward reinstating those few grants, if any. Third, for those grants reinstated by NIH in response to the June judgments, we would strongly recommend against re-terminating such grants, because it will likely be viewed as a reapplication of the now-vacated Challenged Directives. We would also refer you to the Acting General Counsel's attached 6/25/25 opinion on the legal risks in terminating awards for nonalignment with priorities at this time.
The Supreme Court's decision was an interim order while the cases proceed with the appeals of the phase 1 judgements before the First Circuit Court of Appeals. We will keep you posted on those proceedings. In the interim, please let us know if you have any questions.

4 39 96

Reposted by J. Barker Lab

I-75 Scientist @flscitriguy.bsky.social · Aug 28

Just a reminder, the NOSIs for Research Continuity and Retention Supplements (childbirth, healthcare issues), and Re-Entry, Re-integration & Re-training Supplements, are ending Sept 9th. If you were thinking about one of them, apply soon. grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...

NOT-OD-23-032: Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Administrative Supplement for Continuity of Biomedical and Behavioral Research Among First-Time Recipients of NIH Research Project Grant Awards

NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts: Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Administrative Supplement for Continuity of Biomedical and Behavioral Research Among...

grants.nih.gov

2 16 6

J. Barker Lab @jbarkerlab.bsky.social · Aug 28

what a pr disaster for the powerhouse of the cell

jen sometimes aph 🌻 @bunnibytz.bsky.social · Aug 27

via @acyn.bsky.social

RFK JR: I’m looking at kids as I walk through the airports today...and I see these kids that are just overburdened with mitochondrial challenges, inflammation—you can tell from their faces, movements, and lack of social connection

Reposted by J. Barker Lab

Rachael Sirianni, PhD @docsirianni.bsky.social · Aug 22

Vox has a very good article explaining the mess that just happened at the Supreme Court. In the end, they are ensuring that no matter what happens to the canceled grants, there’s no chance of resolving fast enough to matter for the work or PIs. Struck a death blow www.vox.com/scotus/45886...

2 29 27

Reposted by J. Barker Lab

Annie Waldman @anniewaldman.bsky.social · Aug 21

NEW: In March, the Trump administration announced a massive purge of workers at the nation's health agencies.

We asked them how many workers were laid off, pushed out or left.

They refused to give us numbers.

So we conducted our own analysis... 🧵

projects.propublica.org/federal-heal...

In March, the Trump administration announced a massive purge of workers at the nation's health agencies.

We asked them how many workers were laid off, pushed out or left, and the admin refused to give us numbers.

So we conducted our own analysis, a thread...

14 380 760

Reposted by J. Barker Lab

Lorenzo Lorenzo-Luaces, PhD @lluaces.bsky.social · Aug 20

ATTN: Robert Wood Johnson has money to support “canceled” research on racial-indigenous health equity

www.rwjf.org/en/grants/ac...

Rapid Response: Reinvesting in Racial and Indigenous Health Equity Research

The purpose of this call for proposals is to meet the current moment by supporting timely, actionable health equity research that has been interrupted by shifts in federal funding.

www.rwjf.org

1 150 200

Reposted by J. Barker Lab

Sean Carroll @seanmcarroll.bsky.social · Aug 13

So many of my fellow scientists are deeply anti-intellectual at heart.

Matthew J Kuiper @matthewjkuiper.bsky.social · Aug 13

In which a Yale prof calls for jettisoning humanities to make way for science-only universities.

“scientists… are being punished for the sins of [humanities scholars] because we all live under one roof. I cannot see a compelling reason for our continued cohabitation.”

Unyoke the Sciences From the Humanities

Arts and sciences typically cohabitate. Should they?

thedispatch.com

21 22 170

Reposted by J. Barker Lab

scaryr🩻 @merveille.bsky.social · Aug 7

Hi, are you an academic biology lab in the Boston area? I am a lab manager at a local biotech and I will be getting rid of a lot consumables in the near future (as will many of my colleagues, unfortunately). If you would be interested in free consumables, please reach out to me!

7 44 31

Reposted by J. Barker Lab

Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · Jul 30

Or

The application is for a diversity pipeline program (non-exhaustive list: MOSAIC, F31 Diversity, IRACDA, MARC, ARC, IMSD, ReWARD, B-INSPIRE, CPACHE, BRAIN Initiative, Cancer Moonshot Scholars Diversity Program).

7/n

1 1 5

Reposted by J. Barker Lab

Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · Jul 30

Court accepting updated list of plaintiffs/grantees impacted! MUST BE SUBMITTED BY AUGUST 1st 5pm EST! Please disseminate!!!

Message from ACLU team below:

1/n

Microsoft Forms

www.aclu.org

2 51 30

Reposted by J. Barker Lab

Ralph Emilio Peterson @ralphpeterson.bsky.social · Jul 25

New preprint!  

tl;dr — We ran around late at night to record wild rats in NYC and figured out how to quantify their behavior and environment. 🧵

w/ Dima Batenkov, @zamakany.bsky.social, Emily Mackevicius

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Computational Urban Ecology of New York City Rats

Urban rats are highly adaptable, thriving in the dynamic and often inhospitable conditions of modern cities. Despite substantial mitigation efforts, they remain an enduring presence in urban environme...

www.biorxiv.org

6 47 140

Reposted by J. Barker Lab

Brady Atwood @bradyatwood.bsky.social · Jul 22

Looking for a postdoc or staff scientist with brain slice electrophysiology experience. If you or someone you know is interested in, message me.

13 6