Core A—Administrative Core
Dr. Ronald Glaser

The administrative core will provide coordination among the projects. In addition, the core will be responsible for the accounting for patient care costs for projects 1 and 2, and animal purchase and per diem costs for projects 3 and 4. The core will also provide support for an outside advisory group of four senior investigators who will interact with our group one time each year and coordinate a pilot grant program. The administrative business manager will order supplies and equipment, and provide support for the budgets, prepare progress reports and publications, and coordinate meetings.

Core B—Management and Statistical Analysis Core
Dr. Robert MacCallum

The data management and statistical analysis core will oversee all aspects of management and analysis of data.  This process will include implementation of procedures for creation of data files for the data collected in each project, as well as carrying out procedures for verification of accuracy of data and checking for outliers. This core will be responsible for statistical analysis to (a) describe data; (b) check for violations of important assumptions underlying statistical techniques and resolve such problems; and (c) carry out tests of stated research hypotheses. As data are gathered and new research questions arise, appropriate statistical analysis will be applied to address those questions. This core will also be responsible for assisting project investigators in interpretation of statistical analyses and presentation and explanation of results for publication.

Core C—Immunocytopathology Core
Dr. Bradford Stokes

This core will provide instrumentation resources to projects 2-4.  The technology and expertise available will allow cutting edge studies concerning the quantification of, e.g., intracellular products such as cytokines. The immunocytopathology system available integrates a Zeiss Axioplan light microscope with a microcomputer imaging device (MCID-4). The present MCID system enables three dimensional reconstruction of 2 dimensional histological images. The microscope is also fitted with a darkfield illuminator to visualize silver grains used for in situ hybridization and can perform automated grain counts on in situ preparations.
Other non-histological functions of the imaging device include its use as autoradiographic densitometer. Autoradiographic films, hybridization blots, etc. can be quantified using the illuminating box (Northern Light) and computer interface.  This is ideal to deal with gel densitometry. The system can also handle routine image processing of digital images. A color CCD camera extends the microscope use to include immunofluorescence procedures.  Also, a new frame grabbing board will increase imaging capabilities (not restricted to microscopic imaging) and would allow the MCID system to be used as a scanner. MCID currently has other programs that are useful for stereological quantitation and presentation purposes (e.g., Tiled Field Mapping)

Core D—Endocrinology Core
Dr. William Malarkey

The Endocrinology Core will provide efficient and cost effective endocrine resources for all the projects in the program project grant.  This core, with its trained expertise already in place, will be efficient and accurate in performing all the assays for projects 1-4, minimizing cost while at the same time-enhancing accuracy of the assays. The rationale for the selection of HPA or SAM-associated hormones are outlined in each of the projects as appropriate for the questions being asked by the project.  The endocrine core will assist each investigator in projects 1-4 to test their endocrine-related hypotheses. Samples will be collected in the GCRC or in the various animal laboratories where they will be kept frozen until assayed as described in Core D. As in all of our previous studies, Dr. Malarkey, as the group's endocrinologist, is closely involved with the endocrine effects providing expertise and advice on the various endocrine assays.

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