Loss of STAT3 in osteoblasts has detrimental and sexually dimorphic effects on skeletal development.

Studies with genetically modified mice have implicated the transcriptional regulator STAT3 as a key modulator of bone development. STAT3-OKO knockout mouse lines were generated in two genetic backgrounds, pure C57BL/6 (STAT3-OKO-BL) and mixed C57BL/6, CD1 (STAT3-OKO-M). Both lines exhibited defective postnatal bone development resulting in reduced body weight and shortened femurs that displayed low bone mineral density as well as cortical widening and thinning in the diaphyseal region.

Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) as a Rapid, Affordable and Effective Tool to Involve Students in Undergraduate Research.

Undergraduate research (UR) is a high-impact practice (HIP) to engage undergraduate student in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), especially from underrepresented groups. UR experiences (UREs) can be integrated into the classroom, making authentic research experiences inclusive and available to all students. However, developing UR pedagogy can be challenging for faculty in resource-limited labs, such as community colleges and small liberal arts colleges.

Positioning of the Centrosome and Golgi Complex.

For over a century, the centrosome has been an organelle more easily tracked than understood, and the study of its peregrinations within the cell remains a chief underpinning of its functional investigation. Increasing attention and new approaches have been brought to bear on mechanisms that control centrosome localization in the context of cleavage plane determination, ciliogenesis, directional migration, and immunological synapse formation, among other cellular and developmental processes. The Golgi complex, often linked with the centrosome, presents a contrasting case of a pleiomorphic organelle for which functional studies advanced somewhat more rapidly than positional tracking.

Antiphospholipid antibodies promote tissue factor-dependent angiogenic switch and tumor progression.

Progression to an angiogenic state is a critical event in tumor development, yet few patient characteristics have been identified that can be mechanistically linked to this transition. Antiphospholipid autoantibodies (aPLs) are prevalent in many human cancers and can elicit proangiogenic expression in several cell types, but their role in tumor biology is unknown. Herein, we observed that the elevation of circulating aPLs among breast cancer patients is specifically associated with invasive-stage tumors.

Regenerative injection therapy with whole bone marrow aspirate for degenerative joint disease: a case series.

Regenerative therapeutic strategies for joint diseases usually employ either enriched concentrates of bone marrow-derived stem cells, chondrogenic preparations such as platelet-rich plasma, or irritant solutions such as hyperosmotic dextrose. In this case series, we describe our experience with a simple, cost-effective regenerative treatment using direct injection of unfractionated whole bone marrow (WBM) into osteoarthritic joints in combination with hyperosmotic dextrose. Seven patients with hip, knee or ankle osteoarthritis (OA) received two to seven treatments over a period of two to twelve months.