The original version of this Article omitted the author Kuan Wang, who is from the 'College of Biomedical Engineering, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan' and 'Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637141, Singapore.'Also, the author S.H.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Purpose: Individual assessment of the absolute risk of intracranial aneurysm rupture remains challenging. Emerging imaging techniques such as dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging and postcontrast vessel wall MR imaging may improve risk estimation by providing new information on aneurysm wall properties. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between aneurysm wall permeability on dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging and aneurysm wall enhancement on postcontrast vessel wall MR imaging in unruptured intracranial aneurysms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To develop a valid algorithm for identifying multiple sclerosis (MS) cases in administrative health claims (AHC) datasets.
Methods: We used 4 AHC datasets from the Veterans Administration (VA), Kaiser Permanente Southern California (KPSC), Manitoba (Canada), and Saskatchewan (Canada). In the VA, KPSC, and Manitoba, we tested the performance of candidate algorithms based on inpatient, outpatient, and disease-modifying therapy (DMT) claims compared to medical records review using sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and interrater reliability (Youden J statistic) both overall and stratified by sex and age.
Objective: To generate a national multiple sclerosis (MS) prevalence estimate for the United States by applying a validated algorithm to multiple administrative health claims (AHC) datasets.
Methods: A validated algorithm was applied to private, military, and public AHC datasets to identify adult cases of MS between 2008 and 2010. In each dataset, we determined the 3-year cumulative prevalence overall and stratified by age, sex, and census region.
The chemical functionalities within biopolymers determine their physical properties and biological activities. The relationship between the side chains available to a biopolymer population and the potential functions of the resulting polymers, however, has proven difficult to study experimentally. Using seven sets of chemically diverse charged, polar, and nonpolar side chains, we performed cycles of artificial translation, in vitro selections for binding to either PCSK9 or IL-6 protein, and replication on libraries of random side chain-functionalized nucleic acid polymers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRationale: Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) in combination with CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing provide unparalleled opportunities to study cardiac biology and disease. However, sarcomeres, the fundamental units of myocyte contraction, are immature and nonlinear in hiPSC-CMs, which technically challenge accurate functional interrogation of contractile parameters in beating cells. Furthermore, existing analysis methods are relatively low-throughput, indirectly assess contractility, or only assess well-aligned sarcomeres found in mature cardiac tissues.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To explore sensitivity of optical coherence tomography (OCT) in detecting prior unilateral optic neuritis.
Methods: This is a retrospective, observational clinical study of all patients who presented from January 1, 2014, to January 6, 2017, with unilateral optic neuritis and OCT available at least 3 months after the attack. We compared OCT retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and ganglion cell inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) thicknesses between affected and unaffected contralateral eyes.
scores provide an alternative approach to measuring dietary quality. The Growing Up Milk-Lite (GUMLi) Trial was a multi-centre, double-blinded, randomised controlled trial of children randomised to receive a reduced protein GUM (GUMLi) or unfortified cow's milk (CM). In a secondary analysis of the GUMLi Trial, we used the Probability of Adequate Nutrient Intake (PANDiet) to determine the nutritional adequacy of the diets of participating children living in Auckland.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground and Purpose- We sought to explore the effect of genetic imbalance on functional outcome after ischemic stroke (IS). Methods- Copy number variation was identified in high-density single-nucleotide polymorphism microarray data of IS patients from the CADISP (Cervical Artery Dissection and Ischemic Stroke Patients) and SiGN (Stroke Genetics Network)/GISCOME (Genetics of Ischaemic Stroke Functional Outcome) networks. Genetic imbalance, defined as total number of protein-coding genes affected by copy number variations in an individual, was compared between patients with favorable (modified Rankin Scale score of 0-2) and unfavorable (modified Rankin Scale score of ≥3) outcome after 3 months.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImportance: Deviation from normal adolescent brain development precedes manifestations of many major psychiatric symptoms. Such altered developmental trajectories in adolescents may be linked to genetic risk for psychopathology.
Objective: To identify genetic variants associated with adolescent brain structure and explore psychopathologic relevance of such associations.
The identification of activating mutations in NOTCH1 in 50% of T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia has generated interest in elucidating how these mutations contribute to oncogenic transformation and in targeting the pathway. A phenotypic screen identified compounds that interfere with trafficking of Notch and induce apoptosis via an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress mechanism. Target identification approaches revealed a role for SLC39A7 (ZIP7), a zinc transport family member, in governing Notch trafficking and signaling.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe developed a high-throughput mass spectrometry-based method to simultaneously quantify numerous small-molecule thiols and disulfides in blood plasma. Application of this assay to analyze plasma from patients with known oxidative stress (sickle cell disease and sepsis) and from a patient with sickle cell disease treated with the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine suggests that cysteine disulfides, in particular protein-bound cysteine, serve as sensitive plasma biomarkers for the extent of oxidative stress and effectiveness of antioxidant treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2019
Active matter comprises individual units that convert energy into mechanical motion. In many examples, such as bacterial systems and biofilament assays, constituent units are elongated and can give rise to local nematic orientational order. Such "active nematics" systems have attracted much attention from both theorists and experimentalists.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) increases cardiovascular risk. Underlying mechanisms, however, remain obscure. The uremic toxin indoxyl sulfate is an independent cardiovascular risk factor in CKD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNanomaterials (Basel)
December 2018
Nanoparticles are defined as elementary particles with a size between 1 and 100 nm for at least 50% (in number). They can be made from natural materials, or manufactured. Due to their small sizes, novel toxicological issues are raised and thus determining the accurate size of these nanoparticles is a major challenge.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRationale: AngII (angiotensin II)-mediated vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) dysfunction plays a major role in hypertension. Long noncoding RNAs have elicited much interest, but their molecular roles in AngII actions and hypertension are unclear.
Objective: To investigate the regulation and functions of a novel long noncoding RNA growth factor- and proinflammatory cytokine-induced vascular cell-expressed RNA ( Giver), in AngII-mediated VSMC dysfunction.
Background: In photosynthetic oleaginous microalgae, acyl-CoA molecules are used as substrates for the biosynthesis of membrane glycerolipids, triacylglycerol (TAG) and other acylated molecules. Acyl-CoA can also be directed to beta-oxidative catabolism. They can be utilized by a number of lipid metabolic enzymes including endogenous thioesterases, which catalyze their hydrolysis to release free fatty acids.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMesh segmentation is a process of partitioning a mesh model into meaningful parts - a fundamental problem in various disciplines. This paper introduces a novel mesh segmentation method inspired by sparsity pursuit. Based on the local geometric and topological information of a given mesh, we build a Laplacian matrix whose Fiedler vector is used to characterize the uniformity among elements of the same segment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aggregation of intracellular tau protein is a major hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The extent and the stereotypical spread of tau pathology in the AD brain are correlated with cognitive decline during disease progression. Here we present an in-depth analysis of endogenous tau fragmentation in a well-characterized cohort of AD and age-matched control subjects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTuberaceae is one of the most diverse lineages of symbiotic truffle-forming fungi. To understand the molecular underpinning of the ectomycorrhizal truffle lifestyle, we compared the genomes of Piedmont white truffle (Tuber magnatum), Périgord black truffle (Tuber melanosporum), Burgundy truffle (Tuber aestivum), pig truffle (Choiromyces venosus) and desert truffle (Terfezia boudieri) to saprotrophic Pezizomycetes. Reconstructed gene duplication/loss histories along a time-calibrated phylogeny of Ascomycetes revealed that Tuberaceae-specific traits may be related to a higher gene diversification rate.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSterol glycosyltransferases catalyze the formation of a variety of glycosylated sterol derivatives and are involved in producing a plethora of bioactive natural products. To understand the molecular mechanism of sterol glycosyltransferases, we determined crystal structures of a sterol glycosyltransferase UGT51 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The structures of the UGT51 and its complex with uridine diphosphate glucose (UDPG) were solved at resolutions of 2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The Hu5F9-G4 (hereafter, 5F9) antibody is a macrophage immune checkpoint inhibitor blocking CD47 that induces tumor-cell phagocytosis. 5F9 synergizes with rituximab to eliminate B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cells by enhancing macrophage-mediated antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis. This combination was evaluated clinically.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground Activin receptor-like kinase 4 ( ALK 4) is highly expressed in mammal heart. Atrial fibrillation ( AF ) is closely related to ventricular pressure overload. Because pressure overload increases atrial pressure and leads to atrial remodeling, it would be informative to know whether ALK 4 exerts potential effects on atrial remodeling and AF vulnerability in a pressure-overload model.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRationale: Aging is one of the most significant risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, and the incidence of myocardial ischemia increases dramatically with age. Some studies have reported that cardiosphere-derived cells (CDCs) could benefit the injured heart. Nevertheless, the convincing evidence on CDC-induced improvement of aging heart is still limited.
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