Enhanced versus automated urinalysis for screening of urinary tract infections in children in the emergency department.

Background: Urinary tract infections (UTI) are the most common serious bacterial infection in febrile infants. Urinalysis (UA) is a screening test for preliminary diagnosis of UTI. UA can be performed manually or using automated techniques.

Comparison of CEDIA FK506 assay with HPLC/MS/MS in a large cohort of pediatric patients.

FK506 (tacrolimus), a macrolide immunosuppressant, is widely used in pediatric transplant patients, but a relatively narrow therapeutic window in children vs adults requires close and accurate monitoring of whole blood FK506 levels. High-pressure liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS/MS)-based assays have been viewed as the gold standard but are more time and labor intensive than cloned enzyme donor immunoassay (CEDIA). To analyze differences between the 2 assays, we assayed FK506 in 348 split samples simultaneously by both methods.

Activated partial thromboplastin time is a better trending tool in pediatric extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Objectives: To determine whether activated partial thromboplastin times are a better heparin management tool than activated clotting times in pediatric extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Design: A single-center retrospective analysis of perfusion and patient records.

Setting: Academic pediatric tertiary care center.

Endoplasmic reticulum stress causes EBV lytic replication.

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress triggers a homeostatic cellular response in mammalian cells to ensure efficient folding, sorting, and processing of client proteins. In lytic-permissive lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs), pulse exposure to the chemical ER-stress inducer thapsigargin (TG) followed by recovery resulted in the activation of the EBV immediate-early (BRLF1, BZLF1), early (BMRF1), and late (gp350) genes, gp350 surface expression, and virus release. The protein phosphatase 1 a (PP1a)-specific phosphatase inhibitor Salubrinal (SAL) synergized with TG to induce EBV lytic genes; however, TG treatment alone was sufficient to activate EBV lytic replication.

Cellular factors associated with latency and spontaneous Epstein-Barr virus reactivation in B-lymphoblastoid cell lines.

EBV-immortalized B-lymphoblastoid cell lines are used as models for cellular transformation and as antigen-presenting cells in immunological assays. LCLs vary in surface markers and other phenotypic properties, but it is not known how this heterogeneity relates to the EBV life cycle. To explore correlations, we examined 62 LCLs for cellular and viral phenotypes.

EBNA3C interacts with Gadd34 and counteracts the unfolded protein response.

EBNA3C is an EBV-encoded nuclear protein, essential for proliferation of EBV infected B-lymphocytes. Using EBNA3C amino acids 365-545 in a yeast two hybrid screen, we found an interaction with the Growth Arrest and DNA-damage protein, Gadd34. When both proteins are overexpressed, Gadd34 can interact with EBNA3C in both nuclear and cytoplasmic compartments.

Activated protein C resistance and factor V Leiden: a review.

Context: Factor V Leiden (FVL) is the most common heritable cause of venous thrombosis. It is caused by a single nucleotide substitution resulting in an R506Q missense mutation, resulting in factor V resistance to activated protein C (APC) inactivation. Carriers of FVL have an increased susceptibility to venous thrombosis, which is further increased in the presence of other genetic or environmental risk factors.

NXP-2 association with SUMO-2 depends on lysines required for transcriptional repression.

Small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) modification of transcription factors is generally associated with repression. Reverse genetic analysis of SUMO-1, and -2 conserved residues emphasized the importance of dual charge reversals in abrogating the critical role of SUMO-2 K33, K35, and K42 in repression. GST-SUMO-2-affinity chromatography followed by liquid chromatography (LC)-MS analysis identified proteins that appeared to bind preferentially to WT SUMO-2 versus SUMO-2 K33E and K35E.

EBNA3C coactivation with EBNA2 requires a SUMO homology domain.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) nuclear antigen 3C (EBNA3C) is critical for EBV immortalization of infected B lymphocytes and can coactivate the EBV LMP1 promoter with EBNA2. EBNA3C amino acids 365 to 545 are necessary and sufficient for coactivation and are required for SUMO-1 and SUMO-3 interaction. We found that EBNA3C but not EBNA3CDelta343-545 colocalized with SUMO-1 in nuclear bodies and was modified by SUMO-2, SUMO-3, and SUMO-1.