Religion, spirituality, and DNA methylation in HPA-axis genes among Hispanic/Latino adults.

Aim: Investigate associations between religion and spirituality (R&S) and DNA methylation of four HPA-axis genes (i.e. 14 CpG sites) among 992 adults from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos cohorts.

Mitral Annular Disjunction Associated with Ventricular Dilation in Pediatric Marfan Syndrome: A Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Study.

Background: Mitral annular disjunction (MAD) has increasingly been recognized as a marker for adverse cardiovascular events in Marfan syndrome (MFS). As recent adult data links MFS with left ventricular (LV) dilation and reduced ejection fraction (LVEF), we hypothesized that MAD may be associated with LV dilation in pediatric MFS patients.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed among MFS patients < 19 years old at initial cardiac MRI (CMR).

Neuronal excitability modulates developmental time of Drosophila melanogaster.

Developmental time is a fundamental life history trait that affects the reproductive success of animals. Developmental time is known to be regulated by many genes and environmental conditions, yet mechanistic understandings of how various cellular processes influence the developmental timing of an organism are lacking. The nervous system is known to control key processes that affect developmental time, including the release of hormones that signal transitions between developmental stages.

Comparing palliation strategies for single-ventricle anatomy with transposed great arteries and systemic outflow obstruction.

Objective: Patients with complex single-ventricle anatomy with transposed great arteries and systemic outflow obstruction (SV-TGA-SOO) undergo varied initial palliation with ultimate goal of Fontan circulation. We examine a longitudinal experience with multiple techniques, including the largest published cohort following palliative arterial switch operation (pASO), to describe outcomes and decision-making factors.

Methods: Neonates with SV-TGA-SOO who underwent initial surgical palliation from 1995 to 2022 at a single institution were retrospectively reviewed.

Evaluation of Spore Acquisition, Spore Production, and Host Survival Time for Tea Shot-Hole Borer, , Adults after Exposure to Four Commercial Products Containing .

, the tea shot-hole borer (TSHB), is an invasive ambrosia beetle that vectors several fungal pathogens that cause branch dieback in avocado trees in southern Florida. This study assessed the potential of four commercial products containing the entomopathogenic fungus () for managing adult TSHB beetles. Formulated products containing strains to which adult beetles were exposed were BioCeres WP, BotaniGard WP, BotaniGard ES, and Velifer ES.

Addressing Food Insecurity: Lessons Learned from Co-Locating a Food Pantry with a Federally Qualified Health Center.

Introduction: Social determinants of health, such as food insecurity, contribute to chronic health conditions, decreased quality of life, and health disparities. Increasingly, healthcare systems seek to address social determinants of health by integrating medical and social care.

Description: Eskenazi Health Center Pecar is a Federally Qualified Health Center providing comprehensive primary care to vulnerable patients in Indianapolis, IN, USA.

Cognitive improvements in a rat model with polyunsaturated fatty acids EPA and DHA through α7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.

The α7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7-nAChR) is a recognized target for the treatment of dementia associated with aging and certain developmental disorders. This study evaluates memory improvement in a rat model by the effects of polyunsaturated fatty acids EPA and DHA mediated by α7-nAChR, as well as identifying the minimum dose of EPA/DHA required to generate an effect in the improvement of cognition through α7-nAChR in rats. The modified Y-maze and object recognition behavioral tests were performed in scopolamine-induced amnesic rats, in order to study the effects of long-term supplementation (10, 15, 30, and 60 mg/kg) of the two polyunsaturated fatty acids in improving cognitive impairment.

Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Receptor 1 Activity Promotes Tumor Growth by Amplifying VEGF-VEGFR2 Angiogenic Signaling.

The vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A)-VEGFR2 pathway drives tumor vascularization by activating proangiogenic signaling in endothelial cells (ECs). Here, we show that EC-sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1 (S1PR1) amplifies VEGFR2-mediated angiogenic signaling to enhance tumor growth. We show that cancer cells induce S1PR1 activity in ECs, and thereby, conditional deletion of S1PR1 in ECs (EC-S1pr1 mice) impairs tumor vascularization and growth.

S1PR1 Tyr143 phosphorylation downregulates endothelial cell surface S1PR1 expression and responsiveness.

Activation of sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1 (S1PR1) plays a key role in repairing endothelial barrier function. We addressed the role of phosphorylation of the three intracellular tyrosine residues of S1PR1 in endothelial cells in regulating the receptor responsiveness and endothelial barrier function regulated by sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P)-mediated activation of S1PR1. We demonstrated that phosphorylation of only Y143 site was required for S1PR1 internalization in response to S1P.

Neural Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (N-WASP)-mediated p120-catenin interaction with Arp2-Actin complex stabilizes endothelial adherens junctions.

Stable adherens junctions (AJs) are required for formation of restrictive endothelial barrier. Vascular endothelial cadherin from contiguous endothelial cells forms AJs, which are stabilized intracellularly by binding of p120-catenin and cortical actin. Mechanisms inducing cortical actin formation and enabling its linkage with p120-catenin remain enigmatic.

New insights into the regulation of vascular permeability.

The endothelium size selectively allows transport of fluids, ions, macromolecules, and leukocytes across the vessel wall paracellularly by dynamically opening intercellular junctions or transcellularly through caveolae. However, persistent opening of intercellular junctions leads to the formation of protein-rich edema in the interstitial tissue, a hallmark of tissue inflammation that, if left untreated, causes fatal diseases like acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The requirements for continuous transendothelial protein flux while limiting leukocyte flux into tissue imply that signaling processes exist in the endothelium that dynamically controls protein flux and leukocyte migration between the vascular and extravascular spaces.

A new role for PTEN in regulating transient receptor potential canonical channel 6-mediated Ca2+ entry, endothelial permeability, and angiogenesis.

Phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN) is a dual lipid-protein phosphatase that catalyzes the conversion of phosphoinositol 3,4,5-triphosphate to phosphoinositol 4,5-bisphosphate and thereby inhibits PI3K-Akt-dependent cell proliferation, migration, and tumor vascularization. We have uncovered a previously unrecognized role for PTEN in regulating Ca(2+) entry through transient receptor potential canonical channel 6 (TRPC6) that does not require PTEN phosphatase activity. We show that PTEN tail-domain residues 394-403 permit PTEN to associate with TRPC6.