Comparative Gene Signature of Nociceptors Innervating Mouse Molar Teeth, Cranial Meninges, and Cornea.

Background: The trigeminal ganglion (TG) collects afferent sensory information from various tissues. Recent large-scale RNA sequencing of neurons of the TG and dorsal root ganglion has revealed a variety of functionally distinct neuronal subpopulations, but organ-specific information is lacking.

Methods: To link transcriptomic and tissue-specific information, we labeled small-diameter neurons of 3 specific subpopulations of the TG by local application of lipophilic carbocyanine dyes to their innervation site in the dental pulp, cornea, and meninges (dura mater).

Randomized trial evaluating an mHealth intervention for the early community-based detection and follow-up of cutaneous leishmaniasis in rural Colombia.

Background: In Latin America, cutaneous leishmaniasis primarily affects dispersed rural communities, that have limited access to the public health system and medical attention. Mobile health (mHealth) strategies have shown potential to improve clinical management and epidemiological surveillance of neglected tropical diseases, particularly those of the skin.

Methods: The Guaral +ST app for Android was designed to monitor cutaneous leishmaniasis treatment and assess therapeutic response.

Hemicolectomy versus appendectomy for patients with appendiceal neuroendocrine tumours 1-2 cm in size: a retrospective, Europe-wide, pooled cohort study.

Background: Awareness of the potential global overtreatment of patients with appendiceal neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) of 1-2 cm in size by performing oncological resections is increasing, but the rarity of this tumour has impeded clear recommendations to date. We aimed to assess the malignant potential of appendiceal NETs of 1-2 cm in size in patients with or without right-sided hemicolectomy.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we pooled data from 40 hospitals in 15 European countries for patients of any age and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status with a histopathologically confirmed appendiceal NET of 1-2 cm in size who had a complete resection of the primary tumour between Jan 1, 2000, and Dec 31, 2010.

Data management plan for a community-level study of the hidden burden of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Colombia.

Objectives: Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a vector-borne parasitic disease whose lasting scars can cause stigmatization and depressive symptoms. It is endemic in remote rural areas and its incidence is under-reported, while the effectiveness, as opposed to efficacy, of its treatments is largely unknown. Here we present the data management plan (DMP) of a project which includes mHealth tools to address these knowledge gaps in Colombia.

Odontoblast TRPC5 channels signal cold pain in teeth.

Teeth are composed of many tissues, covered by an inflexible and obdurate enamel. Unlike most other tissues, teeth become extremely cold sensitive when inflamed. The mechanisms of this cold sensation are not understood.

Fluorescent Labeling and 2-Photon Imaging of Mouse Tooth Pulp Nociceptors.

Retrograde fluorescent labeling of dental primary afferent neurons (DPANs) has been described in rats through crystalline fluorescent DiI, while in the mouse, this technique was achieved with only Fluoro-Gold, a neurotoxic fluorescent dye with membrane penetration characteristics superior to the carbocyanine dyes. We reevaluated this technique in the rat with the aim to transfer it to the mouse because comprehensive physiologic studies require access to the mouse as a model organism. Using conventional immunohistochemistry, we assessed in rats and mice the speed of axonal dye transport from the application site to the trigeminal ganglion, the numbers of stained DPANs, and the fluorescence intensity via 1) conventional crystalline DiI and 2) a novel DiI formulation with improved penetration properties and staining efficiency.

Multivariate metabotyping of plasma predicts survival in patients with decompensated cirrhosis.

Background & Aims: Predicting survival in decompensated cirrhosis (DC) is important in decision making for liver transplantation and resource allocation. We investigated whether high-resolution metabolic profiling can determine a metabolic phenotype associated with 90-day survival.

Methods: Two hundred and forty-eight subjects underwent plasma metabotyping by (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and reversed-phase ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-TOF-MS; DC: 80-derivation set, 101-validation; stable cirrhosis (CLD) 20 and 47 healthy controls (HC)).

Comparative analysis of antimicrobial resistance in enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli isolates from two paediatric cohort studies in Lima, Peru.

Background: Antibiotic resistance is increasing worldwide, being of special concern in low- and middle-income countries. The aim of this study was to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility and mechanisms of resistance in 205 enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) isolates from two cohort studies in children <24 months in Lima, Peru.

Methods: ETEC were identified by an in-house multiplex real-time PCR.

Virulence factors and mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance in Shigella strains from periurban areas of Lima (Peru).

The study was aimed to describe the serotype, mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance, and virulence determinants in Shigella spp. isolated from Peruvian children. Eighty three Shigella spp.

Bovine lactoferrin decreases cholera-toxin-induced intestinal fluid accumulation in mice by ganglioside interaction.

Secretory diarrhea caused by cholera toxin (CT) is initiated by binding of CT's B subunit (CTB) to GM1-ganglioside on the surface of intestinal cells. Lactoferrin, a breast milk glycoprotein, has shown protective effect against several enteropathogens. The aims of this study were to determine the effect of bovine-lactoferrin (bLF) on CT-induced intestinal fluid accumulation in mice, and the interaction between bLF and CT/CTB with the GM1-ganglioside receptor.

The Study to Explore Early Development (SEED): a multisite epidemiologic study of autism by the Centers for Autism and Developmental Disabilities Research and Epidemiology (CADDRE) network.

The Study to Explore Early Development (SEED), a multisite investigation addressing knowledge gaps in autism phenotype and etiology, aims to: (1) characterize the autism behavioral phenotype and associated developmental, medical, and behavioral conditions and (2) investigate genetic and environmental risks with emphasis on immunologic, hormonal, gastrointestinal, and sociodemographic characteristics. SEED uses a case-control design with population-based ascertainment of children aged 2-5 years with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and children in two control groups-one from the general population and one with non-ASD developmental problems. Data from parent-completed questionnaires, interviews, clinical evaluations, biospecimen sampling, and medical record abstraction focus on the prenatal and early postnatal periods.

A viral discovery methodology for clinical biopsy samples utilising massively parallel next generation sequencing.

Here we describe a virus discovery protocol for a range of different virus genera, that can be applied to biopsy-sized tissue samples. Our viral enrichment procedure, validated using canine and human liver samples, significantly improves viral read copy number and increases the length of viral contigs that can be generated by de novo assembly. This in turn enables the Illumina next generation sequencing (NGS) platform to be used as an effective tool for viral discovery from tissue samples.

Detection of the CS20 colonization factor antigen in diffuse-adhering Escherichia coli strains.

We analyzed a randomly selected group of 30 diffusely adherent (DAEC), 30 enteropathogenic, 30 enteroaggregative, and five Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli strains isolated from children with diarrhea. Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) colonization factors (CFs) were evaluated by a dot-blot assay using 21 CF-specific monoclonal antibodies.