A novel vascular homing peptide strategy to selectively enhance pulmonary drug efficacy in pulmonary arterial hypertension.

A major limitation in the pharmacological treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is the lack of pulmonary vascular selectivity. Recent studies have identified a tissue-penetrating homing peptide, CARSKNKDC (CAR), which specifically homes to hypertensive pulmonary arteries but not to normal pulmonary vessels or other tissues. Some tissue-penetrating vascular homing peptides have a unique ability to facilitate transport of co-administered drugs into the targeted cells/tissues without requiring physical conjugation of the drug to the peptide (bystander effect).

In the absence of effector proteins, the Pseudomonas aeruginosa type three secretion system needle tip complex contributes to lung injury and systemic inflammatory responses.

Herein we describe a pathogenic role for the Pseudomonas aeruginosa type three secretion system (T3SS) needle tip complex protein, PcrV, in causing lung endothelial injury. We first established a model in which P. aeruginosa wild type strain PA103 caused pneumonia-induced sepsis and distal organ dysfunction.

A candidate anti-HIV reservoir compound, auranofin, exerts a selective 'anti-memory' effect by exploiting the baseline oxidative status of lymphocytes.

Central memory (T(CM)) and transitional memory (T(TM)) CD4(+) T cells are known to be the major cellular reservoirs for HIV, as these cells can harbor a transcriptionally silent form of viral DNA that is not targeted by either the immune system or current antiretroviral drug regimens. In the present study, we explored the molecular bases of the anti-HIV reservoir effects of auranofin (AF), a pro-oxidant gold-based drug and a candidate compound for a cure of AIDS. We here show that T(CM) and T(TM) lymphocytes have lower baseline antioxidant defenses as compared with their naive counterpart.

[Implementation of an insertion bundle for preventing central line-associated bloodstream infections in an Intensive Care Unit in Colombia].

Background: Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) related to insertion and device care in intensive care units are frequent and preventable events.

Aim: To evaluate the reduction in the rate of CLABSI through implementation of an insertion bundle.

Methods: A study was conducted in the Adult-ICU at the University Hospital of Neiva comparing a pre-interventional period with an interventional one, each lasting 6 months; the intervention consisting of implementing a bundle of measures for the insertion of central venous catheters (CVC).

Risk of clinically significant depression in HIV-infected patients: effect of antiretroviral drugs.

Objectives: We aimed to characterize depression in newly diagnosed HIV-infected patients, to determine the effect of antiretroviral therapy (ART) on its incidence, and to investigate whether efavirenz use was associated with a higher risk, compared with non-efavirenz-containing regimens, in the Spanish CoRIS cohort.

Methods: CoRIS is a contemporary, multicentre cohort of HIV-infected patients, antiretroviral-naïve at entry, launched in 2004. Poisson regression models were used to investigate demographic, clinical and treatment-related factors associated with a higher incidence of clinically significant depression to October 2010.

[Labor management and the health and safety of thermoelectric plant workers: a study from the viewpoint of the activity].

This article presents the labor management changes and the implications for occupational health and safety that occurred after two thermoelectric plants were acquired by a government-owned, joint stock with private investors, energy corporation. The changes led part of these workers to question their own professional abilities, as previously experienced workers were suddenly considered unqualified due to the new organizational model and restructuring implemented in their units. It was seen how lack of professional recognition in the workplace led to negative health and safety consequences for workers, as there were numerous cases of psychic anguish, emotional disorders, musculoskeletal problems, gastrointestinal disorders, etc.

Spinal mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-3 (MKP-3) is necessary for the normal resolution of mechanical allodynia in a mouse model of acute postoperative pain.

The mechanisms that drive the normal resolution of acute postoperative pain are not completely understood. We hypothesize a pivotal role of a major spinal mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPKs) regulator, MAPK phosphatase (MKP)-3, in the resolution of postoperative pain. We used wild-type and MKP-3 knock-out (KO) mice, a paw incision model of acute postoperative pain, and behavioral and molecular biology experiments.

Assessment of spectral bands of interest in airflow signal to assist in sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome diagnosis.

In this work, we analyze power spectral density (PSD) from single-channel airflow (AF) in the context of sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (SAHS) diagnosis. PSDs from SAHS-positive and SAHS-negative subjects were compared through Mann-Whitney test to find bands of interest. Thereby, we characterized three spectral bands (BW1-BW3) by their relative power (P(R1)-P(R3)) and established relationships with apneas and hypopneas.

Lactate dehydrogenase a expression is necessary to sustain rapid angiogenesis of pulmonary microvascular endothelium.

Angiogenesis is a fundamental property of endothelium, yet not all endothelial cells display equivalent angiogenic responses; pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells undergo rapid angiogenesis when compared to endothelial cells isolated from conduit vessels. At present it is not clear how pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells fulfill the bioenergetic demands that are necessary to sustain such rapid blood vessel formation. We have previously established that pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells utilize aerobic glycolysis to generate ATP during growth, a process that requires the expression of lactate dehydrogenase A to convert pyruvate to lactate.

Thin-film tunable filters for hyperspectral fluorescence microscopy.

Hyperspectral imaging is a powerful tool that acquires data from many spectral bands, forming a contiguous spectrum. Hyperspectral imaging was originally developed for remote sensing applications; however, hyperspectral techniques have since been applied to biological fluorescence imaging applications, such as fluorescence microscopy and small animal fluorescence imaging. The spectral filtering method largely determines the sensitivity and specificity of any hyperspectral imaging system.

The formin FHOD1 and the small GTPase Rac1 promote vaccinia virus actin-based motility.

Vaccinia virus dissemination relies on the N-WASP-ARP2/3 pathway, which mediates actin tail formation underneath cell-associated extracellular viruses (CEVs). Here, we uncover a previously unappreciated role for the formin FHOD1 and the small GTPase Rac1 in vaccinia actin tail formation. FHOD1 depletion decreased the number of CEVs forming actin tails and impaired the elongation rate of the formed actin tails.

Pattern recognition in airflow recordings to assist in the sleep apnoea-hypopnoea syndrome diagnosis.

This paper aims at detecting sleep apnoea-hypopnoea syndrome (SAHS) from single-channel airflow (AF) recordings. The study involves 148 subjects. Our proposal is based on estimating the apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI) after global analysis of AF, including the investigation of respiratory rate variability (RRV).

Bariatric surgery rapidly improves mitochondrial respiration in morbidly obese patients.

Background: Obesity and its attendant comorbidities are an emerging epidemic. Chronic metabolic inflammation (metainflammation) is thought to precipitate obesity-associated morbidities; however, its mechanistic progression is poorly understood. Moreover, although interventions such as diet, exercise, and bariatric surgery can control body weight, their effects on metainflammation are also poorly understood.

Prevalence of rheumatologist-diagnosed psoriatic arthritis in patients with psoriasis in European/North American dermatology clinics.

Background: Prompt identification and treatment of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in patients with psoriasis is critical to reducing the risk of joint damage, disability, and comorbidities.

Objective: We sought to estimate PsA prevalence in patients with plaque psoriasis in 34 dermatology centers in 7 European and North American countries.

Methods: Consecutive patients were evaluated by dermatologists for plaque psoriasis and subsequently by rheumatologists for PsA.

Spatial and temporal trends in occurrence of emerging and legacy contaminants in the Lower Columbia River 2008-2010.

The Lower Columbia River in Oregon and Washington, USA, is an important resource for aquatic and terrestrial organisms, agriculture, and commerce. An 86-mile stretch of the river was sampled over a 3year period in order to determine the spatial and temporal trends in the occurrence and concentration of water-borne organic contaminants. Sampling occurred at 10 sites along this stretch and at 1 site on the Willamette River using the semipermeable membrane device (SPMD) and the polar organic chemical integrative sampler (POCIS) passive samplers.

Climate influences fledgling sex ratio and sex-specific dispersal in a seabird.

Climate influences the dynamics of natural populations by direct effects over habitat quality but also modulating the phenotypic responses of organisms' life-history traits. These responses may be different in males and females, particularly in dimorphic species, due to sex-specific requirements or constraints. Here, in a coastal seabird, the European shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis), we studied the influence of climate (North Atlantic Oscillation, NAO; Sea Surface Temperature, SST) on two sex-related population parameters: fledgling sex ratio and sex-specific dispersal.

Assessment of feature selection and classification approaches to enhance information from overnight oximetry in the context of apnea diagnosis.

This study is aimed at assessing the usefulness of different feature selection and classification methodologies in the context of sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (SAHS) detection. Feature extraction, selection and classification stages were applied to analyze blood oxygen saturation (SaO2) recordings in order to simplify polysomnography (PSG), the gold standard diagnostic methodology for SAHS. Statistical, spectral and nonlinear measures were computed to compose the initial feature set.

Refocusing Mussel Watch on contaminants of emerging concern (CECs): the California pilot study (2009-10).

To expand the utility of the Mussel Watch Program, local, regional and state agencies in California partnered with NOAA to design a pilot study that targeted contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). Native mussels (Mytilus spp.) from 68 stations, stratified by land use and discharge scenario, were collected in 2009-10 and analyzed for 167 individual pharmaceuticals, industrial and commercial chemicals and current use pesticides.

An approach for characterizing and comparing hyperspectral microscopy systems.

Hyperspectral imaging and analysis approaches offer accurate detection and quantification of fluorescently-labeled proteins and cells in highly autofluorescent tissues. However, selecting optimum acquisition settings for hyperspectral imaging is often a daunting task. In this study, we compared two hyperspectral systems-a widefield system with acoustic optical tunable filter (AOTF) and charge coupled device (CCD) camera, and a confocal system with diffraction gratings and photomultiplier tube (PMT) array.

Using SPMDs for monitoring hydrophobic organic compounds in urban river water in Korea compared with using conventional water grab samples.

We aimed to verify the effectiveness of semi-permeable membrane devices (SPMDs) for monitoring hydrophobic organic compounds, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), that are not easy to detect using conventional grab samples (because of their low concentrations), in water. We used SPMDs and grab samples to monitor PCBs and PBDEs upstream and downstream of a sewage treatment plant (STP) in the Suyeong River in Busan, Korea. Concentrations in three different phases (freely dissolved, apparently dissolved, and particulate) were measured, to investigate the aquatic fate of PCBs and PBDEs.

[The managerial dimension of labor: aspects of care activities].

The paper deals with the issue of the transformation of the worlds of work, focusing on the healthcare sector from the ergological perspective, the object of reflection and analysis of which are human activities. Initially an attempt is made to show the transformations that have occurred in performing the activity per se, emphasizing the discussions of norms and values present in healthcare situations, based on research that addressed the activities of care. Subsequently the change of values that occur in a tripolar space are discussed, in which the activity is one of the poles, indicating the tensions that impinge upon it and examining the coexistence of different temporalities that surround the worlds of work.

Alteration of mitochondrial function and insulin sensitivity in primary mouse skeletal muscle cells isolated from transgenic and knockout mice: role of ogg1.

Recent evidence has linked mitochondrial dysfunction and DNA damage, increased oxidative stress in skeletal muscle, and insulin resistance (IR). The purpose of this study was to determine the role of the DNA repair enzyme, human 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase/apurinic/apyrimidinic lyase (hOGG1), on palmitate-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and IR in primary cultures of skeletal muscle derived from hind limb of ogg1(-/-) knockout mice and transgenic mice, which overexpress human (hOGG1) in mitochondria (transgenic [Tg]/MTS-hOGG1). Following exposure to palmitate, we evaluated mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) damage, mitochondrial function, production of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS), mitochondrial mass, JNK activation, insulin signaling pathways, and glucose uptake.

The Mussel Watch California pilot study on contaminants of emerging concern (CECs): synthesis and next steps.

A multiagency pilot study on mussels (Mytilus spp.) collected at 68 stations in California revealed that 98% of targeted contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) were infrequently detectable at concentrations ≤ 1 ng/g. Selected chemicals found in commercial and consumer products were more frequently detected at mean concentrations up to 470 ng/g dry wt.

Efficacy and safety of open-label etanercept on extended oligoarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis, enthesitis-related arthritis and psoriatic arthritis: part 1 (week 12) of the CLIPPER study.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and safety of etanercept (ETN) in paediatric subjects with extended oligoarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (eoJIA), enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA), or psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Methods: CLIPPER is an ongoing, Phase 3b, open-label, multicentre study; the 12-week (Part 1) data are reported here. Subjects with eoJIA (2-17 years), ERA (12-17 years), or PsA (12-17 years) received ETN 0.