Data-Driven Image Analysis to Determine Antibody-Induced Dissociation of Cell-Cell Adhesion and Antibody Pathogenicity in Pemphigus Vulgaris.

Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a blistering autoimmune disease that affects the skin and mucous membranes. The precise mechanisms by which PV antibodies induce a complete loss of cohesion of keratinocytes are not fully understood. But it is accepted that the process starts with antibody binding to desmosomal targets which leads to its disassembly and subsequent structural changes to cell-cell adhesions.

Poly[poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate]-modified starch-based solid and gel polymer electrolytes for high performance Li-ion batteries.

The idea of replacing liquid electrolytes with polymer electrolytes has been successful and the development of these electrolytes has provided acceptable results. With the start of using natural polymers in the polymer industry, as well as starch, these materials can be one of the most important candidates for the polymer matrix in electrolytes. In this study, starch has been investigated as a polymer electrolyte, poly[poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate] (PEGMA) is grafted to the starch by radical polymerization, and synthesized copolymers are used as solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs).

Desmosomal Cadherin Tension Loss in Pemphigus Vulgaris Mediated by the Inhibition of Active RhoA at Cell-Cell Adhesions.

Binding of autoantibodies to keratinocyte surface antigens, primarily desmoglein 3 (Dsg3) of the desmosomal complex, leads to the dissociation of cell-cell adhesion in the blistering disorder pemphigus vulgaris (PV). After the initial disassembly of desmosomes, cell-cell adhesions actively remodel in association with the cytoskeleton and focal adhesions. Growing evidence highlights the role of adhesion mechanics and mechanotransduction at cell-cell adhesions in this remodeling process, as their active participation may direct autoimmune pathogenicity.

Synthesis and evaluation of cellulose/polypyrrole composites as polymer electrolytes for lithium-ion battery application.

Natural polymers as battery components have a number of advantages, including availability, biodegradability, unleakage, stable form, superior process, electrochemical stability, and low cost. In other sides, conductive polymers can improve the electrochemical properties of the battery, such as charge/discharge rates, cycling stability, and overall energy storage capacity. Therefore, the combination of these two materials can provide acceptable features.

Quantitative Classification of 3D Collagen Fiber Organization From Volumetric Images.

Collagen fibers in biological tissues have a complex 3D organization containing rich information linked to tissue mechanical properties and are affected by mutations that lead to diseases. Quantitative assessment of this 3D collagen fiber organization could help to develop reliable biomechanical models and understand tissue structure-function relationships, which impact diagnosis and treatment of diseases or injuries. While there are advanced techniques for imaging collagen fibers, published methods for quantifying 3D collagen fiber organization have been sparse and give limited structural information which cannot distinguish a wide range of 3D organizations.

The Eurasian lactase persistence variant -13910 C/T is associated with vitamin D levels in individuals living at high latitude, more so than exposure to sunlight.

Rapid selection of a genetic variant that confers continuous life-long lactase production in Europeans (-13910 C/T) has been attributed to the advantages of acquiring nutrients from consuming milk without the disadvantages of lactose malabsorption. Individuals with this genetic lactase persistence (LP) variant generally consume more milk and have been shown to have higher levels of serum vitamin D. Vitamin D is the principal regulator of Ca absorption and its synthesis in skin is dependent on UVB exposure.

An indentation-based approach to determine the elastic constants of soft anisotropic tissues.

Characterization of the mechanical properties of tissue can help to understand tissue mechanobiology, including disease diagnosis and progression. Indentation is increasingly used to measure the local mechanical properties of tissue, but it has not been fully adapted to capture anisotropic properties. This paper presents an indentation-based method to measure elastic constants of soft anisotropic tissues without additional mechanical tests.

The Role of Polymorphonuclear Leukocyte Counts from Urethra, Cervix, and Vaginal Wet Mount in Diagnosis of Nongonococcal Lower Genital Tract Infection.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMNL) inflammatory response in women with nongonococcal lower genital tract infection (LGTI) can be used to optimize criteria for syndromic treatment.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of 375 women attending the STI clinic in Oslo. Urethral, cervical, and vaginal specimens underwent microscopy for PMNLs.

Lactase persistence may explain the paradoxical findings of high vitamin D concentrations in Europeans living in areas of low UV-B irradiation.

Background/objectives: Vitamin D has a critical role in skeletal health and maintaining serum calcium levels. Calcium is needed for a variety of cellular and metabolic processes in the body. Large amounts of vitamin D can be produced in the skin when exposed to UV-B radiation.

Short-term result of collagen crosslinking in pellucid marginal degeneration.

Background: To evaluate effectiveness of collagen crosslinking in pellucid marginal degeneration patients.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-one eyes of 15 patients treated by collagen crosslinking were enrolled in our non-controlled clinical trial study. After evaluation of patients about inclusion and exclusion criteria, preoperative examination was done and then patients underwent CXL procedure and seen 6 months after surgery for postoperative examinations.

Microscopy of Stained Urethral Smear in Male Urethritis; Which Cutoff Should be Used?

Background: The microscopical diagnosis of male urethritis was recently questioned by Rietmeijer and Mettenbrink, lowering the diagnostic criteria of the diagnosis to ≥2 polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMNL) per high power field (HPF), and adopted by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in their 2015 STD Treatment Guidelines. The European Non-Gonococcal Urethritis Guideline advocates a limit of ≥5 PMNL/HPF.

Objective: To determine if syndromic treatment of urethritis should be considered with a cutoff value of ≥2 PMNL/HPF in urethral smear.

Urethral inflammatory response to ureaplasma is significantly lower than to Mycoplasma genitalium and Chlamydia trachomatis.

A non-syndromic approach to treatment of people with non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU) requires identification of pathogens and understanding of the role of those pathogens in causing disease. The most commonly detected and isolated micro-organisms in the male urethral tract are bacteria belonging to the family of Mycoplasmataceae, in particular Ureaplasma urealyticum and Ureaplasma parvum. To better understand the role of these Ureaplasma species in NGU, we have performed a prospective analysis of male patients voluntarily attending a drop in STI clinic in Oslo.

Analysis of direct-to-consumer marketed Chlamydia trachomatis diagnostic tests in Norway.

Unlabelled: Background In 2014, and for the first time in Norway, a pharmacy chain started selling home sampling kits for Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis) detection. Direct-to-consumer diagnostic kits for C.

Recovery of Bordetella pertussis from PCR-positive nasopharyngeal samples is dependent on bacterial load.

Viable Bordetella pertussis isolates are essential for surveillance purposes. We performed culture of 223 PCR-positive nasopharyngeal samples. B.

Genetic variants at the ITPA locus protect against ribavirin-induced hemolytic anemia and dose reduction in an HCV G2/G3 cohort.

Objectives: Two functional genetic variants in the inosine triphosphatase (ITPA) gene have been shown to be strongly associated with protection from ribavirin (RBV)-induced hemolysis. We aimed at evaluating this finding in a chronic hepatitis C genotype 2/3 cohort with a predominance of genotype 3 patients where available data are scarce. A second objective was to determine whether a protective association translated into the need for RBV reduction and hence a possible impact on treatment response.

IL28B genetic variation and treatment response in patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 3 infection.

Unlabelled: Polymorphisms near the IL28B gene, which code for interferon (IFN)-λ3, predict response to pegylated interferon-α (PEG-IFN) and ribavirin treatment in hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 infected patients. Follow-up studies of the effect of IL28B gene in HCV non-genotype 1 infected patients have almost always used predominantly HCV genotype 2-infected or mixed genotype 2/3-infected cohorts with results partly conflicting with HCV genotype 1. We performed a retrospective analysis of 281 patients infected with HCV genotype 3 for association of response to therapy with IL28B polymorphisms.

[The Swedish Chlamydia mutant nvC trachomatis in Norway].

Background: A mutant Chlamydia trachomatis variant (nvC trachomatis) has made it more difficult to diagnose chlamydia in Sweden. The proportion of nvC trachomatis has varied between Swedish counties (25-80 %) in the period 2006-07. Our goal has been to monitor nvC trachomatis among our patients from January 2007 and up to July 2008.

Row spacing and inter row spacing effects on some agro-physiological traits of two common bean (Phaseolous vulgaris L.) cultivars.

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of row spacing (RS) and inter row spacing (IRS) on some agro-physiological traits of 2 common bean (Phaseolous vulgaris L.) cultivars, at the agricultural research area, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Urmia, Iran during 2003. Experimental design was a factorial split-plot based on randomized complete block design with 3 replications.

[Mycoplasma genitalium in men with non-gonococcal urethritis].

Background: C. trachomatis is the underlying cause of 20?-?50 % of sexually transmitted urethritis cases. Data from the last 10?-?15 years indicate that M.

Cervical intradural ventral arachnoid cyst resected via anterior corpectomy with reconstruction: a case report.

Unlabelled: Intradural arachnoid cysts are rare lesions that frequently arise posterior to the spinal cord in the thoracic spine region. Those located at the cervical spine level, anterior to the spinal cord are even rarer. The usual treatment of symptomatic intradural spinal cysts involves surgical removal through a posterior approach using a laminectomy or laminotomy.

Cervical intradural lipoma with associated hemivertebra formation at C6 level: a case report.

Unlabelled: INTRODUCTION AND CASE DESCRIPTION: Intramedullary lipomas are rare tumours of the spinal cord and account for about 1% of all spinal neoplasms. These lesions can occur anywhere along the length of spinal cord, but are frequently localized to the lower thoracic and lumbosacral levels. The authors present a 18-year-old female with intractable shoulder and neck pain and progressive weakness in the upper extremities, harbouring a cervical intradural lipoma with intramedullary extension, along with concomitant scoliosis.

[Evaluation of the genetic lactose intolerance test].

Background: Lactose intolerance afflicts 5-10% of the population in western Europe, but is very common (up to 90%) in the southern hemisphere. Traditional analysis methods are based on lactose intake followed by determination of blood glucose concentration or exhaled H 2 and CH 4 . In many diagnostic laboratories, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis on C/T-13910 has been introduced as a replacement for the traditional lactose intolerance testing.