Hyaluronic Acid Binding Peptide Regulates Extracellular Matrix Deposition And Diminishes Fibroblast Contractility.

Fibroblasts are central to variety of homeostatic events such as wound healing and tissue regeneration. However, their pathologic activation is thought to play roles in a variety of diseases not only limited to fibrosis, foreign body reaction, scleroderma but also cancer metastasis. Biophysical properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM) deposited by an activated fibroblast determine whether there is a pro-regenerative or scarring response.

Ballet and how it can improve neuromuscular function with age.

Ballet shows numerous physiological benefits for dancers, with adaptations in posture, power, strength, stamina, and balance. A recent study from Simpkins and Yang ( 132: 1115-1125, 2024) showed that 45% of ballet-trained dancers experienced a fall during a standing-slip perturbation, compared with 82.6% of nondancers, along with shorter step latencies, durations, and speeds, which were accompanied by shorter electromyographic latencies in several leg muscles.

The Pharmacokinetics of Δ-Tetrahydrocannabinol in Sheep.

The pharmacokinetics of Δ-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ-THC) has not been established in ruminants. Pharmacokinetic knowledge is important given feeding industrial hemp biomass has been shown to result in tissue residues post feeding in sheep. Due to a lack of testing and available data, a 'maximum' concentration of Δ-THC has not been currently set for foods of animal origin.

Global Progression Rates of Precursor Lesions for Gastric Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background & Aims: Whether gastric cancer (GC) precursor lesions progress to invasive cancer at similar rates globally remains unknown. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the progression of precursor lesions to GC in countries with low versus medium/high incidence.

Methods: We searched relevant databases for studies reporting the progression of endoscopically confirmed precursor lesions to GC.

BK channels promote action potential repolarization in skeletal muscle but contribute little to myotonia.

Patients with myotonia congenita suffer from slowed relaxation of muscle (myotonia), due to hyperexcitability caused by loss-of-function mutations in the ClC-1 chloride channel. A recent study suggested that block of large-conductance voltage- and Ca- activated K channels (BK) may be effective as therapy. The mechanism underlying efficacy was suggested to be lessening of the depolarizing effect of build-up of K in t-tubules of muscle during repetitive firing.

Standardizing Extracted Data Using Automated Application of Controlled Vocabularies.

Background: Extraction of toxicological end points from primary sources is a central component of systematic reviews and human health risk assessments. To ensure optimal use of these data, consistent language should be used for end point descriptions. However, primary source language describing treatment-related end points can vary greatly, resulting in large labor efforts to manually standardize extractions before data are fit for use.

Knowledge of Oral Emergency Contraception Among Pharmacy Students.

Background: Access to emergency contraception is an important consideration in preventing unintended pregnancies. Inconsistent information about emergency contraceptive given to patients at retail pharmacies may limit access.

Objective: In this study, we aimed to assess pharmacy students' knowledge of oral emergency contraception.

MicroRNA-510 mediated negative regulation of Caveolin-1 in fibroblasts promotes aggressive tumor growth.

Introduction: In the US, despite the recent decline in breast cancer deaths, a persistent mortality disparity exists between black and white women with breast cancer, with black women having a 41% higher death rate. Several studies are now reporting that racial disparities can exist independent of socioeconomic and standard of care issues, suggesting that biological factors may be involved. Caveolin-1 (Cav1) loss in the tumor stromal compartment is a novel clinical biomarker for predicting poor outcome in breast cancer including triple negative subtype, however the mechanism of Cav1 loss is unknown.

The Role of Autopsy in Quality Assurance: Pilot Study of a Method for Prospective Reporting of Diagnostic Errors Discovered at Autopsy.

Hospital autopsies frequently reveal errors in diagnosis that could have affected the patient's clinical outcome. The aims of this study were (1) to investigate the ability of autopsy at our institution to elucidate unrecognized antemortem diagnoses and (2) to pilot a method for tabulating diagnostic discrepancies on a prospective basis. The study sample consisted of 296 cases from our hybrid hospital/forensic autopsy service during the period 2016 to 2018.

Creating International Student Experiences Through Academic-INGO Partnerships.

Introduction: Short-term experiences in global health (STEGH) provide nursing students with opportunities to develop global health competencies through immersion in another culture. Skills that students obtain by participating in STEGHs can inform future practice with diverse patient populations. However, educators encounter unique challenges to the quality and sustainability of STEGHs.

Developing Fibrous Biomaterials to Modulate Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition.

Despite their critical roles in tissue repair and pathological processes such as fibrosis, tumor invasion, and metastasis, the origins of mesenchymal cells remain poorly understood. Among the likely routes, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transitions (EMTs) emerge as important source of these cells. EMTs manifest themselves as a phenotypic transition in terminally differentiated epithelial cells into mesenchymal cells which are closely related to embryogenesis and organ development as well as in chronically inflamed tissues and neoplasia.

Wound Healing as an Unconventional Marker for Epilepsy Control in a Patient Experiencing Homelessness: A Case Report.

Post-traumatic epilepsy is a complicated disease that remains challenging to treat even for patients who are able to access care regularly. People experiencing homelessness (PEH) represent a vulnerable demographic for neurologic disorders, especially due to gaps in care, limited resources, and low health literacy. This is a case of a 53-year-old male experiencing homelessness who was encountered by low-resource medical providers in an extra-clinical setting.

Maternal exposure to perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS) during pregnancy: evidence of adverse maternal and fetoplacental effects in New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits.

Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS) is a replacement for perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) that is increasingly detected in drinking water and human serum. Higher PFBS exposure is associated with risk for preeclampsia, the leading cause of maternal and infant morbidity and mortality in the United States. This study investigated relevant maternal and fetal health outcomes after gestational exposure to PFBS in a New Zealand White rabbit model.

Transcriptional pathways linked to fetal and maternal hepatic dysfunction caused by gestational exposure to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) or hexafluoropropylene oxide-dimer acid (HFPO-DA or GenX) in CD-1 mice.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) comprise a diverse class of chemicals used in industrial processes, consumer products, and fire-fighting foams which have become environmental pollutants of concern due to their persistence, ubiquity, and associations with adverse human health outcomes, including in pregnant persons and their offspring. Multiple PFAS are associated with adverse liver outcomes in adult humans and toxicological models, but effects on the developing liver are not fully described. Here we performed transcriptomic analyses in the mouse to investigate the molecular mechanisms of hepatic toxicity in the dam and its fetus after exposure to two different PFAS, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and its replacement, hexafluoropropylene oxide-dimer acid (HFPO-DA, known as GenX).

Nutrient digestibility, rumen parameters, and (cannabinoid) residues in sheep fed a pelleted diet containing green hemp ( L.) biomass.

The feeding value for ruminants of green hemp biomass, from the low Δ-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ-THC) variety of L., is unknown. Twelve Merino ewes were individually penned and randomly allocated on a stratified liveweight basis to one of two pelleted dietary treatments, control (0% hemp, = 6) or hemp (42% green hemp biomass, = 6) that delivered a diet meeting the nutrient requirements of the animals.

Population health assessment project: An innovative strategy for teaching principles of epidemiology.

Public health nurses (PHNs) use principles of epidemiology in their work with communities; however, teaching these concepts at the baccalaureate level can be challenging. To reinforce the epidemiologic concepts taught in the classroom, two nursing faculty in our baccalaureate nursing program developed a population health project that allows students to explore concepts of epidemiology within the context of a population health concern. This article describes how the project provides students with a realistic opportunity to research the health issue.

Evaluating maternal exposure to an environmental per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) mixture during pregnancy: Adverse maternal and fetoplacental effects in a New Zealand White (NZW) rabbit model.

Mixtures of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are often found in drinking water, and serum PFAS are detected in up to 99% of the population. However, very little is known about how exposure to mixtures of PFAS affects maternal and fetal health. The aim of this study was to investigate maternal, fetal, and placental outcomes after preconceptional and gestational exposure to an environmentally relevant PFAS mixture in a New Zealand White (NZW) rabbit model.

A High-Throughput Toxicity Screen of 42 Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) and Functional Assessment of Migration and Gene Expression in Human Placental Trophoblast Cells.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have become ubiquitous environmental contaminants that have been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes in women and experimental research models. Adverse developmental and reproductive outcomes have been investigated for relatively few PFAS, and such studies are not scalable to address the thousands of unique chemical structures. As the placenta has been reported as a PFAS target tissue, the human placental trophoblast JEG-3 cell line was employed in a high-throughput toxicity screen (HTTS) to evaluate the effects of 42 unique PFAS on viability, proliferation, and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP).

Experiences of a community of research practice: a service evaluation.

Background: A community of research practice (CRP) was established to increase research capacity and provide learning opportunities and networking for healthcare practitioners, working within a Children's Care Group. The CRP aimed to engage research-interested practitioners in research to develop their skills and confidence, encourage networking, and build research capacity.

Aim: To report the results of a service evaluation that was undertaken to review the CRP's value in practice.

Evaluation of Variability Across Rat Acute Oral Systemic Toxicity Studies.

Regulatory agencies rely upon rodent in vivo acute oral toxicity data to determine hazard categorization, require appropriate precautionary labeling, and perform quantitative risk assessments. As the field of toxicology moves toward animal-free new approach methodologies (NAMs), there is a pressing need to develop a reliable, robust reference data set to characterize the reproducibility and inherent variability in the in vivo acute oral toxicity test method, which would serve to contextualize results and set expectations regarding NAM performance. Such a data set is also needed for training and evaluating computational models.

Latent, sex-specific metabolic health effects in CD-1 mouse offspring exposed to PFOA or HFPO-DA (GenX) during gestation.

Background: Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is an environmental contaminant associated with adverse metabolic outcomes in developmentally exposed human populations and mouse models. Hexafluoropropylene oxide-dimer acid (HFPO-DA, commonly called GenX) has replaced PFOA in many industrial applications in the U.S.

Intake, nutrient digestibility, rumen parameters, growth rate, carcase characteristics and cannabinoid residues of sheep fed pelleted rations containing hemp ( L.) stubble.

The feeding value and impact of hemp stubble in the diet of ruminants is unknown. Fifteen Merino castrated male sheep were maintained in individual pens and fed one of three pelletized experimental inclusion diets, as a 0% (Control), 28% (Hemp 1), and 56% (Hemp 2) pellet that delivered a diet meeting the nutrient requirements of the animals. Inclusion of hemp stubble had no effect ( 0.

The Efficacy of Whole Genome Sequencing and RNA-Seq in the Diagnosis of Whole Exome Sequencing Negative Patients with Complex Neurological Phenotypes.

Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) is being increasingly utilized for the diagnosis of neurological disease by sequencing both the exome and the remaining 98 to 99% of the genetic code. In addition to more complete coverage, WGS can detect structural variants (SVs) and intronic variants (SNVs) that cannot be identified by whole exome sequencing (WES) or chromosome microarray (CMA). Other multi-omics tools, such as RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq), can be used in conjunction with WGS to functionally validate certain variants by detecting changes in gene expression and splicing.