Novel genetically engineered H3.3G34R model reveals cooperation with ATRX loss in upregulation of cluster genes and promotion of neuronal lineage.

Background: Pediatric high-grade gliomas (pHGGs) are aggressive pediatric CNS tumors and an important subset are characterized by mutations in , the gene that encodes Histone H3.3 (H3.3).

Prenatal overexpression of platelet-derived growth factor receptor A results in central nervous system hypomyelination.

Background: Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) signaling, through the ligand PDGF-A and its receptor PDGFRA, is important for the growth and maintenance of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) in the central nervous system (CNS). PDGFRA signaling is downregulated prior to OPC differentiation into mature myelinating oligodendrocytes. By contrast, PDGFRA is often genetically amplified or mutated in many types of gliomas, including diffuse midline glioma (DMG) where OPCs are considered the most likely cell-of-origin.

Thermal shift assays of marine-derived fungal metabolites from MMERU 23 against pteridine reductase 1 and molecular dynamics studies.

Marine-derived fungi are a promising source of bioactive molecules, especially species from extreme habitats. Although several secondary metabolites such as meroterpenoids and alkaloids have been isolated from cultures of obtained from terrestrial habitats, there is no report on compounds isolated from marine-derived strains. Many metabolites isolated from marine-derived fungi exhibited a myriad of biological activities.

Beyond Cognitive Screening: Establishing an Interprofessional Perioperative Brain Health Initiative.

Objective: Perioperative neurocognitive disorder (PND) is now recognized as the most common postoperative complication in older surgical patients. Current multidisciplinary guidelines recommend simple cognitive screening of older adults before surgery. Patients identified at risk should have input from an interprofessional team with expertise caring for older surgical patients.

Radial basis function for fast voltage stability assessment using Phasor Measurement Units.

A simple method, based on Machine Learning Radial Basis Functions, RBF, is developed for estimating voltage stability margins in power systems. A reduced set of magnitude and angles of bus voltage phasors is used as input. Observability optimization technique for locating Phasor Measurement Units, PMUs, is applied.

Retinal morphology in Astyanax mexicanus during eye degeneration.

The teleost Astyanax mexicanus is one species extant in two readily available forms. One that lives in Mexican rivers and various convergent forms that live in nearby caves. These fish are born with eyes but in the cavefish, they degenerate during development.

Immediate implant replacement with DIEP flap: a single-stage salvage option in failed implant-based breast reconstruction.

Background: Implant-based immediate breast reconstruction after skin-sparing mastectomy has shown a significant improvement in patients' quality of life, making the procedure steadily more popular year after year. However, this technique has a high morbidity rate, including skin necrosis and implant exposure.

Methods: A retrospective review of a prospectively held database for autologous breast reconstruction in our institution of the last 5 years found eight cases with exposed implants after nipple-sparing mastectomy and immediate reconstruction.

Aberrant cGMP signaling persists during recovery in mice with oxygen-induced pulmonary hypertension.

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), a common complication of preterm birth, is associated with pulmonary hypertension (PH) in 25% of infants with moderate to severe BPD. Neonatal mice exposed to hyperoxia for 14d develop lung disease similar to BPD, with evidence of associated PH. The cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) signaling pathway has not been well studied in BPD-associated PH.

Photoreceptor oxidative stress in hyperoxia-induced proliferative retinopathy accelerates rd8 degeneration.

To investigate the impact of photoreceptor oxidative stress on photoreceptor degeneration in mice carrying the rd8 mutation (C57BL/6N). We compared the hyperoxia-induced proliferative retinopathy (HIPR) model in two mouse strains (C57BL/6J and C57BL/6N). Pups were exposed to 75% oxygen, starting at birth and continuing for 14 days (P14).

Hyperoxia-Induced Proliferative Retinopathy: Early Interruption of Retinal Vascular Development with Severe and Irreversible Neurovascular Disruption.

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a major cause of neonatal morbidity in premature infants, occurring as a result of arrested lung development combined with multiple postnatal insults. Infants with BPD exposed to supplemental oxygen are at risk of retinopathy of prematurity as well. Thus, we studied the effects of hyperoxia on the retinal vasculature in a murine model of BPD.

Development of an E-learning System for the Endoscopic Diagnosis of Early Gastric Cancer: An International Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: In many countries, gastric cancer is not diagnosed until an advanced stage. An Internet-based e-learning system to improve the ability of endoscopists to diagnose gastric cancer at an early stage was developed and was evaluated for its effectiveness.

Methods: The study was designed as a randomized controlled trial.

Dose-dependent effects of glucocorticoids on pulmonary vascular development in a murine model of hyperoxic lung injury.

Background: Exposure of neonatal mice to hyperoxia results in pulmonary vascular remodeling and aberrant phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) signaling. Although glucocorticoids are frequently utilized in the NICU, little is known about their effects on the developing pulmonary vasculature and on PDE5. We sought to determine the effects of hydrocortisone (HC) on pulmonary vascular development and on PDE5 in a neonatal mouse model of hyperoxic lung injury.

The DcpS inhibitor RG3039 improves survival, function and motor unit pathologies in two SMA mouse models.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is caused by insufficient levels of the survival motor neuron (SMN) protein due to the functional loss of the SMN1 gene and the inability of its paralog, SMN2, to fully compensate due to reduced exon 7 splicing efficiency. Since SMA patients have at least one copy of SMN2, drug discovery campaigns have sought to identify SMN2 inducers. C5-substituted quinazolines increase SMN2 promoter activity in cell-based assays and a derivative, RG3039, has progressed to clinical testing.

Lack of Association between Recurrent Pregnancy Loss and Inherited Thrombophilia in a Group of Colombian Patients.

Studies have shown an association between recurrent pregnancy loss and inherited thrombophilia in Caucasian populations, but there is insufficient knowledge concerning triethnic populations such as the Colombian. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether inherited thrombophilia is associated with recurrent pregnancy loss. Methods.

Pirfenidone for the treatment of Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome pulmonary fibrosis.

Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome (HPS) is a rare disorder of oculocutaneous albinism, platelet dysfunction, and in some subtypes, fatal pulmonary fibrosis. There is no effective treatment for the pulmonary fibrosis except lung transplantation, but an initial trial using pirfenidone, an anti-fibrotic agent, showed promising results. The current, randomized, placebo-controlled, prospective, double-blind trial investigated the safety and efficacy of pirfenidone for mild to moderate HPS-1 and 4 pulmonary fibrosis.

Molecular cloning, expression analysis and chromosome localization of the Tpt1 gene coding for the pig translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP).

This work describes the cloning and structural analysis of a Tpt1 cDNA coding for the porcine translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP) molecule and its expression in porcine cells and tissues. Pig Tpt1 cDNA is 842-pb long that displays typical features of translationally controlled mRNAs, including a 5'-UTR containing a 5'-terminal oligopyrimidine tract (5'-TOP), and a 3'-UTR with a high CG-content and one AU rich element (ARE). Both 5'-UTR and 3'-UTR are highly conserved when they are compared with those of other mammals.

The first homozygous family for prothrombin G20210A polymorphism reported in Latin America.

The 20210A allele of the prothrombin gene is associated with increased risk of venous thromboembolism. In this study, we described manifestations of thrombosis in four generations of a Colombian family, with four 20210A homozygous carriers and six 20210G/A heterozygous carriers for polymorphism as well as unrelated participants from the same population. The levels of prothrombin in the 20210A homozygote patients were higher than in the normal 20210G homozygotes (133 + 11% and 92.

[Relationship between methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase polymorphism and homocysteine levels in women with recurrent pregnancy loss: a nutrigenetic perspective].

The objective of this study was to evaluate if there is any difference in the proportion of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T polymorphisms and the homocysteine levels in a group of women with recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) and a control group. Ninety-three patients with diagnosis of three or more gestational losses and 206 healthy women with two or more children, were included. After acceptance of informed consent, samples of peripheral blood were taken to determine the genetic polymorphisms of MTHFR C677T and the plasmatic levels of homocysteine.

One week of esomeprazole triple therapy vs 1 week of omeprazole triple therapy plus 3 weeks of omeprazole for duodenal ulcer healding in Helicobacter pylori-positive patients.

In this randomized, double-blind, multicenter study, H. pylori-positive patients with an active duodenal ulcer (DU) received esomeprazole, 20 mg twice daily (bid), or omeprazole, 20 mg bid, with amoxicillin, 1000 mg bid, and clarithromycin, 500 mg bid, for 1 week (EAC and OAC, respectively). Patients received an additional 3 weeks of either placebo or omeprazole, 20 mg once daily (od), in the EAC and OAC groups, respectively.

Inherited thrombophilia is associated with deep vein thrombosis in a Colombian population.

The development of venous thromboembolism is influenced by a variety of genetic and environmental risk factors. A few studies have ascertained whether thrombophilic defects are risk factors for venous thromboembolism in Latin American populations with a variable degree of admixture, such as the Colombian population. To address this issue, we conducted a case-control study involving 100 consecutive patients with deep vein thrombosis and 114 healthy controls from the Hospital Universitario San Vicente de Paúl, Medellín, Colombia.

Atrophic gastritis in young children and adolescents.

Background: Helicobacter pylori associated gastric cancer arises via a multistage process, with atrophic gastritis being the precursor lesion. Helicobacter pylori is typically acquired in childhood, yet little is known of the prevalence of atrophic gastritis in childhood.

Aim: To study atrophic gastritis among children from countries with high gastric cancer incidence.

[Group B streptococcus colonization during pregnancy and prevention of early onset of disease].

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is the most frequent cause of early onset of neonatal sepsis. Case-fatality rate is 6-20% for newborns. Neurological sequel occurs in 30% of survivors.

CagA in Barrett's oesophagus in Colombia, a country with a high prevalence of gastric cancer.

Background: In the USA, atrophic gastritis and gastric cancer are rare, whereas gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is common. Infection with Helicobacter pylori, especially a CagA positive strain, is unusual in patients with GERD/Barrett's oesophagus in the USA.

Aim: To examine the relation between Barrett's oesophagus and CagA positive H pylori in Colombia, a country with a high prevalence of CagA positive H pylori associated atrophic gastritis and gastric cancer.

Helicobacter pylori and hetertopic gastric mucosa in the upper esophagus (the inlet patch).

Objectives: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) may colonize gastric mucosa wherever it is found in the GI tract. Heterotopic gastric mucosa in the upper esophagus (inlet patch) is a potential site for H.