Publications by authors named "Christopher Costa"

Gallstone (GS) disease is common and arises from a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Although genetic abnormalities specifically leading to cholesterol GSs are rare, there are clinically significant gene variants associated with cholesterol GSs. In contrast, most bilirubin GSs can be attributed to genetic defects.

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Tuberculosis (TB) remains a leading cause of death worldwide and is estimated to have caused 1.3 million deaths worldwide in 2022. Approximately one quarter of the world's population are infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, of whom up to 10% will progress to developing active TB disease.

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2,6-di--butylphenol (2,6-DTBP) ameliorates mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia produced by partial sciatic nerve ligation in mice, and selectively inhibits HCN1 channel gating. We hypothesized that the clinically utilized non-anesthetic dimerized congener of 2,6-DTBP, probucol (2,6-di--butyl-4-[2-(3,5-di--butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)sulfanylpropan-2-ylsulfanyl]phenol), would relieve the neuropathic phenotype that results from peripheral nerve damage, and that the anti-hyperalgesic efficacy would correlate with HCN1 channel inhibition A single oral dose of probucol (800 mg/kg) relieved mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia in a mouse spared-nerve injury neuropathic pain model. While the low aqueous solubility of probucol precluded assessment of its possible interaction with HCN1 channels, our results, in conjunction with recent data demonstrating that probucol reduces lipopolysaccharide-induced mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia, support the testing/development of probucol as a non-opioid, oral antihyperalgesic albeit one of unknown mechanistic action.

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Background: Neuropathic pain impairs quality of life, is widely prevalent, and incurs significant costs. Current pharmacological therapies have poor/no efficacy and significant adverse effects; safe and effective alternatives are needed. Hyperpolarisation-activated cyclic nucleotide-regulated (HCN) channels are causally implicated in some forms of peripherally mediated neuropathic pain.

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Background: Diabetes Mellitus causes a systemic oxidative stress due in part to the hyperglycemia and the reactive oxygen species generated. Up to 75% of diabetic patients present with an autonomic neuropathy affecting the Enteric Nervous System. Deficits in the human population are chronic dysmotilities with either increased (i.

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Purpose Of Review: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a global public health emergency and caused 1.6 million deaths in 2021. The aim of this review is to provide recent updates on advances in TB vaccine development for prevention and adjunct therapy.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that despite having high risk for severe disease, some individuals had low-risk perception and consequently they refused vaccination. This was more common among individuals with distrust in the government and the scientific organizations. Cognitive dissonance occurs when a person participates in an action that goes against one's beliefs.

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Most diabetes patients eventually suffer from peripheral nerve degeneration. Unfortunately, there is no treatment for the condition and its mechanisms are not well understood. There is, however, an emerging consensus that the inability of peripheral nerves to regenerate normally after injury contributes to the pathophysiology.

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During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, we have witnessed profound health inequities suffered by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). These manifested as differential access to testing early in the pandemic, rates of severe disease and death 2-3 times higher than white Americans, and, now, significantly lower vaccine uptake compared with their share of the population affected by COVID-19. This article explores the impact of these COVID-19 inequities (and the underlying cause, structural racism) on vaccine acceptance in BIPOC populations, ways to establish trustworthiness of healthcare institutions, increase vaccine access for BIPOC communities, and inspire confidence in COVID-19 vaccines.

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Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 2A (CMT2A) peripheral neuropathy, the most common axonal form of CMT, is caused by dominantly inherited point mutations in the Mitofusin 2 (Mfn2) gene. It is characterized by progressive length-dependent degeneration of motor and sensory nerves with corresponding clinical features of motor and sensory impairment. There is no cure for CMT, and therapeutic approaches are limited to physical therapy, orthopedic devices, surgery, and analgesics.

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Keloids are benign fibroproliferative skin tumors that can cause disfigurement and disability. Although they frequently recur after excision or medical management and can affect 6 to 16 percent of African Americans, there is no gold standard therapy. Keloids are challenging to study because there are no animal or in vitro models of this disorder.

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Local protein synthesis in neuronal axons plays an important role in essential spatiotemporal signaling processes; however, the molecular basis for the post-transcriptional regulation controlling this process in axons is still not fully understood. Here we studied the axonal mechanisms underlying the transport and localization of microRNA (miRNA) and the RNAi machinery along the axon. We first identified miRNAs, Dicer, and Argonaute-2 (Ago2) in motor neuron (MN) axons.

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Axons and growth cones, by their very nature far removed from the cell body, encounter unique environments and require distinct populations of proteins. It seems only natural, then, that they have developed mechanisms to locally synthesize a host of proteins required to perform their specialized functions. Acceptance of this ability has taken decades; however, there is now consensus that axons do indeed have the capacity for local translation, and that this capacity is even retained into adulthood.

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Background: Only limited data exist describing the histologic and noncardiomyocyte function of human myocardium in end-stage heart failure (HF).

Objectives: The authors sought to determine changes in noncardiomyocyte cellular activity in patients with end-stage HF after left ventricular assist device (LVAD)-induced remodeling to identify mechanisms impeding recovery.

Methods: Myocardium was obtained from subjects undergoing LVAD placement and/or heart transplantation.

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Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a multifactorial lethal motor neuron disease with no known treatment. Although the basic mechanism of its degenerative pathogenesis remains poorly understood, a subcellular spatial alteration in RNA metabolism is thought to play a key role. The nature of these RNAs remains elusive, and a comprehensive characterization of the axonal RNAs involved in maintaining neuronal health has yet to be described.

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Background: Cosmetic surgery among male patients has become increasingly popular. The face-lift technique is different in male patients, specifically regarding preservation of hair follicles, restoration of a youthful and well appearance, and reduction of the risk of hematoma.

Methods: A retrospective review of a single surgeon's past 20 years of consecutive male rhytidectomies revealed a cohort of 83 patients.

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Background: The presence of diabetes mellitus increases the risk of several severe infections, but data on its effect on treatment outcomes in patients with nosocomial pneumonia (NP) caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are limited.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from a double-blind, randomized, multi-center, international clinical trial of culture-confirmed MRSA NP that compared treatment with linezolid to vancomycin. Specifically, we evaluated the clinical and microbiologic outcomes of patients with and without diabetes in the modified intent to treat population at end-of-treatment (EOT) and end-of-study (EOS, 7-30 days post-EOT).

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Fillers temporarily augment deflated or ptotic facial compartments to restore a youthful appearance. Hyaluronic acids predominate the fillers market because of their focal volumization, duration of effect, low incidence of adverse reactions, and reversibility. Being able to properly perform these in-office procedures will ensure safety for patients and provide aesthetically optimal results.

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Article Synopsis
  • Refined fuels, particularly gasoline, contribute significantly to marine pollution, affecting organisms like Ulva lactuca, a type of seaweed.
  • The study examined the impact of various gasoline concentrations on U. lactuca over different exposure times, revealing structural damage and biochemical changes such as altered metabolite levels.
  • Findings indicate that U. lactuca could be used as a biomonitoring species for coastal ecosystem health and has the potential to metabolize gasoline hydrocarbons, helping to clean up contaminated marine environments.
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P1 D-Dimer in adult patients with presumed sepsis and their clinical outcomes Surinder Kumar Sharma, Anurag Rohatgi, Mansi Bajaj P2 Diagnosis of infection utilizing Acellix CD64 Charles L. Sprung, Ricardo Calderon Morales, Harvey Kasdan, Allon Reiter, Tobias Volker, Julien Meissonnier P3 High levels of phenylcarboxylic acids reflect the severity in ICU patients and affect phagocytic activity of neutrophils Natalia Beloborodova, Viktor Moroz, Aleksandra Bedova, Yulia Sarshor, Artem Osipov, Katerina Chernevskaya P4 The role of bacterial phenolic metabolites in mitochondrial dysfunction Nadezhda Fedotcheva, Ekaterina Chernevskaya, Natalia Beloborodova P5 The early diagnosis of severe sepsis and judgment of rapid transport to critical care center: better prognostic factor Hisashi Imahase, Kosuke C Yamada, Yuichiro Sakamoto, Miho Ohta, Ryota Sakurai, Mayuko Yahata, Mitsuru Umeka, Toru Miike, Hiroyuki Koami, Futoshi Nagashima, Takashi Iwamura, Satoshi Inoue P6 Translational neuromodulation of the immune system Zhifeng Li, Dennis Grech, Patrick Morcillo, Alex Bekker, Luis Ulloa P7 Pathway-level meta-analysis reveals transcriptional signature of septic shock Samanwoy Mukhopadhyay, Abhay D Pandey, Samsiddhi Bhattacharjee, Saroj K Mohapatra P8 Antibiotic dosing in septic patients on the critical care unit - a literature review Julie K Wilson P9 Pandemic of clone O25: H4-ST131 producing CTX-M-15 extended spectrum- β- lactamase- as serious cause of multidrug resistance extraintestinal pathogenic infections in India Savita Jadhav, Rabindra Nath Misra, Nageswari Gandham, Kalpana Angadi, Chanda Vywahare, Neetu Gupta, Deepali Desai P10 Detection and characterization of meningitis using a DDA-based mass spectrometry approach Anahita Bakochi, Tirthankar Mohanty, Adam Linder, Johan Malmström P11 Diagnostic usefulness of lipid profile and procalcitonin in sepsis and trauma patients Dimple Anand, Seema Bhargava, Lalit Mohan Srivastava, Sumit Ray P12 Heparin – a novel therapeutic in sepsis? Jane Fisher, Peter Bentzer, Adam Linder P13 Hypothalamic impairment is associated with vasopressin deficiency during sepsis Luis Henrique Angenendt da Costa, Nilton Nascimentos dos Santos Júnior Carlos Henrique Rocha Catalão, Maria José Alves da Rocha P14 Presepsin (soluble CD14 subtype) is a dependable prognostic marker in critical septic patients Alfredo Focà, Cinzia Peronace, Giovanni Matera, Aida Giancotti, Giorgio Settimo Barreca, Angela Quirino, Maria Teresa Loria, Pio Settembre, Maria Carla Liberto, Bruno Amantea P15 Safety and efficacy of gelatin-containing solutions versus crystalloids and albumin - a systematic review with quantitative and qualitative summaries Christiane Hartog, Christiane Hartog, Claudia Moeller, Carolin Fleischmann, Daniel Thomas-Rueddel, Vlasislav Vlasakov, Bram Rochwerg, Philip Theurer, Konrad Reinhart P16 Immunomodulatory properties of peripheral blood mesenchymal stem cells following endotoxin stimulation in an equine model Anna E. Smith, Sandra D.

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Recently, there has been a growing interest in the field of metabolomics, materialized by a remarkable growth in experimental techniques, available data and related biological applications. Indeed, techniques as nuclear magnetic resonance, gas or liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, infrared and UV-visible spectroscopies have provided extensive datasets that can help in tasks as biological and biomedical discovery, biotechnology and drug development. However, as it happens with other omics data, the analysis of metabolomics datasets provides multiple challenges, both in terms of methodologies and in the development of appropriate computational tools.

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