Prognostic immune markers in esophageal cancer patients managed with trimodal therapy.

Background: Esophageal cancer (ESC) is an aggressive disease which often presents at an advanced stage. Despite trimodal therapy, 40-50% patients can develop metastatic disease by 18 months. Identification of patients at risk for metastatic spread is challenging with need for improved prognostication.

Intact NOX2 in T Cells Mediates Pregnancy-Induced Renal Damage in Dahl SS Rats.

Background: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease, renal disease, and mortality. While the exact mechanisms remain unclear, T cells and reactive oxygen species have been implicated in its pathogenesis. We utilized Dahl salt-sensitive (SS), SS (Dahl SS CD247 knockout rat; lacking T cells), and SS (Dahl SS p67 [NOX2 (NADPH [nitcotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate] oxidase 2)] knockout rat; lacking NOX2) rats to investigate these mechanisms in primigravida and multigravida states.

Math Abilities Among Children with Neurodevelopmental Difficulties: Understanding Cognitive Factors and Evaluating a Pilot Intervention.

Math development in children relies on several underlying cognitive functions, including executive functions (EF), working memory (WM), and visual-motor abilities, such as visual-motor integration (VMI). Understanding how these cognitive factors contribute to children's math performance is critical to supporting math learning and long-term math success. The present quasi-experimental waitlist control study ( = 28) aimed to (a) examine the unique contributions of EF, WM, and VMI to math abilities among children ages 5-8 years old with neurodevelopmental difficulties; (b) determine whether a math intervention (the Mathematics Interactive Learning Experience; MILE) that supports these cognitive processes was effective when modified to be delivered to small groups in a school setting, and (c) examine whether any participant characteristics, such as age or IQ, were correlated with post-intervention math score changes.

Sex-Dependency of T Cell-Induced Salt-Sensitive Hypertension and Kidney Damage.

Background: It is established that the immune system, namely T cells, plays a role in the development of hypertension and renal damage in male Dahl salt-sensitive (SS) rats, but far less is known about this relationship in females. Rats with genetically deleted T cells via gene mutation on the Dahl SS background (SS) were utilized to interrogate the effect of sex and T cells on salt sensitivity.

Methods: We assessed the hypertensive and kidney injury phenotypes in male versus female SS and SS rats challenged with 3 weeks of high salt (4.