Pharmacological Activation of NO-Sensitive Guanylyl Cyclase Ameliorates Obesity-Induced Arterial Stiffness.

Objective: Arterial stiffness, or loss of elastic compliance in large arteries, is an independent precursor of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and dementia . Akin to anti-hypertensive and lipid-lowering drugs, arterial de-stiffening therapies could be beneficial at decreasing CVD risk. We previously discovered that enhanced cytoskeletal actin polymerization in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) contributes to increased arterial stiffness .

The Legacy of the Kennard Principle.

Research into neural plasticity has progressed rapidly over the last few decades, but the origins of this field lie in the early 20th century. In 1936, Margaret Kennard introduced the concept of brain plasticity in an animal model by studying the recovery of motor functions after performing brain lesions in infant and adult monkeys. It took until the 1970s for her work to be widely acknowledged.

Differential gene expression profiling of aggressive and nonaggressive follicular carcinomas.

The classification of follicular thyroid neoplasms requires surgical resection for histologic evaluation of malignancy. Because variable clinical behavior exists, genomic expression profiling may lead to the identification of novel markers that facilitate better biologic classification. We performed for the first time gene expression analysis on clinically aggressive and nonaggressive follicular carcinomas (FCs) from patients for whom long-term follow-up data were available.

Exploratory study of the prevalence and clinical significance of tobramycin-mediated biofilm induction in Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from cystic fibrosis patients.

Exposure to aminoglycoside antibiotics induces biofilm formation by a laboratory strain of the cystic fibrosis (CF) pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Here, we detected this effect among about half of the clinical isolates from CF patients in a cross-sectional collection, suggesting that biofilm induction may represent a common mechanism of inducible aminoglycoside resistance in CF infections. This induction always occurred at the same tobramycin concentration regardless of MIC, suggesting that the mechanisms of killing and induction may be separable.

Growth factor receptors expression in anaplastic thyroid carcinoma: potential markers for therapeutic stratification.

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma is a rare and universally fatal disease. Therefore, novel biomarkers are needed as surrogate end points in triaging patients for novel and selective biologic treatments. Up-regulation of several growth factor receptors has been shown to be associated with the biologic progression and response to targeted therapy of several malignancies.

Fine-needle aspiration biopsy of Hurthle cell lesions of the thyroid gland: A cytomorphologic study of 139 cases with statistical analysis.

Background: Lesions of the thyroid gland composed of Hurthle cells encompass pathologic entities ranging from hyperplastic nodules with Hurthle cell metaplasia to Hurthle cell carcinomas. The cytologic distinction between these entities can be diagnostically challenging. Many cytologic features of Hurthle cell lesions that distinguish neoplastic Hurthle cell lesions requiring surgery from those that are benign and nonneoplastic have been described, but with variable usefulness.

Determining optimal clinical target volume margins in head-and-neck cancer based on microscopic extracapsular extension of metastatic neck nodes.

Purpose: To determine the optimal clinical target volume margins around the gross nodal tumor volume in head-and-neck cancer by assessing microscopic tumor extension beyond cervical lymph node capsules.

Methods And Materials: Histologic sections of 96 dissected cervical lymph nodes with extracapsular extension (ECE) from 48 patients with head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma were examined. The maximum linear distance from the external capsule border to the farthest extent of the tumor or tumoral reaction was measured.

Langerhans cell histiocytosis presenting as a thyroid gland mass.

We report 2 cases of Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) presenting as a thyroid mass. The first case is a 45-year-old woman with a 13-year history of diabetes insipidus who presented with an enlarging thyroid mass with substernal extension. The second case is a 29-year-old man who presented with an enlarging thyroid mass and skin lesions.

(Ir)reconcilable differences? Local reactions to provincial neoliberal educational reform.

In this case study, we explore the intersections of neoliberal educational reform and the everyday experiences of people living in a rural region in northern British Columbia, Canada. Reflecting on the provincial Ministry of Education's Strategic Plan, we explore one region's responses to a set of provincial promises, which include providing regional school districts with more autonomy and control over the delivery of education services and a mandate for a balanced budget. The region faced declining student enrolments and funding shortfalls.

The utility of fine-needle aspiration in the diagnosis of gastrointestinal stromal tumors: a cytomorphologic and immunohistochemical analysis with emphasis on malignant tumors.

Background: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common mesenchymal neoplasms of the tubular gut and mesentery. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) currently is a useful tool in the diagnosis of GIST because of various mutations of the KIT protooncogene that are recognized as characteristic of these tumors. Despite such advances, the malignant potential of GIST remains variable, and few studies have reported their findings in patients with malignant GIST.

Metastatic acinic cell carcinoma in a neurofibroma mistaken for carcinosarcoma.

Background: Tumor-to-tumor metastasis is a rare, but well-recognized, entity most commonly involving metastatic carcinoma to a mesenchymal neoplasm. We report a case of acinic cell carcinoma of the parotid gland metastatic to a neurofibroma.

Methods And Results: A 55-year-old man with a history of a high-grade acinic cell carcinoma of the parotid was seen with a mass at the surgical site and metastatic foci in the scalp 10 months postoperatively.

Genetic analysis of sinonasal adenocarcinoma phenotypes: distinct alterations of histogenetic significance.

Sinonasal adenocarcinomas, a relatively rare entity, are composed of distinctly different morphologic subtypes with variable biological behavior. To investigate the genetic events associated with their development and clinicopathologic features, we analyzed the alterations in K-ras, APC, beta-catenin, hMLH1 and hMSH2 and p53 genes expression in a cohort of 15 primary tumors comprising the two main sinonasal adenocarcinoma subtypes (enteric and seromucinous). The patients consisted of 13 men and two women, who ranged in age from 50 to 87 years.

Gene expression profiling of differentiated thyroid neoplasms: diagnostic and clinical implications.

Purpose: The purpose of this research was to identify novel genes that can be targeted as diagnostic and clinical markers of differentiated thyroid tumors.

Experimental Design: Gene expression analysis using microarray platform was performed on 6 pathologically normal thyroid samples and 12 primary follicular and papillary thyroid neoplasms. Microarrays containing probes for 5,760 human full-length cDNAs were used for hybridization with total RNA from normal and tumor thyroid samples labeled with Cy3-dUTP and Cy5-dUTP, respectively.