Reserve autophagic capacity in alveolar epithelia provides a replicative niche for influenza A virus.

Autophagy contributes to cellular homeostasis through metabolite recycling and degradation of cytotoxic protein aggregates and damaged organelles. Although recent studies have established that the requirement for basal autophagy is largely tissue specific, the importance of autophagy for alveolar epithelial cell homeostasis remains an important knowledge gap. In the present study we generated two mouse models, with > 90% or > 50% recombination at the Atg5 locus in the distal respiratory epithelium, to assess the effect of dose-dependent decreases in autophagy on alveolar homeostasis.

Evaluating an inclusive trauma system using linked population-based data.

Background: Federal and professional programs require "inclusive" trauma systems. We wished to evaluate an inclusive trauma system using administrative data combined from multiple sources.

Methods: Ambulance reports, outpatient/inpatient discharge data, and/or death certificates were obtained for persons with injury diagnoses who received hospital services and/or died in Maine during 1998 to 2000.