Assessment of cell cycle arrest biomarkers and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin to distinguish acute kidney injury from other diseases in dogs.

Background: Cell cycle arrest biomarkers (tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 [uTIMP-2] and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 7 [uIGFBP7]), and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) variables are valuable biomarkers for early diagnosis of acute kidney injury (AKI) in people.

Objectives: To evaluate uTIMP-2, uIGFBP7, fractional excretion of NGAL (FeNGAL), and urinary to serum NGAL ratio (u/sNGAL) in healthy dogs, dogs with AKI, dogs with chronic kidney disease (CKD), and critically ill (CI) dogs.

Animals: Forty-two client-owned dogs (healthy, n = 10; AKI, n = 11; CKD, n = 11; CI, n = 10).

Calculation of a Reference Interval for Rectal Temperature in Adult Dogs Presenting for Veterinary Care Using an Algorithm for Mixed Data.

Veterinarians rely on the measurement of canine body temperature to define the health status of dogs, but no studies exist defining a reference range for rectal temperature on a large group of dogs. The aim of this study was to define the rectal body temperature of dogs based on a large data set of diseased and healthy animals and to evaluate the capability of the employed algorithm to calculate reference intervals of numerical clinical data. Out of 24,013 recorded measurements, statistical analysis was applied to data from 9782 adult dogs that underwent clinical examination at a university clinic between 2008 and 2017.

Grambank reveals the importance of genealogical constraints on linguistic diversity and highlights the impact of language loss.

While global patterns of human genetic diversity are increasingly well characterized, the diversity of human languages remains less systematically described. Here, we outline the Grambank database. With over 400,000 data points and 2400 languages, Grambank is the largest comparative grammatical database available.

High Resolution Multiplex Confocal Imaging of the Neurovascular Unit in Health and Experimental Ischemic Stroke.

The neurovascular unit (NVU) is an anatomical group of cells that establishes the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and coordinates cerebral blood flow in association with neuronal function. In cerebral gray matter, cellular constituents of the NVU include endothelial cells and associated pericytes, astrocytes, neurons, and microglia. Dysfunction of the NVU is a common feature of diseases that affect the CNS, such as ischemic stroke.

High-Dose Acetaminophen Alters the Integrity of the Blood-Brain Barrier and Leads to Increased CNS Uptake of Codeine in Rats.

The consumption of acetaminophen (APAP) can induce neurological changes in human subjects; however, effects of APAP on blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity are unknown. BBB changes by APAP can have profound consequences for brain delivery of co-administered drugs. To study APAP effects, female Sprague-Dawley rats (12-16 weeks old) were administered vehicle (i.

Measuring Organizational Readiness for Change in Michigan's Home and Community-based Services Program: Instrument Adaptation and Psychometric Testing.

Short, valid, and reliable tools that measure organizational readiness are needed in practice. This study adapted and tested a previously developed instrument for measuring organizational readiness in a Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) program. The Texas Christian University Organizational Readiness for Change (TCU-ORC) scale was adapted and tested for validity and reliability in a sample of 522 registered nurses and social workers employed at 18 program sites.

Acute Ischemic Pediatric Stroke Management: An Extended Window for Mechanical Thrombectomy?

Ischemic stroke is a rare condition to afflict the pediatric population. Congenital cardiomyopathy represents one of several possible etiologies in children. We report a 9-year-old boy who developed right middle cerebral artery stroke secondary to primary restrictive cardiomyopathy.

Bacterial microbiome in the nose of healthy cats and in cats with nasal disease.

Background: Traditionally, changes in the microbial population of the nose have been assessed using conventional culture techniques. Sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes demonstrated that the human nose is inhabited by a rich and diverse bacterial microbiome that cannot be detected using culture-based methods. The goal of this study was to describe the nasal microbiome of healthy cats, cats with nasal neoplasia, and cats with feline upper respiratory tract disease (FURTD).

Bacterial microbiome of the nose of healthy dogs and dogs with nasal disease.

The role of bacterial communities in canine nasal disease has not been studied so far using next generation sequencing methods. Sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes has revealed that the canine upper respiratory tract harbors a diverse microbial community; however, changes in the composition of nasal bacterial communities in dogs with nasal disease have not been described so far. Aim of the study was to characterize the nasal microbiome of healthy dogs and compare it to that of dogs with histologically confirmed nasal neoplasia and chronic rhinitis.

RanBP9 overexpression reduces dendritic arbor and spine density.

RanBP9 is a multi-domain scaffolding protein known to integrate extracellular signaling with intracellular targets. We previously demonstrated that RanBP9 enhances Aβ generation and amyloid plaque burden which results in loss of specific pre- and postsynaptic proteins in vivo in a transgenic mouse model. Additionally, we showed that the levels of spinophilin, a marker of dendritic spines were inversely proportional to the RanBP9 protein levels within the synaptosomes isolated from AD brains.

DNA replication origin function is promoted by H3K4 di-methylation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

DNA replication is a highly regulated process that is initiated from replication origins, but the elements of chromatin structure that contribute to origin activity have not been fully elucidated. To identify histone post-translational modifications important for DNA replication, we initiated a genetic screen to identify interactions between genes encoding chromatin-modifying enzymes and those encoding proteins required for origin function in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We found that enzymes required for histone H3K4 methylation, both the histone methyltransferase Set1 and the E3 ubiquitin ligase Bre1, are required for robust growth of several hypomorphic replication mutants, including cdc6-1.

Robust monomer-distribution biosignatures in evolving digital biota.

Because organisms synthesize component molecules at rates that reflect those molecules' adaptive utility, we expect a population of biota to leave a distinctive chemical signature on its environment that is anomalous given the local (abiotic) chemistry. We observe the same effect in the distribution of computer instructions used by an evolving population of digital organisms, and we characterize the robustness of the evolved signature with respect to a number of different changes in the system's physics. The observed instruction abundance anomaly has features that are consistent over a large number of evolutionary trials and alterations in system parameters, which makes it a candidate for a non-Earth-centric life diagnostic.

Nucleosomes in the neighborhood: new roles for chromatin modifications in replication origin control.

The importance of local chromatin structure in regulating replication initiation has become increasingly apparent. Most recently, histone methylation and nucleosome positioning have been added to the list of modifications demonstrated to regulate origins. In particular, the methylation states of H3K4, H3K36 and H4K20 have been associated with establishing active, repressed or poised origins depending on the timing and extent of methylation.

Monomer abundance distribution patterns as a universal biosignature: examples from terrestrial and digital life.

Organisms leave a distinctive chemical signature in their environment because they synthesize those molecules that maximize their fitness. As a result, the relative concentrations of related chemical monomers in life-bearing environmental samples reflect, in part, those compounds' adaptive utility. In contrast, rates of molecular synthesis in a lifeless environment are dictated by reaction kinetics and thermodynamics, so concentrations of related monomers in abiotic samples tend to exhibit specific patterns dominated by small, easily formed, low-formation-energy molecules.

Cdt1 and Cdc6 are destabilized by rereplication-induced DNA damage.

The replication factors Cdt1 and Cdc6 are essential for origin licensing, a prerequisite for DNA replication initiation. Mechanisms to ensure that metazoan origins initiate once per cell cycle include degradation of Cdt1 during S phase and inhibition of Cdt1 by the geminin protein. Geminin depletion or overexpression of Cdt1 or Cdc6 in human cells causes rereplication, a form of endogenous DNA damage.

Heroin-related noncardiogenic pulmonary edema : a case series.

Study Objectives: To examine the current clinical spectrum of noncardiogenic pulmonary edema (NCPE) related to heroin overdose.

Design: Retrospective chart review of all identified patients from August 1994 through December 1998.

Setting: Urban academic hospital.

Herpetic stromal disease: response to acyclovir/steroid therapy.

The efficacy of combined acyclovir and steroid therapy in the treatment of herpetic stromal disease was evaluated by clinical evaluation of disease, the rebound of disease following termination of therapy, and the recovery of virus and viral DNA from corneas in a rabbit model. Therapy with acyclovir alone produced a significant reduction in corneal thickness in 10% of eyes. Addition of steroid to acyclovir therapy decreased the severity of stromal disease as measured by corneal thickness and increased the frequency of response to treatment to 63% of eyes.

The appearance of rod opsin during monkey retinal development.

Purpose: To determine the temporal and spatial pattern of rod opsin appearance in Macaca monkey retina.

Methods: Frozen sections from fetal day (Fd) 55 to adulthood (birth = Fd168) containing the entire horizontal meridian were stained using Rho4D2 monoclonal antiserum visualized with immunofluorescent labeling. At Fd66, Fd79, and Fd89, retinal samples taken at known eccentricities were studied from the opposite eye using standard electron microscope methods.

Gain-of-function mutations of the p53 gene induce lymphohematopoietic metastatic potential and tissue invasiveness.

Leukemia cell infiltration and the induction of lethal hematopoietic disease in immune-deficient SCID mice transplanted with human T cell acute lymphoblastic T leukemia (T-ALL) cells occurred only when the cells possessed mutant p53 genes and lacked a wild-type allele or when T-ALL cells lacking p53 protein were infected with specific mutant p53 genes. A series of six mutant p53 genes were cloned from relapse T-ALL-derived cell lines and were constructed into defective retroviral expression vectors. Viruses encoding mutant p53 proteins were used to infect relapse T-ALL cells in a study designed to compare their pathogenic potency.

[Shortening diclofenac therapy by B vitamins. Results of a randomized double-blind study, diclofenac 50 mg versus diclofenac 50 mg plus B vitamins, in painful spinal diseases with degenerative changes].

The use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) such as diclofenac for treatment of degenerative rheumatic disorders of the lumbar spine is of great significance in orthopedic practice. Clinical studies have shown that concomitant treatment with vitamins B1, B6, B12 and diclofenac provides more efficient pain relief than treatment using diclofenac alone. This study was undertaken in order to determine whether the duration of treatment with diclofenac for lower back pain can be shortened by adding B-vitamins to the therapeutic regimen.