Publications by authors named "Elizabeth Chun"

Article Synopsis
  • - The study examines the effects of whole-body cryotherapy (W-BC) on inflammation and metabolic biomarkers in 15 healthy adults over 9 months, focusing on high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and other metabolic indicators.
  • - Participants underwent W-BC sessions averaging around 6.78 times per month, which were correlated with significant reductions in hsCRP levels, indicating a decrease in inflammation that lasted for up to 9 months.
  • - While there was a trend towards lower fasting glucose levels after W-BC sessions, only the increase in hemoglobin A (HbA) after 9 months was statistically significant, suggesting potential benefits for metabolic health.
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Continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) are increasingly used to provide detailed quantification of glycemic control and glucose variability. An open-source R package iglu has been developed to assist with automatic CGM metrics computation and data visualization, providing a comprehensive list of implemented CGM metrics. Motivated by the recent international consensus statement on CGM metrics and recommendations from recent reviews of available CGM software, we present an updated version of iglu with improved accessibility and expanded functionality.

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Wellness-centric proactive healthcare is increasingly sought after, with individuals frequently embracing complementary modalities to achieve this goal. In this six-month study, healthy adult participants (n = 25) received specific therapies, including whole-body cryotherapy, infrared sauna, and photobiomodulation, along with guidance on physical activity, diet, and alcohol intake. Serum biomarkers were measured for all participants, while a subset also received biometric assessments for body composition (n = 10) and heart rate variability (n = 7).

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Host range confirmation of invasive hemipterans relies on the evaluation of plant susceptibility though greenhouse or field trials, which are inefficient and time-consuming. When the green industry faces the fast-spreading threat of invasive pests such as crapemyrtle bark scale (), it is imperative to timely identify potential host plants and evaluate plant resistance/susceptibility to pest infestation. In this study, we developed an alternative technology to complement the conventional host confirmation methods.

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Fibrinogen plays a pathologic role in multiple diseases. It contributes to thrombosis and modifies inflammatory and immune responses, supported by studies in mice expressing fibrinogen variants with altered function or with a germline fibrinogen deficiency. However, therapeutic strategies to safely and effectively tailor plasma fibrinogen concentration are lacking.

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Tissue-specific cues are critical for homeostasis at mucosal barriers. Here, we report that the clotting factor fibrin is a critical regulator of neutrophil function at the oral mucosal barrier. We demonstrate that commensal microbiota trigger extravascular fibrin deposition in the oral mucosa.

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Glycosylation is one of the most abundant forms of post-translational modification, and can have a profound impact on a wide range of biological processes and diseases. Unfortunately, efforts to characterize the biological function of such modifications have been greatly hampered by the lack of affinity reagents that can differentiate protein glycoforms with robust affinity and specificity. In this work, we use a fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS)-based approach to generate and screen aptamers with indole-modified bases, which are capable of recognizing and differentiating between specific protein glycoforms.

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Article Synopsis
  • Bacillus anthracis has two types of toxins called lethal toxin and edema toxin that work together to harm cells.
  • The protective antigen (PA) helps these toxins enter cells by binding to specific receptors in the body, known as CMG-2 and TEM-8.
  • Researchers created a special test to see how these toxins affect different organs in mice, finding that CMG-2 is important for the liver and heart, while TEM-8 is needed for the kidneys and spleen, and that both are necessary for full effects when they are missing.
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Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) data play an increasing role in clinical practice as they provide detailed quantification of blood glucose levels during the entire 24-hour period. The R package iglu implements a wide range of CGM-derived metrics for measuring glucose control and glucose variability. The package also allows one to visualize CGM data using time-series and lasagna plots.

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As part of a genomics strategy to characterize inducible defences against insect herbivory in poplar, we developed a comprehensive suite of functional genomics resources including cDNA libraries, expressed sequence tags (ESTs) and a cDNA microarray platform. These resources are designed to complement the existing poplar genome sequence and poplar (Populus spp.) ESTs by focusing on herbivore- and elicitor-treated tissues and incorporating normalization methods to capture rare transcripts.

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