Stress in paradise: effects of elevated corticosterone on immunity and avian malaria resilience in a Hawaiian passerine.

Vertebrates confronted with challenging environments often experience an increase in circulating glucocorticoids, which result in morphological, physiological and behavioral changes that promote survival. However, chronically elevated glucocorticoids can suppress immunity, which may increase susceptibility to disease. Since the introduction of avian malaria to Hawaii a century ago, low-elevation populations of Hawaii Amakihi (Chlorodrepanis virens) have undergone strong selection by avian malaria and evolved increased resilience (the ability to recover from infection), while populations at high elevation with few vectors have not undergone selection and remain susceptible.

Relationships between avian malaria resilience and corticosterone, testosterone and prolactin in a Hawaiian songbird.

Glucocorticoids, androgens, and prolactin regulate metabolism and reproduction, but they also play critical roles in immunomodulation. Since the introduction of avian malaria to Hawaii a century ago, low elevation populations of the Hawaii Amakihi (Chlorodrepanis virens) that have experienced strong selection by avian malaria have evolved increased resilience (the ability to recover from infection), while high elevation populations that have undergone weak selection remain less resilient. We investigated how variation in malaria selection has affected corticosterone, testosterone, and prolactin hormone levels in Amakihi during the breeding season.

Patterns of annual and seasonal immune investment in a temporal reproductive opportunist.

Historically, investigations of how organismal investments in immunity fluctuate in response to environmental and physiological changes have focused on seasonally breeding organisms that confine reproduction to seasons with relatively unchallenging environmental conditions and abundant resources. The red crossbill, , is a songbird that can breed opportunistically if conifer seeds are abundant, on both short, cold, and long, warm days, providing an ideal system to investigate environmental and reproductive effects on immunity. In this study, we measured inter- and intra-annual variation in complement, natural antibodies, PIT54 and leucocytes in crossbills across four summers (2010-2013) and multiple seasons within 1 year (summer 2011-spring 2012).

Real-world outcomes of adult B-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia patients treated with blinatumomab.

The availability and use of blinatumomab symbolizes a paradigm shift in the management of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). We conducted a retrospective multicenter cohort analysis of 239 ALL patients (227 relapsed refractory [RR], n = 227; minimal residual disease [MRD], n = 12) who received blinatumomab outside of clinical trials to evaluate safety and efficacy in the "real-world" setting. The median age of patients at blinatumomab initiation was 48 years (range, 18-85).

Real-World Outcomes of Adult B-Cell Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia Patients Treated With Inotuzumab Ozogamicin.

Background: Inotuzumab ozogamicin (InO) is an anti-CD22 monoclonal antibody-drug (calicheamicin) conjugate that has shown superior efficacy compared to conventional chemotherapy in relapsed/refractory (RR) B-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) patients. We sought to find the safety and efficacy of InO in a real-world setting.

Patients And Methods: A multicenter cohort analysis on 84 RR ALL patients who received InO outside of clinical trials was conducted to evaluate response and toxicity.

Establishment of an Agrobacterium mediated transformation protocol for the detection of cytokinin in the heterophyllous plant Hygrophila difformis (Acanthaceae).

This is the first report of a highly efficient Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation protocol for Acanthaceae and its utilization in revealing important roles of cytokinin in regulating heterophylly in Hygrophila difformis. Plants show amazing morphological differences in leaf form in response to changes in the surrounding environment, which is a phenomenon called heterophylly. Previous studies have shown that the aquatic plant Hygrophila difformis (Acanthaceae) is an ideal model for heterophylly study.

Assessment of Three Diet Types on Constitutive Immune Parameters in Captive Budgerigar ().

Proper diet and nutrition are essential for maintaining the health of captive birds, but specific nutritional requirements can vary by species. Our knowledge of avian nutrition is predominantly based on data collected from gallinaceous birds, which is the primary basis for the dietary recommendations for companion birds, such as budgerigars () and other psittacine birds, potentially leading to a higher risk of malnutrition. In the wild, budgerigars eat predominantly Australian grass seed of the genus, which may not be similar to the commercially available food fed to captive budgerigars, both in nutrient content and in their physiologic effects.

Randomized study of doxorubicin-based chemotherapy regimens, with and without sildenafil, with analysis of intermediate cardiac markers.

Background: Doxorubicin chemotherapy is used across a range of adult and pediatric malignancies. Cardiac toxicity is common, and dysfunction develops over time in many patients. Biomarkers used for predicting late cardiac dysfunction following doxorubicin exposure have shown promise.

Members of the Arabidopsis FORKED1-LIKE gene family act to localize PIN1 in developing veins.

The reticulate leaf vein pattern typical of angiosperms is proposed to have been a driving force for their evolutionary success. Vein pattern is established through auxin canalization via the auxin efflux protein PINFORMED1 (PIN1). During formation of vein loops, PIN1 cellular localization is increasingly restricted to either the basal side of cells in the lower domain or to the apical side in the upper domain.

Innate immunity and environmental correlates of Haemoproteus prevalence and intensity in an opportunistic breeder.

While parasite infection can have substantial fitness consequences in organisms, the predictors of parasite prevalence and intensity are often complex and vary depending on the host species. Here, we examined correlates of Haemoproteus (a common malaria parasite) prevalence and intensity in an opportunistically breeding songbird, the red crossbill (Loxia curvirostra). Specifically, we quantified Haemoproteus prevalence and intensity in crossbills caught in the Grand Teton National Park from 2010 to 2013.

Localization of Arabidopsis FORKED1 to a RABA-positive compartment suggests a role in secretion.

When FORKED1 (FKD1) is mutated, asymmetric localization of PINFORMED1 (PIN1), particularly to the apical side of cells, fails to occur properly in developing veins, resulting in an open vein pattern. FKD1 encodes a protein with a Pleckstrin homology-like (PL) domain, suggesting interaction with phosphoinositides. FKD1 has been previously found to interact with an ADP ribosylation factor GTPase-activating protein (ARF-GAP) important for vein patterning, SCARFACE/VAN3 (SFC).

Water-Wisteria as an ideal plant to study heterophylly in higher aquatic plants.

The semi-aquatic plant Water-Wisteria is suggested as a new model to study heterophylly due to its many advantages and typical leaf phenotypic plasticity in response to environmental factors and phytohormones. Water-Wisteria, Hygrophila difformis (Acanthaceae), is a fast growing semi-aquatic plant that exhibits a variety of leaf shapes, from simple leaves to highly branched compound leaves, depending on the environment. The phenomenon by which leaves change their morphology in response to environmental conditions is called heterophylly.

Photoperiod but not food restriction modulates innate immunity in an opportunistic breeder, .

An organism's investment in immune function often varies seasonally but understanding of how fluctuations in environmental conditions directly modulate investment remains limited. This experiment investigated how changes in photoperiod and food availability affect investment in constitutive innate immunity and the acute phase response induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injections in captive red crossbills (). Crossbills are reproductively flexible songbirds that specialize on an unpredictably available food resource and display temporal variation in immunity in the wild.

Interventions to improve hospice and palliative care referral: a systematic review.

Background: Hospice and palliative care are underutilized among patients at the end of their lives despite evidence that they improve patient satisfaction and reduce costs.

Objective: To synthesize evidence regarding interventions to increase hospice referral/enrollment.

Design And Measurements: We conducted a systematic review of the literature and selected studies that evaluated interventions aimed at increasing hospice use.

Arabidopsis UNHINGED encodes a VPS51 homolog and reveals a role for the GARP complex in leaf shape and vein patterning.

Asymmetric localization of PIN proteins controls directionality of auxin transport and many aspects of plant development. Directionality of PIN1 within the marginal epidermis and the presumptive veins of developing leaf primordia is crucial for establishing leaf vein pattern. One mechanism that controls PIN protein distribution within the cell membranes is endocytosis and subsequent transport to the vacuole for degradation.

A novel, semi-dominant allele of MONOPTEROS provides insight into leaf initiation and vein pattern formation.

Leaf vein pattern is proposed to be specified by directional auxin transport through presumptive vein cells. Activation of auxin response, which induces downstream genes that entrain auxin transport and lead to vascular differentiation, occurs through a set of transcription factors, the auxin response factors. In the absence of auxin, auxin response factors are inactive because they interact with repressor proteins, the Aux/IAA proteins.

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura and urinary tract infections: is there a connection?

Most cases of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) are considered idiopathic without an identifiable etiologic agent. It has been previously reported that a number of patients with TTP had a urinary tract infection (UTI). Apheresis records were searched for patients with TTP from 1999 through 2007.

FORKED1 encodes a PH domain protein that is required for PIN1 localization in developing leaf veins.

The formation of Arabidopsis leaf veins is believed to require canalization of auxin into discrete and continuous cell files to generate a highly reproducible branched and reticulate pattern. During canalization, incipient veins become preferred routes for auxin transport through expression and asymmetric localization of the PINFORMED1 (PIN1) auxin efflux protein: PIN1 expression narrows from a group of cells to a single cell file, and localization of PIN1 protein becomes polarized to the cell membrane facing a previously formed vein. The shift in PIN1 localization is believed to require active vesicle cycling and be auxin-dependent, generating an autoregulatory loop.

Asymmetric auxin response precedes asymmetric growth and differentiation of asymmetric leaf1 and asymmetric leaf2 Arabidopsis leaves.

We have analyzed the development of leaf shape and vascular pattern in leaves mutant for ASYMMETRIC LEAVES1 (AS1) or AS2 and compared the timing of developmental landmarks to cellular response to auxin, as measured by expression of the DR5:beta-glucuronidase (GUS) transgene and to cell division, as measured by expression of the cycB1:GUS transgene. We found that the earliest visible defect in both as1 and as2 first leaves is the asymmetric placement of auxin response at the distal leaf tip. This precedes visible changes in leaf morphology, asymmetric placement of the distal margin gap, formation of margin gaps along the leaf border, asymmetric distribution of marginal auxin, and asymmetry in cell division patterns.

Isolated injury of the cuboid bone.

The purpose of this study was to describe isolated injury of the cuboid bone as a potentially radiographically occult cause of foot pain. The imaging studies of 17 patients, 13 women and 4 men aged 17-79 years (average 45 years), who presented with pain over the lateral aspect of the midfoot were retrospectively reviewed. Frontal, lateral, and inversion-oblique radiographs were available for all patients.

Shifting bone marrow edema of the knee.

Objective: The purpose of our study is to describe shifting bone marrow edema in the knee as the MR imaging feature of intra-articular regional migratory osteoporosis of the knee.

Patients And Methods: Five men, aged 45-73 years, were referred by orthopedic surgeons for MR imaging evaluation of knee pain, which had been present for 2 weeks to 6 months. One patient had a prior history of blunt trauma.

The FORKED genes are essential for distal vein meeting in Arabidopsis.

As in most dicotyledonous plants, the leaves and cotyledons of Arabidopsis have a closed, reticulate venation pattern. This pattern is proposed to be generated through canalization of the hormone auxin. We have identified two genes, FORKED 1 (FKD1) and FORKED 2 (FKD2), that are necessary for the closed venation pattern: mutations in either gene result in an open venation pattern that lacks distal meeting.

Comparison of sonography and MRI for diagnosing epicondylitis.

Purpose: The aim of this prospective study was to compare the sensitivity and specificity of sonography with those of MRI in evaluating epicondylitis.

Methods: The affected elbows of 11 patients with suspected epicondylitis were examined sonographically, and the contralateral (normal) elbow was also examined for comparison. In 10 of these patients, the affected elbow was also examined with MRI.