Publications by authors named "Ethan Liu"

Significance: Determining the long-term cognitive impact of infections is clinically challenging. Using functional cortical connectivity, we demonstrate that interhemispheric cortical connectivity is decreased in individuals with acute Zika virus (ZIKV) encephalitis. This correlates with decreased presynaptic terminals in the somatosensory cortex.

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Background: More than half of the states in the U.S. report that over 30% of adults are obese.

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Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a devastating neurodegenerative disease, is characterized by progressive motor neuron degeneration, leading to widespread weakness and respiratory failure. While a variety of mechanisms have been proposed as causes of this disease, a full understanding remains elusive. Electrophysiological alterations, including increased motor axon excitability, likely play an important role in disease progression.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates how Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) evades the immune system, focusing on the role of tristetraprolin (TTP), an RNA-binding protein that affects mRNA stability.
  • Researchers found that mice lacking TTP showed lower bacterial loads after exposure to Mtb, indicating TTP's role in facilitating bacterial growth in macrophages.
  • The findings suggest that targeting TTP could enhance immune responses and potentially lead to new therapies for tuberculosis by blocking its immune evasion mechanisms.
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Unlabelled: Tendinopathies are prevalent musculoskeletal conditions that have no effective therapies to attenuate scar formation. In contrast to other adult mammals, the tendons of Murphy Roths Large (MRL/MpJ) mice possess a superior healing capacity following acute and overuse injuries. Here, we hypothesized that the application of biological cues derived from the local MRL/MpJ tendon environment would direct otherwise scar-mediated tenocytes towards a pro-regenerative MRL/MpJ-like phenotype.

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Neurologic complications of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection across the lifespan have been described during outbreaks in Southeast Asia, South America, and Central America since 2016. In the adult CNS ZIKV tropism for neurons is tightly linked to its effects, with neuronal loss within the hippocampus during acute infection and protracted synapse loss during recovery, which is associated with cognitive deficits. The effects of ZIKV on cortical networks have not been evaluated.

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