Cell Architecture and Dynamics of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) on Hydrogels with Spatially Patterned Laminin and N-Cadherin.

Controlling cellular shape with micropatterning extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins on hydrogels has been shown to improve the reproducibility of the cell structure, enhancing our ability to collect statistics on single-cell behaviors. Patterning methods have advanced efforts in developing human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) as a promising human model for studies of the heart structure, function, and disease. Patterned single hiPSC-CMs have exhibited phenotypes closer to mature, primary CMs across several metrics, including sarcomere alignment and contractility, area and aspect ratio, and force production.

Mixtures of Intrinsically Disordered Neuronal Protein Tau and Anionic Liposomes Reveal Distinct Anionic Liposome-Tau Complexes Coexisting with Tau Liquid-Liquid Phase Separated Coacervates.

Tau, an intrinsically disordered neuronal protein and polyampholyte with an overall positive charge, is a microtubule (MT) associated protein, which binds to anionic domains of MTs and suppresses their dynamic instability. Aberrant tau-MT interactions are implicated in Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we studied the interactions between full length human protein tau and other negatively charged binding substrates, as revealed by differential-interference-contrast (DIC) and fluorescence microscopy.

A Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)- and Mass Spectrometry (MS)-Based Saturation Kinetics Model of a Decoction as a Treatment for Kidney Stones.

(BP) is a medicinal plant used to treat many conditions when taken as a leaf juice, leaves in capsules, as an ethanolic extract, and as herbal tea. These preparations have been chemically analyzed except for decoctions derived from boiled green leaves. In preparation for a clinical trial to validate BP tea as a treatment for kidney stones, we used NMR and MS analyses to characterize the saturation kinetics of the release of metabolites.

Techniques and Fixation of Olecranon Osteotomy: A Systematic Review.

Purpose: We aimed to characterize the incidence of complications regarding olecranon osteotomy, looking more specifically at the type of osteotomy and the fixation construct used to repair the osteotomy.

Methods: In accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, a comprehensive search was performed. A study was included if it was an adult clinical study, a transverse or chevron olecranon osteotomy was performed, and the study explicitly states the fixation construct used to repair the osteotomy.

Synchrotron X-ray study of intrinsically disordered and polyampholytic Tau 4RS and 4RL under controlled ionic strength.

Aggregated and hyperphosphorylated Tau is one of the pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. Tau is a polyampholytic and intrinsically disordered protein (IDP). In this paper, we present for the first time experimental results on the ionic strength dependence of the radius of gyration (R) of human Tau 4RS and 4RL isoforms.

Juvenile-Type Granulosa Cell Tumor in Pregnancy Presenting as a Ruptured Abdominal Mass.

Introduction: Granulosa cell tumors (GCTs) are part of the sex cord-stromal tumors occurring with a rare incidence rate that only makes up about 2-5% of all ovarian malignancies.

Case Presentation: A 28-year-old woman, gravida 2, para 1, presented with a juvenile-type granulosa cell tumor at 31 weeks gestation, which appeared as a rapidly growing mass with rupture. She under-went an exploratory laparotomy with unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and consequently had a successful vaginal delivery.

Advances in Radiotherapy Immune Modulation: From Bench-to-Bedside and Back Again.

Pre-clinical and clinical data clearly demonstrate the immune modulatory effects of radiotherapy (RT) but clinical trials testing RT + immunotherapy have been equivocal. An improved understanding of the immune modulatory effects of RT and how practical parameters of RT delivery (site and number of lesions, dose, fractionation, timing) influence these effects are needed to optimally combine RT with immunotherapy. Additionally, increased exploration of immunotherapy combinations with RT, beyond immune checkpoint inhibitors, are needed.

Efficient Tracing of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variants in Santa Barbara County Using a Rapid Quantitative Reverse Transcription PCR Assay.

The emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in 2021 is associated with a global surge of cases in late 2021 and early 2022. Identifying the introduction of novel SARS-CoV-2 variants to a population is imperative to inform decisions by clinicians and public health officials. Here, we describe a quantitative reverse transcription PCR-based assay (RT-qPCR) targeting unique mutations in the Omicron BA.

3D-Arterial analysis software and CEUS in the assessment of severity and vulnerability of carotid atherosclerotic plaque: a comparison with CTA and histopathology.

Purpose: Our purpose is to assess Multiparametric Ultrasound (MPUS) efficacy for evaluation of carotid plaque vulnerability and carotid stenosis degree in comparison with Computed Tomography angiography (CTA) and histology.

Material And Methods: 3D-Arterial Analysis is a 3D ultrasound software that automatically provides the degree of carotid stenosis and a colorimetric map of carotid plaque vulnerability. We enrolled 106 patients who were candidates for carotid endarterectomy.

CEUS cardiac exam protocols International Contrast Ultrasound Society (ICUS) recommendations.

The present CEUS Cardiac Exam Protocols represent the first effort to promulgate a standard set of protocols for optimal administration of ultrasound enhancing agents (UEAs) in echocardiography, based on more than two decades of experience in the use of UEAs for cardiac imaging. The protocols reflect current clinical CEUS practice in many modern echocardiography laboratories throughout the world. Specific attention is given to preparation and dosing of three UEAs that have been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and additional regulatory bodies in Europe, the Americas and Asia-Pacific.

Human peroxiredoxin 6 is essential for malaria parasites and provides a host-based drug target.

The uptake and digestion of host hemoglobin by malaria parasites during blood-stage growth leads to significant oxidative damage of membrane lipids. Repair of lipid peroxidation damage is crucial for parasite survival. Here, we demonstrate that Plasmodium falciparum imports a host antioxidant enzyme, peroxiredoxin 6 (PRDX6), during hemoglobin uptake from the red blood cell cytosol.

The 35th annual advances in contrast ultrasound international bubble conference, Chicago 2021: synopsis and take-home messages.

The 35th Annual Advances in Contrast Ultrasound International Bubble Conference convened in Chicago, IL, USA, on September 30th to October 1st, 2021. It featured a range of novel research from animal studies to clinical applications in multiple organ systems, demonstrating the utility of contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS). A multidisciplinary group of experts on the use of CEUS, including physicians, basic scientists, engineers, and industry partners, convened to discuss cutting edge research and new applications for CEUS.

The effects of xeno-free cryopreservation on the contractile properties of human iPSC derived cardiomyocytes.

Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) have advanced our ability to study the basic function of the heart and model cardiac diseases. Due to the complexities in stem cell culture and differentiation protocols, many researchers source their hiPSC-CMs from collaborators or commercial biobanks. Generally, the field has assumed the health of frozen cardiomyocytes is unchanged if the cells adhere to the substrate and commence beating.

Recurrence Status, Perineural Invasion, and Hypothyroidism Are Associated With Lymph Node Metastasis in Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Case-Control Study.

Background: Lymph node metastasis is a critical prognostic indicator for mortality in patients with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

Objective: To identify and characterize key risk factors for SCC lymph node metastasis.

Methods: This was a multi-institutional, case-control study of 65 cutaneous SCCs with known lymph node metastasis matched with 195 cutaneous SCCs without lymph node metastasis (3:1 matching).

Ethnicity, Race, and Gender in Engineering Education: The Nuanced Experiences of Male and Female Latinx Engineering Undergraduates Targeted by Microaggressions.

Compared to other groups, relatively less research has specifically addressed the retention of Latinx students in STEM disciplines. These students face many negative stereotypes about their group, especially related to their academic success, yet there is limited research regarding how microaggressions, subtle or ambiguous discriminatory behaviors, targeting Latinx students in engineering education settings impact their experience in those programs. Guided by Sue's definitions and taxonomy of microaggressions, Critical Race Theory and Latino Critical Theory, the purpose of the current study was to answer the following research questions: 1) What microaggressions do Latinx engineering undergraduates experience in an engineering education environment? and 2) How do these microaggressions impact Latinx engineering undergraduates' academic well-being, as defined by their academic self-efficacy and academic performance?

Inhibition of Peroxiredoxin 6 PLA2 Activity Decreases Oxidative Stress and the Severity of Acute Lung Injury in the Mouse Cecal Ligation and Puncture Model.

The use of agents to inhibit the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been proposed for the treatment of Acute Lung Injury (ALI). However, this approach also inhibits the bactericidal activity of polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMN) and other cells, raising the possibility of aggravating lung injury in ALI associated with bacterial infection. We used the cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) model of ALI associated with sepsis to investigate the effect of inhibiting NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2)-derived ROS production, the main source of ROS in lungs.

Plaque Elasticity and Intraplaque Neovascularisation on Carotid Artery Ultrasound: A Comparative Histological Study.

Objective: Plaque elasticity and intraplaque neovascularisation are strongly suggestive of vulnerable plaque. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between intraplaque neovascularisation and plaque elasticity, and to compare the ultrasound findings with histopathological changes.

Methods: Patients enrolled in this study presented with symptomatic carotid stenosis (> 70%) and later underwent both pre-operative ultrasonography and endarterectomy.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound in pediatric echocardiography.

The safety and benefits of cardiac contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) have been demonstrated in children and adolescents for a variety of clinical indications, including congenital heart disease. Cardiac CEUS is performed with US and the intravenous administration of ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs). It improves transthoracic echocardiography, which can be challenging in children and adults with acoustic window limitations (e.

Pediatric contrast-enhanced ultrasound: shedding light on the pursuit of approval in the United States.

For two decades, pediatric contrast US has been well accepted throughout Europe and other parts of the world outside the United States because of its high diagnostic efficacy and extremely favorable safety profile. This includes intravenous (IV) administration, contrast-enhanced US (CEUS) and the intravesical application, contrast-enhanced voiding urosonography (ceVUS). However, the breakthrough for pediatric contrast US in the United States did not come until 2016, when the U.