Abnormal blood rheology and chronic low grade inflammation: possible risk factors for accelerated atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease in Lewis negative subjects.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that abnormal hemorheology and chronic low-grade inflammation are more prevalent in Lewis negative individuals, possibly contributing to premature atherosclerosis.

Methods And Results: We enrolled 223 healthy subjects (154 females, mean age: 64yrs). Conventional risk factors, markers of inflammation and hemorheological profiles were measured; Lewis blood group was determined by serology.

Antibody Blockade of Semaphorin 4D Promotes Immune Infiltration into Tumor and Enhances Response to Other Immunomodulatory Therapies.

Semaphorin 4D (SEMA4D, CD100) and its receptor plexin-B1 (PLXNB1) are broadly expressed in murine and human tumors, and their expression has been shown to correlate with invasive disease in several human tumors. SEMA4D normally functions to regulate the motility and differentiation of multiple cell types, including those of the immune, vascular, and nervous systems. In the setting of cancer, SEMA4D-PLXNB1 interactions have been reported to affect vascular stabilization and transactivation of ERBB2, but effects on immune-cell trafficking in the tumor microenvironment (TME) have not been investigated.

Transfer from planned home birth to hospital: improving interprofessional collaboration.

Women's heightened interest in choice of birthplace and increased rates of planned home birth in the United States have been well documented, yet there remains significant public and professional debate about the ethics of planned home birth in jurisdictions where care is not clearly integrated across birth settings. Simultaneously, the quality of interprofessional interactions is recognized as a predictor of health outcomes during obstetric events. When care is transferred across birth settings, confusion and conflict among providers with respect to roles and responsibilities can adversely affect both outcomes and the experience of care for women and newborns.

Longitudinal Associations Among Relationship Satisfaction, Sexual Satisfaction, and Frequency of Sex in Early Marriage.

The current research used two 8-wave longitudinal studies spanning the first 4-5 years of 207 marriages to examine the potential bidirectional associations among marital satisfaction, sexual satisfaction, and frequency of sex. All three variables declined over time, though the rate of decline in each variable became increasingly less steep. Controlling for these changes, own marital and sexual satisfaction were bidirectionally positively associated with one another; higher levels of marital satisfaction at one wave of assessment predicted more positive changes in sexual satisfaction from that assessment to the next and higher levels of sexual satisfaction at one wave of assessment predicted more positive changes in marital satisfaction from that assessment to the next.

Racial disparities in outcomes following PEA and asystole in-hospital cardiac arrests.

Aim: To define the racial differences present after PEA and asystolic IHCA and explore factors that could contribute to this disparity.

Methods: We analyzed PEA and asystolic IHCA in the Get-With-The-Guidelines-Resuscitation database. Multilevel conditional fixed effects logistic regression models were used to estimate the relationship between race and survival to discharge and return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), sequentially controlling for hospital, patient demographics, comorbidities, arrest characteristic, process measures, and interventions in place at time of arrest.

SEMA4D compromises blood-brain barrier, activates microglia, and inhibits remyelination in neurodegenerative disease.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neuroinflammatory disease characterized by immune cell infiltration of CNS, blood-brain barrier (BBB) breakdown, localized myelin destruction, and progressive neuronal degeneration. There exists a significant need to identify novel therapeutic targets and strategies that effectively and safely disrupt and even reverse disease pathophysiology. Signaling cascades initiated by semaphorin 4D (SEMA4D) induce glial activation, neuronal process collapse, inhibit migration and differentiation of oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs), and disrupt endothelial tight junctions forming the BBB.

Comprehensive analysis suggests simple processes underlying EEG/ERP - demonstration with the go/no-go paradigm in ADHD.

Background: Current basic or more advanced methods for analysis of averaged EEG/ERP are based on assumptions on the underlying processes, which are not necessarily precise.

New Method: In this work we present the findings of a method which obviates such assumptions and aims at a comprehensive analysis of the averaged EEG/ERP signal.

Results: For the sake of demonstration we chose the established go/no-go paradigm in the context of ADHD.

Comparison of potato and asian citrus psyllid adult and nymph transcriptomes identified vector transcripts with potential involvement in circulative, propagative liberibacter transmission.

The potato psyllid (PoP) Bactericera cockerelli (Sulc) and Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) Diaphorina citri Kuwayama are the insect vectors of the fastidious plant pathogen, Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum (CLso) and Ca. L. asiaticus (CLas), respectively.

Combination of 4-1BB agonist and PD-1 antagonist promotes antitumor effector/memory CD8 T cells in a poorly immunogenic tumor model.

Immunotherapies targeting the programmed death 1 (PD-1) coinhibitory receptor have shown great promise for a subset of patients with cancer. However, robust and safe combination therapies are still needed to bring the benefit of cancer immunotherapy to broader patient populations. To search for an optimal strategy of combinatorial immunotherapy, we have compared the antitumor activity of the anti-4-1BB/anti-PD-1 combination with that of the anti-PD-1/anti-LAG-3 combination in the poorly immunogenic B16F10 melanoma model.

Synthesis of α-peroxyesters via organocatalyzed O-H insertion of hydroperoxides and aryl diazoesters.

The synthesis of α-aryl peroxyesters, an unprecedented class of organic peroxide, via hydrogen-bond donor catalyzed O-H insertions of hydroperoxides and α-aryl diazoesters is reported. The method is applicable to a diverse set of substrates and the corresponding α-peroxyesters are typically isolated in high yield. Both thermogravimetric analysis and reactions with traditional peroxide reducing agents demonstrate the stability of α-peroxyesters.

Model-based tolerance intervals derived from cumulative historical composition data: application for substantial equivalence assessment of a genetically modified crop.

Compositional analysis is a requisite component of the substantial equivalence framework utilized to assess genetically modified (GM) crop safety. Statistical differences in composition data between GM and non-GM crops require a context in which to determine biological relevance. This context is provided by surveying the natural variation of key nutrient and antinutrient levels within the crop population with a history of safe use.

Relationship between touch sensation of the affected hand and performance of valued activities in individuals with chronic stroke.

Objective: To investigate the association between touch sensation of the affected hand and performance and satisfaction with performance of valued activities in individuals with chronic stroke.

Methods: Using a cross-sectional study design, this study correlated factors related to hand sensation and activity performance in individuals with chronic stroke. The Touch Test Evaluators and Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) were used.

Detection of antibodies to the biofilm exopolysaccharide of Histophilus somni following infection in cattle by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed to detect bovine antibodies to Histophilus somni exopolysaccharide (EPS), which is created during biofilm formation. When an index value of 0.268 was used, the sensitivity of the assay for infected calves was 90.

Osmotic activation of phospholipase C triggers structural adaptation in osmosensitive rat supraoptic neurons.

The magnocellular neurosecretory cells of the hypothalamus (MNCs) synthesize and secrete vasopressin or oxytocin. A stretch-inactivated cation current mediated by TRPV1 channels rapidly transduces increases in external osmolality into a depolarization of the MNCs leading to an increase in action potential firing and thus hormone release. Prolonged increases in external osmolality, however, trigger a reversible structural and functional adaptation that may enable the MNCs to sustain high levels of hormone release.

Related to testes-specific, vespid and pathogenesis protein-1 is regulated by methylation in glioblastoma.

Related to testes-specific, vespid and pathogenesis protein-1 (RTVP-1), also known as glioma pathogenesis-related protein 1, is highly expressed and has oncogenic features in glioblastoma (GBM; World Health Organization class IV). Promoter methylation has been found to control RTVP-1 expression in prostate carcinoma, Wilms' tumor, acute myeloid leukemia and melanoma. In this bi-institutional study, the methylation status of RTVP-1 in astrocytic brain malignancies (GBM and oligodendroglioma) was examined.

MicroRNA-200b targets protein kinase Cα and suppresses triple-negative breast cancer metastasis.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer with poor prognosis and lacks effective targeted therapies. The microRNA-200 (miR-200) family is found to inhibit or promote breast cancer metastasis; however, the underlying mechanism is not well understood. This study was performed to investigate the effect and mechanism of miR-200b on TNBC metastasis and identify targets for developing more efficient treatment for TNBC.

The incidence and outcome of endothermal heat-induced thrombosis after endovenous laser ablation.

Background: Endovenous laser ablation (EVLA) of the saphenous vein has become one of the preferred treatments for treating saphenous vein reflux that has resulted in symptomatic lower extremity venous insufficiency or varicose veins. This procedure was noted during initial reports to have a low incidence of postoperative thrombosis of the femoral or popliteal vein adjacent to the treated great saphenous vein (GSV) or small saphenous vein (SSV). Later clinical experience suggested that the actual incidence of this event is higher and it was subsequently termed endothermal heat-induced thrombosis (EHIT).

How do research participants perceive "uncertainty" in genome sequencing?

Purpose: The scope of uncertainty in genome sequence information has no rival in health-care delivery. We present data from adults participating in a National Institutes of Health study using this technology, in which perceptions of uncertainty are hypothesized to be key in predicting decisions to learn and act on genome health information.

Methods: We conducted six professionally moderated focus groups with 39 randomly selected ClinSeq participants varying on whether they had coronary heart disease and had received prior sequence results.

Variable-cell method for stress-controlled jamming of athermal, frictionless grains.

A method is introduced to simulate jamming of polyhedral grains under controlled stress that incorporates global degrees of freedom through the metric tensor of a periodic cell containing grains. Jamming under hydrostatic (isotropic) stress and athermal conditions leads to a precise definition of the ideal jamming point at zero shear stress. The structures of tetrahedra jammed hydrostatically exhibit less translational order and lower jamming-point density than previously described maximally random jammed hard tetrahedra.

Luciferase does not Alter Metabolism in Cancer Cells.

Luciferase transfected cell lines are used extensively for cancer models, revealing valuable biological information about disease mechanisms. However, these genetically encoded reporters, while useful for monitoring tumor response in cancer models, can impact cell metabolism. Indeed firefly luciferase and fatty acyl-CoA synthetases differ by a single amino acid, raising the possibility that luciferase activity might alter metabolism and introduce experimental artifacts.

The Ca2+ channel β2 subunit is selectively targeted to the axon terminals of supraoptic neurons.

The assembly of high voltage-activated Ca(2+) channels with different β subunits influences channel properties and possibly subcellular targeting. We studied β subunit expression in the somata and axon terminals of the magnocellular neurosecretory cells, which are located in the supraoptic nucleus (SON) and neurohypophysis, respectively. Antibodies directed against the 4 Ca(V)β subunits (Ca(V)β(1)-Ca(V)β(4)) were used for immunoblots and for immunostaining of slices of these two tissues.

Impact of a surveillance screening program on rates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections with a comparison of surgical versus nonsurgical patients.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a significant cause of health care-associated infection. The overall effectiveness of surveillance screening programs is not well established. A retrospective cohort study was performed to evaluate the impact of a surveillance screening program on the rates of health care-associated MRSA infection (HA-MRSA-I) at a single institution.