Sepsis Among Medicare Beneficiaries: 4. Precoronavirus Disease 2019 Update January 2012-February 2020.

Objectives: To provide updated information on the burdens of sepsis during acute inpatient admissions for Medicare beneficiaries.

Design: Analysis of paid Medicare claims via the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services DataLink Project.

Setting: All U.

Enhanced GLT-1 mediated glutamate uptake and migration of primary astrocytes directed by fibronectin-coated electrospun poly-L-lactic acid fibers.

Bioengineered fiber substrates are increasingly studied as a means to promote regeneration and remodeling in the injured central nervous system (CNS). Previous reports largely focused on the ability of oriented scaffolds to bridge injured regions and direct outgrowth of axonal projections. In the present work, we explored the effects of electrospun microfibers on the migration and physiological properties of brain astroglial cells.

p53 as Batman: using a movie plot to understand control of the cell cycle.

This Teaching Resource provides and describes a two-part classroom exercise to help students understand control of the cell cycle, with a focus on the transcription factor p53, the E3 ubiquitin ligase Mdm2, the Mdm2 inhibitor ARF, the kinases ATM and ATR, the kinase Chk2, and the cell cycle inhibitor p21(Cip1). Students use characters and scenes from the movie The Dark Knight to represent elements of the cell cycle control machinery, then they apply these characters and scenes to translate a primary research article on p53 function into a new movie scene in the "Batman universe." This exercise is appropriate for college-level courses in cell biology and cancer biology and requires students to have a background in introductory cell biology.

Novel image analysis approach quantifies morphological characteristics of 3D breast culture acini with varying metastatic potentials.

Prognosis of breast cancer is primarily predicted by the histological grading of the tumor, where pathologists manually evaluate microscopic characteristics of the tissue. This labor intensive process suffers from intra- and inter-observer variations; thus, computer-aided systems that accomplish this assessment automatically are in high demand. We address this by developing an image analysis framework for the automated grading of breast cancer in in vitro three-dimensional breast epithelial acini through the characterization of acinar structure morphology.

Coupled analysis of in vitro and histology tissue samples to quantify structure-function relationship.

The structure/function relationship is fundamental to our understanding of biological systems at all levels, and drives most, if not all, techniques for detecting, diagnosing, and treating disease. However, at the tissue level of biological complexity we encounter a gap in the structure/function relationship: having accumulated an extraordinary amount of detailed information about biological tissues at the cellular and subcellular level, we cannot assemble it in a way that explains the correspondingly complex biological functions these structures perform. To help close this information gap we define here several quantitative temperospatial features that link tissue structure to its corresponding biological function.

Phenylboronic acid is a more potent inhibitor than boric acid of key signaling networks involved in cancer cell migration.

Previous studies from our lab have shown that both boric (BA) and phenylboronic- acid (PBA) inhibit the migration of prostate cancer cell lines, as well as non-tumorigenic prostate cells. Our results indicate that PBA is more potent than BA in targeting metastatic and proliferative properties of cancer cells. Here we focus on the impact of BA and PBA on Rho family of GTP-binding proteins and their downstream targets.

Quantitative metric profiles capture three-dimensional temporospatial architecture to discriminate cellular functional states.

Background: Computational analysis of tissue structure reveals sub-visual differences in tissue functional states by extracting quantitative signature features that establish a diagnostic profile. Incomplete and/or inaccurate profiles contribute to misdiagnosis.

Methods: In order to create more complete tissue structure profiles, we adapted our cell-graph method for extracting quantitative features from histopathology images to now capture temporospatial traits of three-dimensional collagen hydrogel cell cultures.

Quantification of three-dimensional cell-mediated collagen remodeling using graph theory.

Background: Cell cooperation is a critical event during tissue development. We present the first precise metrics to quantify the interaction between mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and extra cellular matrix (ECM). In particular, we describe cooperative collagen alignment process with respect to the spatio-temporal organization and function of mesenchymal stem cells in three dimensions.

ECM-Aware Cell-Graph Mining for Bone Tissue Modeling and Classification.

Pathological examination of a biopsy is the most reliable and widely used technique to diagnose bone cancer. However, it suffers from both inter- and intra- observer subjectivity. Techniques for automated tissue modeling and classification can reduce this subjectivity and increases the accuracy of bone cancer diagnosis.

The natural and engineered 3D microenvironment as a regulatory cue during stem cell fate determination.

The concept of using stem cells as self-renewing sources of healthy cells in regenerative medicine has existed for decades, but most applications have yet to achieve clinical success. A main reason for the lack of successful stem cell therapies is the difficulty in fully recreating the maintenance and control of the native stem cell niche. Improving the performance of transplanted stem cells therefore requires a better understanding of the cellular mechanisms guiding stem cell behavior in both native and engineered three-dimensional (3D) microenvironments.

Phenylboronic acid selectively inhibits human prostate and breast cancer cell migration and decreases viability.

We compared the in vitro effect of boric acid (BA) versus phenylboronic acid (PBA) on the migration of prostate and breast cancer cell lines and non-tumorigenic cells from the same tissues. Treatment at 24 hours with BA (< or =500 microM) did not inhibit chemotaxis on fibronectin in any cell line. However, treatment over the same time course with concentrations of PBA as low as 1 muM significantly inhibited cancer cell migration without effecting non-tumorigenic cell lines.

Multiway modeling and analysis in stem cell systems biology.

Background: Systems biology refers to multidisciplinary approaches designed to uncover emergent properties of biological systems. Stem cells are an attractive target for this analysis, due to their broad therapeutic potential. A central theme of systems biology is the use of computational modeling to reconstruct complex systems from a wealth of reductionist, molecular data (e.

Inhibition of ERK promotes collagen gel compaction and fibrillogenesis to amplify the osteogenesis of human mesenchymal stem cells in three-dimensional collagen I culture.

Tissue morphogenesis remains one of the least understood problems in cell and developmental biology. There is a disconnect between the mechanisms that apply to two-dimensional (2D) cultures and those seen in vivo. Three-dimensional (3D) culture presents a complex stimulus triggering cellular responses that are only partially understood.

Focal adhesion kinase signaling controls cyclic tensile strain enhanced collagen I-induced osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells.

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is a key integrator of integrin-mediated signals from the extracellular matrix to the cytoskeleton and downstream signaling molecules. FAK is activated by phosphorylation at specific tyrosine residues, which then stimulate downstream signaling including the ERK1/2 pathway, leading to a variety of cellular responses. In this study, we examined the effects of FAK point mutations at tyrosine residues (Y397, Y925, Y861, and Y576/7) on osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells exposed to collagen I and cyclic tensile strain.

Osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells in defined protein beads.

There is a need to develop improved methods for directing and maintaining the differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) for regenerative medicine. Here, we present a method for embedding cells in defined protein microenvironments for the directed osteogenic differentiation of hMSC. Composite matrices of collagen I and agarose were produced by emulsification and simultaneous polymerization in the presence of hMSC to produce 30-150 mum diameter hydrogel "beads.

Dissection of the osteogenic effects of laminin-332 utilizing specific LG domains: LG3 induces osteogenic differentiation, but not mineralization.

The overall mechanisms governing the role of laminins during osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) are poorly understood. We previously reported that laminin-332 induces an osteogenic phenotype in hMSC and does so through a focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK) dependent pathway. We hypothesized that this is a result of integrin-ECM binding, and that it occurs via the known alpha3 LG3 integrin binding domain of laminin-332.

Phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase promotes extravasation of breast cancer cells.

Inhibition of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) delays transendothelial migration of breast cancer cells. Here we investigate whether phosphorylation of specific tyrosine residues of FAK (397, 861, and 925) known to control aspects of cell migration on extracellular matrix (ECM), are also involved in transendothelial migration. AU-565 and MDA-MB-231 cells expressing Phe397 FAK show delayed or decreased transendothelial migration, demonstrating the involvement of the FAK autophosphorylation site.

Proteomics reveals multiple routes to the osteogenic phenotype in mesenchymal stem cells.

Background: Recently, we demonstrated that human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) stimulated with dexamethazone undergo gene focusing during osteogenic differentiation (Stem Cells Dev 14(6): 1608-20, 2005). Here, we examine the protein expression profiles of three additional populations of hMSC stimulated to undergo osteogenic differentiation via either contact with pro-osteogenic extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins (collagen I, vitronectin, or laminin-5) or osteogenic media supplements (OS media). Specifically, we annotate these four protein expression profiles, as well as profiles from naïve hMSC and differentiated human osteoblasts (hOST), with known gene ontologies and analyze them as a tensor with modes for the expressed proteins, gene ontologies, and stimulants.

Mechanical strain enhances extracellular matrix-induced gene focusing and promotes osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells through an extracellular-related kinase-dependent pathway.

Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are a population of multipotent bone marrow cells capable of differentiating along multiple lineages, including bone. Our recently published proteomics studies suggest that focusing of gene expression is the basis of hMSC osteogenic transdifferentiation, and that extracellular matrix proteins play an important role in controlling this focusing. Here, we show that application of a 3-5% tensile strain to a collagen I substrate stimulates osteogenesis in the attached hMSCs through gene focusing via a MAP kinase signaling pathway.

Laminin-5 activates extracellular matrix production and osteogenic gene focusing in human mesenchymal stem cells.

We recently reported that laminin-5, expressed by human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC), stimulates osteogenic gene expression in these cells in the absence of any other osteogenic stimulus. Here we employ two-dimensional liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry, along with the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID), to obtain a more comprehensive profile of the protein (and hence gene) expression changes occurring during laminin-5-induced osteogenesis of hMSC. Specifically, we compare the protein expression profiles of undifferentiated hMSC, hMSC cultured on laminin-5 (Ln-5 hMSC), and fully differentiated human osteoblasts (hOST) with profiles from hMSC treated with well-established osteogenic stimuli (collagen I, vitronectin, or dexamethazone).

Focal adhesion kinase signaling pathways regulate the osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells.

The intracellular signaling events controlling human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) differentiation into osteoblasts are not entirely understood. We recently demonstrated that contact with extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins is sufficient to induce osteogenic differentiation of hMSC through an ERK-dependent pathway. We hypothesized that FAK signaling pathways provide a link between activation of ERK1/2 by ECM, and stimulate subsequent phosphorylation of the Runx2/Cbfa-1 transcription factor that controls osteogenic gene expression.

Disruption of focal adhesion kinase slows transendothelial migration of AU-565 breast cancer cells.

Transendothelial migration of cancer cells from the vasculature into tissue stroma is a final step in the metastatic cascade, prior to formation of secondary tumors. Due to its role in 2-dimensional migration of cells on extracellular matrix proteins, we hypothesized that focal adhesion kinase (FAK) promotes transendothelial migration of cancer cells. AU-565 cells are weakly invasive metastatic breast adenocarcinoma cells that migrate through bovine lung microvessel endothelial cell monolayers.

Activation of FAK is necessary for the osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells on laminin-5.

Human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) differentiation into osteoblasts and the signaling events involved are poorly understood. We recently established that contact with specific extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, in particular laminin-5, is sufficient to induce an osteogenic phenotype in hMSC through an extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK)-dependent pathway. Activation of ERK 1/2 by laminin-5 induces phosphorylation of the runx2/cbfa-1 transcription factor that controls osteogenic gene expression.

Apocynin derivatives interrupt intracellular signaling resulting in decreased migration in breast cancer cells.

Cancer cells are defined by their ability to divide uncontrollably and metastasize to secondary sites in the body. Consequently, tumor cell migration represents a promising target for anticancer drug development. Using our high-throughput cell migration assay, we have screened several classes of compounds for noncytotoxic tumor cell migration inhibiting activity.