Pre-existing lumbar spine diagnosis as a predictor of outcomes in National Football League athletes.

Background: It is currently unknown how pre-existing lumbar spine conditions may affect the medical evaluation, draft status, and subsequent career performance of National Football League (NFL) players.

Purpose: To determine if a pre-existing lumbar diagnosis affects a player's draft status or his performance and longevity in the NFL.

Study Design: Cohort study; Level 3.

Resting-state connectivity predictors of response to psychotherapy in major depressive disorder.

Despite the heterogeneous symptom presentation and complex etiology of major depressive disorder (MDD), functional neuroimaging studies have shown with remarkable consistency that dysfunction in mesocorticolimbic brain systems are central to the disorder. Relatively less research has focused on the identification of biological markers of response to antidepressant treatment that would serve to improve the personalized delivery of empirically supported antidepressant interventions. In the present study, we investigated whether resting-state functional brain connectivity (rs-fcMRI) predicted response to Behavioral Activation Treatment for Depression, an empirically validated psychotherapy modality designed to increase engagement with rewarding stimuli and reduce avoidance behaviors.

A review of hydrogel use in fracture healing and bone regeneration.

This review explores the application of hydrogels in orthopaedic clinical situations which may benefit from enhanced growth factor delivery and improved osteogenesis of bone graft material. Hydrogels are defined, and in vivo evidence supporting their application in these clinical areas is explored. Our focus is on clinically pertinent properties, such as the chemistry of formation, biocompatibility, efficacy of cell and growth factor delivery, ability to withstand mechanical loading and potential to be delivered via an injection.

AtMYB93 is an endodermis-specific transcriptional regulator of lateral root development in arabidopsis.

Plant root systems are critical for survival, acting as the primary interface for nutrient and water acquisition, as well as anchoring the plant to the ground. As plants grow, their root systems become more elaborate, which is largely mediated by the formation of root branches, or lateral roots. Lateral roots initiate deep within the root in the pericycle cell layer, and their development is controlled by a wide range of internal signaling factors and environmental cues, as well as mechanical feedback from the surrounding cells.

A systematic review of relations between resting-state functional-MRI and treatment response in major depressive disorder.

Background: Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a promising predictor of treatment response in major depressive disorder (MDD).

Methods: A search for papers published in English was conducted using PubMed with the following words: depression, treatment, resting-state, connectivity, and fMRI. Findings from 21 studies of relations between resting-state fMRI and treatment response in MDD are presented, and common findings and themes are discussed.

Gene duplication and the environmental regulation of physiology and development.

When different life stages have different environmental tolerances, development needs to be regulated so that each life stage experiences environmental conditions that are suitable for it, if fitness is to be maintained. Restricting the timing of developmental transitions to occur under specific combinations of environmental conditions is therefore adaptively important. However, impeding development can itself incur demographic and fitness costs.

Hope versus hype: what can additive manufacturing realistically offer trauma and orthopedic surgery?

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a broad term encompassing 3D printing and several other varieties of material processing, which involve computer-directed layer-by-layer synthesis of materials. As the popularity of AM increases, so to do expectations of the medical therapies this process may offer. Clinical requirements and limitations of current treatment strategies in bone grafting, spinal arthrodesis, osteochondral injury and treatment of periprosthetic joint infection are discussed.

The current state of ototoxicity monitoring in New Zealand.

Aim: To explore medical oncologists' and audiologists' knowledge and attitudes regarding ototoxicity monitoring, and to gain an understanding of monitoring currently being implemented at District Health Boards (DHBs) nationwide. We also aimed to identify ways in which audiological outcomes for patients receiving potentially ototoxic treatments could be improved, including examining whether the formulation and implementation of a national ototoxicity monitoring guideline is necessary.

Method: Complementary telephonic interviews were conducted with 16 senior or charge audiologists and seven senior medical oncologists from DHBs across New Zealand, and their responses analysed.

Targeting aPKC disables oncogenic signaling by both the EGFR and the proinflammatory cytokine TNFα in glioblastoma.

Grade IV glioblastoma is characterized by increased kinase activity of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR); however, EGFR kinase inhibitors have failed to improve survival in individuals with this cancer because resistance to these drugs often develops. We showed that tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) produced in the glioblastoma microenvironment activated atypical protein kinase C (aPKC), thereby producing resistance to EGFR kinase inhibitors. Additionally, we identified that aPKC was required both for paracrine TNFα-dependent activation of the transcription factor nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) and for tumor cell-intrinsic receptor tyrosine kinase signaling.

Congenital heart disease protein 5 associates with CASZ1 to maintain myocardial tissue integrity.

The identification and characterization of the cellular and molecular pathways involved in the differentiation and morphogenesis of specific cell types of the developing heart are crucial to understanding the process of cardiac development and the pathology associated with human congenital heart disease. Here, we show that the cardiac transcription factor CASTOR (CASZ1) directly interacts with congenital heart disease 5 protein (CHD5), which is also known as tryptophan-rich basic protein (WRB), a gene located on chromosome 21 in the proposed region responsible for congenital heart disease in individuals with Down's syndrome. We demonstrate that loss of CHD5 in Xenopus leads to compromised myocardial integrity, improper deposition of basement membrane, and a resultant failure of hearts to undergo cell movements associated with cardiac formation.

Mechanical constraints imposed by 3D cellular geometry and arrangement modulate growth patterns in the Arabidopsis embryo.

Morphogenesis occurs in 3D space over time and is guided by coordinated gene expression programs. Here we use postembryonic development in Arabidopsis plants to investigate the genetic control of growth. We demonstrate that gene expression driving the production of the growth-stimulating hormone gibberellic acid and downstream growth factors is first induced within the radicle tip of the embryo.

AtMYB93 is a novel negative regulator of lateral root development in Arabidopsis.

Plant root system plasticity is critical for survival in changing environmental conditions. One important aspect of root architecture is lateral root development, a complex process regulated by hormone, environmental and protein signalling pathways. Here we show, using molecular genetic approaches, that the MYB transcription factor AtMYB93 is a novel negative regulator of lateral root development in Arabidopsis.

The eukaryotic N-end rule pathway: conserved mechanisms and diverse functions.

The N-end rule pathway of targeted proteolysis, which relates the stability of a protein to the nature of its N-terminus, has emerged as a key regulator of diverse processes in eukaryotes. Recent reports that N-terminally acetylated and methionine-initiating proteins can be targeted for degradation have uncovered novel branches of the pathway, and a wide range of protein substrates has now been identified in animals, fungi, and plants. Of particular interest is the finding that the N-end rule pathway mediates oxygen and nitric oxide (NO) sensing in plants and animals by controlling the stability of kingdom-specific substrates.

A world revision of the bee fly tribe Usiini (Diptera, Bombyliidae) Part 2: Usia sensu stricto.

This is the second part of a world revision of the genera Usia Latreille and Parageron Paramonov, of the tribe Usiini Becker, and covers the pale-haired species, the Usia sensu stricto group. Usia sensu stricto as defined here contains 24 species of which 16 species fall into two monophyletic groups, the U. lata group with 10 species and the U.

Distinct magnetic phase transition at the surface of an antiferromagnet.

In the majority of magnetic systems the surface is required to order at the same temperature as the bulk. In the present Letter, we report a distinct and unexpected surface magnetic phase transition at a lower temperature than the Néel temperature. Employing grazing incidence x-ray resonant magnetic scattering, we have observed the near-surface behavior of uranium dioxide.

The impact of a cervical spine diagnosis on the careers of National Football League athletes.

Study Design: Cohort study.

Objective: To determine the effect of cervical spine pathology on athletes entering the National Football League.

Summary Of Background Data: The association of symptomatic cervical spine pathology with American football athletes has been described; however, it is unknown how preexisting cervical spine pathology affects career performance of a National Football League player.

The partial space qualification of a vertically aligned carbon nanotube coating on aluminium substrates for EO applications.

The fabrication of NanoTube Black, a Vertically Aligned carbon NanoTube Array (VANTA) on aluminium substrates is reported for the first time. The coating on aluminium was realised using a process that employs top down thermal radiation to assist growth, enabling deposition at temperatures below the substrate's melting point. The NanoTube Black coatings were shown to exhibit directional hemispherical reflectance values of typically less than 1% across wavelengths in the 2.

Differential regulation of CASZ1 protein expression during cardiac and skeletal muscle development.

Background: The zinc-finger transcription factor CASZ1 is required for differentiation of a distinct population of cardiomyocytes during development. However, expression of Casz1 mRNA is detected throughout the developing heart, suggesting the spatial regulation of CASZ1 occurs at the protein level. Relatively little is known about posttranscriptional regulation of Casz1 in the heart.

HPV-associated lung cancers: an international pooled analysis.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the etiologic risk factor for cervical cancer. Some studies have suggested an association with a subset of lung tumors, but the etiologic link has not been firmly established. We performed an international pooled analysis of cross-sectional studies (27 datasets, n = 3249 patients) to evaluate HPV DNA prevalence in lung cancer and to investigate viral presence according to clinical and demographic characteristics.

Nitric oxide sensing in plants is mediated by proteolytic control of group VII ERF transcription factors.

Nitric oxide (NO) is an important signaling compound in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. In plants, NO regulates critical developmental transitions and stress responses. Here, we identify a mechanism for NO sensing that coordinates responses throughout development based on targeted degradation of plant-specific transcriptional regulators, the group VII ethylene response factors (ERFs).

Multi-omic network signatures of disease.

To better understand dynamic disease processes, integrated multi-omic methods are needed, yet comparing different types of omic data remains difficult. Integrative solutions benefit experimenters by eliminating potential biases that come with single omic analysis. We have developed the methods needed to explore whether a relationship exists between co-expression network models built from transcriptomic and proteomic data types, and whether this relationship can be used to improve the disease signature discovery process.

Experimental infections of Orchitophrya stellarum (Scuticociliata) in American blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) and fiddler crabs (Uca minax).

Outbreaks of an unidentified ciliate have occurred on several occasions in blue crabs from Chesapeake Bay held during winter months in flow-through systems. The parasite was initially thought to be Mesanophrys chesapeakensis, but molecular analysis identified it as Orchitophyra stellarum, a facultative parasite of sea stars (Asteroidea). We investigated the host-parasite association of O.

Protein co-expression network analysis (ProCoNA).

Background: Biological networks are important for elucidating disease etiology due to their ability to model complex high dimensional data and biological systems. Proteomics provides a critical data source for such models, but currently lacks robust de novo methods for network construction, which could bring important insights in systems biology.

Results: We have evaluated the construction of network models using methods derived from weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA).

Management of rectal stenosis with endoscopic balloon dilatation.

We present a rare case of female newborn that presented with atypical genitalia, vaginal atresia and a short segment rectal stenosis which was successfully managed in a minimally invasive fashion using urological endoscopic and balloon dilatation technology. We believe that this technique is safe and feasible for short rectal stenotic segments and might prevent the need for major reconstruction surgery.