Essential role of IRF4 and MYC signaling for survival of anaplastic large cell lymphoma.

Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) is a distinct entity of T-cell lymphoma that can be divided into 2 subtypes based on the presence of translocations involving the ALK gene (ALK(+) and ALK(-) ALCL). The interferon regulatory factor 4 (IRF4) is known to be highly expressed in both ALK(+) and ALK(-) ALCLs. However, the role of IRF4 in the pathogenesis of these lymphomas remains unclear.

Unraveling the origins of catalyst degradation in non-heme iron-based alkane oxidation.

A series of potentially tetradentate and pentadentate ligands modelled on BPMEN has been prepared and their iron(II) bis(triflate) complexes have been isolated and characterised by spectroscopic and crystallographic techniques (BPMEN = N,N'-bis(pyridylmethyl)ethylenediamine). Changes to the BPMEN ligand have invariably led to complexes with different coordination modes or geometries and with inferior catalytic efficiencies for the oxidation of cyclohexane with H2O2. The reaction of an iron(II) complex containing a pentadentate BPMEN-type ligand with O2 has resulted in ligand degradation via oxidative N-dealkylation and the isolation of a bis(hydroxo)-bridged dinuclear iron(III) complex with a picolinate-type ligand.

Mapping of transcription factor motifs in active chromatin identifies IRF5 as key regulator in classical Hodgkin lymphoma.

Deregulated transcription factor (TF) activities are commonly observed in hematopoietic malignancies. Understanding tumorigenesis therefore requires determining the function and hierarchical role of individual TFs. To identify TFs central to lymphomagenesis, we identified lymphoma type-specific accessible chromatin by global mapping of DNaseI hypersensitive sites and analyzed enriched TF-binding motifs in these regions.

High-fat diet decreases activity of the oxidative phosphorylation complexes and causes nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in mice.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most frequent histological finding in individuals with abnormal liver-function tests in the Western countries. In previous studies, we have shown that oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) is decreased in individuals with NAFLD, but the cause of this mitochondrial dysfunction remains uncertain. The aims of this study were to determine whether feeding mice a high-fat diet (HFD) induces any change in the activity of OXPHOS, and to investigate the mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of this defect.

Access to follicular dendritic cells is a pivotal step in murine chronic lymphocytic leukemia B-cell activation and proliferation.

Unlabelled: In human chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) pathogenesis, B-cell antigen receptor signaling seems important for leukemia B-cell ontogeny, whereas the microenvironment influences B-cell activation, tumor cell lodging, and provision of antigenic stimuli. Using the murine Eμ-Tcl1 CLL model, we demonstrate that CXCR5-controlled access to follicular dendritic cells confers proliferative stimuli to leukemia B cells. Intravital imaging revealed a marginal zone B cell-like leukemia cell trafficking route.

Gene expression profiling of peripheral blood mononuclear cells during treatment with a gene-modified allogeneic tumor cell vaccine in advanced renal cell cancer: tumor-induced immunosuppression and a possible role for NF-κB.

Tumor-induced immunosuppression remains a major challenge for immunotherapy of cancer patients. To further elucidate why an allogeneic gene-modified [interleukin-7 (IL-7)/CD80-cotransfected] renal cell cancer (RCC) vaccine failed to induce clinically relevant TH-1-polarized immune responses, peripheral blood mononuclear cells from enrolled study patients were analyzed by gene expression profiling (GEP) both prior and after vaccination. At baseline before vaccination, a profound downregulation of gene signatures associated with antigen presentation, immune response/T cells, cytokines/chemokines and signaling/transcription factors was observed in RCC patients as compared to healthy controls.

Implementation of a computerized decision support system to improve the appropriateness of antibiotic therapy using local microbiologic data.

A prospective quasi-experimental study was undertaken in 218 patients with suspicion of nosocomial infection hospitalized in a polyvalent ICU where a new electronic device (GERB) has been designed for antibiotic prescriptions. Two GERB-based applications were developed to provide local resistance maps (LRMs) and preliminary microbiological reports with therapeutic recommendation (PMRTRs). Both applications used the data in the Laboratory Information System of the Microbiology Department to report on the optimal empiric therapeutic option, based on the most likely susceptibility profile of the microorganisms potentially responsible for infection in patients and taking into account the local epidemiology of the hospital department/unit.

New myocardial infarction definition affects incidence, mortality, hospitalization rates and prognosis.

Aims: To analyse differences in myocardial infarction incidence, mortality and hospitalization rates, 28-day case-fatality and two-year prognosis using two myocardial infarction case definitions: the classical World Health Organization definition (1994) and the European Society of Cardiology/American College of Cardiology definition (2000), which added cardiac troponin as a diagnostic biomarker.

Design: Population-based cohort of 4170 consecutive myocardial infarction patients aged 35-74 years from Girona (Spain) recruited between 2002 and 2009.

Methods: Incidence, mortality rates standardized to the European population and 28-day case-fatality were calculated.

Prevalence of atrial fibrillation and its associated factors in Spain: An analysis of 6 population-based studies. DARIOS Study.

Background And Objectives: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common type of arrhythmia. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of atrial fibrillation and its relationship with cardiovascular risk factors in Spain.

Methodology: Cross-sectional study based on a grouped analysis of 17,291 randomized individuals recruited in 6 population studies.

Decrease in red blood cell deformability is associated with a reduction in RBC-NOS activation during storage.

During storage, red blood cells (RBC) become more susceptible to hemolysis and it has also been shown that RBC deformability, which is influenced by RBC nitric oxide synthase (RBC-NOS) activity, decreases during blood storage while a correlation between these two parameters under storage conditions has not been investigated so far. Therefore, blood from 15 male volunteers was anticoagulated, leuko-reduced and stored as either concentrated RBC or RBC diluted in saline-adenine-glucose-mannitol (SAGM) for eight weeks at 4°C and results were compared to data obtained from freshly drawn blood. During storage, decrease of RBC deformability was related to increased mean cellular volume and increased cell lysis but also to a decrease in RBC-NOS activation.

Derivation and validation of BOREAS, a risk score identifying candidates to develop cold-induced hypertension.

Introduction: Blood pressure increases in cold periods, but its implications on prevalence of hypertension and on individual progression to hypertension remain unclear. Our aim was to develop a pre-screening test for identifying candidates to suffer hypertension only in cold months among non-hypertensive subjects.

Methods: We included 95,277 subjects registered on a primary care database from Girona (Catalonia, Spain), with ≥ 3 blood pressure measures recorded between 2003 and 2009 and distributed in both cold (October-March) and warm (April-September) periods.

Behavioural and physiological assessment of stress reactions during vaginal examination in dairy cows.

Objectives And Aim: The objective of this study was to determine the origin of an arched back in cows during vaginal examination. Moreover, we tested whether the duration of an arched back and avoidance reactions during vaginal examination can be decreased by epidural anaesthesia or analgesic treatment.

Material And Methods: Behaviour during cleaning of the perivaginal region and during vaginal examination was scored using the avoidance reactivity score (ARS).

Ligand tuning of single-site manganese-based catalytic antioxidants with dual superoxide dismutase and catalase activity.

A bio-inspired manganese(ii) complex with a linear pentadentate ligand framework containing soft sulfur donors and an alternating NSNSN binding motif displays excellent dual CAT/SOD-like antioxidant activity with high turnover efficiency and good operation stability in an aqueous environment.

Validation of a population coronary disease predictive system: the CASSANDRA model.

Background: The use of validated multivariate cardiovascular predictive models in a population setting is of interest for public health policy makers. We aimed to validate the estimations of the CASSANDRA model (coronary heart disease (CHD) incidence and CHD risk distribution), considering the population changes in age, sex and CHD risk factors prevalence in a 10-year period.

Methods: We compared the projected CHD incidence estimated with CASSANDRA with that observed in the Girona Heart Registry (REGICOR) for 1995-2004 and 2000-2009 in the population of Girona (Spain) aged 35-74 years.

Phase synchronization of two anharmonic nanomechanical oscillators.

We investigate the synchronization of oscillators based on anharmonic nanoelectromechanical resonators. Our experimental implementation allows unprecedented observation and control of parameters governing the dynamics of synchronization. We find close quantitative agreement between experimental data and theory describing reactively coupled Duffing resonators with fully saturated feedback gain.

Derivation and validation of a set of 10-year cardiovascular risk predictive functions in Spain: the FRESCO Study.

Objective: To derive and validate a set of functions to predict coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke, and validate the Framingham-REGICOR function.

Method: Pooled analysis of 11 population-based Spanish cohorts (1992-2005) with 50,408 eligible participants. Baseline smoking, diabetes, systolic blood pressure (SBP), lipid profile, and body mass index were recorded.

Multimodal voxel-based meta-analysis of white matter abnormalities in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

White matter (WM) abnormalities have long been suspected in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) but the available evidence has been inconsistent. We conducted the first multimodal meta-analysis of WM volume (WMV) and fractional anisotropy (FA) studies in OCD. All voxel-wise studies comparing WMV or FA between patients with OCD and healthy controls in the PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, Web of Knowledge and Scopus databases were retrieved.

Regulation of mouse NK cell development and function by cytokines.

Natural Killer (NK) cells are innate lymphocytes with an important role in the early defense against intracellular pathogens and against tumors. Like other immune cells, almost every aspects of their biology are regulated by cytokines. Interleukin (IL)-15 is pivotal for their development, homeostasis, and activation.

Population prevalence and control of cardiovascular risk factors: what electronic medical records tell us.

Objective: To analyze the prevalence, control, and management of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2).

Design: Cross-sectional analysis of all individuals attended in the Catalan primary care centers between 2006 and 2009.

Location: History of cardiovascular diseases, diagnosis and treatment of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, DM2, lipid profile, glycemia and blood pressure data were extracted from electronic medical records.

Precision spectroscopy of polarized molecules in an ion trap.

Polar molecules are desirable systems for quantum simulations and cold chemistry. Molecular ions are easily trapped, but a bias electric field applied to polarize them tends to accelerate them out of the trap. We present a general solution to this issue by rotating the bias field slowly enough for the molecular polarization axis to follow but rapidly enough for the ions to stay trapped.

Coordination equilibria between seven- and five-coordinate iron(II) complexes.

Octahedral, tetrahedral, and square planar geometries are the most often encountered coordination geometries for transition metal complexes. In certain cases, coordination equilibria can exist between different geometries, such as between six- and four-coordinate geometries in nickel(II) complexes, which were discovered half a century ago. Here, we present the first examples of a seven-five coordination equilibrium.

Influence of endurance training and marathon running on red cell deformability in HIV patients.

Purpose: This investigation assessed whether endurance training altered the red cell deformability (RCD) of male HIV patients.

Methods: Eight subjects (38 ± 9 years, BMI 23 ± 3.6 kg/m², highly active antiretroviral therapy) trained for a marathon run for the duration of one year.