Metastasis-promoting role of extravasated platelet activation in tumor.

Background: The last decade has focused attention on the central role of platelets interacting with the tumor cells and the immune system in promoting tumor progression and distant spread through release of growth factors, such as transforming growth factor beta, vascular endothelial growth factor A, and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1, into the tumor microenvironment. We focused on the potential metastasis-promoting role of extravasated platelet aggregation in pancreatic cancer and stroma.

Materials And Methods: Resected pancreatic cancer specimens from 40 patients were used in this study.

West Nile virus isolated from a Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) in northwestern Missouri, USA, 2012.

We describe the isolation of West Nile virus (WNV; Flaviviridae, Flavivirus) from blood of a Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) collected in northwestern Missouri, USA in August 2012. Sequencing determined that the virus was related to lineage 1a WNV02 strains. We discuss the role of wildlife in WNV disease epidemiology.

Impact of histone deacetylase 1 and metastasis-associated gene 1 expression in esophageal carcinogenesis.

Animal models are important for the development of novel therapies for esophageal cancer. Histone deacetylase 1 ()/metastasis-associated gene () complexes inhibit p53 acetylation and thus, inhibit p53-induced apoptosis. The aim of the present study was to evaluate HDAC1 and MTA1 expression in esophageal carcinogenesis in rats.

Specialized inpatient psychiatry for serious behavioral disturbance in autism and intellectual disability.

Psychiatric hospitalization of children with autism spectrum disorder and/or intellectual disability is common, however, the effectiveness of this intervention is largely unknown. Thirty-eight clinically-referred children 8-19 years old admitted to a specialized inpatient psychiatry unit were assessed by a consistent caregiver on the Aberrant Behavior Checklist-Irritability (ABC-I) subscale at admission, discharge and 2 months post discharge. There was a decrease in the mean ABC-I score from admission (27.

Case report of a robotic-assisted laparoscopic repair of a giant incarcerated recurrent inguinal hernia containing bladder and ureters.

Background: Robotic surgery is particularly useful in pelvic procedures, such as prostatectomy and low anterior resection. The paper describes a robotic-assisted repair of a giant bladder- and ureter-containing incarcerated inguinal hernia.

Methods And Results: A 53-year-old man had previously undergone repair of a left inguinal hernia.

Comparison of adaptive radiotherapy techniques for external radiation therapy of canine bladder cancer.

Daily bladder variations make it difficult to utilize standard radiotherapy as a primary treatment option for muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Our purpose was to develop a model comparing dose distributions of image-guided and adaptive radiotherapy (ART) techniques for canine bladder cancer. Images were obtained retrospectively from cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans used for daily positioning of four dogs undergoing fractionated image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT).

Linkages between organization climate and work outcomes: perceptual differences among health service professionals as a function of customer contact intensity.

The delivery of high-quality service, rendered by health service professionals who interact with customers (patients), increases the likelihood that customers will form positive evaluations of the quality of their service encounters as well as high levels of customer satisfaction. Using linkage theory to develop our conceptual framework, we identify four clusters of variables which contribute to a chain of sequential events that connect organization climate to personal and operational work outcomes. We then examine the perceptual differences of service professionals, grouped by intensity of customer contact, with respect to these variables.

The nasogastric tube syndrome in infants.

This series of three patients is the first description of the presentation, clinical course, and endoscopic findings of nasogastric tube-related airway distress, or nasogastric tube syndrome, in infants. We identify key differences in disease features from those described in adults, based on our literature review. Specifically, infant nasogastric tube syndrome presented as significant respiratory distress and postcricoid inflammation without vocal fold immobility.

Impact of inflammation-metaplasia-adenocarcinoma sequence and inflammatory microenvironment in esophageal carcinogenesis using surgical rat models.

Background And Aims: Chronic inflammation has been demonstrated to correlate with tumor onset and progression. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) play an important role in inflammatory tumor microenvironment. We hypothesized that an inflammatory microenvironment around TAMs may promote the development of esophageal carcinomas when induced by duodenal content reflux without carcinogens.

Strengthening the skin with topical delivery of keratinocyte growth factor-1 using a novel DNA plasmid.

Fragile skin, susceptible to decubitus ulcers and incidental trauma, is a problem particularly for the elderly and for those with spinal cord injury. Here, we present a simple approach to strengthen the skin by the topical delivery of keratinocyte growth factor-1 (KGF-1) DNA. In initial feasibility studies with the novel minimalized, antibiotic-free DNA expression vector, NTC8385-VA1, the reporter genes luciferase and enhanced green fluorescent protein were delivered.

Comparison of planning techniques when air/fluid is present using the strut-adjusted volume implant (SAVI) for HDR-based accelerated partial breast irradiation.

The presence of air/fluid surrounding implantable devices used for partial breast irradiation may significantly impact dose coverage to at-risk tissue. Of the 67 total patients retrospectively evaluated for this study, 32 (48%) had greater than 1 cc volume of air/fluid extending outside of the strut-adjusted volume implant (SAVI) device surface and were selected for comparison of planning approaches. The planning approaches utilized two different definitions of PTV_EVAL.

Increased allocation of adult-acquired carbohydrate to egg production results in its decreased allocation to sex pheromone production in mated females of the moth Heliothis virescens.

Females of most species of moths produce a volatile sex pheromone that attracts conspecific males over distance. In females of the polyandrous moth Heliothis virescens, feeding on carbohydrate (e.g.

The pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzyme serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT): effects of the small subunits and insights from bacterial mimics of human hLCB2a HSAN1 mutations.

The pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzyme serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT) catalyses the first step of de novo sphingolipid biosynthesis. The core human enzyme is a membrane-bound heterodimer composed of two subunits (hLCB1 and hLCB2a/b), and mutations in both hLCB1 (e.g.

Anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapy in patients with chronic kidney disease: risks versus benefits review.

Purpose Of Review: Atrial fibrillation and cardiovascular death are increased in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients compared to the general population. The effect of anticoagulant and antiplatelet medications for these indications in ESRD is unclear. However, both classes of medications have been used for the preservation of vascular access.

Multilevel statistical models and the analysis of experimental data.

Data sets from ecological experiments can be difficult to analyze, due to lack of independence of experimental units and complex variance structures. In addition, information of interest may lie in complicated contrasts among treatments, rather than direct output from statistical tests. Here, we present a statistical framework for analyzing data sets containing non-independent experimental units and differences in variance among treatments (heteroscedasticity) and apply this framework to experimental data on interspecific competition among three tadpole species.

Global analysis of protein expression and phosphorylation of three stages of Plasmodium falciparum intraerythrocytic development.

During asexual intraerythrocytic development, Plasmodium falciparum diverges from the paradigm of the eukaryotic cell cycles by undergoing multiple rounds of DNA replication and nuclear division without cytokinesis. A better understanding of the molecular switches that coordinate a myriad of events for the progression of the parasite through the intraerythrocytic developmental stages will be of fundamental importance for rational design of intervention strategies. To achieve this goal, we performed isobaric tag-based quantitative proteomics and phosphoproteomics analyses of three developmental stages in the Plasmodium asexual cycle and identified 2767 proteins, 1337 phosphoproteins, and 6293 phosphorylation sites.

First detection of heartland virus (Bunyaviridae: Phlebovirus) from field collected arthropods.

Heartland virus (HRTV), the first pathogenic Phlebovirus (Family: Bunyaviridae) discovered in the United States, was recently described from two Missouri farmers. In 2012, we collected 56,428 ticks representing three species at 12 sites including both patients' farms. Amblyomma americanum and Dermacentor variabilis accounted for nearly all ticks collected.

Inactivation of specific β cell transcription factors in type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) commonly arises from islet β cell failure and insulin resistance. Here, we examined the sensitivity of key islet-enriched transcription factors to oxidative stress, a condition associated with β cell dysfunction in both type 1 diabetes (T1DM) and T2DM. Hydrogen peroxide treatment of β cell lines induced cytoplasmic translocation of MAFA and NKX6.

On their best behavior: how animal behavior can help determine the combined effects of species interactions and climate change.

The increasingly appreciated link between climate change and species interactions has the potential to help us understand and predict how organisms respond to a changing environment. As this connection grows, it becomes even more important to appreciate the mechanisms that create and control the combined effect of these factors. However, we believe one such important set of mechanisms comes from species' behavior and the subsequent trait-mediated interactions, as opposed to the more often studied density-mediated effects.

Intensity, chronicity, circumstances, and consequences of HIV-related fatigue: a longitudinal study.

HIV-related fatigue remains the most troubling complaint of seropositive people. Researchers often use tools to measure fatigue that were developed for other patient populations; thus, the measurement of fatigue specific to HIV is needed. This article describes results from the HIV-Related Fatigue Scale (HRFS) including: (a) the variability in intensity and chronicity of HIV-related fatigue, (b) the circumstances surrounding changes in fatigue, (c) the impact of fatigue on activities of daily living (ADLs), and (d) the consequences of HIV-related fatigue.

Ebselen treatment prevents islet apoptosis, maintains intranuclear Pdx-1 and MafA levels, and preserves β-cell mass and function in ZDF rats.

We reported earlier that β-cell-specific overexpression of glutathione peroxidase (GPx)-1 significantly ameliorated hyperglycemia in diabetic db/db mice and prevented glucotoxicity-induced deterioration of β-cell mass and function. We have now ascertained whether early treatment of Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats with ebselen, an oral GPx mimetic, will prevent β-cell deterioration. No other antihyperglycemic treatment was given.

Combination of HIF-1α gene transfection and HIF-1-activated bone marrow-derived angiogenic cell infusion improves burn wound healing in aged mice.

Impaired burn wound healing in the elderly represents a major clinical problem. Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) is a transcriptional activator that orchestrates the cellular response to hypoxia. Its actions in dermal wounds promote angiogenesis and improve healing.

Integrating routine HIV screening into a primary care setting in rural North Carolina.

Blacks living in the southern United States are disproportionately affected by HIV infection. Identifying and treating those who are infected is an important strategy for reducing HIV transmission. A model for integrating rapid HIV screening into community health centers was modified and used to guide implementation of a testing program in a primary care setting in a small North Carolina town serving a rural Black population.

Orthotopic model of canine osteosarcoma in athymic rats for evaluation of stereotactic radiotherapy.

Objective: To develop an orthotopic model of canine osteosarcoma in athymic rats as a model for evaluating the effects of stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) on osteosarcoma cells.

Animals: 26 athymic nude rats.

Procedures: 3 experiments were performed.

Topological and functional characterization of the ssSPTs, small activating subunits of serine palmitoyltransferase.

The topological and functional organization of the two isoforms of the small subunits of human serine palmitoyltransferase (hssSPTs) that activate the catalytic hLCB1/hLCB2 heterodimer was investigated. A variety of experimental approaches placed the N termini of the ssSPTs in the cytosol, their C termini in the lumen, and showed that they contain a single transmembrane domain. Deletion analysis revealed that the ability to activate the heterodimer is contained in a conserved 33-amino acid core domain that has the same membrane topology as the full-length protein.