Discovery of biomarker candidates for coronary artery disease from an APOE-knock out mouse model using iTRAQ-based multiplex quantitative proteomics.

Due to the lack of precise markers indicative of its occurrence and progression, coronary artery disease (CAD), the most common type of heart diseases, is currently associated with high mortality in the United States. To systemically identify novel protein biomarkers associated with CAD progression for early diagnosis and possible therapeutic intervention, we employed an iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomic approach to analyze the proteome changes in the plasma collected from a pair of wild-type versus apolipoprotein E knockout (APOE(-/-) ) mice which were fed with a high fat diet. In a multiplex manner, iTRAQ serves as the quantitative 'in-spectra' marker for 'cross-sample' comparisons to determine the differentially expressed/secreted proteins caused by APOE knock-out.

Continuity in sex-typed behavior from preschool to adolescence: a longitudinal population study of boys and girls aged 3-13 years.

Sex-typed behavior was assessed at age 3 using the Pre-School Activities Inventory, and at age 13 using the Multidimensional Gender Identity Scale, in 54 masculine boys, 57 masculine girls, 75 feminine boys, 65 feminine girls, 61 control boys, and 65 control girls. At age 13, girls who had been masculine at age 3 felt less similar to other girls, were less content being a girl, and had greater self-efficacy for male-typed activities than control girls, and girls who had been feminine at age 3 had greater self-efficacy for female-typed activities. Boys who had been feminine at age 3 felt less similar to other boys and had lower self-efficacy for male-typed activities than control boys at age 13, and boys who had been masculine at age 3 felt more competent in agentic roles.

Early development of cytotoxic T lymphocytes in neonatal foals following oral inoculation with Rhodococcus equi.

Rhodococcus equi is an important respiratory pathogen of young foals for which a vaccine has long been sought. Two major impediments to effective vaccination are the functionally immature type I immune responses of neonatal foals and early exposure to the bacterium via the environment. Despite these obstacles, it appears that under specific circumstances foals can develop a protective immune response.

Lessons learned from a single center's experience with 134 donation after cardiac death donor kidney transplants.

Background: Reports of kidney transplantation from donation after cardiac death (DCD) donors describe high rates of delayed graft function (DGF).

Study Design: From April 1, 2003 to October 17, 2010, we performed 134 kidney transplants from DCD donors including 120 (90%) from standard-criteria donors (SCDs) and 14 (10%) from expanded-criteria donors (ECDs). Nineteen kidneys were recovered from donors managed with extracorporeal interval support for organ retrieval (EISOR) after cardiac arrest to minimize ischemic injury.

Gender development and the human brain.

Convincing evidence indicates that prenatal exposure to the gonadal hormone, testosterone, influences the development of children's sex-typical toy and activity interests. In addition, growing evidence shows that testosterone exposure contributes similarly to the development of other human behaviors that show sex differences, including sexual orientation, core gender identity, and some, though not all, sex-related cognitive and personality characteristics. In addition to these prenatal hormonal influences, early infancy and puberty may provide additional critical periods when hormones influence human neurobehavioral organization.

Prenatal hormones and childhood sex segregation: playmate and play style preferences in girls with congenital adrenal hyperplasia.

We investigated playmate and play style preference in children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) (26 females, 31 males) and their unaffected siblings (26 females, 17 males) using the Playmate and Play Style Preferences Structured Interview (PPPSI). Both unaffected boys and girls preferred same-sex playmates and sex-typical play styles. In the conflict condition where children chose between a same-sex playmate engaged in an other-sex activity or an other-sex playmate engaged in a same-sex activity, boys (both CAH and unaffected brothers) almost exclusively chose playmates based on the preferred play style of the playmate as opposed to the preferred gender label of the playmate.

Prenatal endocrine influences on sexual orientation and on sexually differentiated childhood behavior.

Both sexual orientation and sex-typical childhood behaviors, such as toy, playmate and activity preferences, show substantial sex differences, as well as substantial variability within each sex. In other species, behaviors that show sex differences are typically influenced by exposure to gonadal steroids, particularly testosterone and its metabolites, during early development (prenatally or neonatally). This article reviews the evidence regarding prenatal influences of gonadal steroids on human sexual orientation, as well as sex-typed childhood behaviors that predict subsequent sexual orientation.

Glanzmann thrombasthenia in a 17-year-old Peruvian Paso mare.

A 17-year-old Peruvian Paso mare was evaluated for bilateral epistaxis that had been present for at least 3 years. The mare had mild anemia, platelet count within the reference interval, unremarkable coagulation times, and a negative Coggins test. On endoscopic examination, structural abnormalities were not observed in the nasal cavities, pharynx, larynx, trachea, or either guttural pouch, but petechiation was noted in the nasal mucosa.

Functional roles of distributed synaptic clusters in the mitral-granule cell network of the olfactory bulb.

Odors are encoded in spatio-temporal patterns within the olfactory bulb, but the mechanisms of odor recognition and discrimination are poorly understood. It is reasonable to postulate that the olfactory code is sculpted by lateral and feedforward inhibition mediated by granule cells onto the mitral cells. Recent viral tracing and physiological studies revealed patterns of distributed granule cell synaptic clusters that provided additional clues to the possible mechanisms at the network level.

Discovery of CP-690,550: a potent and selective Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor for the treatment of autoimmune diseases and organ transplant rejection.

There is a critical need for safer and more convenient treatments for organ transplant rejection and autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis. Janus tyrosine kinases (JAK1, JAK3) are expressed in lymphoid cells and are involved in the signaling of multiple cytokines important for various T cell functions. Blockade of the JAK1/JAK3-STAT pathway with a small molecule was anticipated to provide therapeutic immunosuppression/immunomodulation.

Sinus of Valsalva aneurysm repair with partial allograft, and 10-year follow-up.

Sinus of Valsalva aneurysms are rare congenital or acquired defects that frequently are manifested by rupture into adjacent cardiac structures. Most aneurysms involve a portion of the sinus, and can be surgically treated with primary or patch closure of the defect. We present a case report of a giant aneurysm that involved the entire noncoronary sinus of Valsalva, and describe a previously unreported technique with 10-year follow-up using a partial aortic allograft to reconstruct the abnormal aortic sinus, preserving the native valve leaflets and normal sinus geometry and averting use of prosthetic materials.

The involvement of people with lifelong disability and communication impairment in lecturing to speech-language pathology students.

In order to provide appropriate service and support to people with lifelong disability, including those who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), speech-language pathologists need to develop positive attitudes to people with disability and a holistic approach. The aim of this paper was to explore final year students' and new graduates' perceptions of the impact of lectures by people with lifelong disability on their attitudes and learning. Fourteen final year speech-language pathology students and nine graduates who had been practising for a year participated in four focus groups to discuss their perceptions of four 50-minute lectures by people with lifelong disability and communication impairment.

Mercury methylation in Sphagnum moss mats and its association with sulfate-reducing bacteria in an acidic Adirondack forest lake wetland.

Processes leading to the bioaccumulation of methylmercury (MeHg) in northern wetlands are largely unknown. We have studied various ecological niches within a remote, acidic forested lake ecosystem in the southwestern Adirondacks, NY, to discover that mats comprised of Sphagnum moss were a hot spot for mercury (Hg) and MeHg accumulation (190.5 and 18.

Postmortem findings in eight cases of influenza A/H1N1.

In March and early April 2009, cases of a new swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus were diagnosed in Mexico and the United States. Influenza virus presents as a respiratory infection with high morbidity and mortality. We describe the postmortem findings of eight confirmed cases of influenza A/H1N1 in a medical examiner setting.

Regulation of human cytidine triphosphate synthetase 2 by phosphorylation.

Cytidine triphosphate synthetase (CTPS) is the rate-limiting enzyme in de novo CTP synthesis and is required for the formation of RNA, DNA, and phospholipids. This study determined the kinetic properties of the individual human CTPS isozymes (hCTPS1 and hCTPS2) and regulation through substrate concentration, oligomerization, and phosphorylation. Kinetic analysis demonstrated that both hCTPS1 and hCTPS2 were maximally active at physiological concentrations of ATP, GTP, and glutamine, whereas the K(m) and IC(50) values for the substrate UTP and the product CTP, respectively, were close to their physiological concentrations, indicating that the intracellular concentrations of UTP and CTP may precisely regulate hCTPS activity.

Sex-related variation in human behavior and the brain.

Male and female fetuses differ in testosterone concentrations beginning as early as week 8 of gestation. This early hormone difference exerts permanent influences on brain development and behavior. Contemporary research shows that hormones are particularly important for the development of sex-typical childhood behavior, including toy choices, which until recently were thought to result solely from sociocultural influences.

Kinetic Monte Carlo simulations of anisotropic Si(100) etching: Modeling the chemical origins of characteristic etch morphologies.

An atomistic, chemically realistic, kinetic Monte Carlo simulator of anisotropic Si(100) etching was developed. Surface silicon atoms were classified on the basis of their local structure, and all atoms of each class were etched with the same rate. A wide variety of morphologies, including rough, striped, and hillocked, was observed.

Umbilical vein testosterone in female infants born to mothers with polycystic ovary syndrome is elevated to male levels.

The aetiology of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is poorly understood, but an intrauterine hyperandrogenic environment has been implicated. This study was designed to assess whether the female offspring of mothers with PCOS are exposed to raised levels of testosterone (T) in utero. In this case-control study, three groups of pregnant women were recruited from the labour ward: PCOS women with a female baby (n = 10, PCOS girls); control women with a female baby (n = 20, control girls) and control women with a male baby (n = 10, control boys).

NeuroML: a language for describing data driven models of neurons and networks with a high degree of biological detail.

Biologically detailed single neuron and network models are important for understanding how ion channels, synapses and anatomical connectivity underlie the complex electrical behavior of the brain. While neuronal simulators such as NEURON, GENESIS, MOOSE, NEST, and PSICS facilitate the development of these data-driven neuronal models, the specialized languages they employ are generally not interoperable, limiting model accessibility and preventing reuse of model components and cross-simulator validation. To overcome these problems we have used an Open Source software approach to develop NeuroML, a neuronal model description language based on XML (Extensible Markup Language).