Lysyl Oxidase Mediates Proliferation and Differentiation in the Esophageal Epithelium.

In homeostatic conditions, the basal progenitor cells of the esophagus differentiate into a stratified squamous epithelium. However, in the setting of acid exposure or inflammation, there is a marked failure of basal cell differentiation, leading to basal cell hyperplasia. We have previously shown that lysyl oxidase (LOX), a collagen crosslinking enzyme, is upregulated in the setting of allergic inflammation of the esophagus; however, its role beyond collagen crosslinking is unknown.

Telomere maintenance and the DNA damage response: a paradoxical alliance.

Telomeres are the protective caps at the ends of linear chromosomes of eukaryotic organisms. Telomere binding proteins, including the six components of the complex known as shelterin, mediate the protective function of telomeres. They do this by suppressing many arms of the canonical DNA damage response, thereby preventing inappropriate fusion, resection and recombination of telomeres.

MRI-guided transrectal prostate laser ablation for benign prostatic hypertrophy: a retrospective cohort study.

Purpose: To investigate whether MRI-guided transrectal laser ablation is safe and effective for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms caused by BPH.

Materials And Methods: This single-center retrospective cohort study evaluated men who underwent MRI-guided transrectal laser ablation for BPH between February 2017 and July 2021. Age, prostate-specific antigen, prostate volume, prior surgical BPH treatments if any, International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and Sexual Health Inventory of Men (SHIM) were collected.

Administration of the American Board of Anesthesiology's virtual APPLIED Examination: successes, challenges, and lessons learned.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the American Board of Anesthesiology transitioned from in-person to virtual administration of its APPLIED Examination, assessing more than 3000 candidates for certification purposes remotely in 2021. Four hundred examiners were involved in delivering and scoring Standardized Oral Examinations (SOEs) and Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs). More than 80% of candidates started their exams on time and stayed connected throughout the exam without any problems.

Characterising plasmacytoid and myeloid AXL+ SIGLEC-6+ dendritic cell functions and their interactions with HIV.

AXL+ Siglec-6+ dendritic cells (ASDC) are novel myeloid DCs which can be subdivided into CD11c+ and CD123+ expressing subsets. We showed for the first time that these two ASDC subsets are present in inflamed human anogenital tissues where HIV transmission occurs. Their presence in inflamed tissues was supported by single cell RNA analysis of public databases of such tissues including psoriasis diseased skin and colorectal cancer.

A Comparison of Psychometric Properties of the American Board of Anesthesiology's In-Person and Virtual Standardized Oral Examinations.

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic prompted training institutions and national credentialing organizations to administer examinations virtually. This study compared task difficulty, examiner grading, candidate performance, and other psychometric properties between in-person and virtual standardized oral examinations (SOEs) administered by the American Board of Anesthesiology.

Method: This retrospective study included SOEs administered in person from March 2018 to March 2020 and virtually from December 2020 to November 2021.

Herpes simplex virus spreads rapidly in human foreskin, partly driven by chemokine-induced redistribution of Nectin-1 on keratinocytes.

HSV infects keratinocytes in the epidermis of skin via nectin-1. We established a human foreskin explant infection model to investigate HSV entry and spread. HSV1 entry could only be achieved by the topical application of virus via high density microarray projections (HD-MAPs) to the epidermis, which penetrated beyond one third of its thickness, simulating in vivo microtrauma.

OMIP-103: A 35-marker imaging mass cytometry panel for the co-detection of HIV and immune cell populations in human formalin fixed paraffin embedded intestinal tissue.

We introduce a 35-marker imaging mass cytometry (IMC) panel for a detailed examination of immune cell populations and HIV RNA in formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) human intestinal tissue. The panel has broad cell type coverage and particularly excels in delineating subsets of mononuclear phagocytes and T cells. Markers for key tissue structures are included, enabling identification of epithelium, blood vessels, lymphatics, and musculature.

The microbiota and T cells non-genetically modulate inherited phenotypes transgenerationally.

The host-microbiota relationship has evolved to shape mammalian physiology, including immunity, metabolism, and development. Germ-free models are widely used to study microbial effects on host processes such as immunity. Here, we find that both germ-free and T cell-deficient mice exhibit a robust sebum secretion defect persisting across multiple generations despite microbial colonization and T cell repletion.

Imaging Mass Cytometry for In Situ Immune Profiling.

The complexities and cellular heterogeneity associated with tissues necessitate the concurrent detection of markers beyond the limitations of conventional imaging approaches in order to spatially resolve the relationships between immune cell populations and their environments. This is a necessary complement to single-cell suspension-based methods to inform a better understanding of the events that may underlie pathological conditions. Imaging mass cytometry is a high-dimensional imaging modality that allows for the concurrent detection of up to 40 protein markers of interest across tissues at subcellular resolution.

Epithelial dendritic cells vs. Langerhans cells: Implications for mucosal vaccines.

Next-generation vaccines may be delivered via the skin and mucosa. The stratified squamous epithelium (SSE) represents the outermost layer of the skin (epidermis) and type II mucosa (epithelium). Langerhans cells (LCs) have been considered the sole antigen-presenting cells (APCs) to inhabit the SSE; however, it is now clear that dendritic cells (DCs) are also present.

Bone turnover change after randomized switch from tenofovir disoproxil to tenofovir alafenamide fumarate in men with HIV.

Objective: Bone loss in people with HIV (PWH) is poorly understood. Switching tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) to tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) has yielded bone mineral density (BMD) increases. PETRAM (NCT#:03405012) investigated whether BMD and bone turnover changes correlate.

Nerve-myeloid cell interactions in persistent human pain: a reappraisal using updated cell subset classifications.

The past 20 years have seen a dramatic shift in our understanding of the role of the immune system in initiating and maintaining pain. Myeloid cells, including macrophages, dendritic cells, Langerhans cells, and mast cells, are increasingly implicated in bidirectional interactions with nerve fibres in rodent pain models. However, our understanding of the human setting is still poor.

OMIP-096: A 24-color flow cytometry panel to identify and characterize CD4+ and CD8+ tissue-resident T cells in human skin, intestinal, and type II mucosal tissue.

There is a great need to understand human immune cells within tissue, where disease manifests and infection occurs. Tissue-resident memory T cells (TRMs) were discovered over a decade ago, there is a great need to understand their role in human disease. We developed a 24-color flow cytometry panel to comprehensively interrogate CD4 and CD8 TRMs isolated from human tissues.

A comparison of the American Board of Anesthesiology's in-person and virtual objective structured clinical examinations.

Background: The American Board of Anesthesiology's Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), as a component of its initial certification process, had been administered in-person in a dedicated assessment center since its launch in 2018 until March 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a virtual format of the exam was piloted in December 2020 and was administered in 2021. This study aimed to compare candidate performance, examiner grading severity, and scenario difficulty between these two formats of the OSCE.

Effect of elevated embryonic incubation temperature on the temperature preference of juvenile lake () and round whitefish ().

Anthropogenic impacts can lead to increased temperatures in freshwater environments through thermal effluent and climate change. Thermal preference of aquatic organisms can be modulated by abiotic and biotic factors including environmental temperature. Whether increased temperature during embryogenesis can lead to long-term alterations in thermal preference has not been explicitly tested in native freshwater species.

Radiology program director's perspective on a novel hands-on advanced elective.

With the advent of the USMLE Step 1 exam moving to a pass/fail status, Radiology Program Directors (PDs) and Associate Program Directors (APDs) need alternative methods of identifying interested and engaged medical students who are applying to their program. Additionally, undergraduate radiology medical education in the United States varies widely from institution to institution with no universal mandatory radiology component. To address these problems, we implemented an advanced fourth year hands-on radiology elective where the students were treated as first year radiology residents (R1s), giving them resident-level access to the Picture Archive and Communication System (PACS) and dictation software, and allowing them to perform entry-level procedures with appropriate supervision.

Exploring the role of dietitians in mental health services and the perceived barriers and enablers to service delivery: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Mental health is a rapidly evolving area of practice for dietitians. The role of dietitians in supporting the physical health of consumers experiencing mental illness is becoming more widely recognised given the importance of lifestyle interventions for physical health. The present study aimed to explore the dietitian role in mental health services as well as identify barriers and enablers to service delivery.

A comparison of 3- and 4-option multiple-choice items for medical subspecialty in-training examinations.

Background: The American Board of Anesthesiology piloted 3-option multiple-choice items (MCIs) for its 2020 administration of 150-item subspecialty in-training examinations for Critical Care Medicine (ITE-CCM) and Pediatric Anesthesiology (ITE-PA). The 3-option MCIs were transformed from their 4-option counterparts, which were administered in 2019, by removing the least effective distractor. The purpose of this study was to compare physician performance, response time, and item and exam characteristics between the 4-option and 3-option exams.