Measurement of Low-Abundance Intracellular mRNA Using Amplified FISH Staining and Image-Based Flow Cytometry.

Recent advances in instrument design and reagent development have enabled the rapid progression in available measurement techniques in the field of flow cytometry. In particular, image-based flow cytometry extends the analysis capacity found in traditional flow cytometry. Until recently, it was not possible to measure intracellular mRNA in specific phenotypes of cells by flow cytometry.

Component-resolved analysis of IgA, IgE, and IgG4 during egg OIT identifies markers associated with sustained unresponsiveness.

Background: In a previously reported CoFAR study, 55 subjects with egg allergy underwent randomized, placebo-controlled egg oral immunotherapy (eOIT). Active treatment induced desensitization in most and sustained unresponsiveness (SU) in a smaller subset. We hypothesized that component-resolved analysis of IgE, IgG4, IgA, IgA1, and IgA2 may identify potential biomarkers of SU in OIT subjects.

Long-term treatment with egg oral immunotherapy enhances sustained unresponsiveness that persists after cessation of therapy.

Background: We previously reported the results of a randomized placebo-controlled study of egg oral immunotherapy (eOIT) in which 27.5% of subjects achieved sustained unresponsiveness (SU) after 2 years. Here we report the results of treatment through 4 years and long-term follow-up.

Ketamine administration reduces amygdalo-hippocampal reactivity to emotional stimulation.

Increased amygdala reactivity might lead to negative bias during emotional processing that can be reversed by antidepressant drug treatment. However, little is known on how N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonism with ketamine as a novel antidepressant drug target might modulate amygdala reactivity to emotional stimulation. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and resting-state fMRI (rsfMRI), we assessed amygdalo-hippocampal reactivity at baseline and during pharmacological stimulation with ketamine (intravenous bolus of 0.

Motion correction and frequency stabilization for MRS of the human spinal cord.

Subject motion is challenging for MRS, because it can falsify results. For spinal cord MRS in particular, subject movement is critical, since even a small movement > 1 mm) can lead to a voxel shift out of the desired measurement region. Therefore, the identification of motion corrupted MRS scans is essential.

Mechanisms of SNR and line shape improvement by B correction in overdiscrete MRSI reconstruction.

Purpose: Inhomogeneities of the main magnetic field cause line broadening and location-dependent frequency shifts in brain MRSI. These are often visible despite advanced B shimming. The purpose of this work is to propose an advanced B correction method that can easily be applied during postprocessing.

COMADRE: a global data base of animal demography.

Unlabelled: The open-data scientific philosophy is being widely adopted and proving to promote considerable progress in ecology and evolution. Open-data global data bases now exist on animal migration, species distribution, conservation status, etc. However, a gap exists for data on population dynamics spanning the rich diversity of the animal kingdom world-wide.

Effects of Mechanical Ventilation on Heart Geometry and Mitral Valve Leaflet Coaptation During Percutaneous Edge-to-Edge Mitral Valve Repair.

Objectives: This study sought to evaluate a ventilation maneuver to facilitate percutaneous edge-to-edge mitral valve repair (PMVR) and its effects on heart geometry.

Background: In patients with challenging anatomy, the application of PMVR is limited, potentially resulting in insufficient reduction of mitral regurgitation (MR) or clip detachment. Under general anesthesia, however, ventilation maneuvers can be used to facilitate PMVR.

Questions of fairness and anti-doping in US cycling: The contrasting experiences of professionals and amateurs.

The focus of researchers, media and policy on doping in cycling is often limited to the professional level of the sport. However, anti-doping test results since 2001 demonstrate that banned substances are also used by US cyclists at lower levels of the sport, necessitating a broader view of the patterns and motivations of substance use within the sport. In this article, we describe and explain the doping culture that has emerged in domestic US cycling among amateur and semi-professionals.

5-hydroxymethylation of the EBV genome regulates the latent to lytic switch.

Latent Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection and cellular hypermethylation are hallmarks of undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). However, EBV infection of normal oral epithelial cells is confined to differentiated cells and is lytic. Here we demonstrate that the EBV genome can become 5-hydroxymethylated and that this DNA modification affects EBV lytic reactivation.

Novel splittable N-Tx/2N-Rx transceiver phased array to optimize both signal-to-noise ratio and transmit efficiency at 9.4T.

Purpose: The goal of this study was to optimize signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and parallel receive (Rx) performance of ultrahigh field (UHF) (≥7T) transceiver arrays without compromising their transmit (Tx) efficiency. UHF transceiver head phased arrays with a tight fit improve Tx efficiency in comparison with Tx-only arrays, which are usually larger so that Rx-only arrays can fit inside. However, having ≥16 elements inside a head transceiver array presents decoupling problems.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of omalizumab combined with oral immunotherapy for the treatment of cow's milk allergy.

Background: Although studies of oral immunotherapy (OIT) for food allergy have shown promise, treatment is frequently complicated by adverse reactions and, even when successful, has limited long-term efficacy because benefits usually diminish when treatment is discontinued.

Objective: We sought to examine whether the addition of omalizumab to milk OIT reduces treatment-related reactions, improves outcomes, or both.

Methods: This was a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with subjects randomized to omalizumab or placebo.

Model-based defect detection on structured surfaces having optically unresolved features.

In this paper, we demonstrate, both numerically and experimentally, a method for the detection of defects on structured surfaces having optically unresolved features. The method makes use of synthetic reference data generated by an observational model that is able to simulate the response of the selected optical inspection system to the ideal structure, thereby providing an ideal measure of deviation from nominal geometry. The method addresses the high dynamic range challenge faced in highly parallel manufacturing by enabling the use of low resolution, wide field of view optical systems for defect detection on surfaces containing small features over large regions.

Gold over Branched Palladium Nanostructures for Photothermal Cancer Therapy.

Bimetallic nanostructures show exciting potential as materials for effective photothermal hyperthermia therapy. We report the seed-mediated synthesis of palladium-gold (Pd-Au) nanostructures containing multiple gold nanocrystals on highly branched palladium seeds. The nanostructures were synthesized via the addition of a gold precursor to a palladium seed solution in the presence of oleylamine, which acts as both a reducing and a stabilizing agent.

Anterior cingulate Glutamate-Glutamine cycle metabolites are altered in euthymic bipolar I disorder.

Bipolar disorder (BD) has been consistently associated with abnormalities in the Glutamate/GABA-Glutamine cycle. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) studies have reported increased brain Glutamate (Glu) and Glx (Glu+Glutamine) in subjects with BD. However, data on separate measures of GABA and Glutamine (Gln) in BD are sparse due to overlapping resonant signals.

A shirt containing multistage phase change material and active cooling components was associated with increased exercise capacity in a hot, humid environment.

Recent advances in clothing design include the incorporation of phase change materials (PCM) and other active cooling components (ACC) to provide better body heat dissipation. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of wearing a shirt containing multistage PCM/ACC on exercise capacity at low (5.0), moderate-high (7.

Efficacy and safety of zero-fluoroscopy ablation for supraventricular tachycardias. Use of optional contact force measurement for zero-fluoroscopy ablation in a clinical routine setting.

Background: Conventional catheter ablation of cardiac arrhythmias is associated with radiation risks for patients and laboratory personnel. Widespread use of zero-fluoroscopic catheter ablation in clinical routine is limited by safety concerns. This study investigated the feasibility of zero-fluoroscopy catheter ablation using a three-dimensional mapping system and optional catheter contact force technology for an all-comers collective.

Effects of ketamine on cognition-emotion interaction in the brain.

Cognition-emotion interaction in the brain can be investigated by incorporating stimuli with emotional content into cognitive tasks. Emotional stimuli in the context of a working memory (WM) task yield increased activation in WM-related lateral prefrontal regions, whereas cognitive effort enhances deactivation in emotion-related cortical midline regions. N-methyl-d-aspartate glutamate receptors (NMDA-Rs) are critically involved in WM, and NMDA-R antagonists, such as ketamine, accordingly affect WM but also have a profound impact on emotional processing, as underscored by the rapid reduction of depressive symptoms after administration of a single dose of ketamine.

Obtaining the Transfer Function of optical instruments using large calibrated reference objects.

It has been suggested recently that the Transfer Function of instruments such as Coherence Scanning Interferometers could be measured via a single measurement of a large spherical artefact [Appl. Opt.53(8), 1554-1563 (2014)].

Electrostatic Limit of Detection of Nanowire-Based Sensors.

Scanning gate microscopy is used to determine the electrostatic limit of detection (LOD) of a nanowire (NW) based chemical sensor with a precision of sub-elementary charge. The presented method is validated with an electrostatically formed NW whose active area and shape are tunable by biasing a multiple gate field-effect transistor (FET). By using the tip of an atomic force microscope (AFM) as a local top gate, the field effect of adsorbed molecules is emulated.

Fast iterative pre-emphasis calibration method enabling third-order dynamic shim updated fMRI.

Purpose: To calibrate a pre-emphasis to sufficiently compensate eddy currents for application of dynamic shim updating to fMRI without extension of scan times.

Methods: Eddy current effects induced into all shim terms up to third-order were characterized by spatiotemporal field monitoring, using a third-order field camera. Pre-emphasis settings were derived from the measurements and iteratively evaluated and refined.

New-Onset Diabetes After Transplantation: Results From a Double-Blind Early Corticosteroid Withdrawal Trial.

New-onset diabetes after transplantation (NODAT) is an important complication following kidney transplantation. Data from the 5-year early steroid withdrawal double-blind randomized trial were analyzed to determine if steroid avoidance reduced the NODAT risk. Incidence, timing and risk factors for NODAT were evaluated using eight definitions.

Using image-based flow cytometry to measure monocyte oxidized LDL phagocytosis: A potential risk factor for CVD?

Obesity and cardiovascular disease is a worldwide health concern that has been a major focus in research for several decades. Among these diseases, atherosclerosis is one of the leading causes of death and disability nationwide. Circulating monocytes are believed to be primary cells responsible for foam cell formation.