Identification and Characterization of Mercury Contamination in Vegetables and Herbs Cultivated on a Commercial Vertical Indoor Farming System with Light-Emitting Diode Lighting: Unveiling an Unusual Food Safety Risk of Some Improperly Manufactured High-Density Agricultural Production Systems.

Artificial grow lights, such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and fluorescent grow lights, are commonly used in modern day indoor farming, citing advantages in energy efficiency and a higher controlled environment. However, the use of LEDs poses a risk in mercury contaminations as a result of its production process, specifically LEDs with polyurethane encapsulates that were traditionally produced using mercury resins as a catalyst. A total of 10.

Relevance of presenting risks of frailty, sarcopaenia and osteopaenia to outcomes from aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage.

Introduction: Aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (aSAH) is a condition with significant morbidity and mortality. Traditional markers of aSAH have established their utility in the prediction of aSAH outcomes while frailty markers have been validated in other surgical specialties. We aimed to compare the predictive value of frailty indices and markers of sarcopaenia and osteopaenia, against the traditional markers for aSAH outcomes.

The Potential Role of the ZIKV NS5 Nuclear Spherical-Shell Structures in Cell Type-Specific Host Immune Modulation during ZIKV Infection.

The Zika virus (ZIKV) non-structural protein 5 (NS5) plays multiple viral and cellular roles during infection, with its primary role in virus RNA replication taking place in the cytoplasm. However, immunofluorescence assay studies have detected the presence of ZIKV NS5 in unique spherical shell-like structures in the nuclei of infected cells, suggesting potentially important cellular roles of ZIKV NS5 in the nucleus. Hence ZIKV NS5's subcellular distribution and localization must be tightly regulated during ZIKV infection.

Zika Virus NS5 Forms Supramolecular Nuclear Bodies That Sequester Importin-α and Modulate the Host Immune and Pro-Inflammatory Response in Neuronal Cells.

The Zika virus (ZIKV) epidemic in the Americas was alarming because of its link with microcephaly in neonates and Guillain-Barré syndrome in adults. The unusual pathologies induced by ZIKV infection and the knowledge that the flaviviral nonstructural protein 5 (NS5), the most conserved protein in the flavivirus proteome, can modulate the host immune response during ZIKV infection prompted us to investigate the subcellular localization of NS5 during ZIKV infection and explore its functional significance. A monopartite nuclear localization signal (NLS) sequence within ZIKV NS5 was predicted by the cNLS Mapper program, and we observed localization of ZIKV NS5 in the nucleus of infected cells by immunostaining with specific antibodies.

The C-terminal 18 Amino Acid Region of Dengue Virus NS5 Regulates its Subcellular Localization and Contains a Conserved Arginine Residue Essential for Infectious Virus Production.

Dengue virus NS5 is the most highly conserved amongst the viral non-structural proteins and is responsible for capping, methylation and replication of the flavivirus RNA genome. Interactions of NS5 with host proteins also modulate host immune responses. Although replication occurs in the cytoplasm, an unusual characteristic of DENV2 NS5 is that it localizes to the nucleus during infection with no clear role in replication or pathogenesis.

Quantifying the dynamics of the oligomeric transcription factor STAT3 by pair correlation of molecular brightness.

Oligomerization of transcription factors controls their translocation into the nucleus and DNA-binding activity. Here we present a fluorescence microscopy analysis termed pCOMB (pair correlation of molecular brightness) that tracks the mobility of different oligomeric species within live cell nuclear architecture. pCOMB amplifies the signal from the brightest species present and filters the dynamics of the extracted oligomeric population based on arrival time between two locations.

ST3GAL1-Associated Transcriptomic Program in Glioblastoma Tumor Growth, Invasion, and Prognosis.

Background: Cell surface sialylation is associated with tumor cell invasiveness in many cancers. Glioblastoma is the most malignant primary brain tumor and is highly infiltrative. ST3GAL1 sialyltransferase gene is amplified in a subclass of glioblastomas, and its role in tumor cell self-renewal remains unexplored.

Dual role of Src kinase in governing neuronal survival.

Background: Src-family kinases (SFKs) are involved in neuronal survival and their aberrant regulation contributes to neuronal death. However, how they control neuronal survival and death remains unclear.

Objective: To define the effect of inhibition of Src activity and expression on neuronal survival.

A computed tomography morphometric study of occipital bone and C2 pedicle anatomy for occipital-cervical fusion.

Background: Occipital-cervical fusion (OCF) has been used to treat instability of the occipito-cervical junction and to provide biomechanical stability after decompressive surgery. The specific areas that require detailed morphologic knowledge to prevent technical failures are the thickness of the occipital bone and diameter of the C2 pedicle, as the occipital midline bone and the C2 pedicle have structurally the strongest bone to provide the biomechanical purchase for cranio-cervical instrumentation. The aim of this study was to perform a quantitative morphometric analysis using computed tomography (CT) to determine the variability of the occipital bone thickness and C2 pedicle thickness to optimize screw placement for OCF in a South East Asian population.

Polyetheretherketone implants for the repair of large cranial defects: a 3-center experience.

Background: Calvarial reconstruction of large cranial defects following decompressive surgery is challenging. Autologous bone cannot always be used due to infection, fragmentation, bone resorption, and other causes. Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is a synthetic material that has many advantages in cranial-repair surgery, including strength, stiffness, durability, and inertness.

Comparison of polyetheretherketone and titanium cranioplasty after decompressive craniectomy.

Objective: To characterize complication and failure rates and outcomes of patients who underwent cranioplasty with polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and titanium implants and to compare complication and failure rates between the 2 implants.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent cranioplasty with PEEK patient-specific implant (PEEK Optima-LT) and preformed titanium mesh at the National Neuroscience Institute, Singapore, between January 2001 and February 2012 was performed. Data related to initial decompressive craniectomy and cranioplasty, associated complications after cranioplasty, and indication for revision or removal of implants were collected.

Cytokine-induced slowing of STAT3 nuclear import; faster basal trafficking of the STAT3β isoform.

The STAT3 signal transducer and activator of transcription is a key mediator of gene transcription in response to cytokines such as oncostatin M (OSM). We performed direct live cell imaging of GFP-tagged STAT3 proteins for the first time, showing transient relocalization of STAT3α to the nucleus following OSM exposure, in contrast to sustained nuclear relocalization of the shorter STAT3β spliceform. To explore this further, we applied fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) to determine the nuclear import kinetics of STAT3α and β, as well as of a C-terminal truncation derivative STAT3ΔC comprising only the sequence shared by the spliceforms, in the absence or presence of OSM.

Use of programmable versus nonprogrammable shunts in the management of hydrocephalus secondary to aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: a retrospective study with cost-benefit analysis.

Objectives: The choice of programmable or nonprogrammable shunts for the management of hydrocephalus after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) remains undefined. Variable intracranial pressures make optimal management difficult. Programmable shunts have been shown to reduce problems with drainage, but at 3 times the cost of nonprogrammable shunts.

External validation of the CRASH and IMPACT prognostic models in severe traumatic brain injury.

An accurate prognostic model is extremely important in severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) for both patient management and research. Clinical prediction models must be validated both internally and externally before they are considered widely applicable. Our aim is to independently externally validate two prediction models, one developed by the Corticosteroid Randomization After Significant Head injury (CRASH) trial investigators, and the other from the International Mission for Prognosis and Analysis of Clinical Trials in Traumatic Brain Injury (IMPACT) group.

Hyperosmotic stress sustains cytokine-stimulated phosphorylation of STAT3, but slows its nuclear trafficking and impairs STAT3-dependent transcription.

Persistent STAT3 phosphorylation and nuclear retention are hallmarks of a range of pathologies suggesting the importance of STAT3 transcriptional responses in disease progression. Since hyperosmotic stress (HOS) is a hallmark of diseases such as diabetes and asthma, we analysed the impact of HOS on cytokine-stimulated STAT3 signalling. In contrast to transient STAT3 Y705 and S727 phosphorylation in murine embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) stimulated by the interleukin-6 family cytokine, leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), under non-stress conditions, HOS induced by sorbitol treatment increased STAT3 S727 but not Y705 phosphorylation.

Oxidative stress impairs multiple regulatory events to drive persistent cytokine-stimulated STAT3 phosphorylation.

Although cytokine-driven STAT3 phosphorylation and activation are often transient, persistent activation of STAT3 is a hallmark of a range of pathologies and underpins altered transcriptional responses. As triggers in disease frequently include combined increases in inflammatory cytokine and reactive oxygen species levels, we report here how oxidative stress impacts on cytokine-driven STAT3 signal transduction events. In the model system of murine embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), combined treatment with the interleukin-6 family cytokine Leukemia Inhibitory Factor (LIF) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) drove persistent STAT3 phosphorylation whereas STAT3 phosphorylation increased only transiently in response to LIF alone and was not increased by H2O2 alone.

Intracellular mobility and nuclear trafficking of the stress-activated kinase JNK1 are impeded by hyperosmotic stress.

The c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) are a group of stress-activated protein kinases that regulate gene expression changes through specific phosphorylation of nuclear transcription factor substrates. To address the mechanisms underlying JNK nuclear entry, we employed a semi-intact cell system to demonstrate for the first time that JNK1 nuclear entry is dependent on the importin α2/β1 heterodimer and independent of importins α3, α4, β2, β3, 7 and 13. However, quantitative image analysis of JNK1 localization following exposure of cells to either arsenite or hyperosmotic stress did not indicate its nuclear accumulation.

p32 protein levels are integral to mitochondrial and endoplasmic reticulum morphology, cell metabolism and survival.

p32 [also known as HABP1 (hyaluronan-binding protein 1), gC1qR (receptor for globular head domains complement 1q) or C1qbp (complement 1q-binding protein)] has been shown previously to have both mitochondrial and non-mitochondrial localization and functions. In the present study, we show for the first time that endogenous p32 protein is a mitochondrial protein in HeLa cells under control and stress conditions. In defining the impact of altering p32 levels in these cells, we demonstrate that the overexpression of p32 increased mitochondrial fibrils.

A distinct reactive oxygen species profile confers chemoresistance in glioma-propagating cells and associates with patient survival outcome.

Aims: We explore the role of an elevated O2(-):H2O2 ratio as a prosurvival signal in glioma-propagating cells (GPCs). We hypothesize that depleting this ratio sensitizes GPCs to apoptotic triggers.

Results: We observed that an elevated O2(-):H2O2 ratio conferred enhanced resistance in GPCs, and depletion of this ratio by pharmacological and genetic methods sensitized cells to apoptotic triggers.

Cortical reorganization of motor functional areas in cerebral arteriovenous malformations.

Cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVM) are congenital malformations that may grow in functional areas such as the primary motor cortex, but do not lead to motor deficits unless they rupture. We attempted to determine whether cortical reorganization was present in patients with AVM. We identified 22 patients with AVM who undergone had motor functional MRI (fMRI) evaluation.

Uses and limitations of indocyanine green videoangiography for flow analysis in arteriovenous malformation surgery.

Intra-operative indocyanine green (ICG) videoangiography is a useful addition to cerebrovascular neurosurgery. ICG videoangiography is useful in different phases of arteriovenous malformation (AVM) surgery. Additionally, it can be used to perform semi-quantitative flow analysis.

Selective STAT3-α or -β expression reveals spliceform-specific phosphorylation kinetics, nuclear retention and distinct gene expression outcomes.

Phosphorylation of STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3) is critical for its nuclear import and transcriptional activity. Although a shorter STAT3β spliceform was initially described as a negative regulator of STAT3α, gene knockout studies have revealed that both forms play critical roles. We have expressed STAT3α and STAT3β at comparable levels to facilitate a direct comparison of their functional effects, and have shown their different cytokine-stimulated kinetics of phosphorylation and nuclear translocation.

Surgery for atlanto-axial (C1-2) involvement or instability in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients.

Nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) is a common malignancy affecting Asian countries, especially the Chinese population. Treatment regimes and results have improved over the years with better overall survival outcome data. Radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy is successful in many patients.