Basic Science and Pathogenesis.

Background: Cardiovascular disease causes vascular dementia and contributes to most clinical dementia. This is embodied in the concept of vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID). The potent endogenous peptide endothelin-1 (ET1) causes small artery vasoconstriction and fibrosis.

Multifaceted modeling of small intestinal neuroendocrine tumors.

Small intestinal neuroendocrine tumors, siNETs, are a group of rare cancers that arise from neuroendocrine cells in the lining of the jejunum and ileum, which are either classified as tumors, siNETs, or small intestinal neuroendocrine carcinomas, siNECs. Current treatment strategies for low-grade tumors include surgical resection, peptide radionucleotide receptor therapy, and somatostatin analogues, while high-grade and recurrent tumors may receive cytotoxic chemotherapy. These limited treatment options are linked to the lack of representative models that can both reflect the biology of the tumor and are amenable to mid-to-high throughput experimentation.

Structure and Function of Fermentation-Derived Bovine Lactoferrin Produced from Komagataella phaffii.

Bovine lactoferrin (bLf) confers significant functional benefits for human health, but low concentrations in milk and high cost of commercial production limit availability and thus product application. Precision fermentation offers a solution to increase availability of biosimilar recombinant bLf (rbLf) thereby opening new opportunities for this high-value ingredient. To comply with regulatory requirements, we aimed to establish that rbLf from is substantially similar to native bLf in structure and key functions.

Does it matter who performs blood culture collection? Results of a survey assessing phlebotomist, nurse, and resident knowledge of blood culture collection protocols.

Blood cultures are the primary method for diagnosing bloodstream infections. However, blood culture contamination (BCC) can lead to unnecessary antibiotic treatment, additional tests, and extended patient time in the hospital. The aim of this quality improvement project was to evaluate healthcare workers' knowledge of blood culture collection protocols and evaluate the blood culture contamination rates of laboratory and non-laboratory staff.

Perinatal hair cortisol concentrations linked to psychological distress and unpredicted birth complications.

Maternal well-being and stress during the perinatal period have been hypothesized to influence birth outcomes and the postnatal development of offspring. In the present study, we explored whether hair cortisol concentration (HCC) was related to symptoms of psychological distress during the perinatal period and with unpredicted birth complications (UBCs). Surveys measuring symptoms of perceived stress, state/trait anxiety, and depression were collected from 53 participants (mean age = 31.