Pluripotency factors are repurposed to shape the epigenomic landscape of neural crest cells.

Yamanaka factors are essential for establishing pluripotency in embryonic stem cells, but their function in multipotent stem cell populations is poorly understood. Here, we show that OCT4 and SOX2 cooperate with tissue-specific transcription factors to promote neural crest formation. By assessing avian and human neural crest cells at distinct developmental stages, we characterized the epigenomic changes that occur during their specification, migration, and early differentiation.

Micromanaging pattern formation: miRNA regulation of signaling systems in vertebrate development.

Early embryogenesis requires the establishment of fields of progenitor cells with distinct molecular signatures. A balance of intrinsic and extrinsic cues determines the boundaries of embryonic territories and pushes progenitor cells toward different fates. This process involves multiple layers of regulation, including signaling systems, transcriptional networks, and post-transcriptional control.

Rational Design of Biosafety Level 2-Approved, Multidrug-Resistant Strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis through Nutrient Auxotrophy.

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis, defined as tuberculosis resistant to the two first-line drugs isoniazid and rifampin, poses a serious problem for global tuberculosis control strategies. Lack of a safe and convenient model organism hampers progress in combating the spread of MDR strains of We reasoned that auxotrophic MDR mutants of would provide a safe means for studying MDR without the need for a biosafety level 3 (BSL3) laboratory. Two different sets of triple auxotrophic mutants of were generated, which were auxotrophic for the nutrients leucine, pantothenate, and arginine or for leucine, pantothenate, and methionine.

Deviation Management: Key Management Subsystem Driver of Knowledge-Based Continuous Improvement in the Henry Ford Production System.

Objectives: To develop a business subsystem fulfilling International Organization for Standardization 15189 nonconformance management regulatory standard, facilitating employee engagement in problem identification and resolution to effect quality improvement and risk mitigation.

Methods: From 2012 to 2016, the integrated laboratories of the Henry Ford Health System used a quality technical team to develop and improve a management subsystem designed to identify, track, trend, and summarize nonconformances based on frequency, risk, and root cause for elimination at the level of the work.

Results: Programmatic improvements and training resulted in markedly increased documentation culminating in 71,641 deviations in 2016 classified by a taxonomy of 281 defect types into preanalytic (74.

Discharge Time Out: An Innovative Nurse-Driven Protocol for Medication Reconciliation.

An innovative method for discharge medication reconciliation was developed by nurses to ensure safe transition of care and improved patient outcomes. The discharge time-out process has empowered nurses to take a more active role in discharging their patients, and has fostered a more collaborative relationship between nurses and physicians.

Discharge Time Out: An Innovative Nurse-Driven Protocol for Medication Reconciliation.

An innovative method for discharge medication reconciliation was developed by nurses to ensure safe transition of care and improved patient outcomes. The discharge time-out process has empowered nurses to take a more active role in discharging their patients, and has fostered a more collaborative relationship between nurses and physicians.

Daily Management System of the Henry Ford Production System: QTIPS to Focus Continuous Improvements at the Level of the Work.

Objectives: To support our Lean culture of continuous improvement, we implemented a daily management system designed so critical metrics of operational success were the focus of local teams to drive improvements.

Methods: We innovated a standardized visual daily management board composed of metric categories of Quality, Time, Inventory, Productivity, and Safety (QTIPS); frequency trending; root cause analysis; corrective/preventive actions; and resulting process improvements.

Results: In 1 year (June 2013 to July 2014), eight laboratory sections at Henry Ford Hospital employed 64 unique daily metrics.

Brain metabolic correlates of decision making in amnestic mild cognitive impairment.

Persons with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) have subtle impairments in medical decision-making capacity (MDC). We examined the relationship between proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and MDC in MCI. Twenty-nine MCI patients and 42 controls underwent MRS to obtain ratios of N-acetylaspartate (NAA)/Creatine (Cr), Choline (Cho)/Cr, and myo-Inositol (mI)/Cr of the posterior cingulate.