Relationship of the Middle Ear Effusion Microbiome to Secretory Mucin Production in Pediatric Patients With Chronic Otitis Media.

Background: Acute otitis media, an infection of the middle ear, can become chronic after multiple episodes. Microbial influence on chronic otitis media remains unclear. It has been reported that mucin glycoproteins are required for middle ear immune defense against pathogens.

Proteomic Characterization of Middle Ear Fluid Confirms Neutrophil Extracellular Traps as a Predominant Innate Immune Response in Chronic Otitis Media.

Background: Chronic Otitis Media (COM) is characterized by middle ear effusion (MEE) and conductive hearing loss. MEE reflect mucus hypersecretion, but global proteomic profiling of the mucosal components are limited.

Objective: This study aimed at characterizing the proteome of MEEs from children with COM with the goal of elucidating important innate immune responses.

Age-Associated Methylation Suppresses SPRY1, Leading to a Failure of Re-quiescence and Loss of the Reserve Stem Cell Pool in Elderly Muscle.

The molecular mechanisms by which aging affects stem cell number and function are poorly understood. Murine data have implicated cellular senescence in the loss of muscle stem cells with aging. Here, using human cells and by carrying out experiments within a strictly pre-senescent division count, we demonstrate an impaired capacity for stem cell self-renewal in elderly muscle.

Identification of novel mutations by exome sequencing in African American colorectal cancer patients.

Background: The purpose of this study was to identify genome-wide single nucleotide variants and mutations in African American patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). There is a need of such studies in African Americans, because they display a higher incidence of aggressive CRC tumors.

Methods: We performed whole exome sequencing (WES) on DNA from 12 normal/tumor pairs of African American CRC patient tissues.

Association between albuminuria, kidney function, and inflammatory biomarker profile in CKD in CRIC.

Background And Objectives: Increased risk of mortality in patients with CKD has been attributed to inflammation. However, the association between kidney function, albuminuria, and biomarkers of inflammation has not been examined in a large cohort of CKD patients.

Design, Setting, Participants, & Measurements: This study measured the plasma levels of IL-1β, IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA), IL-6, TNF-α, TGF-β, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), fibrinogen, and serum albumin in 3939 participants enrolled in the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort study between June 2003 and September 2008.

The interleukin-6 receptor as a target for prevention of coronary heart disease: a mendelian randomisation analysis.

Background: A high circulating concentration of interleukin 6 is associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease. Blockade of the interleukin-6 receptor (IL6R) with a monoclonal antibody (tocilizumab) licensed for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis reduces systemic and articular inflammation. However, whether IL6R blockade also reduces risk of coronary heart disease is unknown.

Genome-wide association of early-onset myocardial infarction with single nucleotide polymorphisms and copy number variants.

We conducted a genome-wide association study testing single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and copy number variants (CNVs) for association with early-onset myocardial infarction in 2,967 cases and 3,075 controls. We carried out replication in an independent sample with an effective sample size of up to 19,492. SNPs at nine loci reached genome-wide significance: three are newly identified (21q22 near MRPS6-SLC5A3-KCNE2, 6p24 in PHACTR1 and 2q33 in WDR12) and six replicated prior observations (9p21, 1p13 near CELSR2-PSRC1-SORT1, 10q11 near CXCL12, 1q41 in MIA3, 19p13 near LDLR and 1p32 near PCSK9).