Accuracy of transabdominal ultrasound to diagnose functional constipation and fecal impaction in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Functional constipation is common in children and accurate diagnostic methods are essential for early diagnosis and effective management. The diagnostic accuracy of transabdominal ultrasound to diagnose functional constipation is unclear.

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of transverse rectal diameter measurement via transabdominal ultrasound in diagnosing children with functional constipation and in identifying fecal impaction.

Methane emission from a cool brown dwarf.

Beyond our Solar System, aurorae have been inferred from radio observations of isolated brown dwarfs. Within our Solar System, giant planets have auroral emission with signatures across the electromagnetic spectrum including infrared emission of H and methane. Isolated brown dwarfs with auroral signatures in the radio have been searched for corresponding infrared features, but only null detections have been reported.

A measurement of the wind speed on a brown dwarf.

Zonal (latitudinal) winds dominate the bulk flow of planetary atmospheres. For gas giant planets such as Jupiter, the motion of clouds can be compared with radio emissions from the magnetosphere, which is connected to the planet's interior, to determine the wind speed. In principle, this technique can be applied to brown dwarfs and/or directly imaged exoplanets if periods can be determined for both the infrared and radio emissions.

Longitudinal diffusion MRI as surrogate outcome measure for myelopathy in adrenoleukodystrophy.

Objective: To prospectively determine the potential of diffusion MRI (dMRI) of the cervical spinal cord and the corticospinal tracts in brain as surrogate outcome measure for progression of myelopathy in men with adrenoleukodystrophy, as better outcome measures to quantify progression of myelopathy would enable clinical trials with fewer patients and shorter follow-up.

Methods: Clinical assessment of myelopathy included Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), Severity Scoring System for Progressive Myelopathy (SSPROM), Timed Up-and-Go, and 6-Minute Walk Test. Applied dMRI metrics included fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity, and radial diffusivity.

Progression of myelopathy in males with adrenoleukodystrophy: towards clinical trial readiness.

Males with adrenoleukodystrophy develop progressive myelopathy causing severe disability later in life. No treatment is currently available, but new disease-modifying therapies are under development. Knowledge of the natural history of the myelopathy is of paramount importance for evaluation of these therapies in clinical trials, but prospective data on disease progression are lacking.

Rapid Tests for Influenza, Respiratory Syncytial Virus, and Other Respiratory Viruses: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Rapid diagnosis of respiratory virus infections contributes to patient care. This systematic review evaluates the diagnostic accuracy of rapid tests for the detection of respiratory viruses. We searched Medline and EMBASE for studies evaluating these tests against polymerase chain reaction as the reference standard.

Sunitinib does not attenuate contractile force following a period of ischemia in isolated human cardiac muscle.

Concerns have been raised about the development of heart failure in patients treated for cancer with angiogenesis inhibitors, such as the tyrosine kinase inhibitor sunitinib. Patients with previous coronary artery disease and hypertension have an increased risk of developing heart failure. Therefore, we studied the effect of sunitinib on the contractility of isolated human atrial trabeculae and the effect on recovery after ischemic stimulation.

A polymorphism in the splice donor site of ZNF419 results in the novel renal cell carcinoma-associated minor histocompatibility antigen ZAPHIR.

Nonmyeloablative allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) can induce remission in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC), but this graft-versus-tumor (GVT) effect is often accompanied by graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Here, we evaluated minor histocompatibility antigen (MiHA)-specific T cell responses in two patients with metastatic RCC who were treated with reduced-intensity conditioning SCT followed by donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI). One patient had stable disease and emergence of SMCY.

Myeloid leukemic progenitor cells can be specifically targeted by minor histocompatibility antigen LRH-1-reactive cytotoxic T cells.

CD8(+) T cells recognizing minor histocompatibility antigens (MiHAs) on leukemic stem and progenitor cells play a pivotal role in effective graft-versus-leukemia reactivity after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT). Previously, we identified a hematopoiesis-restricted MiHA, designated LRH-1, which is presented by HLA-B7 and encoded by the P2X5 purinergic receptor gene. We found that P2X5 is significantly expressed in CD34(+) leukemic subpopulations from chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients.

Aberrant expression of the hematopoietic-restricted minor histocompatibility antigen LRH-1 on solid tumors results in efficient cytotoxic T cell-mediated lysis.

CD8(+) T cells recognizing minor histocompatibility antigens (MiHA) on solid tumor cells may mediate effective graft-versus-tumor (GVT) reactivity after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT). Previously, we identified LRH-1 as a hematopoietic-restricted MiHA encoded by the P2X5 gene. Here, we report that LRH-1 is aberrantly expressed on solid tumor cells.

The B cell antigen receptor controls AP-1 and NFAT activity through Ras-mediated activation of Ral.

Signaling by the BCR involves activation of several members of the Ras superfamily of small GTPases, among which is Ras itself. Ras can control the activity of multiple effectors, including Raf, PI3K, and guanine nucleotide exchange factors for the small GTPase Ral. Ras, Raf, and PI3K have been implicated in a variety of processes underlying B cell development, differentiation, and function; however, the role of Ral in B lymphocytes remains to be established.