A Novel Microfluidic Dielectrophoresis Technology to Enable Rapid Diagnosis of Mycobacteria tuberculosis in Clinical Samples.

To achieve the global efforts to end tuberculosis, affordable diagnostics suitable for true point-of-care implementation are required to reach the missing millions. In addition, diagnostics with increased sensitivity and expanded drug susceptibility testing are needed to address drug resistance and to diagnose low-bacterial burden cases. The laboratory-on-a-chip technology described herein used dielectrophoresis to selectively isolate Mycobacterium tuberculosis from sputum samples, purifying the bacterial population ahead of molecular confirmation by multiplex real-time quantitative PCR.

Left cardiac isomerism in the Sonic hedgehog null mouse.

Sonic hedgehog (Shh) is a secreted morphogen necessary for the production of sidedness in the developing embryo. In this study, we describe the morphology of the atrial chambers and atrioventricular junctions of the Shh null mouse heart. We demonstrate that the essential phenotypic feature is isomerism of the left atrial appendages, in combination with an atrioventricular septal defect and a common atrioventricular junction.

Non-cell-autonomous roles for the planar cell polarity gene Vangl2 in development of the coronary circulation.

Establishment of cellular polarity is essential for the development of many tissues. In this study, we describe defects in the formation of the coronary vasculature in the loop-tail (Lp) mutant in which the planar cell polarity (PCP) gene, Vangl2, is disrupted. Although Vangl2 is expressed exclusively in the myocardial cells of the developing heart, the coronary vessels do not develop an intact smooth muscle layer, and there are enlarged, ectopic vessels on the surface of the heart.

Disruption of planar cell polarity signaling results in congenital heart defects and cardiomyopathy attributable to early cardiomyocyte disorganization.

The Drosophila scribble gene regulates apical-basal polarity and is implicated in control of cellular architecture and cell growth control. Mutations in mammalian Scrib (circletail; Crc mutant) also result in abnormalities suggestive of roles in planar cell polarity regulation. We show that Crc mutants develop heart malformations and cardiomyopathy attributable to abnormalities in cardiomyocyte organization within the early heart tube.