Neural correlates of learning to attend.

Recent work has shown that training can improve attentional focus. Little is known, however, about how training in attention and multitasking affects the brain. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure changes in cortical responses to distracting stimuli during training on a visual categorization task.

Combined testing for CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha (CEBPA) mutations and promoter methylation in acute myeloid leukemia demonstrates shared phenotypic features.

Loss of function mutations in CCAAT/enhancer binding protein alpha (CEBPA) have been identified in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and bi-allelic (double) CEBPA mutations are associated with improved prognosis in cases of cytogenetically normal-AML. In a subset of AML patients lacking CEBPA mutations, core promotor methylation of CEBPA has been described and is associated with a gene expression profile similar to the mutated cases including the expression of T cell associated genes such as CD7. However, the overall incidence and pattern of CEBPA mutations and core promoter methylation has not been thoroughly explored in a larger subset of AML with expression of CD7.

DHT selectively reverses Smad3-mediated/TGF-beta-induced responses through transcriptional down-regulation of Smad3 in prostate epithelial cells.

Androgens suppress TGF-β responses in the prostate through mechanisms that are not fully explored. We have recently reported that 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) suppresses the ability of TGF-β to inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis of prostatic epithelial cells and provided evidence that such suppression was fueled by transcriptional down-regulation of TGF-β receptor II (ΤβRII). We now show that androgen receptor (AR) activated by DHT suppresses the TGF-β-induced phosphorylation of Sma- and Mad-related protein (Smad)3 in LNCaP cells overexpressing TβRII under the control of a cytomegalovirus promoter, which is not regulated by DHT, suggesting that transcriptional repression of TβRII alone does not fully account for the impact of DHT on TGF-β responses.

When can I drive?: brake response times after contemporary total knee arthroplasty.

Background: After right total knee arthroplasty (TKA), patients are usually eager to return to driving. Previous studies suggest 6 weeks postsurgery is a safe time. However, recent advances in surgical technique, pain management, and rehabilitation have theoretically improved recovery after TKA.

Working memory load modulates distractor competition in primary visual cortex.

When stimuli compete for sensory processing and response selection, coherent goal-guided behavior requires cognitive control so that task-relevant "targets" rather than irrelevant distractors are selected. It has been shown that reduced cognitive control under high working memory load increases distractor competition for selection. It remains unknown, though, whether cognitive control by working memory has an effect on the earliest levels of sensory processing in primary visual cortex.

Near-infrared imaging of the sinuses: preliminary evaluation of a new technology for diagnosing maxillary sinusitis.

Diagnosing sinusitis remains a challenge for primary care physicians. There is a need for a simple, office-based technique to aid in the diagnosis of sinusitis without the cost and radiation risk of conventional radiologic imaging. We designed a low-cost near-infrared (NIR) device to transilluminate the maxillary sinuses.

A brief review of silicosis in the United States.

Silicosis may be defined as the disease resulting from chronic occupational exposure to silica dust. Silica is primarily composed of quartz dust and has been classified since 2000 as a known human carcinogen by the U.S.

CD4 (+)CD25 (+)Foxp3 (+) regulatory T cells and hematologic malignancies.

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are an immunosuppressive T cell subset that functions to prevent autoimmunity and to regulate physiologic immune reactions. Tregs are also present in the tumor microenvironment and appear to play an important role in the pathophysiology of malignant processes. Available data suggests that this role is context-dependent, as a higher density of tumor infiltrating Tregs at diagnosis may be associated with either a positive or a negative clinical outcome.

Increased plasma membrane cholesterol in cystic fibrosis cells correlates with CFTR genotype and depends on de novo cholesterol synthesis.

Background: Previous observations demonstrate that Cftr-null cells and tissues exhibit alterations in cholesterol processing including perinuclear cholesterol accumulation, increased de novo synthesis, and an increase in plasma membrane cholesterol accessibility compared to wild type controls. The hypothesis of this study is that membrane cholesterol accessibility correlates with CFTR genotype and is in part influenced by de novo cholesterol synthesis.

Methods: Electrochemical detection of cholesterol at the plasma membrane is achieved with capillary microelectrodes with a modified platinum coil that accepts covalent attachment of cholesterol oxidase.

Factors and barriers influencing influenza vaccination among students at Brigham Young University.

Background: To identify the prevalence of influenza vaccination and factors associated with vaccination among students at Brigham Young University.

Material/methods: A Cross-sectional survey of seven general education classes, size 30 to 200 students each, was conducted the week of November 25, 2007. A 34 item paper-pencil questionnaire was administered, taking 5-10 minutes to complete.

Pair-bonded humans conform to sexual stereotypes in web-based advertisements for extra-marital partners.

Partners advertisements provide advertisers with access to a large pool of prospective mates, and have proven useful in documenting sex differences in human mating preferences. We coded data from an Internet site (AshleyMadison.com) catering to advertisers engaged in existing pair-bonded relationships.

Induction of granzyme B expression in T-cell receptor/CD28-stimulated human regulatory T cells is suppressed by inhibitors of the PI3K-mTOR pathway.

Background: Regulatory T cells (Tregs) can employ a cell contact- and granzyme B-dependent mechanism to mediate suppression of bystander T and B cells. Murine studies indicate that granzyme B is involved in the Treg-mediated suppression of anti-tumor immunity in the tumor microenvironment and in the Treg-mediated maintenance of allograft survival. In spite of its central importance, a detailed study of granzyme B expression patterns in human Tregs has not been performed.

Learning to attend: effects of practice on information selection.

Though practice can lead to improved performance in many domains, it is currently unknown how practice affects the deployment of selective attention to filter distracting information. We conducted a series of experiments to address this issue by examining how performance on a task changed after repeated exposure to distractors. Distraction initially slowed response time during task performance, an effect that diminished with repeated exposure to the distractors.

Door to door survey and community participation to implement a new county mosquito control program in Wayne County, North Carolina, USA.

Community involvement in mosquito management programs provides more sustainable and effective organization and service. A door to door survey in Wayne County, NC carried out by student volunteers, resulted in 60 household responses. Residents had not previously experienced outreach from the county (88%), and 95% of them thought the student door to door survey was an effective form of outreach.

Observation of cellular cholesterol efflux at microcavity electrodes.

Cholesterol oxidase modified platinum microcavity electrodes are used to measure cholesterol efflux from the plasma membrane surface of a single neuron in the buccal ganglion of Aplysia at room temperature. A background subtraction analog chronocoulometry method is used to measure hydrogen peroxide accumulation in the microcavity volume resulting from cellular cholesterol efflux and enzymatic oxidation. The data are consistent with the aqueous diffusion model for cellular cholesterol efflux where plasma membrane cholesterol undergoes exchange with solution phase cholesterol.

TDP-43 in ubiquitinated inclusions in the inferior olives in frontotemporal lobar degeneration and in other neurodegenerative diseases: a degenerative process distinct from normal ageing.

Ubiquitin immunoreactive (UBQ-ir) inclusions were present to variable extents in the inferior olivary nucleus (ION) in 37/48 (77%) patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), in 10/11 (91%) patients with motor neurone disease (MND), in 5/5 (100%) patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), 5/7 (71%) patients with dementia with Lewy bodies, 13/19 (68%) patients with Parkinson's disease, 11/11(100%) patients with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, 2/6 (33%) patients with Multisystem Atrophy, 1/3 (33%) patients with Huntington's disease and in 14/14 (100%) normal elderly control subjects. In FTLD, UBQ-ir inclusions were present in 26/32 (81%) patients with FTLD-U, in 10/15 (67%) patients with tauopathy, and in the single patient with Dementia Lacking Distinctive Histology. In 13 FTLD-U patients, and in a single AD and in 2 MND patients, the UBQ-ir inclusions had a rounded, spicular or skein-type appearance, and these were also TDP-43 immunoreactive (TDP-43-ir).

Role of navigation in total hip arthroplasty.

Current uses of computed tomography-based and imageless navigation systems for total hip arthroplasty include proper placement of the acetabular component, measurement of limb-length changes, enablement of minimally invasive surgery, and proper placement of components for hip resurfacing procedures. This article provides an overview of the rationale for computer-assisted surgery in total hip arthroplasty and hip resurfacing. The experience of the senior author (M.

Preliminary water quality assessment of Spunky Bottoms restored wetland.

The approximately 1200-acre "Spunky Bottoms" wetland in Southern Illinois has been undergoing restoration to conditions prior to levying of the Illinois River and draining of adjacent floodplain for intensive agriculture (circa 1900). As part of a long-term water quality impact assessment of this restoration project, baseline water quality monitoring was conducted soon after restoration began. During this baseline/preliminary assessment, water samples were taken every 2-4 weeks from 10 sampling wells and seven surface water sites throughout the wetlands area for a period of 18 months.

Clinical significance of cyclin D1, fibroblast growth factor receptor 3, and p53 immunohistochemistry in plasma cell myeloma treated with a thalidomide-based regimen.

Prior studies of myeloma treated with conventional chemotherapy or autologous stem cell transplantation have shown immunohistochemistry for cyclin D1, fibroblast growth factor receptor 3, and p53 to be prognostically significant. The clinical significance of these phenotypic abnormalities in thalidomide-based regimens is currently unknown. We examined the clinical significance of immunohistochemistry for cyclin D1, fibroblast growth factor receptor 3, p53, and cyclin D3 in 94 patients treated with pegylated doxorubicin, vincristine, dexamethasone, and thalidomide, including 49 newly diagnosed and 45 relapsed/refractory patients.