Incidence of ischemic stroke after COVID-19 bivalent booster vaccination in an integrated health system.

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of Kaiser Permanente Northwest patients 18 years and older who were vaccinated with the COVID-19 bivalent vaccine between September 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. We replicated the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) rapid cycle analysis protocol to identify cases of ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) in the 21 days following vaccination using ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes in the primary position. The incidence of ischemic stroke or TIA was 34.

Cardiac events following JYNNEOS vaccination for prevention of Mpox.

The incidence of cardiac adverse events following JYNNEOS vaccination for prevention of mpox is unknown, however the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices states that people with underlying cardiac risk factors should be counseled about the theoretical risk for myopericarditis following vaccination. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 2,126 patients who were vaccinated with at least 1 dose of JYNNEOS vaccine and searched the Kaiser Permanente Northwest databases, including the electronic health record, to evaluate for cardiac adverse events of special interest (AESI). After physician adjudication, there were 10 confirmed cardiac AESI for an incidence of 3.

Risk of myopericarditis following COVID-19 mRNA vaccination in a large integrated health system: A comparison of completeness and timeliness of two methods.

Purpose: How completely do hospital discharge diagnoses identify cases of myopericarditis after an mRNA vaccine?

Methods: We assembled a cohort 12-39 year-old patients, insured by Kaiser Permanente Northwest, who received at least one dose of an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) between December 2020 and October 2021. We followed them for up to 30 days after their second dose of an mRNA vaccine to identify encounters for myocarditis, pericarditis or myopericarditis. We compared two identification methods: A method that searched all encounter diagnoses using a brief text description (e.

Clinical management of septic arthritis.

Septic arthritis is a rheumatologic emergency as joint destruction occurs rapidly and can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. Accurate diagnosis can be particularly challenging in patients with underlying inflammatory joint disease. This review outlines the risk factors for septic arthritis and summarizes the causative bacterial organisms.

Genotypic resistance testing creates new treatment challenges: two cases of oxacillin-susceptible methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Oxacillin-susceptible, mecA-positive Staphylococcus aureus isolates create a treatment challenge for the clinician. In this article, we describe two cases of bacteremia from isolates that carried the mecA gene but were susceptible to oxacillin (oxacillin-susceptible methicillin-resistant S. aureus [OS-MRSA]).

BMP-9-induced osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal progenitors requires functional canonical Wnt/beta-catenin signalling.

Bone morphogenetic protein 9 (BMP-9) is a member of the transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta/BMP superfamily, and we have demonstrated that it is one of the most potent BMPs to induce osteoblast differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Here, we sought to investigate if canonical Wnt/beta-catenin signalling plays an important role in BMP-9-induced osteogenic differentiation of MSCs. Wnt3A and BMP-9 enhanced each other's ability to induce alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in MSCs and mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs).

Hey1 basic helix-loop-helix protein plays an important role in mediating BMP9-induced osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal progenitor cells.

Pluripotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are bone marrow stromal progenitor cells that can differentiate into osteogenic, chondrogenic, adipogenic, and myogenic lineages. We previously demonstrated that bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) 9 is one of the most potent and yet least characterized BMPs that are able to induce osteogenic differentiation of MSCs both in vitro and in vivo. Here, we conducted gene expression-profiling analysis and identified that Hey1 of the hairy/Enhancer of split-related repressor protein basic helix-loop-helix family was among the most significantly up-regulated early targets in BMP9-stimulated MSCs.

Osteogenic BMPs promote tumor growth of human osteosarcomas that harbor differentiation defects.

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary malignancy of bone. Here, we investigated a possible role of defective osteoblast differentiation in OS tumorigenesis. We found that basal levels of the early osteogenic marker alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity were low in OS lines.

S100A6 expression and function in human osteosarcoma.

There is a critical need to identify markers that can accurately identify existing or predict future metastatic disease in patients with osteosarcoma since the majority of patients present with undetectable micrometastatic disease. We previously reported S100A6 is overexpressed in human osteosarcoma and increased expression of S100A6 by immunohistochemistry correlated with decreased clinical metastasis. We have established 11 primary cultures from biopsies of patients with osteosarcoma and ten of the 11 primary cultures have increased expression of S100A6 relative to normal human osteoblasts.

Regulation of osteogenic differentiation during skeletal development.

Bone formation during skeletal development involves a complex coordination among multiple cell types and tissues. Bone is of crucial importance for the human body, providing skeletal support, and serving as a home for the formation of hematopoietic cells and as a reservoir for calcium and phosphate. Bone is also continuously remodeled in vertebrates throughout life.

A protocol for rapid generation of recombinant adenoviruses using the AdEasy system.

Recombinant adenoviruses provide a versatile system for gene expression studies and therapeutic applications. We have developed an approach that simplifies the generation and production of such viruses called the AdEasy system. A recombinant adenoviral plasmid is generated with a minimum of enzymatic manipulations, employing homologous recombination in bacteria rather than in eukaryotic cells.

Selection and validation of optimal siRNA target sites for RNAi-mediated gene silencing.

RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated gene silencing has become a valuable tool for functional studies, reverse genomics, and drug discoveries. One major challenge of using RNAi is to identify the most effective short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) sites of a given gene. Although several published bioinformatic prediction models have proven useful, the process to select and validate optimal siRNA sites for a given gene remains empirical and laborious.

Distinct roles of bone morphogenetic proteins in osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells.

Efficacious bone regeneration could revolutionize the clinical management of many bone and musculoskeletal disorders. Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) can regulate the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into cartilage, bone, tendon/ligament, and fat lineages. Early data documented the osteogenic potential of rhBMP2 and rhBMP7/OP-1.

Wnt signaling and human diseases: what are the therapeutic implications?

Wnt signaling plays an important role in regulating cell proliferation and differentiation. De-regulation of these signaling pathways has been implicated in many human diseases, ranging from cancers to skeletal disorders. Wnt proteins are a large family of secreted factors that bind to the Frizzled receptors and LRP5/6 co-receptors and initiate complex signaling cascades.