Sexual Harassment of Female Providers by Patients: a Qualitative Study.

Background: Sexual harassment of women is a pervasive problem. Prior studies found that sexual harassment of female providers by patients is common, but guidance on addressing this problem is limited.

Objective: To understand the experiences of female providers with sexual harassment by patients with a focus on how practicing providers address these events.

The Experience of Male Physicians with Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment: a Qualitative Study.

Background: Sexual harassment and gender-based harassment are common in medicine; however, there is little in the literature regarding men's experience with gender-based and sexual harassment.

Objective: The objective of this study was to better understand the experience men have with sexual and gender-based harassment in medicine.

Design: We developed and piloted an interview guide based on a review of the literature and conducted semi-structured interviews of male physicians, from trainees to attendings, at a tertiary care facility.

A microsphere-based vaccine prevents and reverses new-onset autoimmune diabetes.

Objective: This study was aimed at ascertaining the efficacy of antisense oligonucleotide-formulated microspheres to prevent type 1 diabetes and to reverse new-onset disease.

Research Design And Methods: Microspheres carrying antisense oligonucleotides to CD40, CD80, and CD86 were delivered into NOD mice. Glycemia was monitored to determine disease prevention and reversal.

Interleukin-7 is a survival factor for CD4+ CD25+ T-cells and is expressed by diabetes-suppressive dendritic cells.

Dendritic cells can facilitate allograft survival and prevent autoimmunity via direct and indirect cell-mediated mechanisms. Recent studies demonstrate that immunoregulatory dendritic cells (iDCs) confer immune hyporesponsiveness in part through CD4(+) CD25(+) T regulatory cells (Tregs). Herein, we provide evidence to support the hypothesis that dendritic cells derived from NOD mice and engineered ex vivo to exhibit suppressed expression of the CD40, CD80, and CD86 costimulatory molecules motivate an increase in the prevalence of regulatory CD4(+) CD25(+) T-cells via interleukin (IL)-7.

Antisense oligonucleotides down-regulating costimulation confer diabetes-preventive properties to nonobese diabetic mouse dendritic cells.

Phenotypically "immature" dendritic cells (DCs), defined by low cell surface CD40, CD80, and CD86 can elicit host immune suppression in allotransplantation and autoimmunity. Herein, we report the most direct means of achieving phenotypic immaturity in NOD bone marrow-derived DCs aiming at preventing diabetes in syngeneic recipients. CD40, CD80, and CD86 cell surface molecules were specifically down-regulated by treating NOD DCs ex vivo with a mixture of antisense oligonucleotides targeting the CD40, CD80, and CD86 primary transcripts.

Prolongation of islet allograft survival following ex vivo transduction with adenovirus encoding a soluble type 1 TNF receptor-Ig fusion decoy.

Islet transplantation is a viable long-term therapeutic alternative to daily insulin replacement for type I diabetes. The allogeneic nature of the transplants poses immunological challenges for routine clinical utility. Gene transfer of immunoregulatory molecules and those that improve insulin release kinetics provides rational approaches to facilitate allogeneic islet transplantation as a potential therapy.

Immunosuppressive effects of glucosamine.

Glucosamine is a naturally occurring derivative of glucose and is an essential component of glycoproteins and proteoglycans, important constituents of many eukaryotic proteins. In cells, glucosamine is produced enzymatically by the amidation of glucose 6-phosphate and can then be further modified by acetylation to result in N-acetylglucosamine. Commercially, glucosamine is sold over-the-counter to relieve arthritis.

Efficacy of a proprietary ibuprofen gel in soft tissue injuries: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

The efficacy of a novel, proprietary topical formulation of ibuprofen 5% gel (Ibugel) was evaluated in a placebo-controlled study in patients with soft tissue injuries. Patients received either active gel (n=40) or placebo gel (n=41) for a maximum of seven days. Pain and interference with physical activity were assessed daily using visual analogue scales.

The repressive function of AP2 transcription factor on the hepatocyte growth factor gene promoter.

Hepatocyte growth factor is an important multifunctional growth factor whose gene expression is tightly regulated at the transcriptional level. Previous studies from our laboratory have shown that several cis-acting elements are present in the promoter and proximal promoter region of the HGF gene. In this study, we have uncovered that AP2 transcription factor specifically binds to a regulatory site located at -230 to -260 in the upstream region of the HGF gene promoter.