Identifying county-level factors for female breast cancer incidence rate through a large-scale population study.

Female breast cancer (FBC) incidence rate (IR) varies greatly across counties in the United States (U.S.).

Educational video tool to increase syphilis knowledge among black and Hispanic male patients.

Study Objective: To determine the effectiveness of an educational video entitled Syphilis and Men to increase syphilis knowledge among at-risk Black and Hispanic male patients.

Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups and completed a pre-test survey, viewed the video (intervention group) and/or completed a post-test knowledge survey. Our analysis assessed whether the intervention group in comparison to the control group had an increase in syphilis knowledge, regardless of self-reported socio-demographic and sexual behavior characteristics associated with increased risk for syphilis infection.

Structure and dynamics of an Arp2/3 complex-independent component of the lamellipodial actin network.

Sea urchin coelomocytes contain an unusually broad lamellipodial region and have served as a useful model experimental system for studying the process of actin-based retrograde/centripetal flow. In the current study the small molecule drug 2,3-butanedione monoxime (BDM) was employed as a means of delocalizing the Arp2/3 complex from the cell edge in an effort to investigate the Arp2/3 complex-independent aspects of retrograde flow. Digitally-enhanced phase contrast, fluorescence and polarization light microscopy, along with rotary shadow transmission electron microscopy methods demonstrated that BDM treatment resulted in the centripetal displacement of the Arp2/3 complex and the associated dendritic lamellipodial (LP) actin network from the cell edge.

Bipolar, anastral spindle development in artificially activated sea urchin eggs.

The mitotic apparatus of the early sea urchin embryo is the archetype example of a centrosome-dominated, large aster spindle organized by means of the centriole of the fertilizing sperm. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that artificially activated sea urchin eggs possess the capacity to assemble the anastral, bipolar spindles present in many acentrosomal systems. Control fertilized Lytechinus pictus embryos and ammonia-activated eggs were immunolabeled for tubulin, centrosomal material, the spindle pole structuring protein NuMA and the mitotic kinesins MKLP1/Kinesin-6, Eg5/Kinesin-5, and KinI/Kinesin-13.