Management & surveillance of rectal neuroendocrine tumours: a single-centre retrospective analysis.

Background: Rectal neuroendocrine tumours (rNETs) are rare but are increasing in incidence. Current management and surveillance recommendations are based on low-grade evidence. Follow-up practices are often inconsistent and costly.

R-Loop Accumulation in Spliceosome Mutant Leukemias Confers Sensitivity to PARP1 Inhibition by Triggering Transcription-Replication Conflicts.

Unlabelled: RNA splicing factor (SF) gene mutations are commonly observed in patients with myeloid malignancies. Here we showed that SRSF2- and U2AF1-mutant leukemias are preferentially sensitive to PARP inhibitors (PARPi), despite being proficient in homologous recombination repair. Instead, SF-mutant leukemias exhibited R-loop accumulation that elicited an R-loop-associated PARP1 response, rendering cells dependent on PARP1 activity for survival.

SNMMI Clinical Trials Network Research Series for Technologists: Imaging Contract Research Organizations, Nuclear Medicine Technologists, and the Role They Play in Medical Imaging Research.

Clinical imaging research is a fast-growing, complex, and integral part of drug and therapy discovery and development. Research sponsors rely on outside vendors to manage their trials and deliver results they hope will demonstrate the efficacy of their product. Specialized vendors known as imaging contract research organizations have teams of highly trained and specialized professionals who lend their expertise to all aspects of imaging research management, of which nuclear medicine technologists are key team members.

Heterologous production of the D-cycloserine intermediate O-acetyl-L-serine in a human type II pulmonary cell model.

Tuberculosis (TB) is the second leading cause of death by a single infectious disease behind COVID-19. Despite a century of effort, the current TB vaccine does not effectively prevent pulmonary TB, promote herd immunity, or prevent transmission. Therefore, alternative approaches are needed.

Inpatient Mortality and 30-Day Readmission Rates Associated with Troponin Testing in Patients without Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Objective: Troponin values above the threshold established to diagnose acute myocardial infarction (AMI; >99th percentile) are commonly detected in patients with diagnoses other than AMI. The objective of this study was to compare inpatient mortality and 30-day readmission rate in patients with troponin I (TnI) above and below the 99th percentile in those with type 1 AMI and type 2 myocardial injury.

Methods: Between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2016, there were 56,895 inpatient hospitalizations; of these 14,326 (25.

Frequency induced rotation of high-contrast angular intensity fringes from an uncoated SPP device.

High-contrast angular intensity fringes are generated by reflecting laser light from an uncoated spiral phase plate (SPP) device for the first time, to the best of our knowledge. As the laser frequency going into the device is tuned, the fringes rotate. Measured transverse fringe patterns match their theoretical predicted values.

Fragmentation and inefficiencies in US equity markets: Evidence from the Dow 30.

Using the most comprehensive source of commercially available data on the US National Market System, we analyze all quotes and trades associated with Dow 30 stocks in calendar year 2016 from the vantage point of a single and fixed frame of reference. We find that inefficiencies created in part by the fragmentation of the equity marketplace are relatively common and persist for longer than what physical constraints may suggest. Information feeds reported different prices for the same equity more than 120 million times, with almost 64 million dislocation segments featuring meaningfully longer duration and higher magnitude.

Fostering Diversity and Inclusion in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Small Business Program.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has developed a strategic approach to fostering diversity and inclusion within its community of small business innovators. The approach is focused on three central goals: 1) Increase awareness of NHLBI's support for small businesses among underrepresented groups through focused outreach; 2) Identify and eliminate barriers to entry into small business funding programs and entrepreneurial activities for minority and female applicants through specific, targeted training and support; and 3) Expand diversity and inclusivity within our networks by providing additional support for NHLBI-funded small businesses to hire members of underrepresented groups. Key partnerships with biomedical accelerators in underserved regions will be leveraged to maximize impact and achieve all three goals.

Growth and Development at the Sphenoethmoidal Junction in Perinatal Primates.

Integration of the sphenoid and ethmoid bones during early postnatal development is poorly described in the literature. A uniquely prolonged patency of sphenoethmoidal synchondrosis or prespheno-septal synchondrosis (PSept) has been attributed to humans. However, the sphenoethmoidal junction has not been studied using a comparative primate sample.

Human language reveals a universal positivity bias.

Using human evaluation of 100,000 words spread across 24 corpora in 10 languages diverse in origin and culture, we present evidence of a deep imprint of human sociality in language, observing that (i) the words of natural human language possess a universal positivity bias, (ii) the estimated emotional content of words is consistent between languages under translation, and (iii) this positivity bias is strongly independent of frequency of word use. Alongside these general regularities, we describe interlanguage variations in the emotional spectrum of languages that allow us to rank corpora. We also show how our word evaluations can be used to construct physical-like instruments for both real-time and offline measurement of the emotional content of large-scale texts.

Electromyographic analysis of muscle activation during sit-and-reach flexibility tests.

The sit-and-reach test (SRT) has been included in standard fitness test batteries for decades, but empirical evidence of actual muscle activity has been lacking. Furthermore, the positioning of the ankle joint during the execution of this test has received relatively scant attention. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation was to compare surface electromyographic (sEMG) activity of selected lower extremity and back musculature and examine the impact of ankle positioning during the standard SRT and the modified sit-and-reach test (MSRT).

Functional screening and in vitro analysis reveal thioesterases with enhanced substrate specificity profiles that improve short-chain fatty acid production in Escherichia coli.

Short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) biosynthesis is pertinent to production of biofuels, industrial compounds, and pharmaceuticals from renewable resources. To expand on Escherichia coli SCFA products, we previously implemented a coenzyme A (CoA)-dependent pathway that condenses acetyl-CoA to a diverse group of short-chain fatty acyl-CoAs. To increase product titers and reduce premature pathway termination products, we conducted in vivo and in vitro analyses to understand and improve the specificity of the acyl-CoA thioesterase enzyme, which releases fatty acids from CoA.

The Detection of Motion by Blind Subjects With the Epiretinal 60-Electrode (Argus II) Retinal Prosthesis.

Objective: To investigate the ability of 28 blind subjects implanted with a 60-electrode Argus II (Second Sight Medical Products Inc) retinal prosthesis system to detect the direction of a moving object.

Methods: Blind subjects (bare light perception or worse in both eyes) with retinitis pigmentosa were implanted with the Argus II prosthesis as part of a phase 1/2 feasibility study at multiple clinical sites worldwide. The experiment measured their ability to detect the direction of motion of a high-contrast moving bar on a flatscreen monitor in 3 conditions: with the prosthesis system on and a 1-to-1 mapping of spatial information, with the system off, and with the system on but with randomly scrambled spatial information.

What is an appropriate reference standard in the quantitation of plaque surface area by intravascular coronary ultrasound?

We reevaluate the predictive accuracy of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)-derived per cent plaque area stenosis (PAS) in significant coronary lesions (CLs) with or without proximal and distal reference vessel area adjustment. IVUS is valuable in defining moderate CL severity (30 to 70%) in left main (LM) or non-left main (NLM) coronaries using minimum luminal area (MLA) of ≤5.9 and ≤4 mm(2), respectively.

Analyses of MbtB, MbtE, and MbtF suggest revisions to the mycobactin biosynthesis pathway in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

The production of mycobactin (MBT) by Mycobacterium tuberculosis is essential for this bacterium to access iron when it is in an infected host. Due to this essential function, there is considerable interest in deciphering the mechanism of MBT assembly, with the goal of targeting select biosynthetic steps for antituberculosis drug development. The proposed scheme for MBT biosynthesis involves assembly of the MBT backbone by a hybrid nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS)/polyketide synthase (PKS) megasynthase followed by the tailoring of this backbone by N(6) acylation of the central l-Lys residue and subsequent N(6)-hydroxylation of the central N(6)-acyl-l-Lys and the terminal caprolactam.

Metagenomic analysis of Streptomyces lividans reveals host-dependent functional expression.

Most functional metagenomic studies have been limited by the poor expression of many genes derived from metagenomic DNA in Escherichia coli, which has been the predominant surrogate host to date. To expand the range of expressed genes, we developed tools for construction and functional screening of metagenomic libraries in Streptomyces lividans. We expanded on previously published protocols by constructing a system that enables retrieval and characterization of the metagenomic DNA from biologically active clones.

MbtH-like proteins as integral components of bacterial nonribosomal peptide synthetases.

The biosynthesis of many natural products of clinical interest involves large, multidomain enzymes called nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs). In bacteria, many of the gene clusters coding for NRPSs also code for a member of the MbtH-like protein superfamily, which are small proteins of unknown function. Using MbtH-like proteins from three separate NRPS systems, we show that these proteins copurify with the NRPSs and influence amino acid activation.

Theoretical model of errors in micromirror-based three-dimensional particle tracking.

Several recently developed particle-tracking and imaging methods have achieved three-dimensional sensitivity through the introduction of angled micromirrors into the observation volume of an optical microscope. We model the imaging response of such devices and show how the direct and reflected images of a fluorescent particle are affected. In particle-tracking applications, asymmetric image degradation manifests itself as systematic tracking errors.

Preliminary 6 month results from the Argus II epiretinal prosthesis feasibility study.

The Argus II 60 channel epiretinal prosthesis has been developed in order to provide partial restoration of vision to subjects blinded from outer retinal degenerative disease. To date the device has been implanted in 21 subjects as part of a feasibility study. In 6 month post-implantation door finding and line tracking orientation and mobility testing, subjects have shown improvements of 86% and 73%, respectively, for system on vs.

Brightness as a function of current amplitude in human retinal electrical stimulation.

Purpose: With the goal of eventually restoring functional vision in patients with retinal degenerative diseases, USC/Second Sight Medical Products, Inc. chronically implanted blind human subjects with a prototype epiretinal prosthesis consisting of a 4 x 4 array of 16 stimulating electrodes. To accurately represent a visual scene, a visual prosthesis must convey luminance information across a range of brightness levels.

Feasibility study of a retinal prosthesis: spatial vision with a 16-electrode implant.

Objective: To demonstrate that an epiretinal prosthesis can produce patterned visual perception in patients blinded by photoreceptor degeneration who have no other treatment options.

Methods: A totally blind subject with retinitis pigmentosa had a 16-electrode epiretinal prosthesis implanted. The implant is controlled wirelessly by an external computer or a head-mounted video camera.

3D particle trajectories observed by orthogonal tracking microscopy.

We demonstrate high-resolution, high-speed 3D nanoparticle tracking using angled micromirrors. When angled micromirrors are introduced into the field of view of an optical microscope, reflected side-on views of a diffusing nanoparticle are projected alongside the usual direct image. The experimental design allows us to find the 3D particle trajectory using fast, centroid-based image processing, with no nonlinear computing operations.

Contributions of gut bacteria to Bacillus thuringiensis-induced mortality vary across a range of Lepidoptera.

Background: Gut microbiota contribute to the health of their hosts, and alterations in the composition of this microbiota can lead to disease. Previously, we demonstrated that indigenous gut bacteria were required for the insecticidal toxin of Bacillus thuringiensis to kill the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar. B.