Direct detection and characterization of foot-and-mouth disease virus in East Africa using a field-ready real-time PCR platform.

Effective control and monitoring of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) relies upon rapid and accurate disease confirmation. Currently, clinical samples are usually tested in reference laboratories using standardized assays recommended by The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). However, the requirements for prompt and serotype-specific diagnosis during FMD outbreaks, and the need to establish robust laboratory testing capacity in FMD-endemic countries have motivated the development of simple diagnostic platforms to support local decision-making.

Effects of Repository Corticotropin Injection on Medication Use in Patients With Rheumatologic Conditions: A Claims Data Study.

Currently, specific studies identifying how repository corticotropin injection (RCI) is used in rheumatologic conditions are lacking. This is a first step to familiarize the trends of demographics using RCI as well as other medication use. RCI may produce anti-inflammatory as well as immune-modulatory effects.

Building and validating a prediction model for paediatric type 1 diabetes risk using next generation targeted sequencing of class II HLA genes.

Aim: It is of interest to predict possible lifetime risk of type 1 diabetes (T1D) in young children for recruiting high-risk subjects into longitudinal studies of effective prevention strategies.

Methods: Utilizing a case-control study in Sweden, we applied a recently developed next generation targeted sequencing technology to genotype class II genes and applied an object-oriented regression to build and validate a prediction model for T1D.

Results: In the training set, estimated risk scores were significantly different between patients and controls (P = 8.

A Prospective Study of Chronic Inflammation in Benign Prostate Tissue and Risk of Prostate Cancer: Linked PCPT and SELECT Cohorts.

We leveraged two trials to test the hypothesis of an inflammation-prostate cancer link prospectively in men without indication for biopsy. Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT) participants who had an end-of-study biopsy performed per protocol that was negative for cancer and who subsequently enrolled in the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT) were eligible. We selected all 100 cases and sampled 200 frequency-matched controls and used PCPT end-of-study biopsies as "baseline.

AIM1 is an actin-binding protein that suppresses cell migration and micrometastatic dissemination.

A defining hallmark of primary and metastatic cancers is the migration and invasion of malignant cells. These invasive properties involve altered dynamics of the cytoskeleton and one of its major structural components β-actin. Here we identify AIM1 (absent in melanoma 1) as an actin-binding protein that suppresses pro-invasive properties in benign prostate epithelium.

Insight into infection-mediated prostate damage: Contrasting patterns of C-reactive protein and prostate-specific antigen levels during infection.

Background: To investigate mechanisms underlying our previous observation of a large rise in serum prostate-specific antigen, a marker of prostate pathology, during both sexually transmitted and systemic infections, we measured serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), a marker of systemic inflammation, in our previous case-control study of young, male US military members and compared our findings to those for PSA.

Methods: We measured hsCRP before and during infection for 299 chlamydia, 112 gonorrhea, and 59 non-chlamydial, non-gonococcal urethritis (NCNGU) cases; before and after infection for 55 infectious mononucleosis (IM) and 90 other systemic/non-genitourinary cases; and for 220-256 controls.

Results: Only gonorrhea cases were significantly more likely to have a large hsCRP rise (≥1.

Actin-Based Adhesion Modules Mediate Cell Interactions with the Extracellular Matrix and Neighboring Cells.

Cell adhesions link cells to the extracellular matrix (ECM) and to each other and depend on interactions with the actin cytoskeleton. Both cell-ECM and cell-cell adhesion sites contain discrete, yet overlapping, functional modules. These modules establish physical associations with the actin cytoskeleton, locally modulate actin organization and dynamics, and trigger intracellular signaling pathways.

Economic burden of sarcoidosis in a commercially-insured population in the United States.

Background: Sarcoidosis is a multi-system inflammatory disorder characterized by the presence of non-caseating granulomas in involved organs. Patients with sarcoidosis have a reduced quality-of-life and are at an increased risk for several comorbidities. Little is known about the direct and indirect cost of sarcoidosis following the initial diagnosis.

Changes in E-cadherin rigidity sensing regulate cell adhesion.

Mechanical cues are sensed and transduced by cell adhesion complexes to regulate diverse cell behaviors. Extracellular matrix (ECM) rigidity sensing by integrin adhesions has been well studied, but rigidity sensing by cadherins during cell adhesion is largely unexplored. Using mechanically tunable polyacrylamide (PA) gels functionalized with the extracellular domain of E-cadherin (Ecad-Fc), we showed that E-cadherin-dependent epithelial cell adhesion was sensitive to changes in PA gel elastic modulus that produced striking differences in cell morphology, actin organization, and membrane dynamics.

E-cadherin and LGN align epithelial cell divisions with tissue tension independently of cell shape.

Tissue morphogenesis requires the coordinated regulation of cellular behavior, which includes the orientation of cell division that defines the position of daughter cells in the tissue. Cell division orientation is instructed by biochemical and mechanical signals from the local tissue environment, but how those signals control mitotic spindle orientation is not fully understood. Here, we tested how mechanical tension across an epithelial monolayer is sensed to orient cell divisions.

Patterns of shading tolerance determined from experimental light reduction studies of seagrasses.

A review and analysis of the experimental literature on seagrass shading evaluated the relationships among experimental light reduction, experimental duration, additional modifying factors and common meadow-scale seagrass response metrics to determine whether there were consistent statistical relationships. Modifying factors included study latitude, field site depth, season of experiment initiation, rhizome connectivity (severed, intact), experiment type (field, mesocosm), and seagrass life history strategy. Highly significant, best fit linear regression models were found for both biomass and shoot density reduction that included light reduction, duration and other modifying variables, although unexplained variation in the data were high.

Predicting Species-Resolved Macronutrient Acquisition during Succession in a Model Phototrophic Biofilm Using an Integrated 'Omics Approach.

The principles governing acquisition and interspecies exchange of nutrients in microbial communities and how those exchanges impact community productivity are poorly understood. Here, we examine energy and macronutrient acquisition in unicyanobacterial consortia for which species-resolved genome information exists for all members, allowing us to use multi-omic approaches to predict species' abilities to acquire resources and examine expression of resource-acquisition genes during succession. Metabolic reconstruction indicated that a majority of heterotrophic community members lacked the genes required to directly acquire the inorganic nutrients provided in culture medium, suggesting high metabolic interdependency.

Testing the feasibility of a briefer school-based preventive intervention with aggressive children: A hybrid intervention with face-to-face and internet components.

This study describes the results from a feasibility study of an innovative indicated prevention intervention with hybrid face-to-face and web-based components for preadolescent youth. This intervention includes a considerably briefer set of face-to-face sessions from the evidence-based Coping Power program and a carefully integrated internet component with practice and teaching activities and cartoon videos for children and for parents. The Coping Power - Internet Enhanced (CP-IE) program introduces a set of cognitive-behavioral skills in 12 small group sessions for children delivered during the school day and 7 group sessions for parents.

Targeted quantification of functional enzyme dynamics in environmental samples for microbially mediated biogeochemical processes.

Microbial enzymes catalytically drive biogeochemical processes in environments. The dynamic linkage between functional enzymes and biogeochemical species transformation has, however, rarely been investigated for decades because of the challenges to directly quantify enzymes in environmental samples. The diversity of microorganisms, the low amount of available biomass and the complexity of chemical composition in environmental samples represent the main challenges.

Unexpected Nongenetic Individual Heterogeneity and Trait Covariance in Daphnia and Its Consequences for Ecological and Evolutionary Dynamics.

Individual differences in genetics, age, or environment can cause tremendous differences in individual life-history traits. This individual heterogeneity generates demographic heterogeneity at the population level, which is predicted to have a strong impact on both ecological and evolutionary dynamics. However, we know surprisingly little about the sources of individual heterogeneity for particular taxa or how different sources scale up to impact ecological and evolutionary dynamics.

Cell-Cell Junctions Organize Structural and Signaling Networks.

Cell-cell junctions link cells to each other in tissues, and regulate tissue homeostasis in critical cell processes that include tissue barrier function, cell proliferation, and migration. Defects in cell-cell junctions give rise to a wide range of tissue abnormalities that disrupt homeostasis and are common in genetic abnormalities and cancers. Here, we discuss the organization and function of cell-cell junctions primarily involved in adhesion (tight junction, adherens junction, and desmosomes) in two different epithelial tissues: a simple epithelium (intestine) and a stratified epithelium (epidermis).

Current practice patterns and patient persistence with anticoagulant treatments for cancer-associated thrombosis.

Background: Recommended therapeutic options for the management of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with cancer are burdensome, and compliance with guidelines is unknown.

Objectives: To describe current treatment patterns and to evaluate patient persistence on various anticoagulants.

Patients/methods: Medical and pharmacy claims from the Humana Database were analyzed (01/2007-12/2014).

Bisulfite-converted duplexes for the strand-specific detection and quantification of rare mutations.

The identification of mutations that are present at low frequencies in clinical samples is an essential component of precision medicine. The development of molecular barcoding for next-generation sequencing has greatly enhanced the sensitivity of detecting such mutations by massively parallel sequencing. However, further improvements in specificity would be useful for a variety of applications.

Agreement between microscopic examination and bacterial culture of bile samples for detection of bactibilia in dogs and cats with hepatobiliary disease.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the agreement between results of microscopic examination and bacterial culture of bile samples from dogs and cats with hepatobiliary disease for detection of bactibilia. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. ANIMALS 31 dogs and 21 cats with hepatobiliary disease for which subsequent microscopic examination and bacterial culture of bile samples was performed from 2004 through 2014.

The importance of temperature fluctuations in understanding mosquito population dynamics and malaria risk.

Temperature is a key environmental driver of mosquito population dynamics; understanding its central role is important for these malaria vectors. Mosquito population responses to temperature fluctuations, though important across the life history, are poorly understood at a population level. We used stage-structured, temperature-dependent delay-differential equations to conduct a detailed exploration of the impacts of diurnal and annual temperature fluctuations on mosquito population dynamics.

Effect of Water Chemistry and Hydrodynamics on Nitrogen Transformation Activity and Microbial Community Functional Potential in Hyporheic Zone Sediment Columns.

Hyporheic zones (HZ) are active biogeochemical regions where groundwater and surface water mix. N transformations in HZ sediments were investigated in columns with a focus on understanding how the dynamic changes in groundwater and surface water mixing affect microbial community and its biogeochemical function with respect to N transformations. The results indicated that denitrification, DNRA, and nitrification rates and products changed quickly in response to changes in water and sediment chemistry, fluid residence time, and groundwater-surface water exchange.

Organismal and spatial partitioning of energy and macronutrient transformations within a hypersaline mat.

Phototrophic mat communities are model ecosystems for studying energy cycling and elemental transformations because complete biogeochemical cycles occur over millimeter-to-centimeter scales. Characterization of energy and nutrient capture within hypersaline phototrophic mats has focused on specific processes and organisms; however, little is known about community-wide distribution of and linkages between these processes. To investigate energy and macronutrient capture and flow through a structured community, the spatial and organismal distribution of metabolic functions within a compact hypersaline mat community from Hot Lake have been broadly elucidated through species-resolved metagenomics and geochemical, microbial diversity and metabolic gradient measurements.

Perceived Ethics Dilemmas Among Pioneer Accountable Care Organizations.

This study of Pioneer accountable care organizations (ACOs) suggests that the ACO model is creating moral distress for physicians and business leaders in seven critical ways:Despite an overall sense of optimism associated with the ACO model, our research identified an underlying sense of moral distress at most sites. A clear opportunity exists for ACOs to use a more comprehensive, coordinated approach to proactively resolving ethical dilemmas while continuing the march toward risk-based contracts.

Structural and functional characterization of α-catenin reveals constitutive binding to β-catenin and F-actin.

Intercellular epithelial junctions formed by classical cadherins, β-catenin, and the actin-binding protein α-catenin link the actin cytoskeletons of adjacent cells into a structural continuum. These assemblies transmit forces through the tissue and respond to intracellular and extracellular signals. However, the mechanisms of junctional assembly and regulation are poorly understood.