Utilization of an Off-Site Patient Navigator to Facilitate HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Referrals in Patients with Sexually Transmitted Infections in the Emergency Department.

The emergency department (ED) is an important setting to identify people at increased risk of HIV infection who may benefit from HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). However, prescribing or referral for PrEP in the ED is not widespread. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the use of an off-site HIV PrEP patient navigator to facilitate PrEP access for patients who seek care for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the ED.

The ebb and flow of cardiac lymphatics: a tidal wave of new discoveries.

The heart is imbued with a vast lymphatic network that is responsible for fluid homeostasis and immune cell trafficking. Disturbances in the forces that regulate microvascular fluid movement can result in myocardial edema, which has profibrotic and proinflammatory consequences and contributes to cardiovascular dysfunction. This review explores the complex relationship between cardiac lymphatics, myocardial edema, and cardiac disease.

VE-Cadherin Is Required for Cardiac Lymphatic Maintenance and Signaling.

Background: The adherens protein VE-cadherin (vascular endothelial cadherin) has diverse roles in organ-specific lymphatic vessels. However, its physiological role in cardiac lymphatics and its interaction with lymphangiogenic factors has not been fully explored. We sought to determine the spatiotemporal functions of VE-cadherin in cardiac lymphatics and mechanistically elucidate how VE-cadherin loss influences prolymphangiogenic signaling pathways, such as adrenomedullin and VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor)-C/VEGFR3 (vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 3) signaling.

Sagittal Tibiotalar Alignment May Not Affect Functional Outcomes in Fixed-Bearing Total Ankle Replacement: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: In total ankle replacement (TAR), correct positioning of the implant is crucial. Malposition of the components may increase contact pressures and diminish prosthesis survival. The effect of sagittal tibiotalar alignment on functional outcomes after fixed-bearing TAR remains unclear, however, and no studies have compared fixed-bearing implants with respect to the anteroposterior (AP) position of the talar component.

A murine model of increased coronary sinus pressure induces myocardial edema with cardiac lymphatic dilation and fibrosis.

Myocardial edema is a consequence of many cardiovascular stressors, including myocardial infarction, cardiac bypass surgery, and hypertension. The aim of this study was to establish a murine model of myocardial edema and elucidate the response of cardiac lymphatics and the myocardium. Myocardial edema without infarction was induced in mice by cauterizing the coronary sinus, increasing pressure in the coronary venous system, and inducing myocardial edema.

Dawn of a New RAMPage.

Receptor activity-modifying proteins (RAMPs) interact with G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) to modify their functions, imparting significant implications upon their physiological and therapeutic potentials. Resurging interest in identifying RAMP-GPCR interactions has recently been fueled by coevolution studies and orthogonal technological screening platforms. These new studies reveal previously unrecognized RAMP-interacting GPCRs, many of which expand beyond Class B GPCRs.

RAMP3 determines rapid recycling of atypical chemokine receptor-3 for guided angiogenesis.

Receptor-activity-modifying proteins (RAMPs) are single transmembrane-spanning proteins which serve as molecular chaperones and allosteric modulators of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and their signaling pathways. Although RAMPs have been previously studied in the context of their effects on Family B GPCRs, the coevolution of RAMPs with many GPCR families suggests an expanded repertoire of potential interactions. Using bioluminescence resonance energy transfer-based and cell-surface expression approaches, we comprehensively screen for RAMP interactions within the chemokine receptor family and identify robust interactions between RAMPs and nearly all chemokine receptors.

Calcitonin-Receptor-Like Receptor Signaling Governs Intestinal Lymphatic Innervation and Lipid Uptake.

The absorption of dietary fat requires complex neuroendocrine-mediated regulation of chylomicron trafficking through enterocytes and intestinal lymphatic vessels. Calcitonin-receptor-like receptor () is a G protein-coupled receptor that can bind either a lymphangiogenic ligand adrenomedullin, with coreceptor RAMP2, or the neuropeptide CGRP, with coreceptor RAMP1. The extent to which this common GPCR controls lipid absorption via lymphatics or enteric innervation remains unclear.

h mutation causes autosomal recessive nonimmune hydrops fetalis with lymphatic dysplasia.

We report the first case of nonimmune hydrops fetalis (NIHF) associated with a recessive, in-frame deletion of V205 in the G protein-coupled receptor, Calcitonin Receptor-Like Receptor (h). Homozygosity results in fetal demise from hydrops fetalis, while heterozygosity in females is associated with spontaneous miscarriage and subfertility. Using molecular dynamic modeling and in vitro biochemical assays, we show that the hCLR(V205del) mutant results in misfolding of the first extracellular loop, reducing association with its requisite receptor chaperone, receptor activity modifying protein (RAMP), translocation to the plasma membrane and signaling.

Multifocal Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis in an Adult.

Eosinophilic granuloma (EG) is the most common and benign form of the spectrum of disorders referred to as Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH). Langerhans cell histiocytosis is primarily regarded as a pediatric disease, with few adult cases of multifocal EG of bone reported. We report a case of multifocal EG in a 48-year-old woman, who presented with right knee pain.

Management of shoulder instability in the skeletally immature patient.

Several studies have focused on management of shoulder instability in the adolescent and young adult population. However, a paucity of literature exists regarding shoulder dislocation in the skeletally immature population. The presence of an open physis makes the dislocated pediatric shoulder a challenging clinical problem.

Surgical treatment of a chronically fixed lateral patella dislocation in an adolescent patient.

Acute patellar dislocation or subluxation is a common cause for knee injuries in the United States and accounts for 2% to 3% of all injuries. Up to 49% of patients will have recurrent subluxations or dislocations. Importance of both soft tissue (predominantly, the medial patellofemoral ligament, MPFL, which is responsible for 60% of the resistance to lateral dislocation) and bony constraint of femoral trochlea in preventing subluxation and dislocation is well documented.

Biology education research: lessons and future directions.

This feature draws on a 2012 National Research Council report to highlight some of the insights that discipline-based education research in general—and biology education research in particular—have provided into the challenges of undergraduate science education. It identifies strategies for overcoming those challenges and future directions for biology education research.