Dynamic balance of circles with one support point on pommel horse exercise.

Double-leg circles on pommel horse exercises require a high degree of dynamic balance. However, theoretical conditions for maintaining dynamic balance are unclear. The purpose of this paper is to propose a simple theoretical model of the dynamic balance of the circles, and to illustrate its qualitative properties.

The effects of modern housing on malaria transmission in different endemic zones: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Modern housing has been shown to reduce the risk of malaria infections compared to traditional houses; however, it is unclear if the effects differ in different malaria transmission settings. This study evaluated the effects of modern housing on malaria among different endemic areas.

Methods: Electronic databases, clinical trial registries and grey literature were searched for randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, case-control studies, and cross-sectional surveys on housing done between 1987 and 2022.

Experiences of Early and Enhanced Clinical Exposure for Postgraduate Neonatal Nursing Students at the University of Zambia, School of Nursing Sciences: Lessons and Implications for the Future.

Background And Objectives: Early and Enhanced Clinical Exposure immediately places postgraduate students in a clinical setting and incorporates continual hands-on instruction throughout their studies. It aims to motivate students by strengthening their academics, improving clinical and communication skills, and increasing their confidence. The underlying principles are to provide a clinical context and to ensure that the patient remains the centre of learning.

Microbiologic and virulence characteristics of Moraxella catarrhalis isolates from Zambian children presenting with acute pneumonia.

Background: Moraxella catarrhalis is one of the bacterial pathogens associated with childhood pneumonia, but its clinical importance is not clearly defined.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the microbiologic and virulence characteristics of M. catarrhalis isolates obtained from children with pneumonia in Lusaka, Zambia.

CLSPCOL rescues Alzheimer's disease mouse models.

Calmodulin-like skin protein (CLSP) inhibits Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related neurotoxicity. The activity of CLSP is reduced in AD. To restore the CLSP activity, we developed a hybrid peptide named CLSPCOL, consisting of CLSP(1-61) and the collagen-homologous region (COL) of adiponectin.

CSE1L promotes nuclear accumulation of transcriptional coactivator TAZ and enhances invasiveness of human cancer cells.

The transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) (WWTR1) induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition and enhances drug resistance in multiple cancers. TAZ has been shown to interact with transcription factors in the nucleus, but when phosphorylated, translocates to the cytoplasm and is degraded through proteasomes. Here, we identified a compound TAZ inhibitor 4 (TI-4) that shifted TAZ localization to the cytoplasm independently of its phosphorylation.

Restoration of the reduced CLSP activity alleviates memory impairment in Alzheimer disease.

Calmodulin-like skin protein (CLSP), a secreted peptide, inhibits neuronal death in cell-based Alzheimer's disease (AD) models and transgenic overexpression of the CLSP gene suppresses synaptic loss and memory impairment in AD model mice, APPswe/PS1dE9 double transgenic mice (APP/PS1 mice). Despite the anticipated role of CLSP as an AD-suppressing factor, it remains unanswered whether the insufficiency of the CLSP activity is linked to the AD pathogenesis. In this study, we first show that adiponectin, a CLSP potentiator/protector, dominantly determines the CLSP activity in the central nervous system where there are sufficient concentrations of CLSP, higher concentrations of CLSP inhibitors such as apolipoprotein E, and smaller concentrations of adiponectin.

Modelling malaria reduction in a highly endemic country: Evidence from household survey, climate, and program data in Zambia.

Substantial efforts have seen the reduction in malaria prevalence from 33% in 2006 to 19.4% in 2015 in Zambia. Many studies have used effect measures, such as odds ratios, of malaria interventions without combining this information with coverage levels of the interventions to assess how malaria prevalence would change if these interventions were scaled up.

Self- and Cross-Seeding on α-Synuclein Fibril Growth Kinetics and Structure Observed by High-Speed Atomic Force Microscopy.

Fibril formation is an obligatory process in amyloid diseases and is characterized by nucleation and elongation phases that result in the formation of long filaments with cross-β sheet structure. The kinetics of this process, as well as that of secondary nucleation, is controlled by a variety of factors, including nucleus (seed) structure, monomer conformation, and biochemical milieu. Some fibrillar amyloid assemblies act as prions, replicating themselves from protein monomers templated by existing prion seeds.

Calmodulin-like skin protein suppresses the increase in senescence-associated β-galactosidase induced by hydrogen peroxide or ultraviolet irradiation in keratinocytes.

Calmodulin-like skin protein (CLSP) is a secreted peptide that is produced by skin keratinocytes and some related epithelial cells. It has previously been shown that CLSP is recruited via the bloodstream into the central nervous system where it likely exerts a neuroprotective effect against toxicity related to Alzheimer's disease (AD) by binding to the heterotrimeric humanin receptor and activating intracellular survival signaling. However, it remains to be elucidated whether secreted CLSP shows a protective effect in the skin tissues.

Investigating the upsurge of malaria prevalence in Zambia between 2010 and 2015: a decomposition of determinants.

Background: Malaria is among the top causes of mortality and morbidity in Zambia. Efforts to control, prevent, and eliminate it have been intensified in the past two decades which has contributed to reductions in malaria prevalence and under-five mortality. However, there was a 21% upsurge in malaria prevalence between 2010 and 2015.

[The Incidence and Management of Hypersensitivity and Infusion Reactions in an Outpatient Chemotherapy Center].

Hypersensitivity reactions(HSRs)are adverse events that are potentially caused by all anticancer agents. HSRs are unpredictable and can occur at any time, and prompt intervention is needed when symptoms occur. The types of symptoms and their degrees vary with the anticancer agent used and the number of chemotherapy cycles.

Epigenetic modulation of Fgf21 in the perinatal mouse liver ameliorates diet-induced obesity in adulthood.

The nutritional environment to which animals are exposed in early life can lead to epigenetic changes in the genome that influence the risk of obesity in later life. Here, we demonstrate that the fibroblast growth factor-21 gene (Fgf21) is subject to peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) α-dependent DNA demethylation in the liver during the postnatal period. Reductions in Fgf21 methylation can be enhanced via pharmacologic activation of PPARα during the suckling period.

Multiple target autoantigens on endothelial cells identified in juvenile dermatomyositis using proteomics.

Objective: Although generally classified within the group of inflammatory myopathies, JDM displays many pathological features of vasculitis. Previous work has shown that AECA are abundant in other forms of vasculitis. We therefore investigated whether such antibodies might also be detected in JDM.

Calmodulin-like skin protein protects against spatial learning impairment in a mouse model of Alzheimer disease.

Humanin and calmodulin-like skin protein (CLSP) inhibits Alzheimer disease (AD)-related neuronal cell death via the heterotrimeric humanin receptor in vitro. It has been suggested that CLSP is a central agonist of the heterotrimeric humanin receptor in vivo. To investigate the role of CLSP in the AD pathogenesis in vivo, we generated mouse CLSP-1 transgenic mice, crossed them with the APPswe/PSEN1dE9 mice, a model mouse of AD, and examined the effect of CLSP over-expression on the pathological phenotype of the AD mouse model.

Management of maternal anaphylaxis in pregnancy: a case report.

Case: A 26-year-old woman (gravida 2, para 1) at 25 weeks' gestation was brought to the emergency department because of anaphylactic symptoms. She reported eating Japanese soba and developed symptoms of dyspnea, generalized itchy rash, abdominal pain, and severe uterine contractions within 15-30 min of eating. She was immediately treated by normal saline infusion, two injections of epinephrine (intramuscularly), and a nebulized short-acting β-receptor agonist, followed by H-antihistamine and methylprednisolone.

A novel immunotoxin reveals a new role for CD321 in endothelial cells.

There are currently several antibody therapies that directly target tumors, and antibody-drug conjugates represent a novel moiety as next generation therapeutics. Here, we used a unique screening probe, DT3C, to identify functional antibodies that recognized surface molecules and functional epitopes, and which provided toxin delivery capability. Accordingly, we generated the 90G4 antibody, which induced DT3C-dependent cytotoxicity in endothelial cells.

Preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy using nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel followed by epirubicin and cyclophosphamide for operable breast cancer: a multicenter phase II trial.

Background: Recently, the use of taxane-based regimens before anthracycline-based regimens has been shown to achieve high pathological complete response (pCR) rates in patients with breast cancer. Nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-PTX) has been reported as highly effective and less toxic compared with Cremophor-based Taxol. This phase II clinical trial evaluated the safety and efficacy of preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) with nab-PTX followed by an epirubicin plus cyclophosphamide (EC)-based regimen for operable breast cancer.

The mevalonate pathway regulates primitive streak formation via protein farnesylation.

The primitive streak in peri-implantation embryos forms the mesoderm and endoderm and controls cell differentiation. The metabolic cues regulating primitive streak formation remain largely unknown. Here we utilised a mouse embryonic stem (ES) cell differentiation system and a library of well-characterised drugs to identify these metabolic factors.

An Alzheimer Disease-linked Rare Mutation Potentiates Netrin Receptor Uncoordinated-5C-induced Signaling That Merges with Amyloid β Precursor Protein Signaling.

A missense mutation (T835M) in the uncoordinated-5C (UNC5C) netrin receptor gene increases the risk of late-onset Alzheimer disease (AD) and also the vulnerability of neurons harboring the mutation to various insults. The molecular mechanisms underlying T835M-UNC5C-induced death remain to be elucidated. In this study, we show that overexpression of wild-type UNC5C causes low-grade death, which is intensified by an AD-linked mutation T835M.

Prediction of macrometastasis in axillary lymph nodes of patients with invasive breast cancer and the utility of the SUV lymph node/tumor ratio using FDG-PET/CT.

Background: Axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) is important for improving the prognosis of patients with node-positive breast cancer. However, ALND can be avoided in select micrometastatic cases, preventing complications such as lymphedema or paresthesia of the upper limb. To appropriately omit ALND from treatment, evaluation of the axillary tumor burden is critical.

HRTEM observation of bonding interface between Ce-TZP/Al2O3 nanocomposite and porcelain.

The surface of a ceria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (Ce-TZP/Al2O3) nanocomposite was sandblasted by alumina particles and veneered with feldspathic porcelain via a conventional condensation method. The part of each specimen containing the interface layer was sliced to ultrathin sections with an argon ion slicer, and these sliced sections were observed using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). For both interfaces, Ce-TZP/porcelain and Al2O3/porcelain, no transition layers due to abrupt changes in atomic distributions were observed.

KCTD20, a relative of BTBD10, is a positive regulator of Akt.

Background: BTBD10 binds to Akt and protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) and inhibits the PP2A-mediated dephosphorylation of Akt, thereby keeping Akt activated. Previous studies have suggested that BTBD10 plays an important role in preventing motor neuronal death and accelerating the growth of pancreatic beta cells. Because levels of BTBD10 expression are much lower in many non-nervous tissues than nervous tissues, there may be a relative of BTBD10 that has BTBD10-like function in non-neuronal cells.

SH3-binding protein 5 mediates the neuroprotective effect of the secreted bioactive peptide humanin by inhibiting c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase.

Humanin is a secreted bioactive peptide that suppresses cell toxicity caused by a variety of insults. The neuroprotective effect of Humanin against Alzheimer disease (AD)-related death is mediated by the binding of Humanin to its heterotrimeric Humanin receptor composed of ciliary neurotrophic receptor α, WSX-1, and gp130, as well as the activation of intracellular signaling pathways including a JAK2 and STAT3 signaling axis. Despite the elucidation of the signaling pathways by which Humanin mediates its neuroprotection, the transcriptional targets of Humanin that behaves as effectors of Humanin remains undefined.