A retrospective evaluation of vitamin K for hemoptysis in adult cystic fibrosis patients.

Objectives: Hemoptysis is a complication in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, and is associated with pulmonary exacerbations and hospitalizations. Pancreatic insufficiency is common in CF patients, and therefore these patients may benefit from the use of vitamin K therapy.

Methods: This was an observational study conducted in adult CF patients aiming to describe the utilization of vitamin K therapy in the setting of hemoptysis during an acute CF pulmonary exacerbation.

Structural basis for RING-Cys-Relay E3 ligase activity and its role in axon integrity.

MYCBP2 is a ubiquitin (Ub) E3 ligase (E3) that is essential for neurodevelopment and regulates axon maintenance. MYCBP2 transfers Ub to nonlysine substrates via a newly discovered RING-Cys-Relay (RCR) mechanism, where Ub is relayed from an upstream cysteine to a downstream substrate esterification site. The molecular bases for E2-E3 Ub transfer and Ub relay are unknown.

Tug of War in the Xenophagy World.

Xenophagy, the process of eliminating intracellular pathogens through the autophagy machinery, is an important defense mechanism against infectious disease, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Recent work (Xu et al., Cell, 2019) used the discovery of an inhibitor of xenophagy, SopF, to identify a SopF-sensitive mechanism that allows mammalian cells to detect invading bacteria.

Activity-based E3 ligase profiling uncovers an E3 ligase with esterification activity.

Ubiquitination is initiated by transfer of ubiquitin (Ub) from a ubiquitin-activating enzyme (E1) to a ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme (E2), producing a covalently linked intermediate (E2-Ub) . Ubiquitin ligases (E3s) of the 'really interesting new gene' (RING) class recruit E2-Ub via their RING domain and then mediate direct transfer of ubiquitin to substrates . By contrast, 'homologous to E6-AP carboxy terminus' (HECT) E3 ligases undergo a catalytic cysteine-dependent transthiolation reaction with E2-Ub, forming a covalent E3-Ub intermediate.

Probes of ubiquitin E3 ligases enable systematic dissection of parkin activation.

E3 ligases represent an important class of enzymes, yet there are currently no chemical probes for profiling their activity. We develop a new class of activity-based probe by re-engineering a ubiquitin-charged E2 conjugating enzyme and demonstrate the utility of these probes by profiling the transthiolation activity of the RING-in-between-RING (RBR) E3 ligase parkin in vitro and in cellular extracts. Our study provides valuable insight into the roles, and cellular hierarchy, of distinct phosphorylation events in parkin activation.

A Versatile Strategy for the Semisynthetic Production of Ser65 Phosphorylated Ubiquitin and Its Biochemical and Structural Characterisation.

Ubiquitin phosphorylation is emerging as an important regulatory layer in the ubiquitin system. This is exemplified by the phosphorylation of ubiquitin on Ser65 by the Parkinson's disease-associated kinase PINK1, which mediates the activation of the E3 ligase Parkin. Additional phosphorylation sites on ubiquitin might also have important cellular roles.

Leukemia presenting as serous retinal detachment.

Background: To describe a patient who presented with bilateral serous retinal detachments without the other retinal vascular or ocular inflammatory signs, and who was ultimately diagnosed with acute leukemia.

Methods: Case report and review of the literature.

Results: This patient presented with isolated bilateral serous retinal detachments as the initial manifestation of hematologic malignancy.

Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate accelerates atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice.

Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is associated with atherosclerosis-related cardiovascular disease complications, but we lack direct evidence of its unfavorable effect on atherogenesis. In this study, we aimed to clarify in vivo and in vitro the contribution of DEHP to the development of atherosclerosis and its underlying mechanisms. Apolipoprotein E-deficient (apoE(-/-)) mice chronically treated with DEHP for 4 weeks showed exacerbated hyperlipidemia, systemic inflammation, and atherosclerosis.

Intracranial hypertension due to levothyroxine use.

We report a case of intracranial hypertension in a 13-year-old boy on levothyroxine therapy for hypothyroidism and review the literature describing this rare association. He presented with severe headaches and was found to have bilateral optic disk edema and elevated intracranial pressure shortly after an increase in his dosage of levothyroxine. The optic disk edema and headaches resolved with decreasing the levothyroxine and initiating acetazolamide.

Nonsurgical periocular rejuvenation: advanced cosmetic uses of neuromodulators and fillers.

Purpose Of Review: To review the current literature regarding aesthetic enhancement using facial neuromodulators and fillers and to present advanced techniques using facial injectables for periocular rejuvenation.

Recent Findings: The authors provide a summary of traditional periocular locations for the injection of neuromodulators and dermal fillers. The authors also present novel and advanced techniques utilizing injectables in the periocular region.

Allergic fungal sinusitis involving the lacrimal sac: a case report and review.

Unlabelled: BACKGROUNd: We report a case of allergic fungal sinusitis (AFS) involving the lacrimal sac and review the current English literature. A literature search for AFS involving the lacrimal sac revealed two reports with only one of the two cases demonstrating histological evidence of fungal elements. This is just the third such case and only the second reported case with histopathologic confirmation of fungal elements by Gomori methenamine silver (GMS) stain.

Hepatocellular carcinoma targeting agents: conjugates of nitroimidazoles with trimethyl nordihydroguaiaretic acid.

Cancer has been a primary global health issue for decades, with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) resulting in more than half a million new cases annually. With survival rates as low as <5% after five years, it remains a poorly treated cancer. Nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA), an antioxidant, was previously proven effective against cancer cells.

Microwave assistance of labeling hippuric acid by I-131.

This work presents a novel approach for labeling hippuric acid with I-131 using microwaves. It utilizes copper(II) acetate as a catalyst of the labeling. The process involves the use of this catalytic copper(II) acetate at low dilutions that were nevertheless sufficient to produce labeled hippuric acid with high radiochemical purity in a short time.

The Impact of Metabolic Syndrome, Homocysteine, and B Vitamins on Carotid Artery Intima-Media Thickness in Hypertensive Patients.

Objectives: To examine the correlation between metabolic syndrome (MS), plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) level, and serum B vitamin levels on carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) in hypertensive patients.

Methods: A total of 73 medically treated hypertensive patients (42 men, mean age 70.7 years), fasted for 10 hours, and provided fasting blood samples for measurement of plasma tHcy, serum folic acid, and serum vitamin B12 levels.

Development of erlotinib derivatives as CIP2A-ablating agents independent of EGFR activity.

Cancerous inhibitor of PP2A (CIP2A) is a novel human oncoprotein that inhibits PP2A, contributing to tumor aggressiveness in various cancers. Several studies have shown that downregulation of CIP2A by small molecules reduces PP2A-dependent phosphorylation of Akt and induces cell death. Here, a series of mono- and di-substituted quinazoline and pyrimidine derivatives based on the skeleton of erlotinib (an EGFR inhibitor) were synthesized and their bioactivities against hepatocellular carcinoma were evaluated.

Unilateral non-pigmented palpebral conjunctival lesions due to cosmetics use.

A 62-year-old woman with a history of dry eyes was found to have unilateral pedunculated, nonpigmented palpebral conjunctival lesions. Excisional biopsy was performed, and the lesions were studied histopathologically. Microscopic examination of the lesions demonstrated exuberant granulation tissue with a granulomatous foreign body giant cell reaction surrounding pigmented and partially birefringent foreign material.

Competition between harmonic cyclotron maser interactions in the terahertz regime.

Cyclotron harmonic interactions are a key physics issue of critical importance to the generation of terahertz radiation via the electron cyclotron maser instability for practical magnetic field strengths. We present an inherent mechanism, as well as a deciding factor, which governs the competition between low- and high-harmonic interactions. Multimode simulations reveal the physical process in which a significant advantage develops for the lower-harmonic interaction, which eventually dominates in the fully nonlinear stage.

Incidence of myopia in high school students with and without red-green color vision deficiency.

Purpose: To investigate the influence of color vision on myopia development by testing refraction error and axial length of the eye for high school students with and without color vision deficiency (CVD).

Methods: A school-based cross-sectional, cluster sample study was conducted to test the color vision and refractive error of 16,539 high school students. Students were screened for CVD using a pseudoisochromatic plate.

Waist-to-hip ratio correlates with homocysteine levels in male patients with coronary artery disease.

Background: Obesity and homocysteine are important risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The relation between pattern of obesity and homocysteine is unclear. The objective of this study was to investigate the relation between pattern of obesity and plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) level in male patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).

Photoacoustic imaging of multiple targets using gold nanorods.

Photoacoustic (PA) imaging has been used mainly for anatomical and functional imaging. Although functionalized nanoparticles also have been developed for PA molecular imaging, only single targeting has been demonstrated. In this study, PA imaging of multiple targets using gold nanorods is demonstrated experimentally using HER2 and CXCR4 as target molecules.

The influence of estimated creatinine clearance on plasma homocysteine in hypertensive patients with normal serum creatinine.

Objectives: To examine the relation of estimated creatinine clearance (eCrCl) and plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) in hypertensive patients with a normal serum creatinine level.

Design And Methods: A total of 137 hypertensive patients (mean age 66.6 years, 69 men) with serum creatinine level View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Rise and fall time behavior of the gyrotron backward-wave oscillator.

The rise and fall time behavior of a pulsed microwave oscillator is a problem of academic interest. It is also of importance to radar and other applications because it can lead to phase and frequency jitters or even lock the entire pulse into an undesired mode. Here we present a study of the rise and fall time behavior in the gyrotron backward-wave oscillator (gyro-BWO).

Study of the morphological characteristics of Schistosoma mansoni in mice, squirrels, and hamsters.

This study attempted to describe mophological characteristics of S. mansoni worms. In the present study, 6 hamsters, 35 squirrels and 141 mice were infected with pooled cercariae of Schistosoma mansoni by intraperitoneal and percutaneous routes.

Dynamics of mode competition in the gyrotron backward-wave oscillator.

The axial modes of the gyrotron backward-wave oscillator (gyro-BWO) each exhibit a distinctive asymmetry in axial field profile. As a result, and in sharp contrast to the behavior of the familiar resonator-based gyrotron oscillator, particle simulations of the gyro-BWO reveal a radically different pattern of mode competition in which a fast-growing and well-established mode is subsequently suppressed by a later-starting mode with a more favorable field profile. This is verified in a Ka-band experiment and the interaction dynamics are elucidated with a time-frequency analysis.

Linear and time-dependent behavior of the gyrotron backward-wave oscillator.

Formation of axial modes in the gyrotron backward-wave oscillator is examined in the perspective of optimum conditions for beam-wave interactions. Distinctive linear properties are revealed and interpreted physically. Nonlinear implications of these properties (specifically, the role of high-order axial modes) are investigated with time-dependent simulations.