NLRP3 activation and mitosis are mutually exclusive events coordinated by NEK7, a new inflammasome component.

The NLRP3 inflammasome responds to microbes and danger signals by processing and activating proinflammatory cytokines, including interleukin 1β (IL-1β) and IL-18. We found here that activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome was restricted to interphase of the cell cycle by NEK7, a serine-threonine kinase previously linked to mitosis. Activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome required NEK7, which bound to the leucine-rich repeat domain of NLRP3 in a kinase-independent manner downstream of the induction of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS).

Web-based viewer for systematic combination of anatomy and nomenclature.

Integrating anatomic nomenclature with geometric anatomic data via a web interface and providing illustration and visualization tools presents numerous challenges. We have developed a library of anatomic models and methods for navigating anatomic nomenclature. Based on the library and tools, we have developed a simple, yet powerful, open web-based tool that uses tree navigation and selection for assembling and downloading self-documenting anatomic scenes in Virtual Reality Modeling Language.

Automated renderer for visible human and volumetric scan segmentations.

Creating a library of binary segmentation mask sequences for the abdominal anatomy hierarchy of SNOMED and developing a quick, flexible automatic method for generating iso-surface models from these named structure masks has been a primary goal in our research. This paper describes our development of a clear path for computing visualizations of arbitrary groups of organs from these masks (typically generated from Visible Human data). One use of these methods is teaching the anatomy of various organ systems in the human body using virtual reality environments.

Virtual reality: immersive hepatic surgery educational environment.

Background: Understanding the spatial relationships among the liver segments, and intrahepatic portal and hepatic veins is essential for surgical treatment of liver diseases. Teleimmersive virtual reality enables improved visualization over conventional media because it supports stereo vision, viewer-centered perspective, large angles of view, and interactivity with remote locations. We report a successful pilot study teaching hepatic surgical principles using teleimmersion.