New provincial records of skinks (Squamata: Scincidae) from northwestern Vietnam.

We report six new records of skinks from northwestern Vietnam: Eutropis macularius, Scincelladevorator , S.monticola, S.ochracea, Sphenomorphuscryptotis and S.

The neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) binds independently to both sites of the IgG homodimer with identical affinity.

The neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) is expressed by cells of epithelial, endothelial and myeloid lineages and performs multiple roles in adaptive immunity. Characterizing the FcRn/IgG interaction is fundamental to designing therapeutic antibodies because IgGs with moderately increased binding affinities for FcRn exhibit superior serum half-lives and efficacy. It has been hypothesized that 2 FcRn molecules bind an IgG homodimer with disparate affinities, yet their affinity constants are inconsistent across the literature.

Primary apocrine adenocarcinoma of scrotum suspected as urothelial carcinoma metastasis: A clinical and pathological dilemma.

A 78-year-old man presented with an enlarging, tender mass in the scrotum separate to the testes. This was on the background of radical cystoprostatectomy, urethrectomy, and ileal conduit formation for high-grade urothelial carcinoma of the bladder invading submucosa 3 years prior. Examination revealed a 4 × 5 cm lesion, which was hard, fixed to the overlying skin and nodular to palpation.

Syntaxin 4 is concentrated on plasma membrane of astrocytes.

Syntaxins are a family of transmembrane proteins that participate in SNARE complexes to mediate membrane fusion events including exocytosis. Different syntaxins are thought to participate in exocytosis in different compartments of the nervous system such as the axon, the soma/dendrites or astrocytes. It is well known that exocytosis of synaptic vesicles at axonal presynaptic terminals involves syntaxin 1 but distributions of syntaxins on neuronal somal and dendritic, postsynaptic or astroglial plasma membranes are less well characterized.

The SARS coronavirus papain like protease can inhibit IRF3 at a post activation step that requires deubiquitination activity.

Background: The outcome of a viral infection is regulated by complex interactions of viral and host factors. SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV) engages and regulates several innate immune response pathways during infection. We have previously shown that the SARS-CoV Papain-like Protease (PLpro) inhibits type I interferon (IFN) by inhibiting IRF3 phosphorylation thereby blocking downstream Interferon induction.

Extension of Drosophila lifespan by cinnamon through a sex-specific dependence on the insulin receptor substrate chico.

Cinnamon is a spice commonly used worldwide to flavor desserts, fruits, cereals, breads, and meats. Numerous health benefits have been attributed to its consumption, including the recent suggestion that it may decrease blood glucose levels in people with diabetes. Insulin signaling is an integral pathway regulating the lifespan of laboratory organisms, such as worms, flies, and mice.

Secondary organic aerosol from aqueous reactions of green leaf volatiles with organic triplet excited states and singlet molecular oxygen.

Vegetation emits a class of oxygenated hydrocarbons--the green leaf volatiles (GLVs)--under stress or damage. Under foggy conditions GLVs might be a source of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) via aqueous reactions with hydroxyl radical (OH), singlet oxygen ((1)O2*), and excited triplet states ((3)C*). To examine this, we determined the aqueous kinetics and SOA mass yields for reactions of (3)C* and (1)O2* with five GLVs: methyl jasmonate (MeJa), methyl salicylate (MeSa), cis-3-hexenyl acetate (HxAc), cis-3-hexen-1-ol (HxO), and 2-methyl-3-butene-2-ol (MBO).

Analyzing mitochondrial dynamics in mouse organotypic slice cultures.

Mitochondria are mobile organelles that dynamically remodel their membranes and actively migrate along cytoskeletal tracks. There is overwhelming evidence that regulators of mitochondrial dynamics are critical for the survival and function of neural tissues. In multiple animal models, ablation of genes regulating mitochondrial shape result in stunted neural development and neurodegeneration.

Patch testing in children from 2005 to 2012: results from the North American contact dermatitis group.

Background: Allergic contact dermatitis is common in children. Epicutaneous patch testing is an important tool for identifying responsible allergens.

Objective: The objective of this study was to provide the patch test results from children (aged ≤18 years) examined by the North American Contact Dermatitis Group from 2005 to 2012.

Pyrazinamide-induced hyperuricemia.

Elevated uric acid levels can cause crystal deposition and may lead to gout, urolithiasis, and urate nephropathy. The authors report on the case of a 34-year-old male whose hyperuricemia was associated with the antituberculous drug pyrazinamide.

Two-year outcome of first-line antiretroviral therapy among HIV-1 vertically-infected children in Hanoi, Vietnam.

A retrospective analysis of 86 HIV-1 vertically-infected Vietnamese children with a follow-up period >24 months after initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) was performed from 2008 to 2012, to assess the outcome of first-line ART in resource-limited settings. Of the 86 children, 68 (79.1%) were treated successfully (plasma HIV-1 viral load [VL] <1000 copies/ml), and 63 (73.

Comparing outcomes in poorly-differentiated versus anaplastic thyroid cancers treated with radiation: a surveillance, epidemiology, and end results analysis.

Purpose: Poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma (PDTC) and anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) are considered the most aggressive cancers of the head and neck. The aim of the study was to evaluate and compare survival outcomes in PDTC and ATC in a large population-based cohort.

Materials And Methods: Patients with PDTC and ATC diagnosed from 1973 to 2008 were obtained from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End RESULTS database.

Moniliform deformation of retinal ganglion cells by formaldehyde-based fixatives.

Protocols for characterizing cellular phenotypes commonly use chemical fixatives to preserve anatomical features, mechanically stabilize tissue, and stop physiological responses. Formaldehyde, diluted in either phosphate-buffered saline or phosphate buffer, has been widely used in studies of neurons, especially in conjunction with dyes and antibodies. However, previous studies have found that these fixatives induce the formation of bead-like varicosities in the dendrites and axons of brain and spinal cord neurons.

Cytotoxic effects of ellagitannins isolated from walnuts in human cancer cells.

Walnuts contain many bioactive components that may slow cancer growth. A previous report showed that a diet supplemented with walnuts decreased the tumor size formed by MDA-MB-231 human cancer cells injected into nude mice. However, the mechanism of action was never determined.

Intralesional cryosurgery to treat keloid scars: results from a retrospective study.

Background: A variety of treatment modalities have been proposed to treat keloid scars, but outcomes are often disappointing. Intralesional cryosurgery may significantly reduce these scars.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical safety and efficacy of intralesional cryosurgery to treat keloid scars.

The interferon signaling antagonist function of yellow fever virus NS5 protein is activated by type I interferon.

To successfully establish infection, flaviviruses have to overcome the antiviral state induced by type I interferon (IFN-I). The nonstructural NS5 proteins of several flaviviruses antagonize IFN-I signaling. Here we show that yellow fever virus (YFV) inhibits IFN-I signaling through a unique mechanism that involves binding of YFV NS5 to the IFN-activated transcription factor STAT2 only in cells that have been stimulated with IFN-I.

Natural language processing of radiology reports for the detection of thromboembolic diseases and clinically relevant incidental findings.

Background: Natural Language Processing (NLP) has been shown effective to analyze the content of radiology reports and identify diagnosis or patient characteristics. We evaluate the combination of NLP and machine learning to detect thromboembolic disease diagnosis and incidental clinically relevant findings from angiography and venography reports written in French. We model thromboembolic diagnosis and incidental findings as a set of concepts, modalities and relations between concepts that can be used as features by a supervised machine learning algorithm.

Bioanalysis of urine samples after manipulation by oxidizing chemicals: technical considerations.

Drug testing programs are established to help achieve a drug-free work environment, promote fair competition in sport, facilitate harm minimization and rehabilitation programs, better manage patient care by clinicians and service law enforcement authorities. Urine remains the most popular and appropriate testing matrix for such purposes. However, urine is prone to adulteration, where chemicals, especially oxidizing chemicals, are purposely added to the collected urine specimens to produce a false-negative test result.

Profiling flavonoid cytotoxicity in human breast cancer cell lines: determination of structure-function relationships.

Flavonoids have been shown to be cytotoxic to cancer cells. However, the mechanism of cytotoxicity has not been clearly defined. It has previously been reported that HER2/ERBB2, the estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and p53 were required for flavonoid induced cytotoxicity in breast cancer cell lines.

Evolving experience of treating antibody-mediated rejection following lung transplantation.

Background: The importance of antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) following lung transplantation remains contentious. In particular, the diagnostic criteria suggested to define AMR, namely the presence of donor-specific antibodies (DSA), C4d immunoreactivity, histological features and allograft dysfunction are not always readily applicable or confirmatory in lung transplantation.

Methods: In a retrospective single-center study of 255 lung transplant recipients (LTR), we identified 9 patients in whom a clinical diagnosis of AMR was made within 12months of transplant, and define the immunological, histological, clinical features, as well as the therapeutic response of this cohort.

An ab initio study of transition metals doped with WSe2 for long-range room temperature ferromagnetism in two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide.

We report a systematic study of the magnetic properties in transition metals doped with WSe2 through the use of first principle calculations. The results demonstrate the possibility of generating long-range room temperature ferromagnetic interaction in WSe2 with the use of Mn and Fe doping. In the case of Fe, a percolation threshold is required for long-range ferromagnetism, whereas the long-range room temperature ferromagnetic interaction in Mn-doped WSe2 persists even at a low concentration (~5.

EpCAM-selective elimination of carcinoma cells by a novel MAP-based cytolytic fusion protein.

In normal epithelia, the epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) expression is relatively low and only present at the basolateral cell surface. In contrast, EpCAM is aberrantly overexpressed in various human carcinomas. Therefore, EpCAM is considered to be a highly promising target for antibody-based cancer immunotherapy.