Identifying the crucial binding domain of histatin-1 to recombinant TMEM97 in activating chemotactic migration in human corneal epithelial cells.

TMEM97, also known as the sigma-2 receptor, plays a crucial role as an endoplasmic reticular protein involved in various physiological processes such as wound healing, and cholesterol metabolism. Moreover, TMEM97 has been implicated in multiple human diseases including neurodegenerative disorders and cancers. Histatin peptides are endogenous peptides with diverse biological effects, including antimicrobial, immunomodulatory, and wound healing functions.

Optimization of systemic AAV9 gene therapy in Niemann-Pick disease type C1 mice.

Niemann-Pick disease, type C1 (NPC1) is a rare, fatal neurodegenerative disorder caused by pathological variants in , which encodes a lysosomal cholesterol transport protein. There are no FDA approved treatments for this disorder. Both systemic and central nervous system delivery of AAV9- have shown significant disease amelioration in NPC1 murine models.

Gel-assisted mass spectrometry imaging enables sub-micrometer spatial lipidomics.

A technique capable of label-free detection, mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) is a powerful tool for spatial investigation of native biomolecules in intact specimens. However, MSI has often been precluded from single-cell applications due to the spatial resolution limit set forth by the physical and instrumental constraints of the method. By taking advantage of the reversible interaction between the analytes and a superabsorbent hydrogel, we have developed a sample preparation and imaging workflow named Gel-Assisted Mass Spectrometry Imaging (GAMSI) to overcome the spatial resolution limits of modern mass spectrometers.

Gel-assisted mass spectrometry imaging.

Compatible with label-free detection and quantification, mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) is a powerful tool for spatial investigation of biomolecules in intact specimens. Yet, the spatial resolution of MSI is limited by the method's physical and instrumental constraints, which often preclude it from single-cell and subcellular applications. By taking advantage of the reversible interaction of analytes with superabsorbent hydrogels, we developed a sample preparation and imaging workflow named Gel-Assisted Mass Spectrometry Imaging (GAMSI) to overcome these limits.

A review of the impact of maize-legume intercrops on the diversity and abundance of entomophagous and phytophagous insects.

In many parts of the world, chemical pesticides are the primary method of pest control in maize (.) crops. Concerns about the negative consequences of chemical pesticide use on people's health and the environment, as well as the emergence of insecticide resistance, have accelerated attempts to discover alternatives that are effective, low-risk, and cost-effective.

The Energy Return on Investment of Whole-Energy Systems: Application to Belgium.

Planning the defossilization of energy systems while maintaining access to abundant primary energy resources is a non-trivial multi-objective problem encompassing economic, technical, environmental, and social aspects. However, most long-term policies consider the cost of the system as the leading indicator in the energy system models to decrease the carbon footprint. This paper is the first to develop a novel approach by adding a surrogate indicator for the social and economic aspects, the (EROI), in a whole-energy system optimization model.

Intramolecular Proton Transfer in the Hydrogen Oxalate Anion and the Cooperativity Effects of the Low-Frequency Vibrations: A Driven Molecular Dynamics Study.

We report first-principles molecular dynamics (MD) and dipole-driven molecular dynamics (μ-DMD) simulations of the hydrogen oxalate anion at the MP2/aug-cc-pVDZ level of theory. We examine the role of vibrational coupling between the OH stretching bands, that is, the fundamental and a few combination bands spanning the 2900-3100 cm range, and several of the low-frequency bending and stretching fundamental modes. The low-frequency modes between 300 and 825 cm play a crucial role in the proton-transfer motion.

Measuring adherence to antiretroviral treatment in resource-poor settings: the clinical validity of key indicators.

Background: Access to antiretroviral therapy has dramatically expanded in Africa in recent years, but there are no validated approaches to measure treatment adherence in these settings.

Methods: In 16 health facilities, we observed a retrospective cohort of patients initiating antiretroviral therapy. We constructed eight indicators of adherence and visit attendance during the first 18 months of treatment from data in clinic and pharmacy records and attendance logs.

Cost-related medication nonadherence and spending on basic needs following implementation of Medicare Part D.

Context: Cost-related medication nonadherence (CRN) has been a persistent problem for individuals who are elderly and disabled in the United States. The impact of Medicare prescription drug coverage (Part D) on CRN is unknown.

Objective: To estimate changes in CRN and forgoing basic needs to pay for drugs following Part D implementation.

Medicare beneficiaries and free prescription drug samples: a national survey.

Background: New policies regulating physician/pharmaceutical company relationships propose to eliminate access to free prescription drug samples. Little is known about the prevalence of patient activity in requesting or receiving free prescription drug samples, or the characteristics of patients who access drug samples.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of free sample access and to examine demographic, clinical, and insurance characteristics of Medicare beneficiaries who access free samples.

Reliability of new measures of cost-related medication nonadherence.

Background: Although several national studies have attempted to measure medication nonadherence due to cost in cross-sectional studies of the elderly and disabled, little information exists on the psychometric properties of these measures over time.

Objectives: Examine the test-retest reliability of several recently published measures of cost-related medication nonadherence, among elderly community.

Methods: We developed a questionnaire and tested the reliability of measures of cost-related medication nonadherence and general cost-reduction strategies in a sample of 185 elderly in eastern Massachusetts surveyed twice (1-2 months apart).

Depression and cost-related medication nonadherence in Medicare beneficiaries.

Context: Treatment for depression can be expensive and depression can affect the use of other medical services, yet there is little information on how depression affects the prevalence of cost-related medication nonadherence (CRN) in elderly patients and patients with disabilities.

Objective: To quantify the presence of CRN in depressed and nondepressed elderly Medicare beneficiaries and nonelderly Medicare beneficiaries with disabilities prior to the implementation of the Medicare Drug Benefit.

Design And Setting: 2004 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey.

Cost-related medication nonadherence among elderly and disabled medicare beneficiaries: a national survey 1 year before the medicare drug benefit.

Background: Prior to implementation of the Medicare drug benefit, we estimated the prevalence of cost-related medication nonadherence (CRN) among Medicare enrollees, including elderly and nonelderly disabled beneficiaries.

Methods: In the fall of 2004, detailed measures of CRN (skipping or reducing doses or not filling prescriptions because of cost) were added to the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey. We examined the prevalence of CRN nationally and by Medicare eligibility subgroups (elderly vs nonelderly disabled beneficiaries), drug coverage status, socioeconomic status, self-rated health, and number of chronic medical conditions.

Low 25-hydroxyvitamin D and osteopenia are prevalent in persons > or =55 yr with fracture at any site: a prospective, observational study of persons fracturing in the community.

Ethnic diversity and lower socioeconomic populations are poorly captured in most studies of osteoporosis and fracture risk. This article describes a prospective, observational study designed to analyze risk factors for fracture in an ambulatory, ethnically diverse, urban population aged > or =55 yr. The goal of the study was to determine the number of fractures associated with hypovitaminosis D (< or =15 ng/mL serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D) and osteopenia (T-score <-1.

Osteonecrosis of the humeral head treated by core decompression.

Core decompression is one treatment used for symptomatic osteonecrosis of the humeral head. The purpose of this report was to examine the long term outcome of this procedure. Sixty-three shoulders in 43 patients who underwent a core decompression for humeral head osteonecrosis were followed up from 2 to 20 years (mean, 10 years).

Technique for acetabular liner revision in a nonmodular metal-backed component.

Use of a new technique for revising the acetabular liner when approaching a revision of a nonmodular metal-backed component is described. An overview of the method, its rationale, and 2 case reports are presented.

Toxicology and biocompatibility considerations in the evaluation of polymeric materials for biomedical applications.

It is necessary to determine the safety of polymeric materials through laboratory and animal testing before biomedical use can become more widespread. This article describes many of the methods used in analyzing the toxicology and biocompatibility of potentially important biomedical polymers. The study method used in the development of an important new class of polymeric materials for human use, the poly(anhydrides), is presented from laboratory bench to human clinical trials.