Terminal differentiation precedes functional circuit integration in the peduncle neurons in regenerating Hydra vulgaris.

Understanding how neural circuits are regenerated following injury is a fundamental question in neuroscience. Hydra is a powerful model for studying this process because it has a simple neural circuit structure, significant and reproducible regenerative abilities, and established methods for creating transgenics with cell-type-specific expression. While Hydra is a long-standing model for regeneration and development, little is known about how neural activity and behavior is restored following significant injury.

Differentiation trajectories of the nervous system reveal transcriptional regulators of neuronal fate.

The small freshwater cnidarian polyp uses adult stem cells (interstitial stem cells) to continually replace neurons throughout its life. This feature, combined with the ability to image the entire nervous system (Badhiwala et al., 2021; Dupre & Yuste, 2017) and availability of gene knockdown techniques (Juliano, Reich, et al.

Stem cell differentiation trajectories in resolved at single-cell resolution.

The adult polyp continually renews all of its cells using three separate stem cell populations, but the genetic pathways enabling this homeostatic tissue maintenance are not well understood. We sequenced 24,985 single-cell transcriptomes and identified the molecular signatures of a broad spectrum of cell states, from stem cells to terminally differentiated cells. We constructed differentiation trajectories for each cell lineage and identified gene modules and putative regulators expressed along these trajectories, thus creating a comprehensive molecular map of all developmental lineages in the adult animal.

Dissection of the developmental program of reveals a link between stress sensitivity and life cycle flexibility in .

Most eukaryotic parasites are obligately heteroxenous, requiring sequential infection of different host species in order to survive. is a rare exception to this rule, having a uniquely facultative heteroxenous life cycle. To understand the origins of this phenomenon, we compared development and stress responses in to those of its its obligately heteroxenous relative, and have identified multiple growth states that are distinct from those in Of these, the most dramatic difference was that was refractory to stressors that robustly induce cyst formation in and this was reflected most dramatically in its unchanging transcriptome after stress exposure.

Recruiting post-doctoral fellows into global health research: selecting NIH Fogarty International Clinical Research Fellows.

From 2008 to 2012, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Fogarty International Clinical Research Fellows Program (FICRF) provided 1-year mentored research training at low- and middle-income country sites for American and international post-doctoral health professionals. We examined the FICRF applicant pool, proposed research topics, selection process, and characteristics of enrollees to assess trends in global health research interest and factors associated with applicant competitiveness. The majority (58%) of 67 US and 57 international Fellows were women, and 83% of Fellows had medical degrees.

Training programs within global networks: lessons learned in the Fogarty International Clinical Research Scholars and Fellows Program.

The Fogarty International Clinical Research Scholars and Fellows Support Center at Vanderbilt describes administrative lessons learned from the management of 436 scholars (American students or host country junior trainees) and 122 post-doctoral fellows (Americans or host country nationals). Trainees spent 10-11 months working on mentored research projects at 61 well-vetted sites in 27 low- or middle-income host countries (LMICs) with strong US partners. Economies of scale, strong centralized information exchange, and effective standardized operations linking US institutions with LMIC field sites were achieved in a program that minimized administrative overhead.

Recruiting trainees for a global health research workforce: the National Institutes of Health Fogarty International Clinical Research Scholars Program selection process.

Between 2004 and 2012, the National Institutes of Health Fogarty International Clinical Research Scholars (FICRS) Program provided 1-year mentored research training at low- and middle-income country sites for American and international health science doctoral students. We describe the centralized application process, US applicant characteristics, and predictors of selection/enrollment. FICRS received 1,084 applicants representing many health professions and biomedical disciplines at 132 US academic institutions; 219 students from 72 institutions were accepted and enrolled.

Nurturing the global workforce in clinical research: the National Institutes of Health Fogarty International Clinical Scholars and Fellows Program.

The Fogarty International Clinical Research Scholars and Fellows Program's goal is to foster the next generation of clinical investigators and to help build international health research partnerships between American and international investigators and institutions. Through June 2012, 61 sites in 27 countries have hosted 436 Scholars (American students or junior trainees from the host countries) and/or 122 Fellows (American and host country postdoctoral fellows) for year-long experiences in global health research. Initially, the program was oriented toward infectious diseases, but recently emphasis on chronic disease research has increased.

Ethical review issues in collaborative research between us and low-middle income country partners: a case example.

The current ethical structure for collaborative international health research stems largely from developed countries' standards of proper ethical practices. The result is that ethical committees in developing countries are required to adhere to standards that might impose practices that conflict with local culture and unintended interpretations of ethics, treatments, and research. This paper presents a case example of a joint international research project that successfully established inclusive ethical review processes as well as other groundwork and components necessary for the conduct of human behavior research and research capacity building in the host country.

Global health in medical education: a call for more training and opportunities.

Worldwide increases in global migration and trade have been making communicable diseases a concern throughout the world and have highlighted the connections in health and medicine among and between continents. Physicians in developed countries are now expected to have a broader knowledge of tropical disease and newly emerging infections, while being culturally sensitive to the increasing number of international travelers and ethnic minority populations. Exposing medical students to these global health issues encourages students to enter primary care medicine, obtain public health degrees, and practice medicine among the poor and ethnic minorities.

Building global environmental health capacity through international scientific cooperation and partnerships.

Sponsored by the Fogarty International Center, the NIEHS, and NIOSH, the International Training and Research Program in Environmental and Occupational Health (ITREOH) supports training of health professionals worldwide. The program grants awards to U.S.

Addressing the growing burden of trauma and injury in low- and middle-income countries.

Low- and middle-income countries suffer disproportionately from reduced life expectancy and quality of life. Injuries are overlooked as contributors to global inequities in health, yet the long-term disabilities they frequently produce represent a significant burden. The Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health convened a panel of experts in trauma and injury from the United States and low- and middle-income nations to identify research gaps in this area and opportunities to create new knowledge.

Paradigms and progress in building research capacity in international environmental health.

Populations in low- and middle-income nations bear significant risks for poor health due to air, land and water contamination; natural resource depletion; deterioration of ecosystems; contaminated food supplies and other conditions related to poverty, including poor housing, crowding and inadequate nutrition and health care. These risks, related to rapid industrialization, increasing urbanization, poor land use, natural changes in ecology and other conditions, will only increase in the coming decades if current trends persist. The implications on populations' health include increased spread or emergence of disease, particularly those that impact children disproportionately, and added stress on already overburdened or weakened health care systems.

Effect of gender on the obstetric-gynecologic work force.

As increasing numbers of female physicians enter the specialty of obstetrics and gynecology, their productivity (defined as producing goods and services) as compared with male physicians becomes important. Data from the American Medical Association socioeconomic survey and from a survey of ACOG Fellows indicate that, as a group, female physicians in the specialty are approximately 85% as productive as male physicians in the specialty. ACOG data for physician net income validate the productivity calculations (P <.

Assessing the accuracy of an automated coding system in emergency medicine.

Accuracy and speed are imperative when it comes to coding medical records. Completely automated approaches to coding are faster than human coders, but are they as accurate? To measure accuracy, a "gold standard" is required; however, establishing a standard for medical records coding is problematic given the inherent ambiguity in some of the coding rules and guidelines. This paper presents statistics regarding the variability amongst experienced coders and compares this variability with an automated system, LifeCode.

Vitamin A serum and dietary vitamin A intake in lung cancer patients.

Clinical and experimental evidence indicates a possible role for vitamin A deficiency in the pathogenesis of bronchogenic carcinoma. We, therefore, measured serum vitamin A levels in 67 newly diagnosed non-resectable lung cancer patients. In 43 of these patients daily vitamin A intake was also determined.

Serum alpha1-antitrypsin in patients with lung cancer or abnormal sputum cytology.

Serum alpha1-antitrypsin Pi types and trypsin inhibitory capacity (TIC) were measured in 72 patients with lung cancer and in 196 patients with abnormal sputum cytology but no clinical evidence of lung cancer to determine if a genetic deficiency of alpha1-antitrypsin (AAT) predisposes to lung cancer. The distributions of Pi types in these two groups of patients and healthy adults are similar. Serum TIC and AAT concentrations are elevated in lung cancer patients.

Increased serum calcitonin levels in bronchogenic cancer.

A study of 26 men with bronchogenic cancer demonstrated high serum calcitonin levels in 62 percent (16). Levels were particularly high in patients with small-cell cancer and adenocarcinoma. Two varieties of hypercalcitonemia have been encountered: (1) ectopic hypercalcitonemia, in which the hormone is secreted by the tumor, and (2) thyroidal hypercalcitonemia, in which the high values emanate from the thyroid gland.

Effect of surgical and chemotherapeutic treatment on alpha-fetoprotein levels in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Quantitative determinations of serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) by radioimmunoassay in 193 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma have demonstrated a wide variation in serum levels that appear to be relatively constant for each patient by the time that diagnosis is made. If there is no therapeutic intervention the serum AFP usually follows a gradual increase as the tumor progresses. A few patients have a fall in serum AFP as a preterminal event.

Hypercalcitonemia in bronchogenic cancer. Evidence for thyroid origin of the hormone.

Retrograde venous catheterization in a hypercalcitonemic patient with adenocarcinoma of the lung demonstrated that the thyroid gland was secreting a very large amount of hormone (14-fold higher than the peripheral level), while the venous drainage from the tumor deposits was similar in concentration to that of the periphery. Conceivably, the calcitonin is being elaborated in response to metastatic and humoral bone resorption or both. Radiotherapy resulted in a decrease in the calcitonin level.