Publications by authors named "Rachel Erickson"

Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosis worldwide accounting for 1 out of every 8 cancer diagnoses. The elevated expression of Thymidine Kinase 1 (TK1) is associated with more aggressive tumor grades, including breast cancer. Recent studies indicate that TK1 may be involved in cancer pathogenesis; however, its direct involvement in breast cancer has not been identified.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Severe COVID-associated lung injury is a major confounding factor of hospitalizations and death with no effective treatments. Here, we describe a non-classical fibrin clotting mechanism mediated by SARS-CoV-2 infected primary lung but not other susceptible epithelial cells. This infection-induced fibrin formation is observed in all variants of SARS-CoV-2 infections, and requires thrombin but is independent of tissue factor and other classical plasma coagulation factors.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The first step in the process of bacterial natural transformation is DNA capture. Although long hypothesized based on genetics and functional experiments, the pilus structure responsible for initial DNA binding had not yet been visualized for . Here, we visualize functional competence pili in using fluorophore-conjugated maleimide labeling in conjunction with epifluorescence microscopy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The first step in the process of bacterial natural transformation is DNA capture. Although long-hypothesized based on genetics and functional experiments, the pilus structure responsible for initial DNA-binding had not yet been visualized for Bacillus subtilis. Here, we visualize functional competence pili in Bacillus subtilis using fluorophore-conjugated maleimide labeling in conjunction with epifluorescence microscopy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We examined antibody and memory B cell responses longitudinally for ∼9-10 months after primary 2-dose SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination and 3 months after a 3rd dose. Antibody decay stabilized between 6 and 9 months, and antibody quality continued to improve for at least 9 months after 2-dose vaccination. Spike- and RBD-specific memory B cells remained durable over time, and 40%-50% of RBD-specific memory B cells simultaneously bound the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates how mRNA vaccines influence antibody and memory B cell responses over time after the initial two doses and a subsequent third dose.
  • Findings show that antibody levels stabilize around 6-9 months after the second dose, while their quality continues to improve, and memory B cells remain stable and effective against multiple variants.
  • The research indicates that pre-3rd dose memory B cell levels can enhance antibody levels after vaccination, but high existing antibody levels may hinder further immune response enhancements from additional doses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Proliferation markers, such as proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), Ki-67, and thymidine kinase 1 (TK1), have potential as diagnostic tools and as prognostic factors in assessing cancer treatment and disease progression. TK1 is involved in cellular proliferation through the recovery of the nucleotide thymidine in the DNA salvage pathway. TK1 upregulation has been found to be an early event in cancer development.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The aim of the present study was to test the utility of the verification testing procedure in confirming "true" VO₂max in older adults completing maximal cycle ergometry. Eighteen physically active men and women (age = 59.7 ± 6.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF