Conditional survival analysis of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide with an approximate 5-year survival of greater than 50% in patients after surgical resection. Survival estimates have limited utility for patients who have survived several years after initial treatment. We analyzed how conditional survival (CS) after curative-intent surgery for HCC predicts survival estimates over time.

Whole-body heat exposure causes developmental stage-specific apoptosis of male germ cells.

Humans are occasionally exposed to extreme environmental heat for a prolonged period of time. Here, we investigated testicular responses to whole-body heat exposure by placing mice in a warm chamber. Among the examined tissues, the testis was found to be most susceptible to heat stress.

Two interacting ATPases protect from glycerol and nitric oxide toxicity.

The H37Rv genome has been sequenced and annotated over 20 years ago, yet roughly half of the protein-coding genes still lack a predicted function. We characterized two genes of unknown function, and , for which inconsistent findings regarding their importance for virulence in mice have been reported. We confirmed that a deletion mutant (Δ) was virulent in mice and discovered that Δ suffered from a glycerol-dependent recovery defect on agar plates following mouse infection.

Electronic and Thermal Properties of Graphene.

Recently, the development of nanotechnology has bloomed in numerous industries [...

Model Progress for Tensile Power of Polymer Nanocomposites Reinforced with Carbon Nanotubes by Percolating Interphase Zone and Network Aspects.

In the present work, a simple simulation is advanced based on a Callister equation considering the impacts of interphase and carbon nanotube (CNT) nets on the strength of nanocomposites after percolation onset. The advanced model can analyze the strength of nanocomposite by filler aspect ratio (), percolation beginning (), interphase depth (), interphase power (), net density (), and net power (). The empirical consequences of several samples agree with the estimations of the industrialised model.

Aspartate aminotransferase Rv3722c governs aspartate-dependent nitrogen metabolism in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Gene rv3722c of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is essential for in vitro growth, and encodes a putative pyridoxal phosphate-binding protein of unknown function. Here we use metabolomic, genetic and structural approaches to show that Rv3722c is the primary aspartate aminotransferase of M. tuberculosis, and mediates an essential but underrecognized role in metabolism: nitrogen distribution.

Identification of a Structurally Dynamic Domain for Oligomer Formation in Rootletin.

Rootletin is the main component of the ciliary rootlet and functions as a centriole linker connecting the two mother centrioles. Despite the functional importance of rootletin, the molecular architecture of the rootletin filament and its assembly mechanism are poorly understood. Here, we identify the coiled-coil domain 3 (CCD3) of rootletin as the key domain for its cellular function.

Impacts of ciliary neurotrophic factor on the retinal transcriptome in a mouse model of photoreceptor degeneration.

Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) has been tested in clinical trials for human retinal degeneration due to its potent neuroprotective effects in various animal models. To decipher CNTF-triggered molecular events in the degenerating retina, we performed high-throughput RNA sequencing analyses using the Rds/Prph2 (P216L) transgenic mouse as a preclinical model for retinitis pigmentosa. In the absence of CNTF treatment, transcriptome alterations were detected at the onset of rod degeneration compared with wild type mice, including reduction of key photoreceptor transcription factors Crx, Nrl, and rod phototransduction genes.

Ten Modifiable Health Risk Factors and Employees' Medical Costs-An Update.

Purpose: To estimate the relationship between employees' health risks and health-care costs to inform health promotion program design.

Design: An observational study of person-level health-care claims and health risk assessment (HRA) data that used regression models to estimate the relationship between 10 modifiable risk factors and subsequent year 1 health-care costs.

Setting: United States.

Analysis of the Connecting Effectiveness of the Interphase Zone on the Tensile Properties of Carbon Nanotubes (CNT) Reinforced Nanocomposite.

The establishment of interphase region around nanoparticles accelerates the percolating of carbon nanotubes (CNT) in polymer nanocomposites reinforced with CNT (PCNT), due to the linking productivity of interphase district before the physical connecting of nanoparticles. Therefore, the interphase is an important character in the networks of CNT in PCNT. Here, a simulation study is presented to investigate the interphase connection in the mechanical possessions of PCNT including tensile modulus and strength.

Study on the Effects of the Interphase Region on the Network Properties in Polymer Carbon Nanotube Nanocomposites.

The interphase region around nanoparticles changes the percolation threshold of long and thin nanoparticles, such as carbon nanotubes (CNT) in polymer nanocomposites. In this paper, the effects of the interphase region on the percolation threshold of nanoparticles and the network fraction are studied. New percolation threshold () is defined by the role of the interphase in the excluded volume of nanoparticles (V).

Synergistic Tribo-Activity of Nanohybrids of Zirconia/Cerium-Doped Zirconia Nanoparticles with Nano Lamellar Reduced Graphene Oxide and Molybdenum Disulfide.

Zirconia and 10%, 20%, and 30% cerium-doped zirconia nanoparticles (ZCO), ZCO-1, ZCO-2, and ZCO-3, respectively, were prepared using auto-combustion method. Binary nanohybrids, ZrO@rGO and ZCO-2@rGO (rGO = reduced graphene oxide), and ternary nanohybrids, ZrO@rGO@MoS and ZCO-2@rGO@MoS have been prepared with an anticipation of a fruitful synergic effect of rGO, MoS, and cerium-doped zirconia on the tribo-activity. Tribo-activity of these additives in paraffin oil (PO) has been assessed by a four-ball lubricant tester at the optimized concentration, 0.

Author Correction: Image-guided radiotherapy platform using single nodule conditional lung cancer mouse models.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Effects of critical interfacial shear strength between a polymer matrix and carbon nanotubes on the interphase strength and Pukanszky's "" interphase parameter.

In this paper, the "" interphase parameter in the Pukanszky model and interphase strength for polymer carbon nanotube (CNT) nanocomposites are expressed by the critical interfacial shear strength ( ) and interfacial shear strength () between a polymer matrix and CNTs. A suggested model and a developed Pukanszky model for tensile strength of nanocomposites are combined to develop the equations for "" and interphase strength. Many experimental data for various samples confirm the models.

Vancomycin Dosing in Children With Overweight or Obesity: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Context: Vancomycin is a medication with potential for significant harm with both overdosing and underdosing. Obesity may affect vancomycin pharmacokinetics and is increasingly common among children.

Objective: We aimed to determine if children with overweight or obesity have increased vancomycin trough concentrations with total body weight (TBW) dosing compared with children with normal weight.

Biphasic chemotaxis of to the microbiota metabolite indole.

Bacterial chemotaxis to prominent microbiota metabolites such as indole is important in the formation of microbial communities in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. However, the basis of chemotaxis to indole is poorly understood. Here, we exposed to a range of indole concentrations and measured the dynamic responses of individual flagellar motors to determine the chemotaxis response.

Global chemical effects of the microbiome include new bile-acid conjugations.

A mosaic of cross-phylum chemical interactions occurs between all metazoans and their microbiomes. A number of molecular families that are known to be produced by the microbiome have a marked effect on the balance between health and disease. Considering the diversity of the human microbiome (which numbers over 40,000 operational taxonomic units), the effect of the microbiome on the chemistry of an entire animal remains underexplored.

Defining and identifying predictors of rapid response to pediatric obesity treatment.

Early weight loss (rapid response [RR]) is associated with better outcomes in adults. Less is known about RR in children enrolled in weight-loss treatment. The aim of the current study was to establish an RR weight-loss threshold following 4 weeks of pediatric obesity treatment and identify characteristics associated with achieving RR.

Dissociation of Adaptive Thermogenesis from Glucose Homeostasis in Microbiome-Deficient Mice.

Recent studies suggest that a key mechanism whereby the gut microbiome influences energy balance and glucose homeostasis is through the recruitment of brown and beige adipocytes, primary mediators of the adaptive thermogenic response. To test this, we assessed energy expenditure and glucose metabolism in two complementary mouse models of gut microbial deficiency, which were exposed to a broad range of thermal and dietary stresses. Neither ablation of the gut microbiome, nor the substantial microbial perturbations induced by cold ambient temperatures, influenced energy expenditure during cold exposure or high-fat feeding.

Antibacterial and antibiofilm effects of α-humulene against .

The rapid increase in antibiotic resistance has prompted the discovery of drugs that reduce antibiotic resistance or new drugs that are an alternative to antibiotics. Plant extracts have health benefits and may also exhibit antibacterial and antibiofilm activities against pathogens. This study determined the antibacterial and antibiofilm effects of α-humulene extracted from plants against enterotoxigenic , which causes inflammatory bowel disease.

Effect of Probiotic NCTC 7423 Supernatant on Biofilm Formation and Gene Expression of .

Enterotoxigenic (ETBF) is the main pathogen causing severe inflammatory diseases and colorectal cancer. Its biofilm plays a key role in the development of colorectal cancer. The objective of this study was to determine the antagonistic effects of cell-free supernatants (CFS) derived from against the growth and biofilm of ETBF.

Calculation of the Electrical Conductivity of Polymer Nanocomposites Assuming the Interphase Layer Surrounding Carbon Nanotubes.

The interphase layer surrounding nanoparticles can reflect the tunneling effect as the main mechanism of charge transferring in polymer/carbon nanotube (CNT) nanocomposites (PCNT). In this paper, the percolation threshold, effective volume fraction of CNT, and the portion of percolated filler after percolation are expressed by interphase and CNT waviness. Moreover, the developed terms are used to suggest the influences of CNT dimensions, interphase thickness, and waviness on the electrical conductivity of PCNT by conventional and developed models.

Evaluation of dyadic changes of parent-child weight loss patterns during a family-based behavioral treatment for obesity.

Background: Family-based treatment (FBT) for children with overweight and obesity is a package that includes nutrition and physical activity education, as well as parenting and behavior therapy skills. To date, the majority of research suggests that one of the best predictors of child weight loss is parent weight loss. However, the bidirectional processes facilitating parent-child weight loss are not well understood.

Enterotoxigenic infection exacerbates tumorigenesis in AOM/DSS mouse model.

The azoxymethane (AOM)/dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) murine model is commonly used to study colitis-associated cancer. The human commensal bacterium, enterotoxigenic (ETBF) secretes the toxin (BFT) which is necessary and sufficient to cause colitis. We report that BALB/c mice infected with WT-ETBF and administered three cycles of AOM/DSS developed numerous, large-sized polyps predominantly in the colorectal region.