Evaluation of the Strength Aptitude Test and Other Fitness Tests to Qualify Air Force Recruits for Physically Demanding Specialties.

The Air Force uses the Strength Aptitude Test (SAT) to determine whether recruits meet the fitness levels needed to perform the duties of various Air Force specialties with physical strength requirements. However, the SAT was developed in the early 1980s and has not been revalidated since then. In the interim, the duties associated with many Air Force Specialty Code classifications may have changed, and new ones have been added.

Evaluating an Operator Physical Fitness Test Prototype for Tactical Air Control Party and Air Liaison Officers: A Preliminary Analysis of Test Implementation.

The U.S. Air Force asked the RAND Corporation to assist its development and validation of gender-neutral tests and standards for battlefield airmen (BA) specialties.

Author Correction: Control of tumor-associated macrophages and T cells in glioblastoma via AHR and CD39.

In the version of this article initially published, author Alexandre Prat's surname was misspelled. The error has been corrected in the HTML and PDF versions of the article.

NTPDase1 and -2 are expressed by distinct cellular compartments in the mouse colon and differentially impact colonic physiology and function after DSS colitis.

ATP is both an important mediator of physiological gut functions such as motility and epithelial function, and a key danger signal that mediates cell death and tissue damage. The actions of extracellular ATP are regulated through the catalytic functions extracellular nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase-1 (NTPDase1), -2, -3, and -8, which ultimately generate nucleosides. Ectonucleotidases have distinct cellular associations, but the specific locations and functional roles of individual NTPDases in the intestine are still poorly understood.

Testing the feasibility of a system-based approach to deliver a smoking cessation and food nudging intervention at food pantry sites.

Food-insecure adults disproportionately experience high cardiovascular risk. Guided by the Feeding America recommendations, we tested the feasibly of a system-based approach to address the cardiovascular risk behaviors of current smoking and dietary choice at food distribution sites. Food pantries affiliated with the Food Bank of Delaware organization (N = 14) were invited to take part.

Interaction of Sox2 with RNA binding proteins in mouse embryonic stem cells.

Sox2 is a master transcriptional regulator of embryonic development. In this study, we determined the protein interactome of Sox2 in the chromatin and nucleoplasm of mouse embryonic stem (mES) cells. Apart from canonical interactions with pluripotency-regulating transcription factors, we identified interactions with several chromatin modulators, including members of the heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) family, suggesting a role for Sox2 in chromatin-mediated transcriptional repression.

CD133 bone marrow stem cells (BMSC) control platelet activation - Role of ectoNTPDase-1 (CD39).

Background: We previously demonstrated CD133+ bone marrow stem cells (BMSC) to promote hepatic proliferation for liver regeneration. Here, we evaluated the capacity of CD133+BMSC to utilize platelets for homing to vasculature and concomitant controlling their aggregability upon ADP stimulation.

Methods: CD133+BMSC and platelets were co-cultured along micro endothelial cells under variable flow conditions and tested for homing levels along vasculature.

The role of NK cells and CD39 in the immunological control of tumor metastases.

Tumor metastases are responsible for death in the majority of cancer patients. Here we have explored the role of the ectonucleotidase CD39 in select models of tumor metastases and further tested the therapeutic anticancer activity of the NTPDase inhibitor sodium polyoxotungstate (POM-1). CD39 was expressed on tumor-infiltrating regulatory T cells (Treg), myeloid cells and some NK cells, and it was upregulated on these cells within tumors early after inoculation in vivo.

A review of neuroeconomic gameplay in psychiatric disorders.

Abnormalities in social interaction are a common feature of several psychiatric disorders, aligning with the recent move towards using Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) to describe disorders in terms of observable behaviours rather than using specific diagnoses. Neuroeconomic games are an effective measure of social decision-making that can be adapted for use in neuroimaging, allowing investigation of the biological basis for behaviour. This review summarises findings of neuroeconomic gameplay studies in Axis 1 psychiatric disorders and advocates the use of these games as measures of the RDoC Affiliation and Attachment, Reward Responsiveness, Reward Learning and Reward Valuation constructs.

METTL1 Promotes let-7 MicroRNA Processing via m7G Methylation.

7-methylguanosine (m7G) is present at mRNA caps and at defined internal positions within tRNAs and rRNAs. However, its detection within low-abundance mRNAs and microRNAs (miRNAs) has been hampered by a lack of sensitive detection strategies. Here, we adapt a chemical reactivity assay to detect internal m7G in miRNAs.

Control of tumor-associated macrophages and T cells in glioblastoma via AHR and CD39.

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) play an important role in the immune response to cancer, but the mechanisms by which the tumor microenvironment controls TAMs and T cell immunity are not completely understood. Here we report that kynurenine produced by glioblastoma cells activates aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) in TAMs to modulate their function and T cell immunity. AHR promotes CCR2 expression, driving TAM recruitment in response to CCL2.

Ectonucleotidases in Intestinal and Hepatic Inflammation.

Purinergic signaling modulates systemic and local inflammatory responses. Extracellular nucleotides, including eATP, promote inflammation, at least in part via the inflammasome upon engagement of P2 purinergic receptors. In contrast, adenosine generated during eATP phosphohydrolysis by ectonucleotidases, triggers immunosuppressive/anti-inflammatory pathways.

The fusion landscape of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Most cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are already advanced at the time of diagnosis, which limits treatment options. Challenges in early-stage diagnosis may be due to the genetic complexity of HCC. Gene fusion plays a critical function in tumorigenesis and cancer progression in multiple cancers, yet the identities of fusion genes as potential diagnostic markers in HCC have not been investigated.

Protective effects of coffee consumption following liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhosis.

Background: Increasing evidence suggests that coffee consumption might protect against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and liver cirrhosis-associated death risk. Caffeine is a natural antagonist to extracellular adenosine and exhibits experimental tumoricidal activity.

Aim: To evaluate if coffee consumption has beneficial effects on HCC recurrence after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT).

Cost-effectiveness of cell salvage and donor blood transfusion during caesarean section: results from a randomised controlled trial.

Objectives: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of routine use of cell salvage during caesarean section in mothers at risk of haemorrhage compared with current standard of care.

Design: Model-based cost-effectiveness evaluation alongside a multicentre randomised controlled trial. Three main analyses were carried out on the trial data: (1) based on the intention-to-treat principle; (2) based on the per-protocol principle; (3) only participants who underwent an emergency caesarean section.

Changes in diet quality and home food environment in preschool children following weight management.

Background: Family-based obesity treatment interventions can successfully reduce energy intake in preschoolers. An implicit goal of obesity treatment interventions is to improve diet quality, but diet quality has been less examined as a treatment outcome in studies of preschoolers. The purpose of this study was to conduct a secondary analysis comparing the change in diet quality and home food environment in preschoolers assigned to a behavioral family-based obesity intervention (LAUNCH), motivational interviewing (MI) condition, or standard care (STC) condition.

Planned delivery or expectant management for late preterm pre-eclampsia: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial (PHOENIX trial).

Background: Pre-eclampsia is a pregnancy disorder, characterised by hypertension and multisystem complications in the mother. The adverse outcomes of pre-eclampsia include severe hypertension, stroke, renal and hepatic injury, haemorrhage, fetal growth restriction and even death. The optimal time to instigate delivery to prevent morbidity when pre-eclampsia occurs between 34 and 37 weeks' gestation, without increasing problems related to infant immaturity or complications, remains unclear.

Dysregulation of Adenosinergic Signaling in Systemic and Organ-Specific Autoimmunity.

Exact causes for autoimmune diseases remain unclear and no cures are available. Breakdown of immunotolerance could set the stage for unfettered immune responses that target self-antigens. Impaired regulatory immune mechanisms could have permissive roles in autoreactivity.

Dystrophic mdx mouse myoblasts exhibit elevated ATP/UTP-evoked metabotropic purinergic responses and alterations in calcium signalling.

Pathophysiology of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is still elusive. Although progressive wasting of muscle fibres is a cause of muscle deterioration, there is a growing body of evidence that the triggering effects of DMD mutation are present at the earlier stage of muscle development and affect myogenic cells. Among these abnormalities, elevated activity of P2X7 receptors and increased store-operated calcium entry myoblasts have been identified in mdx mouse.

Inhibition of Inflammatory Changes in Human Myometrial Cells by Cell Penetrating Peptide and Small Molecule Inhibitors of NFκB.

Complications arising from Preterm Birth are the leading causes of neonatal death globally. Current therapeutic strategies to prevent Preterm Birth are yet to demonstrate success in terms of reducing this neonatal disease burden. Upregulation of intracellular inflammatory pathways in uterine cells, including those involving nuclear factor kappa-B (NFκB), have been causally linked to both human term and preterm labor, but the barrier presented by the cell membrane presents an obstacle to interventions aimed at dampening these inflammatory responses.

Nonuniform Sampling for NMR Spectroscopy.

Nonuniform sampling was first proposed more than 40 years ago as an alternate method for sampling two-dimensional NMR data was initially pursued by only a small number of scientists. However, it has been gradually adopted after it was shown that major gains in measuring time and spectrum resolution can be obtained. Furthermore, migration of NMR software to the Unix environment facilitated development of new processing tools, and there is now a selection of programs available that yield high-quality reconstructions of NUS data.