Aerodynamic Threshold Measures for Reflecting Glottal Closure in Voice Disorders.

Purpose: Previous work suggested that phonation threshold pressure (PTP), phonation threshold flow (PTF), and phonation threshold power (PTW) could be effective aerodynamic measures for quantifying glottal incompetence. This study examined how these measures could reflect varying extent of incomplete glottal closure in individuals with voice disorders.

Method: Thirty individuals formally diagnosed with glottal incompetence, including 10 with hypofunctional disorders (hypo group) and 20 with hyperfunctional disorders (hyper group), and 30 individuals with normal voice (control group) participated in the study.

A synthetic agent ameliorates polycystic kidney disease by promoting apoptosis of cystic cells through increased oxidative stress.

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is the most common monogenic cause of chronic kidney disease and the fourth leading cause of end-stage kidney disease, accounting for over 50% of prevalent cases requiring renal replacement therapy. There is a pressing need for improved therapy for ADPKD. Recent insights into the pathophysiology of ADPKD revealed that cyst cells undergo metabolic changes that up-regulate aerobic glycolysis in lieu of mitochondrial respiration for energy production, a process that ostensibly fuels their increased proliferation.

A Vocal Hygiene Program for Mitigating the Effects of Occupational Vocal Demand in Primary School Teachers.

Purpose: Teachers are occupational voice users with significant vocal demand. This study examined if a vocal hygiene program could mitigate the effects of occupational vocal demand in primary school teachers across 1 month.

Method: Sixty female teachers participated, with 30 in an experimental group receiving vocal hygiene education plus daily home practice for 1 month and 30 in a control group with no intervention.

Comparison of Human Antral Follicles of Xenograft versus Ovarian Origin Reveals Disparate Molecular Signatures.

The activation, growth, and maturation of oocytes to an ovulatory phase, termed folliculogenesis, is governed by the orchestrated activity of multiple specialized cell types within the ovary; yet, the mechanisms governing diversification and behavior of discrete cellular sub-populations within follicles are poorly understood. We use bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing to distinguish the transcriptional signature of prospectively isolated granulosa and theca/stroma cell subsets within human antral follicles derived from xenografts or ovaries. The analysis deconstructs phenotypic diversification within small (<4 mm) antral follicles, identifying secreted factors that are differentially enriched between mural and oophorus granulosa cells, and segregating stromal/support and steroidal activity between theca externa and interna, respectively.

Blocking cellular N-glycosylation suppresses human cytomegalovirus entry in human fibroblasts.

N-glycosylation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of viral infections. However, the role of host cell N-glycosylation in human cytomegalovirus (hCMV) infection remains to be elucidated. In this study, we found that blocking or removal of cellular N-glycosylation by tunicamycin, peptide-N-glycosidase F (PNGase F) treatment, or N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase I (MGAT1) knockdown resulted in suppression of hCMV infection in human fibroblasts.

Chronic Low-grade Inflammatory Phenotype (CLIP) and Senescent Immune Dysregulation.

Purpose: The aim was to provide an overview of chronic low-grade inflammatory phenotype (CLIP) and evidence for its role in the pathogenesis of frailty and other chronic conditions as well as potential causative factors and interventions.

Methods: We reviewed evidence from published clinical and laboratory studies and summarized the opinions of experts from published reviews.

Findings: CLIP is a low-grade, systemic, unresolved, and smoldering chronic inflammatory state clearly indicated by a 2- to 4-fold increase in serum levels of inflammatory mediators, such as interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein.

Prospective study of particulate air pollution exposures, subclinical atherosclerosis, and clinical cardiovascular disease: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and Air Pollution (MESA Air).

The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and Air Pollution (MESA Air) was initiated in 2004 to investigate the relation between individual-level estimates of long-term air pollution exposure and the progression of subclinical atherosclerosis and the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD). MESA Air builds on a multicenter, community-based US study of CVD, supplementing that study with additional participants, outcome measurements, and state-of-the-art air pollution exposure assessments of fine particulate matter, oxides of nitrogen, and black carbon. More than 7,000 participants aged 45-84 years are being followed for over 10 years for the identification and characterization of CVD events, including acute myocardial infarction and other coronary artery disease, stroke, peripheral artery disease, and congestive heart failure; cardiac procedures; and mortality.

Decreased PM10 exposure attenuates age-related lung function decline: genetic variants in p53, p21, and CCND1 modify this effect.

Background: Decreasing exposure to airborne particulates was previously associated with reduced age-related decline in lung function. However, whether the benefit from improved air quality depends on genetic background is not known. Recent evidence points to the involvement of the genes p53 and p21 and of the cell cycle control gene cyclin D1 (CCND1) in the response of bronchial cells to air pollution.

Time-variable simulation of soil vapor intrusion into a building with a combined crawl space and basement.

A time-variable one-dimensional model (called ViM for Vapor Intrusion Model)to predict indoor vapor concentrations in a dwelling with a combined basement and crawl space has been developed. ViM predicts vapor concentrations in each of the three compartments. Volatile chemicals that intrude into the dwelling are assumed to originate from soil, groundwater (where an attenuating plume is simulated), or ambient air.

A community study of the effect of particulate matter on blood measures of inflammation and thrombosis in an elderly population.

Background: The mechanism behind the triggering effect of fine particulate matter (PM) air pollution on cardiovascular events remains elusive. We postulated that elevated levels of PM would be associated with increased blood levels of inflammatory and thrombotic markers in elderly individuals. We also hypothesized that elevated PM would increase levels of cytokines in individuals with heart disease.

Living near main streets and respiratory symptoms in adults: the Swiss Cohort Study on Air Pollution and Lung Diseases in Adults.

The Swiss Cohort Study on Air Pollution and Lung Diseases in Adults (SAPALDIA), conducted in 1991 (SAPALDIA 1) in eight areas among 9,651 randomly selected adults aged 18-60 years, reported associations among the prevalence of respiratory symptoms, nitrogen dioxide, and particles with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 10 microg/m3. Later, 8,047 subjects reenrolled in 2002 (SAPALDIA 2). The effects of individually assigned traffic exposures on reported respiratory symptoms were estimated, while controlling for socioeconomic and exposure- and health-related factors.

Validation of an objective scar pigmentation measurement by using a spectrocolorimeter.

Scar pigmentation changes throughout its maturation process and it is often used as one of the indicators for scar maturation, yet it is often rated subjectively. The purpose of this study was to investigate the application of a commercial spectrocolorimeter to produce a reliable measurement on scar pigmentation. Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) model of color has been adopted in this study for measurement of scar pigmentation 24 patients with hypertrophic scars at different stages of maturation were selected for the study, were inspected by two therapists using the Vancouver scar scale (VSS) and then using spectrocolorimeter for inter-rater reliability.

Application of a nutrient cycling model (NuCM) to a northern mixed hardwood and a southern coniferous forest.

The nutrient cycling model, NuCM, which incorporates state-of-the-art understanding of the biogeochemical and transport processes controlling nutrient cycles, simulates vegetation growth, litterfall and decay, soil biogeochemical processes, and movement of water. Output of the model includes the available nutrients in soil strata and vegetation pools and the fluxes between pools on a weekly, monthly or annual basis. Solution and adsorbed concentrations in the various soil layers can be plotted versus time.