An Investigation of the Structures of [(Glycine)(1-Methyluracil)]M Complexes (M=H, Li, Na, K) in the Gas Phase by IRMPD Spectroscopy and Theoretical Methods.

The presence of ions in the complexation of molecules can profoundly affect the structure, resulting in changes to functionality and stability. These non-covalent interactions drive many biological processes both necessary and inimical and require extensive research to understand and predict their effects. Protonated and alkali metalated complexes of glycine (Gly) and 1-methyluracil (1-mUra) were studied using infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD) spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) calculations.

Omentum-derived matrix enables the study of metastatic ovarian cancer and stromal cell functions in a physiologically relevant environment.

High-grade serous (HGS) ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynaecological disease in the world and metastases is a major cause. The omentum is the preferential metastatic site in HGS ovarian cancer patients and models that recapitulate the original environment of this organ at cellular and molecular level are being developed to study basic mechanisms that underpin this disease. The tumour extracellular matrix (ECM) plays active roles in HGS ovarian cancer pathology and response to therapy.

Quantifying the land and population risk of sewage spills overland using a fine-scale, DEM-based GIS model.

Accidental releases of untreated sewage into the environment, known as sewage spills, may cause adverse gastrointestinal stress to exposed populations, especially in young, elderly, or immune-compromised individuals. In addition to human pathogens, untreated sewage contains high levels of micropollutants, organic matter, nitrogen, and phosphorus, potentially resulting in aquatic ecosystem impacts such as algal blooms, depleted oxygen, and fish kills in spill-impacted waterways. Our Geographic Information System (GIS) model, Spill Footprint Exposure Risk (SFER) integrates fine-scale elevation data (1/3 arc-second) with flowpath tracing methods to estimate the expected overland pathways of sewage spills and the locations where they are likely to pool.

Cascading effects of COVID-19 on population mobility and air quality: An exploration including place characteristics using geovisualization.

This study hypothesizes that public health responses to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), including a mandated restriction of activity (commonly called a 'lockdown') resulted in reduced transportation activities and changes in air quality in Texas, USA. This presented a natural experiment where population mobility and air quality before and after the lockdown could be compared. Changes in mobility were measured by SafeGraph mobility data (from opt-in smart phone applications that transmit location data) and air quality changes were based on NO2 concentrations measured by the European Space Agency's Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite (from the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument).

Exploring the socio-economic and environmental components of infectious diseases using multivariate geovisualization: West Nile Virus.

Background: This study postulates that underlying environmental conditions and a susceptible population's socio-economic status should be explored simultaneously to adequately understand a vector borne disease infection risk. Here we focus on West Nile Virus (WNV), a mosquito borne pathogen, as a case study for spatial data visualization of environmental characteristics of a vector's habitat alongside human demographic composition for understanding potential public health risks of infectious disease. Multiple efforts have attempted to predict WNV environmental risk, while others have documented factors related to human vulnerability to the disease.

NRP2 as an Emerging Angiogenic Player; Promoting Endothelial Cell Adhesion and Migration by Regulating Recycling of α5 Integrin.

Angiogenesis relies on the ability of endothelial cells (ECs) to migrate over the extracellular matrix via integrin receptors to respond to an angiogenic stimulus. Of the two neuropilin (NRP) orthologs to be identified, both have been reported to be expressed on normal blood and lymphatic ECs, and to play roles in the formation of blood and lymphatic vascular networks during angiogenesis. Whilst the role of NRP1 and its interactions with integrins during angiogenesis has been widely studied, the role of NRP2 in ECs is poorly understood.

Prioritizing riparian corridors for ecosystem restoration in urbanizing watersheds.

Background: Riparian corridors can affect nutrient, organic matter, and sediment transport, all of which shape water quality in streams and connected downstream waters. When functioning riparian corridors remain intact, they provide highly valued water quality ecosystem services. However, in rapidly urbanizing watersheds, riparian corridors are susceptible to development modifications that adversely affect those ecosystem services.

Hypoxic cancer-associated fibroblasts increase NCBP2-AS2/HIAR to promote endothelial sprouting through enhanced VEGF signaling.

Intratumoral hypoxia causes the formation of dysfunctional blood vessels, which contribute to tumor metastasis and reduce the efficacy of therapeutic treatments. Blood vessels are embedded in the tumor stroma of which cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) constitute a prominent cellular component. We found that hypoxic human mammary CAFs promoted angiogenesis in CAF-endothelial cell cocultures in vitro.

The β3-integrin endothelial adhesome regulates microtubule-dependent cell migration.

Integrin β3 is seen as a key anti-angiogenic target for cancer treatment due to its expression on neovasculature, but the role it plays in the process is complex; whether it is pro- or anti-angiogenic depends on the context in which it is expressed. To understand precisely β3's role in regulating integrin adhesion complexes in endothelial cells, we characterised, by mass spectrometry, the β3-dependent adhesome. We show that depletion of β3-integrin in this cell type leads to changes in microtubule behaviour that control cell migration.

Sulforaphane exerts anti-angiogenesis effects against hepatocellular carcinoma through inhibition of STAT3/HIF-1α/VEGF signalling.

Angiogenesis plays an important role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the inhibition of which is explored for cancer prevention and treatment. The dietary phytochemical sulforaphane (SFN) is known for its anti-cancer properties in vitro and in vivo; but until now, no study has focused on the role of SFN in HCC tumor angiogenesis. In the present study, in vitro cell models using a HCC cell line, HepG2, and human endothelial cells, HUVECs, as well as ex vivo and in vivo models have been used to investigate the anti-tumor and anti-angiogenic effect of SFN.

Rapid, Secure Drug Testing Using Fingerprint Development and Paper Spray Mass Spectrometry.

Background: Paper spray mass spectrometry (PS-MS) is a technique that has recently emerged and has shown excellent analytical sensitivity to a number of drugs in blood. As an alternative to blood, fingerprints have been shown to provide a noninvasive and traceable sampling matrix. Our goal was to validate the use of fingerprint samples to detect cocaine use.

An updated understanding of Texas bumble bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) species presence and potential distributions in Texas, USA.

Texas is the second largest state in the United States of America, and the largest state in the contiguous USA at nearly 700,000 sq. km. Several Texas bumble bee species have shown evidence of declines in portions of their continental ranges, and conservation initiatives targeting these species will be most effective if species distributions are well established.

A comparison of least squares regression and geographically weighted regression modeling of West Nile virus risk based on environmental parameters.

Background: The primary aim of the study reported here was to determine the effectiveness of utilizing local spatial variations in environmental data to uncover the statistical relationships between West Nile Virus (WNV) risk and environmental factors. Because least squares regression methods do not account for spatial autocorrelation and non-stationarity of the type of spatial data analyzed for studies that explore the relationship between WNV and environmental determinants, we hypothesized that a geographically weighted regression model would help us better understand how environmental factors are related to WNV risk patterns without the confounding effects of spatial non-stationarity.

Methods: We examined commonly mapped environmental factors using both ordinary least squares regression (LSR) and geographically weighted regression (GWR).

Suppression of β3-integrin in mice triggers a neuropilin-1-dependent change in focal adhesion remodelling that can be targeted to block pathological angiogenesis.

Anti-angiogenic treatments against αvβ3-integrin fail to block tumour growth in the long term, which suggests that the tumour vasculature escapes from angiogenesis inhibition through αvβ3-integrin-independent mechanisms. Here, we show that suppression of β3-integrin in mice leads to the activation of a neuropilin-1 (NRP1)-dependent cell migration pathway in endothelial cells via a mechanism that depends on NRP1's mobilisation away from mature focal adhesions following VEGF-stimulation. The simultaneous genetic targeting of both molecules significantly impairs paxillin-1 activation and focal adhesion remodelling in endothelial cells, and therefore inhibits tumour angiogenesis and the growth of already established tumours.

A determination of the spatial concordance between Lyme disease incidence and habitat probability of its primary vector Ixodes scapularis (black-legged tick).

The spatial distribution of Ixodes scapularis, the most common tick vector of the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, the cause of Lyme disease in humans, has not been studied previously in Texas, United States of America. It has only rarely been reported in this state, so its local, spatial relationship to the distribution of this disease is unknown. From an epidemiological perspective, one would tend to hypothesise that there should be a high degree of spatial concordance between habitat suitability for the tick and incidence of the disease.

Redefining the role(s) of endothelial αvβ3-integrin in angiogenesis.

For nearly two decades now, the RGD (Arg-Gly-Asp)-binding αvβ3-integrin has been a focus of anti-angiogenic drug design. These inhibitors are well-tolerated, but have shown only limited success in patients. Over the years, studies in β3-integrin-knockout mice have shed some light on possible explanations for disappointing clinical outcomes.

Modelling spatial concordance between Rocky Mountain spotted fever disease incidence and habitat probability of its vector Dermacentor variabilis (American dog tick).

The spatial distribution of Dermacentor variabilis, the most commonly identified vector of the bacterium Rickettsia rickettsii which causes Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) in humans, and the spatial distribution of RMSF, have not been previously studied in the south central United States of America, particularly in Texas. From an epidemiological perspective, one would tend to hypothesise that there would be a high degree of spatial concordance between the habitat suitability for the tick and the incidence of the disease. Both maximum-entropy modelling of the tick's habitat suitability and spatially adaptive filters modelling of the human incidence of RMSF disease provide reliable portrayals of the spatial distributions of these phenomenons.

Borrelia, Ehrlichia, and Rickettsia spp. in ticks removed from persons, Texas, USA.

Data regarding the type, frequency, and distribution of tick-borne pathogens and bacterial agents are not widely available for many tick species that parasitize persons in the southern United States. We therefore analyzed the frequency and identity of pathogens and bacterial agents in ticks removed from humans and subsequently submitted to the Texas Department of State Health Services, Zoonosis Control Program, from October 1, 2004, through September 30, 2008. The data showed associations of bacterial agents and potential vectors.

Near real-time monitoring and mapping of specific conductivity levels across Lake Texoma, USA.

A submersible sonde equipped with a specific conductivity probe, linked with a global positioning satellite receiver was developed, deployed on a small boat, and used to map spatial and temporal variations in specific conductivity in a large reservoir. 7,695 sample points were recorded during 8 sampling trips. Specific conductivity ranged from 442,uS/cm to 3,378,uS/cm over the nine-month study.

Preventability of pregnancy-related deaths: results of a state-wide review.

Objective: Although the risk of death from complications of pregnancy in the 20th century has decreased dramatically, several lines of evidence suggest that it has not reached an irreducible minimum. To further reduce pregnancy-related mortality, we must understand which deaths are potentially preventable and the changes needed to prevent them. We sought to identify all pregnancy-related deaths in North Carolina and conduct a comprehensive review examining ways in which the number of these deaths could potentially be reduced.

Use of topical recombinant human platelet-derived growth factor BB in abdominal wound separation.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the topical application of recombinant human platelet-derived growth factor gel influences healing after abdominal wound separation.

Study Design: A double-blinded randomized placebo-controlled trial was conducted in patients with surgical wound separation.

Results: Ten patients were randomized to treatment, and 11 patients were randomized to placebo.