Microglia in the developing retina.

Microglia are increasingly shown to be key players in neuron development and synapse connectivity. However, the underlying mechanisms by which microglia regulate neuron function remain poorly understood in part because such analysis is challenging in the brain where neurons and synapses are intermingled and connectivity is only beginning to be mapped. Here, we discuss the features and function of microglia in the ordered mammalian retina where the laminar organization of neurons and synapses facilitates such molecular studies.

Extracellular vesicles containing oncogenic mutant β-catenin activate Wnt signalling pathway in the recipient cells.

Mutations in β-catenin, especially at the residues critical for its degradation, render it constitutively active. Here, we show that mutant β-catenin can be transported via extracellular vesicles (EVs) and activate Wnt signalling pathway in the recipient cells. An integrative proteogenomic analysis identified the presence of mutated β-catenin in EVs secreted by colorectal cancer (CRC) cells.

Access to essential cardiovascular medicines for children: a pilot study of availability, price and affordability in Nigeria.

Policies to improve access to medicines for children in low- and middle-income countries, such as Nigeria, should consider the growing threat of non-communicable diseases. The aim of this pilot study was to scope availability, price and affordability of essential cardiovascular medicines for children in selected states in Nigeria. The study was a descriptive longitudinal survey conducted in three phases.

The use of adenosine to identify dormant conduction after accessory pathway ablation: a single center experience and literature review.

Introduction: Atrio-ventricular reentrant tachycardias (AVRT) represent around 40 percent of supraventricular tachycardias. After ablation, recurrence rates are around 10 percent. Adenosine has been described as a useful tool to assess presence of dormant conduction and predict recurrence after apparently successful ablation.

Effects of inorganic fertilizer on larval development, adult longevity and insecticide susceptibility in the malaria vector Anopheles arabiensis (Diptera: Culicidae).

Background: Exposure to inorganic fertilizer is common for the major malaria vector Anopheles arabiensis, which is closely associated with agricultural activities. The aim of this study was to understand if insecticide susceptible and resistant individuals respond to fertilizer exposure in the same manner. Two laboratory strains, SENN, an insecticide susceptible strain, and SENN-DDT, an insecticide resistant strain selected strain selected from SENN, were used in this study.

An Investigation of the Anti-Parkinsonism Potential of Co-enzyme Q and Co-enzyme Q /Levodopa-carbidopa Combination in Mice.

Despite decades of research, neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson's disease remain a leading cause of disability worldwide, due to the insufficient reduction of disease burden by available medications. Recently, the benefits of dietary supplements like co-enzyme Q in neurodegenerative diseases have been reported. ; Aim: The protective effects of supplemental co-enzyme Q (CQ) and possible additive benefits of CQ /Levodopa-Carbidopa (LD) in Chlorpromazine (CPZ)-induced Parkinsonism-like changes in mice were investigated.

Ablation of conceptus PTGS2 expression does not alter early conceptus development and establishment of pregnancy in the pig†.

Pig conceptuses secrete estrogens (E2), interleukin 1 beta 2 (IL1B2), and prostaglandins (PGs) during the period of rapid trophoblast elongation and establishment of pregnancy. Previous studies established that IL1B2 is essential for rapid conceptus elongation, whereas E2 is not essential for conceptus elongation or early maintenance of the corpora lutea. The objective of the present study was to determine if conceptus expression of prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2) and release of PG are important for early development and establishment of pregnancy.

Spatiotemporal gene expression patterns reveal molecular relatedness between retinal laminae.

In several areas of the central nervous system, neurons are regionally organized into groups or layers that carry out specific activities. In this form of patterning, neurons of distinct types localize their cell bodies to just one or a few of the layers within a structure. However, little is known about whether diverse neuron types within a lamina share molecular features that coordinate their organization.

Population-level evaluation of complications after catheter ablation in patients with atrial fibrillation and heart failure.

Introduction: Catheter ablation (CA) has been increasingly used to treat atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with heart failure (HF), however, its safety at the population-level has not yet been evaluated. To assess the safety of CA in AF-HF patients, the frequency and potential risk factors for adverse events (AEs) within 30 days post-CA were determined.

Methods: A population-based cohort of AF-HF patients who underwent CA in Quebec, Canada (2000-2017) was constructed using administrative databases.

Becoming a Principal Investigator: Designing and Navigating Your Academic Adventure.

Starting your own academic lab is a wonderful opportunity to impact science through research and trainee mentoring. In this article, we share some thoughts and resources for this undertaking in the hope that they may enhance the experience of others.

Peripartum cardiomyopathy with co-incident preeclampsia: A cohort study of clinical risk factors and outcomes among commercially insured women.

Background: Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) and preeclampsia are strongly associated, yet a description of risk factors for PPCM among women with preeclampsia is currently lacking. Additionally, the effect of preeclampsia on PPCM-related outcomes is not well known.

Methods: We constructed a cohort of delivery admissions from 2011 to 2014 using a large US administrative database (Marketscan).

CAF hierarchy driven by pancreatic cancer cell p53-status creates a pro-metastatic and chemoresistant environment via perlecan.

Heterogeneous subtypes of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) coexist within pancreatic cancer tissues and can both promote and restrain disease progression. Here, we interrogate how cancer cells harboring distinct alterations in p53 manipulate CAFs. We reveal the existence of a p53-driven hierarchy, where cancer cells with a gain-of-function (GOF) mutant p53 educate a dominant population of CAFs that establish a pro-metastatic environment for GOF and null p53 cancer cells alike.

Personalized medicine and back-allogeneic exosomes for cancer immunotherapy.

Extracellular vesicles, especially exosomes, have been explored for cancer immunotherapy. The initial studies made use of autologous B-cell or dendritic cell-derived exosomes, with the idea that MHC-peptide complexes on the exosomal surface would stimulate an MHC-restricted cancer-specific immune response. This was also verified in mouse systems, whilst the effects in human clinical systems were more modest.

Comparative topographic analyses on the foramen magnums of two hystricomorphs: the crested porcupine (Hystrix cristata) and greater cane rat (Thryonomys swinderianus). Implications for typology, phylogeny and evolution in rodents.

Background: This investigation aims to assess species comparison of foramen magnums in two hystricomorphs and endeavours an inter-species categorisation of individual shape outline.

Materials And Methods: This study utilised 35 skull samples of different ages from the crested porcupine (H. cristata) (17) and the greater cane rat (T.

Does dietary diversity predict the nutritional status of adolescents in Jimma Zone, Southwest Ethiopia?

Objective: This study aimed to assess the association between dietary diversity and nutritional status of adolescents in Jimma Zone, Southwest Ethiopia. A secondary data was used to assess the association between dietary diversity and nutritional status of adolescents in Jimma Zone, Southwest Ethiopia. Adolescents in the age of 13-17 years old included in the analysis.

Progressive myoclonic epilepsy-associated gene Kctd7 regulates retinal neurovascular patterning and function.

Neuron function relies on and instructs the development and precise organization of neurovascular units that in turn support circuit activity. However, our understanding of the molecular cues that regulate this relationship remains sparse. Using a high-throughput screening pipeline, we recently identified several new regulators of vascular patterning.

Barriers to reporting non-motor symptoms to health-care providers in people with Parkinson's.

Background: Non-motor symptoms (NMS) are common in Parkinson's disease (PD) and cause significant distress. A high rate of non-declaration of NMS by patients to healthcare providers (HCP) means that many NMS remain untreated. Current understanding of the factors preventing disclosure of NMS to HCPs is limited.

Right- versus Left-Sided Chest Ports in Oncologic Patients with a History of Right-Sided Port Removal: Are There Any Differences in the Complication Rates?

Purpose: To compare chest port (port)-related complication rates between right- and left-sided ports placed in adult oncologic patients with a history of right-sided port removal.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective chart review identified 90 adult oncologic patients with a history of right-sided port removal. Of these, 60 patients had a second port placed on the right side (right-side group), while 30 patients had a second port placed on the left side (left-side group).

Glioblastoma heterogeneity and the tumour microenvironment: implications for preclinical research and development of new treatments.

Glioblastoma is the deadliest form of brain cancer. Aside from inadequate treatment options, one of the main reasons glioblastoma is so lethal is the rapid growth of tumour cells coupled with continuous cell invasion into surrounding healthy brain tissue. Significant intra- and inter-tumour heterogeneity associated with differences in the corresponding tumour microenvironments contributes greatly to glioblastoma progression.