(Hedw.) Mitt. growing in the dark defaults to an auxin- and cytokinin-independent developmental programme.

Auxin and cytokinin partially restore (formerly ) gametophores that have developed in the dark to a form more typical of those grown in light. Auxin synthesis and/or transport in gametophores decrease with time spent in the dark. Auxin synthesis resumes in the apices of dark-grown gametophores upon their return to the light.

A Primed Neutrophil Subset Predicts the Risk of Bloodstream Infections in Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem-Cell Transplant Patients: A Prospective Study.

Background: Bloodstream infections (BSIs) are the most common infectious complication in patients who receive allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplants (allo-HSCTs). Polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) are quantified to monitor the susceptibility to BSIs; however, their degree of activation is not. We previously identified a population of primed PMNs (pPMNs) with distinct markers of activation representing approximately 10% of PMNs in circulation.

Frailty Measures of Patient-reported Activity and Fatigue May Predict 1-year Outcomes in Ambulatory Advanced Heart Failure: A Report From the REVIVAL Registry.

Background: The Fried Frailty Phenotype predicts adverse outcomes in geriatric populations, but has not been well-studied in advanced heart failure (HF). The Registry Evaluation of Vital Information for Ventricular Assist Devices (VADs) in Ambulatory Life (REVIVAL) study prospectively collected frailty measures in patients with advanced HF to determine relevant assessments and their impact on clinical outcomes.

Methods And Results: HF-Fried Frailty was defined by 5 baseline components (1 point each): (1) weakness: hand grip strength less than 25% of body weight; (2) slowness based on time to walk 15 feet; (3) weight loss of more than 10 lbs in the past year; (4) inactivity; and (5) exhaustion, both assessed by the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire.

Caregiver Health-Related Quality of Life, Burden, and Patient Outcomes in Ambulatory Advanced Heart Failure: A Report From REVIVAL.

Background Heart failure (HF) imposes significant burden on patients and caregivers. Longitudinal data on caregiver health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and burden in ambulatory advanced HF are limited. Methods and Results Ambulatory patients with advanced HF (n=400) and their participating caregivers (n=95) enrolled in REVIVAL (Registry Evaluation of Vital Information for VADs [Ventricular Assist Devices] in Ambulatory Life) were followed up for 24 months, or until patient death, left ventricular assist device implantation, heart transplantation, or loss to follow-up.

Global Trends of Benthic Bacterial Diversity and Community Composition Along Organic Enrichment Gradients of Salmon Farms.

The analysis of benthic bacterial community structure has emerged as a powerful alternative to traditional microscopy-based taxonomic approaches to monitor aquaculture disturbance in coastal environments. However, local bacterial diversity and community composition vary with season, biogeographic region, hydrology, sediment texture, and aquafarm-specific parameters. Therefore, without an understanding of the inherent variation contained within community complexes, bacterial diversity surveys conducted at individual farms, countries, or specific seasons may not be able to infer global universal pictures of bacterial community diversity and composition at different degrees of aquaculture disturbance.

Circulating microparticle concentrations across acute and chronic cardiovascular disease conditions.

Unlabelled: Concentrations of different circulating microparticles (MPs) may have clinical and physiological relevance to cardiovascular disease pathologies.

Purpose: To quantify plasma concentrations of CD31+/CD42b-, CD62E+, and CD34+ MPs across healthy individuals and those with coronary artery disease (CAD) or acute cardiovascular events (non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI)). Fasted blood was obtained from CAD patients (n = 10), NSTEMI patients (n = 13), and healthy older men (n = 15) 60-75 years old.

Comorbid Conditions and Health-Related Quality of Life in Ambulatory Heart Failure Patients: REVIVAL (Registry Evaluation of Vital Information for VADs in Ambulatory Life REVIVAL).

Background: Patients with heart failure (HF) often have multiple chronic conditions that may impact health-related quality of life (HRQOL) despite HF therapy. We sought to determine the association between noncardiac comorbidities and HRQOL in ambulatory patients with advanced HF.

Methods: Baseline data from 373 subjects in REVIVAL (Registry Evaluation of Vital Information for Ventricular Assist Devices in Ambulatory Life) were analyzed using multivariable general linear models to evaluate the relationship between comorbidities and HRQOL (EuroQol Visual Analogue Scale, EQ-5D-3L Index Score, and Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire).

Consumption of organic wastes from coastal salmon aquaculture by wild decapods.

Rock crab Cancer irroratus and American lobster Homarus americanus are important commercial species in coastal areas where intensive salmon aquaculture occurs in eastern Canada. Such aquaculture releases organic wastes, especially feed waste (i.e.

Quality of life and treatment preference for ventricular assist device therapy in ambulatory advanced heart failure: A report from the REVIVAL study.

Background: The Registry Evaluation of Vital Information for Ventricular Assist Devices (VADs) in Ambulatory Life study is a prospective multicenter cohort of 400 ambulatory patients with advanced chronic systolic heart failure (HF). The aim of the study is to better understand disease trajectory and optimal timing of advanced HF therapies. We examined patient health-related quality of life (HRQOL) data collected at enrollment and their association with patient treatment preferences for VAD placement.

Association of a Giant Lymphoma Mass With Occupational Benzene Exposure.

Benzene is a chemical widely used in industrial settings and known to have hematopoietic toxicity. Previous literature has been inconsistent regarding a direct association of benzene exposure with lymphoma. A young patient with a strong history of benzene exposure presented with a 17-cm chest wall lymphoma and purulent drainage from the mass.

A different type of perforation: appendicitis after colonoscopy.

Physicians who perform colonoscopy should consider appendicitis in the differential diagnosis of post procedure abdominal pain. Diagnostic laparoscopy is a safe adjunct for evaluation in patients with suspected perforation after colonoscopy. It is important that all physicians be aware of this complication to ensure prompt diagnosis and intervention.

Intestinal obstruction caused by desmoid tumours: a review of the literature.

Intraabdominal desmoid tumours are rare and can cause intestinal obstruction. Based on the review of the literature, surgical resection with negative margins and adjuvant chemotherapy is the optimal strategy for treatment of this pathology.

Demographics and socioeconomic status as predictors of weight loss after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy: A prospective cohort study.

Background: Prior studies have established that race and socioeconomic factors may influence weight loss after bariatric surgery. Few studies have focused on laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). The objective of this study is to determine if demographic factors may predict postoperative weight loss following LSG.

A Genome-Wide Association Study of Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy in African Americans.

Idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDC) is the most common form of non-ischemic chronic heart failure. Despite the higher prevalence of IDC in African Americans, the genetics of IDC have been relatively understudied in this ethnic group. We performed a genome-wide association study to identify susceptibility genes for IDC in African Americans recruited from five sites in the U.

Multisite Investigation of Outcomes With Implementation of CYP2C19 Genotype-Guided Antiplatelet Therapy After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Objectives: This multicenter pragmatic investigation assessed outcomes following clinical implementation of CYP2C19 genotype-guided antiplatelet therapy after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Background: CYP2C19 loss-of-function alleles impair clopidogrel effectiveness after PCI.

Methods: After clinical genotyping, each institution recommended alternative antiplatelet therapy (prasugrel, ticagrelor) in PCI patients with a loss-of-function allele.

A New Clinically Applicable Measure of Functional Status in Patients With Heart Failure: The 60-Foot Walk Test.

Objectives: This study reports the development and predictive value of the 60-foot walk test (60ftWT), a brief functional status measure for patients with heart failure (HF). The goal was to develop a test suitable for clinical settings and appropriate for patients with walking impairments.

Background: The 6-min walk test (6MWT) has considerable predictive value, but requires a long walking course and has limited utility in patients with mobility-related comorbidities.

Robotic repair of a right-sided Bochdalek hernia: a case report and literature review.

Background: Bochdalek hernias (BHs) are usually diagnosed in the neonatal period, occurring in 1/2200-1/12,500 live births. There are few reported cases of BHs in adults. Robotic repair has not been described in current literature as opposed to the laparoscopic approach.

Investigating the extremes of the continuum of paracrine functions in CD34-/CD31+ CACs across diverse populations.

Unlabelled: Paracrine function of circulating angiogenic cells (CACs) is thought to contribute to vascular maintenance. We previously identified S100A8 and S100A9 secreted from physically inactive individuals' CD34/CD31 CACs as negative regulators of capillary-like network formation. The purpose of this study was to investigate further the extremes of the continuum of CAC paracrine actions using two distinctly different groups representing "healthy" and "impaired" CAC function.

Safe and Effective Deployment of Personnel to Support the Ebola Response - West Africa.

From the initial task of getting "50 deployers within 30 days" into the field to support the 2014-2016 Ebola virus disease (Ebola) epidemic response in West Africa to maintaining well over 200 staff per day in the most affected countries (Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone) during the peak of the response, ensuring the safe and effective deployment of international responders was an unprecedented accomplishment by CDC. Response experiences shared by CDC deployed staff returning from West Africa were quickly incorporated into lessons learned and resulted in new activities to better protect the health, safety, security, and resiliency of responding personnel. Enhanced screening of personnel to better match skill sets and experience with deployment needs was developed as a staffing strategy.

Implementation of pharmacogenetics: the University of Maryland Personalized Anti-platelet Pharmacogenetics Program.

Despite a substantial evidence base, implementation of pharmacogenetics into routine patient care has been slow due to a number of non-trivial practical barriers. We implemented a Personalized Anti-platelet Pharmacogenetics Program (PAP3) for cardiac catheterization patients at the University of Maryland Medical Center and the Baltimore Veterans Administration Medical Center Patients' are offered CYP2C19 genetic testing, which is performed in our Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment (CLIA)-certified Translational Genomics Laboratory. Results are returned within 5 hr along with clinical decision support that includes interpretation of results and prescribing recommendations for anti-platelet therapy based on the Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium guidelines.