Evaluation of an artificial intelligence coronary artery calcium scoring model from computed tomography.

Objectives: Coronary artery calcium (CAC) scores derived from computed tomography (CT) scans are used for cardiovascular risk stratification. Artificial intelligence (AI) can assist in CAC quantification and potentially reduce the time required for human analysis. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a fully automated model that identifies and quantifies CAC.

Stockinette application over a non-prepped foot risks proximal contamination.

This study sought to determine if there was an increased risk for surgical site contamination during stockinette application for a lower extremity surgery draping technique. Utilizing a simulated, sterile surgical field, stockinettes were applied over 10 cadaver lower extremities that were contaminated with non-pathogenic Escherichia coli on the foot. Of those, five specimens were then disinfected with Chloroprep and another 5 did not undergo any disinfection.

Peramivir and laninamivir susceptibility of circulating influenza A and B viruses.

Influenza viruses collected from regions of Asia, Africa and Oceania between 2009 and 2012 were tested for their susceptibility to two new neuraminidase inhibitors, peramivir and laninamivir. All viruses tested had normal laninamivir inhibition. However, 3·2% (19/599) of A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses had highly reduced peramivir inhibition (due to H275Y NA mutation) and <1% (6/1238) of influenza B viruses had reduced or highly reduced peramivir inhibition, with single occurrence of variants containing I221T, A245T, K360E, A395E, D432G and a combined G145R+Y142H mutation.

Relative expression of proprotein convertases in rat ovaries during pregnancy.

Background: Proprotein convertases are a family of serine proteinases that are related to bacterial subtilisin and yeast kexin. They are involved in posttranslational processing of the precursors of a vast number of cellular proteins. With the exception of PC1/3, the relative expression levels of the proprotein convertases in the ovary during pregnancy have not been reported.

Characterization of a variant of ERGIC2 transcript.

ERGIC2 (formerly known as PTX1) is a gene identified by subtractive hybridization on the basis that it is expressed in normal human prostate, but not in prostate carcinoma. It is unrelated to the gene encoding pituitary homeobox protein (Ptx1 or Pitx1), which regulates pituitary hormone gene expression. Based on sequence homology with the yeast Erv41 protein, it is suggested that the ERGIC2 protein is an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) resident protein involved in protein trafficking between the ER and Golgi intermediate compartment (ERGIC) and cis-Golgi.

Zinc Protoporphyrin Upregulates Heme Oxygenase-1 in PC-3 Cells via the Stress Response Pathway.

Zinc protoporphyrin IX (ZnPP), a naturally occurring molecule formed in iron deficiency or lead poisoning, is a potent competitive inhibitor of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). It also regulates expression of HO-1 at the transcriptional level. However, the effect of ZnPP on HO-1 expression is controversial.

Creation of rabbit bone and soft tissue tumor using cultured VX2 cells.

Background: To create rabbit VX2 bone tumors, it is surgically less demanding to implant VX2 cell suspensions than minced tumor fragments. A VX2 cell line that can be expanded using standard cell culture techniques might provide an unlimited supply of cells needed to create these bone tumors. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to establish a VX2 cell line and verify its tumorigenicity in an athymic mouse and rabbit animal model.

Evaluation of elution and mechanical properties of two injectable chemotherapeutic bone cements.

Chemotherapeutic bone cements can both stabilize the bone fractures as well as deliver chemotherapy agents directly to the bone metastatic site and adjacent soft tissue tumors. This study evaluated the in vitro elution and flexural properties of Vertebroplastic™ and Confidence Ultra™ bone cements (Depuy Spine Inc., Raynham, Mass.

Atorvastatin activates heme oxygenase-1 at the stress response elements.

Statins are known to inhibit growth of a number of cancer cells, but their mechanism of action is not well established. In this study, human prostate adenocarcinoma PC-3 and breast adenocarcinoma MCF-7 cell lines were used as models to investigate the mechanism of action of atorvastatin, one of the statins. Atorvastatin was found to induce apoptosis in PC-3 cells at a concentration of 1 μM, and in MCF-7 cells at 50 μM.

Clinical report of microphthalmia and optic nerve coloboma associated with a de novo microdeletion of chromosome 16p11.2.

Anophthalmia and microphthalmia are etiologically and clinically heterogeneous. We present a 13-year-old boy with microphthalmia and multiple anomalies who was evaluated as part of our research into the etiology of microphthalmia. His clinical features included left microphthalmia, persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous and posterior coloboma, right posterior pole coloboma, pectus excavatum, mild hypotonia, mild delays in speech and motor development, and an anxiety disorder with social difficulties.

Brefeldin A activates CHOP promoter at the AARE, ERSE and AP-1 elements.

Brefeldin A induces apoptosis in PC-3 and MCF-7 cells at a concentration of 30 ng/ml. RT-PCR analyses showed up-regulation of CHOP/GADD153 and splicing of XBP-1 mRNA in brefeldin A-treated cells. CHOP promoter-luciferase reporter assays demonstrated activation of AARE, ERSE, and AP-1 elements of CHOP promoter by brefeldin A treatment.

PTX1(ERGIC2)-VP22 fusion protein upregulates interferon-beta in prostate cancer cell line PC-3.

PTX1 is a gene identified by subtractive hybridization on the basis that it is expressed in normal prostate and not in prostate carcinoma. It is unrelated to the pituitary homeobox protein (Ptx1 or Pitx1), which regulates pituitary hormone gene expression, and its function is currently unknown. Recently, it was found to be a homolog of the yeast Erv41p, an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) resident protein involved in protein trafficking between ER and Golgi, and was renamed as ERGIC2.

Effects of PTX1 expression on growth and tumorigenicity of the prostate cancer cell line PC-3.

PTX1 is a gene identified by subtractive hybridization on the basis that it is expressed in normal prostate and not in prostate carcinoma. It encodes a nuclear protein that is downregulated in prostate carcinoma. Expression constructs containing PTX1 cDNA in both sense and antisense orientations were transfected into prostate tumor cell line, PC-3 cells.