Incarcerated fathers and parenting: importance of the relationship with their children.

This study examined the relationships of incarcerated fathers (n = 185) with their children while in a maximum security prison. Despite the attention to parental incarceration and at-risk children, the child welfare and corrections literature has focused mostly on imprisoned mothers and children. Demographic, sentence, child-related, and program participation factors were investigated for their influence on father-child relationships.

Evolution of a species-specific determinant within human CRM1 that regulates the post-transcriptional phases of HIV-1 replication.

The human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) Rev protein regulates the nuclear export of intron-containing viral RNAs by recruiting the CRM1 nuclear export receptor. Here, we employed a combination of functional and phylogenetic analyses to identify and characterize a species-specific determinant within human CRM1 (hCRM1) that largely overcomes established defects in murine cells to the post-transcriptional stages of the HIV-1 life cycle. hCRM1 expression in murine cells promotes the cytoplasmic accumulation of intron-containing viral RNAs, resulting in a substantial stimulation of the net production of infectious HIV-1 particles.

What every hospitalist should know about the post-bariatric surgery patient.

Obesity is a growing worldwide epidemic, increasingly addressed through surgical options for weight loss. Benefits of these operations, such as weight loss and improvement or reversal of obesity-related comorbidities, are well established; however, postoperative complications do occur. This article will evaluate common causes for hospital admissions in the post-bariatric surgery population as they relate to the hospitalist who is often responsible for their care.

An outpatient-based clinical program for diabetes prevention: an update.

Objective: To update outcomes of the Diet-Exercise-Activity-Lifestyle (DEAL) program, a clinic-based diabetes prevention intervention.

Methods: Changes in weight, fasting blood glucose, and 2-hour glucose after a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test were evaluated in patients who enrolled in the DEAL program between January 2007 and August 2009.

Results: The 221 qualified participants had a mean age of 62 years, weight of 87.

Utility of survival motor neuron ELISA for spinal muscular atrophy clinical and preclinical analyses.

Objectives: Genetic defects leading to the reduction of the survival motor neuron protein (SMN) are a causal factor for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). While there are a number of therapies under evaluation as potential treatments for SMA, there is a critical lack of a biomarker method for assessing efficacy of therapeutic interventions, particularly those targeting upregulation of SMN protein levels. Towards this end we have engaged in developing an immunoassay capable of accurately measuring SMN protein levels in blood, specifically in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), as a tool for validating SMN protein as a biomarker in SMA.

The PPAR-γ agonist pioglitazone modulates inflammation and induces neuroprotection in parkinsonian monkeys.

Background: Activation of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) has been proposed as a possible neuroprotective strategy to slow down the progression of early Parkinson's disease (PD). Here we report preclinical data on the use of the PPAR-γ agonist pioglitazone (Actos®; Takeda Pharmaceuticals Ltd.) in a paradigm resembling early PD in nonhuman primates.

Rapid evolutionary rewiring of a structurally constrained eye enhancer.

Background: Enhancers are genomic cis-regulatory sequences that integrate spatiotemporal signals to control gene expression. Enhancer activity depends on the combination of bound transcription factors as well as-in some cases-the arrangement and spacing of binding sites for these factors. Here, we examine evolutionary changes to the sequence and structure of sparkling, a Notch/EGFR/Runx-regulated enhancer that activates the dPax2 gene in cone cells of the developing Drosophila eye.

Reduced bone mass and muscle strength in male 5α-reductase type 1 inactivated mice.

Androgens are important regulators of bone mass but the relative importance of testosterone (T) versus dihydrotestosterone (DHT) for the activation of the androgen receptor (AR) in bone is unknown. 5α-reductase is responsible for the irreversible conversion of T to the more potent AR activator DHT. There are two well established isoenzymes of 5α-reductase (type 1 and type 2), encoded by separate genes (Srd5a1 and Srd5a2).

Update on inpatient glycemic control in hospitals in the United States.

Objective: To provide data on glucose control in hospitals in the United States, analyzing measurements from the largest number of facilities to date.

Methods: Point-of-care bedside glucose (POC-BG) test results were extracted from 575 hospitals from January 2009 to December 2009 by using a laboratory information management system. Glycemic control for patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) and non-ICU areas was assessed by calculating patient-day-weighted mean POC-BG values and rates of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia.

Type I IFN enhances follicular B cell contribution to the T cell-independent antibody response.

Humoral immunity to viruses and encapsulated bacteria is comprised of T cell-independent type 2 (TI-2) antibody responses that are characterized by rapid antibody production by marginal zone and B1 B cells. We demonstrate that toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands influence the TI-2 antibody response not only by enhancing the overall magnitude but also by skewing this response to one that is dominated by IgG isotypes. Importantly, TLR ligands facilitate this response by inducing type I interferon (IFN), which in turn elicits rapid and significant amounts of antigen-specific IgG2c predominantly from FO (follicular) B cells.

Low plasma D-dimer concentration predicts the absence of traumatic brain injury in children.

Background: Head Computerized Tomography (CT) has significant risks, especially in children. To reduce this burden, we sought to develop a biomarker panel that predicts the absence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) on head CT.

Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort observational study followed by validation in a retrospective cohort at a regional pediatric trauma center.

Stimulation of both estrogen and androgen receptors maintains skeletal muscle mass in gonadectomized male mice but mainly via different pathways.

Testosterone is a major regulator of muscle mass. Little is known whether this is due to a direct stimulation of the androgen receptor (AR) or mediated by aromatization of testosterone to estradiol (E(2)), the ligand for the estrogen receptors (ERs), in peripheral tissues. In this study, we differentiated between the effects mediated by AR and ER by treating orchidectomized (orx) male mice for 5 weeks with E(2) or the non-aromatizable androgen dihydrotestosterone (DHT).

SRp40 and SRp55 promote the translation of unspliced human immunodeficiency virus type 1 RNA.

Nuclear RNA processing events, such as 5' cap formation, 3' polyadenylation, and pre-mRNA splicing, mark mRNA for efficient translation. Splicing enhances translation via the deposition of the exon-junction complex and other multifunctional splicing factors, including SR proteins. All retroviruses synthesize their structural and enzymatic proteins from unspliced genomic RNAs (gRNAs) and must therefore exploit unconventional strategies to ensure their effective expression.

Structural rules and complex regulatory circuitry constrain expression of a Notch- and EGFR-regulated eye enhancer.

Enhancers integrate spatiotemporal information to generate precise patterns of gene expression. How complex is the regulatory logic of a typical developmental enhancer, and how important is its internal organization? Here, we examine in detail the structure and function of sparkling, a Notch- and EGFR/MAPK-regulated, cone cell-specific enhancer of the Drosophila Pax2 gene, in vivo. In addition to its 12 previously identified protein-binding sites, sparkling is densely populated with previously unmapped regulatory sequences, which interact in complex ways to control gene expression.

The hemodynamic effects of medetomidine continuous rate infusions in the dog.

Objective: To characterize the hemodynamic effects of continuous rate infusions (CRI) of medetomidine administered at doses ranging from 0 to 3 microg kg(-1) hour(-1).

Study Design: Prospective, blinded, randomized experimental trial.

Animals: Six adult purpose-bred mongrel dogs.

Extended antibiotic prophylaxis for prevention of surgical-site infections in morbidly obese women who undergo combined hysterectomy and medically indicated panniculectomy: a cohort study.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare surgical-site infection rates in obese women who had extended prophylactic antibiotic (EPA) vs standard prophylactic antibiotic.

Study Design: An electronic records-linkage system identified 145 obese women (body mass index, >30 kg/m(2)) who underwent combined hysterectomy and panniculectomy from January 1, 2005, through December 31, 2008. The EPA cohort received standard antibiotics (cefazolin, 2 g) and continued oral antibiotic (ciprofloxacin) until removal of drains.

Evolution of linear absorption and nonlinear optical properties in V-shaped ruthenium(II)-based chromophores.

In this article, we describe a series of complexes with electron-rich cis-{Ru(II)(NH(3))(4)}(2+) centers coordinated to two pyridyl ligands bearing N-methyl/arylpyridinium electron-acceptor groups. These V-shaped dipolar species are new, extended members of a class of chromophores first reported by us (Coe, B. J.

A metal-organic framework via the reaction of benzoate with a cationic inorganic material.

Our research group previously reported a two-dimensional cationic inorganic material (BING-5, Pb(3)F(5)NO(3)) where nitrate resides in the interlamellar space and can be anion exchanged. Investigation of the possible exchange of nitrate for benzoate led to the discovery of a layered metal-organic framework, lead benzoate hydrate [Pb(C(6)H(5)CO(2))(2)(OH(2))]. The compound crystallizes as colourless plates in the monoclinic space group P2(1)/c.

Evidence for a novel mechanism for gene amplification in multiple myeloma: 1q12 pericentromeric heterochromatin mediates breakage-fusion-bridge cycles of a 1q12 approximately 23 amplicon.

Gene amplification is defined as a copy number (CN) increase in a restricted region of a chromosome arm, and is a mechanism for acquired drug resistance and oncogene activation. In multiple myeloma (MM), high CNs of genes in a 1q12 approximately 23 amplicon have been associated with disease progression and poor prognosis. To investigate the mechanisms for gene amplification in this region in MM, we performed a comprehensive metaphase analysis combining G-banding, fluorescence in situ hybridization, and spectral karyotyping in 67 patients with gain of 1q.

How couples cope with the death of a twin or higher order multiple.

Fifty-two Australian couples who had experienced the death of at least one member of a multiple birth (twin or higher order), with at least one survivor of that birth, were interviewed about their experiences at the time of the death, and since. This study compared parents' coping after the twins' deaths using the Beck Depression Inventory II, Perinatal Grief Scale, and unstructured interviews with some structured queries. Parents provided information on the influence of family, community and medical staff.

Matrix mediates the functional link between human immunodeficiency virus type 1 RNA nuclear export elements and the assembly competency of Gag in murine cells.

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) assembles poorly in murine cells, reflecting inefficient targeting of the Gag structural polyprotein to the plasma membrane. Virus particle production can be restored by replacing the cis-acting Rev response element (RRE) in Gag-Pol mRNAs with multiple copies of the CTE (4xCTE), suggesting a mechanistic link between HIV-1 RNA trafficking and productive Gag assembly. In this report, we demonstrate that Gag molecules generated from RRE-dependent transcripts are intrinsically defective for assembly in murine 3T3 cells.

The metrial gland in the rat and its similarities to granular cell tumors.

Metrial glands are normal structures located in the mesometrial triangle of the pregnant rat uterus from gestational day (GD) 8 through termination of pregnancy. Metrial glands are composed of a dynamic mixed cell population of granulated metrial gland (GMG) cells, endometrial stromal cells, trophoblasts, blood vessels, and fibroblasts. Collections of similar cells may be seen in association with pseudopregnancy and other hormonal disturbances.