Human iPSC-Based Model of COPD to Investigate Disease Mechanisms, Predict SARS-COV-2 Outcome, and Test Preventive Immunotherapy.

Chronic inflammation and dysregulated repair mechanisms after epithelial damage have been implicated in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, the lack of ex vivo-models that accurately reflect multicellular lung tissue hinders our understanding of epithelial-mesenchymal interactions in COPD. Through a combination of transcriptomic and proteomic approaches applied to a sophisticated in vitro iPSC-alveolosphere with fibroblasts model, epithelial-mesenchymal crosstalk was explored in COPD and following SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Opposing roles for TGFβ- and BMP-signaling during nascent alveolar differentiation in the developing human lung.

Alveolar type 2 (AT2) cells function as stem cells in the adult lung and aid in repair after injury. The current study aimed to understand the signaling events that control differentiation of this therapeutically relevant cell type during human development. Using lung explant and organoid models, we identified opposing effects of TGFβ- and BMP-signaling, where inhibition of TGFβ- and activation of BMP-signaling in the context of high WNT- and FGF-signaling efficiently differentiated early lung progenitors into AT2-like cells in vitro.

IL-13-induced STAT3-dependent signaling networks regulate esophageal epithelial proliferation in eosinophilic esophagitis.

Background: Basal zone hyperplasia (BZH) and dilated intercellular spaces (DISs) are thought to contribute to the clinical manifestations of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE); however, the molecular pathways that drive BZH remain largely unexplored.

Objective: We sought to define the role of IL-13-induced transcriptional programs in esophageal epithelial proliferation in EoE.

Methods: We performed RNA sequencing, bioinformatics, Western blot, reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR, and histologic analyses on esophageal biopsies from healthy control and patients with EoE, primary esophageal cells derived from patients with EoE, and IL-13-stimulated esophageal epithelial keratinocytes grown at the air-liquid interface (EPC2-ALI).

Opposing roles for TGFβ- and BMP-signaling during nascent alveolar differentiation in the developing human lung.

Alveolar type 2 (AT2) cells function as stem cells in the adult lung and aid in repair after injury. The current study aimed to understand the signaling events that control differentiation of this therapeutically relevant cell type during human development. Using lung explant and organoid models, we identified opposing effects of TGFβ- and BMP-signaling, where inhibition of TGFβ- and activation of BMP-signaling in the context of high WNT- and FGF-signaling efficiently differentiated early lung progenitors into AT2-like cells .

Localized strain characterization of cardiomyopathy in Duchenne muscular dystrophy using novel 4D kinematic analysis of cine cardiovascular magnetic resonance.

Background: Cardiomyopathy (CMP) is the most common cause of mortality in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), though the age of onset and clinical progression vary. We applied a novel 4D (3D + time) strain analysis method using cine cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging data to determine if localized strain metrics derived from 4D image analysis would be sensitive and specific for characterizing DMD CMP.

Methods: We analyzed short-axis cine CMR image stacks from 43 DMD patients (median age: 12.

Sleep Disturbances in Pediatric Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors: A Preliminary Investigation.

Body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) are repeated actions to one's body resulting in physical damage. Limited research has examined sleep, a known factor in psychological health, within the context of pediatric BFRBs. The current study sought to explore the connection between disordered sleep and BFRBs in a community sample.

Quantification of murine myocardial infarct size using 2-D and 4-D high-frequency ultrasound.

Ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, Canada, and worldwide. Severe disease is characterized by coronary artery occlusion, loss of blood flow to the myocardium, and necrosis of tissue, with subsequent remodeling of the heart wall, including fibrotic scarring. The current study aims to demonstrate the efficacy of quantitating infarct size via two-dimensional (2-D) echocardiographic akinetic length and four-dimensional (4-D) echocardiographic infarct volume and surface area as in vivo analysis techniques.

Persistent Nitrate in Alpine Waters with Changing Atmospheric Deposition and Warming Trends.

Nitrate concentrations in high-elevation lakes of the Colorado Front Range remain elevated despite declining trends in atmospherically deposited nitrate since 2000. The current source of this elevated nitrate in surface waters remains elusive, given shifts in additional nitrogen sources via glacial inputs and atmospheric ammonium deposition. We present the complete isotopic composition of nitrate (δN, δO, and ΔO) from a suite of nitrate-bearing source waters collected during the summers of 2017-2018 from two alpine ecosystems to constrain the provenance of elevated nitrate in surface waters during the summer open-water season.

Extra-abdominal umbilical vein varix in a newborn.

Umbilical vein varices are rare fetal anomalies typically found intra-abdominally and identified on ultrasound prior to birth. Intra-abdominal umbilical vein varices account for approximately 4% of umbilical cord abnormalities and are thought to be a developmental abnormality rather than a congenital malformation. The umbilical vein varix anomaly been shown to be associated with a higher incidence of adverse perinatal outcomes and there is evidence of a relationship between this and chromosomal abnormalities.

Automated, High-resolution Mobile Collection System for the Nitrogen Isotopic Analysis of NOx.

Nitrogen oxides (NOx = NO + NO2) are a family of atmospheric trace gases that have great impact on the environment. NOx concentrations directly influence the oxidizing capacity of the atmosphere through interactions with ozone and hydroxyl radicals. The main sink of NOx is the formation and deposition of nitric acid, a component of acid rain and a bioavailable nutrient.

Presence and incidence of izumo antibodies in sera of immunoinfertile women and men.

Problem: Sperm antigens that are relevant to fertilization and fertility, and are involved in human immunoinfertility, are being investigated in several laboratories. Izumo is a sperm-specific protein that has shown to be essential for sperm-egg fusion. The present study was conducted to examine the expression of Izumo protein in human sperm.