Survey of corticioid fungi in North American pinaceous forests reveals hyperdiversity, underpopulated sequence databases, and species that are potentially ectomycorrhizal.

The corticioid fungi are commonly encountered, highly diverse, ecologically important, and understudied. We collected specimens in 60 pine and spruce forests across North America to survey corticioid fungal frequency and distribution and to compile an internal transcribed spacer (ITS) database for the group. Sanger sequences from the ITS region of vouchered specimens were compared with sequences on GenBank and UNITE, and with high-throughput sequence data from soil and roots taken at the same sites.

Modulation of experimental arthritis by vagal sensory and central brain stimulation.

Articular inflammation is a major clinical burden in multiple inflammatory diseases, especially in rheumatoid arthritis. Biological anti-rheumatic drug therapies are expensive and increase the risk of systemic immunosuppression, infections, and malignancies. Here, we report that vagus nerve stimulation controls arthritic joint inflammation by inducing local regulation of innate immune response.

One-health pathogens in the Aspergillus viridinutans complex.

Cryptic species in Aspergillus section Fumigati are increasingly recognised as pathogens in humans and animals. The A. viridinutans complex (AVC) has recently expanded to comprise 10 species, of which six are known to be pathogenic, including A.

Connexin43 intercellular communication drives the early differentiation of human bone marrow stromal cells into osteoblasts.

Although it has been demonstrated that human bone marrow stromal cells (hBMSCs) express the ubiquitous connexin43 (Cx43) and form functional gap junctions, their role in the early differentiation of hBMSCs into osteoblasts remains poorly documented. Using in vitro assays, we show that Cx43 expression and gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) are increased during the differentiation of hBMSCs into osteoblasts, both at the protein and mRNA levels. Two independent procedures to reduce GJIC, a pharmacological approach with GJIC inhibitors (18α-glycyrrhetinic acid and Gap27 peptide) and a molecular approach using small interfering RNA against Cx43, demonstrated that the presence of Cx43 and functional junctional channels are essential to the ability of hBMSCs to differentiate into osteoblasts in vitro.

Satellite-like cells contribute to pax7-dependent skeletal muscle repair in adult zebrafish.

Satellite cells, also known as muscle stem cells, are responsible for skeletal muscle growth and repair in mammals. Pax7 and Pax3 transcription factors are established satellite cell markers required for muscle development and regeneration, and there is great interest in identifying additional factors that regulate satellite cell proliferation, differentiation, and/or skeletal muscle regeneration. Due to the powerful regenerative capacity of many zebrafish tissues, even in adults, we are exploring the regenerative potential of adult zebrafish skeletal muscle.

Pituitary Adenoma Recurrence Suspected on Central Hyperthyroidism Despite Empty Sella and Confirmed by 68Ga-DOTA-TOC PET/CT.

Thyrotropin-secreting pituitary adenomas are very rare tumors, known to present overexpression of somatostatin receptor subtype 2 and which may consequently demonstrate abnormal uptake on Ga-DOTA-TOC PET/CT. A 67-year-old woman with a history of operated pituitary macroadenoma presented with symptoms of hyperthyroidism including a large goiter. Her serum thyroid hormone levels were in favor of central hyperthyroidism.

Equivalent Dose Rate 1 Meter from Neuroendocrine Tumor Patients Exiting the Nuclear Medicine Department After Undergoing Imaging.

I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) and In-pentetrotide SPECT have been used for functional imaging of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) for the last 2 decades. More recently, PET/CT imaging with F-FDG, F-fluorodihydroxyphenylalanine (FDOPA), and Ga somatostatin-receptor ligands in NETs has been expanding. A literature search could find no direct measurements of the dose rate from NET patients exiting the nuclear medicine department after undergoing PET/CT with F-FDOPA or Ga-DOTATOC, a somatostatin analog.

A Restless Leg Syndrome Incidentally Detected by an 18F-FDG Positron Emission Tomography.

A case of a restless leg syndrome (RLS) was incidentally detected in a 49-year-old woman referred for an F-FDG PET/CT in monitoring her breast cancer. She was treated with chemotherapy and on long-term hormone therapy. Diffuse F-FDG uptake of calf muscles was visualized.

Diversity and carbon storage across the tropical forest biome.

Tropical forests are global centres of biodiversity and carbon storage. Many tropical countries aspire to protect forest to fulfil biodiversity and climate mitigation policy targets, but the conservation strategies needed to achieve these two functions depend critically on the tropical forest tree diversity-carbon storage relationship. Assessing this relationship is challenging due to the scarcity of inventories where carbon stocks in aboveground biomass and species identifications have been simultaneously and robustly quantified.

Liposomes for PET and MR Imaging and for Dual Targeting (Magnetic Field/Glucose Moiety): Synthesis, Properties, and in Vivo Studies.

We describe the potentiality of a new liposomal formulation enabling positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance MR() imaging. The bimodality is achieved by coupling a Ga-based radiotracer on the bilayer of magnetic liposomes. In order to enhance the targeting properties obtained under a permanent magnetic field, a sugar moiety was added in the lipid formulation.

A digital enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for ultrasensitive measurement of amyloid-β 1-42 peptide in human plasma with utility for studies of Alzheimer's disease therapeutics.

Background: Amyloid-β 1-42 peptide (Aβ) is associated with plaque formation in the brain of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Pharmacodynamic studies of AD therapeutics that lower the concentrations of Aβ in peripheral blood require highly sensitive assays for its measurement. A digital enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using single molecule array (Simoa) technology has been developed that provides improved sensitivity compared with conventional ELISA methods using the same antibody reagents.

Risk factors for the development of Clostridium difficile infection in adult allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients: A single-center study in Québec, Canada.

Background: Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a significant complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Our primary objective was to determine risk factors for the development of CDI during the first year following allo-HSCT.

Methods: A matched case-control study nested in a cohort of allo-HSCT at a single hospital in Montréal, Québec, Canada, was conducted from 2002 through 2011.

TGF-β Signaling in Bone Remodeling and Osteosarcoma Progression.

Osteosarcomas are the most prevalent malignant primary bone tumors in children. Despite intensive efforts to improve both chemotherapeutics and surgical management, 40% of all osteosarcoma patients succumb to the disease. Specifically, the clinical outcome for metastatic osteosarcoma remains poor; less than 30% of patients who present metastases will survive five years after initial diagnosis.

Best sensitivity of F-FDOPA PET/CT to detect metastasis in one case of neuroendocrine tumour of the ileum.

Neuroendocrine tumours (NET) are heterogeneous and frequently spread over the body, making their imaging difficult. With this aim, nuclear medicine imaging, using PET or SPECT with different tracers, has been proposed for decades, but there is currently no consensus on the most appropriate technique, even when only considering gastrointestinal NET. The case is presented of a 67year old woman with a well differentiated NET of the ileum with suspected recurrence, which was not detected by any imaging technique except F-FDOPA PET/CT.

Tuning vibrational mode localization with frequency windowing.

Local-mode coordinates have previously been shown to be an effective starting point for anharmonic vibrational spectroscopy calculations. This general approach borrows techniques from localized-orbital machinery in electronic structure theory and generates a new set of spatially localized vibrational modes. These modes exhibit a well-behaved spatial decay of anharmonic mode couplings, which, in turn, allows for a systematic, a priori truncation of couplings and increased computational efficiency.

Rapid and sustained antidepressant properties of an NMDA antagonist/monoamine reuptake inhibitor identified via transporter-based virtual screening.

Rational design of lead compounds targeting monoamine transporters (MATs) is critical to developing novel therapeutics to treat psychiatric disorders including depression and substance abuse. A 3-D dopamine transporter (DAT) computer model was used to virtually screen a commercially available small molecule library for high DAT affinity drug-like compounds. One hit, coded "MI-4", inhibited human dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin transporters in vitro.

18F-Fluorocholine PET/CT of Incidental Male Breast Cancer.

Breast cancer is approximately 100 times less common among men. Estrogen-related receptor α was detected in human prostate cancer tissue, and androgen receptors are expressed in both normal and malignant breast tissue. Thus, prostate cancer hormonal therapy may increase breast cancer risk.

Tumor Heterogeneity Detected by 68Ga DOTATOC and 18F-FDG PET/CTs in One Malignant Insulinoma With Involvement of the Portal Splenic Confluence and Ovarian Metastases.

A 67-year-old woman was referred for staging of an insulinoma. CT has shown a pancreatic tumor, a portal thrombus, and an ovarian mass presumed not to be related with the insulinoma. These three lesions were highly positive on Ga DOTATOC PET/CT, leading to the hypothesis of a malignant insulinoma with neoplastic vein thrombus and ovarian metastasis, which was subsequently confirmed histologically.

Quantum molecular motion in the mixed ion-radical complex, [(HO)(HS)].

The cation dimer of water and hydrogen sulfide, [(HO)(HS)], serves as a fundamental model for the oxidation chemistry of HS. The known oxidative metabolism of HS by biological species in sulfur-rich environments has motivated the study of the inherent properties of this benchmark complex, with possible mechanistic implications for modern water oxidation chemistry. The low-energy isomer of this open-shell ion is a proton-transferred (PT) structure, HOSH˙.

68Ga-DOTATOC and FDG PET Imaging of Preclinical Neuroblastoma Models.

Background/aim: Somatostatine receptors subtype 2 (SSTR2) are regarded as a potential target in neuroblastoma (NB) for imaging and promising therapeutic approaches. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the SSTR2 status by (68)Ga-[tetraxetan-D-Phe1, Tyr3]-octreotide ((68)Ga-DOTATOC) positron-emission tomography (PET) and the tumour metabolic activity by (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET in different experimental models of NB.

Materials And Methods: Three cell lines of human NB with different levels of expression of SSTR2 were grafted into nude mice.

Preservation of neuromuscular function in symptomatic SOD1-G93A mice by peripheral infusion of methylene blue.

In mutant superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) mouse models of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (fALS) some of the earliest signs of morphological and functional damage occur in the motor nerve terminals that innervate fast limb muscles. This study tested whether localized peripheral application of a protective drug could effectively preserve neuromuscular junctions in late-stage disease. Methylene blue (MB), which has mitochondria-protective properties, was infused via an osmotic pump into the anterior muscle compartment of one hind limb of late pre- symptomatic SOD1-G93A mice for ≥3weeks.

Public health surveillance response following the southern Alberta floods, 2013.

Objective: In June of 2013, southern Alberta underwent flooding that affected approximately 100,000 people. We describe the process put in place for public health surveillance and assessment of the impacts on health.

Methods: Public health surveillance was implemented for the six-week period after the flood to detect anticipated health events, including injuries, mental health problems and infectious diseases.