Genes for Good: Engaging the Public in Genetics Research via Social Media.

The Genes for Good study uses social media to engage a large, diverse participant pool in genetics research and education. Health history and daily tracking surveys are administered through a Facebook application, and participants who complete a minimum number of surveys are mailed a saliva sample kit ("spit kit") to collect DNA for genotyping. As of March 2019, we engaged >80,000 individuals, sent spit kits to >32,000 individuals who met minimum participation requirements, and collected >27,000 spit kits.

Myxoma virus induces type I interferon production in murine plasmacytoid dendritic cells via a TLR9/MyD88-, IRF5/IRF7-, and IFNAR-dependent pathway.

Poxviruses are large DNA viruses that replicate in the cytoplasm of infected cells. Myxoma virus is a rabbit poxvirus that belongs to the Leporipoxvirus genus. It causes a lethal disease called myxomatosis in European rabbits but cannot sustain any detectable infection in nonlagomorphs.

Amyopathic dermatomyositis or dermatomyositis-like skin disease: retrospective review of 16 cases with amyopathic dermatomyositis.

Amyopathic dermatomyositis (ADM) is characterized by the presence of dermatomyositis (DM) for 6 months or more in individuals who have normal muscle enzymes and no clinically significant muscle weakness. The aim of the study was to investigate the initial laboratory data, clinical manifestations, complications, and clinical outcomes of patients with the diagnosis of ADM. We reported 16 cases with the cutaneous findings of dermatomyositis without clinical or laboratory evidence of muscle disease for at least 2 years after onset of the skin manifestations in the Department of Dermatology and Rheumatology at Shanghai Ruijin Hospital between 1998 and 2004.

Vaccinia virus subverts a mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein-dependent innate immune response in keratinocytes through its double-stranded RNA binding protein, E3.

Skin keratinocytes provide a first line of defense against invading microorganisms in two ways: (i) by acting as a physical barrier to pathogen entry and (ii) by initiating a vigorous innate immune response upon sensing danger signals. How keratinocytes detect virus infections and generate antiviral immune responses is not well understood. Orthopoxviruses are dermatotropic DNA viruses that cause lethal disease in humans.

Inhibition within the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) ameliorates environmental exploration deficits due to cerebellum lesions in an animal model for autism.

Clinical observations suggest that abnormalities within the cerebellum and/or the cerebellum--cholinergic forebrain connections may be key to explain the severe behavioral deficits and increases in seizures seen in autism. In order to explore functional relationships between brain areas implicated in many of the core behavioral features of autism, experiments utilizing animal models for specific autism-like behaviors have increased in recent years. In the current study, we used a rodent model for the autism-like behavior of environment exploration deficits to examine the role of the cerebellum and its connectivity to the forebrain.