Staphylococcus Epidermidis as a Uropathogen in Children.

Historically, Staphylococcus epidermidis has been considered a contaminant when grown on urine cultures. However, a growing body of literature suggests that S. epidermidis can cause urinary tract infections (UTIs) in children with anatomic variants or a history of instrumentation.

Epicardium-Derived Cells Formed After Myocardial Injury Display Phagocytic Activity Permitting In Vivo Labeling and Tracking.

Unlabelled: Epicardium-derived cells (EPDCs) cover the heart surface and can function as a source of both progenitor cells and trophic factors for cardiac repair. Currently, EPDCs cannot be conveniently labeled in vivo to permit imaging and cell tracking. EPDCs formed after myocardial infarction (MI) preferentially take up a perfluorocarbon-containing nanoemulsion (PFC-NE; 130 ± 32 nm) injected 3 days after injury, as measured by (19)F-magnetic resonance imaging ((19)F-MRI).

BAX inhibitor-1 is a Ca(2+) channel critically important for immune cell function and survival.

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) serves as the major intracellular Ca(2+) store and has a role in the synthesis and folding of proteins. BAX (BCL2-associated X protein) inhibitor-1 (BI-1) is a Ca(2+) leak channel also implicated in the response against protein misfolding, thereby connecting the Ca(2+) store and protein-folding functions of the ER. We found that BI-1-deficient mice suffer from leukopenia and erythrocytosis, have an increased number of splenic marginal zone B cells and higher abundance and nuclear translocation of NF-κB (nuclear factor-κ light-chain enhancer of activated B cells) proteins, correlating with increased cytosolic and ER Ca(2+) levels.

Effect of Fe3O4 Nanoparticles on Skin Tumor Cells and Dermal Fibroblasts.

Iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles have been used in many biomedical approaches. The toxicity of Fe3O4 nanoparticles on mammalian cells was published recently. Though, little is known about the viability of human cells after treatment with Fe3O4 nanoparticles.

Subcellular distribution of raffinose oligosaccharides and other metabolites in summer and winter leaves of Ajuga reptans (Lamiaceae).

In Ajuga reptans, raffinose oligosaccharides accumulated during winter. Stachyose, verbascose, and higher RFO oligomers were exclusively found in the vacuole whereas one-fourth of raffinose was localized in the stroma. The evergreen labiate Ajuga reptans L.

Downregulation of tumor growth and invasion by redox-active nanoparticles.

Aims: Melanoma is the most aggressive type of malignant skin cancer derived from uncontrolled proliferation of melanocytes. Melanoma cells possess a high potential to metastasize, and the prognosis for advanced melanoma is rather poor due to its strong resistance to conventional chemotherapeutics. Nanomaterials are at the cutting edge of the rapidly developing area of nanomedicine.

Stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) is involved in the regulation of mitochondrial shape and bioenergetics and plays a role in oxidative stress.

Calcium ions are involved in a plethora of cellular functions including cell death and mitochondrial energy metabolism. Store-operated Ca(2+) entry over the plasma membrane is activated by depletion of intracellular Ca(2+) stores and is mediated by the sensor STIM1 and the channel ORAI1. We compared cell death susceptibility to oxidative stress in STIM1 knock-out and ORAI1 knockdown mouse embryonic fibroblasts and in knock-out cells with reconstituted wild type and dominant active STIM1.

Interdisciplinary development and implementation of communication checklist for postoperative management of pediatric airway patients.

Objective: The authors describe their multidisciplinary experience in applying the Institute of Health Improvement methodology to develop a protocol and checklist to reduce communication error during transfer of care for postoperative pediatric surgical airway patients. Preliminary outcome data following implementation of the protocol and checklist are also presented.

Study Design: Prospective study from July 1, 2009, to February 1, 2011.

In vitro impairment of whole blood coagulation and platelet function by hypertonic saline hydroxyethyl starch.

Background: Hypertonic saline hydroxyethyl starch (HH) has been recommended for first line treatment of hemorrhagic shock. Its effects on coagulation are unclear. We studied in vitro effects of HH dilution on whole blood coagulation and platelet function.

Combined cytotoxic and anti-invasive properties of redox-active nanoparticles in tumor-stroma interactions.

Tumor-stroma interaction plays an important role in tumor progression. Myofibroblasts, pivotal for tumor progression, populate the microecosystem of reactive stroma. The formation of myofibroblasts is mediated by tumor derived transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1) which initiates a reactive oxygen species cell type dependent expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin, a biomarker for myofibroblastic cells.

Mycoplasma salivarium detected in a microbial community with Candida glabrata in the biofilm of an occluded biliary stent.

Mycoplasma salivarium, preferentially an inhabitant of the human oral cavity, has rarely been found in other locations associated with disease. We describe here, for what is believed to be the first time, the detection of M. salivarium, together with Candida glabrata, in an occluded biliary stent of an icteric, cholestatic patient.

Limitations of the colloidal silica method in mapping the endothelial plasma membrane proteome of the mouse heart.

The endothelial cell (EC) membrane is an important interface, which plays a crucial role in signal transduction. Our aim was to selectively purify luminal EC membrane proteins from the coronary vasculature of the isolated perfused mouse heart and analyze its composition with mass spectrometry (MS). To specifically label coronary ECs in the intact heart, the colloidal silica method was applied, which is based on the binding of positively charged colloidal silica to the surface of EC membranes.

Significance of nano- and microtopography for cell-surface interactions in orthopaedic implants.

Cell-surface interactions play a crucial role for biomaterial application in orthopaedics. It is evident that not only the chemical composition of solid substances influence cellular adherence, migration, proliferation and differentiation but also the surface topography of a biomaterial. The progressive application of nanostructured surfaces in medicine has gained increasing interest to improve the cytocompatibility and osteointegration of orthopaedic implants.

Osteoblast differentiation onto different biometals with an endoprosthetic surface topography in vitro.

In this in vitro study, we compared the cytocompatibility and osteoblast promoting potency on human bone marrow cell culture with three different alloys (surgical steel, CoCr, Ti6Al4V) and three different surface structures (polished, sandblasted, porous coated). These biometals were specifically chosen because of their current applications in clinical orthopedic practices. Human mononuclear bone marrow cells were cultivated onto the surface of the different biomaterials and stimulated by dexamethasone, L-ascorbic-acid-2-phoshpate and beta-glycerolphosphate over a 3-week period.

High-resolution imaging reveals a limit in spatial resolution of blood flow measurements by microspheres.

Density of 15-microm microspheres after left atrial application is the standard measure of regional perfusion. In the heart, substantial differences in microsphere density are seen at spatial resolutions <5 ml, implying perfusion heterogeneity. Microsphere deposition imaging permits a superior evaluation of the distribution pattern.

Structural and mechanical aspects of the skin of Bufo marinus (Anura, Amphibia).

Specific biomechanical characters and some structures possibly related to them were investigated in the skin of the toad Bufo marinus using tensile testing techniques (at constant strain till rupture) as well as morphological methods (histological, immunohistochemical and electronmicroscopical). Mechanical parameters of the native skin varied considerably according to sex, individual variability and/or site of specimen collection. In skin strips of males and females excised from different parts of the body thickness ranged from 0.

CREB binding protein recruitment to the transcription complex requires growth factor-dependent phosphorylation of its GF box.

Growth factors such as epidermal growth factor (EGF) and insulin regulate development and metabolism via genes containing both POU homeodomain (Pit-1) and phorbol ester (AP-1) response elements. Although CREB binding protein (CBP) functions as a coactivator on these elements, the mechanism of transactivation was previously unclear. We now demonstrate that CBP is recruited to these elements only after it is phosphorylated at serine 436 by growth factor-dependent signaling pathways.

cAMP response element-binding protein-binding protein mediates thyrotropin-releasing hormone signaling on thyrotropin subunit genes.

Transcription of pituitary alpha-glycoprotein hormone subunit (alpha-GSU) and thyrotropin beta subunit (TSH-beta) genes is stimulated by thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH). Since cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB)-binding protein (CBP) integrates a number of cell signaling pathways, we investigated whether CBP is important for TRH stimulation of the TSH subunit genes. Cotransfection of E1A in GH(3) cells completely blocked TRH stimulation of the TSH subunit genes, suggesting that CBP is a key factor for TRH signaling in the pituitary.

Thyroid hormone-independent interaction between the thyroid hormone receptor beta2 amino terminus and coactivators.

Thyroid hormone receptors (TRs) mediate hormone action by binding to DNA response elements (TREs) and either activating or repressing gene expression in the presence of ligand, T(3). Coactivator recruitment to the AF-2 region of TR in the presence of T(3) is central to this process. The different TR isoforms, TR-beta1, TR-beta2, and TR-alpha1, share strong homology in their DNA- and ligand-binding domains but differ in their amino-terminal domains.

CREB-independent regulation by CBP is a novel mechanism of human growth hormone gene expression.

Hypothalamic growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) stimulates growth hormone (GH) gene expression in anterior pituitary somatotrophs by binding to the GHRH receptor, a G-protein-coupled transmembrane receptor, and by mediating a cAMP-mediated protein kinase A (PKA) signal-transduction pathway. Two nonclassical cAMP-response element motifs (CGTCA) are located at nucleotides -187/-183 (distal cAMP-response element; dCRE) and -99/-95 (proximal cAMP-response element; pCRE) of the human GH promoter and are required for cAMP responsiveness, along with the pituitary-specific transcription factor Pit-1 (official nomenclature, POU1F1). Although a role for cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB) in GH stimulation by PKA has been suggested, it is unclear how the effect may be mediated.

Disruption of myoglobin in mice induces multiple compensatory mechanisms.

Myoglobin may serve a variety of functions in muscular oxygen supply, such as O(2) storage, facilitated O(2) diffusion, and myoglobin-mediated oxidative phosphorylation. We studied the functional consequences of a myoglobin deficiency on cardiac function by producing myoglobin-knockout (myo(-/-)) mice. To genetically inactivate the myoglobin gene, exon 2 encoding the heme binding site was deleted in embryonic stem cells via homologous recombination.

Defective retinoic acid regulation of the Pit-1 gene enhancer: a novel mechanism of combined pituitary hormone deficiency.

Pit-1 is a pituitary-specific transcription factor responsible for pituitary development and hormone expression in mammals. Pit-1 contains two protein domains, termed POU-specific and POU-homeo, which are both necessary for DNA binding and activation of the GH and PRL genes and regulation of the PRL, TSH-beta subunit (TSH-beta), and Pit-1 genes. Pit-1 is also necessary for retinoic acid induction of its own gene during development through a Pit-1-dependent enhancer.

A novel mechanism for cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate regulation of gene expression by CREB-binding protein.

The pituitary-specific transcription factor, Pit-1, is necessary to mediate protein kinase A (PKA) regulation of the GH, PRL, and TSH-beta subunit genes in the pituitary. Since these target genes lack classical cAMP DNA response elements (CREs), the mechanism of this regulation was previously unknown. We show that CREB binding protein (CBP), through two cysteine-histidine rich domains (C/H1 and C/H3), specifically and constitutively interacts with Pit-1 in pituitary cells.