The Efficacy of Imiquimod-Induced Psoriasis Model on Murine Cells.

Keratinocytes are an essential component of the epidermis that undergoes constant proliferation and differentiation. However, the dysregulation of keratinocyte differentiation has been implicated in various skin disorders such as psoriasis. Imiquimod, otherwise known as IMQ, is a topical immunomodulator often used to induce psoriasis-like lesions in murine models for research purposes.

Multi-session training in the evening schedule exhibits enhanced speech learning.

Speech learning can be influenced by a variety of factors. A growing body of literature suggests a significant influence of sleep on speech learning, i.e.

Combined vitamin D and magnesium supplementation does not influence markers of bone turnover or glycemic control: A randomized controlled clinical trial.

High-dose vitamin D supplementation can increase total osteocalcin concentrations that may reduce insulin resistance in individuals at risk for prediabetes or diabetes mellitus. Magnesium is a cofactor in vitamin D metabolism and activation. The purpose of this study was to determine the combined effect of vitamin D and magnesium supplementation on total osteocalcin concentrations, glycemic indices, and other bone turnover markers after a 12-week intervention in individuals who were overweight and obese, but otherwise healthy.

Current status of inclusion of black participants in neuropsychological studies: A scoping review and call to action.

In recognition that insufficient diversity in research impedes the generalizability of findings and negatively impacts clinical outcomes, the 1993 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Revitalization Act required NIH-funded clinical trials to include and assess outcomes for women and minority participants. Since that time, the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology (AACN) have also acknowledged the reporting of this information as an essential element of research, and they have established similar aspirational goals. Nevertheless, Black communities remain disproportionately underrepresented in neuropsychology research.

"It's Sort Of, Like, in My Family's Blood": Exploring Latino Pre-adolescent Children and Their Parents' Perceived Cultural Influences on Food Practices.

This study examined the perceived connections between culture and food practices among Latino pre-adolescents (n = 17) and their parents (n = 15) through semi-structured interviews. Results show that pre-adolescents have formed perceptions concerning the association between their eating behaviors and cultural background that coincide with their parent's notions. Participants associated culture to both healthy and unhealthy food practices.

Fluidic Force Microscopy Captures Amyloid Bonds between Microbial Cells.

Fluidic force microscopy (FluidFM) is a recent force-controlled pipette technology that enables manipulation of single cells. FluidFM can be used for quantification of forces between single cells, and a novel mode of cell-cell adhesion was uncovered: amyloid-like interactions that mediate homophilic adhesion in the fungal pathogen Candida albicans.

Fluidic Force Microscopy Demonstrates That Homophilic Adhesion by Candida albicans Als Proteins Is Mediated by Amyloid Bonds between Cells.

The fungal pathogen Candida albicans frequently forms drug-resistant biofilms in hospital settings and in chronic disease patients. Cell adhesion and biofilm formation involve a family of cell surface Als (agglutinin-like sequence) proteins. It is now well documented that amyloid-like clusters of laterally arranged Als proteins activate cell-cell adhesion under mechanical stress, but whether amyloid-like bonds form between aggregating cells is not known.

Rising Sea Levels: Helping Decision-Makers Confront the Inevitable.

Sea-level rise (SLR) is not just a future trend; it is occurring now in most coastal regions across the globe. It thus impacts not only long-range planning in coastal environments, but also emergency preparedness. Its inevitability and irreversibility on long time scales, in addition to its spatial non-uniformity, uncertain magnitude and timing, and capacity to drive non-stationarity in coastal flooding on planning and engineering timescales, create unique challenges for coastal risk-management decision processes.

The mediating role of emotional intelligence on the autonomic functioning - Psychopathy relationship.

Reduced autonomic activity is a risk factor for psychopathy, but the mechanisms underlying this association are under-researched. We hypothesize that emotional intelligence mediates this relationship. Emotional intelligence, cognitive intelligence, scores on the Psychopathy Checklist- Revised (PCL-R), skin conductance, and heart rate were assessed in 156 men from communities in Los Angeles.

Changing Places, Changing Plates? A Binational Comparison of Barriers and Facilitators to Healthful Eating Among Central American Communities.

To understand the process by which immigrants adopt dietary practices, this study offers a binational comparison of factors that predispose, enable, and reinforce healthful eating in the sending and receiving countries. Data are from two qualitative studies that examined barriers and facilitators to healthful eating in El Salvador (four focus groups, n = 28 adults) and in the US (30 in-depth interviews n = 15 mothers recently migrated from Central America). There was a strong emphasis on hygiene and vitamin-content of foods among participants in El Salvador.

"We like Fried Things": Negotiating Health and Taste among Hispanic Caribbean Communities in New York City.

The study was conducted to understand fried-food (FF) consumption among Hispanic Caribbean (HC) communities in New York City. Data were collected through qualitative interviews with 23 adults self-identified as Cuban, Dominican, or Puerto Rican. Most informants considered FFs an important part of their traditional diet.

Air-Water Interface Effects on the Regioselectivity of Singlet Oxygenations of a Trisubstituted Alkene.

The regioselective synthesis of allylic hydroperoxide sulfonates by singlet oxygenation at the air-water interface has been found to depend on the concentration of the alkene sulfonate and added calcium salt. The regioselectivity is proposed to originate from an orthogonal alkene relative to the water surface for preferential methyl hydrogen abstraction by airborne singlet oxygen in an ene reaction. The findings hint that the air-water interface is a locale for synthetic reactions.

Parvenus and conflict in elite cohorts.

Previous studies find that greater workplace diversity leads to higher degrees of conflict in low and medium-status workgroups. This paper examines whether similar dynamics operate in elite cohorts. We use data from a survey of White House Fellows (N=475) to look at how the presence of parvenus-individuals from underrepresented groups in elite environments-change the rate at which fellows reported conflict with each other and with the director of the program.

Role of force-sensitive amyloid-like interactions in fungal catch bonding and biofilms.

The Candida albicans Als adhesin Als5p has an amyloid-forming sequence that is required for aggregation and formation of model biofilms on polystyrene. Because amyloid formation can be triggered by force, we investigated whether laminar flow could activate amyloid formation and increase binding to surfaces. Shearing Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells expressing Als5p or C.

Peptide detection of fungal functional amyloids in infected tissue.

Many fungal cell adhesion proteins form functional amyloid patches on the surface of adhering cells. The Candida albicans Agglutinin-like sequence (Als) adhesins are exemplars for this phenomenon, and have amyloid forming sequences that are conserved between family members. The Als5p amyloid sequence mediates amyloid fibril formation and is critical for cell adhesion and biofilm formation, and is also present in the related adhesins Als1p and Als3p.

A fiberoptic (photodynamic therapy type) device with a photosensitizer and singlet oxygen delivery probe tip for ovarian cancer cell killing.

A portable "fiber optic-based sensitizer delivery" (FOSD) device has been developed and studied. Before there might be success in photodynamic therapy (PDT) and antibacterial ambitions, an understanding of basic factors on device performance was needed. Thus, the device was examined for the localized delivery of sensitizer molecules in ovarian cancer cells and production of high concentrations of singlet oxygen for their eradication in vitro.

Chemistry. Enhanced: a view of unusual peroxides.

Chemical processes involving oxygen can lead to unstable peroxide molecules such as three-membered ring dioxiranes. In his Perspective, Greer describes the stability of a variety of heteroatom-containing dioxiranes and the tools used to characterize unstable peroxides species. He highlights the report by Ho et al.

The costs and benefits of the Form 5500 annual report.

The author suggests that although the Form 5500 annual report may help to reduce legal violations, it may do so in an unnecessarily expensive way that serves the economic interests of some professional groups. In particular, his investigation suggests that the CPA audit provides questionable benefits and amounts to a special interest group's extraction of rents through the regulatory process.