The Role of p16Ink4a as an Early Predictor of Physiological Decline during Natural Aging.

Cellular senescence is a prominent accomplice of aging. The expression of gene p16ink4a has been established as a biomarker of cellular senescence in humans and animal models. However, it has not been extensively studied in clinical settings in the context of natural aging and the development of age-related diseases.

Isolated Psychiatric Symptoms in Children With Anti-N-Methyl-d Aspartate Receptor Encephalitis.

Background: Isolated psychiatric symptoms can be the initial symptom of pediatric anti-N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor autoimmune encephalitis (pNMDARE). Here we report on the prevalence of isolated psychiatric symptoms in pNMDARE. We also assess whether initial neurodiagnostic tests (brain magnetic resonance imaging [MRI], electroencephalography [EEG], and/or cerebrospinal fluid [CSF] white blood cell count) are abnormal in children with isolated psychiatric symptoms and pNMDARE.

A Modified Delphi Consensus Approach to Define Entrustable Professional Activities for Neurocritical Care Advanced Practice Providers.

Objectives: To define consensus entrustable professional activities (EPAs) for neurocritical care (NCC) advanced practice providers (APPs), establish validity evidence for the EPAs, and evaluate factors that inform entrustment expectations of NCC APP supervisors.

Design: A three-round modified Delphi consensus process followed by application of the EQual rubric and assessment of generalizability by clinicians not affiliated with academic medical centers.

Setting: Electronic surveys.

Unexpected Benefits in Single Institution Experience With Successful Implementation of a Standardized Perioperative Protocol in Pediatric Thyroidectomy.

Introduction: To illustrate how quality improvement can produce unexpected positive outcomes.

Methods: We compared a retrospective review of perioperative management and outcomes of baseline 122 pediatric total thyroidectomies to 121 subsequent total thyroidectomies managed by an Electronic Medical Record protocol in a large, free-standing children's healthcare system. Process measures included serum calcium measurement 6-12 hours postoperatively; parathyroid hormone measurement 6 hours postoperatively; preoperative iodine for Graves disease, and postoperative prophylactic calcium carbonate administration.

Functional characterization of an EGF receptor with a truncated extracellular domain expressed in glioblastomas with EGFR gene amplification.

The most common type of alteration of the epidermal growth factor receptor gene (EGFR) in human glioblastomas results in the synthesis of an aberrant mRNA lacking 801 bases that encode amino acids 6-273 of the receptor's extracellular domain. To study the effects of this mutation on receptor function, we have developed chinese hamster ovary cell transfectants which express the mutant EGF receptor. Comparison of wild-type and mutant receptor properties in this cell host indicates that the truncated receptor does not bind EGF or TGF-alpha and, consequently, DNA synthesis is not stimulated in cultures of mutant transfectants by either grown factor.

RT-PCR detection of mRNA recovered from archival glass slide smears.

This manuscript describes a protocol for the utilization of glass slide preparations of hematologic specimens for the recovery of mRNA that is of a quality suitable for the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) detection of specific gene expression. Total cellular RNA obtained from archival bone marrow aspirate smears of 23 leukemia patients, which had been stored for periods of time from 1 day to 34 mo, were extracted, and 1 to 2 micrograms of each were subjected to RT-PCR using primer pairs specific for the amplification of beta-actin cDNA. Three pairs of primers for the amplification of beta-actin cDNAs of 83,260, and 540 base pairs were used to evaluate the length of mRNA that could be analyzed; the results indicate the consistent amplification of cDNA for the short- and intermediate-sized fragments as revealed by ethidium bromide fluorescence of agarose gel-resolved PCR products.