Brain Responses to Cigarette-Related and Emotional Images in Smokers During Smoking Cessation: No Effect of Varenicline or Bupropion on the Late Positive Potential.

Introduction: Varenicline and bupropion are two effective smoking cessation pharmacotherapies. Researchers have hypothesized that they might be effective, in part, because they reduce cue reactivity and cue-induced cravings. Here, we used event-related potentials (ERPs) to directly measure brain responses to cigarette-related and other motivationally relevant images during a pharmacologically aided quit attempt.

Peroxisomes contribute to oxidative stress in neurons during doxorubicin-based chemotherapy.

Doxorubicin, a commonly used anti-neoplastic agent, causes severe neurotoxicity. Doxorubicin promotes thinning of the brain cortex and accelerates brain aging, leading to cognitive impairment. Oxidative stress induced by doxorubicin contributes to cellular damage.

Role of WNT10A in failure of tooth development in humans and zebrafish.

Background: Oligodontia is a severe form of tooth agenesis characterized by the absence of six or more permanent teeth. Oligodontia has complex etiology and variations in numerous genes have been suggested as causal for the condition.

Methods: We applied whole-exome sequencing (WES) to identify the cause of oligodontia in a 9-year-old girl missing 11 permanent teeth.

Decreased interhemispheric coordination in the posterior default-mode network and visual regions as trait alterations in first-episode, drug-naive major depressive disorder.

Decreased homotopic connectivity has been implicated in the neurophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD) with inconsistent findings. A combination of clinical and methodological variabilities may account for the inconsistency, and thus limiting the reproducibility of the findings. The present study aims to examine voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) alterations in two independent samples of patients with first-episode, drug-naive MDD.

Cost-effectiveness Analysis Comparing Conventional, Hypofractionated, and Intraoperative Radiotherapy for Early-Stage Breast Cancer.

Background: Early-stage breast cancer is among the most prevalent and costly malignancies treated in the American health care system. Adjuvant radiotherapy after lumpectomy represents a substantial portion of breast cancer expenditures. The relative value of novel radiotherapeutic approaches such as intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) and hypofractionated whole breast irradiation (HF-WBI) compared with conventionally fractionated whole breast irradiation (CF-WBI) is unknown.

Clinical and demographic predictors of concussion resolution in adolescents: A retrospective study.

Concussions in adolescents are a growing public health concern. The aim of this study was to identify clinical (e.g.

Lithium and Tamoxifen Modulate Behavior and Protein Kinase C Activity in the Animal Model of Mania Induced by Ouabain.

Background: The intracerebroventricular injection of ouabain, a specific inhibitor of the Na+/K+-adenosine-triphosphatase (Na+/K+-ATPase) enzyme, induces hyperactivity in rats in a putative animal model of mania. Several evidences have suggested that the protein kinase C signaling pathway is involved in bipolar disorder. In addition, it is known that protein kinase C inhibitors, such as lithium and tamoxifen, are effective in treating acute mania.

Energy stress-induced lncRNA FILNC1 represses c-Myc-mediated energy metabolism and inhibits renal tumor development.

The roles of long non-coding RNAs in cancer metabolism remain largely unexplored. Here we identify FILNC1 (FoxO-induced long non-coding RNA 1) as an energy stress-induced long non-coding RNA by FoxO transcription factors. FILNC1 deficiency in renal cancer cells alleviates energy stress-induced apoptosis and markedly promotes renal tumor development.

Neutrophil transfer of to lung epithelial cells dampens acute lung injury in mice.

Intercellular transfer of microRNAs can mediate communication between critical effector cells. We hypothesized that transfer of neutrophil-derived microRNAs to pulmonary epithelial cells could alter mucosal gene expression during acute lung injury. Pulmonary-epithelial microRNA profiling during coculture of alveolar epithelial cells with polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) revealed a selective increase in lung epithelial cell expression of microRNA-223 ().

Human herpesvirus 6-induced inflammatory cardiomyopathy in immunocompetent children.

Over the last decade, human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) has been implicated in the etiology of pediatric myocarditis and subsequent dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). This review provides an overview of recent literature investigating the pathophysiological relevance of HHV-6 in inflammatory cardiomyopathy. We examined 11 cases of previously published pediatric myocarditis and/or DCM associated with HHV-6 and also our experience of detection of virus particles in vascular endothelium of HHV-6 positive endomyocardial biopsy tissue by electron microscopy.

Multi-Institution Analysis of Infection Control Practices Identifies the Subset Associated with Best Surgical Site Infection Performance: A Texas Alliance for Surgical Quality Collaborative Project.

Background: In an effort to reduce surgical site infection (SSI) rates, a large number of infection control practices (ICPs), including operating room attire policies, have been recommended. However, few have proven benefits and many are costly, time-consuming, and detrimental to provider morale. The goal of this multi-institution study was to determine which ICPs are associated with lower postoperative SSI rates.

Structural and Functional Impacts of ER Coactivator Sequential Recruitment.

Nuclear receptors recruit multiple coactivators sequentially to activate transcription. This "ordered" recruitment allows different coactivator activities to engage the nuclear receptor complex at different steps of transcription. Estrogen receptor (ER) recruits steroid receptor coactivator-3 (SRC-3) primary coactivator and secondary coactivators, p300/CBP and CARM1.

Loss of CD73-mediated extracellular adenosine production exacerbates inflammation and abnormal alveolar development in newborn mice exposed to prolonged hyperoxia.

BackgroundHyperoxic lung injury is characterized by cellular damage from high oxygen concentrations that lead to an inflammatory response and it disrupts normal alveolarization in the developing newborn lung. Adenosine is a signaling molecule that is generated extracellularly by ecto-5'-nucleotidase (CD73) in response to injury. Extracellular adenosine signals through cell surface receptors and has been found to have a protective role in acute injury situations; however, chronic elevations have been associated with detrimental changes in chronic lung diseases.

Model analysis of bidirectional interference in two-stage labeled-ligand immunoassays.

Objectives: Immunoassays involving sample incubation followed by a wash step prior to introduction of labeled analyte are potentially subject to both positive and negative interference (bidirectional interference) by a competing ligand. We examine this phenomenon from a theoretical standpoint using a mathematical model for sequential-step immunoassays in the presence of interferent.

Design & Methods: Competitive binding to antibody between analyte and interferent was modeled for sequential-step immunoassays.

MicroRNA-101 attenuates pulmonary fibrosis by inhibiting fibroblast proliferation and activation.

Aberrant proliferation and activation of lung fibroblasts contribute to the initiation and progression of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). However, the mechanisms responsible for the proliferation and activation of fibroblasts are not fully understood. The objective of this study was to investigate the role of miR-101 in the proliferation and activation of lung fibroblasts.

Design of a randomised, placebo-controlled clinical trial of nintedanib in patients with systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease (SENSCIS™).

Objectives: Nintedanib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor approved for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The pathological pathways involved in fibrogenesis in IPF and interstitial lung disease associated with systemic sclerosis (SSc-ILD) show commonalities; both involve fibroblast activation, myofibroblast accumulation and deposition of extracellular matrix. The SENSCIS™ trial is a randomised, placebo-controlled Phase III trial that will evaluate the efficacy and safety of nintedanib in patients with SSc-ILD (NCT02597933).

Acute rejection after kidney transplantation promotes graft fibrosis with elevated adenosine level in rat.

Aims: Chronic allograft nephropathy is a worldwide issue with the major feature of progressive allograft fibrosis, eventually ending with graft loss. Adenosine has been demonstrated to play an important role in process of fibrosis. Our study aimed to investigate the relationship between adenosine and fibrosis in renal allograft acute rejection in rat.

Outcomes of Preterm Infants following Discussions about Withdrawal or Withholding of Life Support.

Objectives: To describe the frequency of postnatal discussions about withdrawal or withholding of life-sustaining therapy (WWLST), ensuing WWLST, and outcomes of infants surviving such discussions. We hypothesized that such survivors have poor outcomes.

Study Design: This retrospective review included registry data from 18 centers of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network.

Representation of Rapid Image Sequences in V4 Networks.

Natural viewing often consists of sequences of brief fixations to image patches of different structure. Whether and how briefly presented sequential stimuli are encoded in a temporal-position manner is poorly understood. Here, we performed multiple-electrode recordings in the visual cortex (area V4) of nonhuman primates (Macaca mulatta) viewing a sequence of 7 briefly flashed natural images, and measured correlations between the cue-triggered population response in the presence and absence of the stimulus.

Severe growth deficiency, microcephaly, intellectual disability, and characteristic facial features are due to a homozygous QARS mutation.

Glutaminyl tRNA synthase is highly expressed in the developing fetal human brain. Mutations in the glutaminyl-tRNA synthetase (QARS) gene have been reported in patients with progressive microcephaly, cerebral-cerebellar atrophy, and intractable seizures. We have previously reported a new recessive syndrome of severe linear growth retardation, poor weight gain, microcephaly, characteristic facial features, cutaneous syndactyly of the toes, high myopia, and intellectual disability in two sisters of Ashkenazi-Jewish origin (Eur J Med Genet 2014;57(6):288-92).

Cytochrome b5 Reductase 3 Modulates Soluble Guanylate Cyclase Redox State and cGMP Signaling.

Rationale: Soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) heme iron, in its oxidized state (Fe), is desensitized to NO and limits cGMP production needed for downstream activation of protein kinase G-dependent signaling and blood vessel dilation.

Objective: Although reactive oxygen species are known to oxidize the sGC heme iron, the basic mechanism(s) governing sGC heme iron recycling to its NO-sensitive, reduced state remain poorly understood.

Methods And Results: Oxidant challenge studies show that vascular smooth muscle cells have an intrinsic ability to reduce oxidized sGC heme iron and form protein-protein complexes between cytochrome b5 reductase 3, also known as methemoglobin reductase, and oxidized sGC.

Structure of Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Envelope Spikes Bound with CD4 and Monoclonal Antibody 36D5.

The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)/simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) envelope spike (Env) mediates viral entry into host cells. The V3 loop of the gp120 component of the Env trimer contributes to the coreceptor binding site and is a target for neutralizing antibodies. We used cryo-electron tomography to visualize the binding of CD4 and the V3 loop monoclonal antibody (MAb) 36D5 to gp120 of the SIV Env trimer.

Beyond Cue Reactivity: Non-Drug-Related Motivationally Relevant Stimuli Are Necessary to Understand Reactivity to Drug-Related Cues.

Unlabelled: Neurobiological models of addiction posit that drug use can alter reward processes in two ways: (1) by increasing the motivational relevance of drugs and drug-related cues and (2) by reducing the motivational relevance of non-drug-related rewards. Here, we discuss the results from a series of neuroimaging studies in which we assessed the extent to which these hypotheses apply to nicotine dependence. In these studies, we recorded smokers’ and nonsmokers’ brain responses to a wide array of motivationally relevant visual stimuli that included pleasant, unpleasant, cigarette-related, and neutral images.

A Dedicated Neurological Intensive Care Unit Offers Improved Outcomes for Patients With Brain and Spine Injuries.

Background: Admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) specialized for brain and spine injury patients is associated with improved outcome. We investigated the effects of the first dedicated, combined neurological and neurosurgical ICU (NeuroICU) in Korea on patient outcomes.

Methods: The first dedicated NeuroICU in Korea was established in March 2013.