PRAS40 hyperexpression promotes hepatocarcinogenesis.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers, whereas the molecular mechanism remains largely unknown. PRAS40 (encoded by AKT1S1) phosphorylation was increased in human melanoma, prostate cancer and lung cancer specimens, which was considered as the results of Akt activation. However the mechanism in detail and its role in HCC stay elusive.

Serotonin Regulates Adult β-Cell Mass by Stimulating Perinatal β-Cell Proliferation.

A sufficient β-cell mass is crucial for preventing diabetes, and perinatal β-cell proliferation is important in determining the adult β-cell mass. However, it is not yet known how perinatal β-cell proliferation is regulated. Here, we report that serotonin regulates β-cell proliferation through serotonin receptor 2B (HTR2B) in an autocrine/paracrine manner during the perinatal period.

EGFL9 promotes breast cancer metastasis by inducing cMET activation and metabolic reprogramming.

The molecular mechanisms driving metastatic progression in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients are poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrate that epidermal growth factor-like 9 (EGFL9) is significantly upregulated in basal-like breast cancer cells and associated with metastatic progression in breast tumor samples. Functionally, EGFL9 is both necessary and sufficient to enhance cancer cell migration and invasion, as well as distant metastasis.

Subperiosteal Hematoma of the Orbit: A Variety of Presentations.

Subperiosteal hematoma of the orbit is an uncommon radiologic finding. Most typically, the hemorrhage is in the superior aspect of the orbit, however, location within the orbit may vary. Subperiosteal hematoma of the orbit may be associated with trauma.

Associations between Blood Metabolic Profile at 7 Years Old and Eating Disorders in Adolescence: Findings from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children.

Eating disorders are severe illnesses characterized by both psychiatric and metabolic factors. We explored the prospective role of metabolic risk in eating disorders in a UK cohort ( = 2929 participants), measuring 158 metabolic traits in non-fasting EDTA-plasma by nuclear magnetic resonance. We associated metabolic markers at 7 years (exposure) with risk for anorexia nervosa and binge-eating disorder (outcomes) at 14, 16, and 18 years using logistic regression adjusted for maternal education, child's sex, age, body mass index, and calorie intake at 7 years.

A longitudinal study of eating behaviours in childhood and later eating disorder behaviours and diagnoses.

Background: Eating behaviours in childhood are considered as risk factors for eating disorder behaviours and diagnoses in adolescence. However, few longitudinal studies have examined this association.

Aims: We investigated associations between childhood eating behaviours during the first ten years of life and eating disorder behaviours (binge eating, purging, fasting and excessive exercise) and diagnoses (anorexia nervosa, binge eating disorder, purging disorder and bulimia nervosa) at 16 years.

Viral mumps: Increasing occurrences in the vaccinated population.

Before the introduction of the vaccine, mumps was the most common salivary gland disease and was one of the most common infectious diseases in children globally. Following the introduction of the mumps vaccine in 1967, the disease was almost nonexistent in the United States and was only found to occur in nonvaccinated patients, and even then, it did not present in epidemic portions because of the extent of vaccination in the population at large. Beginning in the early 2000s, viral mumps began to present itself in vaccinated populations, and currently, outbreaks are continuing to increase in number.

Circulating IGF-1 promotes prostate adenocarcinoma via FOXO3A/BIM signaling in a double-transgenic mouse model.

High circulating insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) levels increase the risk of prostate cancer. However, whether circulating IGF-1 levels directly aggravate prostate cancer remains elusive. In this study, we crossed a transgenic prostate adenocarcinoma mouse model, Hi-Myc mice, with a liver-specific IGF-1 transgenic mouse model (HIT) to increase their circulating IGF-1 levels to investigate the impact of the elevated circulating IGF-1 on prostate cancer development in vivo.

Loss of Adipose Growth Hormone Receptor in Mice Enhances Local Fatty Acid Trapping and Impairs Brown Adipose Tissue Thermogenesis.

Growth hormone (GH) binds to its receptor (growth hormone receptor [GHR]) to exert its pleiotropic effects on growth and metabolism. Disrupted GH/GHR actions not only fail growth but also are involved in many metabolic disorders, as shown in murine models with global or tissue-specific Ghr deficiency and clinical observations. Here we constructed an adipose-specific Ghr knockout mouse model Ad-GHRKO and studied the metabolic adaptability of the mice when stressed by high-fat diet (HFD) or cold.

APS could potentially activate hepatic insulin signaling in HFD-induced IR mice.

Astragalus polysaccharide (APS) is the main component of Astragalus membranaceus, an anti-diabetic herb being used for thousands of years in Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). In this study, we aimed to evaluate the impact of APS on hepatic insulin signaling, autophagy and ER stress response in high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced insulin resistance (IR) mice. APS was intra-gastrically administrated and metformin was used as a control medicine.

Mitochondrial bioenergetics and pulmonary dysfunction: Current progress and future directions.

This review summarizes current understanding of mitochondrial bioenergetic dysfunction applicable to mechanisms of lung diseases and outlines challenges and future directions in this rapidly emerging field. Although the role of mitochondria extends beyond the term of cellular "powerhouse", energy generation remains the most fundamental function of these organelles. It is not counterintuitive to propose that intact energy supply is important for favorable cellular fate following pulmonary insult.

Azithromycin treatment in children hospitalized with asthma: a retrospective cohort study.

Azithromycin has anti-inflammatory properties in the lungs and decreases the duration of asthma-like episodes in children. We sought to evaluate length of stay (LOS) and readmission rates of children receiving azithromycin therapy during hospitalization for acute asthma exacerbations. This was a retrospective cohort study at an urban, quaternary-care children's hospital including patients under 18 years old hospitalized for asthma, without concurrent infection, from 2002 to 2011.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Cardiovascular Diseases: A Cohort Study of Men and Women Involved in Cleaning the Debris of the World Trade Center Complex.

Background: We sought to determine whether post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a risk factor for myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke, beyond the expected effects from recognized cardiovascular risk factors and depression.

Methods And Results: World Trade Center-Heart is an observational prospective cohort study of 6481 blue-collar first responders nested within the World Trade Center Health Program in New York City. Baseline measures in 2012 and 2013 included blood pressure, weight and height, and blood lipids.

Explaining racial/ethnic differences in all-cause mortality in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA): Substantive complexity and hazardous working conditions as mediating factors.

Research on racial/ethnic health disparities and socioeconomic position has not fully considered occupation. However, because occupations are racially patterned, certain occupational characteristics may explain racial/ethnic difference in health. This study examines the role of occupational characteristics in racial/ethnic disparities in all-cause mortality.

Association between effort-reward imbalance and self-reported diabetes mellitus in older U.S. workers.

Objective: Studies assessing the effects of work stress on health in older adults in the U.S. labor force are scarce.

Derivation of telencephalic oligodendrocyte progenitors from human pluripotent stem cells.

Oligodendrocytes are the main myelinating cell of the adult CNS and are vulnerable to injury in diverse disorders such as spinal cord injury, stroke, trauma, pharmacological and radiation toxicity, as well as neuroinflammation. Human pluripotent stem cells are attractive sources of oligodendrocyte lineage cells and provide a promising treatment strategy for exogenous myelin repair through transplantation. This unit describes a protocol for the step-wise differentiation of forebrain late oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) from human pluripotent stem cells in defined chemical culture conditions.

Cooperative oncogenic effect and cell signaling crosstalk of co‑occurring HER2 and mutant PIK3CA in mammary epithelial cells.

Though incidence of PI3K oncogenic mutation is prominent in breast cancer (20-30%), pharmacological targeting of this signaling pathway alone has failed to provide meaningful clinical benefit. To better understand and address this problem, we conducted genome-wide analysis to study the association of mutant PI3K with other gene amplification events. One of the most significant copy number gain events associated with PIK3CA mutation was the region within chromosome 17 containing HER2.

Unsolicited E-mails to Forensic Psychiatrists.

E-mail communication is pervasive. Since many forensic psychiatrists have their e-mail addresses available online (either on personal websites, university websites, or articles they have authored), they are likely to receive unsolicited e-mails. Although there is an emerging body of literature about exchanging e-mail with patients, there is little guidance about how to respond to e-mails from nonpatients.

Association of Birthweight With Maternal Trajectories of Effort-Reward Imbalance and Demand-Control Across Pregnancy.

Objectives: We assessed longitudinal patterns of effort-reward imbalance (ERI) and demand-control (DC) scores in pregnancy, and their association with newborn birthweight (BW).

Methods: Sixty-one women were surveyed four times across pregnancy using the ERI and DC questionnaires. Trajectories of change in ERI and DC scores across pregnancy were constructed using growth mixture modeling, and their associations with BW were examined with generalized linear regression.

A review of recent literature on materialist and psychosocial models for racial and ethnic disparities in birth outcomes in the US, 2000-2014.

Objective: Material and psychosocial factors exacerbate racial disparities in health outcomes. This review sought to ascertain recent knowledge of the effects of materialist and psychosocial factors on differences in low birthweight (LBW) and preterm delivery (PTD) outcomes between Black and White mothers.

Design: Search and review was conducted for studies that examined: (a) neighborhood-level deprivation as an indicator of material conditions, and (b) racial discrimination or occupational stressors as indicators of psychosocial stress.