Placental extracellular vesicles-associated microRNA-519c mediates endotoxin adaptation in pregnancy.

Background: Pregnancy represents a unique challenge for the maternal-fetal immune interface, requiring a balance between immunosuppression, which is essential for the maintenance of a semiallogeneic fetus, and proinflammatory host defense to protect the maternal-fetal interface from invading organisms. Adaptation to repeated inflammatory stimuli (endotoxin tolerance) may be critical in preventing inflammation-induced preterm birth caused by exaggerated maternal inflammatory responses to mild or moderate infections that are common during pregnancy. However, the exact mechanisms contributing to the maintenance of tolerance to repeated infections are not completely understood.

Fine-mapping, trans-ancestral and genomic analyses identify causal variants, cells, genes and drug targets for type 1 diabetes.

We report the largest and most diverse genetic study of type 1 diabetes (T1D) to date (61,427 participants), yielding 78 genome-wide-significant (P < 5 × 10) regions, including 36 that are new. We define credible sets of T1D-associated variants and show that they are enriched in immune-cell accessible chromatin, particularly CD4 effector T cells. Using chromatin-accessibility profiling of CD4 T cells from 115 individuals, we map chromatin-accessibility quantitative trait loci and identify five regions where T1D risk variants co-localize with chromatin-accessibility quantitative trait loci.

The Role of Histone Protein Acetylation in Regulating Endothelial Function.

Endothelial cell (EC), consisting of the innermost cellular layer of all types of vessels, is not only a barrier composer but also performing multiple functions in physiological processes. It actively controls the vascular tone and the extravasation of water, solutes, and macromolecules; modulates circulating immune cells as well as platelet and leukocyte recruitment/adhesion and activation. In addition, EC also tightly keeps coagulation/fibrinolysis balance and plays a major role in angiogenesis.

Improving Postpartum Attendance among Women with Gestational Diabetes Using the Medical Home Model of Care.

Objective: Poor attendance at the 6-week postpartum (PP) visit has been well reported. Attendance at this visit is crucial to identify women who have persistent diabetes mellitus (DM) following pregnancies affected by gestational DM (GDM). The medical home model has eliminated barriers to care in various other settings.

Diagnosis, Education, and Care of Patients with -Associated Nephropathy: A Delphi Consensus and Systematic Review.

Background: variants contribute to the markedly higher incidence of ESKD in Blacks compared with Whites. Genetic testing for these variants in patients with African ancestry who have nephropathy is uncommon, and no specific treatment or management protocol for -associated nephropathy currently exists.

Methods: A multidisciplinary, racially diverse group of 14 experts and patient advocates participated in a Delphi consensus process to establish practical guidance for clinicians caring for patients who may have -associated nephropathy.

NGBR is required to ameliorate type 2 diabetes in mice by enhancing insulin sensitivity.

The reduction of insulin resistance or improvement of insulin sensitivity is the most effective treatment for type 2 diabetes (T2D). We previously reported that Nogo-B receptor (NGBR), encoded by the NUS1 gene, is required for attenuating hepatic lipogenesis by blocking nuclear translocation of liver X receptor alpha, suggesting its important role in regulating hepatic lipid metabolism. Herein, we demonstrate that NGBR expression was decreased in the liver of obesity-associated T2D patients and db/db mice.

The clinical utility of magnetic resonance imaging as an adjunct to ultrasound in the diagnosis of placenta accreta spectrum disorders.

Objectives: To determine if the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) changes the diagnosis of placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) made on prenatal ultrasound (US) leading to an improvement in clinical outcomes.

Methods: This was a retrospective chart review of all patients with evidence of PAS on US from 2012 to 2018 in one tertiary care medical center with subsequent use of MRI of the uterus to confirm diagnosis. The type of PAS classified by imaging was compared between US and MRI, with a final diagnosis made using histology.

Long-standing Multifocal Motor Neuropathy Presenting With Delayed Clinical Features of Anti-Myelin-Associated Glycoprotein Neuropathy and Elevated Anti-Myelin-Associated Glycoprotein Antibody Titers.

Multifocal motor neuropathy with conduction block (MMN) and anti-myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) neuropathy are rare chronic acquired demyelinating neuropathies with distinct clinical and electrophysiological characteristics. These neuropathies are generally not known to coexist. This report describes a patient with long-standing MMN who subsequently developed clinical features of anti-MAG neuropathy.

Nogo-B receptor is required for stabilizing TGF-β type I receptor and promotes the TGF-β1-induced epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition of non-small cell lung cancer.

Metastasis is the leading cause of death in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a crucial event in the metastasis of NSCLC. Our previous works demonstrated that NgBR promoted EMT in NSCLC. However, the molecular mechanism was unclear.

NOGOB receptor-mediated RAS signaling pathway is a target for suppressing proliferating hemangioma.

Infantile hemangioma is a vascular tumor characterized by the rapid growth of disorganized blood vessels followed by slow spontaneous involution. The underlying molecular mechanisms that regulate hemangioma proliferation and involution still are not well elucidated. Our previous studies reported that NOGOB receptor (NGBR), a transmembrane protein, is required for the translocation of prenylated RAS from the cytosol to the plasma membrane and promotes RAS activation.

The Impact of COVID-19 Surge on Clinical Palliative Care: A Descriptive Study From a New York Hospital System.

Context: In spring 2020, New York experienced a surge of patients hospitalized with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19) disease, as part of a global pandemic. There are limited data on populations of COVID-19-infected patients seen by palliative care services.

Objective: To describe a palliative care population at one New York hospital system during the initial pandemic surge.

COVID-19 Antibodies and Outcomes among Outpatient Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients.

Background: Patients on maintenance hemodialysis are particularly vulnerable to infection and hospitalization from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Due to immunocompromised patients and the clustering that occurs in outpatient dialysis units, the seroprevalence of COVID-19 antibodies in this population is unknown and has significant implications for public health. Also, little is known about their risk factors for hospitalization.

Coronary Optical Coherence Tomography and Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Determine Underlying Causes of Myocardial Infarction With Nonobstructive Coronary Arteries in Women.

Background: Myocardial infarction with nonobstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA) occurs in 6% to 15% of myocardial infarctions (MIs) and disproportionately affects women. Scientific statements recommend multimodality imaging in MINOCA to define the underlying cause. We performed coronary optical coherence tomography (OCT) and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging to assess mechanisms of MINOCA.

Identification of Immunohistochemical Reagents for In Situ Protein Expression Analysis of Coronavirus-associated Changes in Human Tissues.

We studied the suitability of commercially available monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) for the immunohistochemical (IHC) detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) in standard archival specimens. Antibodies were screened on HEK293 cells transfected with viral nucleoprotein, S1 subunit and S2 subunit of spike protein and on untransfected cells, as well as a panel of normal tissue. Lung tissue with presence of SARS-CoV2 confirmed by in situ hybridization (ISH) was also used.

Simultaneous Videofluoroscopy and Endoscopy for Dysphagia Evaluation in Preterm Infants-A Pilot Study.

The assessment of dysphagia in preterm infants has been limited to clinical bedside evaluation followed by videofluoroscopic swallow study (VFSS) in selected patients. Recently, fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) is being described more in literature for preterm infants. However, it is unclear if one test has a better diagnostic utility than the other in this population.

18F-Fluciclovine Uptake in Thymoma Demonstrated on PET/MRI.

A 68-year-old man with a history of prostate cancer post-primary treatment presented with rising prostate-specific antigen levels and was referred for 18F-fluciclovine PET/MRI to localize recurrent disease. PET/MRI revealed a solitary focus of uptake in a soft tissue nodule in the anterior mediastinum, which was resected and found to be a type B2 thymoma. 18F-fluciclovine uptake is mediated by amino acid transporters, primarily alanine-serine-cysteine transporter 2 and l-type amino acid transporter 1, previously demonstrated to be expressed on thymic carcinomas.

Novel Insights into the Regulatory Role of Nuclear Factor (Erythroid-Derived 2)-Like 2 in Oxidative Stress and Inflammation of Human Fetal Membranes.

Fetal membrane dysfunction in response to oxidative stress (OS) is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) is one of the regulators of innate OS response. This study evaluated changes in Nrf2 expression and its downstream targets heme oxygenase (HO-1) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) in fetal membranes during OS and infection in vitro.

A point mutation decouples the lipid transfer activities of microsomal triglyceride transfer protein.

Apolipoprotein B-containing lipoproteins (B-lps) are essential for the transport of hydrophobic dietary and endogenous lipids through the circulation in vertebrates. Zebrafish embryos produce large numbers of B-lps in the yolk syncytial layer (YSL) to move lipids from yolk to growing tissues. Disruptions in B-lp production perturb yolk morphology, readily allowing for visual identification of mutants with altered B-lp metabolism.

Outcomes of Maternal-Newborn Dyads After Maternal SARS-CoV-2.

Background And Objectives: Infection with a novel coronavirus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a global pandemic. There are limited data describing the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on pregnant mothers and their newborns. The objective of this study is to describe characteristics and outcomes of maternal-newborn dyads with confirmed maternal SARS-CoV-2.

Circadian Clock Regulation on Lipid Metabolism and Metabolic Diseases.

The basic helix-loop-helix-PAS transcription factor (CLOCK, Circadian locomotor output cycles protein kaput) was discovered in 1994 as a circadian clock. Soon after its discovery, the circadian clock, Aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator-like protein 1 (ARNTL, also call BMAL1), was shown to regulate adiposity and body weight by controlling on the brain hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). Farther, circadian clock genes were determined to exert several of lipid metabolic and diabetes effects, overall indicating that CLOCK and BMAL1 act as a central master circadian clock.

From kamishibai card to key card: a family-targeted quality improvement initiative to reduce paediatric central line-associated bloodstream infections.

Background: Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) are major contributors to preventable harm in the inpatient paediatric setting. Despite multiple guidelines to reduce CLABSI, sustaining reliable central line maintenance bundle compliance remains elusive. We identified frontline and family engagement as key drivers for this initiative.