Work It Out Together: Preliminary Efficacy of a Parent and Adolescent DVD and Workbook Intervention on Adolescent Sexual and Substance Use Attitudes and Parenting Behaviors.

The purpose of the current study was to test an interactive DVD and workbook specifically designed for African-American parents and adolescents (ages 13-18), based on an efficacious face-to-face intervention, to address key factors associated with risk. A total of 170 parent-adolescent dyads were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive either the "Work It Out Together" DVD or a General Health Promotion DVD (HP). Parents and adolescents completed measures of HIV knowledge, self-efficacy, and parenting behaviors.

RAGE siRNA-mediated gene silencing provides cardioprotection against ventricular arrhythmias in acute ischemia and reperfusion.

Expression of receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) is suggested to play a crucial role in mediating cardiac ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury, and the blockade of RAGE signaling has been considered as a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of IR-induced cardiac damage. In this study, we primarily investigated the effects of RAGE suppression particularly on IR-induced ventricular arrhythmia. To inhibit the IR-induced upregulation of RAGE, siRNA targeting RAGE (siRAGE) was delivered to myocardium by using deoxycholic acid-modified polyethylenimine (PEI-DA) as a non-viral gene carrier.

Calcium measurements from whole heart using Rhod-2.

Calcium recording from whole heart is an important technique to investigate role of calcium in cardiac arrhythmias. Intracellular calcium can be recorded from multiple locations using imaging devices and organic dyes or genetic probe (Tallini et al. PNAS 103(12):4753-4758, 2006) from whole heart.

Immunization with aspartate-β-hydroxylase-loaded dendritic cells produces antitumor effects in a rat model of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Unlabelled: Dendritic cells (DCs) capture and process proteins and present peptides on the cell surface in the context of major histocompatibility complex I and II molecules to induce antigen-specific T cell immune responses. The aims of this study were to (1) employ an expanded and purified DC population and load them with aspartate-β-hydroxylase (ASPH), a highly expressed tumor-associated cell surface protein, and (2) to determine if immunization induced antitumor effects in an orthotopic rat model of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. Splenocytes were incubated with ASPH-coated beads and passed through a magnetic field to yield an 80% pure DC OX62+ population.

Comparison of thyroid transcription factor-1 expression by 2 monoclonal antibodies in pulmonary and nonpulmonary primary tumors.

Thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1) is a transcription factor that plays a role in the development and physiology of the thyroid and lungs. Expression of TTF-1 is used as a marker of lung and thyroid clinically. Commercially available clones of TTF-1 monoclonal antibodies, 8G7G3/1 and SPT24, have been reported to have different sensitivities for the detection of neoplasms of different origins.

Recombinant human activated protein C inhibits integrin-mediated neutrophil migration.

Integrin-mediated cell migration is central to many biologic and pathologic processes. During inflammation, tissue injury results from excessive infiltration and sequestration of activated leukocytes. Recombinant human activated protein C (rhAPC) has been shown to protect patients with severe sepsis, although the mechanism underlying this protective effect remains unclear.

Synchronous development of acute myeloid leukemia in recipient and donor after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation: report of a case with comments on donor evaluation.

Background: A case of donor cell leukemia (DCL) is reported. A 42-year-old female developed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) of donor cell origin 18 months after a bone marrow transplant (BMT) from her brother. At the time DCL presented, the donor-brother was also diagnosed with AML showing identical cytogenetic abnormalities.

Nonmuscle myosin heavy chain IIA mediates integrin LFA-1 de-adhesion during T lymphocyte migration.

Precise spatial and temporal regulation of cell adhesion and de-adhesion is critical for dynamic lymphocyte migration. Although a great deal of information has been learned about integrin lymphocyte function-associated antigen (LFA)-1 adhesion, the mechanism that regulates efficient LFA-1 de-adhesion from intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 during T lymphocyte migration is unknown. Here, we show that nonmuscle myosin heavy chain IIA (MyH9) is recruited to LFA-1 at the uropod of migrating T lymphocytes, and inhibition of the association of MyH9 with LFA-1 results in extreme uropod elongation, defective tail detachment, and decreased lymphocyte migration on ICAM-1, without affecting LFA-1 activation by chemokine CXCL-12.

Solitary fibrous tumor of the buccal space: treatment with percutaneous cryoablation.

Solitary fibrous tumors are rare spindle cell neoplasms that typically occur in the thorax but have been described in various locations within the abdomen and head and neck region. The most common extrapleural site is the oral cavity, but these tumors have been also described in the orbit, nasopharynx, paranasal sinuses, salivary glands, and larynx. We describe a case of a solitary fibrous tumor of the buccal space successfully treated with percutaneous CT-guided cryoablation.

Adenoma of anogenital mammary-like glands.

Adenomas in the anogenital region are uncommon. There has been debate about the origin, including ectopic breast tissue, cutaneous apocrine gland, and most recently anogenital mammary-like gland. An anogenital mass in a 36-year-old woman was excised, and histopathologic examination and immunostaining were performed.

Emergency department visits for pediatric trampoline-related injuries: an update.

Objectives: To describe the epidemiology of emergency department (ED) visits for trampoline-related injuries among U.S. children from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2005, using the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) and to compare recent trampoline injury demographics and injury characteristics with those previously published for 1990-1995 using the same data source.

NADPH oxidase NOX5-S mediates acid-induced cyclooxygenase-2 expression via activation of NF-kappaB in Barrett's esophageal adenocarcinoma cells.

We have shown that the NADPH oxidase NOX5-S may play an important role in the progression from Barrett's esophagus to esophageal adenocarcinoma (EA) by increasing cell proliferation and decreasing apoptosis. However, the mechanism of the acid-induced NOX5-S-mediated increase in cell proliferation is not known. We found that, in SEG1 EA cells, the acid-induced increase in prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production was mediated by activation of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2) but not by COX1.

Role of epidermal growth factor and ErbB2 receptors in 3T3-L1 adipogenesis.

Objective: Epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulates proliferation in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, but EGF action in differentiation is less clear. EGF promotes differentiation at concentrations <1 nM but inhibits differentiation at higher concentrations, suggesting a dual role in adipogenesis. We hypothesized that differences in EGF receptor activation and downstream signaling mediate distinct biological effects of EGF at low vs.

Chronic ethanol consumption impairs cellular immune responses against HCV NS5 protein due to dendritic cell dysfunction.

Background & Aims: Alcoholic patients with and without chronic liver disease have a high incidence of infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV). Long-term ethanol consumption in mice has been associated with a strikingly reduced CD8(+) cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) response to HCV nonstructural proteins following DNA-based immunization. This study evaluated the effect of ethanol on dendritic cells (DCs) as a mechanism(s) for reduced CTL activity.

Parent-adolescent communication and psychological symptoms among adolescents with chronically ill parents.

Objective: To examine the psychological adjustment of adolescents living with a chronically ill parent and the relationship between psychological symptoms and communication with both their healthy and ill parents.

Method: Adolescents, healthy parents, and ill parents from 38 families completed questionnaires regarding adolescent psychological symptoms, including posttraumatic stress symptoms, and parent-adolescent communication.

Results: Adolescent anxiety, depression, and behavior problems were within the subclinical ranges while approximately one-third of adolescents reported clinical levels of posttraumatic stress symptoms.

Re-operative neck surgery for well-differentiated thyroid cancer of follicular origin.

This review focuses on the pathologic criteria for completion thyroidectomy in well differentiated thyroid cancer as well the diagnosis and treatment of recurrent disease. The roles of ultrasound in the diagnosis of a cervical recurrence, its value in determining the extent of lymph node dissection in the lateral compartment, and the importance of intra-operative ultrasound in re-operative thyroid surgery are discussed.

Loss of Raf kinase inhibitor protein promotes cell proliferation and migration of human hepatoma cells.

Background & Aims: The Raf kinase inhibitor protein (RKIP) has been identified as a suppressor of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. Loss of RKIP function promotes tumor metastasis in prostate cancer and melanoma. The insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I)-mediated MAPK cascade is often activated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the role of RKIP in the molecular pathogenesis of these tumors is unknown.

Therapeutic rescue of neurodegeneration in experimental type 3 diabetes: relevance to Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is associated with major impairments in insulin and insulin-like growth factor (IGF) gene expression and signaling in the brain. These abnormalities increase with severity of dementia, and are associated with deficiencies in energy metabolism and acetylcholine homeostasis. The co-existence of brain insulin/IGF deficiency and resistance suggests that AD may represent a brain-specific form of diabetes, i.

Splenic artery embolization: Have we gone too far?

Background: Splenic artery angioembolization (EMBO) has been promoted to increase the success rate of nonoperative management of splenic injuries. Our institutional clinical pathway calls for EMBO in the setting of ongoing splenic bleeding or contrast blush on computed tomography scan. We perceived a higher rate of failure than that reported in the literature.

Depressive symptoms as a predictor of sexual risk among African American adolescents and young adults.

Purpose: To understand the prospective relationship between depressive symptoms and sexual risk behavior among a community sample of African American adolescents.

Methods: African American adolescents (n = 415) who participated in a larger multi-site human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention program provided baseline data on demographics, psychosocial context and depressive symptoms. At six-month follow-up, data were collected regarding sexual activity in the past 90 days.

Molecular indices of oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction occur early and often progress with severity of Alzheimer's disease.

Glucose uptake and energy metabolism in the brain are regulated by insulin and insulin-like growth factors (IGF). Recent studies demonstrated progressive deficiencies in brain insulin and IGF production and responsiveness, and linked these abnormalities to acetylcholine deficiency in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We extended this line of research by attempting to correlate the deficits in insulin/IGF signaling and energy production with mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative injury, and compensatory cyto-protective responses in brains with different Braak Stage severities of AD.

RAGE, LRP-1, and amyloid-beta protein in Alzheimer's disease.

The receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) is thought to be a primary transporter of beta-amyloid across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) into the brain from the systemic circulation, while the low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP)-1 mediates transport of beta-amyloid out of the brain. To determine whether there are Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related changes in these BBB-associated beta-amyloid receptors, we studied RAGE, LRP-1, and beta-amyloid in human elderly control and AD hippocampi. In control hippocampi, there was robust RAGE immunoreactivity in neurons, whereas microvascular staining was barely detectable.