A Novel On-Chip Method for Differential Extraction of Sperm in Forensic Cases.

One out of every six American women has been the victim of a sexual assault in their lifetime. However, the DNA casework backlog continues to increase outpacing the nation's capacity since DNA evidence processing in sexual assault casework remains a bottleneck due to laborious and time-consuming differential extraction of victim's and perpetrator's cells. Additionally, a significant amount (60-90%) of male DNA evidence may be lost with existing procedures.

butterfly-inspired optical diffraction, diffusion, and bio-chemical sensing.

-butterfly is well-known for the blue colouration in its tiny wing scales and finds applications in colour filters, anti-reflecting coatings and optical devices. Herein, the structural optical properties of the -butterfly wing scales were examined through light reflection, diffraction and optical diffusion. The light diffraction property from wing scales was investigated through experiments and computation modelling.

Biomarkers, menopausal hormone therapy and risk of venous thrombosis: The Women's Health Initiative.

Background: Oral menopausal hormone therapy causes venous thrombosis but whether biomarkers of thrombosis risk can identify women at risk is unknown.

Methods: We completed a nested case control study in the two Women's Health Initiative hormone trials; 27 347 women aged 50-79 were randomized to hormone therapy (conjugated equine estrogen with or without medroxyprogesterone acetate) or placebo. With 4 years follow-up, biomarkers were measured using stored baseline samples prior to starting treatment, and one-year later, in 215 women who developed thrombosis and 867 controls.

Guidance and Self-Sorting of Active Swimmers: 3D Periodic Arrays Increase Persistence Length of Human Sperm Selecting for the Fittest.

Male infertility is a reproductive disease, and existing clinical solutions for this condition often involve long and cumbersome sperm sorting methods, including preprocessing and centrifugation-based steps. These methods also fall short when sorting for sperm free of reactive oxygen species, DNA damage, and epigenetic aberrations. Although several microfluidic platforms exist, they suffer from structural complexities, i.

Acute vitreoretinal trauma and inflammation after traumatic brain injury in mice.

Objective: Limited attention has been given to ocular injuries associated with traumatic brain injury (TBI). The retina is an extension of the central nervous system and evaluation of ocular damage may offer a less-invasive approach to gauge TBI severity and response to treatment. We aim to characterize acute changes in the mouse eye after exposure to two different models of TBI to assess the utility of eye damage as a surrogate to brain injury.

It Is Just Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder…or Is It?

Carly is a 5-year-old girl who presents for an interdisciplinary evaluation due to behaviors at school and home suggestive of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Parent report of preschool teacher concerns was consistent with ADHD. Psychological testing showed verbal, visual-spatial, and fluid reasoning IQ scores in the average range; processing speed and working memory were below average.

Age-dependent effects of APOE ε4 in preclinical Alzheimer's disease.

Objective: The ε4 allele of apolipoprotein E (APOE) is the strongest known common genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and alters age of onset in retrospective studies. Here, we longitudinally test the effects of APOE ε4 genotype and age during progression from normal cognition to AD.

Methods: Using data from 5381 cognitively normal older individuals and Cox proportional hazards models, we longitudinally tested the effects of APOE genotype on progression from normal cognition to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or AD in four age strata (<60, 60-70, 70-80, 80 + ) and with a sliding window approach between ages 60 and 85.

Health and Big Data: An Ethical Framework for Health Information Collection by Corporate Wellness Programs.

This essay details the resurgence of wellness program as employed by large corporations with the aim of reducing healthcare costs. The essay narrows in on a discussion of how Big Data collection practices are being utilized in wellness programs and the potential negative impact on the worker in regards to privacy and employment discrimination. The essay offers an ethical framework to be adopted by wellness program vendors in order to conduct wellness programs that would achieve cost-saving goals without undue burdens on the worker.

Precision test for precision medicine: opportunities, challenges and perspectives regarding pre-eclampsia as an intervention window for future cardiovascular disease.

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) comprise a spectrum of syndromes that range in severity from gestational hypertension and pre-eclamplsia (PE) to eclampsia, as well as chronic hypertension and chronic hypertension with superimposed PE. HDP occur in 2% to 10% of pregnant women worldwide, and impose a substantial burden on maternal and fetal/infant health. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in women.

Hawksbill turtle terra incognita: conservation genetics of eastern Pacific rookeries.

Prior to 2008 and the discovery of several important hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) nesting colonies in the EP (Eastern Pacific), the species was considered virtually absent from the region. Research since that time has yielded new insights into EP hawksbills, salient among them being the use of mangrove estuaries for nesting. These recent revelations have raised interest in the genetic characterization of hawksbills in the EP, studies of which have remained lacking to date.

Depression is a risk factor for incident coronary heart disease in women: An 18-year longitudinal study.

Background: According to a recent position paper by the American Heart Association, it remains unclear whether depression is a risk factor for incident Coronary Heart Disease (CHD). We assessed whether a depressive disorder independently predicts 18-year incident CHD in women.

Method: A prospective longitudinal study of 860 women enrolled in the Geelong Osteoporosis Study (1993-2011) was conducted.

The addition of depression to the Framingham Risk Equation model for predicting coronary heart disease risk in women.

Background: Depression is widely considered to be an independent and robust predictor of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD), however is seldom considered in the context of formal risk assessment. We assessed whether the addition of depression to the Framingham Risk Equation (FRE) improved accuracy for predicting 10-year CHD in a sample of women.

Design: A prospective, longitudinal design comprising an age-stratified, population-based sample of Australian women collected between 1993 and 2011 (n=862).

Cell biological mechanisms of activity-dependent synapse to nucleus translocation of CRTC1 in neurons.

Previous studies have revealed a critical role for CREB-regulated transcriptional coactivator (CRTC1) in regulating neuronal gene expression during learning and memory. CRTC1 localizes to synapses but undergoes activity-dependent nuclear translocation to regulate the transcription of CREB target genes. Here we investigate the long-distance retrograde transport of CRTC1 in hippocampal neurons.

Does Electrodiagnostic Confirmation of Radiculopathy Predict Pain Reduction after Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injection? A Multicenter Study.

Objective: Minimal definitive literature identifies patients with radicular pain who would benefit most from epidural steroid injection (ESI). This study investigated if electromyographic (EMG) confirmation of radiculopathy with active or chronic denervation predicts a positive treatment outcome following ESI.

Design: Longitudinal cohort study of adults who underwent EMG and subsequent transforaminal ESI within 6 months.