Altered skeletal muscle sarco-endoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase calcium transport efficiency after a thermogenic stimulus.

Exposure to predator threat induces a rapid and robust increase in skeletal muscle thermogenesis in rats. The central nervous system relays threat information to skeletal muscle through activation of the sympathetic nervous system, but muscle mechanisms mediating this thermogenesis remain unidentified. Given the relevance of sarcolipin-mediated futile calcium cycling through the sarco-endoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase (SERCA) pump to mammalian muscle nonshivering thermogenesis, we hypothesized that this plays a role in contextually induced muscle thermogenesis as well.

Enterohepatic Shunt-Driven Cholemia Predisposes to Liver Cancer.

Background & Aims: Pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which kills millions annually, is poorly understood. Identification of risk factors and modifiable determinants and mechanistic understanding of how they impact HCC are urgently needed.

Methods: We sought early prognostic indicators of HCC in C57BL/6 mice, which we found were prone to developing this disease when fed a fermentable fiber-enriched diet.

Cross-ancestry genome-wide meta-analysis of 61,047 cases and 947,237 controls identifies new susceptibility loci contributing to lung cancer.

To identify new susceptibility loci to lung cancer among diverse populations, we performed cross-ancestry genome-wide association studies in European, East Asian and African populations and discovered five loci that have not been previously reported. We replicated 26 signals and identified 10 new lead associations from previously reported loci. Rare-variant associations tended to be specific to populations, but even common-variant associations influencing smoking behavior, such as those with CHRNA5 and CYP2A6, showed population specificity.

Mediating and maintaining methylation while minimizing mutation: Recent advances on mammalian DNA methyltransferases.

Mammalian genomes are methylated on carbon-5 of many cytosines, mostly in CpG dinucleotides. Methylation patterns are maintained during mitosis via DNMT1, and regulatory factors involved in processes that include histone modifications. Methylation in a sequence longer than CpG can influence the binding of sequence-specific transcription factors, thus affecting gene expression.

Clinical presentation and surgical anatomy of sympathetic nerve injury during lumbar spine surgery: a narrative review.

Background And Objective: To highlight the surgical anatomy, procedural variations, presentation, and management of sympathetic nerve injury after surgery of the lumbar spine.

Methods: PubMed and Google Scholar were searched for publications that were completed between 1951 and 2021. Relevant full-text articles published in the English language were selected and critically reviewed.

Enzymatic Characterization of In Vitro Activity of RNA Methyltransferase PCIF1 on DNA.

PCIF1 and FTO are a pair of human mRNA cap-specific modification enzymes that have opposing activities. PCIF1 adds a methyl group to the N6-position of 2'-methyladenosine (A), generating N6, 2'-dimethyladenosine (mA), when A is the cap-proximal nucleotide. FTO removes the N6-methyl group from mA.

The Sun Is Still Shining: Nature of Industry Payments to Transplant Surgeons From 2014 to 2019.

Background: Established in 2013, the Open Payments Program (OPP) mandated that medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers submit record of any financial incentive given to physicians to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which is in turn made publicly available. This study aims to characterize these payments to transplant surgeons over the first 6 y of OPP data.

Methods: The study sample included all physicians who received at least one nonresearch payment as transplant surgeons to the OPP.

Spondylodiscitis secondary to : a case report.

Background: Spondylodiscitis secondary to () is a rare primary infection of the spine, with a few case reports highlighted. Treatment of this infection is not well established but here we discuss a case where a patient recovered well following early aggressive surgical intervention and antibiotic treatment.

Case Description: A 32-year-old male presented with a 3-month history of worsening low back pain, Horner's syndrome, dysphagia, lower extremity weakness, and a 5-day history of bowel and bladder incontinence.

Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma Presenting as Ulcerative Facial Mass: A Case Report.

Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) is a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) that can be aggressive with rapid speed, thus mandating a timely diagnosis to optimize treatment and deter progression. NHL classically presents with lymphadenopathy and constitutional symptoms. However, ALCL can present with nonspecific cutaneous manifestations with minimal or absent constitutional symptoms.

Schizophrenia: a disorder of broken brain bioenergetics.

A substantial and diverse body of literature suggests that the pathophysiology of schizophrenia is related to deficits of bioenergetic function. While antipsychotics are an effective therapy for the management of positive psychotic symptoms, they are not efficacious for the complete schizophrenia symptom profile, such as the negative and cognitive symptoms. In this review, we discuss the relationship between dysfunction of various metabolic pathways across different brain regions in relation to schizophrenia.

Differential ETS1 binding to T:G mismatches within a CpG dinucleotide contributes to C-to-T somatic mutation rate of the IDH2 hotspot at codon Arg140.

Cytosine to thymine (C>T) somatic mutation is highly enriched in certain types of cancer, and most commonly occurs via deamination of a 5-methylcytosine (5mC) to thymine, in the context of a CpG dinucleotide. In theory, deamination should occur at equal rates to both 5mC nucleotides on opposite strands. In most cases, the resulting T:G or G:T mismatch can be repaired by thymine DNA glycosylase activities.

Subacute Cutaneous Lupus as a Paraneoplastic Manifestation of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.

Malignancies have been associated with paraneoplastic syndromes, such as dermatomyositis. Subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus (SCLE) can occur due to a wide array of cancers. Paraneoplastic SCLE obeys McLean's criteria and often regresses after the underlying malignancy has been treated appropriately.

Enzymatic characterization of mRNA cap adenosine-N6 methyltransferase PCIF1 activity on uncapped RNAs.

The phosphorylated RNA polymerase II CTD interacting factor 1 (PCIF1) is a methyltransferase that adds a methyl group to the N6-position of 2'O-methyladenosine (A), generating N6, 2'O-dimethyladenosine (mA) when A is the cap-proximal nucleotide. In addition, PCIF1 has ancillary methylation activities on internal adenosines (both A and A), although with much lower catalytic efficiency relative to that of its preferred cap substrate. The PCIF1 preference for 2'O-methylated A over unmodified A nucleosides is due mainly to increased binding affinity for A.

DMSO: an aid to combat pain and pruritus.

Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is a highly reactive by-product of paper production in the form of an odorless, colorless liquid that has been studied since the 1860s. Initially it was utilized as a solvent, but more recently it is being investigated for therapeutic applications. Owing to its versatility, the use of DMSO has been proposed in many different medical fields for a variety of applications, with possibly the widest use being in the field of dermatology.

Effect of short-term hindlimb immobilization on skeletal muscle atrophy and the transcriptome in a low compared with high responder to endurance training model.

Skeletal muscle atrophy is a physiological response to disuse, aging, and disease. We compared changes in muscle mass and the transcriptome profile after short-term immobilization in a divergent model of high and low responders to endurance training to identify biological processes associated with the early atrophy response. Female rats selectively bred for high response to endurance training (HRT) and low response to endurance training (LRT; n = 6/group; generation 19) underwent 3 day hindlimb cast immobilization to compare atrophy of plantaris and soleus muscles with line-matched controls (n = 6/group).

Co-existence of Double Gallbladder and Choledochal Cyst in a Single Patient.

Additional anatomical structures are rare but can be mistaken for other conditions, causing misdiagnoses and poor outcomes for patients. The presence of concurrent anomalies within the extra structures further complicates a rare situation. We present a case of a patient with two gallbladders and a choledochal cyst diagnosed via radiography and confirmed by exploratory laparotomy.

The future of STI screening and treatment for youth: a National Survey of youth perspectives and intentions.

Background: Sexually transmitted infection (STI) rates continue to rise in the U.S., with disproportionately high rates among those aged 15-24 years.

Microcystin-LR (MC-LR) Triggers Inflammatory Responses in Macrophages.

We were the first to previously report that microcystin-LR (MC-LR) has limited effects within the colons of healthy mice but has toxic effects within colons of mice with pre-existing inflammatory bowel disease. In the current investigation, we aimed to elucidate the mechanism by which MC-LR exacerbates colitis and to identify effective therapeutic targets. Through our current investigation, we report that there is a significantly greater recruitment of macrophages into colonic tissue with pre-existing colitis in the presence of MC-LR than in the absence of MC-LR.

Repurposing epigenetic inhibitors to target the specific DNA adenine methyltransferase and sporulation regulator CamA.

Epigenetically targeted therapeutic development, particularly for SAM-dependent methylations of DNA, mRNA and histones has been proceeding rapidly for cancer treatments over the past few years. However, this approach has barely begun to be exploited for developing new antibiotics, despite an overwhelming global need to counter antimicrobial resistance. Here, we explore whether SAM analogues, some of which are in (pre)clinical studies as inhibitors of human epigenetic enzymes, can also inhibit specific DNA adenine methyltransferase (CamA), a sporulation regulator present in all genomes sequenced to date, but found in almost no other bacteria.