Endoscopist Specialty Predicts the Likelihood of Recommending Cessation of Colorectal Cancer Screening in Older Adults.

Objectives: Although the 2008 US Preventive Services Task Force guidelines recommend against routine colorectal cancer (CRC) screening for adults aged 76-85, it is unclear what endoscopists recommend in practice. Our goal was to examine current practice around cessation of CRC screening in older adults.

Methods: We included normal screening colonoscopy exams in adults ≥ 50 years old within the New Hampshire Colonoscopy Registry between 2009 and 2014.

The genetic basis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Throughout the past decade, there have been substantial advances in understanding the pathogenesis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Recently, several large genome-wide association and linkage studies have identified common genetic variants in more than a dozen loci that appear to contribute to IPF risk. In addition, family-based studies have led to the identification of rare genetic variants in genes related to surfactant function and telomere biology, and mechanistic studies suggest pathophysiological derangements associated with these rare genetic variants are also found in sporadic cases of IPF.

Protective immunogenicity of group A streptococcal M-related proteins.

Many previous studies have focused on the surface M proteins of group A streptococci (GAS) as virulence determinants and protective antigens. However, the majority of GAS isolates express M-related protein (Mrp) in addition to M protein, and both have been shown to be required for optimal virulence. In the current study, we evaluated the protective immunogenicity of Mrp to determine its potential as a vaccine component that may broaden the coverage of M protein-based vaccines.

Amplitude and frequency prediction in the translational vestibulo-ocular reflex.

The goal of this study was to assess the effect of amplitude and frequency predictability on the performance of the translational vestibulo-ocular reflex (tVOR). Eye movements were recorded in 5 subjects during continuous vertical translation that consisted of a series of segments with: 1) 3 amplitudes at constant frequency (2 Hz) or 2) 3 different frequencies (1.6, 2, 2.

An endoplasmic reticulum stress-initiated sphingolipid metabolite, ceramide-1-phosphate, regulates epithelial innate immunity by stimulating β-defensin production.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMP) are ubiquitous innate immune elements in epithelial tissues. We recently discovered that a signaling lipid, the ceramide metabolite sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), regulates production of a major AMP, cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide (CAMP), in response to a subtoxic level of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress that can be induced by external perturbants in keratinocytes. We hypothesized that an ER stress-initiated signal could also regulate production of another major class of AMPs: i.

DCLK1 facilitates intestinal tumor growth via enhancing pluripotency and epithelial mesenchymal transition.

Doublecortin-like kinase 1 (Dclk1) is overexpressed in many cancers including colorectal cancer (CRC) andit specifically marks intestinal tumor stem cells. However, the role of Dclk1 in intestinal tumorigenesis in Apc mutant conditions is still poorly understood. We demonstrate that Dclk1 expression and Dclk1+ cells are significantly increased in the intestinal epithelium of elderly ApcMin/+ mice compared to young ApcMin/+ mice and wild type mice.

Group A streptococcus expresses a trio of surface proteins containing protective epitopes.

Group A streptococci (GAS) (Streptococcus pyogenes) are common causes of infections in humans for which there is no licensed vaccine. Decades of work has focused on the role of the surface M protein in eliciting type-specific protective immunity. Recent studies have identified additional surface proteins of GAS that contain opsonic epitopes.

Improved detection of emerging drug-resistant mutant cytomegalovirus subpopulations by deep sequencing.

In immunosuppressed hosts, the development of multidrug resistance complicates the treatment of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. Improved genotypic detection of impending drug resistance may follow from recent technical advances. A severely T-cell-depleted patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia developed CMV pneumonia and high plasma viral loads that were poorly responsive to antiviral therapy.

Examining the factor structure of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) in a post-9/11 U.S. military veteran sample.

The present study examined the structural validity of the 25-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) in a large sample of U.S. veterans with military service since September 11, 2001.

Assisted annotation of medical free text using RapTAT.

Objective: To determine whether assisted annotation using interactive training can reduce the time required to annotate a clinical document corpus without introducing bias.

Materials And Methods: A tool, RapTAT, was designed to assist annotation by iteratively pre-annotating probable phrases of interest within a document, presenting the annotations to a reviewer for correction, and then using the corrected annotations for further machine learning-based training before pre-annotating subsequent documents. Annotators reviewed 404 clinical notes either manually or using RapTAT assistance for concepts related to quality of care during heart failure treatment.

Catastrophizing and perceived partner responses to pain.

This study examined the relationship between catastrophizing and patient-perceived partner responses to pain behaviors. The Catastrophizing subscale of the Cognitive Coping Strategy Inventory and the West Haven-Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory were completed by 62 adult chronic pain patients. Consistent with past research, catastrophizing and patient-perceived solicitous partner behaviors were positively correlated with negative pain outcomes.

Chronic hyperalgesia induced by repeated acid injections in muscle is abolished by the loss of ASIC3, but not ASIC1.

Clinically, chronic pain and hyperalgesia induced by muscle injury are disabling and difficult to treat. Cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying chronic muscle-induced hyperalgesia are not well understood. For this reason, we developed an animal model where repeated injections of acidic saline into one gastrocnemius muscle produce bilateral, long-lasting mechanical hypersensitivity of the paw (i.

Apolipoprotein Serum Amyloid A in Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's disease is characterized by the tissue deposition of beta-amyloid peptide (Abeta) in the brain. Recent studies have shown apoproteins (apo) in amyloid plaques and associated with high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Western blot analysis revealed that serum amyloid A (apoSAA) protein was present in control and AD patients at low levels compared to apoE and apoA-I, however, AD brains showed a significant increase over control values.

The effect of thalidomide treatment on vascular pathology and hyperalgesia caused by chronic constriction injury of rat nerve.

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF) may be involved in the pathogenic mechanisms of neuropathic pain by affecting endothelial cells and by upregulation of receptor sensitivity in afferent nerve fibers. To test the hypothesis that TNF plays a role in the vascular changes and the pain-related behavior in an experimental painful neuropathy in rats produced by tying loosely constrictive ligatures around one sciatic nerve, we investigated the effect of thalidomide, a selective blocker of TNF-production in activated macrophages. In rats in which treatment with thalidomide was started preoperatively, there was diminished mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia during the early stage of the disease.

Medial frontal cortex lesions selectively attenuate the hot plate response: possible nocifensive apraxia in the rat.

Lesions in the cingulate cortex have attenuated pain-related behavior in humans. We wished to evaluate an animal model of this effect by studying the effects of bilateral lesions within the medial frontal cortex, including rat cingulate cortex, on performance in 3 behavioral tests: the formalin, hot-plate, and tail-flick tests. Average hot-plate latencies, but not formalin test scores or tail-flick latencies, were significantly increased by an average of 82% in rats with medial frontal cortex lesions, as compared to sham-operated control rats.