Lentiviral Infection of Mouse Bone Marrow Cells for Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.

Lentiviral vectors are increasingly used as efficient gene transfer tools in the experimental and clinical gene therapy treatment of acquired and inherited genetic diseases. Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are characterized by the capacity for self-renewal, as well as multi-lineage differentiation and maintenance of the lymphohematopoietic system throughout life. As such, HSC transplantation (HSCT) has proven to be a powerful therapeutic modality for the treatment of both malignant and nonmalignant disorders.

LMO1 functions as an oncogene by regulating TTK expression and correlates with neuroendocrine differentiation of lung cancer.

LMO1 encodes a protein containing a cysteine-rich LIM domain involved in protein-protein interactions. Recent studies have shown that LMO1 functions as an oncogene in several cancer types, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the function of LMO1 in other histological subtypes of lung cancer, such as small cell lung cancer (SCLC), was not investigated.

Protein and DNA synthesis demonstrated in cell-free Ehrlichia chaffeensis organisms in axenic medium.

Ehrlichia chaffeensis, a tick-transmitted rickettsial bacterium, is the causative agent of human monocytic ehrlichiosis. Biochemical characterization of this and other related Rickettsiales remains a major challenge, as they require a host cell for their replication. We investigated the use of an axenic medium for E.

Primary Posterior Blade Plate Tibiotalar Arthrodesis: A Salvage Procedure for Complex Nonreconstructable Pilon Fractures.

A subset of C2/C3 pilon fractures, open pilon injuries, metaphyseal bone comminution, and those involving substantial soft tissue or vascular injury may be nonreconstructable. Such injuries are at risk of progress to nonunion and failing open reduction internal fixation (ORIF). The risk of infection, malunion, and nonunion is relatively high with such injury patterns.

Increased PD-1 and TIM-3 TILs during Cetuximab Therapy Inversely Correlate with Response in Head and Neck Cancer Patients.

Despite emerging appreciation for the important role of immune checkpoint receptors in regulating the effector functions of T cells, it is unknown whether their expression is involved in determining the clinical outcome in response to cetuximab therapy. We examined the expression patterns of immune checkpoint receptors (including PD-1, CTLA-4, and TIM-3) and cytolytic molecules (including granzyme B and perforin) of CD8 tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) and compared them with those of peripheral blood T lymphocytes (PBL) in patients with head and neck cancer (HNSCC) during cetuximab therapy. The frequency of PD-1 and TIM-3 expression was significantly increased in CD8 TILs compared with CD8 PBLs ( = 0.

Intramedullary nailing of tibial shaft fractures in the semi-extended position using a suprapatellar portal technique.

Intramedullary nail fixation remains the standard treatment for displaced tibial shaft fractures. Establishing an appropriate starting point remains a crucial step in the surgical procedure. Tibial nailing using an infrapatellar starting point with the knee flexed over a radiolucent triangle has been established as a widely-used standard technique.

Patellar tendon reconstruction using an extended gastrocnemius flap following cryogenic injury to the knee.

Cryogenic thermal necrosis after knee surgery is rare. We describe a patient who presented with an anterior knee soft tissue defect in conjunction with an extensor mechanism deficiency secondary to a cold thermal injury after an anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. We treated the patient with a single stage surgical procedure combining patellar tendon reconstruction and soft tissue coverage utilizing the superficial portion of the patient's vascularized Achilles tendon attached to a medial gastrocnemius flap.

Suppressive IL-17AFoxp3 and ex-Th17 IL-17AFoxp3 T cells are a source of tumour-associated T cells.

Th17 and regulatory T (T) cells are integral in maintaining immune homeostasis and Th17-T imbalance is associated with inflammatory immunosuppression in cancer. Here we show that Th17 cells are a source of tumour-induced Foxp3 cells. In addition to natural (n)T and induced (i)T cells that develop from naive precursors, suppressive IL-17AFoxp3 and ex-Th17 Foxp3 cells are converted from IL-17AFoxp3 cells in tumour-bearing mice.

Utilizing melatonin to combat bacterial infections and septic injury.

Melatonin, also known as N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine, is a ubiquitously acting molecule that is produced by the pineal gland and other organs of animals, including humans. As melatonin and its metabolites are potent antioxidants and free radical scavengers, they are protective against a variety of disorders. Moreover, multiple molecular targets of melatonin have been identified, and its actions are both receptor-mediated and receptor-independent.

Spanish Translation, Cross-Cultural Adaptation, and Validation of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Foot and Ankle Outcomes Questionnaire in Mexican-Americans With Traumatic Foot and Ankle Injuries.

Background: Hispanics represent the largest minority group within the US population accounting for an estimated 55.4 million individuals. Enrolling Hispanics into clinical outcome studies is important in order for study populations to be externally valid and representative of the US population.

LKB1 as a Tumor Suppressor in Uterine Cancer: Mouse Models and Translational Studies.

The LKB1 tumor suppressor was identified in 1998 as the gene mutated in the Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome (PJS), a hereditary cancer predisposition characterized by gastrointestinal polyposis and a high incidence of cancers, particularly carcinomas, at a variety of anatomic sites including the gastrointestinal tract, lung, and female reproductive tract. Women with PJS have a high incidence of carcinomas of the uterine corpus (endometrium) and cervix. The LKB1 gene is also somatically mutated in human cancers arising at these sites.

A combined gene expression and functional study reveals the crosstalk between N-Myc and differentiation-inducing microRNAs in neuroblastoma cells.

MYCN amplification is the most common genetic alteration in neuroblastoma and plays a critical role in neuroblastoma tumorigenesis. MYCN regulates neuroblastoma cell differentiation, which is one of the mechanisms underlying its oncogenic function. We recently identified a group of differentiation-inducing microRNAs.

Preventing Pregnancy in High School Students: Observations From a 3-Year Longitudinal, Quasi-Experimental Study.

Objectives: To assess whether a sexual health education intervention reduces pregnancy rates in high school students.

Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of a 3-year quasi-experimental study performed in South Texas from 2011 to 2015 in which 1437 students without a history of pregnancy at baseline were surveyed each fall and spring. Potentially confounding risk factors considered included sexual behaviors, intentions, and demographics.

Primary care-public health linkages: Older primary care patients with prediabetes & type 2 diabetes encouraged to attend community-based senior centers.

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) suggests that primary care-public health integration can improve health outcomes for vulnerable patients, but the extent to which formal linkages may enhance patients' use of community resources, or the factors that may influence providers to encourage their patients to use these resources, remain unclear. We conducted baseline assessments in 2014-2015 with 149 older adults with prediabetes or diabetes who had recently joined three senior centers linked to a network of primary care clinics in San Antonio, Texas. In addition to collecting sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, we asked members to identify their source of primary care and whether a health care provider had encouraged them to go to the senior center.

5,10b-Ethanophenanthridine amaryllidaceae alkaloids inspire the discovery of novel bicyclic ring systems with activity against drug resistant cancer cells.

Plants of the Amaryllidaceae family produce a large variety of alkaloids and non-basic secondary metabolites, many of which are investigated for their promising anticancer activities. Of these, crinine-type alkaloids based on the 5,10b-ethanophenanthridine ring system were recently shown to be effective at inhibiting proliferation of cancer cells resistant to various pro-apoptotic stimuli and representing tumors with dismal prognoses refractory to current chemotherapy, such as glioma, melanoma, non-small-cell lung, esophageal, head and neck cancers, among others. Using this discovery as a starting point and taking advantage of a concise biomimetic route to the crinine skeleton, a collection of crinine analogues were synthetically prepared and evaluated against cancer cells.

Features of successful academic hospitalist programs: Insights from the SCHOLAR (SuCcessful HOspitaLists in academics and research) project.

Background: As clinical demands increase, understanding the features that allow academic hospital medicine programs (AHPs) to thrive has become increasingly important.

Objective: To develop and validate a quantifiable definition of academic success for AHPs.

Methods: A working group of academic hospitalists was formed.

Greazy: Open-Source Software for Automated Phospholipid Tandem Mass Spectrometry Identification.

Lipid identification from data produced with high-throughput technologies is essential to the elucidation of the roles played by lipids in cellular function and disease. Software tools for identifying lipids from tandem mass (MS/MS) spectra have been developed, but they are often costly or lack the sophistication of their proteomics counterparts. We have developed Greazy, an open source tool for the automated identification of phospholipids from MS/MS spectra, that utilizes methods similar to those developed for proteomics.

Moderate modulation of disease in the G93A model of ALS by the compound 2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-benzoxazole (HBX).

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive and fatal neurological disease characterized by degeneration and death of motor neurons. Aberrant protein aggregation and oxidative stress are implicated in the etiology of ALS; thus preventing propagation of early aggregation events and oxidative damage could be an effective therapy. We tested the effect of dietary supplementation (initiated 40 days of age) with 2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-benzoxazole (HBX), a compound with metal chelator and anti-aggregation properties, on disease onset, progression and lifespan in the G93A mouse model of ALS.

Altered potassium channel distribution and composition in myelinated axons suppresses hyperexcitability following injury.

Neuropathic pain following peripheral nerve injury is associated with hyperexcitability in damaged myelinated sensory axons, which begins to normalise over time. We investigated the composition and distribution of shaker-type-potassium channels (Kv1 channels) within the nodal complex of myelinated axons following injury. At the neuroma that forms after damage, expression of Kv1.

Attitudes Toward Breast Cancer Genetic Testing in Five Special Population Groups.

Purpose: This study examined interest in and attitudes toward genetic testing in 5 different population groups.

Methods: The survey included African American, Asian American, Latina, Native American, and Appalachian women with varying familial histories of breast cancer. A total of 49 women were interviewed in person.

Dramatic Resolution of an Unresectable Giant Basal Cell Carcinoma Treated with Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) - A Case Report.

A 59-year-old man presented with an unresectable bulky giant basal cell carcinoma on his upper back. A trial of chemotherapy did not help relieve his symptoms or reduce the tumor. He was referred for and received definitive radiation therapy via IMRT with dramatic regression.