Critical role for the lung endothelial nonmuscle myosin light-chain kinase isoform in the severity of inflammatory murine lung injury.

Global knockout of the nonmuscle isoform of myosin light-chain kinase (nmMLCK), a primary cellular regulator of cytoskeletal machinery, is strongly protective in preclinical murine models of inflammatory lung injury. The current study was designed to assess the specific contribution of endothelial cell (EC) nmMLCK to the severity of murine inflammatory lung injury produced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and mechanical ventilation ventilator-induced lung injury or ventilation (VILI). Responses to combined LPS/VILI exposure were assessed in: (i) wild-type (WT) C57BL/6J mice; (ii) transgenic mice with global deletion of nmMLCK ( ); (iii) transgenic nm mice with overexpression of nmMLCK restricted to the endothelium ( ).

Extracellular vesicles derived from endothelial cells in hypoxia contribute to pulmonary artery smooth muscle cell proliferation in-vitro and pulmonary hypertension in mice.

In the lung, communication between pulmonary vascular endothelial cells (PVEC) and pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMC) is essential for the maintenance of vascular homeostasis. In pulmonary hypertension (PH), the derangement in their cell-cell communication plays a major role in the pathogenesis of pulmonary vascular remodeling. In this study, we focused on the role of PVEC-derived extracellular vesicles (EV), specifically their microRNA (miRNA, miR-) cargo, in the regulation of PASMC proliferation and vascular remodeling in PH.

Electrocatalytic and structural properties and computational calculation of PAN-EC-PC-TPAI-I gel polymer electrolytes for dye sensitized solar cell application.

In this study, gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) were prepared using polyacrylonitrile (PAN) polymer, ethylene carbonate (EC), propylene carbonate (PC) plasticizers and different compositions of tetrapropylammonium iodide (TPAI) salt. Linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements were done using non-blocking Pt-electrode symmetric cells. The limiting current ( ), apparent diffusion coefficient of triiodide ions and exchange current were found to be 12.

Performance of prostate health index and PSA density in a diverse biopsy-naïve cohort with mpMRI for detecting significant prostate cancer.

Objective: To compare Prostate Health Index (PHI) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) density as secondary tests after multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) in improving the detection accuracy of Gleason grade group (GG) 2-5 prostate cancer (PCa) and in decreasing unnecessary biopsies in a multiethnic biopsy-naïve population.

Methods: From February 2017 to February 2020, we recruited consecutive biopsy-naïve men in participating urology clinics for elevated PSA levels. They all had a PHI score, mpMRI, and prostate biopsy.

Examining Public Sentiments and Attitudes Toward COVID-19 Vaccination: Infoveillance Study Using Twitter Posts.

Background: A global rollout of vaccinations is currently underway to mitigate and protect people from the COVID-19 pandemic. Several individuals have been using social media platforms such as Twitter as an outlet to express their feelings, concerns, and opinions about COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination programs. This study examined COVID-19 vaccine-related tweets from January 1, 2020, to April 30, 2021, to uncover the topics, themes, and variations in sentiments of public Twitter users.

Deoxycholic Acid and Coronary Artery Calcification in the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort.

Background Deoxycholic acid (DCA) is a secondary bile acid that may promote vascular calcification in experimental settings. Higher DCA levels were associated with prevalent coronary artery calcification (CAC) in a small group of individuals with advanced chronic kidney disease. Whether DCA levels are associated with CAC prevalence, incidence, and progression in a large and diverse population of individuals with chronic kidney disease stages 2 to 4 is unknown.

Optimization of human myoblasts culture under different media conditions for application in the studies.

Human primary cell cultures are among the most challenging procedures in cellular biology laboratory practice. Myoblasts-progenitor of skeletal muscle origin represent a promising therapeutic cell source since the procedure of their isolation is not technically demanding, and the culture is relatively straightforward. Myoblasts could be considered as the candidates for clinical applications due to their regenerative potential, and as the carriers of therapeutic proteins introduced through genetic modifications.

Depletion of CCN1/CYR61 reduces triple-negative/basal-like breast cancer aggressiveness.

Triple-negative/basal-like breast cancer (BC) is characterized by aggressive biological features, which allow relapse and metastatic spread to occur more frequently than in hormone receptor-positive (luminal) subtypes. The molecular complexity of triple-negative/basal-like BC poses major challenges for the implementation of targeted therapies, and chemotherapy remains the standard approach at all stages. The matricellular protein cysteine-rich angiogenic inducer 61 (CCN1/CYR61) is associated with aggressive metastatic phenotypes and poor prognosis in BC, but it is unclear whether anti-CCN1 approaches can be successfully applied in triple-negative/basal-like BC.

Blood metabolites predicting mild cognitive impairment in the study of Latinos-investigation of neurocognitive aging (HCHS/SOL).

Introduction: Blood metabolomics-based biomarkers may be useful to predict measures of neurocognitive aging.

Methods: We tested the association between 707 blood metabolites measured in 1451 participants from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and global cognitive change assessed 7 years later. We further used Lasso penalized regression to construct a metabolomics risk score (MRS) that predicts MCI, potentially identifying a different set of metabolites than those discovered in individual-metabolite analysis.

Viral vector-based gene therapies in the clinic.

Gene therapies are currently one of the most investigated therapeutic modalities in both the preclinical and clinical settings and have shown promise in treating a diverse spectrum of diseases. Gene therapies aim at introducing a gene material in target cells and represent a promising approach to cure diseases that were thought to be incurable by conventional modalities. In many cases, a gene therapy requires a vector to deliver gene therapeutics into target cells; viral vectors are among the most widely studied vectors owing to their distinguished advantages such as outstanding transduction efficiency.

Building a virtual community of practice for medical students: The Global Emergency Medicine Student Leadership Program.

Virtual communities of practice (VCoPs) facilitate distance learning and mentorship by engaging members around shared knowledge and experiences related to a central interest. The American College of Emergency Physicians and Emergency Medicine Residents' Association's Global Emergency Medicine Student Leadership Program (GEM-SLP) provides a valuable model for building a VCoP for GEM and other niche areas of interest. This VCoP facilitates opportunities for experts and mentees affiliated with these national organizations to convene regularly despite barriers attributed to physical distance.

Progressive Scale-up of HBV AND HCV Testing for Hepatitis Elimination in Vietnam.

Content available: Audio Recording.

Associations of Dual Task Exergaming with Cognitive-Motor Interference in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Single-Arm Pilot Study.

Purpose: To examine the feasibility and effectiveness of dual task (DT) exergaming to improve volitional balance control in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Methods: Ten older adults with MCI were examined at baseline (week-0) and post-training (week-5) on volitional balance control (maximum excursion of center of gravity, MXE [%]) while performing cognitive task (auditory clock test or letter number sequencing task) and on the NIH-motor and cognitive toolboxes. DT exergaming training lasted for 12 sessions which consisted of performing explicit cognitive tasks while playing the Wii-Fit balance games.

Association between transportation barriers and anticoagulation control among an inner-city, low-income population: A prospective observational cohort study.

Background: Anticoagulation with warfarin represents a transportation-sensitive treatment state. Transportation barrier is a common reason for not using health care services.

Objective: To assess the association between transportation barriers to anticoagulation clinic and anticoagulation control (AC) among an inner-city, low-income population.

Reference Standards for Cardiorespiratory Fitness by Cardiovascular Disease Category and Testing Modality: Data From FRIEND.

Background The importance of cardiorespiratory fitness for stratifying risk and guiding clinical decisions in patients with cardiovascular disease is well-established. To optimize the clinical value of cardiorespiratory fitness, normative reference standards are essential. The purpose of this report is to extend previous cardiorespiratory fitness normative standards by providing updated cardiorespiratory fitness reference standards according to cardiovascular disease category and testing modality.

Effect of robotic-assisted ankle training on gait in stroke participants: A case series study.

Background: Robotic rehabilitation therapy has grown rapidly during the last two decades allowing researchers and clinicians to deliver high-intensity training to persons with sensorimotor disorders caused by neurological injuries and diseases.

Methods: This case series reports the effect of robot-assisted, impairment-oriented training for persons recovering from stroke on impairment of the paretic ankle as well as on the kinematic and spatiotemporal parameters of gait. Five persons with chronic stroke (>6 months post-stroke) participated in a 10-week training protocol, receiving three, 30-min sessions per week of a robot-assisted therapy.

Distribution of Paycheck Protection Program to otolaryngology practices during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The Coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) has impacted physician practices in many ways with some ENT clinics reporting around a 50% drop in completed scheduled ENT visits during the first wave of the pandemic compared to 2019.

Aims: This study surveyed first round PPP loan disbursement to otolaryngology practices in the United States in response to COVID-19.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using publicly available data published on PPP by the SBA.

Heparin impairs skeletal muscle glucose uptake by inhibiting insulin binding to insulin receptor.

Aim: Heparin, a widely used antithrombotic drug has many other anticoagulant-independent physiological functions. Here, we elucidate a novel role of heparin in glucose homeostasis, suggesting an approach for developing heparin-targeted therapies for diabetes.

Methods: For serum heparin levels and correlation analysis, 122 volunteer's plasma, DIO (4 weeks HFD) and db/db mice serums were collected and used for spectrophotometric determination.

Photochemical control of bacterial gene expression based on encoded genetic switches.

Controlling gene expression by light with fine spatiotemporal resolution not only allows understanding and manipulating fundamental biological processes but also fuels the development of novel therapeutic strategies. In complement to exploiting optogenetic tools, photochemical strategies mostly rely on the incorporation of photo-responsive small molecules into the corresponding biomacromolecular scaffolds. Therefore, generally large synthetic effort is required and the switching of gene expression in both directions within a single system remains a challenge.

Evaluation of point-of-care International Normalized Ratio in sickle cell disease.

Background: Point-of-care (POC) International Normalized Ratio (INR) measurement provides efficient monitoring of warfarin therapy; however, its reliability may be affected in patients with anemia, such as those with sickle cell disease (SCD).

Objectives: To evaluate the correlation of POC-INR to clinical laboratory INR (CL-INR) in SCD and use of a correction factor.

Patient/methods: In this retrospective study, the accuracy of POC-INR compared to CL-INR was evaluated in a cohort of patients with SCD and in a non-SCD Black cohort.