Overexpression of a DNA Methyltransferase Increases Persister Cell Formation in Acinetobacter baumannii.

Many mechanisms have been proposed to be involved in the formation of bacterial persister cells. In this study, we investigated the impact of encoding DNA methylation on persister cell formation in Acinetobacter. We constructed plasmids overexpressing encoding DNA-(adenine N6)-methyltransferase and four genes as possibly involved in persistence and introduced them into three A.

Cryo-Electron Microscopy Structure and Interactions of the Human Cytomegalovirus gHgLgO Trimer with Platelet-Derived Growth Factor Receptor Alpha.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a herpesvirus that produces disease in transplant patients and newborn children. Entry of HCMV into cells relies on gH/gL trimer (gHgLgO) and pentamer (gHgLUL128-131) complexes that bind cellular receptors. Here, we studied the structure and interactions of the HCMV trimer, formed by AD169 strain gH and gL and TR strain gO proteins, with the human platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRα).

DNA methylation changes following DNA damage in prostate cancer cells.

Many cancer therapies operate by inducing double-strand breaks (DSBs) in cancer cells, however treatment-resistant cells rapidly initiate mechanisms to repair damage enabling survival. While the DNA repair mechanisms responsible for cancer cell survival following DNA damaging treatments are becoming better understood, less is known about the role of the epigenome in this process. Using prostate cancer cell lines with differing sensitivities to radiation treatment, we analysed the DNA methylation profiles prior to and following a single dose of radiotherapy (RT) using the Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip platform.

Promoting innovation in the objective structured teaching examination and feedback: clustering teachers to aid teaching evaluation.

Problem: This study used the principles of feedback in a faculty development curriculum to enable clinical teachers to conduct objective structured teaching exercises for performance assessment.

Intervention: the Flanders System of Interaction Analysis (FIA) was given to analysis of the data collected from a particular situation, to videotapes of simulated clinical teaching skills.

Context: The Sparse K-Means clustering method, one-way ANOVA and post hoc tests were employed to cluster the most commonly used skills by teachers and compare the features of different clusters were then discussed.

Parental knowledge gaps and barriers for children receiving human papillomavirus vaccine in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.

: Despite its availability for more than a decade, the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has low uptake in Texas (49%). The objective of this study was to understand parental knowledge and attitudes about HPV and the HPV vaccine as well as child experience with the HPV vaccine among a medically underserved, economically disadvantaged population. : As part of a Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas-funded project to improve HPV vaccination rates, we surveyed parents / guardians of 4-12 graders (ages 9-17) in the Rio Grande City Consolidated Independent School District (RGCCISD).

Experimental assessment on feasibility of computed tomography-based thermometry for radiofrequency ablation on tissue equivalent polyacrylamide phantom.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of various computed tomography (CT) acquisition parameters and metal artifacts on CT number measurement for CT thermometry during CT-guided thermal ablation. The effects of tube voltage (100-140 kVp), tube current (20-250 mAs), pitch (0.6-1.

Quality will determine the future of mass spectrometry imaging in clinical laboratories: the need for standardization.

: Mass Spectrometry Imaging (MSI) provides information about the spatial distributions of different analytes on tissue sections and requires no homogenization techniques or labeling. It has a wide spectrum of applications ranging from biomarker discovery to drug response studies. MSI can be adapted to the clinical settings due to its ability to combine mass spectrometry and histological data.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of 3-(4-aminophenyl)-coumarin derivatives as potential anti-Alzheimer's disease agents.

The work is focused on the design of drugs that prevent and treat Alzheimer's disease (AD) and its complications. A series of 3-(4-aminophenyl)-coumarin derivatives designed, synthesised, fully characterised and evaluated /. The biological assay experiments showed that some compounds displayed a clearly selective inhibition for acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE).

Prompting medical students to self-assess their learning needs during the ageing and health module: a mixed methods study.

Understanding our learning needs is fundamental for safe, effective and knowledge-based medical practice and facilitates life-long learning. A mixed methods study investigated fourth-year medical students' self-perceived understanding of their learning needs using 1] a visual scale, before and after a four-week module in Ageing and Health (A&H) and 2] through focus group discussions. During 2013-14 academic year, all students (252) were invited to use a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) tool to self-assess their learning needs that were linked to Ageing and Health curriculum learning outcomes.

Facilitating Imagine Arts in residential care homes: the artists' perspectives.

Introduction: This study explores factors affecting the successful facilitation of a residential arts programme. The aim was to identify barriers and describe how they could be overcome, this was both formative, to help shape the programme, and summative, to inform best practice and future arts interventions.

Methods: An exploratory qualitative design examined the views of the artists administering the arts programme.

Violence-related traumatic brain injury.

: The purpose of this study was to determine the unique characteristics of violence-related traumatic brain injuries (TBI). : All consecutive patients who underwent head CT due to an acute head injury (n = 3023) at the Emergency Department of Tampere University Hospital (Aug 2010-Jul 2012) were included. A detailed retrospective data collection was conducted in relation to demographics, injury-related data, premorbid health, clinical characteristics, and neuroimaging findings.

Mothers' experiences of settling infants in central Vietnam "through their eyes": A photo-elicitation study.

There is little research on beliefs and practices regarding unsettled infant behavior and infant sleep in low and lower-middle income countries such as Vietnam. Here, researchers used a participatory qualitative visual method (photo-elicitation) to investigate how infant settling was perceived "through the eyes" of new mothers in Central Vietnam. Four qualitative themes emerged from the data: "loneliness in the midst of the crowd", "finding the right position", "protecting from cold", and "affection and exhaustion".

GLP-1's role in neuroprotection: a systematic review.

Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) is a target for treatment of diabetes; however, its function in the brain is not well studied. In this systematic review, we aimed to analyze the neuroprotective role of GLP-1 and its defined mechanisms. : We searched 'Web of Science' and 'Pubmed' to identify relevant studies using GLP-1 as the keyword.

Psychiatric diagnosis in primary care patients with increased depressive symptoms.

Background: Screening of depression has been recommended in primary care and Beck's 21-item Depression Inventory (BDI-21) is a commonly used tool for screening. Depression has been shown to be frequently accompanied by comorbidities.

Aims: This study aimed to analyze the characteristics, psychiatric diagnoses, and psychiatric comorbidity of primary care patients who have been screened for depression and referred to a depression nurse.

Long-term subjective loneliness in adults after hearing loss treatment.

While hearing loss is associated with loneliness, the long term impact of hearing loss interventions remains unknown. We investigated levels of loneliness in adults at baseline, 6-months, 1-year and 5-years after receiving a hearing aid (HA) or cochlear implant (CI). In this 5-year follow-up to the Studying Multiple Outcomes after Aural Rehabilitative Treatment study, participants completed the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale at baseline, 6-months, 1-year, and 5-year time points.

Improving Adherence to Colorectal Cancer Screening: A Randomized Intervention to Compare Screener vs. Survivor Narratives.

Interventions are needed to increase colorectal cancer screening (CRCS) uptake. Narratives may have advantages over didactic information. We tested different narratives for increasing CRCS intentions and behaviors, and examined their mechanisms of influence.

Vitamin D supplementation alters the expression of genes associated with hypertension and did not induce DNA damage in rats.

Vitamin D3 deficiency has been correlated with altered expression of genes associated with increased blood pressure (BP); however, the role of vitamin D3 supplementation in the genetic mechanisms underlying hypertension remains unclear. Thus, the aim of this study was investigate the consequences of vitamin D3 supplemented (10,000 IU/kg) or deficient (0 IU/kg) diets on regulation of expression of genes related to hypertension pathways in heart cells of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and normotensive Wistar Kyoto (WKY) controls. An additional aim was to assess the impact of vitamin D3 on DNA damage and oxidative stress markers.

Results of a nationwide hospice and palliative care social work job analysis.

The role of the hospice and palliative social worker is often ambiguous and misunderstood by colleagues and fellow team members. One reason for this is the lack of identified, clearly delineated roles, skills, and tasks employed by these specialty social workers in their daily work. This article summarizes the first nationwide job analysis of hospice and palliative social workers.

Epidemiology of soil transmitted helminth and Strongyloides stercoralis infections in remote rural villages of Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar.

Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections carry the highest number of disability adjusted life years among all neglected tropical diseases, disproportionately affecting low-income countries such as Madagascar.  This study describes the epidemiology of STH and S. stercoralis infections in twelve remote villages surrounding Ranomafana National Park (RNP), Ifanadiana, Madagascar.

Protective effects of caffeic acid phenethyl ester and thymoquinone on toluene induced liver toxicity.

Toluene is an organic solvent that is toxic to humans. Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) and thymoquinone (TQ) exhibit antioxidant and antitoxic effects. We investigated the protective effects of CAPE and TQ on toluene induced hepatotoxicity.

Hormonal contraception and risk of breast cancer: a critical look.

Today health professionals are not only required to know medicine, but scientific reading, interpretation, and communication of new data. The new information about contraception and hormonal therapies must be analyzed by gynecologists to determine whether or not the new data are applicable to their patients and if it has an impact on their health. Recently a new study of hormonal contraceptives and the risk of breast cancer was published.

Vitamin A and inflammatory bowel diseases: from cellular studies and animal models to human disease.

Vitamin A (VA) and metabolites such as Retinoic Acid (RA) and all-trans-RA (at-RA) are crucial in the modulation of the immune system and may be determinative in the balance of the immune responses. Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) consist of chronic relapsing and heterogeneous disorders with not well-known etiology. Due to its role in inflammatory processes, VA may be helpful in the treatment of IBD.

Predictors of mental health in emerging adult offspring of lesbian-parent families.

Emerging adulthood is a new, distinct life stage for 18- to 29-year-olds in the United States. In the sixth wave of data collection in a longitudinal cohort study (started in 1986), predictors of mental health were examined in the emerging adult offspring within lesbian-parent parent families. The donor-conceived offspring were 25 years old.

Serum sodium level variability as a prognosticator in older adults.

Our aim was to explore biological variation of serum sodium levels as a method of quantifying health risk in older adults. We investigated whether dynamic changes in serum sodium levels could provide additional prognostic information to standard predictors of mortality in older people. Analysis of routinely collected clinical datasets containing information on demographics, hospitalisation, biochemistry, haematology and physical function for Dundee in-patient rehabilitation services, between 1999 and 2011.