Keratin modulation of autophagic flux in nutrient deprived HEK-293 cells

Keratose is an oxidized form of keratin which can be extracted from hair, and is composed of alpha-keratin filaments and smaller gamma-keratins. Previous studies have shown keratin's ability to assist in burn healing and rescue stressed cells. Additionally, gamma-keratin was related to the upregulation of autophagy-associated genes in heat shocked cells, suggesting that the therapeutic value of keratin as a biomaterial may be explained by the induction of autophagy by keratins. Our study of keratin treatment in HEK-293 cells revealed that different protein treatments cause levels of fluorescent puncta (measuring the progress of autophagic flux in transfected cells) to change differently over time. Overall, our research suggests that keratin may be modulating autophagic flux, but slightly different experimental methods and further replication would make the link more clear

An Axiomatic and Contextual Review of the Armitage and Doll Model of Carcinogenesis

In 1954, Armitage and Doll published one of the most influential papers in the history of mathematical epidemiology. However, when one examines the literature one finds that there are in fact at least three distinct mathematical models attributed to the 1954 paper. In this study, we examine this important paper and the mathematical derivation of their model. We find, very surprisingly, that no stochastic process can account for all the assumptions of the model and that many of the models in the literature use a consistent subset of the assumptions used in Armitage and Doll\u27s paper

Fuzapladib in a randomized controlled multicenter masked study in dogs with presumptive acute onset pancreatitis

We read with interest the article by Steiner et al,1 that claims that administration of fuzapladib is safe and effective in reducing 2 clinical scores in dogs with acute pancreatitis (AP). We commend Steiner et al for their efforts in addressing a critical need in veterinary medicine. This letter, however, raises significant concerns regarding the methodology and interpretation of the study results

Effect of Norovirus Inoculum Dose On Virus Kinetics, Shedding, and Symptoms

The effect of norovirus dose on outcomes such as virus shedding and symptoms after initial infection is not well understood. We performed a secondary analysis of a human challenge study by using Bayesian mixed-effects models. As the dose increased from 4.8 to 4,800 reverse transcription PCR units, the total amount of shed virus in feces increased from 4.5 × 1011 to 3.4 × 1012 genomic equivalent copies; in vomit, virus increased from 6.4 × 105 to 3.0 × 107 genomic equivalent copies. Onset time of viral shedding in feces decreased from 1.4 to 0.8 days, and time of peak viral shedding decreased from 2.3 to 1.5 days. Time to symptom onset decreased from 1.5 to 0.8 days. One type of symptom score increased. An increase in norovirus dose was associated with more rapid shedding and symptom onset and possibly increased severity. However, the effect on virus load and shedding was inconclusive

Effect of Norovirus Inoculum Dose on Virus Kinetics, Shedding, and Symptoms

The effect of norovirus dose on outcomes such as virus shedding and symptoms after initial infection is not well understood. We performed a secondary analysis of a human challenge study by using Bayesian mixed-effects models. As the dose increased from 4.8 to 4,800 reverse transcription PCR units, the total amount of shed virus in feces increased from 4.5 × 1011 to 3.4 × 1012 genomic equivalent copies; in vomit, virus increased from 6.4 × 105 to 3.0 × 107 genomic equivalent copies. Onset time of viral shedding in feces decreased from 1.4 to 0.8 days, and time of peak viral shedding decreased from 2.3 to 1.5 days. Time to symptom onset decreased from 1.5 to 0.8 days. One type of symptom score increased. An increase in norovirus dose was associated with more rapid shedding and symptom onset and possibly increased severity. However, the effect on virus load and shedding was inconclusive