Validation and clinical application of molecular methods for the identification of molds in tissue

Background. Invasive fungal infections due to less-common molds are an increasing problem, and accurate diagnosis is difficult.Methods. We used our previously established molecular method, which allows species identification of molds in histological tissue sections, to test sequential specimens from 56 patients with invasive fungal infections who were treated at our institution from 1982 to 2000.Results. The validity of the method was demonstrated with the establishment of a molecular diagnosis in 52 cases (93%). Confirmation of the causative organism was made in all cases in which a mold had been cultured from the tissue specimen. Less-common molds were identified in 7% of cases and appear to be an increasing problem.Conclusions. Our previously established method has proven to be of value in determining the incidence of invasive infection caused by less-common molds. Institutions should continue to pursue diagnosis of invasive fungal infections by means of tissue culture and microbiologic analysis

A practical comparison of firm valuation models: cash flow, dividend and income

Our research, based on a sample of listed Australian firms, indicates that the residual income model provides better estimates of firm value than two other commonly used models. It also provides advantages in that there is less need to forecast returns as far into the future and, with this model, a terminal value based upon a constant future return (or relatively low growth rates) can be used. This obviates the need to estimate an expected long-term growth rate, which is always problematic

Fear and deprivation in Trump’s America: A regional analysis of voting behavior in the 2016 and 2020 U.S. presidential elections

Since Trump was elected U.S. President in 2016, researchers have sought to explain his support, with some focusing on structural factors (e.g., economics) and others focusing on psychological factors (e.g., negative emotions). We integrate these perspectives in a regional analysis of 18+ structural variables capturing economic, demographic, and health factors as well as the aggregated neuroticism scores of 3+ million individuals. Results revealed that regions that voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020 had high levels of neuroticism and economic deprivation. Regions that voted for Trump also had high anti-Black implicit bias and low ethnic diversity, though Trump made gains in ethnically diverse regions in 2020. Trump’s voter base differed from the voter base of more traditional Republican candidates and Democrat Bernie Sanders. In sum, structural and psychological factors both explain Trump’s unique authoritarian appeal

In the shadow of coal: How large-scale industries contributed to present-day regional differences in personality and well-being

Recent research has identified regional variation of personality traits within countries but we know little about the underlying drivers of this variation. We propose that the Industrial Revolution, as a key era in the history of industrialized nations, has led to a persistent clustering of well-being outcomes and personality traits associated with psychological adversity via processes of selective migration and socialization. Analyzing data from England and Wales, we examine relationships between the historical employment share in large-scale coal-based industries (coal mining and steam-powered manufacturing industries that used this coal as fuel for their steam engines) and today’s regional variation in personality and well- being. Even after controlling for possible historical confounds (historical energy supply, education, wealth, geology, climate, population density), we find that the historical local dominance of large-scale coal-based industries predicts today’s markers of psychological adversity (lower Conscientiousness [and order facet scores], higher Neuroticism [and anxiety and depression facet scores], lower activity [an Extraversion facet], and lower life satisfaction and life expectancy). An instrumental variable analysis, using the historical location of coalfields, supports the causal assumption behind these effects (with the exception of life satisfaction). Further analyses focusing on mechanisms hint at the roles of selective migration and persisting economic hardship. Finally, a robustness check in the U.S. replicates the effect of the historical concentration of large-scale industries on today’s levels of psychological adversity. Taken together, the results show how today’s regional patterns of personality and well-being may have their roots in major societal changes underway decades or centuries earlier

Atrial fibrillation in embolic stroke of undetermined source: role of advanced imaging of left atrial function

\ua9 The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. AIMS: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is detected in over 30% of patients following an embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS) when monitored with an implantable loop recorder (ILR). Identifying AF in ESUS survivors has significant therapeutic implications, and AF risk is essential to guide screening with long-term monitoring. The present study aimed to establish the role of left atrial (LA) function in subsequent AF identification and develop a risk model for AF in ESUS. METHODS AND RESULTS: We conducted a single-centre retrospective case-control study including all patients with ESUS referred to our institution for ILR implantation from December 2009 to September 2019. We recorded clinical variables at baseline and analysed transthoracic echocardiograms in sinus rhythm. Univariate and multivariable analyses were performed to inform variables associated with AF. Lasso regression analysis was used to develop a risk prediction model for AF. The risk model was internally validated using bootstrapping. Three hundred and twenty-three patients with ESUS underwent ILR implantation. In the ESUS population, 293 had a stroke, whereas 30 had suffered a transient ischaemic attack as adjudicated by a senior stroke physician. Atrial fibrillation of any duration was detected in 47.1%. The mean follow-up was 710 days. Following lasso regression with backwards elimination, we combined increasing lateral PA (the time interval from the beginning of the P wave on the surface electrocardiogram to the beginning of the A\u27 wave on pulsed wave tissue Doppler of the lateral mitral annulus) [odds ratio (OR) 1.011], increasing Age (OR 1.035), higher Diastolic blood pressure (OR 1.027), and abnormal LA reservoir Strain (OR 0.973) into a new PADS score. The probability of identifying AF can be estimated using the formula. Model discrimination was good [area under the curve (AUC) 0.72]. The PADS score was internally validated using bootstrapping with 1000 samples of 150 patients showing consistent results with an AUC of 0.73. CONCLUSION: The novel PADS score can identify the risk of AF on prolonged monitoring with ILR following ESUS and should be considered a dedicated risk stratification tool for decision-making regarding the screening strategy for AF in stroke.One-third of patients with a type of stroke called embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS) also have a heart condition called atrial fibrillation (AF), which increases their risk of having another stroke. However, we do not know why some patients with ESUS develop AF. To figure this out, we studied 323 patients with ESUS and used a special device to monitor their heart rhythm continuously for up to 3 years, an implantable loop recorder. We also looked at their medical history, performed a heart ultrasound, and identified some factors that increase the risk of identifying AF in the future. Factors associated with future AF include older age, higher diastolic blood pressure, and problems with the co-ordination and function of the upper left chamber of the heart called the left atrium.Based on these factors, we created a new scoring system that can identify patients who are at higher risk of developing AF better than the current scoring systems, the PADS score. This can potentially help doctors provide more targeted and effective treatment to these patients, ultimately aiming to reduce their risk of having another stroke

Net primary productivity of forest stands in New Hampshire estimated from Landsat and MODIS satellite data

© 2007 Potter et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

Fast fluorescence microscopy for imaging the dynamics of embryonic development

Live imaging has gained a pivotal role in developmental biology since it increasingly allows real-time observation of cell behavior in intact organisms. Microscopes that can capture the dynamics of ever-faster biological events, fluorescent markers optimal for in vivo imaging, and, finally, adapted reconstruction and analysis programs to complete data flow all contribute to this success. Focusing on temporal resolution, we discuss how fast imaging can be achieved with minimal prejudice to spatial resolution, photon count, or to reliably and automatically analyze images. In particular, we show how integrated approaches to imaging that combine bright fluorescent probes, fast microscopes, and custom post-processing techniques can address the kinetics of biological systems at multiple scales. Finally, we discuss remaining challenges and opportunities for further advances in this field

A role for eukaryotic initiation factor 4B overexpression in the pathogenesis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Dysregulated expression of factors that control protein synthesis is associated with poor prognosis of many cancers, but the underlying mechanisms are not well defined. Analysis of the diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) translatome revealed selective upregulation of mRNAs encoding anti-apoptotic and DNA repair proteins. We show that enhanced synthesis of these proteins in DLBCL is mediated by the relief of repression that is normally imposed by structure in the 5'-untranslated regions of their corresponding mRNAs. This process is driven by signaling through mammalian target of rapamycin, resulting in increased synthesis of eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF) 4B complex (eIF4B), a known activator of the RNA helicase eIF4A. Reducing eIF4B expression alone is sufficient to decrease synthesis of proteins associated with enhanced tumor cell survival, namely DAXX, BCL2 and ERCC5. Importantly, eIF4B-driven expression of these key survival proteins is directly correlated with patient outcome, and eIF4B, DAXX and ERCC5 are identified as novel prognostic markers for poor survival in DLBCL. Our work provides new insights into the mechanisms by which the cancer-promoting translational machinery drives lymphomagenesis