Evaluation of the NG-Test CARBA 5 lateral flow assay with an IMP-2-producing Morganella morganii and other Morganellaceae

An isolate of Morganella morganii (MMOR1) that tested susceptible to

Progressive induction of left ventricular pressure overload in a large animal model elicits myocardial remodeling and a unique matrix signature

ObjectivePatients with severe left ventricular pressure overload secondary to aortic stenosis can present with signs and symptoms of heart failure despite normal left ventricular ejection fraction. This process occurs, at least in part, as a result of left ventricular pressure overload–induced extracellular matrix remodeling that promulgates increased left ventricular stiffness and impaired diastolic function. However, the determinants that drive extracellular matrix remodeling in this form of left ventricular pressure overload remain to be fully defined.MethodsLeft ventricular pressure overload was induced in mature pigs (n = 15) by progressive ascending aortic cuff inflation (once per week for 4 weeks), whereby left ventricular mass, left ventricular ejection fraction, and regional myocardial stiffness (rKm) were compared with referent controls (n = 12). Determinants of extracellular matrix remodeling were assessed by measuring levels of mRNA expression for fibrillar collagens, matrix metalloproteinases, and tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinase 1 and 4.ResultsWith left ventricular pressure overload, left ventricular mass and rKm increased by 2- and 3-fold, respectively, compared with control, with no change in left ventricular ejection fraction. Left ventricular myocardial collagen increased approximately 2-fold, which was accompanied by reduced solubility (ie, increased cross-linking) with left ventricular pressure overload, but mRNA expression for fibrillar collagen and matrix metalloproteinases remained relatively unchanged. In contrast, a robust increase in mRNA expression for tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinase-1 and 4 occurred with left ventricular pressure overload.ConclusionsIn a progressive model of left ventricular pressure overload, which recapitulates the phenotype of aortic stenosis, increased extracellular matrix accumulation and subsequently increased myocardial stiffness were not due to increased fibrillar collagen expression but rather to determinants of post-translational control that included increased collagen stability (thereby resistant to matrix metalloproteinase degradation) and increased endogenous matrix metalloproteinase inhibition. Targeting these extracellular matrix post-translational events with left ventricular pressure overload may hold both diagnostic and therapeutic relevance

p16 Mutation Spectrum in the Premalignant Condition Barrett's Esophagus

Background: Mutation, promoter hypermethylation and loss of heterozygosity involving the tumor suppressor gene p16 (CDKN2a/INK4a) have been detected in a wide variety of human cancers, but much less is known concerning the frequency and spectrum of p16 mutations in premalignant conditions. Methods and Findings: We have determined the p16 mutation spectrum for a cohort of 304 patients with Barrett’s esophagus, a premalignant condition that predisposes to the development of esophageal adenocarcinoma. Forty seven mutations were detected by sequencing of p16 exon 2 in 44 BE patients (14.5%) with a mutation spectrum consistent with that caused by oxidative damage and chronic inflammation. The percentage of patients with p16 mutations increased with increasing histologic grade. In addition, samples from 3 out of 19 patients (15.8%) who underwent esophagectomy were found to have mutations. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest the environment of the esophagus in BE patients can both generate an

TRH attenuates scopolamine-induced memory impairment in humans

The brain tripeptide thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) has been demonstrated to facilitate cholinergic neurotransmission. To test its interaction with the cholinergic system in humans, high-dose TRH (0.5 mg/kg) or placebo was administered intravenously (IV) to normal controls pretreated with scopolamine (0.5–0.75 mg IV), a centrally active muscarinic antagonist, which has been used to model aspects of the memory impairment of normal aging and of dementia. Compared to placebo, TRH markedly attenuated scopolamine-induced impairment of some measures of memory, most notably on a selective reminding task. This cognitive study is the first in humans to suggest a neuromodulatory effect of a peptide on the cholinergic system, and suggests a facilitatory role for TRH in human memory processes.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/46332/1/213_2005_Article_BF02245795.pd

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

Search for eccentric black hole coalescences during the third observing run of LIGO and Virgo

Despite the growing number of confident binary black hole coalescences observed through gravitational waves so far, the astrophysical origin of these binaries remains uncertain. Orbital eccentricity is one of the clearest tracers of binary formation channels. Identifying binary eccentricity, however, remains challenging due to the limited availability of gravitational waveforms that include effects of eccentricity. Here, we present observational results for a waveform-independent search sensitive to eccentric black hole coalescences, covering the third observing run (O3) of the LIGO and Virgo detectors. We identified no new high-significance candidates beyond those that were already identified with searches focusing on quasi-circular binaries. We determine the sensitivity of our search to high-mass (total mass M>70 M⊙) binaries covering eccentricities up to 0.3 at 15 Hz orbital frequency, and use this to compare model predictions to search results. Assuming all detections are indeed quasi-circular, for our fiducial population model, we place an upper limit for the merger rate density of high-mass binaries with eccentricities 0<e≤0.3 at 0.33 Gpc−3 yr−1 at 90\% confidence level

Ultralight vector dark matter search using data from the KAGRA O3GK run

Among the various candidates for dark matter (DM), ultralight vector DM can be probed by laser interferometric gravitational wave detectors through the measurement of oscillating length changes in the arm cavities. In this context, KAGRA has a unique feature due to differing compositions of its mirrors, enhancing the signal of vector DM in the length change in the auxiliary channels. Here we present the result of a search for U(1)B−L gauge boson DM using the KAGRA data from auxiliary length channels during the first joint observation run together with GEO600. By applying our search pipeline, which takes into account the stochastic nature of ultralight DM, upper bounds on the coupling strength between the U(1)B−L gauge boson and ordinary matter are obtained for a range of DM masses. While our constraints are less stringent than those derived from previous experiments, this study demonstrates the applicability of our method to the lower-mass vector DM search, which is made difficult in this measurement by the short observation time compared to the auto-correlation time scale of DM