Factors associated with four atypical cases of congenital syphilis in England, 2016 to 2017: an ecological analysis.

Four isolated cases of congenital syphilis born to mothers who screened syphilis negative in the first trimester were identified between March 2016 and January 2017 compared with three cases between 2010 and 2015. The mothers were United Kingdom-born and had no syphilis risk factors. Cases occurred in areas with recent increases in sexually-transmitted syphilis among women and men who have sex with men, some behaviourally bisexual, which may have facilitated bridging between sexual networks

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (CD143) marks hematopoietic stem cells in human embryonic, fetal, and adult hematopoietic tissues

Previous studies revealed that mAb BB9 reacts with a subset of CD34(+) human BM cells with hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) characteristics. Here we map B89 expression throughout hernatopoietic development and show that the earliest definitive HSCs that arise at the ventral wall of the aorta and surrounding endothelial cells are BB9(+). Thereafter, BB9 is expressed by primitive hernatopoietic cells in fetal liver and in umbilical cord blood (UCB). BB9(+)CD34(+) UCB cells transplanted into nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient (NOD/SCID) mice contribute 10-fold higher numbers of multilineage blood cells than their CD34(+)BB9(-) counterparts and contain a significantly higher incidence of SCID-repopulating cells than the unfractionated CD34(+) population. Protein microsequencing of the 160-kDa band corresponding to the BB9 protein established its identity as that of somatic anglotensin-converting enzyme (ACE). Although the role of ACE on human HSCs remains to be determined, these studies designate ACE as a hitherto unrecognized marker of human HSCs throughout hematopoietic ontogeny and adulthood

The Efficacity of the NeuroAssist Robotic System for Motor Rehabilitation of the Upper Limb—Promising Results from a Pilot Study

The research aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the NeuroAssist, a parallel robotic system comprised of three robotic modules equipped with human–robot interaction capabilities, an internal sensor system for torque monitoring, and an external sensor system for real-time patient monitoring for the motor rehabilitation of the shoulder, elbow, and wrist. The study enrolled 10 consecutive patients with right upper limb paresis caused by stroke, traumatic spinal cord disease, or multiple sclerosis admitted to the Neurology I Department of Cluj-Napoca Emergency County Hospital. The patients were evaluated clinically and electrophysiologically before (T1) and after the intervention (T2). The intervention consisted of five consecutive daily sessions of 30–45 min each of 30 passive repetitive movements performed with the robot. There were significant differences (Wilcoxon signed-rank test) between baseline and end-point clinical parameters, specifically for the Barthel Index (53.00 ± 37.72 vs. 60.50 ± 36.39, p = 0.016) and Activities of Daily Living Index (4.70 ± 3.43 vs. 5.50 ± 3.80, p = 0.038). The goniometric parameters improved: shoulder flexion (70.00 ± 56.61 vs. 80.00 ± 63.59, p = 0.026); wrist flexion/extension (34.00 ± 28.75 vs. 42.50 ± 33.7, p = 0.042)/(30.00 ± 22.97 vs. 41.00 ± 30.62, p = 0.042); ulnar deviation (23.50 ± 19.44 vs. 33.50 ± 24.15, p = 0.027); and radial deviation (17.50 ± 18.14 vs. 27.00 ± 24.85, p = 0.027). There was a difference in muscle activation of the extensor digitorum communis muscle (1.00 ± 0.94 vs. 1.40 ± 1.17, p = 0.046). The optimized and dependable NeuroAssist Robotic System improved shoulder and wrist range of motion and functional scores, regardless of the cause of the motor deficit. However, further investigations are necessary to establish its definite role in motor recovery

An integrated analysis of human myeloid cells identifies gaps in in vitro models of in vivo biology

The Stemformatics myeloid atlas is an integrated transcriptome atlas of human macrophages and dendritic cells that systematically compares freshly isolated tissue-resident, cultured, and pluripotent stem cell-derived myeloid cells. Three classes of tissue-resident macrophage were identified: Kupffer cells and microglia; monocyte-associated; and tumor-associated macrophages. Culture had a major impact on all primary cell phenotypes. Pluripotent stem cell-derived macrophages were characterized by atypical expression of collagen and a highly efferocytotic phenotype. Myeloid subsets, and phenotypes associated with derivation, were reproducible across experimental series including data projected from single-cell studies, demonstrating that the atlas provides a robust reference for myeloid phenotypes. Implementation in Stemformatics.org allows users to visualize patterns of sample grouping or gene expression for user-selected conditions and supports temporary upload of your own microarray or RNA sequencing samples, including single-cell data, to benchmark against the atlas

A role for angiotensin-converting enzyme in the characterization, enrichment, and proliferation potential of adult murine pituitary colony-forming cells

Recently, we described a rare cell type within the adult murine pituitary gland with progenitor cell hallmarks (PCFCs). PCFCs are contained exclusively within a subpopulation of cells that import fluorescent ß-Ala-Lys-N-AMCA (7-amino-4-methylcoumarin-3-acetic acid). Herein, we investigate the utility of cell surface molecules angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and stem cell antigen-1 (Sca-1) to further enrich for PCFCs. ACE and Sca-1 were expressed on 61% and 55% of AMCA+CD45–CD31– cells, respectively, and coexpressed on 38%. ACE+Sca-1+AMCA+ cells enriched for PCFCs by 195-fold over unselected cells. ACE+AMCA+ cells enriched for PCFCs by 170-fold, and colonies were twofold larger than for AMCA+ selection alone. Conversely, ACE–-selected cells reduced both colony-forming activity and size. Notably, colonies generated from AMCA+ cells obtained from ACEnull mice were 2.7-fold smaller than for wild-type mice. These data identify ACE as a previously unrecognized marker of PCFCs and suggest that ACE is functionally important for PCFC proliferation. Anatomically, the cells that imported AMCA and expressed ACE were situated in the marginal epithelial cell layer of the pituitary cleft and in the adjacent subluminal zone, thus supporting previous proposals that the luminal zone is a source of precursor cells in the adult pituitary.Diana A. Lepore, Vanta J. Jokubaitis, Paul J. Simmons, Kelly N. Roeszler, Ralph Rossi, Karl Bauer and Paul Q. Thoma