Datasets from a vapor diffusion mineral precipitation protocol for Dictyostelium stalks

Datasets from a slow carbonate vapor diffusion and mineral precipitation protocol for Dictyostelium ECM and cellulose stalks show examples for composite materials obtained by an in vitro approach, which differs substantially from the in vivo approach reported in The Journal of Structural Biology, doi: 10.1016/j.jsb.2016.03.015 [1]. Methods for obtaining the datasets include bright field transmitted light microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, LC-PolScope birefringence microscopy, variable pressure scanning electron microscopy (VP-SEM/ESEM), and Raman imaging spectroscopy

Spin currents in diluted magnetic semiconductors (extended version)

Spin currents resulting in the zero-bias spin separation have been observed in unbiased diluted magnetic semiconductor structures (Cd,Mn)Te/(Cd,Mg)Te. The pure spin current generated due to the electron gas heating by terahertz radiation is converted into a net electric current by application of an external magnetic field. We demonstrate that polarization of the magnetic ion system enhances drastically the conversion due to the spin-dependent scattering by localized Mn(2+) ions and the giant Zeeman splitting.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

Antitumor Activity of Pembrolizumab in Biomarker-Unselected Patients With Recurrent and/or Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Results From the Phase Ib KEYNOTE-012 Expansion Cohort.

Purpose Treatment with pembrolizumab, an anti-programmed death-1 antibody, at 10 mg/kg administered once every 2 weeks, displayed durable antitumor activity in programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) -positive recurrent and/or metastatic (R/M) head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) in the KEYNOTE-012 trial. Results from the expansion cohort, in which patients with HNSCC, irrespective of biomarker status, received a fixed dose of pembrolizumab at a less frequent dosing schedule, are reported. Patients and Methods Patients with R/M HNSCC, irrespective of PD-L1 or human papillomavirus status, received pembrolizumab 200 mg intravenously once every 3 weeks. Imaging was performed every 8 weeks. Primary end points were overall response rate (ORR) per central imaging vendor (Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors v1.1) and safety. Secondary end points included progression-free survival, overall survival, and association of response and PD-L1 expression. Patients who received one or more doses of pembrolizumab were included in analyses. Results Of 132 patients enrolled, median age was 60 years (range, 25 to 84 years), 83% were male, and 57% received two or more lines of therapy for R/M disease. ORR was 18% (95% CI, 12 to 26) by central imaging vendor and 20% (95% CI, 13 to 28) by investigator review. Median duration of response was not reached (range, ≥ 2 to ≥ 11 months). Six-month progression-free survival and overall survival rates were 23% and 59%, respectively. By using tumor and immune cells, a statistically significant increase in ORR was observed for PD-L1-positive versus -negative patients (22% v 4%; P = .021). Treatment-related adverse events of any grade and grade ≥ 3 events occurred in 62% and 9% of patients, respectively. Conclusion Fixed-dose pembrolizumab 200 mg administered once every 3 weeks was well tolerated and yielded a clinically meaningful ORR with evidence of durable responses, which supports further development of this regimen in patients with advanced HNSCC

Topical retinoic acid changes the epidermal cell surface glycosylation pattern towards that of a mucosal epithelium

Topical all-trims retinoic acid (RA) produces a number of epidermal changes which are indistinguishable from those observed following treatment with a local irritant, namely sodium lauryl sulphate (SI. S). This observation has led to criticism that the efficacy of RA in disorders such as photoageing. Is merely a result of irritancy. In stratified epithelia, the cellular differentiation process is characterized by a stepwise synthesis of cell surface carbohydrates, and each type of stratified epithelium has its own specific pattern of carbohydrate expression. Glycosyltransferases, which are responsible for carbohydrate synthesis, are influenced by retinoids. Thus, we investigated whether epidermal cell surface glycosylation is altered in skin treated with topical RA, and contrasted it with changes induced by topical SLS Skin biopsies were obtained from seven normal volunteers who had been treated, on three separate areas of buttock skin, with single applications of 0 1 RA. 2 SLS, or vehicle creams, followed by 4-day occlusion. Biopsies were assessed immunohistologically using highly specific monoclonal antibodies to cell surface carbohydrates (types 1, 2 and 3 chain structures), previously demonstrated in the epidermis and in oral mucosal epithelium. Although type 1 chain structures were not demonstrated in any of the samples, the distribution of type 2 and 3 chain structures in RA-treated epidermis was altered towards that seen in a mucosal epithelium. T antigen, a mucin-type cell surface carbohydrate structure normally expressed throughout the epidermis, was only observed in the granular layer of RA-treated epidermis-a feature of mucosal epithelia. Le y , normally only seen in non-keratinized buccal epithelium, was strongly expressed in RA-treated epidermis. In contrast, the glycosylation pattern of the SLS-treated epidermis was not significantly different from that observed after vehicle treatment. Thus, RA treatment converts normal stratified epithelium towards the phenotype of mucosal epithelium with a decrease in T antigen and a concomitant increase in Le y . These changes the not observed following treatment with SLS and identify an important difference between RA effects and irritancy.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/72220/1/j.1365-2133.1996.27762.x.pd

Prolonged post-faint hypotension can be reversed by dynamic tension

A severe variant of vasovagal syncope, observed during tilt tests and blood donation has recently been termed “prolonged post-faint hypotension” (PPFH). A 49-year-old male with a life-long history of severe fainting attacks underwent head-up tilt for 20 min, and developed syncope 2 min after nitroglycerine spray. He was unconscious for 40 s and asystolic for 22 s. For the first 2 min of recovery, BP and HR remained low (65/45 mmHg and 40 beats/min) despite passive leg-raising. Blood pressure (and symptoms) only improved following active bilateral leg flexion and extension (“dynamic tension”). During PPFH, when vagal activity is extreme, patients may require central stimulation as well as correction of venous return

Regrouping: Organized Activity Involvement and Social Adjustment Across the Transition to High School

Although organized activities (OAs) have been established as important contexts of development, limited work has examined the role of OAs across the high school transition in buffering adolescents\u27 social adjustment by providing opportunities for visibility and peer affiliation. The transition to high school is characterized by numerous changes and OAs may provide an important setting for establishing and maintaining peer relationships during this tumultuous time. This study included 151 8th grade U.S. students (58% male) who were assessed across the transition to high school (spring of 8th and 9th grade). Continuous involvement in academic activities across the transition and becoming involved (i.e., initiation) in community/service activities following the transition was associated with fewer depressive symptoms in the spring of 9th grade. Continuous involvement in sports and initiation of academic activities was associated with having more friendships. In addition, links between OAs and loneliness were only evident among females. There appear to be significant social benefits for OA involvement

Genome Wide Association Study to predict severe asthma exacerbations in children using random forests classifiers

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Personalized health-care promises tailored health-care solutions to individual patients based on their genetic background and/or environmental exposure history. To date, disease prediction has been based on a few environmental factors and/or single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), while complex diseases are usually affected by many genetic and environmental factors with each factor contributing a small portion to the outcome. We hypothesized that the use of random forests classifiers to select SNPs would result in an improved predictive model of asthma exacerbations. We tested this hypothesis in a population of childhood asthmatics.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In this study, using emergency room visits or hospitalizations as the definition of a severe asthma exacerbation, we first identified a list of top Genome Wide Association Study (GWAS) SNPs ranked by Random Forests (RF) importance score for the CAMP (Childhood Asthma Management Program) population of 127 exacerbation cases and 290 non-exacerbation controls. We predict severe asthma exacerbations using the top 10 to 320 SNPs together with age, sex, pre-bronchodilator FEV1 percentage predicted, and treatment group.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Testing in an independent set of the CAMP population shows that severe asthma exacerbations can be predicted with an Area Under the Curve (AUC) = 0.66 with 160-320 SNPs in comparison to an AUC score of 0.57 with 10 SNPs. Using the clinical traits alone yielded AUC score of 0.54, suggesting the phenotype is affected by genetic as well as environmental factors.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our study shows that a random forests algorithm can effectively extract and use the information contained in a small number of samples. Random forests, and other machine learning tools, can be used with GWAS studies to integrate large numbers of predictors simultaneously.</p

Determinants in early life for asthma development

A reliable screening test in newborns for the subsequent development of bronchial asthma (BA) has not been found yet. This is mainly due to the complexity of BA, being made up by different types and underlying mechanisms. In different studies, a number of risk factors for BA have been identified. These include a positive family history of BA, passive smoking (also during pregnancy), prematurity (including pulmonary infections, RDS and BPD), early viral respiratory infections (such as RSV-bronchiolitis), male gender, early lung function abnormalities and atopic constitution. The major risk factor for persistent BA is an underlying allergic constitution. Therefore, early symptoms and markers of allergy (i.e. The Allergic March) and a positive family history for allergy should be considered as important risk factors for the development of BA

Introduction of oral vitamin D supplementation and the rise of the allergy pandemic

The history of the allergy pandemic is well documented, enabling us to put the vitamin D hypothesis into its historical context. The purpose of this study is to compare the prevalence of rickets, vitamin D supply, and allergy prevalence at 50-year intervals by means of a retrospective analysis of the literature since 1880