Hemodialysis Disparities in African Americans: The Deeply Integrated Concept of Race in the Social Fabric of Our Society.

End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is one of the starkest examples of racial/ethnic disparities in health. Racial/ethnic minorities are 1.5 to nearly 4 times more likely than their non-Hispanic White counterparts to require renal replacement therapy (RRT), with African Americans suffering from the highest rates of ESRD. Despite improvements over the last 25 years, substantial racial differences are persistent in dialysis quality measures such as RRT modality options, dialysis adequacy, anemia, mineral and bone disease, vascular access, and pre-ESRD care. This report will outline the current status of racial disparities in key ESRD quality measures and explore the impact of race. While the term race represents a social construct, its association with health is more complex. Multiple individual and community level social determinants of health are defined by the social positioning of race in the U.S., while biologic differences may reflect distinct epigenetic changes and linkages to ancestral geographic origins. Together, these factors conspire to influence dialysis outcomes among African Americans with ESRD

The Progenitors of the Compact Early-Type Galaxies at High-Redshift

We use GOODS and CANDELS images to identify progenitors of massive (log M > 10 Msun) compact "early-type" galaxies (ETGs) at z~1.6. Since merging and accretion increase the size of the stellar component of galaxies, if the progenitors are among known star-forming galaxies, these must be compact themselves. We select candidate progenitors among compact Lyman-break galaxies at z~3 based on their mass, SFR and central stellar density and find that these account for a large fraction of, and possibly all, compact ETGs at z~1.6. We find that the average far-UV SED of the candidates is redder than that of the non-candidates, but the optical and mid-IR SED are the same, implying that the redder UV of the candidates is inconsistent with larger dust obscuration, and consistent with more evolved (aging) star-formation. This is in line with other evidence that compactness is a sensitive predictor of passivity among high-redshift massive galaxies. We also find that the light distribution of both the compact ETGs and their candidate progenitors does not show any extended "halos" surrounding the compact "core", both in individual images and in stacks. We argue that this is generally inconsistent with the morphology of merger remnants, even if gas-rich, as predicted by N-body simulations. This suggests that the compact ETGs formed via highly dissipative, mostly gaseous accretion of units whose stellar components are very small and undetected in the HST images, with their stellar mass assembling in-situ, and that they have not experienced any major merging until the epoch of observations at z~1.6.Comment: 25 pages, 20 figures; Accepted for publication in Ap

Nucleolar retention of a translational C/EBPα isoform stimulates rDNA transcription and cell size

The messenger RNA of the intronless CEBPA gene is translated into distinct protein isoforms through the usage of consecutive translation initiation sites. These translational isoforms have distinct functions in the regulation of differentiation and proliferation due to the presence of different N-terminal sequences. Here, we describe the function of an N-terminally extended protein isoform of CCAAT enhancer-binding protein α (C/EBPα) that is translated from an alternative non-AUG initiation codon. We show that a basic amino-acid motif within its N-terminus is required for nucleolar retention and for interaction with nucleophosmin (NPM). In the nucleoli, extended-C/EBPα occupies the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) promoter and associates with the Pol I-specific factors upstream-binding factor 1 (UBF-1) and SL1 to stimulate rRNA synthesis. Furthermore, during differentiation of HL-60 cells, endogenous expression of extended-C/EBPα is lost concomitantly with nucleolar C/EBPα immunostaining probably reflecting the reduced requirement for ribosome biogenesis in differentiated cells. Finally, overexpression of extended-C/EBPα induces an increase in cell size. Altogether, our results suggest that control of rRNA synthesis is a novel function of C/EBPα adding to its role as key regulator of cell growth and proliferation

Antimicrobial activity of per acetic acid for trans-operative disinfection of endodontic files

Reducing the accumulation of microorganisms on an endodontic file during endodontic treatment is important to limit recontamination of the root canal and increase likelihood of successful treatment outcome. Objective: To compare the antimicrobial activity of peracetic acid (PA), isopropyl alcohol and acetone against a range of bacteria and also for disinfection of contaminated endodontic K-files. Material and Methods: Antimicrobial activities of PA, isopropyl alcohol and acetone were compared against Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, vancomycin resistant E. faecalis (VRE) and meticillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA), using minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) and time-kill assays. Test solutions at different exposure times (15 s and 30 s) were assessed for treatment of endodontic files acting as carriers of E. faecalis-contaminated dental debris. Results: All bacteria were susceptible to PA (MBC range 0.25-1%), acetone (MBC range 50-60%) and isopropyl alcohol (30-40%). Using a time-kill assay of the antimicrobials at the determined MBC, all test microorganisms, with the exception of E. faecalis (VRE) 7766 were killed after 15 s exposure. In the case of E. faecalis 7766, viable cells remained detectable after 120 s exposure to acetone. Testing disinfection of endodontic K-files, previously coated with dental debris containing E. faecalis, it was found that PA (2%) completely killed E. faecalis after 15 s exposure. However, even after 30 s exposure, isopropyl alcohol (80%) and acetone (80%) had limited disinfecting activity. Conclusion: Extrapolation of these results to clinical practice would suggest that PA would be the most effective agent for trans-operative disinfection of endodontic K-files during treatment of a single patient

A Reverse Transcriptase-PCR Assay for Detecting Filarial Infective Larvae in Mosquitoes

The Global Programme for the Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF) was launched in the year 1998 with the goal of eliminating lymphatic filariasis by 2020. As the success of mass drug administration (MDA) in the global program drives the rates of infection in endemic populations to very low levels, the development of new, highly sensitive methods are required for monitoring transmission by screening mosquitoes for the presence of L3 infective larvae. The current method of mosquito dissection to identify L3 larvae is laborious and insensitive and is not amenable to screening large numbers of mosquitoes. Existing molecular assays for the detection of filarial parasite DNA in mosquitoes are sensitive and can easily screen large numbers of vectors. However, current PCR-based methods cannot distinguish between infected mosquitoes that contain any stage of the parasite and infective mosquitoes that harbor third stage larvae (L3) capable of establishing new infections in humans. This paper reports the first development of a molecular L3-detection assay for a filarial parasite in mosquitoes based on RT-PCR detection of an L3-activated gene transcript. This strategy of detecting stage-specific messenger RNA from filarial parasites may also prove useful for detecting infective stages of other vector-borne pathogens

The Australasian Resuscitation In Sepsis Evaluation: FLUid or vasopressors In Emergency Department Sepsis, a multicentre observational study (ARISE FLUIDS observational study): Rationale, methods and analysis plan

There is uncertainty about the optimal i.v. fluid volume and timing of vasopressor commencement in the resuscitation of patients with sepsis and hypotension. We aim to study current resuscitation practices in EDs in Australia and New Zealand (the Australasian Resuscitation In Sepsis Evaluation: FLUid or vasopressors In Emergency Department Sepsis [ARISE FLUIDS] observational study).ARISE FLUIDS is a prospective, multicentre observational study in 71 hospitals in Australia and New Zealand. It will include adult patients presenting to the ED during a 30 day period with suspected sepsis and hypotension (systolic blood pressur

Caribbean Corals in Crisis: Record Thermal Stress, Bleaching, and Mortality in 2005

BACKGROUND The rising temperature of the world's oceans has become a major threat to coral reefs globally as the severity and frequency of mass coral bleaching and mortality events increase. In 2005, high ocean temperatures in the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean resulted in the most severe bleaching event ever recorded in the basin. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Satellite-based tools provided warnings for coral reef managers and scientists, guiding both the timing and location of researchers' field observations as anomalously warm conditions developed and spread across the greater Caribbean region from June to October 2005. Field surveys of bleaching and mortality exceeded prior efforts in detail and extent, and provided a new standard for documenting the effects of bleaching and for testing nowcast and forecast products. Collaborators from 22 countries undertook the most comprehensive documentation of basin-scale bleaching to date and found that over 80% of corals bleached and over 40% died at many sites. The most severe bleaching coincided with waters nearest a western Atlantic warm pool that was centered off the northern end of the Lesser Antilles. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE Thermal stress during the 2005 event exceeded any observed from the Caribbean in the prior 20 years, and regionally-averaged temperatures were the warmest in over 150 years. Comparison of satellite data against field surveys demonstrated a significant predictive relationship between accumulated heat stress (measured using NOAA Coral Reef Watch's Degree Heating Weeks) and bleaching intensity. This severe, widespread bleaching and mortality will undoubtedly have long-term consequences for reef ecosystems and suggests a troubled future for tropical marine ecosystems under a warming climate.This work was partially supported by salaries from the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program to the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program authors. NOAA provided funding to Caribbean ReefCheck investigators to undertake surveys of bleaching and mortality. Otherwise, no funding from outside authors' institutions was necessary for the undertaking of this study. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

A human genome editing-based MLL::AF4 B-cell ALL model recapitulates key cellular and molecular leukemogenic features

The cellular ontogeny and location of the MLL-breakpoint influence the capacity of MLL-edited CD34+ HSPCs to initiate pro-B-ALL, and recapitulate the molecular features of MLL-AF4+ infant B-ALL patients. We provide key insights into the cellular-molecular leukemogenic determinants of MLL-AF4+ infant B-ALL

Parents' Experiences of Receiving the Initial Positive Newborn Screening (NBS) Result for Cystic Fibrosis and Sickle Cell Disease

The clinical advantages of the newborn screening programme (NBS) in the UK are well described in the literature. However, there has been little exploration of the psychosocial impact on the family. This study followed the principles of grounded theory to explore parents' experiences of receiving the initial positive NBS result for their child with cystic fibrosis (CF) or sickle cell disease (SCD). Semi-structured, qualitative interviews were conducted with 22 parents (12 mothers and 10 fathers) whose children had been diagnosed with CF or SCD via NBS and were under the age of 1 year at the time of interview. The main themes that arose from the data were; parents previous knowledge of the condition and the NBS programme, the method of delivery and parental reactions to the result, sharing the results with others, the impact on parental relationships and support strategies. Study conclusions indicate that most parents thought initial positive NBS results should be delivered by a health professional with condition specific knowledge, preferably with both parents present. Genetic counselling needs to include a focus on the impact of NBS results on parental relationships. Careful consideration needs to be given to strategies to support parents of babies who have positive NBS results both in terms of the psychological health and to assist them in sharing the diagnosis