Shir

Rapid and accurate Gram differentiation is paramount as the first step of pathogen identification and antibiotics administration. However, the current method requires additional reagents, is time-consuming, and is operator dependent. Here we show the principle of tip enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) can differentiate between Gram negative and positive species, by detecting the changes in tip-enhancement in the Raman scattering from the bacteria's lipid-bilayer membrane, which specifically enhances Gram negative bacteria...

Autoimmune diseases (ADs) are a heterogeneous groups of diseases that occur as a results of loss of tolerance to self antigens. While the etiopathogeneis remain obscure, different environmental factors were suggested to have a role in the development of autoimmunity, including infections, low vitamin D levels, UV radiation, and melatonin. Interestingly, such factors possess seasonal variation patterns that could influence disease development, severity and progression. Vitamin D levels which reach a nadir during late winter and early spring is correlated with increased disease activity, clinical severity as well as relapse rates in several disease entities including multiple sclerosis (MS), non-cutaneous flares of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), psoriasis, and rheumatoid arthritis (RA)...

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Selfies have become a frequent and commonplace occurrence, though the reasons which lead people to take selfies remain unclear. This research explores what motivates selfie taking, and suggests that this is not a uniform phenomenon and varying motivations may be found among selfie takers. In addition, the connection between these distinct selfie motivations and personality characteristics, including the big five, narcissism, and self-esteem, as well as types of selfie behaviors are examined. At the first stage of the research, 117 participants filled out a questionnaire dealing with their reasons for taking selfies...

The characteristics of host-guest systems, such as molecular recognition, complexation, encapsulation, guest composition, and dynamic exchange, are manifested by changes in the chemical shifts (Δω) in the NMR spectrum. However, in cases where NMR signals cannot be detected, due to low concentrations, poor solubility, or relatively fast exchange, an alternative is needed. Here, we show that by using the magnetization transfer (MT) method, the undetectable NMR signals of host-guest assemblies can be amplified by two orders of magnitude...

Well-prepared and preserved freshly frozen specimens are indispensable materials for clinical studies. To manage specimen quality and to understand the factors potentially affecting specimen quality during preservation processes, we analyzed the quality of RNA and genomic DNA of various tissues collected between 2002 and 2011 in Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan. During this period, a total of 1059 freshly frozen specimens from eight major cancer categories were examined. It was found that preservation duration, organ origin, and tissue type could all influence the quality of RNA samples...

Smartphone fluorescence microscopy has various applications in point-of-care (POC) testing and diagnostics, ranging from e.g., quantification of immunoassays, detection of microorganisms, to sensing of viruses. An important need in smartphone-based microscopy and sensing techniques is to improve the detection sensitivity to enable quantification of extremely low concentrations of target molecules. Here, we demonstrate a general strategy to enhance the detection sensitivity of a smartphone-based fluorescence microscope by using surface-enhanced fluorescence (SEF) created by a thin metal-film...

BACKGROUND: SREBP cleavage-activating protein (SCAP) is a cholesterol binding endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane protein that is required to activate SREBP transcription factors. SREBPs regulate genes involved in lipid biosynthesis. They also influence lipid clearance by modulating the expression of LDL receptor (LDLR) and proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) genes. Inhibiting SCAP decreases circulating PCSK9, triglycerides (TG), and LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C), both in vitro and in vivo...

Chemokines and chemokine receptors establish a complex network modulating immune cell migration and localization. These molecules were also suggested to mediate the differentiation of leukocytes; however, their intrinsic, direct regulation of lymphocyte fate remained unclear. CCR2 is the main chemokine receptor inducing macrophage and monocyte recruitment to sites of inflammation, and it is also expressed on T cells. To assess whether CCR2 directly regulates T cell responses, we followed the fates of CCR2(-/-) T cells in T cell-specific inflammatory models...

BACKGROUND: Despite policies advocating the social inclusion of persons with disabilities in all settings that are a part of everyday life within society, individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) are usually excluded from service in the military. AIMS: This study examined the meaning of service in the military for individuals with ID from the perspective of various stakeholder groups. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 31 individuals with ID, 36 relatives, and 28 commanders...

PURPOSE: Genetically encoded reporters can assist in visualizing biological processes in live organisms and have been proposed for longitudinal and noninvasive tracking of therapeutic cells in deep tissue. Cells can be labeled in situ or ex vivo and followed in live subjects over time. Nevertheless, a major challenge for reporter systems is to identify the cell population that actually expresses an active reporter. METHODS: We have used a nucleoside analog, pyrrolo-2'-deoxycytidine, as an imaging probe for the putative reporter gene, Drosophila melanogaster 2'-deoxynucleoside kinase...

BACKGROUND: Antibiotic treatment of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) has a high failure rate. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has proven very effective in treating these recurrences. OBJECTIVES: To determine which method of fecal microbiota transplantation (upper or lower gastrointestinal) and which type of donor (a relative or unrelated) is superior. METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of treatment protocols and outcomes in 22 patients with refractory or recurrent CDI who underwent FMT at two Israeli facilities...

As the country struggles to address an epidemic of alcohol and drug overdose, a wide-ranging category of chemical substances known as synthetic drugs have provoked a new sense of public urgency over the past decade. Synthetic cannabinoids, a heterogeneous and evolving set of synthetic compounds that act on endogenous cannabinoid receptors, have become particularly popular among adolescents due to their relative ease of access and reputation as a "legal high." The Baltimore City Health Department has worked to combat the recent surge in synthetic drug use through a major public awareness campaign, legislative reform, and retailer engagement and compliance initiative...

Taxonomic over-splitting of extinct or endangered taxa, due to an incomplete knowledge of both skeletal morphological variability and the geographical ranges of past populations, continues to confuse the link between isolated extant populations and their ancestors. This is particularly problematic with the genus Equus. To more reliably determine the evolution and phylogeographic history of the endangered Asiatic wild ass, we studied the genetic diversity and inter-relationships of both extinct and extant populations over the last 100,000 years, including samples throughout its previous range from Western Europe to Southwest and East Asia...

How do the anatomically consistent functional selectivities of the brain emerge? A new study by Bola and colleagues reveals task selectivity in auditory rhythm-selective areas in congenitally deaf adults perceiving visual rhythm sequences. Here, we contextualize this result with accumulating evidence from animal and human studies supporting sensory-independent task specializations as a comprehensive principle shaping brain (re)organization.

Correction of Fig. 3 which was taken with different conditions than stated in the text. The figure presented here is the correct version with improved resolution.

BACKGROUND: Nitrates may be beneficial in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) by enhancing cGMP signaling and improving hemodynamics, but real-world data on potential efficacy are lacking. METHODS AND RESULTS: We linked the Swedish Heart Failure Registry to national registries with International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision comorbidity diagnoses and demographic and socioeconomic data. In HFpEF, defined as left ventricular ejection fraction ≥40%, we derived propensity scores for nitrate use using 52 baseline variables...

OBJECTIVE: Spoligotyping is a valuable genotyping tool to study the genetic diversity and molecular epidemiology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb). The aim of this study was to analyse different spoligotype patterns of M. tb strains isolated from patients with tuberculosis from different parts of India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 163 M. tb isolates were spoligotyped between January 2014 and January 2015. About 47% (n = 77) were from patients with extrapulmonary tuberculosis; of these, 10 were MDR, and seven were Pre-XDR...

Acyl-CoA:diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT)1 and DGAT2 catalyze triglyceride (TG) biosynthesis in humans. Biallelic loss-of-function mutations in human DGAT1 result in severe congenital diarrhea and protein-losing enteropathy. Additionally, pharmacologic inhibition of DGAT1 led to dose-related diarrhea in human clinical trials. Here we identify a previously unknown DGAT1 mutation in identical twins of South Asian descent. These male patients developed watery diarrhea shortly after birth, with protein-losing enteropathy and failure to thrive...

BACKGROUND: Large controversy exists regarding the potential existence and clinical significance of larger brain volumes in toddlers who later develop autism. Assessing this relationship is important for determining the clinical utility of early head circumference (HC) measures and for assessing the validity of the early overgrowth hypothesis of autism, which suggests that early accelerated brain development may be a hallmark of the disorder. METHODS: We performed a retrospective comparison of HC, height, and weight measurements between 66 toddlers who were later diagnosed with autism and 66 matched controls...