In this randomized trial involving infertile women with the polycystic ovary syndrome, frozen-embryo transfer was associated with a higher rate of live birth than was fresh-embryo transfer after the ...first transfer.
In vitro fertilization (IVF) is widely performed as an infertility treatment and has resulted in the births of more than 5 million infants worldwide.
1
However, there are concerns about the safety of the procedures for women and for their infants.
1
,
2
The ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (which is caused by ovarian enlargement, an increase in vascular permeability and abdominal ascites, and intravascular hemoconcentration) is a potentially life-threatening complication of ovarian stimulation.
3
Pregnancies conceived by means of IVF are associated with greater risks of maternal and neonatal complications, including preeclampsia, preterm delivery, low birth weight, and congenital anomalies, than are spontaneous pregnancies. . . .
New sets of parameters (“tunes”) for the underlying-event (UE) modelling of the
pythia
8,
pythia6
and
herwig++
Monte Carlo event generators are constructed using different parton distribution ...functions. Combined fits to CMS UE proton–proton (
p
p
) data at
s
=
7
TeV
and to UE proton–antiproton (
p
p
¯
) data from the CDF experiment at lower
s
, are used to study the UE models and constrain their parameters, providing thereby improved predictions for proton–proton collisions at 13
TeV
. In addition, it is investigated whether the values of the parameters obtained from fits to UE observables are consistent with the values determined from fitting observables sensitive to double-parton scattering processes. Finally, comparisons are presented of the UE tunes to “minimum bias” (MB) events, multijet, and Drell–Yan (
q
q
¯
→
Z
/
γ
∗
→
lepton-antilepton+jets) observables at 7 and 8
TeV
, as well as predictions for MB and UE observables at 13
TeV
.
Animal models have highlighted the importance of innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) in multiple immune responses. However, technical limitations have hampered adequate characterization of ILCs in humans. ...Here, we used mass cytometry including a broad range of surface markers and transcription factors to accurately identify and profile ILCs across healthy and inflamed tissue types. High dimensional analysis allowed for clear phenotypic delineation of ILC2 and ILC3 subsets. We were not able to detect ILC1 cells in any of the tissues assessed, however, we identified intra-epithelial (ie)ILC1-like cells that represent a broader category of NK cells in mucosal and non-mucosal pathological tissues. In addition, we have revealed the expression of phenotypic molecules that have not been previously described for ILCs. Our analysis shows that human ILCs are highly heterogeneous cell types between individuals and tissues. It also provides a global, comprehensive, and detailed description of ILC heterogeneity in humans across patients and tissues.
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•Comprehensive profiling of human ILCs across tissues•Detailed description of previously defined ILC subsets except helper-type ILC1•ieILC1-like cells are present in several tissues and functionally similar to NK cells•Identification of markers expressed on ILCs, including functional IL-18R
Animal models have highlighted the importance of innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) in multiple immune responses. Simoni et al. (2016) profile human ILCs using mass cytometry across tissues. The results provide a global, comprehensive, and detailed description of ILC populations and their heterogeneity across individuals and tissues.
Elevated levels of the inducible heat-shock protein 70 (Hsp72) have been implicated in mammary tumorigenesis in histological investigations of human breast cancer. We therefore examined the role of ...Hsp72 in mice, using animals in which the hsp70 gene was inactivated. We used a spontaneous tumor system with mice expressing the polyomavirus middle T (PyMT) oncogene under control of the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) long-terminal repeat (MMT mice). These mice developed spontaneous, metastatic mammary cancer. We then showed Hsp72 to be upregulated in a fraction of mammary cancer initiating cells (CIC) within the MMT tumor cell population. These cells were characterized by elevated surface levels of stem cell markers CD44 and Sca1 and by rapid metastasis. Inactivation of the hsp70 gene delayed the initiation of mammary tumors. This delay in tumor initiation imposed by loss of hsp70 was correlated with a decreased pool of CIC. Interestingly, hsp70 knockout significantly reduced invasion and metastasis by mammary tumor cells and implicated its product Hsp72 in cell migration and formation of secondary neoplasms. Impaired tumorigenesis and metastasis in hsp70-knockout MMT mice was associated with downregulation of the met gene and reduced activition of the oncogenic c-Met protein. These experiments therefore showed Hsp72 to be involved in the growth and progression of mammary carcinoma and highlighted this protein as a potential target for anticancer drug development.
Food allergies are a type I hypersensitivity immune responses that can be life threatening. While exposure therapy and urgent care interventions can limit the damage of an allergic episode, there is ...currently no cure for food hypersensitivities. Many patients will experience an accidental exposure to a known allergen due to the complexity of food preparation methods in the modern diet. One method of avoidance is to monitor food with point of care (POC) biosensors that can detect known allergens. These detectors are categorized according to their sensor mechanism, such as optical, electromechanical, and electrochemical biosensors. More innovations that are recent combine biosensors with genosensors and cell assays. Major challenges to allergen monitoring include the introduction of new allergens into modern diets, the rising incidence hypersensitivities, lack of clinical understanding of the types and causes of food allergies, limited commercial availability of biosensors, and the lack of international standards or agreement on threshold detection levels. Public health leaders are taking on these challenges, and their efforts will reduce the incidence of preventable exposures and improve overall food safety management.
To identify gene loci associated with steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS), we utilized homozygosity mapping and exome sequencing in a consanguineous pedigree with three affected siblings. ...High-density genotyping identified three segments of homozygosity spanning 33.6Mb on chromosomes 5, 10, and 15 containing 296 candidate genes. Exome sequencing identified two homozygous missense variants within the chromosome 15 segment; an A159P substitution in myosin 1E (MYO1E), encoding a podocyte cytoskeletal protein; and an E181K substitution in nei endonuclease VIII-like 1 (NEIL1), encoding a base-excision DNA repair enzyme. Both variants disrupt highly conserved protein sequences and were absent in public databases, 247 healthy controls, and 286 patients with nephrotic syndrome. The MYO1E A159P variant is noteworthy, as it is expected to impair ligand binding and actin interaction in the MYO1E motor domain. The predicted loss of function is consistent with the previous demonstration that Myo1e inactivation produces nephrotic syndrome in mice. Screening 71 additional patients with SRNS, however, did not identify independent NEIL1 or MYO1E mutations, suggesting larger sequencing efforts are needed to uncover which mutation is responsible for the phenotype. Our findings demonstrate the utility of exome sequencing for rapidly identifying candidate genes for human SRNS.
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