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The best way to find youthful sports athletes prone to exercise-induced bronchoconstriction?
Intriguingly, livers with ongoing massive cell death also disclosed synthesis of factor V and improved INR. In summary, perfused livers were able to produce coagulation factors at a physiological level ex situ. We propose that single coagulation factor analysis is more reliable for assessing the synthetic function of perfused livers as compared to INR when using a heparinised perfusate.The EMBO Journal highlights the multifaceted aspects of tumour biology in a series of complementary review articles published over the course of 2021.
Actin cytoskeleton contractility plays a critical role in morphogenetic processes by generating forces that are then transmitted to cell-cell and cell-ECM adhesion complexes. In turn, mechanical properties of the environment are sensed and transmitted to the cytoskeleton at cell adhesion sites, influencing cellular processes such as cell migration, differentiation and survival. Anchoring of the actomyosin cytoskeleton to adhesion sites is mediated by adaptor proteins such as talin or α-catenin that link F-actin to transmembrane cell adhesion receptors, thereby allowing mechanical coupling between the intracellular and extracellular compartments. Thus, a key issue is to be able to measure the forces generated by actomyosin and transmitted to the adhesion complexes. Approaches developed in cells and those probing single molecule mechanical properties of α-catenin molecules allowed to identify α-catenin, an F-actin binding protein which binds to the cadherin complexes as a major player in cadherin-based mechanotransduction. However, it is still very difficult to bridge intercellular forces measured at cellular levels and those measured at the single-molecule level.

Here, we applied an intermediate approach allowing reconstruction of the actomyosin-α-catenin complex in acellular conditions to probe directly the transmitted forces. For this, we combined micropatterning of purified α-catenin and spontaneous actomyosin network assembly in the presence of G-actin and Myosin II with microforce sensor arrays used so far to measure cell-generated forces.

Using this method, we show that self-organizing actomyosin bundles bound to micrometric α-catenin patches can apply near-nano-Newton forces.

Our results pave the way for future studies on molecular/cellular mechanotransduction and mechanosensing.
Our results pave the way for future studies on molecular/cellular mechanotransduction and mechanosensing.With the recent impact by the COVID-19 pandemic, nursing research has gone through unexpected changes across the globe. The purpose of this special report is to present the commonalities in the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nursing research across four countries, including the United States, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, and one region, that is, Hong Kong, and to make recommendations for future nursing research during the immediate postpandemic period and future pandemic situations. To identify the commonalities, seven researchers/leaders from the five countries/regions had discussions through 3 days of an international workshop. The content for this discussion paper derived from (a) the exemplars/cases of the COVID-19 impact on the research process, (b) researchers/leaders' presentations on the COVID-19 impact, and (c) memos from the workshop. The materials were analyzed using a simple content analysis. The commonalities included (a) "a heavy emphasis on teaching and fluctuating productivity," (b) "increased funding opportunities and governmental support," (c) "gendered experience complicated by professional differences," (d) "delays and changes/modifications in research process," (e) "limited research settings and difficulties in getting access," and (f) "increased online dissemination activities with positive changes in the image of nursing." With all collective wisdom that nurse researchers have obtained during the COVID-19 pandemic, nursing research will evolve again for the successful future of the nursing discipline.
Radiofrequency catheter ablation remains the most effective management option for atrioventricular nodal reentry tachycardia (AVNRT). The risk of atrioventricular (AV) block requiring permanent pacemaker is substantial, but, currently, a reliable method to predict this complication is lacking.

The electrophysiologic studies (EPS) and baseline characteristics of patients who underwent catheter ablation for the treatment of AVNRT were retrospectively analyzed to investigate predisposing factors for AV block after treatment. Patients were followed for AV block at one month and one year after hospital discharge.

Among 784 patients treated with catheter ablation for AVNRT between 1999 to 2019, 15 developed AV block. Patients with AV block were older (p=.001). Among the recorded EPS parameters, patients with AV block had significantly higher Atrial His interval (120vs. 110 ms, p=.049), Wenckebach cycle length (WCL) (400vs. 353 ms, p<.001) and tachycardia CL (400vs. 387 ms, P=.01) during the ablation compared to their peers without AV block. selleck products Additionally, only WCL (OR=1.1, 95% CI 1.02-1.19, p=.017) remained significant after adjustment for age, gender, ERP, AH interval, and HR. This association was confirmed by comparing patients with (n=15) and without (n=15) AV block using propensity score-matching. A WCL≥400ms was associated with a 4-fold higher incidence of AV block (4.79% vs. 1.25%).

Increased pre-procedural WCL was associated with a high risk for AV block after catheter ablation treatment for AVNRT. These findings suggest that this readily available EPS-derived parameter may be a novel marker of risk for severe complications in these patients.
Increased pre-procedural WCL was associated with a high risk for AV block after catheter ablation treatment for AVNRT. These findings suggest that this readily available EPS-derived parameter may be a novel marker of risk for severe complications in these patients.
The gut-liver axis and enterohepatic circulation have gained increasing attention lately. Patients with short bowel syndrome (SBS) are, in fact, human knock-out models that may assist in the understanding of bile acid synthesis and regulation. We evaluated effect of glepaglutide (a long-acting glucagon-like peptide-2 analog) on bile acid synthesis (the enterohepatic circulation of bile acids and liver biochemistry in patients with SBS).

In a single-center, double-blinded, dose-finding, crossover phase 2 trial, 18 patients with SBS were randomly assigned to 2 of 3 treatment arms (0.1, 1, and 10 mg) with daily subcutaneous injections of glepaglutide for 3 weeks. The washout period between the 2 treatment periods was 4-8 weeks. Measurements were performed at baseline and at the end of each treatment period and included postprandial plasma samples for fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF19), 7α-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one (C4), total excretion of fecal bile acids, gene expression of farnesoid X receptor (FXR) in intestinal mucosal biopsies, total plasma bile acids, and liver biochemistry.
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