Northwestern University

About: Northwestern University is a education organization based out in Evanston, Illinois, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Transplantation. The organization has 75430 authors who have published 188857 publications receiving 9463252 citations. The organization is also known as: Northwestern & NU.

STARD 2015: an updated list of essential items for reporting diagnostic accuracy studies

Abstract: Incomplete reporting has been identified as a major source of avoidable waste in biomedical research. Essential information is often not provided in study reports, impeding the identification, critical appraisal, and replication of studies. To improve the quality of reporting of diagnostic accuracy studies, the Standards for Reporting Diagnostic Accuracy (STARD) statement was developed. Here we present STARD 2015, an updated list of 30 essential items that should be included in every report of a diagnostic accuracy study. This update incorporates recent evidence about sources of bias and variability in diagnostic accuracy and is intended to facilitate the use of STARD. As such, STARD 2015 may help to improve completeness and transparency in reporting of diagnostic accuracy studies.

Electrical energy storage for transportation—approaching the limits of, and going beyond, lithium-ion batteries

Abstract: The escalating and unpredictable cost of oil, the concentration of major oil resources in the hands of a few politically sensitive nations, and the long-term impact of CO2 emissions on global climate constitute a major challenge for the 21st century. They also constitute a major incentive to harness alternative sources of energy and means of vehicle propulsion. Today's lithium-ion batteries, although suitable for small-scale devices, do not yet have sufficient energy or life for use in vehicles that would match the performance of internal combustion vehicles. Energy densities 2 and 5 times greater are required to meet the performance goals of a future generation of plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles (PHEVs) with a 40–80 mile all-electric range, and all-electric vehicles (EVs) with a 300–400 mile range, respectively. Major advances have been made in lithium-battery technology over the past two decades by the discovery of new materials and designs through intuitive approaches, experimental and predictive reasoning, and meticulous control of surface structures and chemical reactions. Further improvements in energy density of factors of two to three may yet be achievable for current day lithium-ion systems; factors of five or more may be possible for lithium–oxygen systems, ultimately leading to our ability to confine extremely high potential energy in a small volume without compromising safety, but only if daunting technological barriers can be overcome.

Interleukin-8 as a Macrophage-Derived Mediator of Angiogenesis

Abstract: Angiogenic factors produced by monocytes-macrophages are involved in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory disorders characterized by persistent angiogenesis. The possibility was tested that interleukin-8 (IL-8), which is a cytokine that is chemotactic for lymphocytes and neutrophils, is also angiogenic. Human recombinant IL-8 was potently angiogenic when implanted in the rat cornea and induced proliferation and chemotaxis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Angiogenic activity present in the conditioned media of inflamed human rheumatoid synovial tissue macrophages or lipopolysaccharide-stimulated blood monocytes was equally blocked by antibodies to either IL-8 or tumor necrosis factor-alpha. An IL-8 antisense oligonucleotide specifically blocked the production of monocyte-induced angiogenic activity. These data suggest a function for macrophage-derived IL-8 in angiogenesis-dependent disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, tumor growth, and wound repair.

A mutation in Orai1 causes immune deficiency by abrogating CRAC channel function

Abstract: Antigen stimulation of immune cells triggers Ca2+ entry through Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ (CRAC) channels, promoting the immune response to pathogens by activating the transcription factor NFAT. We have previously shown that cells from patients with one form of hereditary severe combined immune deficiency (SCID) syndrome are defective in store-operated Ca2+ entry and CRAC channel function. Here we identify the genetic defect in these patients, using a combination of two unbiased genome-wide approaches: a modified linkage analysis with single-nucleotide polymorphism arrays, and a Drosophila RNA interference screen designed to identify regulators of store-operated Ca2+ entry and NFAT nuclear import. Both approaches converged on a novel protein that we call Orai1, which contains four putative transmembrane segments. The SCID patients are homozygous for a single missense mutation in ORAI1, and expression of wild-type Orai1 in SCID T cells restores store-operated Ca2+ influx and the CRAC current (I(CRAC)). We propose that Orai1 is an essential component or regulator of the CRAC channel complex.