University of Alabama

About: University of Alabama is a education organization based out in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 27323 authors who have published 48609 publications receiving 1565337 citations. The organization is also known as: Alabama & Bama.

The Audit Risk Model, Business Risk and Audit‐Planning Decisions

Abstract: This study identifies conditions under which the audit risk model does, and does not, describe audit‐planning (investment and pricing) decisions. In an experiment, audit partners and managers examined one of two cases where a material misstatement—error or irregularity—was discovered. The auditors assessed the elements of the audit risk model, assessed business risk and provided recommendations for the audit investment and fee. When the likelihood of an error was high, the audit risk model dominated business risk in the explanation of the audit investment, and the fee did not contain a risk premium. When the likelihood of an irregularity was high, business risk dominated the audit risk model in the explanation of the audit investment, and the fee contained a risk premium. These results suggest that the ability of the audit risk model to describe auditor behavior and the inclination of auditors to charge a risk premium depend upon the nature of the risks present in the audit. In the presence of errors, the...

Bosniak Classification of Cystic Renal Masses, Version 2019: An Update Proposal and Needs Assessment

Abstract: Cystic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is almost certainly overdiagnosed and overtreated. Efforts to diagnose and treat RCC at a curable stage result in many benign neoplasms and indolent cancers being resected without clear benefit. This is especially true for cystic masses, which compared with solid masses are more likely to be benign and, when malignant, less aggressive. For more than 30 years, the Bosniak classification has been used to stratify the risk of malignancy in cystic renal masses. Although it is widely used and still effective, the classification does not formally incorporate masses identified at MRI or US or masses that are incompletely characterized but are highly likely to be benign, and it is affected by interreader variability and variable reported malignancy rates. The Bosniak classification system cannot fully differentiate aggressive from indolent cancers and results in many benign masses being resected. This proposed update to the Bosniak classification addresses some of these shortcomings. The primary modifications incorporate MRI, establish definitions for previously vague imaging terms, and enable a greater proportion of masses to enter lower-risk classes. Although the update will require validation, it aims to expand the number of cystic masses to which the Bosniak classification can be applied while improving its precision and accuracy for the likelihood of cancer in each class.

Microtubule dysfunction by posttranslational nitrotyrosination of α-tubulin: A nitric oxide-dependent mechanism of cellular injury

Abstract: NO2Tyr (3-Nitrotyrosine) is a modified amino acid that is formed by nitric oxide-derived species and has been implicated in the pathology of diverse human diseases. Nitration of active-site tyrosine residues is known to compromise protein structure and function. Although free NO2Tyr is produced in abundant concentrations under pathological conditions, its capacity to alter protein structure and function at the translational or posttranslational level is unknown. Here, we report that free NO2Tyr is transported into mammalian cells and selectively incorporated into the extreme carboxyl terminus of α-tubulin via a posttranslational mechanism catalyzed by the enzyme tubulin–tyrosine ligase. In contrast to the enzymatically regulated carboxyl-terminal tyrosination/detyrosination cycle of α-tubulin, incorporation of NO2Tyr shows apparent irreversibility. Nitrotyrosination of α-tubulin induces alterations in cell morphology, changes in microtubule organization, loss of epithelial-barrier function, and intracellular redistribution of the motor protein cytoplasmic dynein. These observations imply that posttranslational nitrotyrosination of α-tubulin invokes conformational changes, either directly or via allosteric interactions, in the surface-exposed carboxyl terminus of α-tubulin that compromises the function of this critical domain in regulating microtubule organization and binding of motor- and microtubule-associated proteins. Collectively, these observations illustrate a mechanism whereby free NO2Tyr can impact deleteriously on cell function under pathological conditions encompassing reactive nitrogen species production. The data also yield further insight into the role that the α-tubulin tyrosination/detyrosination cycle plays in microtubule function.

Deletion of ERK2 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Identifies Its Key Roles in Cortical Neurogenesis and Cognitive Function

Abstract: The mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases ERK1 and ERK2 are critical intracellular signaling intermediates; however, little is known about their isoform-specific functions in vivo We have examined the role of ERK2 in neural development by conditional inactivation of the murine mapk1/ERK2 gene in neural progenitor cells of the developing cortex ERK MAP kinase (MAPK) activity in neural progenitor cells is required for neuronal cell fate determination Loss of ERK2 resulted in a reduction in cortical thickness attributable to impaired proliferation of neural progenitors during the neurogenic period and the generation of fewer neurons Mutant neural progenitor cells remained in an undifferentiated state until gliogenic stimuli induced their differentiation, resulting in the generation of more astrocytes The mutant mice displayed profound deficits in associative learning Importantly, we have identified patients with a 1 Mb microdeletion on chromosome 22q112 encompassing the MAPK1/ERK2 gene These children, who have reduced ERK2 levels, exhibit microcephaly, impaired cognition, and developmental delay These findings demonstrate an important role for ERK2 in cellular proliferation and differentiation during neural development as well as in cognition and memory formation

Relative Efficacy of a Brief Motivational Intervention for College Student Drinkers

Abstract: The authors evaluated the efficacy of Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS - L. A. Dimeff, J. S. Baer, D. R. Kivlahan, & G. A. Marlatt, 1999), a single session of drinking-related feedback intended to reduce heavy drinking and related harm. College student drinkers (N = 99) were assigned to BASICS, an educational intervention, or an assessment-only control group. At 3 months postintervention. there were no overall significant group differences, but heavier drinking BASICS participants showed greater reductions in weekly alcohol consumption and binge drinking than did heavier drinking control and education participants. At 9 months, heavier drinking BASICS participants again showed the largest effect sizes. BASICS participants evaluated the intervention more favorably than did education participants. This study suggests that BASICS may be more efficacious than educational interventions for heavier drinking college students.