University of Texas Medical Branch

About: University of Texas Medical Branch is a education organization based out in Galveston, Texas, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Virus. The organization has 22033 authors who have published 38268 publications receiving 1517502 citations. The organization is also known as: The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston & UTMB.

MD-2 is required for disulfide HMGB1-dependent TLR4 signaling

Abstract: Innate immune receptors for pathogen- and damage-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs and DAMPs) orchestrate inflammatory responses to infection and injury. Secreted by activated immune cells or passively released by damaged cells, HMGB1 is subjected to redox modification that distinctly influences its extracellular functions. Previously, it was unknown how the TLR4 signalosome distinguished between HMGB1 isoforms. Here we demonstrate that the extracellular TLR4 adaptor, myeloid differentiation factor 2 (MD-2), binds specifically to the cytokine-inducing disulfide isoform of HMGB1, to the exclusion of other isoforms. Using MD-2–deficient mice, as well as MD-2 silencing in macrophages, we show a requirement for HMGB1-dependent TLR4 signaling. By screening HMGB1 peptide libraries, we identified a tetramer (FSSE, designated P5779) as a specific MD-2 antagonist preventing MD-2–HMGB1 interaction and TLR4 signaling. P5779 does not interfere with lipopolysaccharide-induced cytokine/chemokine production, thus preserving PAMP-mediated TLR4–MD-2 responses. Furthermore, P5779 can protect mice against hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury, chemical toxicity, and sepsis. These findings reveal a novel mechanism by which innate systems selectively recognize specific HMGB1 isoforms. The results may direct toward strategies aimed at attenuating DAMP-mediated inflammation while preserving antimicrobial immune responsiveness.

Accessing antiretroviral therapy following release from prison.

Abstract: Context Interruption of antiretroviral therapy (ART) during the first weeks after release from prison may increase risk for adverse clinical outcomes, transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and drug-resistant HIV reservoirs in the community. The extent to which HIV-infected inmates experience ART interruption following release from prison is unknown. Objectives To determine the proportion of inmates who filled an ART prescription within 60 days after release from prison and to examine predictors of this outcome. Design, Setting, and Participants Retrospective cohort study of all 2115 HIV-infected inmates released from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison system between January 2004 and December 2007 and who were receiving ART before release. Main Outcome Measure Proportion of inmates who filled an ART prescription within 10, 30, and 60 days of release from prison. Results Among the entire study cohort (N = 2115), an initial prescription for ART was filled by 115 (5.4%) inmates within 10 days of release (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.5%-6.5%), by 375 (17.7%) within 30 days (95% CI, 16.2%-19.4%), and by 634 (30.0%) within 60 days (95% CI, 28.1%-32.0%). In a multivariate analysis of predictors (including sex, age, race/ethnicity, viral load, duration of ART, year of discharge, duration of incarceration, parole, and AIDS Drug Assistance Program application assistance), Hispanic and African American inmates were less likely to fill a prescription within 10 days (adjusted estimated risk ratio [RR], 0.4 [95% CI, 0.2-0.8] and 0.4 [95% CI, 0.3-0.7], respectively) and 30 days (adjusted estimated RR, 0.7 [95% CI, 0.5-0.9] and 0.7 [95% CI, 0.5-0.9]). Inmates with an undetectable viral load were more likely to fill a prescription within 10 days (adjusted estimated RR, 1.8 [95% CI, 1.2-2.7]), 30 days (1.5 [95% CI, 1.2-1.8]), and 60 days (1.3 [95% CI, 1.1-1.5]). Inmates released on parole were more likely to fill a prescription within 30 days (adjusted estimated RR, 1.3 [95% CI, 1.1-1.6]) and 60 days (1.5 [95% CI, 1.4-1.7]). Inmates who received assistance completing a Texas AIDS Drug Assistance Program application were more likely to fill a prescription within 10 days (adjusted estimated RR, 3.1 [95% CI, 2.0-4.9]), 30 days (1.8 [95% CI, 1.4-2.2]), and 60 days (1.3 [95% CI, 1.1-1.4]). Conclusion Only a small percentage of Texas prison inmates receiving ART while incarcerated filled an initial ART prescription within 60 days of their release.

6 Yolk Absorption in Embryonic and Larval Fishes

Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the yolk absorption in embryonic and larval fishes. The rate and efficiency of yolk absorption are influenced by a number of environmental factors, including temperature, light, oxygen concentration, and salinity. Fish eggs are not motile, and thus developing embryos are unable to actively exploit the most favorable environments available, at least until after hatching. In teleost eggs, the yolk syncytium together with overlaying mesoderm and ectoderm spreads to enclose the entire yolk mass. Endoderm does not follow the movement of the teleost blastodisc rim and, consequently, the yolk is not enclosed by an endodermal layer. Yolk platelets are mobilized more rapidly than the oil globule from the yolk mass, especially after hatching. The rate at which yolk reserves are depleted must be a function of the surface area of the absorptive layer and the metabolic activity of that layer.

Granular cell tumor: An analysis of 16 cases and review of the literature

Abstract: Sixteen patients with granular cell tumors were seen between 1964 and 1979. The medical data of these patients showed an average age incidence of 39 years and a greater frequency among Negroes (69%) and in female patients (62.5%). The most common sign (in 12 of 16 patients) was the presence of an asymptomatic mass. There was a total of 88 tumors in 16 patients; 74 arose in the skin, 6 in the oral cavity, 2 each in the breast and perineum, and 1 each in the larynx, parotid gland, eyelid, and appendix. Multiple tumors were noted in 4 patients (25%), all of whom were Negroes. The histogenesis of this tumor is still controversial but appears to favor the theory of multipotential undifferentiated mesenchymal cell origin.