University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

About: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center is a healthcare organization based out in Dallas, Texas, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Cancer. The organization has 39107 authors who have published 75242 publications receiving 4497256 citations. The organization is also known as: UT Southwestern & UT Southwestern Medical School.

Thymosin β4 activates integrin-linked kinase and promotes cardiac cell migration, survival and cardiac repair

Abstract: Heart disease is a leading cause of death in newborn children and in adults. Efforts to promote cardiac repair through the use of stem cells hold promise but typically involve isolation and introduction of progenitor cells. Here, we show that the G-actin sequestering peptide thymosin β4 promotes myocardial and endothelial cell migration in the embryonic heart and retains this property in postnatal cardiomyocytes. Survival of embryonic and postnatal cardiomyocytes in culture was also enhanced by thymosin β4. We found that thymosin β4 formed a functional complex with PINCH and integrin-linked kinase (ILK), resulting in activation of the survival kinase Akt (also known as protein kinase B). After coronary artery ligation in mice, thymosin β4 treatment resulted in upregulation of ILK and Akt activity in the heart, enhanced early myocyte survival and improved cardiac function. These findings suggest that thymosin β4 promotes cardiomyocyte migration, survival and repair and the pathway it regulates may be a new therapeutic target in the setting of acute myocardial damage.

Laparoscopic training on bench models: better and more cost effective than operating room experience?

Abstract: Background: Developing technical skill is essential to surgical training, but using the operating room for basic skill acquisition may be inefficient and expensive, especially for laparoscopic operations This study determines if laparoscopic skills training using simulated tasks on a video-trainer improves the operative performance of surgery residents Study Design: Second- and third-year residents (n = 27) were prospectively randomized to receive formal laparoscopic skills training or to a control group At baseline, residents had a validated global assessment of their ability to perform a laparoscopic cholecystectomy based on direct observation by three evaluators who were blinded to the residents' randomization status Residents were also tested on five standardized video-trainer tasks The training group practiced the video-trainer tasks as a group for 30 minutes daily for 10 days The control group received no formal training All residents repeated the video-trainer test and underwent a second global assessment by the same three blinded evaluators at the end of the 1-month rotation Within-person improvement was determined; improvement was adjusted for differences in baseline performance Results: Five residents were unable to participate because of scheduling problems; 9 residents in the training group and 13 residents in the control group completed the study Baseline laparoscopic experience, video-trainer scores, and global assessments were not significantly different between the two groups The training group on average practiced the video-trainer tasks 138 times (range 94 to 171 times); the control group did not practice any task The trained group achieved significantly greater adjusted improvement in video-trainer scores (five of five tasks) and global assessments (four of eight criteria) over the course of the four-week curriculum, compared with controls Conclusions: Intense training improves video-eye-hand skills and translates into improved operative performance for junior surgery residents Surgical curricula should contain laparoscopic skills training

What if Minkowski had been ageusic? An alternative angle on diabetes.

Abstract: Despite decades of intensive investigation, the basic pathophysiological mechanisms responsible for the metabolic derangements associated with diabetes mellitus have remained elusive. Explored here is the possibility that traditional concepts in this area might have carried the wrong emphasis. It is suggested that the phenomena of insulin resistance and hyperglycemia might be more readily understood if viewed in the context of underlying abnormalities of lipid metabolism.