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Breast cancers are a diverse group of diseases and are often characterized by their expression of receptors for hormones such as estrogen and progesterone. Recently, another steroid hormone receptor, the glucocorticoid receptor has been shown to be a key player in breast cancer progression, metastasis, and treatment. These receptors bind to chromatin to elicit transcriptional changes within cells, which are often inhibited by the structure of chromatin itself. Chromatin-remodeling proteins, such as Brahma-related gene 1, function to overcome this physical inhibition of transcription factor function and have been linked to many cancers including breast cancer. Recent efforts to understand the interactions of Brahma-related gene 1 and the glucocorticoid receptor, including genomic and single-cell analyses, within breast cancers may give insight into personalized medicine and other potential treatments.

This study examined if acute multi-joint resistance exercises (RE; back squat, bench press, and deadlift) to volitional failure elicited a postexercise increase in the circulating response of biomarkers associated with neuroprotection. Thirteen males (age: 24.5 ± 3.8 years, body mass: 84.01 ± 15.44 kg, height: 173.43 ± 8.57 cm, training age: 7.1 ± 4.2 years) performed 4 sets to failure at 80% of a 1-repetition maximum on the squat, bench press, and deadlift in successive weeks. The measured biomarkers were brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), cathepsin B (CatB), and interleukin 6 (IL-6). Biomarkers were assessed immediately before and 10-min after exercise. There was a main time effect (pre-exercise: 24.00 ± 0.61 to postexercise: 27.38 ± 0.48 ng/mL; p < 0.01) for BDNF with increases in the deadlift (p = 0.01) and bench press (p = 0.01) conditions, but not in the squat condition (p = 0.21). There was a main time effect (pre-exercise: 0.87 ± 0.16 to postexercise: 2.03 ± 0.32 pg/mL; p < 0.01) for IL-6 with a significant increase in the squat (p < 0.01), but not the bench press (p = 0.88) and deadlift conditions (p = 0.24). No main time effect was observed for either CatB (p = 0.62) or IGF-1 (p = 0.56). In summary, acute multi-joint RE increases circulating BDNF. Further, this investigation is the first to report the lack of a transient change of CatB to an acute RE protocol. Novelty Low-volume RE to failure can increase BDNF. Resistance training does not confer an acute Cat B response.

New findings What is the central question of this study? Do highly trained male endurance athletes who develop exercise-induced arterial hypoxaemia (EIAH) demonstrate reduced peripheral chemoresponsiveness during exercise? What is the main finding and its importance? Those with the lowest arterial saturation during exercise have a smaller ventilatory response to hypercapnia during exercise. There was no significant relationship between the hyperoxic ventilatory response and EIAH. The findings suggest that peripheral chemoresponsiveness to hypercapnia during exercise could play a role in the development of EIAH. The findings improve our understanding of the mechanisms that contribute to EIAH. Abstract Exercise-induced arterial hypoxaemia (EIAH) is characterized by a decrease in arterial oxygen tension and/or saturation during whole-body exercise, which may in part result from inadequate alveolar ventilation. However, the role of peripheral chemoresponsiveness in the development of EIAH is not well established. We hypothesized that those with the most severe EIAH would have an attenuated ventilatory response to hyperoxia and hypercapnia during exercise. To evaluate this, on separate days, we measured ventilatory sensitivity to hyperoxia and separately hypercapnia at rest and during three different exercise intensities (25, 50% of V O 2 max and ventilatory threshold (∼67% of V O 2 max )) in 12 males cyclists ( V O 2 max = 66.6 ± 4.7 ml kg-1 min-1 ). Subjects were divided into two groups based on their end-exercise arterial oxygen saturation (ear oximetry, S p O 2 ): a normal oxyhaemoglobin saturation group (NOS, S p O 2 = 93.4 ± 0.4%, n = 5) and a low oxyhaemoglobin saturation group (LOS, S p O 2 = 89.9 ± 0.9%, n = 7). There was no difference in V O 2 max (66.4 ± 2.9 vs. 66.8 ± 6.0 ml kg-1 min-1 , respectively, P = 0.9), peak ventilation during maximal exercise (182 ± 15 vs. 197 ± 32 l min-1 , respectively, P = 0.36) or ventilatory response to hyperoxia (P = 0.98) at any exercise intensity between NOS and LOS groups. However, those in the LOS group had a significantly lower ventilatory response to hypercapnia (P = 0.004, (η2 = 0.18). There was also a significant relationship between the mean hypercapnic response and end-exercise S p O 2 (r = 0.75, P = 0.009) but not between the mean hyperoxic response and end-exercise S p O 2 (r = 0.21, P = 0.51). A blunted hypercapnic ventilatory response may contribute to EIAH in highly trained men due to a failure to increase ventilation sufficiently to offset exercise-induced gas exchange impairments.

There are a number of dermatoses that manifest in the genital region. Urologists are often the first point of contact for patients with such disorders. These can be isolated genital conditions or manifestations of a more widespread cutaneous disease. Though similar appearing, there are often key clinical findings that aid in in diagnosis. In general, genital dermatoses can be classified as physiologic variants, inflammatory, neoplastic, or infectious in etiology. This article provides a broad overview for urologists in addressing both common and rarer penile and scrotal dermatoses. Emphasis is placed on characteristic clinical findings to aid in diagnosis. Recommendations for diagnostic evaluation, treatment, and appropriate follow-up are discussed.

Studies have suggested that abrogated expression of detoxification enzymes, UGT2B15 and UGT2B17, are associated with prostate tumour risk and progression. We investigated the role of EGF on the expression of these enzymes since it interacts with signalling pathways to also affect prostate tumour progression and is additionally associated with decreased DNA methylation. The expression of UGT2B15, UGT2B17, de novo methyltransferases, DNMT3A and DNMT3B was assessed in prostate cancer cells (LNCaP) treated with EGF, an EGFR inhibitor PD16893, and the methyltransferase inhibitor, 5-azacytidine, respectively. The results showed that EGF treatment decreased levels of expression of all four genes and that their expression was reversed by PD16893. Treatment with 5-azacytidine, markedly decreased expression of UGT2B15 and UGT2B17 over 85% as well as significantly decreased expression of DNMT3B, but not the expression of DNMT3A. DNMT3B siRNA treated LNCaP cells had decreased expression of UGT2B15 and UGT2B17, while DNMT3A siRNA treated cells had only moderately decreased UGT2B15 expression. Treatment with DNMT methyltransferase inhibitor, RG108, significantly decreased UGT2B17 expression. Additionally, methylation differences between prostate cancer samples and benign prostate samples from an Illumina 450K Methylation Array study were assessed. The results taken together suggest that hypomethylation of the UGT2B15 and UGT2B17 genes contributes to increased risk of prostate cancer and may provide a putative biomarker or epigenetic target for chemotherapeutics. Mechanistic studies are warranted to determine the role of the methylation marks in prostate cancer.

Developing innovative strategies to engage patients as research partners is a priority in efforts to reduce health disparities in underserved communities. We describe the development and implementation of a training model to prepare Community Health Ambassadors (CHAs) to serve as liaisons to engage individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD) in patient-centered outcomes research. We trained CHAs on research guidelines, human subjects' protection, and SCD self-management. Community Health Ambassadors then employed community-level strategies to engage individuals with SCD and their families (N=432) residing in rural and urban communities throughout Tennessee. By engaging the SCD community, CHAs identified areas of burden for self-management and patientpreferred strategies to engage members of underserved minority groups in research. This community-based training model, which places CHAs as liaisons between researchers and the community, holds promise for scaling-up for replication and implementation in studies seeking to engage underserved populations with a chronic disease in health research.

The addition of acoustic telemetry to conventional tagging studies can generate direct estimates of mortality and movement rates to inform fisheries management. We applied a combined telemetry and tag-return design to southern flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma), a coastal flatfish that demonstrates limited movements within estuarine habitats coupled with extensive ontogenetic migrations that present unique challenges for estimating mortality rates. The fates of acoustically and conventionally tagged fish were followed during 2014–2016 to estimate annual rates of fishing mortality (F), natural mortality (M), and estuarine emigration (E). Multistate models estimated southern flounder annual F for each of the 3 years at two spatial scales (New River estuary F = 0.49–1.61; North Carolina coast F = 0.36–0.72). Annual rates of emigration were high (E = 1.06–1.67), and direct estimation of this source of loss considerably improved mortality estimates. The model estimated natural mortality as a constant annual rate (M = 0.84), which was similar in magnitude to life-history-based estimates for similar age groups. By accounting for unique behavioral attributes in the study design, the application of multistate tagging models provided robust estimates of mortality and emigration rates for a valuable coastal fishery resource that will inform future efforts to achieve yield and conservation goals.

Leaching of herbicides in cropping soils not only impacts the groundwater sources but also reduces their effect in controlling weeds. Leaching studies were carried out in two cropping soils and two forestry biowaste media, wood pulp and sawdust with two herbicides, atrazine and bromacil in a packed lysimeter with simulated rainfall. The hypothesis was that high organic matter forestry biowaste soil amendments reduce the leaching of herbicides through the soil profile. Results from the experimental setups varied due to the impact of the simulated rainfall on the surface structure of the media. Organic carbon content, pH and structure of the media were all factors which affected the leaching of the two herbicides. The hypothesis was true for wood pulp, but for sawdust, organic matter content had less bearing on the leaching of the herbicides than other over-riding factors, such as pH, that were media specific. In sawdust, its large particle size and related pore volume allowed preferential flow of herbicides. Overall, the data indicated that both forestry biowastes were retentive to herbicide leaching, but the effect was more pronounced with wood pulp than sawdust.

The SWI/SNF complex remodels chromatin in an ATP-dependent manner through the subunits BRG1 and BRM. Chromatin remodeling alters nucleosome structure to change gene expression; however, aberrant remodeling can result in cancer. We identified BCL7 proteins as critical SWI/SNF members that drive BRG1-dependent gene expression changes. BCL7s have been implicated in B-cell lymphoma, but characterization of their functional role within the SWI/SNF complex has been limited. This study implicates their function alongside BRG1 to drive large-scale changes in gene expression. Mechanistically, the BCL7 proteins bind to the HSA domain of BRG1 and require this domain for binding to chromatin. BRG1 proteins without the HSA domain fail to interact with the BCL7 proteins and have severely reduced chromatin remodeling activity. These results link the HSA domain and the formation of a functional SWI/SNF remodeling complex through the interaction with BCL7 proteins. These data highlight the importance of correct formation of the SWI/SNF complex to drive critical biological functions, as losses of individual accessory members or protein domains can cause loss of complex function.

During the summer of 2019, cases of lung injury associated with vaping emerged in North America, including among individuals who reported exclusive use of nicotine vaping liquids. Once vitamin E acetate was identified as a potential causative agent a quantitative method based on a simple sample dilution, separation by gas chromatography and analysis by triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC MSMS) was developed. Method detection limit (MDL) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were determined at 0.159 µg/mL and 0.505 µg/mL, respectively. The analysis was performed on a subset of 203 commercially sourced nicotine containing vaping liquids of various flavour profile and nicotine range (nicotine free-59 mg/mL) from an internal inventory. The target analyte, Vitamin E Acetate, was not detected in any samples analyzed, as expected, given the reported detection in literature and high association of the chemical with cannabis and not nicotine containing vaping products.

Currently, there is a lack of comprehensive data on the diversity of chemicals present in vaping liquids. To address this gap, a non-targeted analysis of 825 vaping liquids collected between 2017 and 2019 from Canadian retailers was conducted. Prior to mass spectrometry analysis, samples were diluted 1:500 v/v with methanol or acetonitrile. Chemical compound separation and analysis was carried out using gas chromatography and triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) systems operated in the full scan mode and mass range of 35–450 m/z. Mass spectrum for each sample was obtained in electron ionization at 70 eV and processed. Non-targeted identification workflow included use of automated mass spectral deconvolution and identification system (AMDIS), where required, as well as a number of commercially available spectral libraries. In order to validate identities, an in-house database of expected compounds previously detected in vaping liquids was used along with genuine analytical standards for compounds of interest. This resulted in a dataset of over 1,500 unique detected chemicals. Approximately half of these chemical compounds were detected only once in a single product and not in multiple products analyzed. For any sample analyzed, on average, 40% of the chemical constituents appeared to have flavouring properties. The remainder were nicotine and related alkaloids, processing, degradation or indirect additives, natural extractives and compounds with unknown roles. Data published here from the project on the Open Characterization of vaping liquids is unique as it offers a detailed understanding of products’ flavour chemical profiles, the presence and frequency of chemicals of potential health concern, as well as trends and changes in products’ chemical complexity over a three-year period. Non-targeted chemical surveillance such as this present valuable tools to public health officials and researchers in responding to emergent issues such as vaping associated lung injury or informing chemical based strategies which may be aimed at addressing product safety or appeal.

Native speakers of English are differentially sensitive to morphologicallysimple and morphologically complex when both are ungrammatical. A largerP600 is elicited by sentences like *“The dogs must running” than *“The dog isrun.” This is taken to mean that native speakers have an easier time processingthe second condition, either because the base form of the verb is underspecifiedfor a number of featural specifications, or because predictions in “be”contexts are weaker than predictions in modal conditions. We find that L1speakers of Mandarin who speak English as a second language show a P600 toungrammatical, morphologically complex critical verbs, but no signal at all toungrammatical, morphologically simple critical verbs. This suggests they lackthe information to form predictions about “be” contexts or have an oversimplifiedrule about present participles: namely, that they only appear in “be”contexts, without realizing that auxiliary “be” licenses only present participles.

Photograph editing has been present for centuries, but the past decade has seen an unprecedented rise in the practice, particularly on social media platforms. Common filters are able to soften complexion, remove blemishes, and even reshape facial features. Children and adolescents with skin conditions may find solace in using these applications to mask their disease online, but there is increasing concern about negative overall body image among those who filter their photographs. Pediatric dermatologists should remain aware of the practice of photograph editing among young people and consider asking patients about their social media presence.

Infectious panniculitis from hematogenous spread is uncommon and usually occurs in immunocompromised patients. Dissemination of gram-positive organisms to the subcutaneous tissue is rare with only several reports of disseminated panniculitis caused by Streptococcal species. We report a case of an immunocompetent 2-year-old boy presenting with diffuse neutrophilic panniculitis arising from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus septicemia. This case represents a highly atypical manifestation of severe MRSA infection and serves as a reminder to consider MRSA as a cause of disseminated neutrophilic panniculitis, particularly in high-risk populations.

Proteasome activity is required for diverse cellular processes, including transcriptional and epigenetic regulation. However, inhibiting proteasome activity can lead to an increase in transcriptional output that is correlated with enriched levels of trimethyl H3K4 and phosphorylated forms of RNA polymerase (Pol) II at the promoter and gene body. Here, we perform gene expression analysis and ChIP followed by sequencing (ChIP-seq) in MCF-7 breast cancer cells treated with the proteasome inhibitor MG132, and we further explore genome-wide effects of proteasome inhibition on the chromatin state and RNA Pol II transcription. Analysis of gene expression programs and chromatin architecture reveals that chemically inhibiting proteasome activity creates a distinct chromatin state, defined by spreading of the H3K4me3 mark into the gene bodies of differentially-expressed genes. The distinct H3K4me3 chromatin profile and hyperacetylated nucleosomes at transcription start sites establish a chromatin landscape that facilitates recruitment of Ser-5- and Ser-2–phosphorylated RNA Pol II. Subsequent transcriptional events result in diverse gene expression changes. Alterations of H3K36me3 levels in the gene body reflect productive RNA Pol II elongation of transcripts of genes that are induced, underscoring the requirement for proteasome activity at multiple phases of the transcriptional cycle. Finally, by integrating genomics data and pathway analysis, we find that the differential effects of proteasome inhibition on the chromatin state modulate genes that are fundamental for cancer cell survival. Together, our results uncover underappreciated downstream effects of proteasome inhibitors that may underlie targeting of distinct chromatin states and key steps of RNA Pol II–mediated transcription in cancer cells.

This study examined the time course of recovery following resistance exercise sessions in the back squat, bench press, and deadlift. Twelve well-trained males (age: 24.5 ± 3.8 years, body mass: 84.01 ± 15.44 kg, training age: 7.1 ± 4.2 years) performed 4 sets to failure at 80% of a 1-repetition maximum (1RM) on the squat, bench press, and deadlift in successive weeks. The bench press was always performed in week 2 with the squat and deadlift order counterbalanced between weeks 1 and 3. Indirect muscle damage and performance fatigue was assessed immediately before and after exercise and at 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, and 96 h postexercise. Outcome measures included limb swelling, joint range of motion, delayed onset muscle soreness, average concentric velocity (ACV) at 70% of 1RM, creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, and cell-free DNA (cfDNA). Most measures demonstrated a main time effect (p < 0.05) within conditions; however, no between condition (p > 0.05) differences existed. ACV decreased in the squat condition for up to 72 h (p = 0.02, –8.61%) and in the bench press (p < 0.01, –26.69%) immediately postexercise but did not decline during the deadlift condition (p > 0.05). There was a main time effect for increased cfDNA in the squat (p < 0.01) and bench press (p < 0.05), but not the deadlift (p = 0.153). Further, immediately postexercise increases in cfDNA were directly related (p < 0.05) to changes in ACV in all 3 conditions. These results suggest that the deadlift does not result in greater muscle damage and recovery time than the squat and bench press following volume-type training in well-trained men. Further, acute changes in cfDNA may predict performance during the recovery period.

Yellow bristle grass is a highly invasive annual C4 pasture weed that has spread rapidly through many New Zealand dairying regions via seed dispersal. Seven trials were conducted on roadsides infested with yellow bristle grass to evaluate natural and mower-assisted dispersal. To trap seeds, yellow sticky traps were laid out at various intervals both perpendicular to and parallel to the road. Traps were in place for 24 h in the four natural dispersal trials but only for the event in the mowing trials. Seeds on the retrieved traps were counted and the seeds caught in the mower estimated. For natural dispersal, 90% of seeds fell within 0.5 m. When mown, 90% of the seeds fell within 2 metres in the direction of mowing and 80% within 20 cm in the perpendicular direction. More importantly, a small percentage of dispersed seeds were caught in the mower and presumably could subsequently fall off anywhere. Mowing mature yellow bristle grass on the roadside will result in accelerating seed dispersal along the roadside for many metres and potentially many kilometres.

Herbicide resistance has repeatedly developed under intensive herbicidal weed management regimes globally with 255 species having resistant biotypes. In New Zealand, since 1979, resistance was foun...

The number of herbicide-resistant weeds is increasing globally. A successful management practice requires an understanding of how resistance traits are inherited. Weed scientists worldwide ...

Managers now emphasize the importance of soft interpersonal skills for success in business. The authors provide an active learning approach to collaboratively teach students basic soft skil...

Organic soil amendments can be useful for improving degraded soil, but this increase in organic matter (OM) may influence adsorption of herbicides subsequently applied to the treated soil, even though the particle size of amendments and their nature differ from typical soil OM. In this study, a batch equilibrium method was used to measure adsorption of five herbicides following application to two organic media, wood pulp and sawdust, comparing these with two cropping soils. Herbicide adsorption, quantified by distribution coefficients (kd), was much higher in the two organic media than in the cropping soils. The increases in adsorption were strongly correlated to the percentage of organic carbon. When the kd was normalized to adsorption coefficients corrected for OM content (koc), variation in results between the media was greatly reduced, indicating that OM is an important factor influencing adsorption in these media. The results of this study suggest that herbicides will be less effective when applied to soils in which sawdust and wood pulp have been added. Using organic amendments to remediate soil will increase adsorption of pesticides, reducing their bio-availability and efficacy, but also reducing their tendency to leach into root zones of deep-rooted crops and into groundwater.

Restricted Whitney numbers of the first kind appear in the combinatorial recursion for the matroid Kazhdan–Lusztig polynomials. In the special case of braid matroids (the matroid associated to the partition lattice, the complete graph, the type A Coxeter arrangement and the symmetric group) these restricted Whitney numbers are Stirling numbers of the first kind. We use this observation to obtain a formula for the coefficients of the Kazhdan–Lusztig polynomials for braid matroids in terms of sums of products of Stirling numbers of the first kind. This results in new identities between Stirling numbers of the first kind and Stirling numbers of the second kind, as well as a non-recursive formula for the braid matroid Kazhdan–Lusztig polynomials.

Synthetic organic pigments have been used in works of art for well over 130 years. During this time, many have been introduced and some have been removed from production. Historical pigments are synthetic organic pigments that are no longer commercially produced. Because of their limited range of time of commercial availability, they are of particular interest to art historians and conservators because, if identified in a painting, they can provide valuable information about artist materials and methods. In addition, once the pigment has been identified, conservators will be better informed in treatment and display conditions of the works of art. A number of azo-pigments are historical, and many of these have not been characterized by modern analytical techniques. We synthesized a series of azopigments, specifically members of the pigment classes: arylide (Hansa) yellow, diarylide yellow and oranges,as well as the red Naphthol AS. The pigments were characterized by Raman spectroscopy and Laser Desorption Ionization Mass Spectrometry (LDI-MS). The pigments synthesized and characterize include: PR7, PR11, PR18, PR19, PY49, PY203, PY113, PY124, PO14and PO15.

Selenium supplementation in poultry feeds has been known to have beneficial effects on the bird health and performance; however antiviral effects of selenium have remained largely unknown. In this study, we have evaluated the effects of supplementation of chicken diets with organic (Selenium Enriched Yeast; SEY) and inorganic selenium (Sodium Selenite; SS) on low pathogenicity avian influenza virus (H9N2) shedding in the cloacal and oropharyngeal swab samples as well as examined the expression of immune related genes. Chickens were fed two doses (High- 0.30 mg/kg of feed; Low- 0.15 mg/kg of feed) of selenium supplementation for 2 weeks followed by low pathogenicity avian influenza virus challenge. Our results showed that the cloacal shedding of virus in all the selenium supplemented groups was significantly lower when compared to the non-supplemented control groups. In addition, the oropharyngeal shedding of virus in chickens fed with organic selenium supplementation was significantly lower than that in the chickens that received either inorganic selenium supplemented feed or controls. Furthermore, the expression of interferon stimulated genes (Viperin, OAS: 2′-5′ oligoadenylate synthetase and MDA5: melanoma differentiation-associated gene) in the cecal tonsils was significantly elevated in the selenium treated groups when compared to controls. Additionally, a significantly higher transcription of interferon (IFN)-α, IFN-β and IFN-γ genes in the cecal tonsils and spleens of chickens receiving SEY-L and SS-H supplemented feed was also observed at post virus challenge time points compared to untreated controls. The results of this study demonstrated that supplementation of chicken diets with selenium, can enhance antiviral defense and thus, may have a beneficial effect in controlling viral infections in poultry.

Purpose of review Photograph-based social media use among children and adolescents has skyrocketed over the past decade, raising concerns about the implications for self-confidence and behavior in this population. Social media 'challenges' encourage participants to complete potentially dangerous tasks while sharing their completion of the tasks on social media. Many of these challenges affect the skin and lead to recognizable findings on physical examination. This review discusses the history of prominent social media challenges and their effects on the skin. Attention is also given to the effects of social media trends on self-confidence and body image in children and adolescents. Recent findings Over the past several years, there have been several notable social media trends that can harm the skin. These include the Kylie Jenner lip challenge, salt and ice challenge, deodorant challenge, eraser challenge, fire challenge, and hot water challenge. Participation in these challenges can cause morbidity in children and adolescent that should be recognized by clinicians. Summary Social media has become an important platform for communication and self-expression among children and adolescents. Pediatricians should remain aware of social trends in this age group and look out for cutaneous findings that may signal dangerous behavior on social media.