Widespread localized areas of annular patches, plaques, and erythema.

Without prompt diagnosis and treatment, patients with Lyme disease may develop life threatening multi-organ system complications. As such, we discuss the key diagnostic features of the condition along with patient-specific suggested treatment protocols. Additionally, Lyme disease is reportedly expanding to regions that were previously not impacted, key epidemiological features are outlined. We discuss a patient with severe Lyme disease who presented with widespread cutaneous involvement and atypical pathologic findings within an uncharacteristic geographic region. Erythematous, annular patches and plaques with dusky-to-clear centers were initially observed on the right thigh and later extended to the trunk and bilateral lower extremities. The diagnosis of Lyme disease was made clinically and confirmed with western blot testing that was positive for IgM antibodies. The patient additionally had a history of rheumatoid arthritis, for which he discontinued treatment prior to the current presentation with Lyme disease. During follow up visits, the patient noted lower extremity joint pain. Due to the overlapping clinical features of post-Lyme arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, key differences are outlined to prevent misdiagnosis. Data revealing trends in the geographic distribution of the disease and possible need for increased surveillance and prevention strategies within previously unaffected areas are discussed.

Morphea With Keloidal Features: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Keloidal morphea is a rare variant of scleroderma, which often can be clinically confused with keloid or scar formation. We report a 34-year-old woman with a medical history of asthma and Raynaud's phenomenon, presented for the evaluation and management of multiple erythematous hyperpigmented annular plaques reportedly developed after taking trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. An initial skin biopsy showed findings supportive of a drug eruption. She was treated with oral prednisone and achieved some improvement. She presented 1 year later with enlargement of the plaques and emergence of new lesions. Skin biopsies revealed an unremarkable epidermis with marked fibrosis of the mid-to-deep dermis with sparing of the papillary dermis, and superficial and deep perivascular and perieccrine lymphoplasmacytic inflammation. Verhoeff-Van Gieson staining demonstrated the loss of elastin fibers within the fibrotic areas of the biopsy specimens, which supported the diagnosis of keloidal morphea. Her laboratory tests were positive for antinuclear antibody (greater than 1:1280). She continued treatment with oral prednisone and topical steroids, and she showed improvement. This case highlights the importance of differentiating keloidal scleroderma from a hypertrophic scar or keloid to reveal an underlying systemic process. A correlation of clinical and histopathological findings is paramount to reach a correct diagnosis, ensure appropriate treatment, and monitor for comorbid disease.

Loss of ß Epithelial Sodium Channel Function in Meibomian Glands Produces Pseudohypoaldosteronism 1-Like Ocular Disease in Mice.

Human subjects with pseudohypoaldosteronism-1 because of loss-of-function mutations in epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) subunits exhibit meibomian gland (MG) dysfunction. A conditional ßENaC MG knockout (KO) mouse model was generated to elucidate the pathogenesis of absent ENaC function in the MG and associated ocular surface disease. ßENaC MG KO mice exhibited a striking age-dependent, female-predominant MG dysfunction phenotype, with white toothpaste-like secretions observed obstructing MG orifices at 7 weeks of age. There were compensatory increases in tear production but higher tear sodium and indexes of mucin concentration in ßENaC MG KO mice. Histologically, MG acinar atrophy was observed with ductal enlargement and ductal epithelial hyperstratification. Inflammatory cell infiltration was observed in both MG and conjunctiva of ßENaC MG KO mice. In older ßENaC MG KO mice (5 to 11 months), significant ocular surface pathologies were noted, including corneal opacification, ulceration, neovascularization, and ectasia. Inflammation in MG and conjunctiva was confirmed by increased cytokine gene and protein expression and positive Ly-6B.2 immunostaining. Cell proliferation assays revealed lower proliferation rates of MG cells derived from ßENaC MG KO than control mice, suggesting that ßENaC plays a role in cell renewal of mouse MG. Loss of ßENaC function resulted in MG disease and severe ocular surface damage that phenocopied aspects of human pseudohypoaldosteronism-1 MG disease and was sex dependent.

Role of Spdef in the Regulation of Muc5b Expression in the Airways of Naive and Mucoobstructed Mice.

Understanding how expression of airway secretory mucins MUC5B and MUC5AC is regulated in health and disease is important to elucidating the pathogenesis of mucoobstructive respiratory diseases. The transcription factor SPDEF (sterile α-motif pointed domain epithelial specific transcription factor) is a key regulator of MUC5AC, but its role in regulating MUC5B in health and in mucoobstructive lung diseases is unknown. Characterization of Spdef-deficient mice upper and lower airways demonstrated region-specific, Spdef-dependent regulation of basal Muc5b expression. Neonatal Spdef-deficient mice exhibited reductions in BAL Muc5ac and Muc5b. Adult Spdef-deficient mice partially phenocopied Muc5b-deficient mice as they exhibited reduced Muc5b in nasopharyngeal and airway epithelia but not in olfactory Bowman glands, 75% incidence of nasopharyngeal hair/mucus plugs, and mild bacterial otitis media, without defective mucociliary clearance in the nasopharynx. In contrast, tracheal mucociliary clearance was reduced in Spdef-deficient mice in the absence of lung disease. To evaluate the role of Spdef in the development and persistence of Muc5b-predominant mucoobstructive lung disease, Spdef-deficient mice were crossed with Scnn1b-transgenic (Scnn1b-Tg) mice, which exhibit airway surface dehydration-induced airway mucus obstruction and inflammation. Spdef-deficient Scnn1b-Tg mice exhibited reduced Muc5ac, but not Muc5b, expression and BAL content. Airway mucus obstruction was not decreased in Spdef-deficient Scnn1b-Tg mice, consistent with Muc5b-dominant Scnn1b disease, but increased airway neutrophilia was observed compared with Spdef-sufficient Scnn1b-Tg mice. Collectively, these results indicate that Spdef regulates baseline Muc5b expression in respiratory epithelia but does not contribute to Muc5b regulation in a mouse model of Muc5b-predominant mucus obstruction caused by airway dehydration.

Promoted Electron Transfer along the Newly Formed Bi-O-S Bond in Bi2O(OH)2SO4.

Today, research is increasingly focused on surface control of semiconductors; however, very little is known about the effect of bulk chemical bonds on photoelectrochemistry properties. In this report, Bi2O(OH)2SO4 with and without specific Bi-O-S bonds (WB and WOB) is synthesized via hydrothermal and water bath methods, respectively, and we reveal the Bi-O-S bond-dependent photoelectrochemistry properties. Both WB and WOB belong to a monoclinic space group (P21/c), but the newly synthesized WB has different unit cell parameters of a = 8.062 Å, b = 8.384 Å, and c = 5.881 Å, compared with WOB (a = 7.692(3) Å, b = 13.87(1) Å, c = 5.688(2) Å). Compared with WOB (4.18 eV), WB has a narrower band gap (3.6 eV), higher electrical conductivity, and an increased charge separation efficiency. It is found that the electrons are easy to transfer along the newly formed Bi-O-S bond in bulk; thus, the Bi-O-S bonds in WB have efficiently improved the photoelectrochemistry properties. As a result, WB exhibits a 1.1 times higher photocatalytic activity than WOB for the degradation of RhB under ultraviolet light irradiation (<420 nm). This helps us to understand the photoelectrochemistry properties from crystal bulk, but not merely from the crystal surface; thus, this study provides a new idea for improved photoelectrochemistry properties of semiconductors.

Notch RGB-camera based SpO2 estimation: a clinical trial in a neonatal intensive care unit.

Regular and narrow-band RGB cameras are recently explored for contactless SpO2 monitoring. Regular RGB cameras with cross-band overlap provide a high signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) in measuring the photoplethysmographic signals but possess high dependency on the spectra of incident light, whereas narrow-band RGB cameras have better spectral independence but lower SNR especially in dim lighting conditions, such as in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). This paper proposes a notch RGB camera based SpO2 measurement approach that uses an optical notch filter to attenuate the wavelengths of 580-605 nm of a regular RGB camera to improve the spectral independence while maintaining high SNR in signal measurement. The proposed setup was validated in the lab condition (e.g. dark chamber) against the existing solutions for visible-light based camera-SpO2 measurement and further verified in the NICU on preterm infants. The clinical trial conducted in the NICU with 22 preterm infants shows that the notch RGB camera can achieve a mean absolute error (MAE) less than 4% for SpO2 measurement. This is the first showcase of continuous monitoring of absolute camera-SpO2 values in the NICU.

Camera-Based Seismocardiogram for Heart Rate Variability Monitoring.

Heart rate variability (HRV) is a crucial metric that quantifies the variation between consecutive heartbeats, serving as a significant indicator of autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity. It has found widespread applications in clinical diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cardiovascular diseases. In this study, we proposed an optical model for defocused speckle imaging, to simultaneously incorporate out-of-plane translation and rotation-induced motion for highly-sensitive non-contact seismocardiogram (SCG) measurement. Using electrocardiogram (ECG) signals as the gold standard, we evaluated the performance of photoplethysmogram (PPG) signals and speckle-based SCG signals in assessing HRV. The results indicated that the HRV parameters measured from SCG signals extracted from laser speckle videos showed higher consistency with the results obtained from the ECG signals compared to PPG signals. Additionally, we confirmed that even when clothing obstructed the measurement site, the efficacy of SCG signals extracted from the motion of laser speckle patterns persisted in assessing the HRV levels. This demonstrates the robustness of camera-based non-contact SCG in monitoring HRV, highlighting its potential as a reliable, non-contact alternative to traditional contact-PPG sensors.

Novel platinum therapeutics induce rapid cancer cell death through triggering intracellular ROS storm.

Induction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in cancer cells plays a critical role for cancer treatment. However, therapeutic efficiency remains challenging due to insufficient ROS production of current ROS inducers. We designed a novel platinum (Pt)-based drug named "carrier-platin" that integrates ultrasmall Pt-based nanoparticles uniformly confined within a poly(amino acids) carrier. Carrier-platin dramatically triggered a burst of ROS in cancer cells, leading to cancer cell death as quick as 30 min. Unlike traditional Pt-based drugs which induce cell apoptosis through DNA intercalation, carrier-platin with superior ROS catalytic activities induces a unique pattern of cancer cell death that is neither apoptosis nor ferroptosis and operates independently of DNA damage. Importantly, carrier-platin demonstrates superior anti-tumor efficacy against a broad spectrum of cancers, particularly those with multidrug resistance, while maintaining minimal systemic toxicity. Our findings reveal a distinct mechanism of action of Pt in cancer cell eradication, positioning carrier-platin as a novel category of anti-cancer chemotherapeutics.

Generalized Camera-Based Infant Sleep-Wake Monitoring in NICUs: A Multi-Center Clinical Trial.

The infant sleep-wake behavior is an essential indicator of physiological and neurological system maturity, the circadian transition of which is important for evaluating the recovery of preterm infants from inadequate physiological function and cognitive disorders. Recently, camera-based infant sleep-wake monitoring has been investigated, but the challenges of generalization caused by variance in infants and clinical environments are not addressed for this application. In this paper, we conducted a multi-center clinical trial at four hospitals to improve the generalization of camera-based infant sleep-wake monitoring. Using the face videos of 64 term and 39 preterm infants recorded in NICUs, we proposed a novel sleep-wake classification strategy, called consistent deep representation constraint (CDRC), that forces the convolutional neural network (CNN) to make consistent predictions for the samples from different conditions but with the same label, to address the variances caused by infants and environments. The clinical validation shows that by using CDRC, all CNN backbones obtain over 85% accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity in both the cross-age and cross-environment experiments, improving the ones without CDRC by almost 15% in all metrics. This demonstrates that by improving the consistency of the deep representation of samples with the same state, we can significantly improve the generalization of infant sleep-wake classification.

The Mediating Role of Learning Engagement Between Self-Efficacy and Academic Achievement Among Chinese College Students.

Purpose: The link between academic self-efficacy and academic achievement and its potential mediation by learning engagement was investigated in college students in China. Methods: The Chinese versions of the Academic Self-Efficacy Scale, Academic Achievement Scale, and Learning Engagement Scale were administered to 1158 Chinese college students (544 men, 614 women; age [years]: M=19.37, SD=1.16, ranging from 17 to 30 years; college year: 641 freshmen, 302 sophomores, 197 juniors, 18 seniors). Results: The results showed that, among Chinese college students, there were positive correlations between academic self-efficacy and both academic achievement and learning engagement, and between learning engagement and academic achievement. Additionally, a structural equation model demonstrated that learning engagement could mediate the association between academic self-efficacy and achievement. Conclusion: Academic self-efficacy, learning engagement, and academic achievement were found to be significantly and positively associated in Chinese college students, with the association between self-efficacy and achievement observed to be significantly mediated by learning engagement, which mediates the link between self-efficacy and achievement. As the study was cross-sectional, causal inferences were difficult to determine; thus, longitudinal studies should be conducted in the future for further analysis of the causal relationships between these three variables. The present research results reveal the mechanism by which academic self-efficacy of college students impacts their academic achievement, expanding the research perspective of learning engagement, and can help guide the development of interventions to improve college students' academic achievement.

Intergroup Contact Alleviates Loneliness: The Extensive Effect of Common Ingroup Identity.

Purpose: Previous studies show that intergroup contact, through common ingroup identity, has impact on intergroup processes such as reducing intergroup bias, improving intergroup relations, etc. The effect of intergroup contact on individual psychological process (through common ingroup identity), however, needs further exploration. Based on the positive effect of both intergroup contact and ingroup identification on mental health and well-being, this article proposes and tests a new model of individual loneliness reduction through intergroup contact by promoting common ingroup identity. Methods: A total of 263 majority ethnic members and 275 minority ethnic members from China participated in the survey. Intergroup contact, common ingroup identity and loneliness were measured at three time-points (T1-T3) over an 8-month period. Longitudinal mediation analysis and parallel process Latent Growth Curve Model for mediation are used for the examination of the indirect effect of common ingroup identity. Results: Longitudinal mediation analysis showed that intergroup contact quality at T1 positively predicted common ingroup identity at T2, and common ingroup identity at T2 alleviated loneliness at T3. Intergroup contact quality at T1 was indirectly linked to loneliness at T3 via common ingroup identity at T2. The parallel process latent growth curve model for mediation confirmed the robustness of the indirect effect of common ingroup identity. In addition, the growth rate of the quality of intergroup contact increased the growth rate of common ingroup identity, but reduced the growth rate of loneliness. Conclusion: The current study revealed the protectiveness of intergroup contact and common ingroup identity on loneliness, viz., intergroup contact reduces individual loneliness by promoting common ingroup identity, the implication being that intergroup contact and common ingroup identity should be taken into account in intervening process of loneliness prevention so that an individual's physical and mental health could be better safeguarded.

Augmented Reality Surgical Navigation in Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery: A Preclinical Study.

BACKGROUND: In minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS), where the surgeon cannot directly see the patient's internal anatomical structure, the implementation of augmented reality (AR) technology may solve this problem. METHODS: We combined AR, artificial intelligence, and optical tracking to enhance the augmented reality minimally invasive spine surgery (AR-MISS) system. The system has three functions: AR radiograph superimposition, AR real-time puncture needle tracking, and AR intraoperative navigation. The three functions of the system were evaluated through beagle animal experiments. RESULTS: The AR radiographs were successfully superimposed on the real intraoperative videos. The anteroposterior (AP) and lateral errors of superimposed AR radiographs were 0.74 ± 0.21 mm and 1.13 ± 0.40 mm, respectively. The puncture needles could be tracked by the AR-MISS system in real time. The AP and lateral errors of the real-time AR needle tracking were 1.26 ± 0.20 mm and 1.22 ± 0.25 mm, respectively. With the help of AR radiographs and AR puncture needles, the puncture procedure could be guided visually by the system in real-time. The anteroposterior and lateral errors of AR-guided puncture were 2.47 ± 0.86 mm and 2.85 ± 1.17 mm, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that the AR-MISS system is accurate and applicable.

Evaluation of Augmented Reality Surgical Navigation in Percutaneous Endoscopic Lumbar Discectomy: Clinical Study.

BACKGROUND: The puncture procedure in percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD) is non-visual, and the learning curve for PELD is steep. METHODS: An augmented reality surgical navigation (ARSN) system was designed and utilized in PELD. The system possesses three core functionalities: augmented reality (AR) radiograph overlay, AR puncture needle real-time tracking, and AR navigation. We conducted a prospective randomized controlled trial to evaluate its feasibility and effectiveness. A total of 20 patients with lumbar disc herniation treated with PELD were analyzed. Of these, 10 patients were treated with the guidance of ARSN (ARSN group). The remaining 10 patients were treated using C-arm fluoroscopy guidance (control group). RESULTS: The AR radiographs and AR puncture needle were successfully superimposed on the intraoperative videos. The anteroposterior and lateral AR tracking distance errors were 1.55 ± 0.17 mm and 1.78 ± 0.21 mm. The ARSN group exhibited a significant reduction in both the number of puncture attempts (2.0 ± 0.4 vs. 6.9 ± 0.5, p = 0.000) and the number of fluoroscopies (10.6 ± 0.9 vs. 18.5 ± 1.6, p = 0.000) compared with the control group. Complications were not observed in either group. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that the clinical application of the ARSN system in PELD is effective and feasible.

Regional differences in rat conjunctival ion transport activities.

Active ion transport and coupled osmotic water flow are essential to maintain ocular surface health. We investigated regional differences in the ion transport activities of the rat conjunctivas and compared these activities with those of cornea and lacrimal gland. The epithelial sodium channel (ENaC), sodium/glucose cotransporter 1 (Slc5a1), transmembrane protein 16 (Tmem16a, b, f, and g), cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (Cftr), and mucin (Muc4, 5ac, and 5b) mRNA expression was characterized by RT-PCR. ENaC proteins were measured by Western blot. Prespecified regions (palpebral, fornical, and bulbar) of freshly isolated conjunctival tissues and cell cultures were studied electrophysiologically with Ussing chambers. The transepithelial electrical potential difference (PD) of the ocular surface was also measured in vivo. The effect of amiloride and UTP on the tear volume was evaluated in lacrimal gland excised rats. All selected genes were detected but with different expression patterns. We detected αENaC protein in all tissues, ßENaC in palpebral and fornical conjunctiva, and γENaC in all tissues except lacrimal glands. Electrophysiological studies of conjunctival tissues and cell cultures identified functional ENaC, SLC5A1, CFTR, and TMEM16. Fornical conjunctiva exhibited the most active ion transport under basal conditions amongst conjunctival regions. PD measurements confirmed functional ENaC-mediated Na(+) transport on the ocular surface. Amiloride and UTP increased tear volume in lacrimal gland excised rats. This study demonstrated that the different regions of the conjunctiva exhibited a spectrum of ion transport activities. Understanding the specific functions of distinct regions of the conjunctiva may foster a better understanding of the physiology maintaining hydration of the ocular surface.

Expression profiles of aquaporins in rat conjunctiva, cornea, lacrimal gland and Meibomian gland.

The aim of the study was to elucidate aquaporin (AQP) family member mRNA expression and protein expression/localization in the rat lacrimal functional unit. The mRNA expression of all rat AQPs (AQP0-9, 11-12) in palpebral, fornical, and bulbar conjunctiva, cornea, lacrimal gland, and Meibomian gland was measured by Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) and real time RT-PCR. Antibodies against AQP1, 3, 4, 5, 9, and 11 were used in Western blotting and immunohistochemistry to determine protein expression and distribution. Our study demonstrated characteristic AQP expression profiles in rat ocular tissues. AQP1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 11, and 12 mRNA were detected in conjunctiva. AQP0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 11, and 12 mRNA were expressed in cornea. AQP0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 11 mRNA were detected in lacrimal gland. AQP1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, and 12 mRNA were identified in Meibomian gland. By Western blot, AQP1, 3, 5, and 11 were detected in conjunctiva; AQP1, 3, 5, and 11 were identified in cornea; AQP1, 3, 4, 5, and 11 were detected in lacrimal gland; and AQP1, 3, 4, 5, 9, and 11 were present in Meibomian gland. Immunohistochemistry localized AQPs to distinct sites in the various tissues. This study rigorously analyzed AQPs expression and localization in rat conjunctiva, cornea, lacrimal gland, and Meibomian gland tissues. Our findings provide a comprehensive platform for further investigation into the physiological or pathophysiological relevance of AQPs in ocular surface.

Molecular imaging of mesothelioma with (99m)Tc-ECG and (68)Ga-ECG.

We have developed ethylenedicysteine-glucosamine (ECG) as an alternative to (18)F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose ((18)F-FDG) for cancer imaging. ECG localizes in the nuclear components of cells via the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway. This study was to evaluate the feasibility of imaging mesothelioma with (99m)Tc-ECG and (68)Ga-ECG. ECG was synthesized from thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid and 1,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-2-amino-D-glucopyranose, followed by reduction in sodium and liquid ammonia to yield ECG (52%). ECG was chelated with (99m)Tc/tin (II) and (68)Ga/(69)Ga chloride for in vitro and in vivo studies in mesothelioma. The highest tumor uptake of (99m)Tc-ECG is 0.47 at 30 min post injection, and declined to 0.08 at 240 min post injection. Tumor uptake (%ID/g), tumor/lung, tumor/blood, and tumor/muscle count density ratios for (99m)Tc-ECG (30-240 min) were 0.47 ± 0.06 to 0.08 ± 0.01; 0.71 ± 0.07 to 0.85 ± 0.04; 0.47 ± 0.03 to 0.51 ± 0.01, and 3.49 ± 0.24 to 5.06 ± 0.25; for (68)Ga-ECG (15-60 min) were 0.70 ± 0.06 to 0.92 ± 0.08; 0.64 ± 0.05 to 1.15 ± 0.08; 0.42 ± 0.03 to 0.67 ± 0.07, and 3.84 ± 0.52 to 7.00 ± 1.42; for (18)F-FDG (30-180 min) were 1.86 ± 0.22 to 1.38 ± 0.35; 3.18 ± 0.44 to 2.92 ± 0.34, 4.19 ± 0.44 to 19.41 ± 2.05 and 5.75 ± 2.55 to 3.33 ± 0.65, respectively. Tumor could be clearly visualized with (99m)Tc-ECG and (68)Ga-ECG in mesothelioma-bearing rats. (99m)Tc-ECG and (68)Ga-ECG showed increased uptake in mesothelioma, suggesting they may be useful in diagnosing mesothelioma and also monitoring therapeutic response.

Development of tyrosine-based radiotracer 99mTc-N4-Tyrosine for breast cancer imaging.

The purpose of this study was to develop an efficient way to synthesize (99m)Tc-O-[3-(1,4,8,11-tetraazabicyclohexadecane)-propyl]-tyrosine ((99m)Tc-N4-Tyrosine), a novel amino acid-based radiotracer, and evaluate its potential in breast cancer gamma imaging. Precursor N4-Tyrosine was synthesized using a 5-step procedure, and its total synthesis yield was 38%. It was successfully labeled with (99m)Tc with high radiochemical purity (>95%). Cellular uptake of (99m)Tc-N4-Tyrosine was much higher than that of (99m)Tc-N4 and the clinical gold standard (18)F-2-deoxy-2-fluoro-glucose ((18)F-FDG) in rat breast tumor cells in vitro. Tissue uptake and dosimetry estimation in normal rats revealed that (99m)Tc-N4-Tyrosine could be safely administered to humans. Evaluation in breast tumor-bearing rats showed that although (99m)Tc-N4-Tyrosine appeared to be inferior to (18)F-FDG in distinguishing breast tumor tissue from chemical-induced inflammatory tissue, it had high tumor-to-muscle uptake ratios and could detect breast tumors clearly by planar scintigraphic imaging. (99m)Tc-N4-Tyrosine could thus be a useful radiotracer for use in breast tumor diagnostic imaging.

A Network Analysis of the Association Between Intergroup Contact and Intergroup Relations.

PURPOSE: Intergroup contact is an effective strategy to improve intergroup relationships. Although intergroup relationships have been studied extensively, the individual roles of quantity and quality of contact in relationships with cognition, emotion, and intention of behavior toward other ethnic minority groups are not fully understood. This study explores the situation via network analysis among Zhuang and Yao ethnic minorities in Southwest China. METHODS: We investigated the quantity and quality of intergroup contact and cognition, emotion, and intention of behavior among a sample of 543 Zhuang and 490 Yao ethnic group members. Data were analyzed using the R-package. Network structures were analyzed via the Qgraph package, and the accuracy and stability of the network were measured via the Bootnet package; communities were detected via the Igraph package; bridge analyses were conducted via the Networktools package; and the network difference was compared via the Network Comparison Test package. RESULTS: The results indicated perceived intimacy is the central node. Quantity of contact constructed a community with "perceived connection," "sense of community," "knowledge about out-group," and "perceived similarity." Meanwhile, quality of contact constructed a community with "intergroup attitude" and a "feeling thermometer." The remainder of the nodes constructed two additional communities. The network global connectivity and structure between the two ethnic groups were highly similar. CONCLUSION: The study examined the quantity and quality of intergroup contact via network analysis for two ethnic minority groups. It was shown that the two groups' global network structures of intergroup contact and their effects are highly similar. Specifically, quantity and quality of contact produce different effects on intergroup relations. Quantity of contact has proximal effects, including instant cognitive and emotional response without depth cognition, while quality of contact has proximal effects that may change deep-seated cognition and subsequently improve intergroup relations.

Cloning and characterization of human MUC19 gene.

The most recently discovered gel-forming mucin, MUC19, is expressed in both salivary glands and tracheal submucosal glands. We previously cloned the 3'-end partial sequence (AY236870), and here report the complete sequencing of the entire MUC19 cDNA. One highly variable region (HVR) was discovered in the 5' end of MUC19. A total of 20 different splicing variants were detected in HVR, and 18 variants are able to translate into proteins along with the rest of the MUC19 sequence. The longest variant of MUC19 consists of 182 exons, with a transcript of approximately 25 kb. A central exon of approximately 12 kb contains highly repetitive sequences and has no intron interruption. The deduced MUC19 protein has the bona fide gel-forming mucin structure, VWD-VWD-VWD-"threonine/serine-rich repeats"-VWC-CT. An unusual structural feature of MUC19, which is lacking in other gel-forming mucins, is its long amino terminus upstream of the first VWD domain. The long amino terminus is mostly translated from the sequences in HVR, and contains serine-rich repetitive sequences. To validate the integrity of the MUC19 sequence, primers from both the 3' and 5' end were used to demonstrate a similar tissue expression pattern of MUC19 in trachea and salivary glands. In addition, antibodies were developed against either the amino (N) or carboxy (C) terminus of MUC19, and similar antibody staining patterns were observed in both salivary and tracheal submucosal glands. In conclusion, we have cloned and elucidated the entire MUC19 gene, which will facilitate understanding of the function and regulation of this important, yet understudied, mucin gene in airway diseases.

Vanadium pentoxide (V(2)O(5)) induced mucin production by airway epithelium.

Exposure to environmental pollutants has been linked to various airway diseases and disease exacerbations. Almost all chronic airway diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma are caused by complicated interactions between gene and environment. One of the major hallmarks of those diseases is airway mucus overproduction (MO). Excessive mucus causes airway obstruction and significantly increases morbidity and mortality. Metals are major components of environmental particulate matters (PM). Among them, vanadium has been suggested to play an important role in PM-induced mucin production. Vanadium pentoxide (V(2)O(5)) is the most common commercial source of vanadium, and it has been associated with occupational chronic bronchitis and asthma, both of which are MO diseases. However, the underlying mechanism is not entirely clear. In this study, we used both in vitro and in vivo models to demonstrate the robust inductions of mucin production by V(2)O(5). Furthermore, the follow-up mechanistic study revealed a novel v-raf-1 murine leukemia viral oncogene homolog 1-IKK-NF-κB pathway that mediated V(2)O(5)-induced mucin production. Most interestingly, the reactive oxygen species and the classical mucin-inducing epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-MAPK pathway appeared not to be involved in this process. Thus the V(2)O(5)-induced mucin production may represent a novel EGFR-MAPK-independent and environmental toxicant-associated MO model. Complete elucidation of the signaling pathway in this model will not only facilitate the development of the treatment for V(2)O(5)-associated occupational diseases but also advance our understanding on the EGFR-independent mucin production in other chronic airway diseases.