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Over the past century, the study of biological processes in the human body has progressed from tissue culture on glass plates to complex 3D models of tissues, organs, and body systems. These dynamic 3D systems have allowed for more accurate recapitulation of human physiology and pathology, which has yielded a platform for disease study with a greater capacity to understand pathophysiology and to assess pharmaceutical treatments. Specifically, by increasing the accuracy with which the microenvironments of disease processes are modeled, the clinical manifestation of disease has been more accurately reproduced in vitro. The application of these models is crucial in all realms of medicine, but they find particular utility in diseases related to the complex bone marrow niche. Osteoblast, osteoclasts, bone marrow adipocytes, mesenchymal stem cells, and red and white blood cells represent some of cells that call the bone marrow microenvironment home. During states of malignant marrow disease, neoplastic cells migrate to and join this niche. These cancer cells both exploit and alter the niche to their benefit and to the patient's detriment. Malignant disease of the bone marrow, both primary and secondary, is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality today. Innovative study methods are necessary to improve patient outcomes. In this review, we discuss the evolution of 3D models and compare them to the preceding 2D models. With a specific focus on malignant bone marrow disease, we examine 3D models currently in use, their observed efficacy, and their potential in developing improved treatments and eventual cures. Finally, we comment on the aspects of 3D models that must be critically examined as systems continue to be optimized so that they can exert greater clinical impact in the future. © 2019 The Authors. JBMR Plus published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

Newborn screening for cystic fibrosis is universal across the United States; however, each state chooses the method by which they screen. Illinois employs a two-step process which includes the measurement of the immunoreactive trypsinogen followed by an assay designed to detect 74 of the most common genetic mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator protein. We report the case of an infant born in Illinois with a positive cystic fibrosis newborn screening with an elevated immunoreactive trypsinogen and two genetic mutations identified (F508del/F508del). The primary care physician informed the parents their child had cystic fibrosis and referred her for a confirmatory sweat test which was negative for cystic fibrosis. Upon further investigation, the assay was found to have been set up incorrectly and repeat analysis identified the genotype F508del/F508C. This case highlights the importance of performing the confirmatory sweat test prior to making a diagnosis of cystic fibrosis.

There is considerable interest in the conditions under which human subjects learn patterned information without explicit instructions to learn that information. This form of learning, termed implicit or incidental learning, can be approximated in nonhumans by exposing subjects to patterned information but delivering reinforcement randomly, thereby not requiring the subjects to learn the information in order to be reinforced. Following acquisition, nonhuman subjects are queried as to what they have learned about the patterned information. In the present experiment, we extended the study of implicit learning in nonhumans by comparing two species, cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) and pigeons (Columba livia), on an implicit learning task that used an artificial grammar to generate the patterned elements for training. We equated the conditions of training and testing as much as possible between the two species. The results indicated that both species demonstrated approximately the same magnitude of implicit learning, judged both by a random test and by choice tests between pairs of training elements. This finding suggests that the ability to extract patterned information from situations in which such learning is not demanded is of longstanding origin.

People can look for sea stars in the area and log their finds on the iNaturalist app - community science that helps researchers monitor the populations and the animals' overall health. \"When you're mobilizing so many people - not just gatekeeping research and science to institutions - you're spreading out that responsibility and those efforts to the broader community,\" said Olivia Poulos, the community engagement manager for the San Diego Museum of Natural History, which is helping get the word out about the sea star search. The California Academy of Sciences is working with the California Ocean Protection Council and California Department of Fish and Wildlife to create an Early Warning and Forecasting System to monitor biodiversity change on the West Coast, using crowdsourced data from tide poolers and outdoor enthusiasts up and down the state.

Neovascularization is a critical determinant of wound-healing outcomes for deep burn injuries. We hypothesize that dextran-based hydrogels can serve as instructive scaffolds to promote neovascularization and skin regeneration in third-degree burn wounds. Dextran hydrogels are soft and pliable, offering opportunities to improve the management of burn wound treatment. We first developed a procedure to treat burn wounds on mice with dextran hydrogels. In this procedure, we followed clinical practice of wound excision to remove full-thickness burned skin, and then covered the wound with the dextran hydrogel and a dressing layer. Our procedure allows the hydrogel to remain intact and securely in place during the entire healing period, thus offering opportunities to simplify the management of burn wound treatment. A 3-week comparative study indicated that dextran hydrogel promoted dermal regeneration with complete skin appendages. The hydrogel scaffold facilitated early inflammatory cell infiltration that led to its rapid degradation, promoting the infiltration of angiogenic cells into the healing wounds. Endothelial cells homed into the hydrogel scaffolds to enable neovascularization by day 7, resulting in an increased blood flow significantly greater than treated and untreated controls. By day 21, burn wounds treated with hydrogel developed a mature epithelial structure with hair follicles and sebaceous glands. After 5 weeks of treatment, the hydrogel scaffolds promoted new hair growth and epidermal morphology and thickness similar to normal mouse skin. Collectively, our evidence shows that customized dextran-based hydrogel alone, with no additional growth factors, cytokines, or cells, promoted remarkable neovascularization and skin regeneration and may lead to novel treatments for dermal wounds.

During the course of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, reports of a new multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) have been increasing in Europe and the United States (1-3). Clinical features in children have varied but predominantly include shock, cardiac dysfunction, abdominal pain, and elevated inflammatory markers, including C-reactive protein (CRP), ferritin, D-dimer, and interleukin-6 (1). Since June 2020, several case reports have described a similar syndrome in adults; this review describes in detail nine patients reported to CDC, seven from published case reports, and summarizes the findings in 11 patients described in three case series in peer-reviewed journals (4-6). These 27 patients had cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, dermatologic, and neurologic symptoms without severe respiratory illness and concurrently received positive test results for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or antibody assays indicating recent infection. Reports of these patients highlight the recognition of an illness referred to here as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in adults (MIS-A), the heterogeneity of clinical signs and symptoms, and the role for antibody testing in identifying similar cases among adults. Clinicians and health departments should consider MIS-A in adults with compatible signs and symptoms. These patients might not have positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR or antigen test results, and antibody testing might be needed to confirm previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. Because of the temporal association between MIS-A and SARS-CoV-2 infections, interventions that prevent COVID-19 might prevent MIS-A. Further research is needed to understand the pathogenesis and long-term effects of this newly described condition.