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Hepatology And Nephrology: Nimbus, Jerry Yee

Nephrology Articles

No abstract provided.

Erbb3-Erbb2 Complexes As A Therapeutic Target In A Subset Of Wild-Type Braf/Nras Cutaneous Melanomas., Claudia Capparelli, Sheera Rosenbaum, Lisa D. Berman-Booty, Amel Salhi, Nadège Gaborit, Tingting Zhan, Inna Chervoneva, Jason Roszik, Scott E. Woodman, Michael A. Davies, Yulius Y. Setiady, Iman Osman, Yosef Yarden, Andrew E. Aplin

Department of Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

The treatment options remain limited for patients with melanoma who are wild-type for both BRAF and NRAS (WT/WT). We demonstrate that a subgroup of WT/WT melanomas display high basal phosphorylation of ErbB3 that is associated with autocrine production of the ErbB3 ligand neuregulin-1 (NRG1). In WT/WT melanoma cells displaying high levels of phospho-ErbB3, knockdown of NRG1 reduced cell viability and was associated with decreased phosphorylation of ErbB3, its coreceptor ErbB2, and its downstream target, AKT. Similar effects were observed by targeting ErbB3 with either siRNAs or the neutralizing ErbB3 monoclonal antibodies huHER3-8 and NG33. In addition, pertuzumab-mediated inhibition of ErbB2 …

Rac1 P29s Regulates Pd-L1 Expression In Melanoma., Ha Linh Vu, Sheera Rosenbaum, Timothy J. Purwin, Michael A. Davies, Andrew E. Aplin

Department of Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

Whole exome sequencing of cutaneous melanoma has led to the detection of P29 mutations in RAC1 in 5-9% of samples, but the role of RAC1 P29 mutations in melanoma biology remains unclear. Using reverse phase protein array analysis to examine the changes in protein/phospho-protein expression, we identified cyclin B1, PD-L1, Ets-1, and Syk as being selectively upregulated with RAC1 P29S expression and downregulated with RAC1 P29S depletion. Using the melanoma patient samples in TCGA, we found PD-L1 expression to be significantly increased in RAC1 P29S patients compared to RAC1 WT as well as other RAC1 mutants. The finding that PD-L1 …

Expression Of The Il-11 Gene In Metastatic Cells Is Supported By Runx2-Smad And Runx2-Cjun Complexes Induced By Tgfβ1., Xuhui Zhang, Hai Wu, Jason R. Dobson, Gillian Browne, Deli Hong, Jacqueline Akech, Lucia R. Languino, Gary S. Stein, Jane B. Lian

Department of Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

In tumor cells, two factors are abnormally increased that contribute to metastatic bone disease: Runx2, a transcription factor that promotes expression of metastasis related and osteolytic genes; and IL-11, a secreted osteolytic cytokine. Here, we addressed a compelling question: Does Runx2 regulate IL-11 gene expression? We find a positive correlation between Runx2, IL-11 and TGFβ1, a driver of the vicious cycle of metastatic bone disease, in prostate cancer (PC) cell lines representing early (LNCaP) and late (PC3) stage disease. Further, like Runx2 knockdown, IL-11 knockdown significantly reduced expression of several osteolytic factors. Modulation of Runx2 expression results in corresponding changes …

Pre- And Postseason Dynamic Ultrasound Evaluation Of The Pitching Elbow, Robert A. Keller, Nathan E. Marshall, Michael J. Bey, Hafeez Ahmed, Courtney Scher, Marnix Van Holsbeeck, Vasilios Moutzouros

Orthopedics Articles

PURPOSE: To use ultrasound imaging to document changes over time (i.e., preseason v postseason) in the pitching elbow of high school baseball pitchers.

METHODS: Twenty-two high school pitchers were prospectively followed. Pitchers were evaluated after a 2-month period of relative arm rest via preseason physical exams, dynamic ultrasound imaging of their throwing elbow, and the Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (QuickDASH) assessment. Players were reevaluated within 1 week of their last game. Dynamic ultrasound images were then randomized, blinded to testing time point, and evaluated by 2 fellowship-trained musculoskeletal radiologists.

RESULTS: Average pitcher age was 16.9 years. …

Human Ips Cell-Derived Astrocyte Transplants Preserve Respiratory Function After Spinal Cord Injury., Ke Li, Elham Javed, Daniel Scura, Tamara J. Hala, Suneil Seetharam, Aditi Falnikar, Jean-Philippe Richard, Ashley Chorath, Nicholas J. Maragakis, Megan C. Wright, Angelo C. Lepore

Department of Neuroscience Faculty Papers

Transplantation-based replacement of lost and/or dysfunctional astrocytes is a promising therapy for spinal cord injury (SCI) that has not been extensively explored, despite the integral roles played by astrocytes in the central nervous system (CNS). Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are a clinically-relevant source of pluripotent cells that both avoid ethical issues of embryonic stem cells and allow for homogeneous derivation of mature cell types in large quantities, potentially in an autologous fashion. Despite their promise, the iPS cell field is in its infancy with respect to evaluating in vivo graft integration and therapeutic efficacy in SCI models. Astrocytes express …

Clinical Significance Of The Integrin Α6Β4 In Human Malignancies, Rachel L Stewart, Kathleen L O'Connor

Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Faculty Publications

Integrin α6β4 is a cellular adhesion molecule that binds to laminins in the extracellular matrix and nucleates the formation of hemidesmosomes. During carcinoma progression, integrin α6β4 is released from hemidesmosomes, where it can then signal to facilitate multiple aspects of tumor progression including sustaining proliferative signaling, tumor invasion and metastasis, evasion of apoptosis, and stimulation of angiogenesis. The integrin achieves these ends by cooperating with growth factor receptors including EGFR, ErbB-2, and c-Met to amplify downstream pathways such as PI3K, AKT, MAPK, and the Rho family small GTPases. Furthermore, it dramatically alters the transcriptome …

Ebony And Ivory? Interracial Dating Intentions And Behaviors Of Disadvantaged African American Women In Kentucky, David J. Luke, Carrie B. Oser

Sociology Faculty Publications

Using data from 595 predominantly disadvantaged African American women in Kentucky, this study examines perceptions about racial/ethnic partner availability, cultural mistrust, and racism as correlates of interracial dating intentions and behaviors with both white and Hispanic men. Participants reported levels of dating intentions and behaviors were significantly higher with whites than Hispanics. The multivariate models indicate less cultural mistrust and believing it is easier to find a man of that racial/ethnic category were associated with higher interracial dating intentions. Women were more likely to have dated a white man if they believed it was easier to find a white man …

Muscle Weakness During Aging: A Deficiency State Involving Declining Angiogenesis, Charles T. Ambrose

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

This essay begins by proposing that muscle weakness of old age from sarcopenia is due in large part to reduced capillary density in the muscles, as documented in 9 reports of aged persons and animals. Capillary density (CD) is determined by local levels of various angiogenic factors, which also decline in muscles with aging, as reported in 7 studies of old persons and animals. There are also numerous reports of reduced CD in the aged brain and other studies showing reduced CD in the kidney and heart of aged animals. Thus a waning angiogenesis throughout the body may be …

Effect Of Inflammatory Bowel Disease-Related Characteristics And Treatment Interventions On Cardiovascular Disease Incidence, Sudeep Thapa, Hind Hadid, Jason Schairer, Waseem Imam, Syed-Mohammed Jafri

Internal Medicine Articles

BACKGROUND: An association between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and cardiovascular diseases has been shown in multiple studies. However, little is known about the effect of IBD-related characteristics on cardiovascular events.

METHODS: The authors conducted a retrospective, nested case-control study of IBD patients who presented to the institution from 2000 to 2004, allowing for a 10-year follow-up period. One hundred eleven patients who developed cardiovascular events (cases) and 222 patients who did not develop cardiovascular events (cases) were included in the study after matching for Framingham cardiovascular risk score (2008). Relationships between predictor variables and cardiovascular outcome were assessed by conditional …

Early Goal-Directed Therapy In The Treatment Of Sepsis: The Times Have Changed But Not The Therapy And Benefit To Patients, Anja K. Jaehne, Dhafer Salem, Juan Domecq Garces

Emergency Medicine Articles

No abstract provided.

Race And Association Of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme/Angiotensin Receptor Blocker Exposure With Outcome In Heart Failure, Mostafa El-Refai, Tara Hrobowski, Edward L. Peterson, Karen Wells, John A. Spertus, Keoki L. Williams, David Lanfear

Cardiology Articles

PURPOSE: Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) have been established as a mainstay of heart failure treatment. Current data are limited and conflicting regarding the consistency of ACE/ARB benefit across race groups in heart failure. This study aims to clarify this point.

METHODS: This was a retrospective study of insured patients with a documented ejection fraction of less than 50%, hospitalized for heart failure between January 2000 and June 2008. Pharmacy claims data were used to estimate ACE/ARB exposure over 6-month rolling windows. The association between ACE/ARB exposure and all-cause hospitalization or death was assessed by …

Red Blood Cell Transfusions Impact Pneumonia Rates After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting, Donald S. Likosky, Gaetano Paone, Min Zhang, Mary A. M. Rogers, Steven D. Harrington, Patricia F. Theurer, Alphonse Delucia, Astrid Fishstrom, Anton Camaj, Richard L. Prager

Cardiology Articles

BACKGROUND: Pneumonia, a known complication of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), significantly increases a patient's risk of morbidity and mortality. Although not well characterized, red blood cell (RBC) transfusions may increase a patient's risk of pneumonia. We describe the relationship between RBC transfusion and postoperative pneumonia after CABG.

METHODS: A total of 16,182 consecutive patients underwent isolated CABG between 2011 and 2013 at 1 of 33 hospitals in the state of Michigan. We used multivariable logistic regression to estimate the relative odds of pneumonia associated with the use or number of RBC units (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and …

Rna-Seq Analysis Of Differential Splice Junction Usage And Intron Retentions By Dexseq, Yafang Li, Xiayu Rao, William W. Mattox, Christopher I. Amos, Bin Liu

Dartmouth Scholarship

Alternative splicing is an important biological process in the generation of multiple functional transcripts from the same genomic sequences. Differential analysis of splice junctions (SJs) and intron retentions (IRs) is helpful in the detection of alternative splicing events. In this study, we conducted differential analysis of SJs and IRs by use of DEXSeq, a Bioconductor package originally designed for differential exon usage analysis in RNA-seq data analysis. We set up an analysis pipeline including mapping of RNA-seq reads, the preparation of count tables of SJs and IRs as the input files, and the differential analysis in DEXSeq. We analyzed the …

Coordination Between Autophagy And The Heat Shock Response: Evidence From Exercise In Animals And Humans, Nathan H. Cole

Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences ETDs

Proteins play a critical role in nearly every biological activity. In consequence, organismal health and homeostasis often hinges on the ability of intracellular regulatory systems to sustain the quality and function of these diverse, structurally complex macromolecules. Correct protein function depends on correct form, and during periods of destabilizing cellular stress, protein quality is managed in part by the heat shock response, which acts to support, isolate, and reform new or damaged proteins, and in part by the autophagic recycling of abnormal proteins, cytotoxic protein aggregates, and terminally damaged organelles. We conducted a pooled analysis of available research in humans …

Association Of Hyperchloremia With Hospital Mortality In Critically Ill Septic Patients, Javier A. Neyra, Fabrizio Canepa-Escaro, Xilong Li, John Manllo, Beverley Adams-Huet, Jerry Yee, Lenar Yessayan

Nephrology Articles

OBJECTIVES: Hyperchloremia is frequently observed in critically ill patients in the ICU. Our study aimed to examine the association of serum chloride (Cl) levels with hospital mortality in septic ICU patients.

DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING: Urban academic medical center ICU.

PATIENTS: ICU adult patients with severe sepsis or septic shock who had Cl measured on ICU admission were included. Those with baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate less than 15 mL/min/1.73 m or chronic dialysis were excluded.

INTERVENTIONS: None.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Of 1,940 patients included in the study, 615 patients (31.7%) had hyperchloremia (Cl ≥ 110 mEq/L) on …

Phase Ii Trial Of Sunitinib As Adjuvant Therapy After Stereotactic Radiosurgery In Patients With 1-3 Newly Diagnosed Brain Metastases, Manmeet S. Ahluwalia, Samuel T. Chao, Michael W. Parsons, John H. Suh, Ding Wang, Tom Mikkelsen, Cathy J. Brewer, Kathy N. Smolenski, Cathy Schilero, Matthew Rump, Paul Elson, Lilyana Angelov, Gene H. Barnett, Michael A. Vogelbaum, Robert J. Weil, David M. Peereboom

Neurosurgery Articles

Patients with 1-3 brain metastases (BM) often receive sterotactic radiosurgery (SRS) without whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT). SRS without WBRT carries a high rate of relapse in the central nervous system (CNS). This trial used sunitinib as an alternative to WBRT for post-SRS adjuvant therapy. Eligible patients with 1-3 newly diagnosed BM, RTOG RPA class 1-2, received sunitinib after SRS. Patients with controlled systemic disease were allowed to continue chemotherapy for their primary disease according to a list of published regimens (therapy + sunitinib) included in the protocol. Patients received sunitinib 37.5 or 50 mg/days 1-28 every 42 days until CNS …

Pkcε Is An Essential Mediator Of Prostate Cancer Bone Metastasis., Alvaro Gutierrez-Uzquiza, Cynthia Lopez-Haber University Of Pennsylvania, Danielle L. Jernigan, Alessandro Fatatis, Marcelo G. Kazanietz

Kimmel Cancer Center Papers, Presentations, and Grand Rounds

UNLABELLED: The bone is a preferred site for metastatic homing of prostate cancer cells. Once prostate cancer patients develop skeletal metastases, they eventually succumb to the disease; therefore, it is imperative to identify key molecular drivers of this process. This study examines the involvement of protein kinase C epsilon (PKCε), an oncogenic protein that is abnormally overexpressed in human tumor specimens and cell lines, on prostate cancer cell bone metastasis. PC3-ML cells, a highly invasive prostate cancer PC3 derivative with bone metastatic colonization properties, failed to induce skeletal metastatic foci upon inoculation into nude mice when PKCε expression was silenced …

Recurrent Streptococcus Equi Subsp. Zooepidemicus Bacteremia In An Infant, Joshua R. Watson, Amy Leber, Sridhar Velineni, John F. Timoney, Monica I. Ardura

Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center Faculty Publications

We describe a case of an infant with recurrent bacteremia caused by Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus, likely transmitted from mother to infant. Our case highlights the importance of an epidemiological history and molecular diagnostics in ascertaining insights into transmission, pathogenesis, and optimal management.

Novel Human Abcc9/Sur2 Brain-Expressed Transcripts And An Eqtl Relevant To Hippocampal Sclerosis Of Aging, Peter T. Nelson, Wang-Xia Wang, Bernard R. Wilfred, Angela Wei, James Dimayuga, Qingwei Huang, Eseosa T. Ighodaro, Sergey C. Artiushin, David W. Fardo

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

ABCC9 genetic polymorphisms are associated with increased risk for various human diseases including hippocampal sclerosis of aging. The main goals of this study were 1 > to detect the ABCC9 variants and define the specific 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR) for each variant in human brain, and 2 > to determine whether a polymorphism (rs704180) associated with risk for hippocampal sclerosis of aging pathology is also associated with variation in ABCC9 transcript expression and/or splicing. Rapid amplification of ABCC9 cDNA ends (3′RACE) provided evidence of novel 3′ UTR portions of ABCC9 in human brain. In silico and experimental studies were performed focusing on …

Speckle-Tracking Echocardiographic Measures Of Right Ventricular Function Correlate With Improvement In Exercise Function After Percutaneous Pulmonary Valve Implantation., Shahryar M. Chowdhury, Ziyad M. Hijazi, John T. Fahey, John F. Rhodes, Saibal Kar, Raj Makkar, Michael Mullen, Qi-Ling Cao, Girish S. Shirali

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Speckle-tracking echocardiographic (STE) measures of right ventricular (RV) function appear to improve after transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation (TPVI). Measures of exercise function, such as ventilatory efficiency (the minute ventilation [VE]/carbon dioxide production [VCO2] slope), have been shown to be prognostic of mortality in patients who may require TPVI. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between STE measures of RV function and changes in VE/VCO2 after TPVI.

METHODS: Speckle-tracking echocardiography and cardiopulmonary exercise testing were performed at baseline and 6 months after TPVI in 24 patients from four centers. Conventional echocardiographic measures of RV function were …

An Allosteric Interaction Links Usp7 To Deubiquitination And Chromatin Targeting Of Uhrf1, Zhi-Min Zhang, Scott B. Rothbart, David F. Allison, Qian Cai, Joseph S. Harrison, Lin Li, Yinsheng Wang, Brian D. Strahl, Gang Greg Wang, Jikui Song

College of the Pacific Faculty Articles

The protein stability and chromatin functions of UHRF1 (ubiquitin-like, containing PHD and RING finger domains, 1) are regulated in a cell-cycle-dependent manner. We report a structural characterization of the complex between UHRF1 and the deubiquitinase USP7. The first two UBL domains of USP7 bind to the polybasic region (PBR) of UHRF1, and this interaction is required for the USP7-mediated deubiquitination of UHRF1. Importantly, we find that the USP7-binding site of the UHRF1 PBR overlaps with the region engaging in an intramolecular interaction with the N-terminal tandem Tudor domain (TTD). We show that the USP7-UHRF1 interaction perturbs the TTD-PBR interaction of …

Human And Murine Ifit1 Proteins Do Not Restrict Infection Of Negative-Sense Rna Viruses Of The Orthomyxoviridae, Bunyaviridae, And Filoviridae Families, Amelia K. Pinto, Graham D. Williams, Kristy J. Szretter, James P. White, José Luiz Proença-Módena, Gai Liu, Judith Olejnik, James D. Brien, Hideki Ebihara, Elke Mühlberger, Gaya Amarasinghe, Michael S. Diamond, Adrianus C.M. Boon

Open Access Publications

UNLABELLED: Interferon-induced protein with tetratricopeptide repeats 1 (IFIT1) is a host protein with reported cell-intrinsic antiviral activity against several RNA viruses. The proposed basis for the activity against negative-sense RNA viruses is the binding to exposed 5'-triphosphates (5'-ppp) on the genome of viral RNA. However, recent studies reported relatively low binding affinities of IFIT1 for 5'-ppp RNA, suggesting that IFIT1 may not interact efficiently with this moiety under physiological conditions. To evaluate the ability of IFIT1 to have an impact on negative-sense RNA viruses, we infected Ifit1(-/-) and wild-type control mice and primary cells with four negative-sense RNA viruses (influenza …

Type Of Preoperative Aura May Predict Postsurgical Outcome In Patients With Temporal Lobe Epilepsy And Mesial Temporal Sclerosis., Ali Akbar Asadi-Pooya, Maromi Nei, Ashwini Sharan, Michael R. Sperling

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

PURPOSE: As the initial symptoms of epileptic seizures, many types of auras have significant localizing or lateralizing value. In this study, we hypothesized that the type of aura may predict postsurgical outcome in patients with medically refractory temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS).

METHODS: In this retrospective study, all patients with a clinical diagnosis of medically refractory TLE due to unilateral mesial temporal sclerosis who underwent epilepsy surgery at the Jefferson Comprehensive Epilepsy Center were recruited. Patients were prospectively registered in a database from 1986 through 2014. Postsurgical outcome was classified into two groups: seizure freedom or …

Direct Oral Anticoagulants For The Prevention Of Stroke In Patients With Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation: Understanding Differences And Similarities., Paul P. Dobesh, John Fanikos

Journal Articles: Pharmacy Practice

The presence of atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia, significantly increases the risk for stroke. Current guidelines recommend that the vitamin K antagonist warfarin or direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs), such as the approved direct thrombin inhibitor dabigatran and the approved direct factor Xa inhibitors apixaban, rivaroxaban, and edoxaban, should be used for thromboprophylaxis in patients with nonvalvular AF at risk for stroke or systemic embolic events (SEE). Warfarin, the mainstay of stroke prevention in AF, increases the risk of major bleeding. Furthermore, warfarin therapy comes with several limitations including frequent monitoring and the need for dose adjustments, …

Genetics Of Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 (Pai-1) In A Ghanaian Population, Marquitta J. White, Nuri M. Kodaman, Reed H. Harder, Folkert W. Asselbergs, Douglas E. Vaughan, Nancy J. Brown, Jason H. Moore, Scott M. Williams

Dartmouth Scholarship

Plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1), a major modulator of the fibrinolytic system, is an important factor in cardiovascular disease (CVD) susceptibility and severity. PAI-1 is highly heritable, but the few genes associated with it explain only a small portion of its variation. Studies of PAI-1 typically employ linear regression to estimate the effects of genetic variants on PAI-1 levels, but PAI-1 is not normally distributed, even after transformation. Therefore, alternative statistical methods may provide greater power to identify important genetic variants. Additionally, most genetic studies of PAI-1 have been performed on populations of European descent, limiting the generalizability of their …

Identifying The Critical Domain Of Ll-37 Involved In Mediating Neutrophil Activation In The Presence Of Influenza Virus: Functional And Structural Analysis., Shweta Tripathi, Guangshun Wang, Mitchell White, Michael Rynkiewicz, Barbara Seaton, Kevan Hartshorn

Journal Articles: Pathology and Microbiology

The human cathelicidin LL-37 has been shown to play a role in host defense against influenza A viruses (IAV) through direct antiviral effects and through modulating inflammatory responses to infection. We recently showed that LL-37 increases neutrophil respiratory burst and neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) responses to IAV through engaging formyl peptide receptor 2 (FPR-2). In this paper we show that a fragment of LL-37, GI-20, which is composed of the central helical segment of the peptide, has similar effects as LL-37 on neutrophil activation. In addition to increasing respiratory burst and NET responses of the cells to IAV through an …

Staphylococcus Aureus Biofilms Induce Macrophage Dysfunction Through Leukocidin Ab And Alpha-Toxin., Tyler D. Scherr, Mark L. Hanke, Ouwen Huang, David B.A. James, Alexander R. Horswill, Kenneth W. Bayles, Paul D. Fey, Victor J. Torres, Tammy Kielian

Journal Articles: Pathology and Microbiology

UNLABELLED: The macrophage response to planktonic Staphylococcus aureus involves the induction of proinflammatory microbicidal activity. However, S. aureus biofilms can interfere with these responses in part by polarizing macrophages toward an anti-inflammatory profibrotic phenotype. Here we demonstrate that conditioned medium from mature S. aureus biofilms inhibited macrophage phagocytosis and induced cytotoxicity, suggesting the involvement of a secreted factor(s). Iterative testing found the active factor(s) to be proteinaceous and partially agr-dependent. Quantitative mass spectrometry identified alpha-toxin (Hla) and leukocidin AB (LukAB) as critical molecules secreted by S. aureus biofilms that inhibit murine macrophage phagocytosis and promote cytotoxicity. A role for Hla …

A Mitochondria-Anchored Isoform Of The Actin-Nucleating Spire Protein Regulates Mitochondrial Division, Uri Manor, Sadie Bartholomew, Gonen Golani, Eric Christenson, Michael Kozlov, Henry Higgs, James Spudich, Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz

Dartmouth Scholarship

Mitochondrial division, essential for survival in mammals, is enhanced by an inter-organellar process involving ER tubules encircling and constricting mitochondria. The force for constriction is thought to involve actin polymerization by the ER-anchored isoform of the formin protein inverted formin 2 (INF2). Unknown is the mechanism triggering INF2-mediated actin polymerization at ER-mitochondria intersections. We show that a novel isoform of the formin-binding, actin-nucleating protein Spire, Spire1C, localizes to mitochondria and directly links mitochondria to the actin cytoskeleton and the ER. Spire1C binds INF2 and promotes actin assembly on mitochondrial surfaces. Disrupting either Spire1C actin- or formin-binding activities reduces mitochondrial constriction …

Familiar Face Detection In 180ms, Matteo Visconti Di Oleggio Castello, M. Ida Gobbini

Dartmouth Scholarship

The visual system is tuned for rapid detection of faces, with the fastest choice saccade to a face at 100ms. Familiar faces have a more robust representation than do unfamiliar faces, and are detected faster in the absence of awareness and with reduced attentional resources. Faces of family and close friends become familiar over a protracted period involving learning the unique visual appearance, including a view-invariant representation, as well as person knowledge. We investigated the effect of personal familiarity on the earliest stages of face processing by using a saccadic-choice task to measure how fast familiar face detection can happen. …