By the month of May in any given year, the many and varied events and competitions staged by the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) islandwide would have been in high gear. Each year the JCDC rolls out its much-anticipated menu board...

Here's a taster for our new student podcast - Sharp Scratch. We're talking about the hidden curriculum, things you need to know to function as a doctor, but are rarely formally taught. This is a taster - if you enjoy, subscribe! https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/student-bmj-podcast/id331561304 Sharp Scratch episode 1: Surviving the night...

¹⁸F-DCFPyL (2-(3-{1-carboxy-5-[(6-¹⁸F-fluoropyridine-3-carbonyl)-amino]-pentyl}-ureido)-pentanedioic acid) is a promising PET radiopharmaceutical targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA). We present our experience with this single-academic-center prospective study evaluating the positivity rate of ¹⁸F-DCFPyL PET/CT in patients with biochemical recurrence (BCR) of prostate cancer (PC). Methods: We prospectively enrolled 72 men (52–91 y old; mean ± SD, 71.5 ± 7.2) with BCR after primary definitive treatment with prostatectomy (n = 42) or radiotherapy (n = 30). The presence of lesions compatible with PC was evaluated by 2 independent readers. Fifty-nine patients had scans concurrent with at least one other conventional scan: bone scanning (24), CT (21), MR (20), ¹⁸F-fluciclovine PET/CT (18), or ¹⁸F-NaF PET (14). Findings from ¹⁸F-DCFPyL PET/CT were compared with those from other modalities. Impact on patient management based on ¹⁸F-DCFPyL PET/CT was recorded from clinical chart review. Results: ¹⁸F-DCFPyL PET/CT had an overall positivity rate of 85%, which increased with higher prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels (ng/mL): 50% (PSA < 0.5), 69% (0.5 ≤ PSA < 1), 100% (1 ≤ PSA < 2), 91% (2 ≤ PSA < 5), and 96% (PSA ≥ 5). ¹⁸F-DCFPyL PET detected more lesions than conventional imaging. For anatomic imaging, 20 of 41 (49%) CT or MRI scans had findings congruent with ¹⁸F-DCFPyL, whereas ¹⁸F-DCFPyL PET was positive in 17 of 41 (41%) cases with negative CT or MRI findings. For bone imaging, 26 of 38 (68%) bone or ¹⁸F-NaF PET scans were congruent with ¹⁸F-DCFPyL PET, whereas ¹⁸F-DCFPyL PET localized bone lesions in 8 of 38 (21%) patients with negative results on bone or ¹⁸F-NaF PET scans. In 8 of 18 (44%) patients, ¹⁸F-fluciclovine PET had located the same lesions as did ¹⁸F-DCFPyL PET, whereas 5 of 18 (28%) patients with negative ¹⁸F-fluciclovine findings had positive ¹⁸F-DCFPyL PET findings and 1 of 18 (6%) patients with negative ¹⁸F-DCFPyL findings had uptake in the prostate bed on ¹⁸F-fluciclovine PET. In the remaining 4 of 18 (22%) patients, ¹⁸F-DCFPyL and ¹⁸F-fluciclovine scans showed different lesions. Lastly, 43 of 72 (60%) patients had treatment changes after ¹⁸F-DCFPyL PET and, most noticeably, 17 of these patients (24% total) had lesion localization only on ¹⁸F-DCFPyL PET, despite negative results on conventional imaging. Conclusion: ¹⁸F-DCFPyL PET/CT is a promising diagnostic tool in the work-up of biochemically recurrent PC, given the high positivity rate as compared with Food and Drug Administration–approved currently available imaging modalities and its impact on clinical management in 60% of patients.

The University of Kentucky has landed a commitment from former Wake Forest big man Olivier Sarr, one of the top transfers ahead of the 2020 season.

The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT)/Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) Study Research Group
May 1, 2016; 39:686-693
Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will provide interim guidance to clinicians regarding the coronavirus outbreak during a webinar at 2 p.m. EST Jan. 31.

In light of the “emerging, rapidly evolving” outbreak of the novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reminding clinicians to use standard precautions consistently and advising they isolate patients who show signs and symptoms of the virus.

The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research is seeking comments on a proposed research initiative on dental fear and anxiety.

The handout covers strategies for helping prevent the transmission of suspected respiratory disease in the dental health care setting and answers frequently asked questions related to the virus, based on guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Registration opens April 22 for the ADA FDC Annual Meeting, which will offer a variety of learning and social opportunities for dentists and their teams to enjoy.

The American Dental Association is urging the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide immediate guidance on the best way to protect dental patients and staff from the transmission of COVID-19 during emergency and urgent care situations.

The American Dental Association and Florida Dental Association have postponed registration for the ADA FDC Annual Meeting from April 22 to early summer, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The American Dental Association is urging the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to “quickly provide guidance” on how to safely reopen dental practices during the deceleration phase of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The American Dental Association has created a tip sheet with guidance from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health group at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help health care professionals avoid buying or using counterfeit N95 respirators, which are often simply referred to as masks.

Infections caused by contaminated food are up 15 percent across the United States, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network.

Nearly 5,000 workers in 115 meat processing workers across 19 states have been diagnosed with COVID-19, according to figures released Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC estimates that 40 percent of U.S. teens are sexually active -- 42 percent of females and 38 percent of males 15 and 19 years of age -- numbers that have dropped significantly since 1988.

Pediatric vaccination against measles has declined by as much as 60 percent nationally since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, according to new data released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

OBJECTIVE

In patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and critical limb ischemia (CLI), migration of circulating CD34⁺ cells predicted cardiovascular mortality at 18 months after revascularization. This study aimed to provide long-term validation and mechanistic understanding of the biomarker.

  All good things must come to an end. And today is one of those days. In this episode of The Not Crazy Podcast, we say a sad farewell to...

What happens when the police are called to handle a mental health emergency? And is the current coronavirus pandemic affecting their response? In today’s podcast, Gabe interviews Sergeant Matt Harris,...

Oh would that 'less laws/more liberty/more state capital power' look anything like Mike Pence's Religious Freedom Restoration Act or in other words the 'we Conservative Republican Christians are such oppressed persecuted victims WAAAAA WAAAA' Bill. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIikqPmbgvI 

OBJECTIVE

The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) and its observational follow-up Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) demonstrated the dominant role of glycemia, second only to age, as a risk factor for a first cardiovascular event in type 1 diabetes (T1D). We now investigate the association between established risk factors and the total cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden, including subsequent (i.e., recurrent) events.

This podcast features a discussion between MPI's Margie McHugh and Julie Sugarman about how to understand the varying composition of states' English Learner (EL) subgroup under ESSA, and why understanding these technical differences matters when making decisions about how ELs and schools are faring. They also talk about different groups of ELs: newcomers, students with interrupted formal education, and long-term ELs, and data collection around these different cohorts.

Governments are facing urgent pandemic-related questions. One of the more pressing ones: Who is going to harvest crops in countries that rely heavily on seasonal foreign workers? In this podcast, MPI experts examine ways in which countries could address labor shortages in agriculture, including recruiting native-born workers and letting already present seasonal workers stay longer. Catch an interesting discussion as border closures have halted the movement of seasonal workers even as crops are approaching harvest in some places.

These are unprecedented times. Much of the world is currently living under lockdown conditions and practicing social distancing in order to curb the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. So how is this affecting people’s intimate lives? How are our sex lives and relationships holding up, and is there anything we can do to more effectively navigate this complex and challenging situation? For the answers to these questions, I spoke to Dr. Lori Brotto, a Professor at the University of British Columbia, a practicing psychologist, and author of the book Better Sex Through Mindfulness. I asked Dr. Brotto what she has been seeing in her clinical practice since the pandemic began and how it’s different from usual.

Lockdowns and “social distancing” guidelines are changing our intimate lives in major ways. For example, think about people living alone in heavily restricted areas right now. What we’re seeing in our research is that many of these folks are turning to sextech to fill the void in their sexual lives, such as by increasing their participation in activities like sexting and cybersex—and many are trying these things for the very first time. In order to explore the various ways that people are leveraging sextech right now, I spoke to two sextech experts: Dr. Erin Watson and Tasha Falconer.

During this time of lockdowns and quarantines, I know that many of you are looking for ways to pass the time, so allow me to suggest some entertaining and educational podcasts on the science of sex to help!

London : H.K. Lewis, 1903.

Edinburgh, Scotland : ANSR, 1993.

Edinburgh, Scotland : ANSR, 1993.

Rockville, Maryland : National Institute on Drug Abuse, 1978.

Broadcasting Health and Disease: Bodies, markets and television, 1950s–1980s An ERC BodyCapital international conference to be held at the Wellcome Trust, 19–21 February 2018 In the television age, health and the body have been broadcasted in many ways: in short… Continue reading

As an important cognitive bias, the framing effect shows that our decision preferences are sensitive to the verbal description (i.e., frame) of options. This study focuses on the neural underpinnings of the social framing effect, which is based on decision-making regarding other people. A novel paradigm was used in which participants made a trade-off between economic benefits and the feelings of others. This decision was described as either a "harm" to, or "not helping," other persons in two conditions (Harm frame vs Help frame). Both human males and females were recruited. Participants behaved more prosocially for Harm frame compared with Help frame, resulting in a significant social framing effect. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, Experiment 1 showed that the social framing effect was associated with stronger activation in the temporoparietal junction (TPJ), especially its right part. The functional connectivity between the right TPJ (rTPJ) and medial prefrontal cortex predicted the social framing effect on the group level. In Experiment 2, we used transcranial direct current stimulation to modulate the activity of the rTPJ and found that the social framing effect became more prominent under anodal (excitatory) stimulation, while the nonsocial framing effect elicited by the economic gain/loss gambling frame remained unaffected. The rTPJ results might be associated with moral conflicts modulated by the social consequences of an action or different levels of mentalizing with others under different frame conditions, but alternative interpretations are also worth noting. These findings could help elucidate the psychological mechanisms of the social framing effect.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Previous studies have suggested that the framing effect is generated from an interaction between the amygdala and anterior cingulate cortex. This opinion, however, is based on findings from nonsocial framing tasks. Recent research has highlighted the importance of distinguishing between the social and nonsocial framing effects. The current study focuses on the social framing effect and finds out that the temporoparietal junction and its functional connectivity with the medial prefrontal cortex play a significant role. Additionally, modulating the activity of this region leads to changes in social (but not nonsocial) framing effect. Broadly speaking, these findings help understand the difference in neural mechanisms between social and nonsocial decision-making. Meanwhile, they might be illuminating to promote helping behavior in society.

Nestin, an intermediate filament protein widely used as a marker of neural progenitors, was recently found to be expressed transiently in developing cortical neurons in culture and in developing mouse cortex. In young cortical cultures, nestin regulates axonal growth cone morphology. In addition, nestin, which is known to bind the neuronal cdk5/p35 kinase, affects responses to axon guidance cues upstream of cdk5, specifically, to Sema3a. Changes in growth cone morphology require rearrangements of cytoskeletal networks, and changes in microtubules and actin filaments are well studied. In contrast, the roles of intermediate filament proteins in this process are poorly understood, even in cultured neurons. Here, we investigate the molecular mechanism by which nestin affects growth cone morphology and Sema3a sensitivity. We find that nestin selectively facilitates the phosphorylation of the lissencephaly-linked protein doublecortin (DCX) by cdk5/p35, but the phosphorylation of other cdk5 substrates is not affected by nestin. We uncover that this substrate selectivity is based on the ability of nestin to interact with DCX, but not with other cdk5 substrates. Nestin thus creates a selective scaffold for DCX with activated cdk5/p35. Last, we use cortical cultures derived from Dcx KO mice to show that the effects of nestin on growth cone morphology and on Sema3a sensitivity are DCX-dependent, thus suggesting a functional role for the DCX-nestin complex in neurons. We propose that nestin changes growth cone behavior by regulating the intracellular kinase signaling environment in developing neurons. The sex of animal subjects is unknown.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Nestin, an intermediate filament protein highly expressed in neural progenitors, was recently identified in developing neurons where it regulates growth cone morphology and responsiveness to the guidance cue Sema3a. Changes in growth cone morphology require rearrangements of cytoskeletal networks, but the roles of intermediate filaments in this process are poorly understood. We now report that nestin selectively facilitates phosphorylation of the lissencephaly-linked doublecortin (DCX) by cdk5/p35, but the phosphorylation of other cdk5 substrates is not affected. This substrate selectivity is based on preferential scaffolding of DCX, cdk5, and p35 by nestin. Additionally, we demonstrate a functional role for the DCX-nestin complex in neurons. We propose that nestin changes growth cone behavior by regulating intracellular kinase signaling in developing neurons.

Radio culture is gaining more and more ground as millions of listeners take to audio podcasts as a convenient and accessible way to learn new information.  Which is why FAO is stepping up into the medium to bring you insights into some of the issues concerning food and agriculture worldwide. Here are the first seven audio offerings of FAO’s new podcast [...]

The actor is one of 17 celebrities slated to participate in newly announced read-alongs of the series' first book

Quebec's public health director, Dr. Horacio Arruda, says grandparents under 70 years old are allowed to see and even care for their grandchildren. But the recommendation comes with cautions.

Visit our four downtown locations where you can taste euphoria in our creative and delicious all natural ice-cream, yogurts and sorbets!

Bike the Sites of the Nation's Capital! It's the fun and easy way to get to get up close and personal with Washington's landmarks

Double Decker Tours offers the best experience. Our Double Decker buses have the most visible sights like US Capitol, White House, Museums and Memorials

Discover the real George Washington through his restored home and gardens, over 1,000 artifacts, and an immersive Revolutionary War "snow" experience

Voted "Washington's Best Tour" by Washingtonian Magazine. See the best of Washington aboard on our 2 hour tour with live narration

Take a bus tour to the sites of movies and TV shows. Your guide will entertain you as you visit over 30 locations used in West Wing, The Exorcist and more

Get up close to the DC sites on a Segway! Segs in the City offers daily guided 1 hour and 2 hour Segway tours and rentals. Join the fun!

The Best Museum Experience of All Things Washington, D.C. Experience the stories behind the people and events of the Nation's Capital.