Wiley Magnusson (garageswing02)

8 ng/mL vs. 21.1 ng/mL; P less then 0.001). Area under the curve for pepsin concentration was 0.74 (95% CI 0.65, 0.83). A salivary pepsin threshold of 24.9 ng/mL optimized the true negative rate and 100.0 ng/mL optimized the true positive rate. Phase 2 (n = 42) Pepsin concentrations were significantly higher in NERD (n = 22) versus Functional Heartburn (n = 20) (176.0 ng/mL vs. 53.3 ng/mL, P less then 0.001). Applying Phase 1 thresholds in this external cohort, salivary pepsin 24.9 ng/mL was 86% sensitive (64%, 97%) and 100.0 ng/mL was 72% specific for distinguishing NERD from functional heartburn. Given modest sensitivity and specificity for GERD, salivary pepsin may have clinical utility as a noninvasive office based diagnostic screening tool for GERD.CD8+ T reg cells play an important role in the maintenance of self-tolerance and can inhibit the development of autoimmune disease. In this issue of JEM, Mishra et al. (https//doi.org/10.1084/jem.20200030) reveal that TGF-β signaling and an Eomes-dependent genetic program contribute to CD8 T reg cell differentiation and function.The delivery of glucose and antioxidants is vital to maintain homeostasis and lens transparency. Here, we report a new mechanism whereby mechanically activated connexin (Cx) hemichannels serve as a transport portal for delivering glucose and glutathione (GSH). Integrin α6β1 in outer cortical lens fiber activated by fluid flow shear stress (FFSS) induced opening of hemichannels. Inhibition of α6 activation prevented hemichannel opening as well as glucose and GSH uptake. The activation of integrin β1, a heterodimeric partner of α6 in the absence of FFSS, increased Cx50 hemichannel opening. Hemichannel activation by FFSS depended on the interaction of integrin α6 and Cx50 C-terminal domain. Moreover, hemichannels in nuclear fiber were unresponsive owing to Cx50 truncation. Taken together, these results show that mechanically activated α6β1 integrin in outer cortical lens fibers leads to opening of hemichannels, which transport glucose and GSH into cortical lens fibers. This study unveils a new transport mechanism that maintains metabolic and antioxidative function of the lens. We explored the association of N-terminal probrain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) with metabolic traits in a bi-ethnic African-Caucasian cohort. Baseline examinations of the Sympathetic activity and Ambulatory Blood Pressure in African (SABPA) prospective cohort study were performed between 2008 and 2009, and re-examination after a three-year follow up in South African teachers (black African, = 194; Caucasian, = 203). Each one standard deviation increment of NT-proBNP was significantly inversely associated with body mass index ( β -1.01), glycated haemoglobin ( β -0.14 %), waist circumference (β -1.82), HOMA-IR (β -0.47), insulin (β -1.66) and triglyceride levels (β -0.04). Each one standard deviation increment of NT-proBNP was also associated with reduced odds of incident diabetes, and subjects within the highest quartile of NT-proBNP were at lowest risk (OR 0.24; 95% CI 0.06-0.96; = 0.041). In the SABPA cohort, Africans and Caucasians had similar NT-proBNP levels; however, the associations for Africans were stronger. Those findings suggest that BNP may affect the propensity for metabolic disturbances differently in Africans and Caucasians. In the SABPA cohort, Africans and Caucasians had similar NT-proBNP levels; however, the associations for Africans were stronger. Those findings suggest that BNP may affect the propensity for metabolic disturbances differently in Africans and Caucasians.This work fundamentally investigates how the second harmonic generation (SHG) from commercial nonlinear crystals can be boosted by the addition of individual optical nanoantennas. Frequency conversion plays an important role in modern non-linear optics, and nonlinear crystals have become a widely used building block for non