Chang Alexandersen (roomdime3)

Planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway is crucial for tissue morphogenesis. Mutations in PCP genes cause multi-organ anomalies including dysplastic kidneys. Defective PCP signaling was postulated to contribute to cystogenesis in polycystic kidney disease. This work was undertaken to elucidate the role of the key PCP gene, Vangl2, in embryonic and postnatal renal tubules and ascertain whether its loss contributes to cyst formation and defective tubular function in mature animals. We generated mice with ubiquitous and collecting duct-restricted excision of Vangl2. We analyzed renal tubules in mutant and control mice at embryonic day E17.5 and postnatal days P1, P7, P30, P90, 6- and 9-month old animals. The collecting duct functions were analyzed in young and adult mutant and control mice. Loss of Vangl2 leads to profound tubular dilatation and microcysts in embryonic kidneys. Mechanistically, these abnormalities are caused by defective convergent extension (larger tubular cross-sectional area) and apical constriction (cuboidal cell shape and a reduction of activated actomyosin at the luminal surface). However, the embryonic tubule defects were rapidly resolved by Vangl2-independent mechanisms after birth. Normal collecting duct architecture and functions were found in young and mature animals. During embryogenesis, Vangl2 controls tubular size via convergent extension and apical constriction. However, rapidly after birth, PCP-dependent control of tubular size is switched to a PCP-independent regulatory mechanism. We conclude that loss of the Vangl2 gene is dispensable for tubular elongation and maintenance postnatally. It does not lead to cyst formation and is unlikely to contribute to polycystic kidney disease.BACKGROUND While depression is typically associated with reduced levels of empathy, this association differs depending on how empathy is measured. Given the importance of empathy in the parent-child relationship, we sought to examine whether the associations between depression and dispositional empathy would also extend to empathy towards one's own child. METHODS Within a non-clinical sample of 150 parents of young children, we examined the associations between self-reported depressive symptoms, dispositional empathic tendencies, and empathy specifically toward their own children, and how these associations might differ based on parent gender. RESULTS Depressive symptoms were related to lower levels of cognitive and affective empathy, and higher levels of empathic distress. Over and above the association with dispositional empathy, depressive symptoms were associated with reduced levels of parents' affective empathy toward their own child. The associations between depressive symptoms and both dispositional antarget.BACKGROUND Delta neutrophil index (DNI) can be used as a biomarker for infection to predict patient outcomes. We aimed to investigate the relationship between DNI and clinical outcomes in trauma patients who underwent abdominal surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS We retrospectively analyzed injured patients who underwent emergent abdominal surgery in the regional trauma center of Wonju Severance Christian Hospital between March 2016 and May 2018. Patient characteristics, operation type, preoperative and postoperative laboratory findings, and clinical outcomes were evaluated. MPTP molecular weight Logistic regression analysis was performed for risk factors associated with mortality. RESULTS Overall, 169 patients (mean age, 53.8 years; 66.3% male) were enrolled in this study, of which 19 (11.2%) died. The median injury severity score (ISS) was 12. The non-survivors had a significantly higher ISS [25(9-50) vs. 10(1-50), p less then 0.001] and serum lactate level (9.00±4.10 vs. 3.04±2.23, p less then 0.001) and more frequent shock (63.2% vs 23.3%, p less then 0.001) and solid organ injury (52.6% vs. 25.3%, p = 0.013) than the survivors. There were significant differences in postoperative DNI between the two groups (p le