Prevalence, Production and the Role of Superantigens in Cystic Fibrosis Lung Disease.

Staphylococcus aureus (SA), the most common cystic fibrosis (CF) lung pathogen, is uniquely capable of producing superantigen (SAg) exotoxins, which are the most potent activators of the immune system. Although the proinflammatory roles of SA-SAgs is well-established, their role in the immunopathogenesis of CF lung disease is unexplored. Herein, we demonstrate that 60-80% of pediatric and adult CF SA isolates carried at least one SA-SAg gene, with the former harboring potent SA-SAgs (Staphylococcal enterotoxin A and B) more frequently (30-60%).

Medical Students' Perspectives on the Factors Affecting Empathy Development During Their Undergraduate Training.

Introduction: This study investigated the perspectives of medical students on the factors influencing empathy development during their undergraduate training.

Methodology: A descriptive phenomenological approach was used to generate illustrations of empathy development and decline that had educational significance and applicability. Individual online semi-structured interviews were conducted to elicit experiential details from twelve final-year medical students.

How to Improve the Efficacy of Student Feedback.

Context: Feedback processes are intricate, generally misunderstood, hard to execute efficiently, and often fail in their goals to influence students learning. Research highlights that students usually do not value the benefits of feedback. This paper reviews the literature on the definition, purpose, and models of feedback; and on exploring why some students do not value feedback, what factors are influencing the effectiveness of feedback, and how to improve the efficacy of feedback.

RNAPosers: Machine Learning Classifiers for Ribonucleic Acid-Ligand Poses.

Determining the three-dimensional (3D) structures of ribonucleic acid (RNA)-small molecule ligand complexes is critical to understanding molecular recognition in RNA. Computer docking can, in principle, be used to predict the 3D structure of RNA-small molecule complexes. Unfortunately, retrospective analysis has shown that the scoring functions that are typically used for pose prediction tend to misclassify non-native poses as native and vice versa.

Computational Protocol for Assessing the Optimal Pixel Size to Improve the Accuracy of Single-particle Cryo-electron Microscopy Maps.

Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) single-particle analysis has come a long way in achieving atomic-level resolution when imaging biomolecules. To obtain the best possible three-dimensional (3D) structure in cryo-EM, many parameters have to be carefully considered. Here we address the often-overlooked parameter of the pixel size, which describes the magnification of the image produced by the experiment.

Team-based Learning Strategy in Biochemistry: Perceptions and Attitudes of Faculty and 1-Year Medical Students.

Background: Team-based learning (TBL) strategy has been widely adapted by medical schools all over the world, but the reports regarding the perceptions and the attitudes of faculty and undergraduate medical students towards TBL approach have been conflicting.

Aim: The study aimed to introduce TBL strategy in curriculum of Biochemistry after evaluating its effectiveness through perceptions and attitudes of faculty and 1-year medical students.

Materials And Methods: One hundred and fifty students of first professional M.

Rapid transformation of chronic lymphocytic leukemia to acute lymphoblastic leukemia: A rare case report.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is characterized by the accumulation of mature-appearing lymphocytes in blood, bone marrow, lymph nodes, and spleen with a median lymphocyte count of 20-30 × 10(9)/L at the time of diagnosis. In half of the patients, the lymphocyte count doubles over a period of 1-year and cyclic rise up to 50 × 10(9)/L can occur in untreated patients while in others the count may remain stable for years. Based on the cytogenetic and molecular studies, it has been demonstrated that multiple clones may occur in CLL and clonal evolution is a frequent occurrence.