Publications

Upper cervical spinal cord injuries (SCI) disrupt descending inputs to phrenic motor neurons (PhMNs), impairing respiratory function. Unilateral spinal hemisection at C2 (C2SH) results in loss of ipsilateral rhythmic diaphragm muscle (DIAm) EMG activity associated with lower force behaviors accomplished by recruitment of smaller PhMNs that recovers over time in rats. Activity during higher force, non-ventilatory behaviors that recruit larger PhMNs is minimally impaired following C2SH.

The main objective of our study was to understand the impact of immune cell composition and the tumor-reactivity of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) in HPV-positive (HPV+) and HPV-negative (HPV-) head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). TIL cultures were established from primary HNSCC tumors, the T cell subsets were phenotypically characterized using flow cytometry, and Interferon (IFN)-γ ELISA assay was used to determine TIL function.

Tissue development and homeostasis require coordinated cell-cell communication. Recent advances in single-cell sequencing technologies have emerged as a revolutionary method to reveal cellular heterogeneity with unprecedented resolution. This offers a great opportunity to explore cell-cell communication in tissues systematically and comprehensively, and to further identify signaling mechanisms driving cell fate decisions and shaping tissue phenotypes.

Type III IFNs (IFNLs) are newly discovered cytokines, acting at epithelial and other barriers, that exert immunomodulatory functions in addition to their primary roles in antiviral defense. In this study, we define a role for IFNLs in maintaining autoreactive T cell effector function and limiting recovery in a murine model of multiple sclerosis (MS), experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

Gastric-type cervical adenocarcinoma (GCA) is a rare and aggressive type of endocervical adenocarcinoma (ECA) with distinct histopathologic features and unfavorable treatment outcomes, but no genomic prognostic factor has been revealed.

Background Obesity is an established risk factor for hypertension. Although obesity-induced gut barrier breach leads to the leakage of various microbiota-derived products into host circulation and distal organs, the roles of microbiota in mediating the development of obesity-associated adrenomedullary disorders and hypertension have not been elucidated. We seek to explore the impacts of microbial DNA enrichment on inducing obesity-related adrenomedullary abnormalities and hypertension.

The histogenesis of pleomorphic adenoma (PA) of the salivary glands remains controversial. PAs are characterized by the transition of epithelial cells to spindled mesenchymal cells, known as epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). The present study aimed to identify a major EMT-inducing transcription factor (EMT-TF) in PAs. Real-time PCR analysis of SNAIL, SLUG, ZEB1, and TWIST1 demonstrated that only SLUG was significantly upregulated in normal salivary glands and PAs.

RNA in situ hybridization (RNA-ISH) is a powerful spatial transcriptomics technology to characterize target RNA abundance and localization in individual cells. This allows analysis of tumor heterogeneity and expression localization, which are not readily obtainable through transcriptomic data analysis. RNA-ISH experiments produce large amounts of data and there is a need for automated analysis methods.

In mice, rats, dogs and humans the growth and function of sebaceous glands and eyelid Meibomian glands depend on the ectodysplasin signalling pathway. Mutation of genes encoding the ligand EDA, its transmembrane receptor EDAR, and the intracellular signal transducer EDARADD leads to Hypohidrotic Ectodermal Dysplasia characterised by impaired development of teeth and hair as well as cutaneous glands. The rodent ear canal has a large auditory sebaceous gland, the Zymbal's gland, whose function in the health of the ear canal and tympanic membrane has not been determined.

Despite accumulating evidence in rodents, the functional role of neuromedin B (NMB) in regulating somatosensory systems in primate spinal cord is unknown. We aimed to compare the expression patterns of NMB and its receptor (NMBR) and the behavioral effects of intrathecal (i.t.) NMB with gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) on itch or pain in non-human primates (NHPs). We used six adult rhesus monkeys. The mRNA or protein expressions of NMB, GRP, and their receptors were evaluated by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, immunohistochemistry, or in situ hybridization.