Greensboro Science Center

Introduction: Cutaneous metastases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are uncommon but important to recognize for timely diagnosis and management. Case Presentation(s): We present a case of a 70-year-old man with a history of HCC who developed a painless nodule on the scalp. Histopathological examination and immunohistochemistry confirmed the nodule as cutaneous metastasis of HCC. The patient had previously undergone transarterial chemoembolization and surgery for HCC, with no evidence of disease for a period before presenting with the cutaneous lesion. Conclusion: Cutaneous metastasis of HCC is rare but signifies advanced disease. This case underscores the importance of considering cutaneous manifestations in patients with a history of HCC and highlights the need for routine follow-up and early intervention to improve patient outcomes.

Background: Activation of signaling effectors by G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) depends on different molecular mechanisms triggered by conserved amino acid residues. Although studies have focused on the G-protein signaling state, the mechanism for β-arrestin signaling by CB1 is not yet well defined. Studies have indicated that transmembrane helix 7 (TMH7) and the highly conserved NPXXY motif can be subject to different conformational changes in response to biased ligands and could therefore participate in a molecular mechanism to trigger β-arrestin recruitment. Objective: To investigate the effect of mutations in the NPXXY motif on different signaling pathways activated by the CB1 receptor. Materials and Methods: Point mutations of the NPXXY motif and associated residues were generated in the CB1 receptor using site-directed mutagenesis and transfection into HEK-293 cells. Signaling by wild-type and mutant receptors was analyzed by quantifying inhibition of cAMP, and by β-arrestin recruitment assays. Results: We found that N7.49 and Y7.53 are essential for β-arrestin recruitment by CB1. N7.49A and Y7.53F impair β-arrestin signaling, with no effect on G-protein signaling. We found a regulatory role for residue I2.43; I2.43 interacts with Y7.53, affecting its positioning. Reducing steric bulk at I2.43 (I2.43A) enhances β-arrestin1 recruitment, while introducing a polar residue (I2.43T) reduces β-arrestin recruitment. Conclusions: These findings point to a novel mechanism for β-arrestin recruitment, implicating amino acids in the NPXXY motif as critical for the putative β-arrestin biased conformational state of Class A GPCRs.

Housing costs, eviction rates, homelessness, and the number of families living in substandard conditions are rising quickly. The poor quality of housing and high rates of evictions today will result in additional health issues and challenge systems to meet the "Healthy North Carolina 2030" housing goals.

Limited access to healthy foods can lead to negative health outcomes such as cardiovascular conditions and diabetes. In North Carolina, there are more than 350 "food deserts" where it is difficult for more than 1.5 million residents to access healthy food. In Watauga County, Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture works to fill that gap.

Faced with shortages of personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cone Health leveraged its relationships with local businesses and community organizations to find innovative solutions. Its partnership with Custom Converting Solutions, Inc., led to the creation of a new kind of

Abstract The use of synthetic pigment‐containing products on golf playing surfaces by golf course superintendents has increased dramatically to provide green color and improve stress tolerance. Most turf colorants are synthesized from various phthalocyanine pigments, which share visible spectral properties with green plant tissue. Vegetation indices, such as normalized difference (NDVI), are commonly used by researchers to quantify plant health or turf quality. Research reports indicate that turf canopy reflectance is sometimes positively and sometimes negatively affected by synthetic pigments. The specific spectral wavelength used for vegetation indices varies by sensor type, which may explain these inconsistencies. A greater understanding of light absorption characteristics of synthetic pigments is needed. Therefore, the research objectives were to determine the spectral properties of synthetic phthalocyanine pigment‐containing products alone and to quantify their influence on light reflected from treated creeping bentgrass canopies. Narrow bandwidth (1.5 nm) reflectance was collected from across visible and near‐infrared spectra using a handheld field spectroradiometer (PSR‐1100F, Spectral Evolution) to develop spectral signatures of pigmented products alone, healthy turf, and healthy turf treated with pigmented products. Synthetic pigment‐containing products strongly absorbed near‐infrared light but did not affect photosynthetically active spectra. Some products tested influenced reflectance of ultraviolet A radiation. Endogenous chlorophyll concentrations 7 d after treatment were not altered by products tested. Spectral characteristics of NDVI and similar reflectance measurements of creeping bentgrass quality using near‐infrared light may be negatively affected when the turf is treated with phthalocyanine pigment‐containing products.

1) To provide long-term hearing outcome measures of a totally implantable hearing system (implant) and compare to the baseline unaided (BLU) and baseline aided (BLA) conditions, and 2) discuss relevant safety measures. Prospective, nonrandomized, multicenter, single-subject-as-own-control design. Fifty-one subjects with mild to severe sensorineural hearing loss were implanted between 2008 and 2009 and enrolled in this postmarket approval study in the setting of private and hospital-based practices. Forty-nine of these subjects completed the 5-year study, which included annual follow-ups. Primary effectiveness endpoints were speech reception threshold (SRT) and word recognition scores at 50 dB (WRS50s). Secondary effectiveness endpoints were WRSs and the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB) scores. Adverse Device Effects (ADEs) and Serious Adverse Device Effects (SADEs) reported during the study period and a comparison of bone conduction scores are submitted as safety measures. Compared to the BLA condition, 1) SRT scores were improved at every annual follow-up; 2) WRS50s were better in 49%, and the same in 41% at the 5-year follow-up; 3) WRSs were improved by 17% at the 5-year follow-up; and 4) APHAB scores were improved in most subscales at every annual follow-up. There were three SADEs in three subjects and 15 ADEs in 11 subjects. Bone conduction scores increased by 3.7 dB at the 5-year follow-up. Average battery life was 4.9 years. The implant compared favorably to the subjects' hearing aid throughout the 5-year period in all of the areas measured and was found to be safe. 2b. Laryngoscope, 128:210-216, 2018.

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: May 2016 - Volume 48 - Issue 5S - p 318 doi: 10.1249/01.mss.0000485961.28144.e7

The management of a fistula following retrosternal esophageal reconstruction proves particularly challenging. Two distinct tissue deficits must be considered for satisfactory reconstruction. The defect in the anterior wall of the colonic replacement and that of the adjacent soft tissues of the anterior chest wall can be closed simultaneously with a single, well-planned radial forearm free flap. A patient is presented who illustrates the design and implementation of a bivalved radial forearm free flap that provides two separate epithelial surfaces.