Contents
06 December 2017
Vol 9, Issue 419
Vol 9, Issue 419
Focus
- Clinical trial design: The nobility of randomization
A clinical trial evaluating HIV vaccine therapy teaches us much about optimal design (Sneller et al., this issue).
Research Articles
- A reversible thermoresponsive sealant for temporary closure of ocular trauma
A smart hydrogel can be used as an effective and safe reversible sealant for management of ocular trauma.
- BCAS1 expression defines a population of early myelinating oligodendrocytes in multiple sclerosis lesions
BCAS1 expression identifies newly formed and actively myelinating oligodendrocytes in development, adulthood, and disease.
- A degradation fragment of type X collagen is a real-time marker for bone growth velocity
A type X collagen fragment derived from endochondral ossification and detected in blood is a marker for growth velocity.
- PPARδ activation by bexarotene promotes neuroprotection by restoring bioenergetic and quality control homeostasis
PPARδ activation by bexarotene in a mouse model of Huntington’s disease rescues defective oxidative metabolism and is neuroprotective.
Report
- A randomized controlled safety/efficacy trial of therapeutic vaccination in HIV-infected individuals who initiated antiretroviral therapy early in infection
Despite lack of vaccine efficacy, the kinetics and magnitude of HIV rebound in early-treated patients affect future clinical trial design.
Editors' Choice
- Who’s afraid of the big bad pathogen?
Bacterial predation by Acinetobacter baylyi substantially increases cross-species horizontal gene transfer, leading to rapid acquisition of antimicrobial resistance genes.
- Brain leak, mind bleak
Stress-induced changes in blood-brain barrier permeability contribute to depression pathology.
- Breaking free from the NETs
Neutrophil extracellular traps exacerbate ischemia reperfusion injury associated with neonatal midgut volvulus and serve as a therapeutic target.
- Taking control of a volatile situation
A 3D microscale model of the human bronchiole reveals volatile-mediated communication between Aspergillus, Pseudomonas, and host.
Erratum
About The Cover
ONLINE COVER A Smart Sight-saving Surgical Sealant. In this artistic rendering we see a scleral trauma to the eye treated with a thermoresponsive hydrogel. Bayat et al. developed a synthetic polymer-based hydrogel that could be used as a temporary surgical sealant. The injectable sealant gelled at body temperature and was easily removed upon exposure to cold water. The hydrogel was as strong as cyanoacrylate (super glue), maintained intraocular pressure in open globe injuries in rabbits, and did not provoke excessive inflammation. With its reversible nature, this smart hydrogel could be a temporary solution to seal eye—or other—injuries, preventing progressive tissue damage until further surgical intervention. [CREDIT: TALIA SPENCER]