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Purpose The purpose of this assessment-focused clinical focus article is to increase familiarity with African American English (AAE)–speaking children's pattern of language use in third-person singular contexts and to discuss implications for speech-language assessments of developing AAE-speaking children. Method The clinical focus draws on descriptive case study data from four typically developing child speakers of AAE who are between the ages of 3 and 5 years. The children's data from three different sources—sentence imitation, story retell, and play-based language samples—were subjected to linguistic analyses. Results The three sources of linguistic data offered different insights into the children's production of –s and other linguistic patterns in third-person singular contexts. Conclusions This study underscores the importance of exploring developing child AAE from a descriptive approach to reveal different types of information about patterns of morphological marking in different linguistic contexts, which is crucial in assessing developing AAE. Implications for language assessment are discussed.

Race, as a social construct without a clear genetic underpinning, is frequently referenced in medicine as predictor of multiple diseases including that of infertility. The authors will discuss how systematic racism can have downstream consequences ranging from overt physician bias to use of medical algorithms that may potentiate the same disparities they attempt to narrow. Then, the authors explore the utility and pragmatic use of genetic ancestry to estimate disease prevalence, instead of racial categories. Finally, the authors explore how health inequities, rooted in systematic racism, can influence disease heritability effectively advocating for research to disentangle the contributions of racism to genetic susceptibility in infertility.

(1) Background: Endometriosis is characterized by the presence of endometrial glands and stroma outside of the uterus and is often associated with severe pelvic pain and infertility. Our study explored the utilization of B-Cell Lymphoma 6 (BCL6) and Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) as potential biomarkers in serum, plasma, urine, and cervical mucus for a non-invasive diagnostic test for endometriosis. BCL6 was chosen based on its previously reported elevated expression in endometrial biopsies, and SIRT1 is co-expressed and upregulated in the endometrium of women with endometriosis. (2) Methods: BCL6 and SIRT1 levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) in samples from 20 women with endometriosis (ten with stages I/II and ten with stages III/IV) and ten women without endometriosis. (3) Results: Levels of SIRT1 in sera showed a statistically significant elevation in advanced stages III/IV compared to controls and stages I/II. No significant differences were found in other bodily fluids for SIRT1 or any bodily fluids tested for BCL6. (4) Conclusions: These results suggest some potential of SIRT1 expression within serum as a predictor of advanced asymptomatic stages of endometriosis. Using immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining and H-SCORE values for the elevated BCL6 (and potentially SIRT1) levels in endometrial biopsy samples seems to have higher diagnostic potential based on the previously published studies.

Galectins are a family of β-galactoside-binding proteins that contribute to multiple cellular functions, including immune surveillance and apoptosis. Human galectins are also important regulators of inflammation, making them a research target for various inflammatory diseases and tumorigenesis associated with pro-inflammatory conditions. This review focuses on the involvement of human galectins in modulation of inflammation and in the pathophysiology of endometriosis and endometriosis-associated neoplasms. Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory disease with unknown etiology. Galectins-1, -3 and -9 were found to be overexpressed in ectopic and eutopic endometrium of females with endometriosis compared to those without endometriosis. These findings suggest galectins’ role in the progression on endometriotic lesions and their potential use as diagnostic biomarkers and/or targets for therapeutic approaches. Galectins-1, -3, and -9 have also been implicated in the development of endometriosis-associated neoplasms. Furthermore, galectin-3 has been shown to interact with KRAS protein and contribute to cellular growth, proliferation, inflammation, and the uptake of nutrients in endometriotic lesions and may be involved in the maintenance and propagation of endometriosis. These galectins have been shown to be upregulated in certain forms of cervical, ovarian, endometrial, and colon cancer associated with endometriosis and have become a potential target for anti-cancer therapies.

This review focuses on advances in the field of fertility preservation achieved over the past few decades. The main purpose of fertility preservation is to help young cancer survivors retain their fertility by restoring either their ability to procreate or simply their reproductive endocrine function. Although different options are available in this regard, successful fertility preservation is yet to reach its full potential. Herein, we review the most significant work conducted over the past five decades and present new methodologies.

Background Premature ovarian insufficiency is a common complication of anticancer treatments in young women and girls. The ovary is a complex, highly regulated reproductive organ, whose proper function is contingent upon the bidirectional endocrine, paracrine, and autocrine signaling. These factors facilitate the development of the follicles, the functional units of the ovary, to progress from the gonadotropin-independent, paracrine-controlled early stage to the gonadotropin-dependent, endocrine-controlled later stage. We hypothesized that the low survival rate of individually cultured early-stage follicles could be improved with co-culture of adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) that secrete survival- and growth-promoting factors. Materials and methods Ovarian follicles ranging from 85 to 115 μm in diameter, from 10- to 12-day-old B6CBAF1 mice were mechanically isolated and co-encapsulated with ADSCs within alginate-based 3D culture system. The follicles were cultured for 14 days, imaged using light microscopy every 2 days, and matured at the end. Follicle media were changed every 2 days and collected for hormone measurements. Follicle diameter, morphology, number of transzonal projections, and survival and maturation rates were recorded. Statistical analyses using one- and two-way ANOVA were performed to compare hormone levels, survival of the follicles and ADSCs, oocyte maturation rates, and follicle growth. Results The co-encapsulation of the follicles with ADSCs increased follicle survival, ranging from 42.4% for the 86–95 μm to 86.2% for the 106–115-μm follicle size group. Co-culture also improved the follicle growth, the rate of antrum formation and oocyte maturation compared to the follicles cultured alone. The levels of androstenedione, estradiol, and progesterone of co-encapsulated follicles increased progressively with time in culture. Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first report of an in vitro system utilizing mouse adipose-derived stem cells to support the development of the mouse follicles. Our findings suggest that co-encapsulation of ADSCs with early-stage follicles supports follicular development, through secretion of cytokines that promote follicular survival, antrum formation, and meiotic competence. The unique 3D culture system that supports the survival of both cell types has translational implications, as ADSCs could be used as an autologous source for in vitro maturation of early-stage human follicles. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13287-019-1199-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

This paper discusses 3rd person singular -s in the language of three- to six-year-old developing AAE speakers, in relation to early stages of zero 3rd person singular -s (Øs) and overt s marking. Data include a sentence repetition task and a story retell task. The speakers’ 3rd person singular -s and Øs marking are examined as a function of age, verb type, allomorph, and verb coordination. Analyses are presented to support the claim that the 3rd person singular marker -s is not part of the AAE grammar although children produce the marker in certain contexts. The speakers’ 3rd person singular -s and Øs marking are also discussed in relation to the optional root infinitive stage and the Multiple Grammars approach.

Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) is a subclass of ovarian dysfunction in which the resting pool of primordial follicles is prematurely exhausted. It occurs through two major mechanisms: a pathologic process that causes follicle dysfunction or development of an inadequate initial pool of primordial follicles during embryogenesis. POI is a heterogeneous disease with variety of causes including genetic defects, autoimmunity, environmental factors, metabolic problems, and iatrogenic causes such as surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy. In over 90 % of cases the precise cause is unknown. In this chapter, we discuss the causes of POI to convey an understanding of disease pathophysiology.

The presence of tumor cells in effusions within serosal cavities is a clinical manifestation of advanced-stage cancer and is generally associated with poor survival. Identifying molecular targets may help to design efficient treatments to eradicate these aggressive cancer cells and improve patient survival. Using a state-of-the-art TaqMan-based qRT-PCR assay, we investigated the multidrug resistance (MDR) transcriptome of 32 unpaired ovarian serous carcinoma effusion samples obtained at diagnosis or at disease recurrence following chemotherapy. MDR genes were selected a priori based on an extensive curation of the literature published during the last three decades. We found three gene signatures with a statistically significant correlation with overall survival (OS), response to treatment [complete response (CR) vs other], and progression free survival (PFS). The median log-rank p-values for the signatures were 0.023, 0.034, and 0.008, respectively. No correlation was found with residual tumor status after cytoreductive surgery, treatment (with or without chemotherapy) and stage defined according to the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Further analyses demonstrated that gene expression alone can effectively predict the survival outcome of women with ovarian serous carcinoma (OS, log-rank p = 0.0000; and PFS, log-rank p = 0.002). Interestingly, the signature for overall survival is the same in patients at first presentation and those who had chemotherapy and relapsed. This pilot study highlights two new gene signatures that may help in optimizing the treatment for ovarian carcinoma patients with effusions.

Although in vitro models have been a cornerstone of anti-cancer drug development, their direct applicability to clinical cancer research has been uncertain. Using a state-of-the-art Taqman-based quantitative RT-PCR assay, we investigated the multidrug resistance (MDR) transcriptome of six cancer types, in established cancer cell lines (grown in monolayer, 3D scaffold, or in xenograft) and clinical samples, either containing >75% tumor cells or microdissected. The MDR transcriptome was determined a priori based on an extensive curation of the literature published during the last three decades, which led to the enumeration of 380 genes. No correlation was found between clinical samples and established cancer cell lines. As expected, we found up-regulation of genes that would facilitate survival across all cultured cancer cell lines evaluated. More troubling, however, were data showing that all of the cell lines, grown either in vitro or in vivo, bear more resemblance to each other, regardless of the tissue of origin, than to the clinical samples they are supposed to model. Although cultured cells can be used to study many aspects of cancer biology and response of cells to drugs, this study emphasizes the necessity for new in vitro cancer models and the use of primary tumor models in which gene expression can be manipulated and small molecules tested in a setting that more closely mimics the in vivo cancer microenvironment so as to avoid radical changes in gene expression profiles brought on by extended periods of cell culture.

This article uses a question-and-answer format to respond to questions about working with children who speak African American English (AAE) in clinical and educational contexts. The respondents urge speech–language pathologists to appreciate AAE as students’ first language, to view all language for its communicative potential, and to remain aware of implications of the latest research on AAE.

This article considers the comprehension of tense-aspect markers remote past BIN and habitual be by 3- to 5-year-old developing African American English (AAE)-speaking children and their Southwest Louisiana Vernacular English (SwLVE)-speaking peers. Overall both groups of children associated BIN with the distant past; however, the AAE-speaking children were twice as likely to give a distant past response on the BIN went task. These results are discussed in terms of event realization, the Aspect Hypothesis, and feature agreement. We delineate a path that uses the lexical part of the Aspect Hypothesis, the role of semantics in defining the end state of a refined aspectual system, and an interface between syntax and semantics to explain subtle steps involving agreement in the acquisition process. The AAE-speaking children scored significantly higher on the habitual be tasks than the SwLVE-speaking children, whose scores were not significantly different from chance. The results suggest that the AAE-speaking c...

Folliculogenesis is a highly regulated, dynamic process requiring various autocrine, paracrine, and endocrine factors that need to be reproduced in vitro. The mammalian ovary consists of a finite number of follicles at birth, with the majority in a quiescent state, awaiting recruitment. In vitro culture of preantral follicles presents a unique challenge of mimicking the dynamics of the ovarian environment, a methodical sequence of cell communication, and interaction with secretory, hormonal, and growth factors. In larger mammalian species, maintenance of follicular morphology is imperative to maintain communication between the cumulus-oocyte complexes. Three-dimensional culture systems help to maintain this architecture and have been used for the successful culture of follicles in various animal models, including humans and nonhuman primates, and have resulted in live birth in rodent models. Clinically, in vitro follicular development could revolutionize assisted reproductive technology by providing a means of using the more numerous immature ovarian follicles in patient populations that are unable to undergo ovarian stimulation.

Survey research in Atlanta suggests that the usual national generalizations about race and language need to be examined in the light of local evidence. The Linguistic Atlas of the Gulf States preserves recordings of interviews with a number of African Americans from the 1970s, to set a historical baseline for the community. A contemporary random-sample study of African Americans in Atlanta showed that our speakers were highly variable in their vowel production. They not only did not match national generalizations, but appeared to have more of Labov's "Southern Shift" than the local non-African-American speakers who were supposed to be characterized by it. Only a minority of speakers show “mean” behavior for the whole set of vowels. Still, black/white speech relations in the Atlanta metro area create perceptions such that a child from a historic African American neighborhood in Roswell had to "learn how to talk hood" to fit in with children from the Atlanta public schools. And Atlanta, with its central place in the hip-hop community alongside New York and Los Angeles, maintains an identity on the national scene with roots in local speech. History and contemporary evidence combine to show that African American voices in Atlanta belong to a complex system in which speakers can be themselves in their neighborhoods, while at the same time they participate in historical and national trends.