Association of plasma biomarkers of Alzheimer's pathology and neurodegeneration with gait performance in older adults.

Background: Declining gait performance is seen in aging individuals, due to neural and systemic factors. Plasma biomarkers provide an accessible way to assess evolving brain changes; non-specific neurodegeneration (NfL, GFAP) or evolving Alzheimer's disease (Aβ 42/40 ratio, P-Tau181).

Methods: In a population-based cohort of older adults, we evaluate the hypothesis that plasma biomarkers of neurodegeneration and Alzheimer's Disease pathology are associated with worse gait performance.

Artificial intelligence models using F-wave responses predict amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Nerve conduction F-wave studies contain critical information about subclinical motor dysfunction which may be used to diagnose patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, F-wave responses are highly variable in morphology, making waveform interpretation challenging. Artificial Intelligence techniques can extract time-frequency features to provide new insights into ALS diagnosis and prognosis.

Implementation of patient-reported outcome dashboards within the electronic health record to support shared decision-making in serious chronic illness.

Background: Attending to patient-reported outcomes (PROs) using data visualisation dashboards could enhance shared decision-making (SDM) and care delivery for serious chronic illnesses. However, few studies have evaluated real-world strategies and resulting implementation outcomes of PRO dashboards.

Method: From June 2020 to January 2022, we implemented an electronic health record (EHR)-integrated PRO dashboard for advanced cancer and chronic kidney disease.

Metagenomics reveals spatial variation in cyanobacterial composition, function, and biosynthetic potential in the Winam Gulf, Lake Victoria, Kenya.

The Winam Gulf in the Kenyan region of Lake Victoria experiences prolific, year-round cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cyanoHABs) which pose threats to human, livestock, and ecosystem health. To our knowledge, there is limited molecular research on the gulf's cyanoHABs, and thus, the strategies employed for survival and proliferation by toxigenic cyanobacteria in this region remain largely unexplored. Here, we used metagenomics to analyze the Winam Gulf's cyanobacterial composition, function, and biosynthetic potential.

Heritability and Genome-Wide Association Study of Dog Behavioral Phenotypes in a Commercial Breeding Cohort.

: Canine behavior plays an important role in the success of the human-dog relationship and the dog's overall welfare, making selection for behavior a vital part of any breeding program. While behaviors are complex traits determined by gene × environment interactions, genetic selection for desirable behavioral phenotypes remains possible. : No genomic association studies of dog behavior to date have been reported on a commercial breeding (CB) cohort; therefore, we utilized dogs from these facilities ( = 615 dogs).

Differential effects of gestational Cannabis smoke and phytocannabinoid injections on male and female rat offspring behavior.

Our understanding of the implications of gestational Cannabis exposure (GCE) remains unclear as Cannabis use increases worldwide. Much of the existing knowledge of the effects of GCE has been gained from preclinical experiments using injections of isolated Δ-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) at relatively high doses. Few investigations of the effects of GCE to smoke from the whole Cannabis flower have been conducted, despite this being the most common mode of human consumption.

Refining breast cancer genetic risk and biology through multi-ancestry fine-mapping analyses of 192 risk regions.

Genome-wide association studies have identified approximately 200 genetic risk loci for breast cancer, but the causal variants and target genes are mostly unknown. We sought to fine-map all known breast cancer risk loci using genome-wide association study data from 172,737 female breast cancer cases and 242,009 controls of African, Asian and European ancestry. We identified 332 independent association signals for breast cancer risk, including 131 signals not reported previously, and for 50 of them, we narrowed the credible causal variants down to a single variant.

Tunable Terpolymer Series for the Systematic Investigation of Membrane Proteins.

Membrane proteins (MPs) are critical to cellular processes and serve as essential therapeutic targets. However, their isolation and characterization are often impeded by traditional detergent-based methods, which can compromise their native states, and retention of their native lipid environment. Amphiphilic polymers have emerged as effective alternatives, enabling the formation of nanoscale discs that preserve MPs' structural and functional integrity.

The periodicity of enamel laminations in human deciduous molars.

Objective: Enamel laminations are closely spaced incremental lines that run parallel to Retzius lines or the developing enamel surface. Here, the timing of enamel laminations is calculated for naturally exfoliated deciduous molars (n = 111) from three modern-day populations (Aotearoa New Zealand, Britain and Canada).

Design: Teeth were sectioned using standard histological methods and examined using a high-powered microscope.

Identifying Growth Hormone Deficiency in Brain-Injured Patients: The Quality of Life Scale-99.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is frequently associated with hypopituitarism. The hypothalamic-pituitary axis appears to be susceptible to the same forces that cause injury to the parenchyma of the brain. Following even a mild TBI (mTBI), patients may suffer transient or permanent decreases in anterior pituitary hormones, including somatotropin (growth hormone [GH]), gonadotropins (luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone), thyrotropin, and adrenocorticotropic hormone, with the most frequent long-term deficiency being GH deficiency (GHD).

Upstream targeting for the prevention of atrial fibrillation: Targeting Risk Interventions and Metformin for Atrial Fibrillation (TRIM-AF)-rationale and study design.

Background: Despite advances in ablation and other therapies for AF, progression of atrial fibrillation (AF) remains a significant clinical problem, associated with worse prognosis and worse treatment outcomes. Upstream therapies targeting inflammatory or antifibrotic mechanisms have been disappointing in preventing AF progression, but more recently genetic and genomic studies in AF suggest novel cellular and metabolic stress targets, supporting prior studies of lifestyle and risk factor modification (LRFM) for AF. However, while obesity is a significant risk factor, weight loss and risk factor modification have not been successfully applied in a US population with AF.

Preferred Educational Programming Among Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows at Pharmacy Schools: A Pilot Survey.

Objective: To inform program development, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Graduate Education Special Interest Group Colleagues in Training Committee (CITC) investigated the professional development needs of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows at schools/colleges of pharmacy.

Methods: A cross-sectional pilot survey examined preferred programming topics, mentoring needs, and career goals. A survey invitation was posted on AACP Connect and emailed to Graduate Program Officers and Assistant/Associate Deans for Research at US pharmacy schools/colleges for distribution to trainees.

Harnessing Oxetane and Azetidine Sulfonyl Fluorides for Opportunities in Drug Discovery.

Four-membered heterocycles such as oxetanes and azetidines represent attractive and emergent design options in medicinal chemistry due to their small and polar nature and potential to significantly impact the physiochemical properties of drug molecules. The challenging preparation of these derivatives, especially in a divergent manner, has severely limited their combination with other medicinally and biologically important groups. Consequently, there is a substantial demand for mild and effective synthetic strategies to access new oxetane and azetidine derivatives and molecular scaffolds.

Property Prediction for Complex Compounds Using Structure-Free Mendeleev Encoding and Machine Learning.

Predicting the properties for unseen materials exclusively on the basis of the chemical formula before synthesis and characterization has advantages for research and resource planning. This can be achieved using suitable structure-free encoding and machine learning methods, but additional processing decisions are required. In this study, we compare a variety of structure-free materials encodings and machine learning algorithms to predict the structure/property relationships of battery materials.

Reconstructing a Meaningful Self: The Identity Work of People Living With Chronic Disease.

With the escalating number of people diagnosed with chronic disease globally, research aimed at supporting their adjustment and coping is invaluable. Reconstructing a sense of self is core to the psychosocial adjustment of people with chronic disease (PwCD), and meaning making is central to their coping with the diagnosis. Despite the growing number of PwCD living productive lives, their identity work is underexplored.

Alterations in Mitochondrial Function in Pulmonary Vascular Diseases.

Alterations of mitochondrial bioenergetics and arginine metabolism are universally present and mechanistically linked to pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), but there is little knowledge of arginine metabolism and mitochondrial functions across the different pulmonary hypertension (PH) groups. We hypothesize that abnormalities in mitochondrial functions are present across all PH groups and associated with clinical phenotypes. We test the hypothesis in PH patients and healthy controls from the Pulmonary Vascular Disease Phenomics Program cohort, who had comprehensive clinical phenotyping and follow-up for at least 4 years for death or transplant status.

Preexposure Prophylaxis and Intimate Partner Violence Among Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex With Men: A Global Scoping Review of the Literature.

Men who have sex with men (MSM) experience intimate partner violence (IPV) and are at an elevated risk of HIV acquisition. Preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an effective preventative measure against HIV. However, its adoption and consistent use among MSM, especially those experiencing IPV, is low.

Spontaneously Immortalised Nonhuman Primate Müller Glia Cell Lines as Source to Explore Retinal Reprogramming Mechanisms for Cell Therapies.

Cell replacement therapies for ocular diseases characterised by photoreceptors degeneration are challenging due to poor primary cell survival in culture. A stable retinal cell source to replace lost photoreceptors holds promise. Müller glia cells play a pivotal role in retinal homoeostasis by providing metabolic and structural support to retinal neurons, preventing aberrant photoreceptors migration, and facilitating safe glutamate uptake.

Diet quality, body weight, and postmenopausal hot flashes: a secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial.

Background: A low-fat vegan diet, supplemented with soybeans, has been shown effective in reducing postmenopausal hot flashes. This secondary analysis assessed the association of a plant-based index (PDI), healthful (hPDI), and unhealthful (uPDI), with changes in hot flashes in postmenopausal women.

Methods: Participants (n = 84) were randomly assigned to a low-fat vegan diet supplemented with soybeans (n = 42) or a control group (n = 42) for 12 weeks.