Publications by authors named "Bruening"

Importance: Randomized clinical trials have shown the safety and efficacy of faricimab as a novel vascular endothelial growth factor and angiopoietin-2 inhibitor in the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) and macular edema of various etiologies. However, more rare adverse events may not be considered in clinical trials.

Objective: To describe 3 eyes that developed irreversible vision loss following initial mild intraocular inflammation (IOI) to faricimab.

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Background: Fruits and vegetables are primary sources of vitamins and minerals that may alleviate the risk of chronic illnesses. However, Indian adolescents consume inadequate amounts of fruits and vegetables, with less than 10% meeting recommendations. Micronutrient deficiencies are a major public health problem in India.

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TGFβ family ligands are synthesized as precursors consisting of an N-terminal prodomain and C-terminal growth factor (GF) signaling domain. After proteolytic processing, the prodomain typically remains noncovalently associated with the GF, sometimes forming a high-affinity latent procomplex that requires activation. For the TGFβ family ligand anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), the prodomain maintains a high-affinity interaction with its GF that does not render it latent.

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Background: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) presents significant treatment challenges, particularly in cases unrelated to human papillomavirus (HPV). The chemokine receptor CXCR4, interacting with its ligand CXCL12, plays a crucial role in tumor proliferation, metastasis, and treatment resistance. This study explores the therapeutic potential of engineered monomeric and dimerized CXCL12 variants (CXCL12 and CXCL12, respectively) in HNSCC and evaluates potential additive effects when combined with radiation therapy.

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Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) plays a pivotal role in protein denaturation, tissue extraction, and protein mass-based electrophoretic separations. However, even modest concentrations of SDS can cause column overpressure, retention time shifts, and ionization signal suppression during liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analyses. Thus, SDS removal is a critical step for LC-MS/MS analysis of protein digests containing SDS.

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Background: Up to half of all surgical adverse events are due to non-technical errors, making non-technical skill assessment and improvement a priority. No specific tools are available to retrospectively identify non-technical errors that have occurred in surgical patient care. This original study aimed to develop and provide evidence of validity and inter-rater reliability for the System for Identification and Categorization of Non-technical Error in Surgical Settings (SICNESS).

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Weakly-coordinating anions (WCAs) are employed in a wide range of applications, but limitations remain, including high reactivity, limited redox window, complicated synthesis, high cost, low solublity, and low structural tunabililty. Herein, we report a new class of WCA based on alkyl or aryl (R) substituted silicates bearing fluorinated pinacolate ligands, "[Si ]". Anions bearing a variety of R groups were prepared, enabling facile tuning of sterics and solubility.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to analyze the landing mechanics and foot muscle strength in gymnasts, cheerleaders, and non-athletes, particularly comparing barefoot and shod landings.
  • Results showed gymnasts had better performance in landing stability and force metrics compared to non-athletes, but cheerleaders' landing mechanics were similar to both groups.
  • Overall, wearing shoes decreased initial ground reaction forces during landings, but did not have a significant impact on stabilization times across the groups.
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The human gut microbiome (GM) undergoes dynamic changes throughout life, transitioning from infancy to adulthood. Despite improved understanding over the past years about how genetics, lifestyle, and the external environment impact the GM, limited research has explored the GM's evolution during late-stage adolescence, especially among college students. This study addresses this gap by investigating the longitudinal dynamics of fecal microbial, functional, and metabolomic signatures in a diverse group of first-year, dormitory-housed college students.

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Many virus genomes encode proteases that facilitate infection. The molecular mechanism of plant recognition of viral proteases is largely unexplored. Using the system of and cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV), we identified a cowpea lipid transfer protein (LTP1) which interacts with CPMV-encoded 24KPro, a cysteine protease, but not with the enzymatically inactive mutant 24KPro(C166A).

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  • The study aimed to evaluate the impact of the iHI-FIVES caregiver training program on the number of days Veterans spend away from home and the well-being of their family caregivers.
  • Involvement included 898 Veterans from 8 medical centers, comparing data from before and after implementing the program through a randomized trial.
  • Results indicated a 42% reduction in Veteran days not at home after joining iHI-FIVES, but no significant changes were found in caregiver well-being over the same period.
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  • The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a team collaboration strategy called CONNECT in improving the implementation of a caregiver training program for veterans, known as iHI-FIVES.
  • It involved a stepped wedge cluster randomized trial across eight VA medical centers, comparing the outcomes of sites using CONNECT plus technical support (REP) against those using REP alone.
  • Findings showed high training fidelity (88%), but better reach (22% vs. 14%) and fidelity (95% vs. 80%) at non-CONNECT sites, indicating that CONNECT did not significantly enhance team functioning or program reach.
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Objective: To identify the effects of chronic pain levels on static and dynamic postural (DP) control in individuals with chronic ankle instability (CAI).

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Controlled laboratory.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study addresses the challenges of implementing evidence-based healthcare programs in inpatient settings, focusing on the need for strategies to enhance quality improvement.
  • It evaluates CONNECT, an intervention based on complexity science, which aims to boost team readiness and improve the implementation of the 'Assisted Early Mobility for Hospitalized Older Veterans' program (STRIDE).
  • Results indicate that VAMCs utilizing CONNECT had significantly higher program reach while showing similar fidelity as those that did not use the intervention, along with improvements in team function.
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Skeletal muscle contraction evokes numerous biochemical alterations that underpin exercise benefits. This present study aimed to elucidate the mechanism for electrical pulse stimulation (EPS)-induced antioxidant adaptation in C2C12 myotubes. We found that EPS significantly upregulated Nrf2 and a broad array of downstream antioxidant enzymes involved in multiple antioxidant systems.

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Despite the promise of concurrent radiotherapy (RT) and immunotherapy in head and neck cancer (HNC), multiple randomized trials of this combination have had disappointing results. To evaluate potential immunologic mechanisms of RT resistance, we compared pre-treatment HNCs that developed RT resistance to a matched cohort that achieved curative status. Gene set enrichment analysis demonstrated that a pre-treatment pro-immunogenic tumor microenvironment (TME), including type II interferon [interferon gamma (IFNγ)] and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) signaling, predicted cure while type I interferon [interferon alpha (IFNα)] enrichment was associated with an immunosuppressive TME found in tumors that went on to recur.

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  • Family caregivers, who assist loved ones with daily living activities, often face challenges like stress and isolation, heightened during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • A study analyzed survey data from 422 caregivers, examining their experiences of loneliness before and during the pandemic using logistic regression and qualitative content analysis.
  • The results showed no significant difference in loneliness levels between the two periods, with caregivers reporting coping skills developed through caregiving that helped them manage pandemic-related challenges.
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Background: Although individuals with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) are at high risk for posttraumatic osteoarthritis, mechanisms underlying the relationship between running and knee cartilage health remain unclear.

Objective: We aimed to investigate how 30 min of running influences femoral cartilage thickness and composition and their relationships with running biomechanics in patients with ACLR and controls.

Methods: Twenty patients with ACLR (time post-ACLR: 14.

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On any given day, we make countless reaching movements to objects around us. While such ubiquity may suggest uniformity, each movement's speed is unique-why is this? Reach speed is known to be influenced by accuracy; we slow down to sustain high accuracy. However, in other forms of movement like walking or running, metabolic cost is often the primary determinant of movement speed.

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We developed a simple, paper-based device that enables sensitive detection by mass spectrometry (MS) without solid phase extraction or other sample preparation. Using glass fiber filter papers within a 3D printed holder, the device employs electrokinetic manipulations to stack, separate, and desalt charged molecules on paper prior to spray into the MS. Due to counter-balanced electroosmotic flow and electrophoresis, charged analytes stack on the paper and desalting occurs in minutes.

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Most TGFβ family ligands exist as procomplexes consisting of a prodomain noncovalently bound to a growth factor (GF); Whereas some prodomains confer latency, the Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) prodomain maintains a remarkably high affinity for the GF yet remains active. Using single particle EM methods, we show the AMH prodomain consists of two subdomains: a vestigial TGFβ prodomain-like fold and a novel, helical bundle GF-binding domain, the result of an exon insertion 450 million years ago, that engages both receptor epitopes. When associated with the prodomain, the AMH GF is distorted into a strained, open conformation whose closure upon bivalent binding of AMHR2 displaces the prodomain through a conformational shift mechanism to allow for signaling.

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