Novel CO loaded nanoparticle ultrasound-activated contrast agent: A potential urinary catheter-free modality to detect vesicoureteral reflux.

Background: The current gold-standard for detecting vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is the voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG). However, VCUGs require ionizing radiation and bladder catheterization that can be challenging to perform and traumatic for pediatric patients and their parents.

Objective: To investigate the feasibility of a novel urinary catheter-free modality for diagnosing VUR using in vitro and ex vivo models.

African ancestry neurodegeneration risk variant disrupts an intronic branchpoint in .

Recently, a novel African ancestry specific Parkinson's disease (PD) risk signal was identified at the gene encoding glucocerebrosidase (). This variant (rs3115534-G) is carried by ~50% of West African PD cases and imparts a dose-dependent increase in risk for disease. The risk variant has varied frequencies across African ancestry groups, but is almost absent in European and Asian ancestry populations.

African ancestry neurodegeneration risk variant disrupts an intronic branchpoint in GBA1.

Recently, an African ancestry-specific Parkinson disease (PD) risk signal was identified at the gene encoding glucocerebrosidase (GBA1). This variant ( rs3115534 -G) is carried by ~50% of West African PD cases and imparts a dose-dependent increase in risk for disease. The risk variant has varied frequencies across African ancestry groups but is almost absent in European and Asian ancestry populations.