A dual-purification system to isolate mitochondrial subpopulations.

Mitochondria perform diverse functions, such as producing ATP through oxidative phosphorylation, synthesizing macromolecule precursors, maintaining redox balance, and many others. Given this diversity of functions, we and others have hypothesized that cells maintain specialized subpopulations of mitochondria. To begin addressing this hypothesis, we developed a new dual-purification system to isolate subpopulations of mitochondria for chemical and biochemical analyses.

Social coordination perpetuates stereotypic expectations and behaviors across generations in deep multiagent reinforcement learning.

Despite often being perceived as morally objectionable, stereotypes are a common feature of social groups, a phenomenon that has often been attributed to biased motivations or limits on the ability to process information. We argue that one reason for this continued prevalence is that preexisting expectations about how others will behave, in the context of social coordination, can change the behaviors of one's social partners, creating the very stereotype one expected to see, even in the absence of other potential sources of stereotyping. We use a computational model of dynamic social coordination to illustrate how this "feedback loop" can emerge, engendering and entrenching role-consistent stereotypic behavior and then show that human behavior on the task generates a comparable feedback loop.

Identification and biophysical characterization of Plasmodium peptide binding by common African HLAs.

Human Leukocyte Antigens (HLA) are immunoreceptors that present peptide antigens at the cell surface to T cells as a primary mechanism of immune surveillance. Malaria, a disease associated with the Plasmodium parasite, claims > 600,000 lives per year globally with most deaths occurring in Africa. Development of efficacious prophylactic vaccines or therapeutic treatments for malaria has been hindered by the lack of a basic understanding of the role of HLA-mediated peptide antigen presentation during Plasmodium infection.

A Spatial Epidemiologic Analysis of Opioid Use Disorder Treatment in New York State.

Background: Opioid agonist treatments (OAT; methadone and buprenorphine) for opioid use disorder (OUD) reduce overdose death by more than 50%. Low population-level rates of OAT are missed opportunities to reduce OUD-related mortality.

Objective: We examined county-level OAT utilization patterns to guide state-level and county-level initiatives to improve equitable access and utilization in New York State (NYS).

Heart rate variability impairment during sleep in Veterans with rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder, traumatic brain injury, and post-traumatic stress disorder: an early potential window into autonomic dysfunction?

Individuals with comorbid rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) and neurotrauma (NT; defined by traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder) have an earlier age of RBD symptom onset, increased RBD-related symptom severity and more neurological features indicative of prodromal synucleinopathy compared to RBD only. An early sign of neurodegenerative condition is autonomic dysfunction, which we sought to evaluate by examining heart rate variability during sleep. Participants with overnight polysomnography were recruited from the Veterans Affairs Portland Health Care System.

Discrete and conserved inflammatory signatures drive thrombosis in different organs after Salmonella infection.

Inflammation-induced thrombosis is a common consequence of bacterial infections, such as those caused by Salmonella Typhimurium (STm). The presentation of multi-organ thrombosis post-infection that develops and resolves with organ-specific kinetics raises significant challenges for its therapeutic control. Here, we identify specific inflammatory events driving thrombosis in the spleens and livers of STm-infected mice.

Outcomes of surgical valve replacements for radiation-induced valvulopathy.

Objective: Patients with cancer who receive radiation therapy to the thorax often develop radiation-induced heart disease (RIHD) decades later. Previous chest radiation is associated with elevated perioperative risk of complications and mortality after cardiac surgery. Whether the type of valve (mechanical vs bioprosthetic) used affects outcomes in patients with RIHD is unknown.

SmART-TBI: A fully remote protocol for a randomized placebo-controlled double-blinded clinical trial for a dietary supplement to improve sleep in Veterans.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with chronic sleep disturbances and cognitive impairment, with limited effective therapeutic strategies. Our previous work showed dietary supplementation with branched chain amino acids (BCAAs; isoleucine, leucine, valine), the primary substrate for glutamate/GABA synthesis in the CNS, restored normal sleep-wake patterns and improved cognitive function in rodents. Our recent pilot work in humans showed preliminary feasibility/acceptability and limited efficacy for BCAAs to improve sleep in Veterans with TBI.

Approach to Supporting Black Communities in Planning and Developing Pedestrian and Active Transportation Infrastructure to Improve the Built Environment.

The Live Well Allegheny-Lifting Wellness for African Americans (LWA2) Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) Initiative was created to address racial health disparities in chronic disease, as well as structural determinants and systems of oppression at their root, among the Black community in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania (PA). LWA-REACH implemented active transportation projects focused on predominantly Black neighborhoods. In doing so, LWA-REACH enabled-for Allegheny County-a first-of-its-kind connection between two county departments-economic development and the health department-and Black priority communities in the Monongahela River Valley and the Homewood neighborhood of Pittsburgh, PA.

Persistent dopamine-dependent remodeling of the neural transcriptome in response to pregnancy and postpartum.

Pregnancy and postpartum experiences represent transformative physiological states that impose lasting demands on the maternal body and brain, resulting in lifelong neural adaptations. However, the precise molecular mechanisms driving these persistent alterations remain poorly understood. Here, we used brain-wide transcriptomic profiling to define the molecular landscape of parity-induced neural plasticity, identifying the dorsal hippocampus (dHpc) as a key site of transcriptional remodeling.

Programming of pluripotency and the germ line co-evolved from a Nanog ancestor.

Francois Jacob proposed that evolutionary novelty arises through incremental tinkering with pre-existing genetic mechanisms. Vertebrate evolution was predicated on pluripotency, the ability of embryonic cells to form somatic germ layers and primordial germ cells (PGCs). The origins of pluripotency remain unclear, as key regulators, such as Nanog, are not conserved outside of vertebrates.

Pulmonary congestion on lung ultrasound in ambulatory patients with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction.

Background: Early detection of pulmonary congestion among ambulatory patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is critical to optimize decongestive therapy prior to overt decompensation, yet traditional tools are insensitive.

Objectives: To examine the prevalence of B-lines, an ultrasound measure of pulmonary congestion, and their clinical and imaging correlates in patients with HFpEF.

Methods: In a prospective, multi-site observational study, using a pocket ultrasound device, 8-zone lung ultrasound was performed in outpatients with HFpEF, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≥45% and NYHA class II-IV.

DIAGNOSTIC EVALUATION AND CLINICAL FINDINGS IN CHILDREN WITH PERSISTENT TACHYPNEA OF INFANCY/NEUROENDOCRINE CELL HYPERPLASIA OF INFANCY: A EUROPEAN MULTICENTER RETROSPECTIVE STUDY.

Background: Persistent tachypnea of infancy (PTI)/neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia of infancy (NEHI) is a form of childhood interstitial lung disease (chILD) that predominantly affects young children. Although it is one of the most common chILDs, there is no unified diagnostic approach specific to this condition.

Research Question: Is there a difference in the clinical presentation and the diagnostic approach in PTI/NEHI patients between the European countries?

Study Design And Methods: This was a European multicenter, retrospective, observational study.

Tunable Exciton-Driven Photoelasticity in 2D Material Acoustic Cavities.

While coupling between optical, electronic, and mechanical domains is paramount for high-frequency acoustic devices, materials that offer tunability in the degree of such coupling can be crucially enabling in expanding device functionality. Here, we show that the interaction of photons with coherent acoustic phonons confined in 2D layered semiconducting cavities can be controlled through either modifying the material state via a thermally induced electronic bandgap shift (EBS) or altering the polarization state of the incoming photons when optical birefringence is present in the cavity. We demonstrate temperature-driven EBS as an effective tool to engineer the WSe cavity readout as it allows one to sweep the excitonic energy relative to a chosen probe wavelength.

Smoking and Complications After Cancer Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Importance: Surgical cancer treatments may be delayed for patients who smoke over concerns for increased risk of complications. Quantifying risks for people who had recently smoked can inform any trade-offs of delaying surgery.

Objective: To investigate the association between smoking status or smoking cessation time and complications after cancer surgery.

High and low take-off external prolapse phenotypes can be characterised preoperatively on defaecation proctography.

Background: External rectal prolapse is poorly understood, with controversy surrounding the ideal surgical approach. Anecdotal mentions of high and low take-off in the literature hint at different pathological phenotypes of prolapse. However there has been no effort to define and characterise these terms, or to discuss how take-off might relate to the underlying pathophysiology of prolapse.

American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Guidance Statements for Addressing Mental Health Concerns in Youth with Pediatric Rheumatologic Diseases.

Purpose: Pediatric rheumatologic diseases (PRDs) are characterized by high rates of anxiety and depression known to impact health-related outcomes. We present guidance statements to assess and manage mental health concerns for youth with PRDs in pediatric rheumatology practice.

Methods: Development of the guidance statements was initiated in 2019 and concluded in November 2023.

Near-fatal asthma in children and young adults: an international eDelphi Study.

Background: Guidelines and evidence identify that children and young people (CYP) who die from asthma frequently have a severe preceding attack. There is no agreed name or case definition for the most severe form of asthma attack. We aimed to resolve this using a structured literature, guideline and multimedia review to inform an international electronic Delphi (eDelphi) process.

Demystifying cognitive bias in the diagnostic process for frontline clinicians and educators; new words for old ideas.

Diagnostic error is a pervasive problem in healthcare with approximately one-third of adverse events in hospitals attributed to a failure in the diagnostic process. Cognitive biases are systematic, often unconscious, automatic patterns of thought that sometimes skew thinking and are considered a major contributor to diagnostic error. More than 100 different biases have been described that affect clinical decision-making, and the challenge for educators and clinicians is bringing the conceptual knowledge of cognitive bias to the bedside in an applicable and useful way to mitigate the effects of cognitive bias in diagnosis.

Specialized ribosomes: integrating new insights and current challenges.

Variation in the composition of different ribosomes, termed ribosome heterogeneity, is a now well established phenomenon. However, the functional implications of this heterogeneity on the regulation of protein synthesis are only now beginning to be revealed. While there are numerous examples of heterogeneous ribosomes, there are comparatively few bona fide specialized ribosomes described.

A pilot investigation of bovine schistosomiasis on Unguja Island, Zanzibar, raises a new concern for elimination of urogenital schistosomiasis.

Our pilot parasitological investigation of cattle, supplemented with molecular DNA characterisation of encountered schistosomes, sheds first light upon bovine schistosomiasis on Unguja Island, Zanzibar. During February 2024, a total of 99 cattle were examined. Of these, 47 were exported animals from the Tanzanian mainland, designated for slaughter at two governmental abattoirs (Kisakasaka and Muwanda), and 52 were free-grazing animals sampled from four grazing locations within the island's North and West-B regions.

Exploring Bio-Based Monomers in Emulsion and Miniemulsion Polymerization.

Sustainability is a key priority in polymer synthesis, aiming to reduce reliance on nonrenewable resources by using greener components in the polymerization process. Emulsion polymerization stands out as an environmentally friendly method for producing polymers due to its utilization of water as a dispersant. The use of renewable, bio-based materials in emulsion polymerization formulations further enhances the process sustainability.

X-ray microscopy and talbot imaging with the matter in extreme conditions X-ray imager at LCLS.

The last decade has shown the great potential that X-ray Free Electron Lasers (FEL) have to study High Energy Density (HED) physics. Experiments at FELs have made significant breakthroughs in Shock Physics and Dynamic Diffraction, Dense Plasma Physics and Warm Dense Matter Science, using techniques such as isochoric heating, inelastic scattering, small angle scattering and X-ray diffraction. In addition, and complementary to these techniques, the coherent properties of the FEL beam can be used to image HED samples with high fidelity.