Association of Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2015 total and component scores with measures of inflammation and immune activation in healthy adults.

Background: The Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2015 measures diet quality and is associated with a lower risk of death from chronic disease. Dietary components may affect health via multiple mechanisms, including by decreasing inflammation and affecting immune activation.

Objective: We hypothesized that the overall HEI-2015 score, or individual component scores, would be associated with altered inflammation and immune activation in healthy adults.

Assessing Non-Oral PrEP Alternatives Among Young Black Women in the Southern USA.

Young Black women in the southern US face a high HIV burden. While daily oral HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) can effectively prevent HIV, its use is low among Black women. The acceptability of and perceived intention to use emerging PrEP products among young Black women in the southern US are not well understood.

Achieving biocompatibility and tailoring mechanical properties of SLA 3D printed devices for microfluidic and cell culture applications.

Stereolithography (SLA) and other photopolymerization-based additive manufacturing approaches are becoming popular for the fabrication of microfluidic devices and cell-infused platforms, but many of the resins employed in these techniques are cytotoxic to cells or do not have the appropriate mechanical properties for microfluidic components. Here, using a commercially available resin, we demonstrate that biocompatibility and a range of mechanical properties can be achieved through post-print optimization involving baking, soaking, network swelling, and UV exposure. We show that UV-vis spectrophotometry can be used to detect methacrylate monomer/oligomer, and utilizing this method, we found that baking at 120 °C for 24 hours was the optimal method for removing cytotoxic chemical species and creating nontoxic cell culture platforms, though UV exposure and soaking in 100% ethanol also can substantially reduce cytotoxicity.

A tacrolimus-eluting nerve guidance conduit enhances regeneration in a critical-sized peripheral nerve injury rat model.

Critical-sized peripheral nerve injuries pose a significant clinical challenge and lead to functional loss and disability. Current regeneration strategies, including autografts, synthetic nerve conduits, and biologic treatments, encounter challenges such as limited availability, donor site morbidity, suboptimal recovery, potential immune responses, and sustained stability and bioactivity. An obstacle in peripheral nerve regeneration is the immune response that can lead to inflammation and scarring that impede the regenerative process.