Clinical safety and efficacy of microwave ablation for small renal masses.

Purpose: CT-guided MWA is a safe and effective tool that should be utilized in the treatment of small renal masses (SRMs). We aim to clarify the utility of CT-guided MWA by examining patient outcomes such as recurrence, treatment success, changes in renal function, and complications.

Methods: A retrospective review of consecutive patients with SRMs who underwent same day renal mass biopsy (RMB) and CT-guided MWA between 2015 and 2022 was performed.

Distinct roles of Bdnf I and Bdnf IV transcript variant expression in hippocampal neurons.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf) plays a critical role in brain development, dendritic growth, synaptic plasticity, as well as learning and memory. The rodent Bdnf gene contains nine 5' non-coding exons (I-IXa), which are spliced to a common 3' coding exon (IX). Transcription of individual Bdnf variants, which all encode the same BDNF protein, is initiated at unique promoters upstream of each non-coding exon, enabling precise spatiotemporal and activity-dependent regulation of Bdnf expression.

Distinct roles of and transcript variant expression in hippocampal neurons.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor () plays a critical role in brain development, dendritic growth, synaptic plasticity, as well as learning and memory. The rodent gene contains nine 5' non-coding exons (), which are spliced to a common 3' coding exon (). Transcription of individual variants, which all encode the same BDNF protein, is initiated at unique promoters upstream of each non-coding exon, enabling precise spatiotemporal and activity-dependent regulation of expression.

The SETD6 Methyltransferase Plays an Essential Role in Hippocampus-Dependent Memory Formation.

Background: Epigenetic mechanisms are critical for hippocampus-dependent memory formation. Building on previous studies that implicate the N-lysine methyltransferase SETD6 in the activation of nuclear factor-κB RELA (also known as transcription factor p65) as an epigenetic recruiter, we hypothesized that SETD6 is a key player in the epigenetic control of long-term memory.

Methods: Using a series of molecular, biochemical, imaging, electrophysiological, and behavioral experiments, we interrogated the effects of short interfering RNA-mediated knockdown of Setd6 in the rat dorsal hippocampus during memory consolidation.

Fasudil or genetic depletion of ROCK1 or ROCK2 induces anxiety-like behaviors.

Twenty-nine protein kinase inhibitors have been used to treat human diseases. Out of these, two are Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) 1 and 2 inhibitors. The ROCKs heavily influence neuronal architecture and structural plasticity, and ROCKs are putative drug targets for various brain disorders.

Pharmacologic inhibition of LIMK1 provides dendritic spine resilience against β-amyloid.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) therapies predominantly focus on β-amyloid (Aβ), but Aβ effects may be maximal before clinical symptoms appear. Downstream of Aβ, dendritic spine loss correlates most strongly with cognitive decline in AD. Rho-associated kinases (ROCK1 and ROCK2) regulate the actin cytoskeleton, and ROCK1 and ROCK2 protein abundances are increased in early AD.

Climate change and variability impacts on grazing herds: Insights from a system dynamics approach for semi-arid Australian rangelands.

Grazing livestock are an important source of food and income for millions of people worldwide. Changes in mean climate and increasing climate variability are affecting grasslands' carrying capacity, thus threatening the livelihood of millions of people as well as the health of grassland ecosystems. Compared with cropping systems, relatively little is known about the impact of such climatic changes on grasslands and livestock productivity and the adaptation responses available to farmers.

Natural climate solutions for the United States.

Limiting climate warming to <2°C requires increased mitigation efforts, including land stewardship, whose potential in the United States is poorly understood. We quantified the potential of natural climate solutions (NCS)-21 conservation, restoration, and improved land management interventions on natural and agricultural lands-to increase carbon storage and avoid greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. We found a maximum potential of 1.

Distinct and complementary functions of rho kinase isoforms ROCK1 and ROCK2 in prefrontal cortex structural plasticity.

Rho-associated protein kinases (ROCK) 1 and 2 are attractive drug targets for a range of neurologic disorders; however, a critical barrier to ROCK-based therapeutics is ambiguity over whether there are isoform-specific roles for ROCKs in neuronal structural plasticity. Here, we used a genetics approach to address this long-standing question by analyzing both male and female adult ROCK1 and ROCK2 mice compared to littermate controls. Individual pyramidal neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) were targeted for iontophoretic microinjection of fluorescent dye, followed by high-resolution confocal microscopy and neuronal 3D reconstructions for morphometry analysis.

α-Synuclein fibril-induced paradoxical structural and functional defects in hippocampal neurons.

Neuronal inclusions composed of α-synuclein (α-syn) characterize Parkinson's Disease (PD) and Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Cognitive dysfunction defines DLB, and up to 80% of PD patients develop dementia. α-Syn inclusions are abundant in the hippocampus, yet functional consequences are unclear.

Assessing the sustainable development and intensification potential of beef cattle production in Sumbawa, Indonesia, using a system dynamics approach.

The intensification of beef cattle production in dryland areas of East Indonesia has the potential to substantially raise the incomes of smallholder farmers that dominate the sector. In this study we assess the potential for intensifying beef production on Sumbawa Island, by introducing a household feedlot production system (2-20 animals) based on the Leucaena leucocephala (leucanea) tree legume as an improved source of feed. We used a system dynamics approach to model the entire value chain, accounting for herd dynamics, demand dynamics and seasonality.

Rho-associated protein kinase 1 (ROCK1) is increased in Alzheimer's disease and ROCK1 depletion reduces amyloid-β levels in brain.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia and mitigating amyloid-β (Aβ) levels may serve as a rational therapeutic avenue to slow AD progression. Pharmacologic inhibition of the Rho-associated protein kinases (ROCK1 and ROCK2) is proposed to curb Aβ levels, and mechanisms that underlie ROCK2's effects on Aβ production are defined. How ROCK1 affects Aβ generation remains a critical barrier.

Rho Kinase Inhibition as a Therapeutic for Progressive Supranuclear Palsy and Corticobasal Degeneration.

Unlabelled: Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and corticobasal degeneration (CBD) are neurodegenerative four-repeat tauopathies with no cure. Mitigating pathogenic tau levels is a rational strategy for tauopathy treatment, but therapeutic targets with clinically available drugs are lacking. Here, we report that protein levels of the Rho-associated protein kinases (ROCK1 and ROCK2), p70 S6 kinase (S6K), and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) were increased in PSP and CBD brains.

Mutant human torsinA, responsible for early-onset dystonia, dominantly suppresses GTPCH expression, dopamine levels and locomotion in Drosophila melanogaster.

Dystonia represents the third most common movement disorder in humans with over 20 genetic loci identified. TOR1A (DYT1), the gene responsible for the most common primary hereditary dystonia, encodes torsinA, an AAA ATPase family protein. Most cases of DYT1 dystonia are caused by a 3 bp (ΔGAG) deletion that results in the loss of a glutamic acid residue (ΔE302/303) in the carboxyl terminal region of torsinA.

Adjustment of suboptimally placed lumbar pedicle screws decreases pullout strength and alters biomechanics of the construct: a pilot cadaveric study.

Background: Lumbar pedicle screws are placed for internal fixation and help to enhance bony fusion. Optimal screws are medially directed, should be parallel or pointing to the superior endplate, and penetrate 50%-80% of the vertebral body. "Nonparallel" pedicle screws can be inadvertently placed within the confines of the pedicle and vertebral body but are sometimes replaced to obtain a more acceptable postoperative image.

Strategy for effective percutaneous drainage of pancreatic collections: results on 121 patients.

Unlabelled: There is a lack of technical guidelines for image-guided percutaneous drainage (IGPD) of pancreatic fluid collections (PFCs). To fill that void, we present a strategy and guidelines for systematic IGPD for effective PFCs evacuation.

Methods: Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved study of 121 pancreatitis patients with symptomatic PFCs that underwent IGPD.

Global climate policy impacts on livestock, land use, livelihoods, and food security.

Recent research has shed light on the cost-effective contribution that agriculture can make to global greenhouse gas abatement; however, the resulting impacts on agricultural production, producer livelihoods, and food security remain largely unexplored. This paper provides an integrated assessment of the linkages between land-based climate policies, development, and food security, with a particular emphasis on abatement opportunities and impacts in the livestock sector. Targeting Annex I countries and exempting non-Annex I countries from land-based carbon policies on equity or food security grounds may result in significant leakage rates for livestock production and agriculture as a whole.

Carcinoma of the axillary tail of Spence: a case series.

There is sparse information about cancer in the axillary tail of Spence (CATS). Eight hundred and thirty-nine patients with breast cancer were retrospectively studied for the occurrence of CATS. Ten patients were identified based on detection by imaging studies.

Development of an acoustic actuator for launch vehicle noise reduction.

In many active noise control applications, it is necessary that acoustic actuators be mounted in small enclosures due to volume constraints and in order to remain unobtrusive. However, the air spring of the enclosure is detrimental to the low-frequency performance of the actuator. For launch vehicle noise control applications, mass and volume constraints are very limiting, but the low-frequency performance of the actuator is critical.