Acoustic speech features are associated with late-life depression and apathy symptoms: Preliminary findings.

Background: Late-life depression (LLD) is a heterogenous disorder related to cognitive decline and neurodegenerative processes, raising a need for the development of novel biomarkers. We sought to provide preliminary evidence for acoustic speech signatures sensitive to LLD and their relationship to depressive dimensions.

Methods: Forty patients (24 female, aged 65-82 years) were assessed with the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS).

Photophysical characterization of xanthene dyes.

The growing interest in using photodynamic therapy for cancer treatment and antimicrobial applications has prompted the search for different classes of dyes. In general, the protocols of these studies are different, making it difficult to compare their efficiency directly. Here, we apply a controlled protocol to analyze the photophysical properties of Erythrosin B, Eosin Y, and Rose Bengal using a set of optical techniques.

Mental Health Outcomes of Arab and Jewish Populations in Israel a Month after the Mass Trauma Events of October 7, 2023: A Cross-Sectional Survey of a Representative Sample.

On October 7, 2023, a war erupted in Israel following a mass terror attack including mass shootings, violent events, civilian abductions, and numerous fatalities, ranking as the third most deadliest terror attack. This cross-sectional, population-based study evaluated the impact on the mental health and utilization of mental health services in the Arab and Jewish populations. Conducted through a virtual platform, the study compared demographic factors, exposure to war-related events, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress symptoms among 517 participants in a representative sample of the adult population in Israel (79.

Adoptive Cell Therapy in Mice Sensitized to a Grass Pollen Allergen.

The proportion of patients with type I allergy in the world population has been increasing and with it the number of people suffering from allergic symptoms. Recently we showed that prophylactic cell therapy employing allergen-expressing bone marrow (BM) cells or splenic B cells induced allergen-specific tolerance in naïve mice. Here we investigated if cell therapy can modulate an established secondary allergen-specific immune response in pre-immunized mice.

Involuntary and patient-initiated delays in medical care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This paper uses data from a new, nationally representative survey to study delays in non-COVID-related medical care among US adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. We expand on prior research by taking a comprehensive look at the many reasons patients may have experienced delays in medical care and by studying the longer-run implications of these delays for patients' self-reported health, use of telemedicine, feelings of regret, and likelihood of delaying care again in the future. Classifying delays in care broadly as involuntary (those due to availability or "supply-side" constraints) or patient-initiated (those due to patient concerns or "demand-side" constraints), we document important differences across demographic groups in the propensity to delay care for these reasons.

Towards a comprehensive characterization of spatio-temporal dependence of light-induced electromagnetic forces in dielectric liquids.

The interaction of localized light with matter generates optical electrostriction within dielectric fluids, leading to a discernible change in the refractive index of the medium according to the excitation's light profile. This optical force holds critical significance in optical manipulation and plays a fundamental role in numerous photonic applications. In this study, we demonstrate the applicability of the pump-probe, photo-induced lensing (PIL) method to investigate optical electrostriction in various dielectric liquids.

Epigenetic modulation of myeloid cell functions in HIV and SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Myeloid cells play a vital role in innate immune responses as they recognize and phagocytose pathogens like viruses, present antigens, produce cytokines, recruit other immune cells to combat infections, and contribute to the attenuation of immune responses to restore homeostasis. Signal integration by pathogen recognition receptors enables myeloid cells to adapt their functions by a network of transcription factors and chromatin remodelers. This review provides a brief overview of the subtypes of myeloid cells and the main epigenetic regulation mechanisms.

Valgising angular stable plate fixation in the treatment of multifragmentary proximal humeral fractures in elderly patients.

Introduction: The frequency of proximal humeral fractures shows an increasing tendency, especially in the elderly, who are frequently affected by osteoporosis. The adequate treatment of complex, displaced fractures poses a serious challenge. Among surgical treatment options, osteosynthesis with an angular stable plate is preferred, however, the implant-related complication rate may be exceptionally high.

Optical detection of the ultrasound-induced pulsed thermal lens close to the ice-water phase transition.

Piezo-optic and thermo-optic coefficients are important material properties that play a critical role in the design and optimization of many optical devices. The ability to accurately measure and control these coefficients is essential for achieving high performance and reliability in a wide range of applications. In this article, we use the optical detection of the ultrasound-induced thermal lens effect to investigate these properties for water at low temperatures.

Vascular Responses following Light Therapy: A Pilot Study with Healthy Volunteers.

(1) Background: Studies have reported the effectiveness of light therapy in various medical conditions. Our pilot study aimed to assess the effect of Maharishi light therapy (MLT) on physiological parameters, such as the heart rate (HR), HR variability (HRV), blood pressure (BP), BP variability (BPV), and the retinal microvasculature of healthy participants; (2) Methodology: Thirty (14 males and 16 females) healthy, non-smoking participants between 23 and 71 years old (46 ± 18 years) were included in this randomized crossover study. Each participant was tested with a placebo (using LED light) and gem lights, 24 h apart.

Target Selection for T-Cell Therapy in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer: Systematic Prioritization of Self-Antigens.

Adoptive T cell-receptor therapy (ACT) could represent a promising approach in the targeted treatment of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). However, the identification of suitable tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) as targets is challenging. We identified and prioritized TAAs for ACT and other immunotherapeutic interventions in EOC.

Photoactivity of hypericin: from natural product to antifungal application.

Considering the multifaceted and increasing application of photodynamic therapy (PDT), in recent years the antimicrobial employment of this therapy has been highlighted, because of the antiviral, antibacterial, antiparasitic, and antifungal activities that have already been demonstrated. In this context, research focussed on antimycological action, especially for treatment of superficial infections, presents promising growth due to the characteristics of these infections that facilitate PDT application as new therapeutic options are needed in the field of medical mycology. Among the more than one hundred classes of photosensitizers the antifungal action of hypericin (Hyp) stands out due to its ability to permeate the lipid membrane and accumulate in different cytoplasmic organelles of eukaryotic cells.

The default network is causally linked to creative thinking.

Creative thinking represents a major evolutionary mechanism that greatly contributed to the rapid advancement of the human species. The ability to produce novel and useful ideas, or original thinking, is thought to correlate well with unexpected, synchronous activation of several large-scale, dispersed cortical networks, such as the default network (DN). Despite a vast amount of correlative evidence, a causal link between default network and creativity has yet to be demonstrated.

Photoactivation of Erythrosine in simulated body fluids.

Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) is a powerful technique for the treatment of cancer and non-cancerous diseases. The precise PDT treatment protocol definition must consider the performance difference between in vitroand in vivoapplications. This also occurs in other biological studies, and to partially overcome this difficulty, the simulated body fluids are generally applied as a prior understanding of the particularities of the different systems.

Structural and functional brain-wide alterations in A350V Iqsec2 mutant mice displaying autistic-like behavior.

IQSEC2 is an X-linked gene that is associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), intellectual disability, and epilepsy. IQSEC2 is a postsynaptic density protein, localized on excitatory synapses as part of the NMDA receptor complex and is suggested to play a role in AMPA receptor trafficking and mediation of long-term depression. Here, we present brain-wide structural volumetric and functional connectivity characterization in a novel mouse model with a missense mutation in the IQ domain of IQSEC2 (A350V).

Individual variability in functional connectivity architecture of the mouse brain.

In recent years precision fMRI has emerged in human brain research, demonstrating characterization of individual differences in brain organization. However, mechanistic investigations to the sources of individual variability are limited in humans and thus require animal models. Here, we used resting-state fMRI in awake mice to quantify the contribution of individual variation to the functional architecture of the mouse cortex.

How stable is lung function in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease when monitored using a telehealth system? A longitudinal and home-based study.

Background: Many telehealth systems have been designed to identify signs of exacerbations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but few previous studies have reported the nature of recorded lung function data and what variations to expect in this group of individuals. The aim of the study was to evaluate the nature of individual diurnal, day-to-day and long-term variation in important prognostic markers of COPD exacerbations by employing a telehealth system developed in-house.

Methods: Eight women and five men with COPD performed measurements (spirometry, pulse oximetry and the COPD assessment test (CAT)) three times per week for 4-6 months using the telehealth system.

Individual structural features constrain the mouse functional connectome.

Whole brain dynamics intuitively depend upon the internal wiring of the brain; but to which extent the individual structural connectome constrains the corresponding functional connectome is unknown, even though its importance is uncontested. After acquiring structural data from individual mice, we virtualized their brain networks and simulated in silico functional MRI data. Theoretical results were validated against empirical awake functional MRI data obtained from the same mice.

Functional Dissection of the Chickpea () Stay-Green Phenotype Associated with Molecular Variation at an Ortholog of Mendel's I Gene for Cotyledon Color: Implications for Crop Production and Carotenoid Biofortification.

"Stay-green" crop phenotypes have been shown to impact drought tolerance and nutritional content of several crops. We aimed to genetically describe and functionally dissect the particular stay-green phenomenon found in chickpeas with a green cotyledon color of mature dry seed and investigate its potential use for improvement of chickpea environmental adaptations and nutritional value. We examined 40 stay-green accessions and a set of 29 BC2F4-5 stay-green introgression lines using a stay-green donor parent ICC 16340 and two Indian elite cultivars (KAK2, JGK1) as recurrent parents.