Learning From Full Characterization of HIV Proviruses in People Receiving Long-Acting Cabotegravir/Rilpivirine With a History of Replication on the Antiretroviral Classes.

Background: To better understand factors associated with virologic response, we retrospectively characterized the HIV proviruses of 7 people with HIV who received long-acting cabotegravir/rilpivirine (CAB/RPV-LA) and were selected according to the following criteria: virologic control achieved despite a history of viral replication on 1 or both corresponding antiretroviral classes (n = 6) and virologic failure (VF) after CAB/RPV-LA initiation (n = 1).

Methods: Last available blood samples before the initiation of CAB/RPV-LA were analyzed retrospectively. Near full-length HIV DNA genome haplotypes were inferred from Nanopore sequencing by the in vivo Genome Diversity Analyzer to search for archived drug resistance mutations (DRMs) and evaluate the frequency and intactness of proviruses harboring DRMs.

Pharmacist Medication Titration Program for Patients With Cardiac Sarcoidosis and Systolic Heart Failure: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: A multidisciplinary approach improves guideline-directed medical therapy in systolic heart failure (HF), but its efficacy in patients with HF due to cardiac sarcoidosis is unreported.

Methods And Results: In a retrospective cohort study, we reviewed 848 patients from our institutional cardiac sarcoidosis clinics, identifying those with a cardiac sarcoidosis diagnosis, HF (left ventricular ejection fraction <50%) at index evaluation, and echocardiograms within 90 days and 11 to 36 months. Patients were stratified by participation in a pharmacist-led medication therapy management (MTM) program for guideline-directed medical therapy optimization (MTM versus non-MTM [NMTM]) without randomization.

High-resolution snapshots of the talin auto-inhibitory states suggest roles in cell adhesion and signaling.

Talin regulates crucial cellular functions, including cell adhesion and motility, and affects human diseases. Triggered by mechanical forces, talin plays crucial roles in facilitating the formation of focal adhesions and recruiting essential focal adhesion regulatory elements such as vinculin. The structural flexibility allows talin to fine-tune its signaling responses.

Schwann cell-secreted PGE promotes sensory neuron excitability during development.

Electrical excitability-the ability to fire and propagate action potentials-is a signature feature of neurons. How neurons become excitable during development and whether excitability is an intrinsic property of neurons remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate that Schwann cells, the most abundant glia in the peripheral nervous system, promote somatosensory neuron excitability during development.

Ligand Oxidation Activates a Ruthenium(II) Precatalyst for C-H Hydroxylation.

A new class of Ru-sulfonamidate precatalysts for sp C-H hydroxylation is described along with a versatile process for assembling unique heteroleptic Ru(II) complexes. The latter has enabled structure-performance studies to identify an optimal precatalyst, , bearing one 4,4'-di--butylbipyridine (dtbpy) and one pyridylsulfonamidate ligand. Single-crystal X-ray analysis confirmed the structure and stereochemistry of this adduct.

Severe Hypertriglyceridemia in a Patient With Metabolic Syndrome and Psoriasis on Risankizumab-Rzaa.

We report a case of severe hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) complicated by hyperviscosity syndrome as a possible adverse reaction to risankizumab-rzaa in a 49-year-old male with a history of longstanding uncontrolled type 2 diabetes, obesity, and coronary artery disease with prior ST-elevation myocardial infarction. On admission, the patient presented with xanthomatous plaques, chest and epigastric discomfort, and headache. Subsequent blood testing revealed severely elevated triglyceride (TG) levels at 7670 mg/dL (86.

Behavioral control through the direct, focal silencing of neuronal activity.

The ability to optically stimulate and inhibit neurons has revolutionized neuroscience research. Here, we present a direct, potent, user-friendly chemical approach for optically silencing neurons. We have rendered saxitoxin (STX), a naturally occurring paralytic agent, transiently inert through chemical protection with a previously undisclosed nitrobenzyl-derived photocleavable group.

ST-2560, a selective inhibitor of the Na1.7 sodium channel, affects nocifensive and cardiovascular reflexes in non-human primates.

Background And Purpose: The voltage-gated sodium channel isoform Na1.7 is a high-interest target for the development of non-opioid analgesics due to its preferential expression in pain-sensing neurons. Na1.

Arrhythmic manifestations and outcomes of definite and probable cardiac sarcoidosis.

Background: The 2014 Heart Rhythm Society consensus statement defines histological (definite) and clinical (probable) diagnostic categories of cardiac sarcoidosis (CS), but few studies have compared their arrhythmic phenotypes and outcomes.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the electrophysiological/arrhythmic phenotype and outcomes of patients with definite and probable CS.

Methods: We analyzed the arrhythmic/electrophysiological phenotype in a single-center North American cohort of 388 patients (median age 56 years; 39% female, n = 151) diagnosed with definite (n = 58) or probable (n = 330) CS (2000-2022).

A Pragmatic Study of Cardiovascular Disease During Long-Term COVID-19.

Background: Many patients diagnosed with COVID-19 have persistent cardiovascular symptoms, but whether this represents a true cardiac process is unclear. This study assessed whether symptoms associated with long COVID among patients referred for cardiovascular evaluation are associated with objective abnormalities on cardiac testing to explain their clinical presentation.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study of 40,462 unique patients diagnosed with COVID-19 at our tertiary referral was conducted and identified 363 patients with persistent cardiovascular symptoms a minimum of 4 weeks after polymerase chain reaction confirmed COVID-19 infection.

Dual receptor-sites reveal the structural basis for hyperactivation of sodium channels by poison-dart toxin batrachotoxin.

The poison dart toxin batrachotoxin is exceptional for its high potency and toxicity, and for its multifaceted modification of the function of voltage-gated sodium channels. By using cryogenic electron microscopy, we identify two homologous, but nonidentical receptor sites that simultaneously bind two molecules of toxin, one at the interface between Domains I and IV, and the other at the interface between Domains III and IV of the cardiac sodium channel. Together, these two bound toxin molecules stabilize α/π helical conformation in the S6 segments that gate the pore, and one of the bound BTX-B molecules interacts with the crucial Lys1421 residue that is essential for sodium conductance and selectivity via an apparent water-bridged hydrogen bond.

Imaging of Cardiac Sarcoidosis: An Update and Future Aspects.

Cardiac sarcoidosis (CS), an increasingly recognized disease of unknown etiology, is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Given the limited diagnostic yield of traditional endomyocardial biopsy (EMB), there is increasing reliance on multimodality cardiovascular imaging in the diagnosis and management of CS, with EMB being largely supplanted by the use of F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG-PET) and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR). This article aims to provide a comprehensive review of imaging modalities currently utilized in the screening, diagnosis, and monitoring of CS, while highlighting the latest developments in each area.

CryoEM structures of the human CLC-2 voltage-gated chloride channel reveal a ball-and-chain gating mechanism.

CLC-2 is a voltage-gated chloride channel that contributes to electrical excitability and ion homeostasis in many different tissues. Among the nine mammalian CLC homologs, CLC-2 is uniquely activated by hyperpolarization, rather than depolarization, of the plasma membrane. The molecular basis for the divergence in polarity of voltage gating among closely related homologs has been a long-standing mystery, in part because few CLC channel structures are available.

Expression, purification, and characterization of anuran saxiphilins using thermofluor, fluorescence polarization, and isothermal titration calorimetry.

Anuran saxiphilins (Sxphs) are "toxin sponge" proteins thought to prevent the lethal effects of small-molecule neurotoxins through sequestration. Here, we present a protocol for the expression, purification, and characterization of Sxphs. We describe steps for using thermofluor, fluorescence polarization, and isothermal titration calorimetry assays that probe Sxph:saxitoxin interactions using a range of sample quantities.

Comparison of Photon-counting Detector and Energy-integrating Detector CT for Visual Estimation of Coronary Percent Luminal Stenosis.

Background Compared with energy-integrating detector (EID) CT, the improved resolution of photon-counting detector (PCD) CT coupled with high-energy virtual monoenergetic images (VMIs) has been shown to decrease calcium blooming on images in phantoms and cadaveric specimens. Purpose To determine the impact of dual-source PCD CT on visual and quantitative estimation of percent diameter luminal stenosis compared with dual-source EID CT in patients. Materials and Methods This prospective study recruited consecutive adult patients from an outpatient facility between January and March 2022.

Super-resolution imaging of potassium channels with genetically encoded EGFP.

The plasma membrane is a well-organized structure of lipids and proteins, segmented into lipid compartments under 200 nm in size. This specific spatial patterning is crucial for the function of proteins and necessitates super-resolution imaging for its elucidation. Here, we establish that the genetically encoded enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP), when combined with direct optical reconstruction microscopy (dSTORM), tracks shear- and cholesterol-induced nanoscopic patterning of potassium channels overexpressed in HEK293T cells.

Trifunctional Saxitoxin Conjugates for Covalent Labeling of Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels.

Voltage-gated sodium ion channels (Na s) are integral membrane protein complexes responsible for electrical signal conduction in excitable cells. Methods that enable selective labeling of Na s hold potential value for understanding how channel regulation and post-translational modification are influenced during development and in response to diseases and disorders of the nervous system. We have developed chemical reagents patterned after (+)-saxitoxin (STX) - a potent and reversible inhibitor of multiple Na isoforms - and affixed with a reactive electrophile and either a biotin cofactor, fluorophore, or 'click' functional group for labeling wild-type channels.

CryoEM structures of the human CLC-2 voltage gated chloride channel reveal a ball and chain gating mechanism.

CLC-2 is a voltage-gated chloride channel that contributes to electrical excitability and ion homeostasis in many different mammalian tissues and cell types. Among the nine mammalian CLC homologs, CLC-2 is uniquely activated by hyperpolarization, rather than depolarization, of the plasma membrane. The molecular basis for the divergence in polarity of voltage gating mechanisms among closely related CLC homologs has been a long-standing mystery, in part because few CLC channel structures are available, and those that exist exhibit high conformational similarity.