Ancient genomics support deep divergence between Eastern and Western Mediterranean Indo-European languages.

The Indo-European languages are among the most widely spoken in the world, yet their early diversification remains contentious. It is widely accepted that the spread of this language family across Europe from the 5th millennium BP correlates with the expansion and diversification of steppe-related genetic ancestry from the onset of the Bronze Age. However, multiple steppe-derived populations co-existed in Europe during this period, and it remains unclear how these populations diverged and which provided the demographic channels for the ancestral forms of the Italic, Celtic, Greek, and Armenian languages.

Monte Carlo modeling of the origin of contaminant electrons on a 0.5T bi-planar Linac-MR.

Introduction: In the last decade, hybrid linear accelerator magnetic resonance imaging (Linac-MR) devices have evolved into FDA-cleared clinical tools, facilitating magnetic resonance guided radiotherapy (MRgRT). The addition of a magnetic field to radiation therapy has previously demonstrated dosimetric and electron effects regardless of magnetic field orientation.

Purpose: This study uses Monte Carlo simulations to investigate the importance and efficacy of the magnetic field design in mitigating surface dose enhancement in the Aurora-RT, focusing specifically on contaminant electrons, their origin, and energy spectrum.

Improved survival prediction for kidney transplant outcomes using artificial intelligence-based models: development of the UK Deceased Donor Kidney Transplant Outcome Prediction (UK-DTOP) Tool.

The UK Deceased Donor Kidney Transplant Outcome Prediction (UK-DTOP) Tool, developed using advanced artificial intelligence (AI), significantly enhances the prediction of outcomes for deceased-donor kidney transplants in the UK. This study analyzed data from the UK Transplant Registry (UKTR), including 29,713 transplant cases between 2008 and 2022, to assess the predictive performance of three machine learning models: XGBoost, Random Survival Forest, and Optimal Decision Tree. Among these, XGBoost demonstrated exceptional performance with the highest concordance index of 0.

Assessment of sociodemographic factors associated with time to self-reported COVID-19 infection among a large multi-center prospective cohort population in the southeastern United States.

Objective: We aimed to investigate sociodemographic factors associated with self-reported COVID-19 infection.

Methods: The study population was a prospective multicenter cohort of adult volunteers recruited from healthcare systems located in the mid-Atlantic and southern United States. Between April 2020 and October 2021, participants completed daily online questionnaires about symptoms, exposures, and risk behaviors related to COVID-19, including self-reports of positive SARS CoV-2 detection tests and COVID-19 vaccination.

Rigid Macrocycle Metal Complexes as CXCR4 Chemokine Receptor Antagonists: Influence of Ring Size.

Understanding the role of chemokine receptors in health and disease has been of increasing interest in recent years. Chemokine receptor CXCR4 has been extensively studied because of its defined role in immune cell trafficking, HIV infection, inflammatory diseases, and cancer progression. We have developed high affinity rigidified CXCR4 antagonists that incorporate metal ions to optimize the binding interactions with the aspartate side chains at the extracellular surface of the CXCR4 chemokine receptor and increase the residence time.

microRNA-1 Regulates Metabolic Flexibility in Skeletal Muscle via Pyruvate Metabolism.

MicroRNA-1 (miR-1) is the most abundant miRNA in adult skeletal muscle. To determine the function of miR-1 in adult skeletal muscle, we generated an inducible, skeletal muscle-specific miR-1 knockout (KO) mouse. Integration of RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) data from miR-1 KO muscle with Argonaute 2 enhanced crosslinking and immunoprecipitation sequencing (AGO2 eCLIP-seq) from human skeletal muscle identified miR-1 target genes involved with glycolysis and pyruvate metabolism.

Satellite cell dynamics during skeletal muscle hypertrophy.

Skeletal muscle stem cells (MuSCs) display distinct behavior crucial for tissue maintenance and repair. Upon activation, MuSCs exhibit distinct modes of division: symmetric division, facilitating either self-renewal or differentiation, and asymmetric division, which dictates divergent cellular fates. This review explores the nuanced dynamics of MuSC division and the molecular mechanisms governing this behavior.

Management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Synopsis of the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense Clinical Practice Guideline.

The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the US Department of Defense (DoD) approved a joint clinical practice guideline for the management of type 2 diabetes. This was the product of a multidisciplinary guideline development committee composed of clinicians from both the VA and the DoD and was overseen by the VA/DoD Evidence Based Practice Work Group. The development process conformed to the standards for trustworthy guidelines as established by the National Academy of Medicine.

Randomized placebo controlled trial of phytoterpenes in DMSO for the treatment of plantar fasciitis.

Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of heel pain in adults with an overall prevalence of 0.85% in the adult population of the US, affecting over 2 million adults annually. Most current treatment modalities are not supported by sufficient evidence to recommend one particular strategy over another.

Discrimination of Jamaican fruit bat lymphocytes by flow cytometry.

Unlabelled: Bats are natural reservoir hosts of many important zoonotic viruses but because there are few immunological reagents and breeding colonies available for infectious disease research, little is known about their immune responses to infection. We established a breeding colony Jamaican fruit bats ( ) to study bat virology and immunology. The species is used as a natural reservoir model for H18N11 influenza A virus, and as a surrogate model for SARS-CoV-2, MERS-CoV and Tacaribe virus.

Skeletal muscle hypertrophy: cell growth is cell growth.

Roberts et al. have provided an insightful counterpoint to our review article on the utility of the synergist ablation model. The purpose of this review is to provide some further dialogue regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the synergist ablation model.

The utility of the rodent synergist ablation model in identifying molecular and cellular mechanisms of skeletal muscle hypertrophy.

Skeletal muscle exhibits remarkable plasticity to adapt to stimuli such as mechanical loading. The mechanisms that regulate skeletal muscle hypertrophy due to mechanical overload have been thoroughly studied. Remarkably, our understanding of many of the molecular and cellular mechanisms that regulate hypertrophic growth were first identified using the rodent synergist ablation (SA) model and subsequently corroborated in human resistance exercise training studies.

Skin dose investigations on a 0.5 T parallel rotating biplanar linac-MR using Monte Carlo simulations and measurements.

Background: The Alberta rotating biplanar linac-MR has a 0.5 T magnetic field parallel to the beamline. When developing a new linac-MR system, interactions of charged particles with the magnetic field necessitate careful consideration of skin dose and tissue interface effects.

Naloxone prescription fills and use by patients treated for opioid use disorder by telehealth.

Background: It is unknown how many people in treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) have naloxone, use naloxone, and what their perceptions and barriers to obtaining it are.

Methods: This was a survey of patients treated in a large telehealth OUD program. Between December 6, 2023 and January 6, 2024, all patients who had access to the program's phone app (n=17,899 individuals, of whom 12,887 were in active treatment), were invited to complete an anonymous online survey.

Microbial-Derived Exerkines Prevent Skeletal Muscle Atrophy.

Regular exercise yields a multitude of systemic benefits, many of which may be mediated through the gut microbiome. Here, we report that cecal microbial transplants (CMTs) from exercise-trained vs. sedentary mice have modest benefits in reducing skeletal muscle atrophy using a mouse model of unilaterally hindlimb-immobilization.

The impact of advancing the standard of care in radiotherapy on operational treatment resources.

Purpose: To demonstrate the impact of implementing hypofractionated prescription regimens and advanced treatment techniques on institutional operational hours and radiotherapy personnel resources in a multi-institutional setting. The study may be used to describe the impact of advancing the standard of care with modern radiotherapy techniques on patient and staff resources.

Methods: This study uses radiation therapy data extracted from the radiotherapy information system from two tertiary care, university-affiliated cancer centers from 2012 to 2021.

The association of self-reported sleep and circadian measures with glycemic control and diabetes complications among young adults with type 2 diabetes.

We aim to examine the association of sleep duration, sleep quality, late chronotype, and circadian misalignment with glycemic control and risk of complications in young adults with youth-onset type 2 diabetes followed in the Treatment Options for Type 2 Diabetes in Adolescents and Youth (TODAY) study. Self-reported sleep duration, quality, timing, and circadian misalignment were assessed via a modified Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire, and chronotype was assessed via the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ). We examined diabetes complications including loss of glycemic control (defined as hemoglobin A1c ≥8%), hypertension, dyslipidemia, albuminuria, and diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

Psychosocial Factors and Glycemic Control in Young Adults With Youth-Onset Type 2 Diabetes.

Importance: Youth-onset type 2 diabetes is associated with poor glycemic control and early onset of complications. Identification of psychosocial factors associated with poor glycemic control is needed to inform efficacious interventions.

Objective: To identify psychosocial factors associated with glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels in young adults with youth-onset type 2 diabetes.

Lethal metabolism of Candida albicans respiratory mutants.

The destructive impact of fungi in agriculture and animal and human health, coincident with increases in antifungal resistance, underscores the need for new and alternative drug targets to counteract these trends. Cellular metabolism relies on many intermediates with intrinsic toxicity and promiscuous enzymatic activity generates others. Fuller knowledge of these toxic entities and their generation may offer opportunities of antifungal development.