Clinical-grade extracellular vesicles derived from umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cells: preclinical development and first-in-human intra-articular validation as therapeutics for knee osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a joint disease characterized by articular cartilage degradation. Persistent low-grade inflammation defines OA pathogenesis, with crucial involvement of pro-inflammatory M1-like macrophages. While mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) and their small extracellular vesicles (sEV) hold promise for OA treatment, achieving consistent clinical-grade sEV products remains a significant challenge.

Efficacy of a single dose of cryopreserved human umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cells for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis:a randomized, controlled, double-blind pilot study.

Background: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent degenerative musculoskeletal disorder, which is particularly common in older population. While conventional treatments have limited effectiveness, the development of more effective therapeutic strategies is necessary to address this primary source of pain and disability. Umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cells (UC-MSCs) offer a promising therapeutic approach for treating knee OA.

How to Efficiently Measure the Intelligibility of People With Parkinson's Disease.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the most efficient approaches to measuring the intelligibility of people with Parkinson's disease (PD) when considering the estimation method, listener experience, number of listeners, number of sentences, and the ways these factors may interact.

Method: Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and inexperienced listeners estimated the intelligibility of people with and without PD using orthographic transcription or a visual analog scale (VAS). Intelligibility estimates were based on 11 Speech Intelligibility Test sentences.

Demographic History and Inbreeding in Two Declining Sea Duck Species Inferred From Whole-Genome Sequence Data.

Anthropogenic impact has transitioned from threatening already rare species to causing significant declines in once numerous organisms. Long-tailed duck () and velvet scoter () were once important quarry sea duck species in NW Europe, but recent declines resulted in their reclassification as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. We sequenced and assembled genomes for both species and resequenced 15 individuals of each.

Outcomes of Abdominal Apical Suspension Using Mesh in a Tertiary Training Hospital: A Seven-year Retrospective Review.

Background: Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is an inconvenience that can affect a woman's well-being. Reconstructive pelvic floor surgery involves repairing defects in the endopelvic fascia and pelvic floor musculature as close to the physiologic and anatomic norm. The cornerstone of successful prolapse repair is a strong apical support.

Community Members' Perceptions of a Resource-Rich Well-Being Website in California During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Qualitative Thematic Analysis.

Background: To address needs for emotional well-being resources for Californians during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Together for Wellness/Juntos por Nuestro Bienestar (T4W/Juntos) website was developed in collaboration with multiple community partners across California, funded by the California Department of Health Care Services Behavioral Health Division federal emergency response.

Objective: This qualitative study was designed to explore and describe the perspectives of participants affiliated with California organizations on the T4W/Juntos website, understand their needs for web-based emotional health resources, and inform iterative website development.

Methods: After providing informed consent and reviewing the website, telephone interviews were conducted with 29 participants (n=21, 72% in English and n=8, 28% in Spanish) recruited by partnering community agencies (October 2021-February 2022).

A Phase I Dose-Escalation Clinical Trial to Assess the Safety and Efficacy of Umbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells in Knee Osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common degenerative joint disease. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) are promising cell-based therapy for OA. However, there is still a need for additional randomized, dose-dependent studies to determine the optimal dose and tissue source of MSC for improved clinical outcomes.

Controlling Pitch for Prosody: Sensorimotor Adaptation in Linguistically Meaningful Contexts.

Purpose: This study examined how speakers adapt to fundamental frequency () errors that affect the use of prosody to convey linguistic meaning, whether adaptation in that context relates to adaptation in linguistically neutral sustained vowels, and whether cue trading is reflected in responses in the prosodic cues of and amplitude.

Method: Twenty-four speakers said vowels and sentences while was digitally altered to induce predictable errors. Shifts in (±200 cents) were applied to the entire sustained vowel and one word (emphasized or unemphasized) in sentences.

Aducanumab anti-amyloid immunotherapy induces sustained microglial and immune alterations.

Aducanumab, an anti-amyloid immunotherapy for Alzheimer's disease, efficiently reduces Aβ, though its plaque clearance mechanisms, long-term effects, and effects of discontinuation are not fully understood. We assessed the effect of aducanumab treatment and withdrawal on Aβ, neuritic dystrophy, astrocytes, and microglia in the APP/PS1 amyloid mouse model. We found that reductions in amyloid and neuritic dystrophy during acute treatment were accompanied by microglial and astrocytic activation, and microglial recruitment to plaques and adoption of an aducanumab-specific pro-phagocytic and pro-degradation transcriptomic signature, indicating a role for microglia in aducanumab-mediated Aβ clearance.

A Longitudinal Mediation Analysis of the Interrelations among Exclusionary Immigration Policy, Ethnic Identity, and Self-Esteem of Latinx Early Adolescents.

Little is known about how exclusionary immigration laws affect ethnic identity and self-esteem among Latinx middle school students. Arizona's SB 1070, which required local officers to verify the legal status of detained individuals, garnered national attention for its impact on immigrant and Latinx communities. This study tested a longitudinal parallel multiple mediation model where perceptions of the effects of an exclusionary immigration law (Arizona's SB 1070) on self-esteem were mediated by dimensions of ethnic identity (ethnic centrality, ethnic private regard, ethnic public regard).

Safety and efficacy of clinical-grade, cryopreserved menstrual blood mesenchymal stromal cells in experimental acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Treatment for critical care conditions, such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), requires ready-to-administer injectable mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). A validated cryopreserved therapy based on MSCs derived from menstrual blood (MenSCs) is an attractive option that offers advantages over freshly cultured cells and allows its use as an off-the-shelf therapy in acute clinical conditions. The main goal of this study is to provide evidence on the impact of cryopreservation on different biological functions of MenSCs and to determine the optimal therapeutic dose, safety, and efficacy profile of clinical-grade, cryopreserved (cryo)-MenSCs in experimental ARDS.

Neutral and adaptive loci reveal fine-scale population structure in from north Patagonia.

Patagonia is an understudied area, especially when it comes to population genomic studies with relevance to fishery management. However, the dynamic and heterogeneous landscape in this area can harbor an important but cryptic genetic population structure. Once such information is revealed, it can be integrated into the management of infrequently investigated species.

Resynthesis of Transmasculine Voices to Assess Gender Perception as a Function of Testosterone Therapy.

Purpose: The goal of this study was to use speech resynthesis to investigate the effects of changes to individual acoustic features on speech-based gender perception of transmasculine voice samples following the onset of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) with exogenous testosterone. We hypothesized that mean fundamental frequency ( ) would have the largest effect on gender perception of any single acoustic feature.

Method: Mean , contour, and formant frequencies were calculated for three pairs of transmasculine speech samples before and after HRT onset.

Culture shock: microglial heterogeneity, activation, and disrupted single-cell microglial networks in vitro.

Background: Microglia, the resident immune cells of the brain, play a critical role in numerous diseases, but are a minority cell type and difficult to genetically manipulate in vivo with viral vectors and other approaches. Primary cultures allow a more controlled setting to investigate these cells, but morphological and transcriptional changes upon removal from their normal brain environment raise many caveats from in vitro studies.

Methods: To investigate whether cultured microglia recapitulate in vivo microglial signatures, we used single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) to compare microglia freshly isolated from the brain to primary microglial cultures.

Widespread choroid plexus contamination in sampling and profiling of brain tissue.

The choroid plexus, a tissue responsible for producing cerebrospinal fluid, is found predominantly in the lateral and fourth ventricles of the brain. This highly vascularized and ciliated tissue is made up of specialized epithelial cells and capillary networks surrounded by connective tissue. Given the complex structure of the choroid plexus, this can potentially result in contamination during routine tissue dissection.

Detection of selection signatures in the genome of a farmed population of anadromous rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).

Domestication processes and artificial selection are likely to leave signatures that can be detected at a molecular level in farmed rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). These signatures of selection are genomic regions that contain functional genetic variants conferring a higher fitness to their bearers. We genotyped 749 rainbow trout from a commercial population using a rainbow trout Axiom 57 K SNP array panel and identified putative genomic regions under selection using the pcadapt, Composite Likelihood Ratio (CLR) and Integrated Haplotype Score (iHS) methods.

Addressing Burnout in Pharmacy Residency Programs.

Addressing health care provider burnout has become a top priority for many health care systems. Unfortunately, a paucity of literature is available on preventing and managing burnout in pharmacy residents despite an increase in articles on the prevalence of pharmacy burnout. This limits the ability of pharmacy managers to understand and address burnout in this high-risk population.

Effects of Padel Competition on Brain Health-Related Myokines.

Padel is becoming one of the most widespread racket sports that may have potential health benefits. Considering that several myokines mediate the cross-talk between skeletal muscles and the brain, exerting positive effects on brain health status, this study was designed to evaluate the responses of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), and irisin (IR) to padel competition in trained players and to determine whether these responses were sex-dependent. Twenty-four trained padel players (14 women and 10 men with a mean age of 27.

[Retrospective analysis of the work of a medical education office].

Background: Training of health care students at universities is a great challenge for Medical Education Offices. Our office made clear and explained the teaching-learning process from the perspective of teachers, programs, and students.

Aim: To report a ten years' analysis of a Medical Education Office (MEO) work, describing the different processes and systematized decisions aimed to improve the quality of the programs and learning results.

Preparation and osteogenic properties of nanocomposite hydrogel beads loaded with nanometric bioactive glass particles.

Bone reconstruction in the oral and maxillofacial region presents particular challenges related to the development of biomaterials with osteoinductive properties and suitable physical characteristics for their surgical use in irregular bony defects. In this work, the preparation and bioactivity of chitosan-gelatin (ChG) hydrogel beads loaded with either bioactive glass nanoparticles (nBG) or mesoporous bioactive glass nanospheres (nMBG) were studied.testing of the bionanocomposite beads was carried out in simulated body fluid, and through viability and osteogenic differentiation assays using dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs).

Detection of selection signatures in farmed coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) using dense genome-wide information.

Animal domestication and artificial selection give rise to gradual changes at the genomic level in populations. Subsequent footprints of selection, known as selection signatures or selective sweeps, have been traced in the genomes of many animal livestock species by exploiting variation in linkage disequilibrium patterns and/or reduction of genetic diversity. Domestication of most aquatic species is recent in comparison with land animals, and salmonids are one of the most important fish species in aquaculture.

Perceptual and Acoustic Assessment of Strain Using Synthetically Modified Voice Samples.

Purpose Assessment of strained voice quality is difficult due to the weak reliability of auditory-perceptual evaluation and lack of strong acoustic correlates. This study evaluated the contributions of relative fundamental frequency (RFF) and mid-to-high frequency noise to the perception of strain. Method Stimuli were created using recordings of speakers producing /ifi/ with a comfortable voice and with maximum vocal effort.

The Impact of Communication Modality on Voice Production.

Purpose Communicating remotely using audio and audiovisual technology is ubiquitous in modern work and social environments. Remote communication is increasing in medicine and in voice therapy delivery, and this evolution may have an impact on speakers' voices. This study sought to determine whether these communication modalities impact the voice production of typical speakers.

Acoustic Model of Perceived Overall Severity of Dysphonia in Adductor-Type Laryngeal Dystonia.

Purpose This study is a secondary analysis of existing data. The goal of the study was to construct an acoustic model of perceived overall severity of dysphonia in adductory laryngeal dystonia (AdLD). We predicted that acoustic measures (a) related to voice and pitch breaks and (b) related to vocal effort would form the primary elements of a model corresponding to auditory-perceptual ratings of overall severity of dysphonia.