Presence of Raccoon Roundworm (Baylisascaris procyonis) in Habitat Associated with Allegheny Woodrats (Neotoma magister) in Western Virginia, USA, 2022-24.

Baylisascaris procyonis is a roundworm that does not affect its definitive host, raccoons (Procyon lotor), but may have a devastating effect when ingested by paratenic hosts such as Allegheny woodrats (Neotoma magister). Despite being considered a major factor in woodrat population extirpation and decline in states northward, there have been no large-scale surveys for raccoon roundworm in Virginia, US. From 2022 to 2024, we visited 60 karst or nonkarst rocky habitats known (current or historical) or suspected to be Allegheny woodrat locations in western Virginia.

Strategies to enhance management of HER2-positive breast cancer in the elderly: an expert consensus perspective.

Therapeutic decision-making for older patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer highlights the importance of a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA). This assessment considers the functional status, comorbidities, and relevant conditions of the patient, and allows for an estimation of life expectancy, but it does not facilitate individualized treatment plans. There are also other challenges to consider related to the cardiac toxicity of the treatments and the under-representation of older patients in clinical trials.

'Excellent for mind,body and spirit': Participant, facilitator, and community stakeholder experiences of Music and Movement for Health.

Background And Purpose: Arts-based interventions are an emerging area of interest in health research for older adults. Music and Movement for Health (MMH) is one such systematically developed interdisciplinary arts-based intervention designed to enhance health and wellbeing of older adults. The objective of this qualitative study was to explore the opinions and experiences of participants, facilitators, and community stakeholders of the MMH intervention.

The effectiveness of an osteopathic manual technique compared with a breathing exercise on vagal tone as indicated by heart rate variability, a crossover study.

Introduction: Parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS) function can be inferred by heart rate variability (HRV) providing indications about an individual's health. Manual therapy may influence PSNS function, however the research outcomes in this regard are equivocal. This study explored the PSNS effect of a measured breathing technique with suboccipital balanced ligamentous tension, an osteopathic manipulative therapy technique.

Digital health in geriatric oncology: A Young International Society of Geriatric Oncology review.

The integration of digital health technologies in geriatric oncology has the potential to enhance patient care and self-management. This review article discusses the applications of these technologies, including teleassessment, telemonitoring, and teleintervention, within geriatric oncology, and evaluates their potential to improve cancer care and patient outcomes. We also review challenges to the implementation of digital health technologies among populations of older patients with cancer.

Utilization of Shock Team and Veno-Arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (VA-ECMO) in the Management of Cardiogenic Shock in Northern Ontario.

Background: Despite advancements in critical care and coronary revascularization, cardiogenic shock (CS) outcomes remain poor. Implementing a shock team and use of veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) have been associated with improved CS outcomes, but its feasibility in remote and rural areas remains unknown.

Methods: This retrospective study included patients with CS who required mechanical circulatory support (MCS) at Health Sciences North, Sudbury, Ontario.

Measuring teacher self-efficacy: Validating a new comprehensive scale among Chinese pre-service teachers.

Challenges exist in the validating procedure and comprehensiveness of the existing TSE measurements, though advancements have been achieved. Also, less consistencies have been received regarding teacher self-efficacy measurement in Chinese context so that the study developed and validated a new comprehensive scale for this construct. A total of 854 Chinese pre-service teachers responded to 40 purposely selected teacher self-efficacy items, together with the Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale, the agreeableness subscale of the Big Five Inventory, and items on their effectiveness of teaching practicing and intention to be a teacher.

Fuel exploitation and environmental degradation at the Iron Age copper industry of the Timna Valley, southern Israel.

Economic and industrial progress frequently comes at the expense of environmental sustainability. For the early Iron Age (~ eleventh to ninth centuries BCE) smelters of the ancient copper industry of the Timna Valley, southern Israel, where today the hyper-arid Aravah Desert provides sparse vegetation, woody fuel for metallurgical furnaces constituted the greatest limiting factor for continued operations. This study presents the first investigation into the fuel sources relied upon by this industry during its most intensive period, as reflected by hundreds of charcoal samples collected from two well-stratified and chronologically anchored accumulations of industrial waste.

Counseling increases immediate postpartum Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC) acceptability in Hispanic women.

Objective: Determine if providing basic contraceptive counseling during prenatal visits increases pregnant Hispanic women's acceptance of immediate postpartum long-acting reversible contraception (LARC).

Study Design: Respondents completed a short survey consisting of demographic information, an acculturation scale, and perceptions of immediate postpartum LARC use. After reading a brief educational excerpt on intrauterine devices (IUDs) and the subdermal contraceptive implant, LARC acceptability was reassessed.

Postauricular apocrine hidrocystoma: a case and dermoscopy review.

Apocrine hidrocystoma (AH) is a benign cystic proliferation of apocrine sweat glands that classically presents as a slow-growing nodule on the face, especially in the periorbital region. Histopathological evaluation is required to definitively diagnose an apocrine hidrocystoma. Previous studies have described apocrine hidrocystomas in unusual locations.

Deep analysis of neuroblastoma core regulatory circuitries using online databases and integrated bioinformatics shows their pan-cancer roles as prognostic predictors.

Aim: Neuroblastoma is a heterogeneous childhood cancer derived from the neural crest. The dual cell identities of neuroblastoma include Mesenchymal (MES) and Adrenergic (ADRN). These identities are conferred by a small set of tightly-regulated transcription factors (TFs) binding super enhancers, collectively forming core regulatory circuitries (CRCs).

COVID-19 vaccine uptake and hesitancy survey in Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland: Applying the theory of planned behaviour.

The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) first appeared in Wuhan, China in late 2019 and since then has caused unprecedented economic and social disruption as well as presenting a major challenge to public health. Despite mass progress in COVID-19 vaccination uptake, vaccine hesitancy or anti-vax information has been reported that can delay public acceptance of a vaccine. An online cross-sectional survey (n = 439) assessed COVID-19 vaccine uptake and hesitancy in adults in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

The Contribution of Autophagy and LncRNAs to MYC-Driven Gene Regulatory Networks in Cancers.

MYC is a target of the Wnt signalling pathway and governs numerous cellular and developmental programmes hijacked in cancers. The amplification of MYC is a frequently occurring genetic alteration in cancer genomes, and this transcription factor is implicated in metabolic reprogramming, cell death, and angiogenesis in cancers. In this review, we analyse MYC gene networks in solid cancers.

The Role of Autophagy and lncRNAs in the Maintenance of Cancer Stem Cells.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) possess properties such as self-renewal, resistance to apoptotic cues, quiescence, and DNA-damage repair capacity. Moreover, CSCs strongly influence the tumour microenvironment (TME) and may account for cancer progression, recurrence, and relapse. CSCs represent a distinct subpopulation in tumours and the detection, characterisation, and understanding of the regulatory landscape and cellular processes that govern their maintenance may pave the way to improving prognosis, selective targeted therapy, and therapy outcomes.

Whole blood genome-wide transcriptome profiling and metagenomics next-generation sequencing in young infants with suspected sepsis in a low-and middle-income country: A study protocol.

Conducting collaborative and comprehensive epidemiological research on neonatal sepsis in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is challenging due to a lack of diagnostic tests. This prospective study protocol aims to obtain epidemiological data on bacterial sepsis in newborns and young infants at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe, Malawi. The main goal is to determine if the use of whole blood transcriptome host immune response signatures can help in the identification of infants who have sepsis of bacterial causes.

Neonatal sepsis in low-income countries: epidemiology, diagnosis and prevention.

: Sepsis accounts for up to one-third of neonatal deaths in the world each year. The World Health Organization acknowledges neonatal sepsis as a major global health concern, and that the highest burden occurs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Despite major research and clinical progress in this area, we still lack accurate diagnostic tools for neonatal sepsis, complicating the management of this condition.

Strain-Dependent Impact of G and SH Deletions Provide New Insights for Live-Attenuated HMPV Vaccine Development.

Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a major pediatric respiratory pathogen with currently no specific treatment or licensed vaccine. Different strategies to prevent this infection have been evaluated, including live-attenuated vaccines (LAV) based on SH and/or G protein deletions. This approach showed promising outcomes but has not been evaluated further using different viral strains.

Differential cytokine and metabolite production by cervicovaginal epithelial cells infected with Lactobacillus crispatus and Ureaplasma urealyticum.

Introduction: We sought to quantify targeted metabolites (d-lactate, pyruvate, urea, ammonia) and the cytokine IL-8 produced by human cervicovaginal epithelial cells co-cultured with Ureaplasma urealyticum (a preterm birth-associated bacterium) or Lactobacillus crispatus (a healthy vaginal commensal associated with term birth).

Methods: Concentrations of d-lactate, pyruvate, urea and ammonia measured by enzyme-based spectrophotometry and IL-8 by ELISA were determined and compared between monolayer-cultured HeLa cells (ATCC 35241) infected with strains of U. urealyticum (ATCC 27618, 0.

Functional pathways regulated by microRNA networks in CD8 T-cell aging.

One of the most prominent immunological changes during human aging is the alteration in CD8 T-cell subset distribution, predominated by a loss of naïve CD8 T cells. The molecular mechanisms that contribute to the loss of naïve CD8 T-cells during aging remain unclear. Considering that many CD8 T-cell functions are influenced by microRNAs (miRNAs), we explored miRNA expression profiling to identify novel dysfunctions that contribute to naïve CD8 T-cell loss during aging.

Activation of miR-21-Regulated Pathways in Immune Aging Selects against Signatures Characteristic of Memory T Cells.

Induction of protective vaccine responses, governed by the successful generation of antigen-specific antibodies and long-lived memory T cells, is increasingly impaired with age. Regulation of the T cell proteome by a dynamic network of microRNAs is crucial to T cell responses. Here, we show that activation-induced upregulation of miR-21 biases the transcriptome of differentiating T cells away from memory T cells and toward inflammatory effector T cells.

Combination Therapy with Oseltamivir and Favipiravir Delays Mortality but Does Not Prevent Oseltamivir Resistance in Immunodeficient Mice Infected with Pandemic A(H1N1) Influenza Virus.

Immunosuppressed individuals can shed influenza virus for prolonged periods of time, leading to the frequent emergence of antiviral resistance. We evaluated the benefits of oseltamivir and favipiravir combination therapy compared to single antiviral agents and monitored the emergence of drug-resistant variants in a pharmacologically immunosuppressed mouse model infected with the A(H1N1) pandemic influenza virus. C57BL/6 mice were immunosuppressed with cyclophosphamide and infected with a lethal dose of pandemic influenza A(H1N1) virus.

Mutations in the fusion protein heptad repeat domains of human metapneumovirus impact on the formation of syncytia.

Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is an important cause of respiratory tract infections. The mechanism by which its fusion (F) protein is responsible for variable cytopathic effects in vitro remains unknown. We aligned the F sequences of the poorly fusogenic B2/CAN98-75 strain and the hyperfusogenic A1/C-85473 strain and identified divergent residues located in the two functional heptad repeats domains (HRA and HRB).

Defective T Memory Cell Differentiation after Varicella Zoster Vaccination in Older Individuals.

Vaccination with attenuated live varicella zoster virus (VZV) can prevent zoster reactivation, but protection is incomplete especially in an older population. To decipher the molecular mechanisms underlying variable vaccine responses, T- and B-cell responses to VZV vaccination were examined in individuals of different ages including identical twin pairs. Contrary to the induction of VZV-specific antibodies, antigen-specific T cell responses were significantly influenced by inherited factors.