Coacervate or precipitate? Formation of non-equilibrium microstructures in coacervate emulsions.

Non-equilibrium processing of aqueous polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) coacervates is critical to many applications. In particular, many coacervate-forming systems are known to become trapped in out-of-equilibrium states (, precipitation). The mechanism and conditions under which these states form, and whether they age, is not clearly understood.

A molecular signature for IL-10-producing Th1 cells in protozoan parasitic diseases.

Control of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) depends on proinflammatory Th1 cells that activate infected tissue macrophages to kill resident intracellular parasites. However, proinflammatory cytokines produced by Th1 cells can damage tissues and require tight regulation. Th1 cell IL-10 production is an important cell-autologous mechanism to prevent such damage.

STING activation promotes autologous type I interferon-dependent development of type 1 regulatory T cells during malaria.

The development of highly effective malaria vaccines and improvement of drug-treatment protocols to boost antiparasitic immunity are critical for malaria elimination. However, the rapid establishment of parasite-specific immune regulatory networks following exposure to malaria parasites hampers these efforts. Here, we identified stimulator of interferon genes (STING) as a critical mediator of type I interferon production by CD4+ T cells during blood-stage Plasmodium falciparum infection.

Remote control of mechanochemical reactions under physiological conditions using biocompatible focused ultrasound.

External control of chemical reactions in biological settings with spatial and temporal precision is a grand challenge for noninvasive diagnostic and therapeutic applications. While light is a conventional stimulus for remote chemical activation, its penetration is severely attenuated in tissues, which limits biological applicability. On the other hand, ultrasound is a biocompatible remote energy source that is highly penetrant and offers a wide range of functional tunability.

Designing Superlubricious Hydrogels from Spontaneous Peroxidation Gradients.

Hydrogels are hydrated three-dimensional networks of hydrophilic polymers that are commonly used in the biomedical industry due to their mechanical and structural tunability, biocompatibility, and similar water content to biological tissues. The surface structure of hydrogels polymerized through free-radical polymerization can be modified by controlling environmental oxygen concentrations, leading to the formation of a polymer concentration gradient. In this work, 17.

IL-10-producing Th1 cells possess a distinct molecular signature in malaria.

Control of intracellular parasites responsible for malaria requires host IFN-γ+T-bet+CD4+ T cells (Th1 cells) with IL-10 produced by Th1 cells to mitigate the pathology induced by this inflammatory response. However, these IL-10-producing Th1 (induced type I regulatory [Tr1]) cells can also promote parasite persistence or impair immunity to reinfection or vaccination. Here, we identified molecular and phenotypic signatures that distinguished IL-10-Th1 cells from IL-10+Tr1 cells in Plasmodium falciparum-infected people who participated in controlled human malaria infection studies, as well as C57BL/6 mice with experimental malaria caused by P.

COPD Population in US Primary Care: Data From the Optimum Patient Care DARTNet Research Database and the Advancing the Patient Experience in COPD Registry.

Purpose: To describe demographic and clinical characteristics of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients managed in US primary care.

Methods: This was an observational registry study using data from the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Optimum Patient Care DARTNet Research Database from which the Advancing the Patient Experience COPD registry is derived. Registry patients were aged ≥35 years at diagnosis.

Variation in Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of Patients with COPD Receiving Care in US Primary Care: Data from the Advancing the Patient EXperience (APEX) in COPD Registry.

Introduction: Little is known about the variability in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) management and how it may be affected by patient characteristics across different healthcare systems in the US. This study aims to describe demographic and clinical characteristics of people with COPD and compare management across five primary care medical groups in the US.

Methods: This is a retrospective observational registry study utilizing electronic health records stored in the Advancing the Patient Experience (APEX) COPD registry.

High-throughput microscopy to determine morphology, microrheology, and phase boundaries applied to phase separating coacervates.

Evolution of composition, rheology, and morphology during phase separation in complex fluids is highly coupled to rheological and mass transport processes within the emerging phases, and understanding this coupling is critical for materials design of multiphase complex fluids. Characterizing these dependencies typically requires careful measurement of a large number of equilibrium and transport properties that are difficult to measure as phase separation proceeds. Here, we propose and demonstrate a high-throughput microscopy platform to achieve simultaneous, mapping of time-evolving morphology and microrheology in phase separating complex fluids over a large compositional space.

Comparing a Multimedia Digital Informed Consent Tool With Traditional Paper-Based Methods: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: The traditional informed consent (IC) process rarely emphasizes research participants' comprehension of medical information, leaving them vulnerable to unknown risks and consequences associated with procedures or studies.

Objective: This paper explores how we evaluated the feasibility of a digital health tool called Virtual Multimedia Interactive Informed Consent (VIC) for advancing the IC process and compared the results with traditional paper-based methods of IC.

Methods: Using digital health and web-based coaching, we developed the VIC tool that uses multimedia and other digital features to improve the current IC process.

Generation of a 100-billion cyclic peptide phage display library having a high skeletal diversity.

Phage display is a powerful technique routinely used for the generation of peptide- or protein-based ligands. The success of phage display selections critically depends on the size and structural diversity of the libraries, but the generation of large libraries remains challenging. In this work, we have succeeded in developing a phage display library comprising around 100 billion different (bi)cyclic peptides and thus more structures than any previously reported cyclic peptide phage display library.

Perceptions of older adults and health professionals about digital screening tools for elder mistreatment in the emergency department.

Background: Healthcare settings represent a missed opportunity to systematically identify and address mistreatment.

Objective: Our objective was to obtain perspectives of older adults, caregivers, and emergency care providers regarding screening and intervention for elder mistreatment in the emergency department (ED) with a focus on utilizing digital health tools to facilitate the process. These findings will inform the development of a Web-based, digital health tool optimized for a tablet device to educate, screen, and facilitate reporting of elder mistreatment among patients presenting to the ED.

Design and characterization of a 3D-printed staggered herringbone mixer.

3D printing holds potential as a faster, cheaper alternative compared with traditional photolithography for the fabrication of microfluidic devices by replica molding. However, the influence of printing resolution and quality on device design and performance has yet to receive detailed study. Here, we investigate the use of 3D-printed molds to create staggered herringbone mixers (SHMs) with feature sizes ranging from ∼100 to 500 μm.

Development and usability evaluation of VOICES: A digital health tool to identify elder mistreatment.

Background/objectives: A major barrier for society in overcoming elder mistreatment is an inability to accurately identify victims. There are several barriers to self-reporting elder mistreatment, including fear of nursing home placement or losing autonomy or a caregiver. Existing strategies to identify elder mistreatment neglect to empower those who experience it with tools for self-reporting.

Advancing the Patient EXperience (APEX) in COPD Registry: Study Design and Strengths.

The Advancing the Patient Experience (APEX) in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) registry (https://www.apexcopd.org/) is the first primary care health system-based COPD registry in the United States.

Development of the Advancing the Patient Experience in COPD Registry: A Modified Delphi Study.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is commonly managed by family physicians, but little is known about specifics of management and how this may be improved. The Advancing the Patient Experience in COPD (APEX COPD) registry will be the first U.S.

IL-27 signalling regulates glycolysis in Th1 cells to limit immunopathology during infection.

Inflammation is critical for controlling pathogens, but also responsible for symptoms of infectious diseases. IL-27 is an important regulator of inflammation and can limit development of IFNγ-producing Tbet+ CD4+ T (Th1) cells. IL-27 is thought to do this by stimulating IL-10 production by CD4+ T cells, but the underlying mechanisms of these immunoregulatory pathways are not clear.

The NK cell granule protein NKG7 regulates cytotoxic granule exocytosis and inflammation.

Immune-modulating therapies have revolutionized the treatment of chronic diseases, particularly cancer. However, their success is restricted and there is a need to identify new therapeutic targets. Here, we show that natural killer cell granule protein 7 (NKG7) is a regulator of lymphocyte granule exocytosis and downstream inflammation in a broad range of diseases.

Type I Interferons Suppress Anti-parasitic Immunity and Can Be Targeted to Improve Treatment of Visceral Leishmaniasis.

Type I interferons (IFNs) play critical roles in anti-viral and anti-tumor immunity. However, they also suppress protective immune responses in some infectious diseases. Here, we identify type I IFNs as major upstream regulators of CD4 T cells from visceral leishmaniasis (VL) patients.

The Role of BACH2 in T Cells in Experimental Malaria Caused by AS.

BTB and CNC Homology 1, Basic Leucine Zipper Transcription Factor 2 (BACH2) is a transcription factor best known for its role in B cell development. More recently, it has been associated with T cell functions in inflammatory diseases, and has been proposed as a master transcriptional regulator within the T cell compartment. In this study, we employed T cell-specific -deficient (B6.

Distinct Roles for CD4 Foxp3 Regulatory T Cells and IL-10-Mediated Immunoregulatory Mechanisms during Experimental Visceral Leishmaniasis Caused by .

The outcome of intracellular parasitic infection can be determined by the immunoregulatory activities of natural regulatory CD4 Foxp3 T (Treg) cells and the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. These mechanisms protect tissue but can also suppress antiparasitic CD4 T cell responses. The specific contribution of these regulatory pathways during human parasitic diseases remains unclear.

Early Changes in CD4+ T-Cell Activation During Blood-Stage Plasmodium falciparum Infection.

We examined transcriptional changes in CD4+ T cells during blood-stage Plasmodium falciparum infection in individuals without a history of previous parasite exposure. Transcription of CXCL8 (encoding interleukin 8) in CD4+ T cells was identified as an early biomarker of submicroscopic P. falciparum infection, with predictive power for parasite growth.

Rapid loss of group 1 innate lymphoid cells during blood stage infection.

Objectives: Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) share many characteristics with CD4 T cells, and group 1 ILCs share a requirement for T-bet and the ability to produce IFNγ with T helper 1 (Th1) cells. Given this similarity, and the importance of Th1 cells for protection against intracellular protozoan parasites, we aimed to characterise the role of group 1 ILCs during infection.

Methods: We quantified group 1 ILCs in peripheral blood collected from subjects infected with with 3D7 as part of a controlled human malaria infection study, and in the liver and spleens of AS-infected mice.