Visualizing Protein Localizations in Fixed Cells: Caveats and the Underlying Mechanisms.

Fluorescence microscopy techniques have been widely adopted in biology for their ability to visualize the structure and dynamics of a wide range of cellular and subcellular processes. The specificity and sensitivity that these techniques afford have made them primary tools in the characterization of protein localizations within cells. Many of the fluorescence microscopy techniques require cells to be fixed via chemical or alternative methods before being imaged.

Enterococcus casseliflavus infection in a captive Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius): clinical and post-mortem findings.

An adult 22-year-old, male southern cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) presented for lethargy, dysorexia and soft feces. Clinical findings under chemical immobilization were unremarkable except for heterophilic toxic changes on blood smear, reduced albumin/globulin ratio and potentially elevated liver parameters. The animal was treated for suspected hepatobiliary insufficiency and received supportive treatment with daily subcutaneous fluids and medication and was monitored with a quality-of-life assessment.

Assessment of COVID-19 Positive Rates Amongst COVID-19 Close Contacts Through the Health Risk Warning System.

From 6 Jan 22 to 17 Feb 22, a total of 729,367 close contacts classified into four distinct groups (i.e., household, social, school and nursing/ welfare home contacts) were managed by the Health Risk Warning system.

Implementing microwave impedance microscopy in a dilution refrigerator.

We report the implementation of a dilution refrigerator-based scanning microwave impedance microscope with a base temperature of ∼100 mK. The vibration noise of our apparatus with tuning-fork feedback control is as low as 1 nm. Using this setup, we have demonstrated the imaging of quantum anomalous Hall states in magnetically (Cr and V) doped (Bi, Sb)2Te3 thin films grown on mica substrates.

Silk Fibroin-Based Hydrogel Microneedles Deliver α-MSH to Promote Melanosome Delivery for Vitiligo Treatment.

Microneedles have shown great advantages in subcutaneous drug delivery and skin disease treatment. Vitiligo is a difficult-to-cure skin disease characterized by the depigmentation of the epidermis. Melanosomes produced in melanocytes are transported through dendrites to adjacent keratinocytes, where they accumulate, resulting in skin pigmentation.

Benefits of leisure-related physical activity and association between sedentary time and risk for hypertension and type 2 diabetes.

Introduction: Lifestyle modifications can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and hypertension. Our study investigated whether domain-specific physical activity (such as work, transport and leisure) and sedentary behaviour were associated with T2DM and hypertension, and whether these associations were moderated by sex and age.

Method: For this cross-sectional study, data were obtained from a population survey in Singapore (n=2,867) conducted from February 2019 to March 2020.

Crafting a prognostic nomogram for the overall survival rate of cutaneous verrucous carcinoma using the surveillance, epidemiology, and end results database.

Background: The aim of this study was to establish and verify a predictive nomogram for patients with cutaneous verrucous carcinoma (CVC) who will eventually survive and to determine the accuracy of the nomogram relative to the conventional American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system.

Methods: Assessments were performed on 1125 patients with CVC between 2004 and 2015, and the results of those examinations were recorded in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Patients were randomly divided at a ratio of 7:3 into the training (n = 787) and validation (n = 338) cohorts.

Early metabolic derangements and unfavorable outcomes in pediatric traumatic brain injury: a retrospective multi-center cohort study.

Background: To study the association in moderate and severe pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) between hyperglycemia, hyperlactatemia, acidosis and unfavorable outcome, as assessed by Pediatric Cerebral Performance Category (PCPC) on discharge from the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).

Methods: Children <16 years old with TBI and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) ≤13 in an Asian multi-center PICU TBI cohort from January 2014 to October 2017 were included in this study. We defined unfavorable outcome as PCPC ≥3-moderate disability, severe disability, vegetative state, and death.

Automatic bundle-specific white matter fiber tracking tool using diffusion tensor imaging data: A pilot trial in the application of language-related glioma resection.

Cerebral neoplasms like gliomas may cause intracranial pressure increasing, neural tract deviation, infiltration, or destruction in peritumoral areas, leading to neuro-functional deficits. Novel tracking technology, such as DTI, can objectively reveal and visualize three-dimensional white matter trajectories; in combination with intraoperative navigation, it can help achieve maximum resection whilst minimizing neurological deficit. Since the reconstruction of DTI raw data largely relies on the technical engineering and anatomical experience of the operator; it is time-consuming and prone to operator-induced bias.

A population response model of ensemble perception.

Ensemble representations have been considered as one of the strategies that the visual system adopts to cope with its limited capacity. Thus, they include various statistical summaries such as mean, variance, and distributional properties and are formed over many stages of visual processing. The present study proposes a population-coding model of ensemble perception to provide a theoretical and computational framework for these various facets of ensemble perception.

Exploring the perception of parents on children's screentime: a systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative studies.

Background: Screentime (ST) has been increasingly pervasive in young children. Evidence suggests positive and negative effects of ST on children's development. Parents play a crucial role in influencing their children's ST.

Intrinsic BMP inhibitor Gremlin regulates alveolar epithelial type II cell proliferation and differentiation.

Type 1 alveolar epithelial cells (AT1s) and type 2 alveolar epithelial cells (AT2s) regulate the structural integrity and function of alveoli. AT1s mediate gas exchange, whereas AT2s serve multiple functions, including surfactant secretion and alveolar repair through proliferation and differentiation into AT1s as progenitors. However, mechanisms regulating AT2 proliferation and differentiation remain unclear.

Effects of acceptance and commitment therapy on cognitive function: A systematic review.

Cognitive function is essential for daily activities. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) may improve cognitive function by enhancing psychological flexibility, but the underlying mechanism is unknown. This systematic review evaluated the effectiveness of ACT on cognitive function.

Similarity-based clustering of multifeature objects in visual working memory.

This study investigated the similarity-based clustering mechanism of multifeature stimuli, wherein items are separated or grouped based on their similarity in visual working memory (VWM). In particular, we investigated whether clustering occurred at an individual feature level or at an integrated object level when participants encoded objects with multiple features for VWM. To test this, we conducted two experiments in which participants remembered and reconstructed a randomly chosen feature (either color or orientation) from one of five presented stimuli.

Vascular-Parenchymal Cross-Talk Promotes Lung Fibrosis through BMPR2 Signaling.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal lung disease characterized by progressive lung scarring. IPF-related pulmonary vascular remodeling and pulmonary hypertension (PH) result in a particularly poor prognosis. To study the pathogenesis of vascular remodeling in fibrotic lungs and its contribution to progression of fibrosis.

Investigating genotype-phenotype relationship of extreme neuropathic pain disorders in a UK national cohort.

The aims of our study were to use whole genome sequencing in a cross-sectional cohort of patients to identify new variants in genes implicated in neuropathic pain, to determine the prevalence of known pathogenic variants and to understand the relationship between pathogenic variants and clinical presentation. Patients with extreme neuropathic pain phenotypes (both sensory loss and gain) were recruited from secondary care clinics in the UK and underwent whole genome sequencing as part of the National Institute for Health and Care Research Bioresource Rare Diseases project. A multidisciplinary team assessed the pathogenicity of rare variants in genes previously known to cause neuropathic pain disorders and exploratory analysis of research candidate genes was completed.

Estimation of interface frictional anisotropy between sand and snakeskin-inspired surfaces.

The transmission of loads across the soil-structure mobilizes direction-dependent shear resistance, which can be selectively used to design geo-structures. A previous study confirmed the frictional anisotropy induced by the interface between the soil and snakeskin-inspired surfaces. However, it is necessary to estimate the interface friction angle quantitatively.

Plasma Cell Leukemia with Successful Upfront Venetoclax in Combination with Allogeneic Transplantation.

BACKGROUND Plasma cell leukemia (PCL) is an aggressive form of plasma cell neoplasm. We report the first case of primary PCL successfully treated with upfront novel agents consisting of Venetoclax and daratumumab in combination with intensive chemotherapy and allogeneic transplantation. CASE REPORT A 59-year-old woman presented with epistaxis, gum bleeding, and blurred vision.

Prehospital and emergency management of pediatric traumatic brain injury: a multicenter site survey.

Objective: There is a paucity of information on pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) care in Asia and Latin America. In this study, the authors aimed to describe the clinical practices of emergency departments (EDs) participating in the Saline in Asia and Latin-America Neurotrauma in the Young (SALTY) study, by comparing designated trauma centers (DTCs) and nontrauma centers (NTCs) in their networks.

Methods: The authors performed a site survey study on pediatric TBI management in the EDs in 14 countries.

Phase equilibrium of three-component liquid systems composed of water, alcohol, and sodium chloride studied by the reference interaction-site model integral equation theory.

A theoretical method for calculating the thermodynamic properties and phase equilibria of a binary liquid mixture using the reference interaction-site model (RISM) integral equation theory, which we had proposed recently, was extended to ternary liquid systems containing salt. A novel dielectric correction of the RISM theory for a mixture of solvents was also proposed. The theory was applied to mixtures composed of water, alcohol, and NaCl, where the alcohol was either methanol or ethanol.