Deconstruction of a memory engram reveals distinct ensembles recruited at learning.

How are associative memories formed? Which cells represent a memory, and when are they engaged? By visualizing and tagging cells based on their calcium influx with unparalleled temporal precision, we identified non-overlapping dorsal CA1 neuronal ensembles that are differentially active during associative fear memory acquisition. We dissected the acquisition experience into periods during which salient stimuli were presented or certain mouse behaviors occurred and found that cells associated with specific acquisition periods are sufficient alone to drive memory expression and contribute to fear engram formation. This study delineated the different identities of the cell ensembles active during learning, and revealed, for the first time, which ones form the core engram and are essential for memory formation and recall.

Feasibility of an Obesity Prevention Program for Latino Families from First Trimester of Pregnancy to Child Age 18 Months and Predictors of Program Attendance.

The high prevalence of obesity in Latino families with low income necessitates prevention beginning in pregnancy and continuing through infancy. Due to systemic inequities, adverse social determinants of health (SDoH) and mental health symptoms may limit program efficacy by presenting barriers to attendance. We sought to assess: (1) the feasibility of the Starting Early Program (StEP) Prenatal, a 17-session intervention beginning early in pregnancy and continuing to 18 months postpartum; and (2) the effects of adverse SDoH (material hardship, low social support) and mental health symptoms (depression, anxiety, stress) on program attendance.

Adaptive Universal Principles for Real-world Observational Studies (AUPROS): an approach to designing real-world observational studies for clinical, epidemiologic, and precision oncology research.

The field of precision oncology has witnessed several advances that stimulated the development of new clinical trial designs and the emergence of real-world data (RWD) as an important resource for evidence generation in healthcare decision-making. Here, we highlight our experience with an innovative approach to a set of Adaptive, Universal Principles for Real-world Observational Studies (AUPROS). To demonstrate the utility of these principles, we used a mixed-methods approach to assess three studies that follow AUPROS at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre: (1) Molecular Epidemiology of ThorAcic Lesions (METAL), (2) Translational Head And NecK Study (THANKS), and (3) CAnadian CAncers With Rare Molecular Alterations (CARMA; NCT04151342).

Report from the 25th Annual Western Canadian Gastrointestinal Cancer Consensus Conference on Gastric and Gastroesophageal Cancers, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 26-27 October 2023.

The 25th Annual Western Canadian Gastrointestinal Cancer Consensus Conference (WCGCCC) was held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on 26-27 October 2023. The WCGCCC is an interactive multidisciplinary conference that was attended by healthcare professionals from across Western Canada (British Columbia, Alberta, and Manitoba) who are involved in the care of patients with gastrointestinal cancer. Surgical, medical, and radiation oncologists; pathologists; oncology nurses; pharmacists; and a family physician in oncology (FPO) participated in presentation and discussion sessions for the purpose of developing the recommendations presented here.

Parental Reflective Capacities: A Scoping Review of Mindful Parenting and Parental Reflective Functioning.

Objectives: Two key parental reflective capacities-mindful parenting (MP) and parental reflective functioning (PRF) - have been shown to promote healthy parent-child relationships through parents' increased sensitivity and responsiveness to their children's needs in spite of parenting stressors. Despite the theoretical overlap between these two constructs, researchers have continued to examine them independently. Therefore, the purpose of this scoping review was to review the overlapping and distinctive outcomes and correlates in the empirical MP and PRF literatures.

Rapid, biochemical tagging of cellular activity history in vivo.

Intracellular calcium (Ca) is ubiquitous to cell signaling across biology. While existing fluorescent sensors and reporters can detect activated cells with elevated Ca levels, these approaches require implants to deliver light to deep tissue, precluding their noninvasive use in freely behaving animals. Here we engineered an enzyme-catalyzed approach that rapidly and biochemically tags cells with elevated Ca in vivo.

"More quality time" but "no breaks": COVID-19 parenting among predominantly White, married, U.S. mothers.

Family life dramatically changed following the COVID-19 pandemic onset. Parents faced school and childcare closures, employment changes, and other disruptions to daily life. This study utilized online survey data collected in late April 2020 ( = 1,009) of parents' experiences parenting children from 0 to 12 years during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prolonged Early Food Insecurity and Child Feeding Practices among a Low-Income Hispanic Population: Role of Parenting Stress.

Objective: To examine associations between prolonged early household food insecurity (FI) during pregnancy, infancy, and toddlerhood, and child feeding practices, and the mediating role of dysfunctional parent-child interactions.

Methods: We conducted secondary longitudinal analyses of data from the Starting Early Program (StEP) randomized controlled trial, which studied a primary care-based child obesity prevention program for low-income Hispanic families. Our independent variable was FI, using the USDA Food Security Module, during the third trimester of pregnancy and at child ages 10- and 19-months.

Different patterns of endorsement of intensive mothering beliefs: Associations with parenting guilt and parental burnout.

The unrealistic expectations rooted in intensive mothering beliefs can negatively impact maternal well-being. The present study investigates associations between intensive mothering beliefs, parenting guilt, and parental burnout using a person-centered approach. We first examined whether different profiles of mothers exist based on their endorsement of the five subbeliefs of the Intensive Parenting Attitudes Questionnaire.

The effects of parent-child dysfunctional interactions on early childhood weight: A serial mediation model through emotional feeding and child appetite traits.

Parent-child dysfunctional interactions (PCDI) are known to contribute to children's weight status. However, the underlying mechanisms in how dysfunctional interactions between parent and child influence child weight are not clear. This study investigates the impact of PCDI on toddlers' weight, focusing on the potential serial mediation by maternal emotional feeding and child appetite traits.

Rapid, biochemical tagging of cellular activity history in vivo.

Intracellular calcium (Ca) is ubiquitous to cell signaling across all biology. While existing fluorescent sensors and reporters can detect activated cells with elevated Ca levels, these approaches require implants to deliver light to deep tissue, precluding their noninvasive use in freely-behaving animals. Here we engineered an enzyme-catalyzed approach that rapidly and biochemically tags cells with elevated Ca in vivo.

Social Determinants of Premature Birth.

Social determinants of health have received increasing attention in public health, leading to increased understanding of how social factors-individual and contextual-shape the health of the mother and infant. However, racial differences in birth outcomes persist, with incomplete explanation for the widening disparity. Here, we highlight the social determinants of preterm birth, with special attention to the social experiences among African American women, which are likely attributed to structural racism and discrimination throughout life.

Machine learning-guided engineering of genetically encoded fluorescent calcium indicators.

Here we used machine learning to engineer genetically encoded fluorescent indicators, protein-based sensors critical for real-time monitoring of biological activity. We used machine learning to predict the outcomes of sensor mutagenesis by analyzing established libraries that link sensor sequences to functions. Using the GCaMP calcium indicator as a scaffold, we developed an ensemble of three regression models trained on experimentally derived GCaMP mutation libraries.

Optimizing pharmacogenomic decision-making by data science.

Healthcare systems have made rapid progress towards combining data science with precision medicine, particularly in pharmacogenomics. With the lack of predictability in medication effectiveness from patient to patient, acquiring the specifics of their genotype would be highly advantageous for patient treatment. Genotype-guided dosing adjustment improves clinical decision-making and helps optimize doses to deliver medications with greater efficacy and within safe margins.

Prenatal and Pediatric Primary Care-Based Child Obesity Prevention: Effects of Adverse Social Determinants of Health on Intervention Attendance and Impact.

Adverse social determinants of health (SDoHs), specifically psychosocial stressors and material hardships, are associated with early childhood obesity. Less is known about whether adverse SDoHs modify the efficacy of early childhood obesity prevention programs. We conducted a secondary analysis of publicly insured birthing parent-child dyads with Latino backgrounds participating in a randomized controlled trial of the Starting Early Program (StEP), a child obesity prevention program beginning in pregnancy.

Therapeutic efficacy of a potent anti-Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus antibody is contingent on Fc effector function.

The development of specific, safe, and potent monoclonal antibodies (Abs) has led to novel therapeutic options for infectious disease. In addition to preventing viral infection through neutralization, Abs can clear infected cells and induce immunomodulatory functions through engagement of their crystallizable fragment (Fc) with complement proteins and Fc receptors on immune cells. Little is known about the role of Fc effector functions of neutralizing Abs in the context of encephalitic alphavirus infection.

Breast Cancer Polygenic-Risk Score Influence on Risk-Reducing Endocrine Therapy Use: Genetic Risk Estimate (GENRE) Trial 1-Year and 2-Year Follow-Up.

Unlabelled: Refinement of breast cancer risk estimates with a polygenic-risk score (PRS) may improve uptake of risk-reducing endocrine therapy (ET). A previous clinical trial assessed the influence of adding a PRS to traditional risk estimates on ET use. We stratified participants according to PRS-refined breast cancer risk and evaluated ET use and ET-related quality of life (QOL) at 1-year (previously reported) and 2-year follow-ups.

Household Food Insecurity and Maternal-Toddler Fruit and Vegetable Dietary Concordance.

Objective: To examine whether prenatal or concurrent household food insecurity influences associations between maternal and toddler fruit and vegetable (FV) intake.

Design: Application of a life-course framework to an analysis of a longitudinal dataset.

Setting: Early childhood obesity prevention program at a New York City public hospital.

Long-term Survival Among Patients With De Novo Human Epidermal Growth Receptor 2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer in Manitoba.

Objectives: Although metastatic breast cancer (MBC) is considered incurable, human epidermal growth receptor 2 (HER2)-directed therapy has improved outcomes significantly, with some patients experiencing durable responses to treatment. The aim of this study was to identify potential predictors of long-term survival (LTS) among patients with de novo HER2-positive MBC who received HER2-directed treatment.

Methods: Eligible patients from 2008 to 2018 were identified using the Manitoba Cancer Registry.

Province-Wide Ascertainment of Lynch Syndrome in Manitoba.

Background & Aims: We describe the experience of Lynch syndrome (LS) diagnosis in the province of Manitoba, Canada, over the past 20 years.

Methods: We performed a retrospective review of charts from the provincial Genetics Clinic from January 1, 2000, to May 31, 2023. We extracted data on individuals identified to carry a germline pathogenic or likely pathogenic LS gene variant, the mode of ascertainment, family history, and cascade genetic testing (CGT).

Promoting toddlers' self-regulation and healthy eating habits among families living in poverty: A randomized controlled trial of Recipe 4 Success.

The Recipe 4 Success preventive intervention targeted multiple factors critical to the health and well-being of toddlers living in poverty. This randomized controlled trial, which was embedded within Early Head Start home visits for 12 weeks, included 242 racially and ethnically diverse families (51% girls; toddler mean age = 2.58 years; data collected 2016-2019).

Tagging neurons with light.

Molecular circuits for activity-guided optogenetics.