The Effects of Lithium on Proprioceptive Sensory Function and Nerve Conduction.

Animals are exposed to lithium (Li) in the natural environment as well as by contact with industrial sources and therapeutic treatments. Low levels of exposure over time and high volumes of acute levels can be harmful and even toxic. The following study examines the effect of high-volume acute levels of Li on sensory nerve function and nerve conduction.

The Effects of Zinc on Proprioceptive Sensory Function and Nerve Conduction.

Zinc (Zn) is an essential element that can promote proper organ function, cell growth, and immune response; it can also, however, be present in too great a quantity. Zinc toxicity caused by overexposure may result in both minor and major physiological effects, with chronic exposure at low levels and acute exposure at high levels being harmful or even toxic. This investigation examines the effects of acute exposure to relatively high concentrations of Zn on sensory nerve function and nerve conduction.

A Validation Study of the Mindfulness-Based Interventions Teaching Assessment Criteria for Assessing Mindfulness-Based Intervention Teacher Skill: Inter-Rater Reliability and Predictive Validity.

Background: Prior data suggests the Mindfulness-Based Interventions: (MBI) Teaching Assessment Criteria (MBI:TAC) has good inter-rater reliability, but many raters knew teacher experience level.

Objective: We sought to further evaluate the MBI-TAC's inter-rater reliability and obtain preliminary data on predictive validity.

Methods: We videorecorded 21 MBSR teachers from academic and community settings.

Investigating the impact of multidisciplinary prehabilitation on deconditioning in patients eligible for haematopoietic allogenic stem cell transplantation: protocol for a feasibility trial.

Background: Assessing multidisciplinary prehabilitation strategies becomes crucial to pre-emptively counter the physical, psychological and social negative impacts experienced during an allogenic haematopoietic stem cell transplant (allo-HSCT) among acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) patients. Current evidence is restricted to studies during induction chemotherapy, omitting rehabilitation interventions and predominantly using exercise-only approaches without a multidisciplinary framework. The aim of this study is to investigate the feasibility, safety and preliminary efficacy of multidisciplinary prehabilitation in adults offered allo-HSCT.

Environmental behaviour of iron and steel slags in coastal settings.

Iron and steel slags have a long history of both disposal and beneficial use in the coastal zone. Despite the large volumes of slag deposited, comprehensive assessments of potential risks associated with metal(loid) leaching from iron and steel by-products are rare for coastal systems. This study provides a national-scale overview of the 14 known slag deposits in the coastal environment of Great Britain (those within 100 m of the mean high-water mark), comprising geochemical characterisation and leaching test data (using both low and high ionic strength waters) to assess potential leaching risks.

Effective intravitreal gene delivery to retinal pigment epithelium with hyaluronic acid nanospheres.

Inherited retinal degeneration (IRD) can cause a wide range of different forms of vision loss and blindness, and in spite of extensive advancements in gene therapy research, therapeutic approaches for targeting IRDs are still lacking. We have recently developed an approach for the intravitreal co-delivery of hyaluronic-acid nanospheres (HA-NSs) with sulfotyrosine (ST), effectively reaching the outer retina from the vitreal cavity. Here, our goal was to understand whether DNA-filled HA-NSs could generate gene expression in the outer retina.

Downregulation of rhodopsin is an effective therapeutic strategy in ameliorating peripherin-2-associated inherited retinal disorders.

Given the absence of approved treatments for pathogenic variants in Peripherin-2 (PRPH2), it is imperative to identify a universally effective therapeutic target for PRPH2 pathogenic variants. To test the hypothesis that formation of the elongated discs in presence of PRPH2 pathogenic variants is due to the presence of the full complement of rhodopsin in absence of the required amounts of functional PRPH2. Here we demonstrate the therapeutic potential of reducing rhodopsin levels in ameliorating disease phenotype in knockin models for p.

Hyperoxemia and hypoxemia impair cellular oxygenation: a study in healthy volunteers.

Introduction: Administration of oxygen therapy is common, yet there is a lack of knowledge on its ability to prevent cellular hypoxia as well as on its potential toxicity. Consequently, the optimal oxygenation targets in clinical practice remain unresolved. The novel PpIX technique measures the mitochondrial oxygen tension in the skin (mitoPO) which allows for non-invasive investigation on the effect of hypoxemia and hyperoxemia on cellular oxygen availability.

Reduction of Outdoor and Indoor PM Source Contributions via Portable Air Filtration Systems in a Senior Residential Facility in Detroit, Michigan.

The Reducing Air Pollution in Detroit Intervention Study (RAPIDS) was designed to evaluate cardiovascular health benefits and personal fine particulate matter (particulate matter < 2.5 μm in diameter, PM) exposure reductions via portable air filtration units (PAFs) among older adults in Detroit, Michigan. This double-blind randomized crossover intervention study has shown that, compared to sham, air filtration for 3 days decreased 3-day average brachial systolic blood pressure by 3.

A survey of Australian rheumatologists' perspectives of nutrition needs in systemic sclerosis.

Aim: Systemic sclerosis (scleroderma) is an incurable inflammatory condition synonymous with unique nutrition needs. As rheumatologists are frequently responsible for managing the various organ manifestations, this study aimed to understand the service needs and nutritional concerns of rheumatologists involved in the care of adults with systemic sclerosis.

Methods: A 13-item online qualitative and quantitative survey was distributed via REDCap from January to March 2022 to rheumatologists who are members of the Australian Scleroderma Interest Group and consult patients with systemic sclerosis.

Expression of the human usherin c.2299delG mutation leads to early-onset auditory loss and stereocilia disorganization.

Usher syndrome (USH) is the leading cause of combined deafness and blindness, with USH2A being the most prevalent form. The mechanisms responsible for this debilitating sensory impairment remain unclear. This study focuses on characterizing the auditory phenotype in a mouse model expressing the c.

Comparative study of PRPH2 D2 loop mutants reveals divergent disease mechanism in rods and cones.

Mutations in the photoreceptor-specific tetraspanin gene peripherin-2 (PRPH2) lead to widely varying forms of retinal degeneration ranging from retinitis pigmentosa to macular dystrophy. Both inter- and intra-familial phenotypic heterogeneity has led to much interest in uncovering the complex pathogenic mechanisms of PRPH2-associated disease. Majority of disease-causing mutations in PRPH2 reside in the second intradiscal loop, wherein seven cysteines control protein folding and oligomerization.

A bendable biological ceramic.

A fatigue-resistant mollusk hinge could in spire the development of new materials.

Strengthening Tobacco 21 implementation and enforcement to reduce tobacco-related health disparities: A stakeholder engagement project.

Introduction: As a part of a priority-setting stakeholder engagement project to strengthen the impact of the federal Tobacco 21 (T21) law, we conducted a qualitative study to solicit input from a nationwide sample of tobacco control stakeholders regarding the implementation, enforcement, and equity implications of the T21 law.

Methods: Following the T21 policy evaluation guidance developed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), we identified T21 experts in four domains: policy, evaluation, subject matter, and implementation from a national search of stakeholders (invitations, n=1279) to account for geographical variation. This study presents results from five focus groups conducted in December 2021 among stakeholders (n=31) with experience in T21 policy, evaluation, subject matter, and implementation.

The Reliability of Rating via Audio-Recording Using the Mindfulness-Based Interventions: Teaching Assessment Criteria.

Background: The Mindfulness-Based Interventions: Teaching Assessment Criteria (MBI:TAC) is an important tool for assessing teacher skill and aspects of the fidelity of mindfulness-based interventions, but prior research on and implementation of the MBI:TAC has used video recordings, which can be difficult to obtain, share for assessments, and which increase privacy concerns for participants. Audio-only recordings might be a useful alternative, but their reliability is unknown.

Objective: To assess evaluator perception of the rating process and inter-rater reliability of MBI:TAC ratings using audio-only recordings.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Our Time: A Curriculum that is up to the Task.

There is current heightened public consciousness of the intersecting challenges of social and racial injustice, other forms of inequity, and the climate and biodiversity crisis. We examine how these current realities influence how we engage as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Program (MBP) teachers and researchers. Although Kabat-Zinn developed MBSR as a vehicle to enable engagement with both the individual and the collective drivers of distress and flourishing, predominant research and practice trends within the MBP field have prioritised individual wellbeing, and have not been accessible to the full societal demographic.

A simulation of skin mitochondrial Po in circulatory shock.

Circulatory shock is the inadequacy to supply mitochondria with enough oxygen to sustain aerobic energy metabolism. A novel noninvasive bedside measurement was recently introduced to monitor the mitochondrial oxygen tension in the skin (mitoPo). As the most downstream marker of oxygen balance in the skin, mitoPo may provide additional information to improve shock management.

Mindfulness-based programmes and 'bigger than self' issues: protocol for a scoping review.

Introduction: Mindfulness-based programmes (MBPs) have an established, growing evidence base as interventions to optimise health, well-being and performance of individual participants. Emerging evidence suggests that MBPs also enhance prosociality, encouraging individuals to contribute to positive social change. This study focuses on the potential of MBPs to facilitate development of participants' inner resources that support prosocial shifts.

The usherin mutation c.2299delG leads to its mislocalization and disrupts interactions with whirlin and VLGR1.

Usher syndrome (USH) is the leading cause of combined deafness-blindness with type 2 A (USH2A) being the most common form. Knockout models of USH proteins, like the Ush2a model that develops a late-onset retinal phenotype, failed to mimic the retinal phenotype observed in patients. Since patient's mutations result in the expression of a mutant protein and to determine the mechanism of USH2A, we generated and evaluated an usherin (USH2A) knock-in mouse expressing the common human disease-mutation, c.