Publications by authors named "D'Souza E"

Chromosome-containing micronuclei are a hallmark of aggressive cancers. Micronuclei frequently undergo irreversible collapse, exposing their enclosed chromatin to the cytosol. Micronuclear rupture catalyzes chromosomal rearrangements, epigenetic abnormalities, and inflammation, yet mechanisms safeguarding micronuclear integrity are poorly understood.

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Lowering expression of prion protein (PrP) is a well-validated therapeutic strategy in prion disease, but additional modalities are urgently needed. In other diseases, small molecules have proven capable of modulating pre-mRNA splicing, sometimes by forcing inclusion of cryptic exons that reduce gene expression. Here, we characterize a cryptic exon located in human PRNP's sole intron and evaluate its potential to reduce PrP expression through incorporation into the 5' untranslated region.

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Article Synopsis
  • * The study identifies RNU4-2, a non-coding RNA gene, as a significant contributor to syndromic NDD, revealing a specific 18-base pair region with low variation that includes variants found in 115 individuals with NDD.
  • * RNU4-2 is highly expressed in the developing brain, and its variants disrupt splicing processes, indicating that non-coding genes play a crucial role in rare disorders, potentially aiding in the diagnosis of thousands with NDD worldwide.
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Background: Untranslated regions (UTRs) are important mediators of post-transcriptional regulation. The length of UTRs and the composition of regulatory elements within them are known to vary substantially across genes, but little is known about the reasons for this variation in humans. Here, we set out to determine whether this variation, specifically in 5'UTRs, correlates with gene dosage sensitivity.

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Around 60% of individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) remain undiagnosed after comprehensive genetic testing, primarily of protein-coding genes. Increasingly, large genome-sequenced cohorts are improving our ability to discover new diagnoses in the non-coding genome. Here, we identify the non-coding RNA as a novel syndromic NDD gene.

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  • The study aimed to analyze genetic testing patterns in infants with congenital heart disease (CHD) compared to those without CHD in a NICU setting.
  • A total of 1,075 out of 7,112 infants underwent genetic evaluation, with a notable focus on 329 infants with CHD.
  • Results showed similar diagnosis rates post-testing for both groups, but atrioventricular septal defects were highly predictive of a genetic diagnosis, suggesting the importance of genetic testing in these cases.
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Lowering expression of prion protein (PrP) is a well-validated therapeutic strategy in prion disease, but additional modalities are urgently needed. In other diseases, small molecules have proven capable of modulating pre-mRNA splicing, sometimes by forcing inclusion of cryptic exons that reduce gene expression. Here, we characterize a cryptic exon located in human 's sole intron and evaluate its potential to reduce PrP expression through incorporation into the 5' untranslated region (5'UTR).

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Study Objectives: This retrospective study analyzed free-text clinical notes from medical encounters for insomnia among a sample of deployed US military personnel. Topic modeling, a natural language processing technique, was used to identify thematic patterns in the clinical notes that were potentially related to insomnia diagnosis.

Methods: Clinical notes of patient clinical encounters coded for insomnia from the US Department of Defense Military Health System Theater Medical Data Store were analyzed.

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Technology-enabled interventions are often recommended to overcome geographical barriers to access and inequitable distribution of mental healthcare workers. The aim of this study was to examine the acceptability and feasibility of an assisted telepsychiatry model implemented in primary care settings in India. In-depth interviews were conducted with patients who received telepsychiatry consultations.

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Background: This study explores the experiences of participants receiving a mobile-based brief intervention (BI) for hazardous drinking in India, to determine characteristics that influenced engagement and examine perceived reasons for change in alcohol consumption.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 adult hazardous drinkers who received a mobile-based BI in the intervention arm of a pilot randomised control trial. Data were coded through an iterative process and analysed using thematic analysis.

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Background: Interferon-γ (IFNγ) signaling plays a complex role in atherogenesis. IFNγ stimulation of macrophages permits in vitro exploration of proinflammatory mechanisms and the development of novel immune therapies. We hypothesized that the study of macrophage subpopulations could lead to anti-inflammatory interventions.

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Background: Both promoters and untranslated regions (UTRs) have critical regulatory roles, yet variants in these regions are largely excluded from clinical genetic testing due to difficulty in interpreting pathogenicity. The extent to which these regions may harbour diagnoses for individuals with rare disease is currently unknown.

Methods: We present a framework for the identification and annotation of potentially deleterious proximal promoter and UTR variants in known dominant disease genes.

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Multi-specific seagrass meadow assemblages dominate most tropical intertidal regions but the relative role of environmental stress in determining distribution patterns is still uncertain. Here we combine observational and experimental approaches to examine aerial exposure as a factor driving species occurrence patterns in intertidal meadows of the Andaman archipelago, where up to 6 seagrass species co-occur. In the studied meadow, patterns of exposure did not map onto distance from the coast, instead creating a patchy matrix of exposure, based on fine-scale bathymetric differences.

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Background: The t:connect mobile app from Tandem Diabetes Care recently added a feature to allow t:slim X2 insulin pump users to initiate an insulin bolus from their personal smartphone. User experience and user interface considerations prioritized safety and ease of use, and we examined whether the smartphone bolus feature changed bolus behavior in individuals who bolused less than three times/day.

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of t:slim X2 insulin pump users in the United States who had remotely updated their insulin pump software to be compatible with the smartphone bolus version of the app and who gave less than three boluses per day prior to the smartphone bolus update.

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The present study aims to isolate diverse actinomycetes communities from the estuarine sediments of Patalganga located at Northwest coast of India. Total 40 actinomycetes were isolated from 24 sediment samples by dilution plating on six different isolation media. Among them, morphologically 18 distinct selected isolates of actinomycetes were verified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and identified as Streptomyces spp.

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Physical activity (PA) is recognized as essential for positive physical and mental well-being in young people. However, participation in PA is known to decline as adolescents emerge into adulthood under the influence of complex social and structural factors. Globally, COVID-19 restrictions resulted in changes to PA and PA participation levels in youth populations, providing a unique opportunity for gaining insight into PA barriers and enablers in circumstances of challenge, limitation and change.

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Objective: To describe the prevalence of spine injuries among US service members with combat-related concussion.

Design And Participants: A retrospective review of medical records for US service members injured during combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan between 2002 and 2020. The study sample included 27 897 service members categorized into 3 groups: concussion with loss of consciousness (LOC, n = 4631), concussion non-LOC ( n = 5533), and non-concussion ( n = 17 333).

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Extensive home ranges of marine megafauna present a challenge for systematic conservation planning because they exceed spatial scales of conventional management. For elusive species like dugongs, their management is additionally hampered by a paucity of basic distributional information across much of their range. The Red Sea is home to a wide-spread, globally important but data-poor population of dugongs.

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Metabolic diseases are major public health issues worldwide and are responsible for disproportionately higher healthcare costs and increased complications of many diseases including SARS-CoV-2 infection. The Western Diet (WD) specifically is believed to be a major contributor to the global metabolic disease epidemic. In contrast, the Mediterranean diet (MeD), Ketogenic diet (KD), and Japanese diet (JD) are often considered beneficial for metabolic health.

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Article Synopsis
  • Breastmilk contains essential nutrients that support infant brain development, and maternal nutrition may enhance these benefits.
  • A study of 33 newborns examined how the amount of breastfeeding at 3 months and the nutrient content in breastmilk relate to motor skills and problem-solving abilities by age 3-5.
  • Results showed that higher breastfeeding rates are linked to better motor and problem-solving skills, with specific nutrients like α-tocopherol and lutein showing significant positive correlations, suggesting the need for more research on their neurodevelopmental effects.
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The school food environment plays an important role in shaping students' dietary choices, which often influence future dietary behaviours. We surveyed primary and secondary schools in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, to measure the comprehensiveness and strength of food policies, describe the culture of food provision, and identify barriers to improving school food environments. Fifty-one schools were included in the final analysis, with 58.

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Article Synopsis
  • Children's nutrition is impacted by community deprivation and socioeconomic inequalities, leading to issues like childhood obesity, which are increasing over time.
  • A community-based system dynamics approach was used in New Zealand, incorporating Indigenous perspectives, where workshops facilitated community members, including both youth and adults, to collaboratively create systems maps that illustrate the drivers of poor nutrition in their area.
  • The study identified ten prioritized community interventions, emphasizing the importance of cultural connections and addressing societal and individual-environmental factors, while also recognizing the historical context of colonization affecting these communities.
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