A Rapid and Reliable Absorbance Assay to Identify Drug-Drug Interactions with Thiopurine Drugs.

Background: Thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT) plays a crucial role in the detoxification of thiopurine drugs, including the antimetabolites azathioprine and 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) used to treat autoimmune diseases and various cancers. These drugs interfere with DNA synthesis by inhibiting the production of purine-containing nucleotides, leading to the death of rapidly dividing cells. TPMT inactivates thiopurine drugs by methylating at the thiol group.

"I still can feel the sickness": Withdrawal experiences of people on methadone maintenance treatment.

Introduction: Opioid withdrawal is a regular occurrence for many people who use illicit opioids (PWUIO) involving acute physical and psychological pain. Yet, there is very little data on the withdrawal experience of people in methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) and almost none from the patients' experience. Learning more about patients' withdrawal experiences can help to inform policies and practices that are better suited to address withdrawal and may improve patient satisfaction as well as uptake and retention.

An investigation of downstream processing methods for challenging skeletal samples.

While skeletal remains are known for their resilience and often serve as the final source of information for unidentified human remains (UHRs), the traditional downstream processing of these samples is challenging due to their low template nature, DNA degradation, and the presence of PCR inhibitors, typically resulting in limited probative information. To address this issue, advanced genotyping methods can be explored to retrieve additional genetic information from these challenging samples to maximize investigative leads. Therefore, this study investigated the effectiveness of three advanced genotyping methods and assessed their suitability with compromised skeletal samples: 1) targeted next generation sequencing (NGS) of both STRs and SNPs using the ForenSeq® DNA Signature Prep chemistry, 2) targeted NGS of SNPs using the ForenSeq® Kintelligence kit, and 3) SNP genotyping using a microarray via the Infinium Global Screening Array.

The Professional Identity of STEM Faculty as Instructors of Course-based Research Experiences.

The professional identity of scientists has historically been cultivated to value research over teaching, which can undermine initiatives that aim to reform science education. Course-Based Research Experiences (CRE) and the inclusive Research and Education Communities (iREC) are two successful and impactful reform efforts that integrate research and teaching. The aim of this study is to explicate the professional identity of instructors who implement a CRE within an established iREC and to explore how this identity contributes to the success of these programs.