The Challenging Process of Developing an Antenatal Social Intervention for Parents From Culturally Diverse Backgrounds to Reduce Postnatal Distress: A Participatory Action Research Study.

Background: A lack of social support contributes to women from culturally diverse backgrounds experiencing higher rates of perinatal distress and lower rates of service engagement.

Objective/methods: This participatory action research study aimed to understand what a culturally appropriate social intervention may look like for pregnant women from culturally diverse backgrounds. Field notes and qualitative transcripts were descriptively synthesised.

Ultraviolet and infrared radiation in Australia: assessing the benefits, risks, and optimal exposure guidelines.

Despite extensive research, determining the optimal level of sunlight exposure for human health remains a challenge, emphasizing the need for ongoing scientific inquiry into this critical aspect of human well-being. This review aims to elucidate how different components of the solar spectrum, particularly near-infrared (NIR) radiation and ultraviolet radiation (UVR) affect human health in diverse ways depending on factors such as time of day and duration of exposure. Sunlight has beneficial effects from the production of melatonin by NIR and vitamin D by UVB.

InTraSeq: A Multimodal Assay that Uncovers New Single-Cell Biology and Regulatory Mechanisms.

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has revolutionized cell biology by enabling the profiling of transcriptomes at a single-cell resolution, leading to important discoveries that have advanced our understanding of cellular and tissue heterogeneity, developmental trajectories, and disease progression. Despite these important advances, scRNA-seq is limited to measuring the transcriptome providing a partial view of cellular function. To address this limitation, multimodal scRNA-seq assays have emerged, allowing for the simultaneous measurement of RNA expression and protein.

Uncovering the complexity of structural variants in four individuals with autism spectrum disorder.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is an increasingly recognized childhood developmental disorder. Despite extensive study, causal variants and molecular diagnosis remain elusive. There is both heterogeneity of the phenotype, as well as the genetic landscape associated with phenotype, which includes both inherited and de novo mutations.

The effects of literacy on health in Gypsies, Roma and Travellers (GRT): a systematic review and narrative synthesis.

Introduction: Gypsies, Roma and Travellers (GRT) frequently experience poorer health outcomes than the general population and represent the most socially and economically disadvantaged individuals in many countries. In general, GRT in OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries have lower rates of literacy than the general population. Although 'health literacy' has been examined before, the link between low functional literacy and its effects on health has not yet been explored.

Long-read sequencing for detection and subtyping of Prader-Willi and Angelman syndromes.

Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) and Angelman syndrome (AS) are imprinting disorders caused by genetic or epigenetic aberrations of 15q11.2-q13. Their clinical testing is often multitiered; diagnostic testing begins with methylation-specific multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification or methylation-sensitive PCR and then proceeds to molecular subtyping to determine the mechanism and recurrence risk.

Transcription factor TCF1 binds to RORγt and orchestrates a regulatory network that determines homeostatic Th17 cell state.

T helper (Th) 17 cells encompass a spectrum of cell states, including cells that maintain homeostatic tissue functions and pro-inflammatory cells that can drive autoimmune tissue damage. Identifying regulators that determine Th17 cell states can identify ways to control tissue inflammation and restore homeostasis. Here, we found that interleukin (IL)-23, a cytokine critical for inducing pro-inflammatory Th17 cells, decreased transcription factor T cell factor 1 (TCF1) expression.

Cocaine diminishes consolidation of cued fear memory in female rats through interactions with ventral hippocampal D2 receptors.

In addition to cocaine's addictive properties, cocaine use may lead to heightened risk-taking behavior. The disruptive effects of cocaine on aversive memory formation may underlie this behavior. The present study investigated the effects of cocaine on fear memory using a cued fear conditioning paradigm in female Sprague Dawley rats, and further determined the role of D2 receptors in modulating the effect of cocaine on cued fear expression.

iPSC-derived NK cells expressing high-affinity IgG Fc receptor fusion CD64/16A to mediate flexible, multi-tumor antigen targeting for lymphoma.

Introduction: NK cells can mediate tumor cell killing by natural cytotoxicity and by antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC), an anti-tumor mechanism mediated through the IgG Fc receptor CD16A (FcγRIIIA). CD16A polymorphisms conferring increased affinity for IgG positively correlate with clinical outcomes during monoclonal antibody therapy for lymphoma, linking increased binding affinity with increased therapeutic potential via ADCC. We have previously reported on the FcγR fusion CD64/16A consisting of the extracellular region of CD64 (FcγRI), a high-affinity Fc receptor normally expressed by myeloid cells, and the transmembrane/cytoplasmic regions of CD16A, to create a highly potent and novel activating fusion receptor.

Intimidating Attendings: The Importance of Near-Peer Mentorship During Third-Year Surgical Clerkship.

Introduction: Near-peer instruction has grown in popularity in medical education; however, limited data exist to support its effectiveness. This study investigates the perceptions of near-peer style instruction in third-y medical students undergoing a surgical clinical clerkship. We hypothesized that near-peer instruction would provide a beneficial educational experience to third-y medical students during their surgical clinical clerkship.

Enhanced IL-15-mediated NK cell activation and proliferation by an ADAM17 function-blocking antibody involves CD16A, CD137, and accessory cells.

Background: Natural killer (NK) cells are being extensively studied as a cell therapy for cancer. These cells are activated by recognition of ligands and antigens on tumor cells. Cytokine therapies, such as IL-15, are also broadly used to stimulate endogenous and adoptively transferred NK cells in patients with cancer.

Implementation of an optimised tele-medicine platform for stroke in South Australia improves patient care.

Background: Patients with a large vessel occlusion require a transfer from a primary stroke centre to access thrombectomy, often over significant distances in regional areas. We sought to optimise stroke care access in the regional South Australian Tele-Strokeservice (SATS) to improve patient access to thrombectomy.

Methods: We undertook a 24-month interventional historically controlled cohort study comparing acute stroke care metrics in the SATS.

Malignant Melanoma: An Overview, New Perspectives, and Vitamin D Signaling.

Melanoma, originating through malignant transformation of melanin-producing melanocytes, is a formidable malignancy, characterized by local invasiveness, recurrence, early metastasis, resistance to therapy, and a high mortality rate. This review discusses etiologic and risk factors for melanoma, diagnostic and prognostic tools, including recent advances in molecular biology, omics, and bioinformatics, and provides an overview of its therapy. Since the incidence of melanoma is rising and mortality remains unacceptably high, we discuss its inherent properties, including melanogenesis, that make this disease resilient to treatment and propose to use AI to solve the above complex and multidimensional problems.

Oncogene-induced TIM-3 ligand expression dictates susceptibility to anti-TIM-3 therapy in mice.

Leukemia relapse is a major cause of death after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). We tested the potential of targeting T cell (Tc) immunoglobulin and mucin-containing molecule 3 (TIM-3) for improving graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effects. We observed differential expression of TIM-3 ligands when hematopoietic stem cells overexpressed certain oncogenic-driver mutations.

1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D Suppresses UV-Induced Poly(ADP-Ribose) Levels in Primary Human Keratinocytes, as Detected by a Novel Whole-Cell ELISA.

Photoprotective properties of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)D) to reduce UV-induced DNA damage have been established in several studies. UV-induced DNA damage in skin such as single or double strand breaks is known to initiate several cellular mechanisms including activation of poly(ADP-ribose) (pADPr) polymerase-1 (PARP-1). DNA damage from UV also increases extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK) phosphorylation, which further increases PARP activity.

Conceptualizing impulsivity as a construct in relation to posttraumatic stress disorder symptom severity among women.

Despite the established association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and impulsivity, the literature is limited regarding impulsivity as a multifaceted construct. That is, the field's understanding of how PTSD symptoms may increase particular impulsive tendencies and behaviors is constrained by examining impulsivity solely as an umbrella term. The aim of the present study was to determine if there are differential associations between PTSD symptom severity and various components of impulsivity across multiple self-report measures.

Enhanced IL-15-mediated NK cell activation and proliferation by an ADAM17 function-blocking antibody involves CD16A, CD137, and accessory cells.

Background: NK cells are being extensively studied as a cell therapy for cancer. Their effector functions are induced by the recognition of ligands on tumor cells and by various cytokines. IL-15 is broadly used to stimulate endogenous and adoptively transferred NK cells in cancer patients.

DNA Quantity and Quality Comparisons between Cryopreserved and FFPE Tumors from Matched Pan-Cancer Samples.

Personalized cancer care requires molecular characterization of neoplasms. While the research community accepts frozen tissues as the gold standard analyte for molecular assays, the source of tissue for testing in clinical cancer care comes almost universally from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue (FFPE). As newer technologies emerge for DNA characterization that requires higher molecular weight DNA, it was necessary to compare the quality of DNA in terms of DNA length between FFPE and cryopreserved samples.

Whole genome and transcriptome integrated analyses guide clinical care of pediatric poor prognosis cancers.

The role for routine whole genome and transcriptome analysis (WGTA) for poor prognosis pediatric cancers remains undetermined. Here, we characterize somatic mutations, structural rearrangements, copy number variants, gene expression, immuno-profiles and germline cancer predisposition variants in children and adolescents with relapsed, refractory or poor prognosis malignancies who underwent somatic WGTA and matched germline sequencing. Seventy-nine participants with a median age at enrollment of 8.

Cyclic AMP-regulatory element-binding protein: a novel UV-targeted transcription factor in skin cancer.

Common therapeutics in relation to melanoma and non-melanoma cancers include the use of kinase inhibitors. The long-term benefits of kinases, however, are limited by development of drug resistance. An alternative approach for treatment would be to focus on transcription factors.