High-fidelity, large-scale targeted profiling of microsatellites.

Microsatellites are highly mutable sequences that can serve as markers for relationships among individuals or cells within a population. The accuracy and resolution of reconstructing these relationships depends on the fidelity of microsatellite profiling and the number of microsatellites profiled. However, current methods for targeted profiling of microsatellites incur significant "stutter" artifacts that interfere with accurate genotyping, and sequencing costs preclude whole-genome microsatellite profiling of a large number of samples.

Peer education as a strategy to promote vaccine acceptance: A randomized controlled trial within New York community healthcare practices.

Background: Effective strategies are needed to improve vaccine acceptance. This study sought to determine if a peer-led vaccine education intervention embedded within community medical practices increases parental acceptance of pediatric pneumococcal conjugate vaccination.

Methods: From March 2022-July 2023, we conducted a randomized trial at three pediatric health practices in predominantly Hasidic Jewish neighborhoods in New York, where vaccine deferral is common.

Demographic reporting and language exclusion in gynecologic oncology clinical trials.

Background: Participation in clinical trials may help mitigate disparate cancer outcomes. Thus, ensuring equitable access to clinical trials is a major priority for national cancer organizations.

Objective: This study aimed to examine clinical trial eligibility criteria that may adversely affect the enrollment of underrepresented groups and assess the availability of demographic information in published gynecologic oncology studies.

Serial enrichment of heteroduplex DNA using a MutS-magnetic bead system.

Numerous applications in molecular biology and genomics require characterization of mutant DNA molecules present at low levels within a larger sample of non-mutant DNA. This is often achieved either by selectively amplifying mutant DNA, or by sequencing all the DNA followed by computational identification of the mutant DNA. However, selective amplification is challenging for insertions and deletions (indels).

Stability of N18C6H6: triangular versus hexagonal structure.

Large nitrogen cage molecules Nx have been previously shown to prefer elongated, cylindrical structures with triangular caps versus more spherical structures composed entirely of pentagons and hexagons. It was argued that this preference derived from the electronic properties of the nitrogen atoms, including the lone pairs. In the current study, the same structural comparison is carried out, with the substitution of C-H-bonding groups for six of the nitrogens.

Stability of N10C10H10 and N12C12H12 Cages and the Effects of Endohedral Atoms and Ions.

Cages of carbon and nitrogen have been studied by theoretical calculations to determine the potential of these molecules as high-energy density materials. Following previous theoretical studies of high-energy N6C6H6 and N8C8H8 cages, a series of calculations on several isomers of the larger N10C10H10 and N12C12H12 is carried out to determine relative stability among a variety of three-coordinate cage isomers with four-membered, five-membered, and/or six-membered rings. Additionally, calculations are carried out on the same molecules with atoms or ions inside the cage.

Isomer stability and bond-breaking energies of N8C8H8 cages.

Molecules consisting entirely or predominantly of nitrogen have been extensively investigated for their potential as high-energy density materials (HEDM). Such molecules react to produce N2 and large amounts of energy, but many such molecules are too unstable for practical applications. In the present study, cage isomers of N8C8H8 are studied using theoretical calculations to determine the structural features that lead to the most stable cages and determine the energetics of dissociation for the various isomers.

Stability of high-energy N14H4(2+) ion and the effects of carbon and halogen substitution.

Previous studies of oxygen addition into an N12 cage framework revealed the possibility of stable high-energy density materials (HEDM) resulting from such additions. In the current study, nitrogen addition into N12 is studied as a means of generating stable HEDM. Nitrogen addition into N12 is shown to yield an N14H4(2+) ion, which is examined by theoretical calculations to determine its stability with respect to dissociation.