Open-source implementation of polarisation-resolved single-shot differential phase contrast microscopy () on a modular -based microscope.

We recently demonstrated polarisation differential phase contrast microscopy () as a robust, low-cost single-shot implementation of (semi)quantitative phase imaging based on differential phase microscopy. utilises a polarisation-sensitive camera to simultaneously acquire four obliquely transilluminated images from which phase images mapping spatial variation of optical path difference can be calculated. microscopy can be implemented on existing or bespoke microscopes and can utilise radiation at a wide range of visible to near infrared wavelengths and so is straightforward to integrate with fluorescence microscopy.

Gene-Air Pollution Interaction and Diversity of Genetic Sampling: The Southern California Children's Health Study.

Gene-environment interactions have been observed for childhood asthma, however few have been assessed in ethnically diverse populations. Thus, we examined how polygenic risk score (PRS) modifies the association between ambient air pollution exposure (nitrogen dioxide [NO], ozone, particulate matter < 2.5 and < 10 μm) and childhood asthma incidence in a diverse cohort.

Passive infusion of an S2-Stem broadly neutralizing antibody protects against SARS-CoV-2 infection and lower airway inflammation in rhesus macaques.

The continued evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants capable of subverting vaccine and infection-induced immunity suggests the advantage of a broadly protective vaccine against betacoronaviruses (β-CoVs). Recent studies have isolated monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) from SARS-CoV-2 recovered-vaccinated donors capable of neutralizing many variants of SARS-CoV-2 and other β-CoVs. Many of these mAbs target the conserved S2 stem region of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, rather than the receptor binding domain contained within S1 primarily targeted by current SARS-CoV-2 vaccines.

Virus and Cell Specific HMGB1 Secretion and Subepithelial Infiltrate Formation in Adenovirus Keratitis.

A highly contagious infection caused by human adenovirus species D (HAdV-D), epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC) results in corneal subepithelial infiltration (SEI) by leukocytes, the hallmark of the infection. To date, the pathogenesis of corneal SEI formation in EKC is unresolved. HMGB1 (high-mobility group box 1 protein) is an alarmin expressed in response to infection and a marker of sepsis.

Access pathways to the transsexualizing process in Brazil: a scoping review.

Objective: To analyze the representation of access pathways to the transsexualizing process in Brazil and the main barriers faced by transgender people.

Method: A scoping review of the literature was conducted. Searches took place in January 2024, with articles and reviews that addressed access to the transsexualizing process being eligible, while books, chapters, conferences, editorial documents, and studies describing surgical procedures were excluded.

Long-term evaluation in BALBc mice of a triple mutant of Mycobacterium bovis and the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin as potential vaccines against bovine tuberculosis.

There is currently no commercial vaccine available against bovine tuberculosis (bTB). Mycobacterium bovis is the primary causative agent of bTB and is closely related to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the pathogen responsible for human TB. Despite their limitations, mouse models are invaluable in early vaccine development due to their genetic diversity, cost-effectiveness, and the availability of research tools.

Azithromycin removal from water via adsorption on drinking water sludge-derived materials: Kinetics and isotherms studies.

In this study, we utilized drinking water treatment sludge (WTS) to produce adsorbents through the drying and calcination process. These adsorbents were then evaluated for their ability to remove azithromycin (AZT) from aqueous solutions. The L-500 adsorbent, derived from the calcination (at 500°C) of WTS generated under conditions of low turbidity in the drinking water treatment plant, presented an increase in the specific surface area from 70.

Factors associated with asthma symptoms in Colombian subpopulations aged 1 to 17 and 18 to 59: Secondary analysis of the study "Prevalence of asthma and other allergic diseases in Colombia 2009-2010".

Background: Asthma, a chronic inflammatory lung disease, is one of the leading causes of disability, demands on health resources, and poor quality of life. It is necessary to identify asthma-related risk factors to reduce the presence and development of symptoms.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the association of multiple possible factors with asthma symptoms in two subpopulations, children, adolescents, and adults, in six cities in Colombia.

Risk factors for one-year mortality in 440 femoral peri-implant fractures: insights from the PIPPAS prospective, multicentre, observational study.

Aims: The Peri-Implant and PeriProsthetic Survival AnalysiS (PIPPAS) study aimed to investigate the risk factors for one-year mortality of femoral peri-implant fractures (FPIFs).

Methods: This prospective, multicentre, observational study involved 440 FPIF patients with a minimum one-year follow-up. Data on demographics, clinical features, fracture characteristics, management, and mortality rates were collected and analyzed using both univariate and multivariate analyses.

Angiogenic factors versus fetomaternal Doppler for fetal growth restriction at term: an open-label, randomized controlled trial.

Small fetuses, with estimated fetal weight (EFW) below the tenth percentile, are classified as fetal growth restriction (FGR) or small for gestational age (SGA) based on prenatal ultrasound. FGR fetuses have a greater risk of stillbirth and perinatal complications and may benefit from serial ultrasound scans to guide early delivery. Abnormal serum angiogenic factors, such as the soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1):placental growth factor (PlGF) ratio, have shown potential to more accurately distinguish FGR from SGA, with fewer false positives.

Development of Antimicrobial Blends of Bacteria Nanocellulose Derived from Plastic Waste and Polyhydroxybutyrate Enhanced with Essential Oils.

The escalating global concern regarding plastic waste accumulation and its detrimental environmental impact has driven the exploration of sustainable alternatives to conventional petroleum-based plastics. This study investigates the development of antimicrobial blends of bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) derived from plastic waste and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHB), further enhanced with essential oils. The antimicrobial activity of the resulting BNC/PHB blends was tested in vitro against , , and .

Molecular Detection of Lymph Node Metastases with One-Step Nucleic Acid Amplification (OSNA) Pooling in Prostate Cancer: The POPCORN Study.

Pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) is the most accurate procedure for lymph node (LN) staging in prostate cancer (PCa) patients. LN sectioning and hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining of at least one slice remains the gold standard for LN evaluation, potentially leading to misdetection of small metastatic focus. Entire LN analysis is possible with One-Step Nucleic Acid Amplification (OSNA) by detecting cytokeratin 19 (CK19) mRNA as a surrogate for LN invasion.

Clustering patients with COVID-19 according to respiratory support requirements, and its impact on short- and long-term outcome (RECOVID study).

Introduction: The Spanish Society of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery created a registry for hospitalised patients with COVID-19 and the different types of respiratory support used (RECOVID). Objectives. To describe the profile of hospitalised patients with COVID-19, comorbidities, respiratory support treatments and setting.

Variables influencing telemedicine utilization via telephone appointments among rural patients.

Objective: To evaluate patient preferences when utilizing telemedicine.

Methods: A 5-point Likert scale questionnaire was completed by 153 patients at a rural clinic via a convenience sampling method. The survey contained 21 statements encompassing provider confidence, patient-physician rapport, and accessibility variables.

Bicultural identity integration, depressive symptoms, and emotional eating among Asian and Latino undergraduate students in the U.S.

College students increasingly identify as bicultural. Bicultural identity integration (BII), the extent to which an individual can effectively manage their various cultural identities, has been associated with mental health, including depressive symptoms. However, few studies have examined the association between BII and eating behaviors among racial/ethnic minority students, even though these students are at high risk for disordered eating behaviors.

Development of a prediction model for tube feeding dependence in HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy.

Objectives: This study aimed to develop a prediction model for feeding tube dependence in a large homogenous cohort of HPV-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HPV + OPSCC) patients receiving chemoradiotherapy (CRT). We further aimed to externally validate three previously published feeding tube prediction models on this cohort.

Materials And Methods: p16-confirmed HPV + OPSCC patients treated with definitive CRT at a tertiary cancer centre between April 2017 and February 2022 were identified.

Understanding the pathways to text generation: A longitudinal study on executive functions, oral language, and transcription skills from kindergarten to first grade.

This longitudinal study explored the contribution of transcription skills, oral language abilities, and executive functions in kindergarten to written production in grade 1 among Spanish-speaking children (N = 191) through structural equation modeling (SEM). Three dimentions of written production were assessed, including productivity, quality, and syntactic complexity. Accordingly, three SEM models were tested to explore these relationships, and the estimated models for each endogenous variable demonstrated good fit.

Complete Genome Sequences of Phages EarickHC, Figueroism, FinalFrontier, SBlackberry, Skylord, and Slay isolated using .

Phages EarickHC, Figueroism, FinalFrontier, SBlackberry, Skylord, and Slay were isolated from soil samples collected around Southern California using the host All six phages are lytic and have a siphoviral morphology. Genomes are 39,843 to 52,992 bp in length and contain 58 to 91 protein coding genes.

Career pathways into the medical laboratory workforce: Education, exposures, and motivations.

Objectives: The goal of this study was to investigate career pathways into the medical laboratory workforce by examining medical laboratory scientists, medical laboratory technicians, histotechnologists, histotechnicians, cytologists, and phlebotomists.

Methods: We collected data through an anonymous online survey (May-June 2023) from a convenience sample of medical laboratory professionals in the United States (N = 1243). We performed descriptive analyses of demographics, current employment characteristics, educational and training history, career exposures, motivations, movement, and outlook (eg, job satisfaction, future career plans).

Genome-wide screen overexpressing mycobacteriophage Amelie genes identifies multiple inhibitors of mycobacterial growth.

The genome sequences of thousands of bacteriophages have been determined and functions for many of the encoded genes have been assigned based on homology to characterized sequences. However, functions have not been assigned to more than two-thirds of the identified phage genes as they have no recognizable sequence features. Recent genome-wide overexpression screens have begun to identify bacteriophage genes that encode proteins that reduce or inhibit bacterial growth.

Intrinsic and environmental drivers of pairwise cohesion in wild Canis social groups.

Animals within social groups respond to costs and benefits of sociality by adjusting the proportion of time they spend in close proximity to other individuals in the group (cohesion). Variation in cohesion between individuals, in turn, shapes important group-level processes such as subgroup formation and fission-fusion dynamics. Although critical to animal sociality, a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing cohesion remains a gap in our knowledge of cooperative behavior in animals.

A Conserved Lysine in an Ion-Pair with a Catalytic Glutamate Is Critical for U-to-C RNA Editing but Restricts C-to-U RNA Editing.

Plants make pyrimidine base substitutions in organellar mRNAs through the action of sequence-specific nuclear-encoded enzymes. Pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins are essential for ensuring specificity, while the enzymatic DYW domain is often present at the C-terminus of a PPR protein and dependent on the variant possessing C-to-U and/or U-to-C RNA editing activities. Expression of exogenous DYW-KP variant enzymes in bacteria leads to the modification of RNAs suggestive of U-to-C base changes.