Thoracolumbar fascia ultrasound shear strain differs between low back pain and asymptomatic individuals: expanding the evidence.

Objectives: To compare thoracolumbar fascia (TLF) shear strain between individuals with and without nonspecific low back pain (NSLBP), investigate its correlation with symptoms, and assess a standardized massage technique's impact on TLF shear strain.

Methods: Participants were prospectively enrolled between February 2021 and June 2022. Pre- and post-intervention TLF ultrasound and pain/disability questionnaires were conducted.

Low Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in Farmed and Free-Ranging White-Tailed Deer in Florida.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been detected in multiple animal species, including white-tailed deer (WTD), raising concerns about zoonotic transmission, particularly in environments with frequent human interactions. To understand how human exposure influences SARS-CoV-2 infection in WTD, we compared infection and exposure prevalence between farmed and free-ranging deer populations in Florida. We also examined the timing and viral variants in WTD relative to those in Florida's human population.

Detection of SARS-CoV-2- specific antibodies in domestic cats using different ELISA tests.

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 raised concerns about the potential for interspecies transmission, particularly among domestic animals. We evaluated the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in domestic cats from various sites in North America. A total of 216 serum samples collected between December 2019 and February 2022, were analyzed using four different enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), including a commercial surrogate virus neutralization test (sVNT), a commercial double antigen test (dN ELISA), and two in-house developed indirect ELISAS based on receptor-binding domain (RBD iELISA) and the nucleocapsid (N iELISA) proteins, respectively.

Cattle, sheep, and goat humoral immune responses against SARS-CoV-2.

Following the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in late 2019, several species of domestic and wild animals have been found to be susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection through experimental inoculation and animal surveillance activities. Detection of SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies in animals is an important surveillance tool since viral shedding in animals can only be detected for a short period of time. In this study, convenience serum samples were collected from 691 cattle, 698 sheep, and 707 goats from several regions in the United States, between 2019 and 2022.

Generation and Genetic Stability of a PolX and 5' MGF-Deficient African Swine Fever Virus Mutant for Vaccine Development.

The African swine fever virus (ASFV) causes fatal disease in pigs and is currently spreading globally. Commercially safe vaccines are urgently required. Aiming to generate a novel live attenuated vaccine (LAV), a recombinant ASFV was generated by deleting the viral O174L (PolX) gene.

Bison, Elk, and Other Captive Wildlife Species Humoral Immune Responses against SARS-CoV-2.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus responsible for COVID-19, has been found to infect various domestic and wild animal species. In this study, convenience serum samples from 575 bison, 180 elk, and 147 samples from various wildlife species collected between 2020 and 2023 from several regions in the United States were analyzed for the presence of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies. Two commercial ELISA assays based on the inhibition of the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (sVNT) or the nucleocapsid protein (N-ELISA) of SARS-CoV-2 were used.

Bovine Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus Stability and Inactivation in the Milk Byproduct Lactose.

The recent incursion of highly pathogenic influenza viruses into dairy cattle opens new insights for influenza virus ecology and its interspecies transmission and may have a significant impact on public health and agriculture. The aim of this study was to determine the stability of a bovine highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus isolate in the milk byproduct lactose and to evaluate two inactivation methods using industrial procedures. The bovine isolate of the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus was stable for 14 days in a concentrated lactose solution under refrigerated conditions.

H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b dynamics in experimentally infected calves and cows.

In March 2024, highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) clade 2.3.4.

Circulating Autoantibodies Targeting TREK-1 in Patients With Short-Coupled Ventricular Fibrillation.

Background: Short-coupled ventricular fibrillation (SCVF) is increasingly being recognized as a distinct primary electrical disorder and cause of otherwise unexplained cardiac arrest. However, the pathophysiology of SCVF remains largely elusive. Despite extensive genetic screening, there is no convincing evidence of a robust monogenic disease gene, thus raising the speculations for alternative pathogeneses.

Outcome of H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b virus infection in calves and lactating cows.

In March 2024, highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) clade 2.3.4.

Understanding musculoskeletal disorders in dancers: The role of lumbopelvic muscles and movement competency.

Objective: To investigate whether transversus abdominis activation (TrA), hip strength, and movement competency are associated with the incidence of musculoskeletal disorder episodes (MDEs) in dancers when controlling for confounding variables. The secondary objectives were to determine if there were differences between professional and preprofessional dancers for the aforementioned factors, as well as to determine if there were differences in TrA activation and hip strength between the dominant and non-dominant sides.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Interpretable representation learning for 3D multi-piece intracellular structures using point clouds.

A key challenge in understanding subcellular organization is quantifying interpretable measurements of intracellular structures with complex multi-piece morphologies in an objective, robust and generalizable manner. Here we introduce a morphology-appropriate representation learning framework that uses 3D rotation invariant autoencoders and point clouds. This framework is used to learn representations of complex multi-piece morphologies that are independent of orientation, compact, and easy to interpret.

Polygenic inheritance and its interplay with smoking history in predicting lung cancer diagnosis: a French-Canadian case-control cohort.

Background: The most near-term clinical application of genome-wide association studies in lung cancer is a polygenic risk score (PRS).

Methods: A case-control dataset was generated consisting of 4002 lung cancer cases from the LORD project and 20,010 ethnically matched controls from CARTaGENE. A genome-wide PRS including >1.

Rift Valley Fever Phlebovirus Reassortment Study in Sheep.

Rift Valley fever (RVF) in ungulates and humans is caused by a mosquito-borne RVF phlebovirus (RVFV). Live attenuated vaccines are used in livestock (sheep and cattle) to control RVF in endemic regions during outbreaks. The ability of two or more different RVFV strains to reassort when co-infecting a host cell is a significant veterinary and public health concern due to the potential emergence of newly reassorted viruses, since reassortment of RVFVs has been documented in nature and in experimental infection studies.

Single-cell and single-nucleus RNA-sequencing from paired normal-adenocarcinoma lung samples provide both common and discordant biological insights.

Whether single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) captures the same biological information as single-nucleus RNA-sequencing (snRNA-seq) remains uncertain and likely to be context-dependent. Herein, a head-to-head comparison was performed in matched normal-adenocarcinoma human lung samples to assess biological insights derived from scRNA-seq versus snRNA-seq and better understand the cellular transition that occurs from normal to tumoral tissue. Here, the transcriptome of 160,621 cells/nuclei was obtained.

Prognostic implication of methylation-based circulating tumor DNA detection prior to surgery in stage I non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) positivity at diagnosis, which is associated with worse outcomes in multiple solid tumors including stage I-III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), may have utility to guide (neo)adjuvant therapy.

Methods: In this retrospective study, 260 patients with clinical stage I NSCLC (180 adenocarcinoma, 80 squamous cell carcinoma) were allocated (2:1) to high- and low-risk groups based on relapse versus disease-free status ≤5 years post-surgery. We evaluated the association of preoperative ctDNA detection by a plasma-only targeted methylation-based multi-cancer early detection (MCED) test with NSCLC relapse ≤5 years post-surgery in the overall population, followed by histology-specific subgroup analyses.

Pigs are highly susceptible to but do not transmit mink-derived highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b.

Rapid evolution of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs) is driven by antigenic drift but also by reassortment, which might result in robust replication in and transmission to mammals. Recently, spillover of clade 2.3.

Passion and performance anxiety: How it affects the incidence of musculoskeletal disorders in dancers.

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the association between the incidence of musculoskeletal disorder episodes (MDEs) and obsessive and harmonious passion as well as performance anxiety throughout a dance season, which lasted 38 weeks.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Methods: A total of 118 professional and preprofessional dancers were recruited and assessed at baseline, while 88 completed the follow-up.

Integrative genomic analyses identify candidate causal genes for calcific aortic valve stenosis involving tissue-specific regulation.

There is currently no medical therapy to prevent calcific aortic valve stenosis (CAVS). Multi-omics approaches could lead to the identification of novel molecular targets. Here, we perform a genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis including 14,819 cases among 941,863 participants of European ancestry.