The associations of the diagnostic criterion pain modified by function with functional limitation and behavioral frequency.

The aim is to assess the associations of jaw functional limitation and jaw overuse behavior with pain modified by function as a required diagnostic criterion for painful temporomandibular disorders. This cross-sectional study from the TMJ Impact Project utilized secondary data analyses of 249 participants who met the inclusion criteria of having facial pain in the prior 30 days and valid responses to the pain modified by function (Items 4A-D derived from the Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD) Symptom Questionnaire). Independent -tests (alpha = 0.

Impact of H37Rv Infection on Extracellular Vesicle Cargo in Macrophages: Implications for Host-Pathogen Interaction.

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most common respiratory infections worldwide, and it is caused by (). employs immune evasion mechanisms that allow the disease to become chronic. Despite extensive research, the host-pathogen interaction remains incompletely understood.

Early-life obesogenic environment integrates immunometabolic and epigenetic signatures governing neuroinflammation.

Childhood overweight/obesity is associated with stress-related psychopathology, yet the pathways connecting childhood obesity to stress susceptibility are poorly understood. We employed a systems biology approach with 62 adolescent Lewis rats fed a Western-like high-saturated fat diet (WD, 41% kcal from fat) or a control diet (CD, 13% kcal from fat). A subset of rats underwent a 31-day model of predator exposures and social instability (PSS).

COVID-19 extracellular vesicles display heterogeneity based on viral and host RNA expression: implications for host immune response.

Viral RNA and miRNAs released by immune cells contribute to inflammation in COVID-19 patients. Here, we investigated the role of SARS-CoV2 RNA and host miRNAs carried within extracellular vesicles (EVs) in modulating inflammation. EVs were classified as positive or negative depending on their viral RNA cargo.

Mechanics- and Behavior-Related Temporomandibular Joint Differences.

Fatigue of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) tissues reflects the effects of magnitude (energy density; ED) and frequency of loading (jaw muscle duty factor; DF). This observational study measured these variables and tested for differences in mechanobehavior scores (MBS = ED × DF) and component variables in subjects with and without TMJ disc displacement (±D). In accordance with Institutional Review Board and STROBE guidelines, written informed consent was obtained, and examination and imaging protocols identified eligible adult subjects.

Beyond conventional bounds: Surpassing system limits for stereotactic ablative (SAbR) lung radiotherapy using CBCT-based adaptive planning system.

Purpose: Online adaptive radiotherapy relies on a high degree of automation to enable rapid planning procedures. The Varian Ethos intelligent optimization engine (IOE) was originally designed for conventional treatments so it is crucial to provide clear guidance for lung SAbR plans. This study investigates using the Ethos IOE together with adaptive-specific optimization tuning structures we designed and templated within Ethos to mitigate inter-planner variability in meeting RTOG metrics for both online-adaptive and offline SAbR plans.

Factors that support public health infrastructure recovery in Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands after Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

This paper describes the factors that support recovery of public health infrastructure (PHI), including conditions that facilitated or hindered recovery in United States (US) territories impacted by hurricanes Irma and Maria. A deductive approach was used to categorize data from five organizations that received crisis hurricane recovery (CHR) funds from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.* Spending was grouped into five infrastructure gaps: (1) human resources, (2) informatic upgrades, (3) equipment, (4) minor repairs, and (5) preventive maintenance.

Bactericidal Permeability-Increasing Protein (BPI) Inhibits Growth.

Bactericidal permeability-increasing protein (BPI) is a multifunctional cationic protein produced by neutrophils, eosinophils, fibroblasts, and macrophages with antibacterial anti-inflammatory properties. In the context of Gram-negative infection, BPI kills bacteria, neutralizes the endotoxic activity of lipopolysaccharides (LPSs), and, thus, avoids immune hyperactivation. Interestingly, BPI increases in patients with Gram-positive meningitis, interacts with lipopeptides and lipoteichoic acids of Gram-positive bacteria, and significantly enhances the immune response in peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

Predicting treatment plan approval probability for high-dose-rate brachytherapy of cervical cancer using adversarial deep learning.

Predicting the probability of having the plan approved by the physician is important for automatic treatment planning. Driven by the mathematical foundation of deep learning that can use a deep neural network to represent functions accurately and flexibly, we developed a deep-learning framework that learns the probability of plan approval for cervical cancer high-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDRBT).The system consisted of a dose prediction network (DPN) and a plan-approval probability network (PPN).

Potential application of a fungal co-culture crude extract for the conservation of post-harvest fruits.

Fungal plant pathogens are responsible for serious losses in many economically important crop species worldwide. Due to the use of fungicides and the fungi genome plasticity, multi-drug resistant strains are emerging as a new generation of pathogens, causing an expansive range of superficial and systemic plant infections, or new opportunistic fungal pathogens for humans. The group of antagonistic fungi Trichoderma spp.

Selinexor, daratumumab, bortezomib and dexamethasone for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma: results of the phase II, nonrandomized, multicenter GEM-SELIBORDARA study.

The treatment landscape for multiple myeloma has significantly evolved in the last decade. Notwithstanding, a large proportion of patients continue to relapse and novel combinations continue to be needed. In this phase II study, selinexor, a first-in-class inhibitor of exportin-1 was evaluated in combination with standard daratumumab-bortezomib-dexamethasone (DVd), for the treatment of relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM).

Individual Differences in Volitional Social Self-Administration and Motivation in Male and Female Mice Following Social Stress.

Background: A key challenge in developing treatments for neuropsychiatric illness is the disconnect between preclinical models and the complexity of human social behavior. We integrate voluntary social self-administration into a rodent model of social stress as a platform for the identification of fundamental brain and behavior mechanisms underlying stress-induced individual differences in social motivation.

Methods: Here, we introduced an operant social stress procedure in male and female mice composed of 3 phases: 1) social self-administration training, 2) social stress exposure concurrent with reinforced self-administration testing, and 3) poststress operant testing under nonreinforced and reinforced conditions.

Tetrahydrocurcumin Derivatives Enhanced the Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Curcumin: Synthesis, Biological Evaluation, and Structure-Activity Relationship Analysis.

Tetrahydrocurcumin, the most abundant curcumin transformation product in biological systems, can potentially be a new alternative therapeutic agent with improved anti-inflammatory activity and higher bioavailability than curcumin. In this article, we describe the synthesis and evaluation of the anti-inflammatory activities of tetrahydrocurcumin derivatives. Eleven tetrahydrocurcumin derivatives were synthesized via Steglich esterification on both sides of the phenolic rings of tetrahydrocurcumin with the aim of improving the anti-inflammatory activity of this compound.

Efficacy and safety of upadacitinib for 16-week extended induction and 52-week maintenance therapy in patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis.

Background: Upadacitinib is an oral, selective Janus kinase inhibitor.

Aim: To assess the efficacy and safety of upadacitinib in patients with moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis following 16-week extended induction therapy, and 52-week maintenance therapy in patients achieving clinical response after 16-week extended induction therapy METHODS: Patients without clinical response to 8 weeks' upadacitinib 45 mg once daily induction therapy in two induction trials were eligible for an additional 8 weeks of therapy. Patients achieving clinical response at Week 16 were subsequently re-randomised (1:1) to upadacitinib 15 or 30 mg once daily for 52-week maintenance therapy.

PFTK1 kinase regulates axogenesis during development via RhoA activation.

Background: PFTK1/Eip63E is a member of the cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) family and plays an important role in normal cell cycle progression. Eip63E expresses primarily in postnatal and adult nervous system in Drosophila melanogaster but its role in CNS development remains unknown. We sought to understand the function of Eip63E in the CNS by studying the fly ventral nerve cord during development.

ART2Dose: A comprehensive dose verification platform for online adaptive radiotherapy.

Background: Online adaptive radiotherapy (ART) involves the development of adaptable treatment plans that consider patient anatomical data obtained right prior to treatment administration, facilitated by cone-beam computed tomography guided adaptive radiotherapy (CTgART) and magnetic resonance image-guided adaptive radiotherapy (MRgART). To ensure accuracy of these adaptive plans, it is crucial to conduct calculation-based checks and independent verification of volumetric dose distribution, as measurement-based checks are not practical within online workflows. However, the absence of comprehensive, efficient, and highly integrated commercial software for secondary dose verification can impede the time-sensitive nature of online ART procedures.

Exploring COX-2 inhibitors in tuberculosis: A whole-blood model approach for immune response and adjunt therapy evaluation.

Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) inflammation is an underestimated disease complication which anti-inflammatory drugs may alleviate. This study explored the potential use of the COX-2 inhibitors acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) and celecoxib in 12 TB patients and 12 healthy controls using a whole-blood ex vivo model where TNFα, PGE2, and LTB4 plasma levels were quantitated by ELISA; we also measured COX-2, 5-LOX, 12-LOX, and 15-LOX gene expression. We observed a significant TNFα production in response to stimulation with LPS or M.

Air pollution analysis in Northwestern South America: A new Lagrangian framework.

This study examines the spatiotemporal variations of PM, PM, SO, O, NO, and NO concentrations in Northwestern South America (NWSA). We assess the efficacy of existing policies, identify underlying phenomena, and highlight areas for further research. Significant findings have emerged by analyzing reanalysis and in-situ data, employing the WRF-Chem model, and utilizing a new Lagrangian framework designed to overcome some drawbacks common to analysis of pollution Long-Range Transport.

Considerations for intensity modulated total body or total marrow and lymphoid irradiation.

We compiled a sampling of the treatment techniques of intensity-modulated total body irradiation, total marrow irradiation and total marrow and lymphoid irradiation utilized by several centers across North America and Europe. This manuscript does not serve as a consensus guideline, but rather is meant to serve as a convenient reference for centers that are considering starting an intensity-modulated program.

Serum pro-inflammatory biomarkers associated with improvement in quality of life in pulmonary tuberculosis.

Introduction: Pulmonary dysfunction is an underestimated complication in tuberculosis (TB) infection, affecting quality of life (QoL). Although respiratory function tests objectively reflect lung disturbances in a specific moment, predictors of illness severity at the time of diagnosis are still lacking.

Methods: We measured serum pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-8), eicosanoids (PGE2, LTB4, RvD1, Mar1, and LXA4), a marker of tissue damage (cell-free nucleosomes), and indicators of redox status (malonaldehyde, 8-isoprostane, total oxidants, and antioxidants), as well as a score of radiological abnormalities (SRA) and a QoL questionnaire, in 25 patients with pulmonary TB at the time of diagnosis (t0) and two months after the initiation of treatment (t2).

Outbreak of Locally Acquired Mosquito-Transmitted (Autochthonous) Malaria - Florida and Texas, May-July 2023.

Eight cases of locally acquired, mosquito-transmitted (i.e., autochthonous) Plasmodium vivax malaria, which has not been reported in the United States since 2003, were reported to CDC from state health departments in Florida and Texas during May 18-July 17, 2023.

Real-World Health Care Services Utilization Associated With the Management of Patients With Relapsed and Refractory Multiple Myeloma in Spain: The CharisMMa Study.

Background: Most patients with multiple myeloma (MM) relapse or become refractory, resulting in high health care costs. However, real-world data regarding the utilization of health care services among the relapsed/refractory MM (RRMM) population are scarce.

Methods: Observational, cross-sectional, multicenter study of the utilization of health care services by RRMM patients who had relapsed within the previous 6 months in Spain in a real-world setting.