Lumbar spinal surgery relies on palpation of anatomical landmarks and X-ray imaging confirmation to identify the correct spinal level, therefore exposing patients and staff to radiation, and increasing intraoperative time and cost. Ultrasound (US) assistance is being used to visualise spinal anatomy by many specialities, such as neurology and anaesthetics, and can be used intraoperatively in selected spinal surgery cases. However, its potential use to check spinal levels prior to surgery remains understudied.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe inductive effect is a central concept in chemistry and is often exemplified by the p values of acetic acid derivatives. The reduction in p is canonically attributed to the reduction in the electron density of the carboxylate group through the inductive effect. However, wave functional theory calculations presented herein reveal that the charge density of the carboxylate group is not explained by the inductive effect.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAngiotensin-1-converting enzyme (ACE) is a zinc-dependent carboxypeptidase of therapeutic interest for the treatment of hypertension, inflammation and fibrosis. It consists of two homologous N and C catalytic domains, nACE and cACE, respectively. Unfortunately, the current clinically available ACE inhibitors produce undesirable side effects due to the nonselective inhibition of these domains.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMetabotropic glutamate receptors are a family of eight class C G protein-coupled receptors regulating higher order brain functions including cognition and motion. Metabotropic glutamate receptors have thus been heavily investigated as potential drug targets for treating neurological disorders. Drug discovery efforts directed toward metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 5 (mGlu) have been particularly fruitful, with a wealth of drug candidates and pharmacological tools identified.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Survey newly licensed nurses (NLNs) with respect to burnout, resilience, perception of the work environment, and intended short- and long-term job plans.
Background: NLN retention is a significant contributing factor to the nursing shortage.
Methods: A 126-item survey measuring demographics, burnout, resilience, work environment, and job plans distributed via email, using Listservs to recruit nurses licensed for 5 years or less.
Background: The focused assessment with sonography in trauma (FAST) examination plays an essential role in diagnosing hemoperitoneum in trauma patients to guide prompt operative management. The FAST examination is highly specific for hemoperitoneum in trauma patients, and has been adopted in nontrauma patients to identify intraperitoneal fluid as a cause of abdominal pain or distension. However, causes of false positive FAST examinations have been described and require prompt recognition to avoid diagnostic uncertainty and inappropriate procedures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPolice and prosecutors recommend that sexual assault survivors have a medical forensic exam and the collection of a sexual assault kit (SAK; also known as a "rape kit") to preserve biological evidence (e.g., semen, blood, saliva, hair) if they want to pursue criminal prosecution.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNanopore membranes enable versatile technologies that are employed in many different applications, ranging from clean energy generation to filtration and sensing. Improving the performance can be achieved by conducting numerical simulations of the system, for example, by studying how the nanopore geometry or surface properties change the ionic transport behavior or fluid dynamics of the system. A widely employed tool for numerical simulations is finite element analysis (FEA) using software, such as COMSOL Multiphysics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChem Commun (Camb)
August 2024
The tertiary and quaternary structures of many proteins are stabilized by strong covalent forces, of which disulfide bonds are the most well known. A new type of intramolecular and intermolecular covalent bond has been recently reported, consisting of the Lys and Cys side-chains linked by an oxygen atom (NOS). These post-translational modifications are widely distributed amongst proteins, and are formed under oxidative conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Proper technique for using inhalers is crucial in treating pediatric asthma. YouTube offers a wide range of videos on pediatric inhaler technique, but there is a need to analyze the quality, reliability, and content of these resources.
Aims: This study aims to analyze the quality, reliability, and content of YouTube videos on pediatric asthma inhaler techniques.
Purpose: Melanoma brain metastases (BMs) are associated with poor survival. Combination immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) with anti-PD1 and anti-CTLA-4 are the international standard-of-care treatment. Most landmark clinical trials excluded real-world patients with symptomatic disease, poor performance status (PS), and steroid use.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHuman somatic angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) is a key zinc metallopeptidase that plays a pivotal role in the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) by regulating blood pressure and electrolyte balance. Inhibition of ACE is a cornerstone in the management of hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and renal disorders. Recent advances in structural biology techniques have provided invaluable insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying ACE inhibition, facilitating the design and development of more effective therapeutic agents.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Purpose: Metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 (mGlu) is a promising therapeutic target for neurodegenerative CNS disorders including spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs). Clinical reports have identified naturally-occurring mGlu mutations in rare SCA subtypes and linked symptoms to mGlu mutations. However, how mutations alter mGlu function remains unknown, as does amenability of receptor function to pharmacological rescue.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe use of solvents is ubiquitous in chemistry. Empirical parameters, such as the Kamlet-Taft parameters and Gutmann donor/acceptor numbers, have long been used to predict and quantify the effects solvents have on chemical phenomena. Collectively however, such parameters are unsatisfactory, since each describes ultimately the same non-covalent solute-solvent and solute-solute interactions in completely disparate ways.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStudy Objectives: We previously reported that during a 45-day simulated space mission, a dynamic lighting schedule (DLS) improved circadian phase alignment and performance assessed once on selected days. This study aimed to evaluate how DLS affected performance on a 5-minute psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) administered multiple times per day on selected days.
Methods: Sixteen crewmembers (37.
Trace Amine Associated Receptor 1 (TAAR1) is a novel pharmaceutical target under investigation for the treatment of several neuropsychiatric conditions. TAAR1 single nucleotide variants (SNV) have been found in patients with schizophrenia and metabolic disorders. However, the frequency of variants in geographically diverse populations and the functional effects of such variants are unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAccumulating evidence suggests that G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) can exist and function in homodimer and heterodimer forms. The adenosine A1 receptor (AR) has been shown to form both homodimers and heterodimers, but there is a lack of chemical tools to study these dimeric receptor populations. This work describes the synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of a novel class of bivalent GPCR chemical tools, where each ligand moiety of the bivalent compound contains a sulfonyl fluoride covalent warhead designed to be capable of simultaneously reacting with each AR of an AR homodimer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEarth's climate is changing at an unprecedented pace, primarily due to anthropogenic causes including greenhouse gas emissions. Evidence shows a strong link between climate change and its effects on asthma. Healthcare professionals must be educated to advocate for and lead effective strategies to reduce the health risks of climate change.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn 2019, (Michigan State University) conducted a campus-wide climate survey on relationship violence and sexual misconduct (RVSM; the 'Know More' Survey), which revealed that many students, faculty, and staff did not know where to go for help or how to support survivors. The authors collaborated on the design and launch of the 'Support More' Campaign in 2021-2022, a trauma-informed social norms campaign created to educate the campus community on how to respond to disclosures of RVSM and how to access campus-based services. Undergraduate students, graduate/professional students, faculty, and staff ( = 10,993) completed another 'Know More' Survey in spring 2022.
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