Developing a screening instrument for underlying core domains of communicative competence in children with communication support needs.

A socio-neurocognitive approach to augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) shows several underlying domains of communicative competence: Attention, perception, cognition, memory, orientation, socio-emotional development, motor skills, and language. To determine developmental markers of these underlying core domains of communicative competence in children with communication support needs, we developed a new screening instrument. The present article consists of three consecutive studies.

The articulated dual-supply pedicle for reduction mammoplasty.

Breast reduction surgery achieves symptomatic relief and improved quality of life for patients with excessive breast enlargement. Reduction mammoplasty has evolved over the last century with the introduction of multiple new pedicles and skin excision patterns utilizing the ample blood supply of the breasts. The superior pedicle is a relatively safe technique in small resections, while the superomedial pedicle, supplied by the internal mammary perforators, serves as a proper alternative in broader resections.

Asteroid Hyalosis: A Mimicker of Vitreous Hemorrhage on Point of Care Ultrasound: A Case Report.

Ocular point of care ultrasound (POCUS) can help make timely recognition of multiple emergent ocular conditions and differentiate these from more benign conditions. While asteroid hyalosis (AH) is benign, it can easily mimic the more potentially serious vitreous hemorrhage on ocular POCUS, as both consist of numerous echogenic opacities within the vitreous with a classic "washing machine" appearance with eye movement. However, asteroid hyalosis particles tend to be more discrete, hyperechoic, scintillating, and seen throughout the vitreous.

Evaluation of a viral transcriptome Next Generation Sequencing assay as an alternative to animal assays for viral safety testing of cell substrates.

The viral safety of biological products is ensured by tests throughout the production chain, and, for certain products, by steps in the manufacturing process enabling the elimination or inactivation of viruses. Current testing programs include sample inoculation in animals and embryonic eggs. Following the 3Rs principles of replacement, reduction, and refinement of animal-use methods, such techniques are intended to be replaced not only for ethical reasons but also because of their inherent technical limitations, their long turnaround times, and their limits in virus detection.

A closed, autologous bioprocess optimized for TCR-T cell therapies.

Autologous cell therapy has proven to be an effective treatment for hematological malignancies. Cell therapies for solid tumors are on the horizon, however the high cost and complexity of manufacturing these therapies remain a challenge. Routinely used open steps to transfer cells and reagents through unit operations further burden the workflow reducing efficiency and increasing the chance for human error.

Piezo1-Pannexin1 complex couples force detection to ATP secretion in cholangiocytes.

Cholangiocytes actively contribute to the final composition of secreted bile. These cells are exposed to abnormal mechanical stimuli during obstructive cholestasis, which has a deep impact on their function. However, the effects of mechanical insults on cholangiocyte function are not understood.

A Novel Blended Curriculum for Communication of Informed Consent With Surgical Interns.

Background: Interns often conduct procedural informed consent discussions (ICDs), identified as a core entrustable professional activity. Deficiencies in the training process for ICDs span across specialties.

Objective: We provide evidence for a curriculum and assessment designed to standardize the training process and ensure ICD competency in surgical interns.

In situ interprofessional operating room simulations: Empowering learners in crisis resource management principles.

Background: Given the multifaceted nature of operating room teams, miscommunication at various perioperative stages leads to lapses in teamwork and communication, which potentiates adverse events. In situ interprofessional operating room simulations are a valuable tool in identifying the possible threats to patient safety in the operating room. Participant confidence may also increase; however, perceived confidence in specific areas of team communication in the clinical environment remains unclear.

Ocular surface response of two preservative-free cylcosporine A emulsion eye drops in a mouse model of dry eye.

Purpose/aim: Dry eye (DE) disease is a multifactorial disease in which uncontrolled inflammation can lead to corneal epithelium lesions and symptoms of discomfort. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of two cyclosporine emulsions in a mouse model of DE with corneal epithelium lesions.

Materials And Methods: Six- to 9-week-old female C57BL/6 N mice were housed in a controlled-environment room to induce DE.

OhmPi: An open source data logger for dedicated applications of electrical resistivity imaging at the small and laboratory scale.

The use of electrical resistivity tomography in laboratory or field experiments for environmental purposes has been increasing in recent years. The development of commercial devices has thus far focused on the quality of measurements and their robustness in all field cases. However, both their costs and lack of flexibility to adapt to specific applications have limited their prevalence in the environmental sector.

High-Throughput Sequencing (HTS) of newly synthetized RNAs enables one shot detection and identification of live mycoplasmas and differentiation from inert nucleic acids.

Mycoplasma contamination threatens both the safety of biologics produced in cell substrates as well as the quality of scientific results based on cell-culture observations. Methods currently used to detect contamination of cells include culture, enzymatic activity, immunofluorescence and PCR but suffer from some limitations. High throughput sequencing (HTS) can be used to identify microbes like mycoplasmas in biologics since it enables an unbiased approach to detection without the need to design specific primers to pre-amplify target sequences but it does not enable the confirmation of microbial infection since this could reflect carryover of inert sequences.

Modified Clerodanes from the Essential Oil of Leaves.

(L.) Jacq from Reunion Island (Indian Ocean) was investigated for its leaf essential oil composition. The plant was extracted by hydrodistillation and its essential oil analysed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry.

Automated quantification and evaluation of motion artifact on coronary CT angiography images.

Purpose: This study developed and validated a Motion Artifact Quantification algorithm to automatically quantify the severity of motion artifacts on coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) images. The algorithm was then used to develop a Motion IQ Decision method to automatically identify whether a CCTA dataset is of sufficient diagnostic image quality or requires further correction.

Method: The developed Motion Artifact Quantification algorithm includes steps to identify the right coronary artery (RCA) regions of interest (ROIs), segment vessel and shading artifacts, and to calculate the motion artifact score (MAS) metric.

Evaluation of motion artifact metrics for coronary CT angiography.

Purpose: This study quantified the performance of coronary artery motion artifact metrics relative to human observer ratings. Motion artifact metrics have been used as part of motion correction and best-phase selection algorithms for Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography (CCTA). However, the lack of ground truth makes it difficult to validate how well the metrics quantify the level of motion artifact.

Chemically generated IgG2 bispecific antibodies through disulfide bridging.

Bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) are designed to engage two antigens simultaneously, thus, effectively expanding the ability of antibody-based therapeutics to target multiple pathways within the same cell, engage two separate soluble antigens, bind the same antigen with distinct paratopes, or crosslink two different cell types. Many recombinant BsAb formats have emerged, however, expression and purification of such constructs can often be challenging. To this end, we have developed a chemical strategy for generating BsAbs using native IgG2 architecture.

Automated selection of the optimal cardiac phase for single-beat coronary CT angiography reconstruction.

Purpose: Reconstructing a low-motion cardiac phase is expected to improve coronary artery visualization in coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) exams. This study developed an automated algorithm for selecting the optimal cardiac phase for CCTA reconstruction. The algorithm uses prospectively gated, single-beat, multiphase data made possible by wide cone-beam imaging.

Netamines O-S, Five New Tricyclic Guanidine Alkaloids from the Madagascar Sponge Biemna laboutei, and Their Antimalarial Activities.

In our continuing program to isolate new compounds from the Madagascar sponge Biemna laboutei, five new tricyclic guanidine alkaloids, netamines O - S (1-5, resp.), have been identified together with the known compounds netamine E (6) and mirabilin J (7). The structures of all new netamines were assigned on the basis of spectroscopic analyses.

Efficient delivery of RNAi prodrugs containing reversible charge-neutralizing phosphotriester backbone modifications.

RNA interference (RNAi) has great potential to treat human disease. However, in vivo delivery of short interfering RNAs (siRNAs), which are negatively charged double-stranded RNA macromolecules, remains a major hurdle. Current siRNA delivery has begun to move away from large lipid and synthetic nanoparticles to more defined molecular conjugates.

Netamines H-N, tricyclic alkaloids from the marine sponge Biemna laboutei and their antimalarial activity.

Chemical examination of the CH2Cl2-MeOH (1:1) extract of the Madagascar sponge Biemna laboutei resulted in the isolation of seven new tricyclic alkaloids, netamines H-N (1-7), along with the known netamine G and mirabilins A, C, and F. Their structures were elucidated by interpretation of 1D and 2D NMR spectra and HRESIMS data. All compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxicity against KB cells and their antiplasmodial activity.

Efficient generation of human iPSCs by a synthetic self-replicative RNA.

The generation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) holds great promise for the development of regenerative medicine therapies to treat a wide range of human diseases. However, the generation of iPSCs in the absence of integrative DNA vectors remains problematic. Here, we report a simple, highly reproducible RNA-based iPSC generation approach that utilizes a single, synthetic self-replicating VEE-RF RNA replicon that expresses four reprogramming factors (OCT4, KLF4, and SOX2, with c-MYC or GLIS1) at consistent high levels prior to regulated RNA degradation.

Cutaneous dendritic cells in allergic inflammation.

The skin represents a physical barrier, which is capable of protecting the body from damaging invaders. Moreover, the skin operates as an active immunological organ, harbouring a complex network of dendritic cells (DCs), which serve as a bridge between innate and adaptive immunity. Equipped with specific pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), DCs are able to capture, process and present antigens to naïve T cells in the skin draining lymph nodes, thereby inducing adaptive antigen-specific immunity.

Reduced IFN-γ receptor expression and attenuated IFN-γ response by dendritic cells in patients with atopic dermatitis.

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is characterized by a predominance of T(H)2 immune reactions but weaker T(H)1 immune responses in acute skin lesions.

Objectives: To evaluate whether enhanced T(H)2 immunity in patients with AD might impair T(H)1 immune responses by affecting the IFN-γ responsiveness of antigen-presenting cells, we investigated IFN-γ receptor and IL-4 receptor α chain expression, IFN-γ signaling, and the expression of IFN-γ-responsive mediators in dendritic cells (DCs) and their precursors from patients with AD compared with those from healthy subjects.

Methods: Skin biopsy specimens were obtained and both monocytes and monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MoDCs) from patients with AD (n = 86) and control subjects (n = 84) were analyzed by means of flow cytometry, real-time PCR, ELISA, and HPLC.

Sterols from the Madagascar sponge Fascaplysinopsis sp.

The sponge Fascaplysinopsis sp. (order Dictyoceratida, Family Thorectidae) from the west coast of Madagascar (Indian Ocean) is a particularly rich source of bioactive nitrogenous macrolides. The previous studies on this organism led to the suggestion that the latter should originate from associated microsymbionts.

Phl p 5 resorption in human oral mucosa leads to dose-dependent and time-dependent allergen binding by oral mucosal Langerhans cells, attenuates their maturation, and enhances their migratory and TGF-beta1 and IL-10-producing properties.

Background: Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is safe and effective as treatment of allergic rhinitis and mild asthma. Oral mucosal Langerhans cells (oLCs) play a central role. However, little is known about allergen binding by oLCs during mucosal allergen resorption and its impact on oLC functions.