Using Serum Metabolomic Signatures to Investigate Effects of Acupuncture on Pain-Fatigue-Sleep Disturbance in Breast Cancer Survivors.

Background/objectives: Acupuncture is an efficacious integrative therapy for treating pain, fatigue, and sleep disturbance (the psychoneurological symptom cluster) in breast cancer survivors. However, the mechanisms underlying its effects remain unclear, and related metabolomics studies are limited. This study aimed to examine serum metabolite changes after acupuncture and their relationships to symptom improvement.

Comparative analysis of White and African American groups reveals unique lipid and inflammatory features of diabetes.

Importance: African Americans have a higher prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) compared to White groups. T2D is a health disparity clinically characterized by dysregulation of lipids and chronic inflammation. However, how the relationships among biological and sociological predictors of T2D drive this disparity remains to be addressed.

Impact of Acupuncture on Human Metabolomic Profiles: A Systematic Review.

Background/objectives: Metabolomics provides insights into the biological underpinnings of disease development and treatment. This systematic review investigated the impact of acupuncture on metabolite levels and associated metabolic pathways using a metabolomic approach.

Methods: Five databases (i.

Expectancy Effect of Acupuncture on Cancer-Related Outcomes: A Systematic Review.

Problem Identification: Previous reviews have reported the efficacy of acupuncture in managing cancer-related symptoms. However, there is a lack of comprehensive reviews examining how patients' expectancy regarding acupuncture influences treatment outcomes in the context of cancer survivorship.

Literature Search: 9 databases were searched for articles published through August 2023.

Temporal resolution of spike coding in feedforward networks with signal convergence and divergence.

Convergent and divergent structures in the networks that make up biological brains are found across many species and brain regions at various spatial scales. Neurons in these networks fire action potentials, or "spikes", whose precise timing is becoming increasingly appreciated as large sources of information about both sensory input and motor output. While previous theories on coding in convergent and divergent networks have largely neglected the role of precise spike timing, our model and analyses place this aspect at the forefront.

Electroneutral Layer Dynamics Drive Ion Migration in Low Frequency AC Electrophoresis Below the Water Electrolysis Threshold.

Low-frequency AC electrophoresis lies in a regime between DC microchannel electrophoresis and dielectrophoresis, which typically utilizes frequencies above 1000 Hz. Although few electrophoretic methods have been reported in this ≤100 Hz range, traveling wave electrophoresis (TWE) and transverse AC electrophoresis (TrACE) operate in this frequency range, and use low voltages to avoid bubble formation from water electrolysis. TWE provides molecular separations with enhanced control and TrACE provides multiplexed, multiparameter particle characterization.

Active sensing with predictive coding and uncertainty minimization.

We present an end-to-end architecture for embodied exploration inspired by two biological computations: predictive coding and uncertainty minimization. The architecture can be applied to any exploration setting in a task-independent and intrinsically driven manner. We first demonstrate our approach in a maze navigation task and show that it can discover the underlying transition distributions and spatial features of the environment.

Stimulus type shapes the topology of cellular functional networks in mouse visual cortex.

On the timescale of sensory processing, neuronal networks have relatively fixed anatomical connectivity, while functional interactions between neurons can vary depending on the ongoing activity of the neurons within the network. We thus hypothesized that different types of stimuli could lead those networks to display stimulus-dependent functional connectivity patterns. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed single-cell resolution electrophysiological data from the Allen Institute, with simultaneous recordings of stimulus-evoked activity from neurons across 6 different regions of mouse visual cortex.

Exploring the Architectural Biases of the Canonical Cortical Microcircuit.

The cortex plays a crucial role in various perceptual and cognitive functions, driven by its basic unit, the . Yet, we remain short of a framework that definitively explains the structure-function relationships of this fundamental neuroanatomical motif. To better understand how physical substrates of cortical circuitry facilitate their neuronal dynamics, we employ a computational approach using recurrent neural networks and representational analyses.

Limited Sustained Remission After Nucleos(t)ide Analog Withdrawal: Results From a Large, Global, Multiethnic Cohort of Patients With Chronic Hepatitis B (RETRACT-B Study).

Introduction: Complete viral suppression with nucleos(t)ide analogs (NAs) has led to a profound reduction in hepatocellular carcinoma and mortality among patients with chronic hepatitis B. Finite therapy yields higher rates of functional cure; however, initial hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) elevations are almost certain after treatment interruption. We aimed to analyze off-treatment outcomes beyond 12 months after NA cessation.

White matter microstructure of children with sensory over-responsivity is associated with affective behavior.

Background: Sensory processing dysfunction (SPD) is linked to altered white matter (WM) microstructure in school-age children. Sensory over-responsivity (SOR), a form of SPD, affects at least 2.5% of all children and has substantial deleterious impact on learning and mental health.

Correction: Measuring the electrophoretic mobility and size of single particles using microfluidic transverse AC electrophoresis (TrACE).

Correction for 'Measuring the electrophoretic mobility and size of single particles using microfluidic transverse AC electrophoresis (TrACE)' by M. Hannah Choi , , 2023, https://doi.org/10.

Lateral inhibition in V1 controls neural & perceptual contrast sensitivity.

Lateral inhibition is a central principle for sensory system function. It is thought to operate by the activation of inhibitory neurons that restrict the spatial spread of sensory excitation. Much work on the role of inhibition in sensory systems has focused on visual cortex; however, the neurons, computations, and mechanisms underlying cortical lateral inhibition remain debated, and its importance for visual perception remains unknown.

Giant primary intracranial multi-fossa leiomyosarcoma involving the frontal sinus, ethmoid air cells, anterior fossa, middle fossa, and intraventricular space: A case report and literature review.

Background: Leiomyosarcomas (LMSs) is a type of sarcoma that arises from smooth muscle and generally presents in the abdomen. Although intracranial LMS has been identified before, most reported presentations have been in immunocompromised patients. Here, we present an intracranial LMS in an immunocompetent patient.

Measuring the electrophoretic mobility and size of single particles using microfluidic transverse AC electrophoresis (TrACE).

The ability to measure the charge and size of single particles is essential to understanding particle adhesion and interaction with their environment. Characterizing the physical properties of biological particles, like cells, can be a powerful tool in studying the association between the changes in physical properties and disease development. Currently, measuring charge the electrophoretic mobility () of individual particles remains challenging, and there is only one prior report of simultaneously measuring and size.

On the physiological and structural contributors to the overall balance of excitation and inhibition in local cortical networks.

Overall balance of excitation and inhibition in cortical networks is central to their functionality and normal operation. Such orchestrated co-evolution of excitation and inhibition is established through convoluted local interactions between neurons, which are organized by specific network connectivity structures and are dynamically controlled by modulating synaptic activities. Therefore, identifying how such structural and physiological factors contribute to establishment of overall balance of excitation and inhibition is crucial in understanding the homeostatic plasticity mechanisms that regulate the balance.

Stimulus-dependent functional network topology in mouse visual cortex.

Information is processed by networks of neurons in the brain. On the timescale of sensory processing, those neuronal networks have relatively fixed anatomical connectivity, while functional connectivity, which defines the interactions between neurons, can vary depending on the ongoing activity of the neurons within the network. We thus hypothesized that different types of stimuli, which drive different neuronal activities in the network, could lead those networks to display stimulus-dependent functional connectivity patterns.

Differential encoding of temporal context and expectation under representational drift across hierarchically connected areas.

The classic view that neural populations in sensory cortices preferentially encode responses to incoming stimuli has been strongly challenged by recent experimental studies. Despite the fact that a large fraction of variance of visual responses in rodents can be attributed to behavioral state and movements, trial-history, and salience, the effects of contextual modulations and expectations on sensory-evoked responses in visual and association areas remain elusive. Here, we present a comprehensive experimental and theoretical study showing that hierarchically connected visual and association areas differentially encode the temporal context and expectation of naturalistic visual stimuli, consistent with the theory of hierarchical predictive coding.

Association Between the Presence of Metabolic Comorbidities and Liver-Related Events in Patients With Chronic Hepatitis B.

Background & Aims: Patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) are at increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma and (liver-related) mortality. In addition to hepatitis B-related factors, metabolic comorbidities may contribute to the progression of fibrosis. Therefore, we studied the association between metabolic comorbidities and adverse clinical outcomes in patients with CHB.

Representational integration and differentiation in the human hippocampus following goal-directed navigation.

As we learn, dynamic memory processes build structured knowledge across our experiences. Such knowledge enables the formation of internal models of the world that we use to plan, make decisions, and act. Recent theorizing posits that mnemonic mechanisms of differentiation and integration - which at one level may seem to be at odds - both contribute to the emergence of structured knowledge.

Incidence of Hepatic Decompensation After Nucleos(t)ide Analog Withdrawal: Results From a Large, International, Multiethnic Cohort of Patients With Chronic Hepatitis B (RETRACT-B Study).

Introduction: Despite improvements in the management of chronic hepatitis B (CHB), risk of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma remains. While hepatitis B surface antigen loss is the optimal end point, safe discontinuation of nucleos(t)ide analog (NA) therapy is controversial because of the possibility of severe or fatal reactivation flares.

Methods: This is a multicenter cohort study of virally suppressed, end-of-therapy (EOT) hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-negative CHB patients who stopped NA therapy (n = 1,557).

On the physiological and structural contributors to the overall balance of excitation and inhibition in local cortical networks.

Overall balance of excitation and inhibition in cortical networks is central to their functionality and normal operation. Such orchestrated co-evolution of excitation and inhibition is established through convoluted local interactions between neurons, which are organized by specific network connectivity structures and are dynamically controlled by modulating synaptic activities. Therefore, identifying how such structural and physiological factors contribute to establishment of overall balance of excitation and inhibition is crucial in understanding the homeostatic plasticity mechanisms that regulate the balance.

Effectiveness of discharge education using teach-back method on readmission among heart failure patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: This study aims to review and evaluate the effectiveness of discharge education using the teach-back method (TBM) on readmission rates among patients with heart failure (HF).

Methods: Searches were conducted in five electronic databases (PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science) published until May 2022, followed by a manual search of reference lists. The risk of bias in the studies was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias and Joanna Briggs Institute quasi-experimental critical appraisal tool, and meta-analysis was conducted using Cochrane Review Manager 5.