Long-term cooperative relationships among vampire bats are not strongly predicted by their initial interactions.

In many group-living animals, survival and reproductive success depend on the formation of long-term social bonds, yet it remains largely unclear why particular pairs of groupmates form social bonds and not others. Can social bond formation be reliably predicted from each individual's immediately observable traits and behaviors at first encounter? Or is social bond formation hard to predict due to the impacts of shifting social preferences on social network dynamics? To begin to address these questions, we asked how well long-term cooperative relationships among vampire bats were predicted by how they interacted during their first encounter as introduced strangers. In Study 1, we found that the first 6 h of observed interactions among unfamiliar bats co-housed in small cages did not clearly predict the formation of allogrooming or food-sharing relationships over the next 10 months.

Development and Evaluation of the Telehealth in Motor Neuron Disease System: The TIME Study Protocol.

Background: For more responsive care provision for motor neuron disease and caregivers, a digital system called Telehealth in MND-Care (TiM-C) was created. TiM-C sends regular symptom questionnaires to users; their responses are sent to health care professionals (HCPs). To enable people with motor neuron disease to participate in research studies more easily, a parallel platform was developed from TiM-C, called Telehealth in MND-Research (TiM-R).

Development of a novel patient reported outcome measure for health-related quality of life in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (PROQuALS): study protocol.

Background: Patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) can be used to assess the impact of health conditions upon an individual's health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Whilst PROMs have been used to quantify the HRQoL impact of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), existing instruments may not fully capture what matters to people living with ALS (plwALS) or be appropriate to be used directly to inform the cost-effectiveness of new treatments. This highlights a need for a new condition-specific PROM that can both capture what's important to plwALS and be used in economic evaluation.

predicTTE: An accessible and optimal tool for time-to-event prediction in neurological diseases.

Time-to-event prediction is a key task for biological discovery, experimental medicine, and clinical care. This is particularly true for neurological diseases where development of reliable biomarkers is often limited by difficulty visualising and sampling relevant cell and molecular pathobiology. To date, much work has relied on Cox regression because of ease-of-use, despite evidence that this model includes incorrect assumptions.

Measuring Health-Related Quality of Life in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Systematic Review and Conceptual Framework.

Background And Objectives: The assessment of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is heterogeneous and inconsistent. The objectives of this study were (1) to develop a comprehensive conceptual framework of HRQoL in ALS and (2) map the content of existing patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) used in ALS to this novel framework.

Methods: Our model of HRQoL in ALS (Health-related Quality of life in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, QuALS) was developed from a systematic literature review and consultative input from key stakeholders (patients, carers, and health care professionals).

Advances in symptom management and in monitoring disease progression in motor neuron disease.

The aim of supportive management of motor neuron disease is to improve survival, promote good quality of life and patient independence and autonomy whilst preparing for future progression and the end of life. Multidisciplinary specialist care aims to address the multifaceted and interacting biopsychosocial problems associated with motor neuron disease that leads to proven benefits in both survival and quality of life. This chapter will explore principles, structure and details of treatment options, and make recommendations for practice and for future research.

Hierarchically embedded scales of movement shape the social networks of vampire bats.

Social structure can emerge from , where movement at one scale is constrained within a larger scale (e.g. among branches, trees, forests).

Metabolic-Glycoengineering-Enabled Molecularly Specific Acoustic Tweezing Cytometry for Targeted Mechanical Stimulation of Cell Surface Sialoglycans.

In this study, we developed a novel type of dibenzocyclooctyne (DBCO)-functionalized microbubbles (MBs) and validated their attachment to azide-labelled sialoglycans on human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) generated by metabolic glycoengineering (MGE). This enabled the application of mechanical forces to sialoglycans on hPSCs through molecularly specific acoustic tweezing cytometry (mATC), that is, displacing sialoglycan-anchored MBs using ultrasound (US). It was shown that subjected to the acoustic radiation forces of US pulses, sialoglycan-anchored MBs exhibited significantly larger displacements and faster, more complete recovery after each pulse than integrin-anchored MBs, indicating that sialoglycans are more stretchable and elastic than integrins on hPSCs in response to mechanical force.

Variants in ZFX are associated with an X-linked neurodevelopmental disorder with recurrent facial gestalt.

Pathogenic variants in multiple genes on the X chromosome have been implicated in syndromic and non-syndromic intellectual disability disorders. ZFX on Xp22.11 encodes a transcription factor that has been linked to diverse processes including oncogenesis and development, but germline variants have not been characterized in association with disease.

A recurrent de novo MAX p.Arg60Gln variant causes a syndromic overgrowth disorder through differential expression of c-Myc target genes.

Cyclin D2 (CCND2) stabilization underpins a range of macrocephaly-associated disorders through mutation of CCND2 or activating mutations in upstream genes encoding PI3K-AKT pathway components. Here, we describe three individuals with overlapping macrocephaly-associated phenotypes who carry the same recurrent de novo c.179G>A (p.

Pathogenic variants in SMARCA1 cause an X-linked neurodevelopmental disorder modulated by NURF complex composition.

Pathogenic variants in ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling proteins are a recurrent cause of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). The NURF complex consists of BPTF and either the SNF2H () or SNF2L () ISWI-chromatin remodeling enzyme. Pathogenic variants in and were previously implicated in NDDs.

Inferred Attractiveness: A generalized mechanism for sexual selection that can maintain variation in traits and preferences over time.

Sexual selection by mate choice is a powerful force that can lead to evolutionary change, and models of why females choose particular mates are central to understanding its effects. Predominant mate choice theories assume preferences are determined solely by genetic inheritance, an assumption still lacking widespread support. Moreover, preferences often vary among individuals or populations, fail to correspond with conspicuous male traits, or change with context, patterns not predicted by dominant models.

Psychometric Properties of LUN-MS: A New Questionnaire to Identify the Unmet Needs of People With Multiple Sclerosis.

Background: We developed a 29-item Questionnaire, Long-term Unmet Needs in MS (LUN-MS) to identify the unmet needs of people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS).

Objective: To assess acceptability, test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and validity of the LUN-MS.

Methods: Participants completed the LUN-MS and MSIS-29 twice, four weeks apart.

Individual identity information persists in learned calls of introduced parrot populations.

Animals can actively encode different types of identity information in learned communication signals, such as group membership or individual identity. The social environments in which animals interact may favor different types of information, but whether identity information conveyed in learned signals is robust or responsive to social disruption over short evolutionary timescales is not well understood. We inferred the type of identity information that was most salient in vocal signals by combining computational tools, including supervised machine learning, with a conceptual framework of "hierarchical mapping", or patterns of relative acoustic convergence across social scales.

Family experiences of antenatal counselling of spina bifida: a systematic review.

Objective: To describe families' experiences of antenatal counselling of spina bifida.

Design: Systematic review.

Methods: MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Embase databases were searched using a combination of Medical Subject Headings and text/abstract terms.

Inferring the decision rules that drive co-foraging affiliations in wild mixed-species parrot groups.

Animals gathered around a specific location or resource may represent mixed-species aggregations or mixed-species groups. Patterns of individuals choosing to join these groups can provide insight into the information processing underlying these decisions. However, we still have little understanding of how much information these decisions are based upon.

Digital peer-to-peer support programme for informal caregivers of people living with motor neuron disease: study protocol for a multi-centre parallel group, single-blinded (outcome assessor) randomised controlled superiority trial.

Background: Peer support is effective in improving psychological well-being of family caregivers of people with conditions such as dementia, cancer, and brain injury. However, there are limited data on effective psychological interventions for family caregivers of people living with motor neurone disease. Our objective is to evaluate the efficacy of a virtual peer support programme for improving caregiver psychological wellbeing and caregiving related outcomes.

Monkeypox encephalitis with transverse myelitis in a female patient.

The 2022 monkeypox outbreak has affected 110 countries worldwide, outside of classic endemic areas (ie, west Africa and central Africa). On July 23, 2022, the outbreak was classified by WHO as a public health emergency of international concern. Clinical presentation varies from mild to life-changing symptoms; neurological complications are relatively uncommon and there are few therapeutic interventions for monkeypox disease.

Resonant Acoustic Rheometry to Measure Coagulation Kinetics in Hemophilia A and Healthy Plasma: A Novel Viscoelastic Method.

Compared with conventional coagulation tests and factor-specific assays, viscoelastic hemostatic assays (VHAs) can provide a more thorough evaluation of clot formation and lysis but have several limitations including clot deformation. In this proof-of-concept study, we test a noncontact technique, termed resonant acoustic rheometry (RAR), for measuring the kinetics of human plasma coagulation. Specifically, RAR utilizes a dual-mode ultrasound technique to induce and detect surface oscillation of blood samples without direct physical contact and measures the resonant frequency of the surface oscillation over time, which is reflective of the viscoelasticity of the sample.

Patient perspectives on digital healthcare technology in care and clinical trials for motor neuron disease: an international survey.

Introduction: To capture the patient's attitude toward remote monitoring of motor neuron disease (MND) in care and clinical trials, and their concerns and preferences regarding the use of digital technology.

Methods: We performed an international multi-centre survey study in three MND clinics in The Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Australia. The survey was co-developed by investigators and patients with MND, and sent to patients by e-mail or postal-mail.

End-of-life care of people with long-term neurological conditions.

Guidance and protocols of end-of-life care have been directed towards the care of patients with cancer. It is possible to extrapolate some of these to people with long-term neurological conditions, but there are obvious differences. Neurological conditions have widely different time courses of progression, making the timing of these discussions challenging.

Telehealth in long-term neurological conditions: the potential, the challenges and the key recommendations.

Long-term neurological conditions (LTNCs) cause physical and psychological symptoms that have a significant impact on activities of daily living and quality of life. Multidisciplinary teams are effective at providing treatment for people with LTNCs; however, access to such services by people with disabilities can be difficult and as a result, good quality care is not universal. One potential solution is telehealth.