Digital single-operator cholangioscopy for difficult anastomotic biliary strictures in living donor liver transplantation recipients after failure of standard ERCP: SPYPASS-2 study.

Background And Aims: Liver transplantation (LT) is a curative treatment for end-stage liver disease. Anastomotic biliary strictures (ABS) are more common in living donor LT (LDLT). However, the success rate of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) for ABS remains unsatisfactory.

Regions of interest in opportunistic computed tomography-based screening for osteoporosis: impact on short-term in vivo precision.

Objective: To determine an optimal region of interest (ROI) for opportunistic screening of osteoporosis in terms of short-term in vivo diagnostic precision.

Materials And Methods: We included patients who underwent two CT scans and one dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan within a month in 2022. Deep-learning software automatically measured the attenuation in L1 using 54 ROIs (three slice thicknesses × six shapes × three intravertebral levels).

Temperature and relative humidity mediated life processes of species (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

Anthropogenic-mediated climate change is expected to negatively affect pest management in agriculture. Hence, we investigated the oviposition, immature mortality, and developmental processes of species ( (Hübner) and (Fabricius)) under different temperatures (20, 25, and 30°C) and relative humidity (RH) (30-35, 50-55, 70-75, and 90-95%) conditions. For fecundity, mouths of each species were released into a rectangular box whose inner walls were covered with a sheet of white paper for each combination of temperature and RH.

Dynamic Kidney Organoid Microphysiological Analysis Platform.

Kidney organoids, replicating human development, pathology, and drug responses, are a promising model for advancing bioscience and pharmaceutical innovation. However, reproducibility, accuracy, and quantification challenges hinder their broader utility for advanced biological and pharmaceutical applications. Herein, we present a dynamic kidney organoid microphysiological analysis platform (MAP), designed to enhance organoid modeling and assays within physiologically relevant environments, thereby expanding their utility in advancing kidney physiology and pathology research.

Tangeretin inhibits airway inflammatory responses by reducing early growth response 1 (EGR1) expression in mice exposed to cigarette smoke and lipopolysaccharide.

Background: Tangeretin, a natural polymethoxyflavone compound, possesses potent anti-inflammatory activity that improves respiratory inflammation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the anti-COPD effects of tangeretin remain unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the key molecular mechanisms by which tangeretin suppresses COPD-related inflammatory responses.

Ethical considerations in utilizing artificial intelligence for analyzing the NHGRI's History of Genomics and Human Genome Project archives.

Understanding "how to optimize the production of scientific knowledge" is paramount to those who support scientific research-funders as well as research institutions-to the communities served, and to researchers. Structured archives can help all involved to learn what decisions and processes help or hinder the production of new knowledge. Using artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs), we recently created the first structured digital representation of the historic archives of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health.

Subcutaneous Infliximab Concentration Thresholds for Mucosal and Transmural Healing in Patients With Crohn's Disease.

Background: Predose trough concentrations (C) of intravenous infliximab (IV-IFX) during maintenance therapy are associated with therapeutic outcomes in patients with Crohn's disease (CD). A subcutaneous formulation of infliximab (SC-IFX) has shown high C values due to its favourable pharmacokinetics.

Aims: To evaluate the association of C of SC-IFX with therapeutic outcomes and the threshold of SC-IFX C for achieving mucosal healing (MH) and transmural healing (TH) in patients with CD.

Evaluation of Carotid Stenosis in a High-Stroke-Risk Population by Hemodynamic Dual-Parameters Based on Ultrasound Vector Flow Imaging.

Objective: This study explored the feasibility of using high-frame-rate ultrasound vector flow imaging (VFI) to quantitatively assess hemodynamics in atherosclerotic internal carotid artery stenosis (ICAS) by evaluating dual-parameters, turbulence index (Tur), and wall shear stress (WSS). Their efficacy in evaluating carotid artery stenosis was also analyzed.

Methods: Fifty-nine patients with ICAS were enrolled.

Safety, Efficacy, and Biomarker Analysis of Deulorlatinib (TGRX-326) in Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase-Positive NSCLC: A Multicenter, Open-Label, Phase 1/1b Trial.

Introduction: Patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive NSCLC developing resistance to second-generation inhibitors have limited treatment options. Deulorlatinib is a highly brain-penetrant, new-generation ALK/ROS1 inhibitor. We evaluated the safety, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics of deulorlatinib in ALK-positive NSCLC.

A NIR-II emissive sonosensitized biotuner for pyroptosis-enhanced sonodynamic therapy of hypoxic tumors.

Pyroptosis is considered as a new way to effectively boost the immune response of tumors and inhibit tumor growth. Effective strategies to induce pyroptosis mainly rely on chemotherapeutic drugs and phototherapy, but their potential biotoxicity and phototoxicity limit their application in biomedicine. Herein, we designed a NIR-II emitting pyroptosis biotuner, Rd-TTPA, which induced pyroptosis under ultrasound irradiation to achieve pyroptosis-enhanced sonodynamic therapy (SDT) and immunogenic cell death (ICD) for tumors.

PNPLA3(148M) is a gain-of-function mutation that promotes hepatic steatosis by inhibiting ATGL-mediated triglyceride hydrolysis.

Background & Aims: PNPLA3(148M) (patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing protein 3) is the most impactful genetic risk factor for steatotic liver disease (SLD). A key unresolved issue is whether PNPLA3(148M) confers a loss- or gain-of-function. Here we test the hypothesis that PNPLA3 causes steatosis by sequestering ABHD5 (α/β hydrolase domain-containing protein 5), the cofactor of ATGL (adipose TG lipase), thus limiting mobilization of hepatic triglyceride (TG).

Ship-based visual observation underestimates plastic debris in marine surface water.

Visual observation surveys from ships are commonly used for monitoring floating marine debris, but their detection performance has not yet been fully verified. Here, simultaneous visual observation surveys and surface trawling were conducted in three coastal areas of South Korea, each with distinct characteristics. The extent of floating debris missed by visual observations was assessed, and the characteristics of overlooked debris were identified.

Risk factors for urinary retention after robot-assisted radical cystectomy with orthotopic neobladder diversion: a multicenter study.

To determine risk factors for urinary retention (UR) after robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RALC) with orthotopic neobladder diversion. A total of 269 patients who underwent RALC with orthotopic neobladder diversion from 2008 to 2019 at seven tertiary hospitals were retrospectively analyzed. There were 68 patients who had UR (UR arm) and 201 patients who did not have UR (no-UR arm).

CXCL11 reprograms M2-biased macrophage polarization to alleviate pulmonary fibrosis in mice.

Background: In understanding the pathophysiology of pulmonary fibrosis (PF), macrophage plasticity has been implicated with a crucial role in the fibrogenic process. Growing evidence indicates that accumulation of M2 macrophages correlates with the progression of PF, suggesting that targeted modulation of molecules that influence M2 macrophage polarization could be a promising therapeutic approach for PF. Here, we demonstrated a decisive role of C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 11 (CXCL11) in driving M1 macrophage polarization to alleviate PF in the bleomycin-induced murine model.

Integrated microbiome and metabolomic analyses revealed the antifibrotic effect of vanillic acid on thioacetamide-induced liver fibrosis in mice.

Vanillic acid (VA) is a natural phenolic acid compound that is widely found in various foods and medicinal plants, with a remarkable antifibrotic effect observed in animal studies, but its exact antifibrotic mechanism remains unclear. Herein, hepatic function, fibrotic index, and histopathological, microbiome, and metabolomic methods were used to investigate the potential mechanisms behind the improvement effect of vanillic acid against thioacetamide (TAA)-induced liver fibrosis in mice. Our results showed that VA reversed TAA-induced liver fibrosis manifested a decrease in collagen fiber deposition, serum transaminase, serum hepatic fibrotic index, and liver inflammation indicator levels.

-targeted, stable expression of ChR2 in human brain organoids for consistent optogenetic control.

Self-organizing brain organoids provide a promising tool for studying human development and disease. Here we created human forebrain organoids with stable and homogeneous expression of channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) by generating safe harbor locus-targeted, ChR2 knocked-in human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), followed by the differentiation of these genetically engineered hPSCs into forebrain organoids. The resulting ChR2-expressing human forebrain organoids showed homogeneous cellular expression of ChR2 throughout entire regions without any structural and functional perturbations and displayed consistent and robust neural activation upon light stimulation, allowing for the non-virus mediated, spatiotemporal optogenetic control of neural activities.

Characteristics of imported and domestic malaria cases in Gyeonggi Province, Korea.

Objectives: This study explored 11 years of malaria data from mandatory reporting in Gyeonggi Province, Korea, to provide information for prevention strategies by linkage to nationwide health claims data.

Methods: Reported malaria cases in Gyeonggi Province from 2011 to 2021 were linked to medical usage data from the National Health Insurance Database. Data about hospitalization, antibiotic prescription and duration, malarial species, and sociodemographic information of the cases were included.

Structural and biochemical insights into the mechanism of the anti-CRISPR protein AcrIE3.

Anti-CRISPR (Acr) proteins are natural inhibitors of CRISPR-Cas systems, found in bacteriophages and other genetic elements. AcrIE3, identified in a Pseudomonas phage, inactivates the type I-E CRISPR-Cas system in Pseudomonas aeruginosa by engaging with the Cascade complex. However, its precise inhibition mechanism has remained elusive.

Increasing diversity in neuroimaging research: Participant-driven recommendations from a qualitative study of an under-represented sample.

Enhancing the generalizability of neuroimaging studies requires actively engaging participants from under-represented communities. This paper leverages qualitative data to outline participant-driven recommendations for incorporating under-represented populations in neuroimaging protocols. Thirty-one participants, who had participated in neuroimaging research or could be eligible for one as part of an ongoing longitudinal study, engaged in semi-structured one-on-one interviews (84 % under-represented ethnic-racial identities and low-income backgrounds).

Pullulan nanoparticles inhibit the pathogenicity of by regulating hypha-related gene expression.

Unlabelled: is a prevalent opportunistic pathogenic fungus that resides in the skin and gastrointestinal (GI) tract of humans. Under specific conditions, cells transition from a commensal to a pathogenic state, leading to both superficial and invasive infections. Although systemic candidiasis poses a life-threatening risk, a limited number of antifungal drugs are employed for its treatment.