Instrumented swim test for quantifying motor impairment in rodents.

Swim tests are highly effective for identifying vestibular deficits in rodents by offering significant vestibular motor challenges with reduced proprioceptive input, unlike rotarod and balance beam tests. Traditional swim tests rely on subjective assessments, limiting objective quantification and reproducibility. We present a novel instrumented swim test using a miniature motion sensor with a 3D accelerometer and 3D gyroscope affixed to the rodent's head.

A prospective study of antenatal anxiety and depression in pregnant women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Background: Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) experience higher rates of depression and anxiety. There is limited research relating to perinatal mental health in women with PCOS. Studies suggest PCOS is associated with a higher prevalence of perinatal mental health disorders.

Contributions of mirror-image hair cell orientation to mouse otolith organ and zebrafish neuromast function.

Otolith organs in the inner ear and neuromasts in the fish lateral-line harbor two populations of hair cells oriented to detect stimuli in opposing directions. The underlying mechanism is highly conserved: the transcription factor EMX2 is regionally expressed in just one hair cell population and acts through the receptor GPR156 to reverse cell orientation relative to the other population. In mouse and zebrafish, loss of Emx2 results in sensory organs that harbor only one hair cell orientation and are not innervated properly.

Electrode Location and Domain-Specific Cognitive Change Following Subthalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson's Disease.

Background And Objectives: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an effective treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD) motor symptoms. DBS is also associated with postoperative cognitive change in some patients. Previous studies found associations between medial active electrode contacts and overall cognitive decline.

Acceptability testing of the Carers-ID intervention to support the mental health of family carers of people with profound and multiple intellectual disabilities.

Background: Providing care and support for a person with intellectual disabilities can be challenging and may negatively impact on family carers' health and wellbeing. A online support programme was co-designed with charitable organisations and family carers, to help meet the mental health and wellbeing needs of family carers.

Objective: To test the acceptability of a newly developed online support programme for carers of people with profound and multiple intellectual disabilities.

Hysterectomy for Large Uterus by Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS).

Background And Objective: When the uterus is or more than 18 to 20 weeks in size, laparotomy but not minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is commonly performed for hysterectomy. It is, however, acknowledged that MIS carries numerous benefits to patients compared to laparotomy. The uterine size should therefore not be an excluding factor for MIS.

Computationally guided high-throughput engineering of an anti-CRISPR protein for precise genome editing in human cells.

The application of CRISPR-Cas systems to genome editing has revolutionized experimental biology and is an emerging gene and cell therapy modality. CRISPR-Cas systems target off-target regions within the human genome, which is a challenge that must be addressed. Phages have evolved anti-CRISPR proteins (Acrs) to evade CRISPR-Cas-based immunity.

Post-rehabilitation programme to support upper limb recovery in community-dwelling stroke survivors: a mixed methods cluster-feasibility controlled trial.

Background: Less than 50% of stroke survivors regain their pre-stroke level of upper limb function, compounded with a lack of long-term rehabilitation options available. The Graded Repetitive Arm Supplementary Programme (GRASP) is an evidence-based upper limb programme delivered as a standalone programme to stroke survivors. To improve access to such a programme, there is the potential to combine it with a high-utility community-based exercise programme, such as the post-rehabilitation enablement programme (PREP).

Contributions of mirror-image hair cell orientation to mouse otolith organ and zebrafish neuromast function.

Otolith organs in the inner ear and neuromasts in the fish lateral-line harbor two populations of hair cells oriented to detect stimuli in opposing directions. The underlying mechanism is highly conserved: the transcription factor EMX2 is regionally expressed in just one hair cell population and acts through the receptor GPR156 to reverse cell orientation relative to the other population. In mouse and zebrafish, loss of Emx2 results in sensory organs that harbor only one hair cell orientation and are not innervated properly.

Functional mapping of epigenetic regulators uncovers coordinated tumor suppression by the HBO1 and MLL1 complexes.

Epigenetic dysregulation is widespread in cancer. However, the specific epigenetic regulators and the processes they control to drive cancer phenotypes are poorly understood. Here, we employed a novel, scalable and high-throughput method to perform iterative functional screens of over 250 epigenetic regulatory genes within autochthonous oncogenic KRAS-driven lung tumors.

Effectiveness of Online Programmes for Family Carers of People with Intellectual Disabilities: Systematic Review of the International Evidence Base.

This systematic literature review examines the evidence base on the effectiveness of online programmes on the mental health and well-being of family carers of people with intellectual disabilities. Databases (ERIC, Medline, PsycINFO and CINAHL) were searched for intervention studies that considered online interventions for family carers of people with intellectual disabilities. Data were extracted using standardised data extraction tools.

Copper deficiency myelopathy mimicking cervical spondylitic myelopathy: a systematic review of the literature with case report.

Background And Context: Copper deficiency myelopathy (CDM) is a rare disease that can present with spastic quadriparesis and sensory ataxia. As a result, it can precisely mimic cervical spondylitic myelopathy (CSM). Copper deficiency may be seen following gastric bypass surgery, malabsorption syndromes such as celiac disease, and with excessive exogenous zinc intake.

Sharing sensitive data in life sciences: an overview of centralized and federated approaches.

Biomedical data are generated and collected from various sources, including medical imaging, laboratory tests and genome sequencing. Sharing these data for research can help address unmet health needs, contribute to scientific breakthroughs, accelerate the development of more effective treatments and inform public health policy. Due to the potential sensitivity of such data, however, privacy concerns have led to policies that restrict data sharing.

Disparities in Access to Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson's Disease and Proposed Interventions: A Literature Review.

Background: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an effective therapy for Parkinson's disease (PD), but disparities exist in access to DBS along gender, racial, and socioeconomic lines.

Summary: Women are underrepresented in clinical trials and less likely to undergo DBS compared to their male counterparts. Racial and ethnic minorities are also less likely to undergo DBS procedures, even when controlling for disease severity and other demographic factors.

Reward Circuit Local Field Potential Modulations Precede Risk Taking.

Risk taking behavior is a symptom of multiple neuropsychiatric disorders and often lacks effective treatments. Reward circuitry regions including the amygdala, orbitofrontal cortex, insula, and anterior cingulate have been implicated in risk-taking by neuroimaging studies. Electrophysiological activity associated with risk taking in these regions is not well understood in humans.

Contextual design requirements for decision-support tools involved in weaning patients from mechanical ventilation in intensive care units.

Weaning patients from ventilation in intensive care units (ICU) is a complex task. There is a growing desire to build decision-support tools to help clinicians during this process, especially those employing Artificial Intelligence (AI). However, tools built for this purpose should fit within and ideally improve the current work environment, to ensure they can successfully integrate into clinical practice.

An interactive visualization tool for educational outreach in protein contact map overlap analysis.

Recent advancements in contact map-based protein three-dimensional (3D) structure prediction have been driven by the evolution of deep learning algorithms. However, the gap in accessible software tools for novices in this domain remains a significant challenge. This study introduces GoFold, a novel, standalone graphical user interface (GUI) designed for beginners to perform contact map overlap (CMO) problems for better template selection.

Benefits of stereotactic radiosurgical anterior capsulotomy for obsessive-compulsive disorder: a meta-analysis.

Objective: Anterior capsulotomy (AC) is a therapeutic option for patients with severe, treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The procedure can be performed via multiple techniques, with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) gaining popularity because of its minimally invasive nature. The risk-benefit profile of AC performed specifically with SRS has not been well characterized.

Tectonic trigger to the first major extinction of the Phanerozoic: The early Cambrian Sinsk event.

The Cambrian explosion, one of the most consequential biological revolutions in Earth history, occurred in two phases separated by the Sinsk event, the first major extinction of the Phanerozoic. Trilobite fossil data show that Series 2 strata in the Ross Orogen, Antarctica, and Delamerian Orogen, Australia, record nearly identical and synchronous tectono-sedimentary shifts marking the Sinsk event. These resulted from an abrupt pulse of contractional supracrustal deformation on both continents during the trilobite Zone.

A Case of Postpartum Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in a First-Time Father.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a well-recognized psychiatric condition characterized by distressing obsessions and compulsions. While the perinatal period is a known trigger for OCD in women, less attention has been given to its occurrence in men, particularly new fathers. This case report examines the unique presentation of postpartum-onset OCD (ppOCD) in a first-time father.