Publications by authors named "Hunt D"
Article Synopsis
- The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment is a significant scientific study using a dual-phase xenon chamber located underground in South Dakota to search for dark matter interactions.
- The study extends existing theories to include relativistic effects, providing new constraints on the interactions between weakly interacting massive particles and nucleons based on their electric and magnetic dipole moments.
- Results include 90% confidence level limits on the coupling strength of five different interactions, analyzed over a specific energy range, which advances our understanding in particle physics beyond previous nonrelativistic effective field theories.
Article Synopsis
- A study aimed to explore the links between running biomechanics and the musculotendinous characteristics of adolescent runners, as well as changes in these properties over a period of six months.
- Thirty-three adolescents participated, undergoing ultrasound evaluations and wearable sensor assessments to analyze different muscle and tendon attributes and running mechanics.
- Results showed that specific biomechanics, like pronation and contact time, significantly predicted changes in muscle and tendon thickness, highlighting potential influences of running mechanics on physical development in young athletes.
Tractometry of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) non-invasively quantifies tissue properties of brain connections. It is widely used in aging studies but could be less reliable in aging brains due to increased white matter free water. We demonstrate that computational free water elimination (FWE) increases reliability and accuracy of tractometry in a large (n = 339) cohort of older adults (66 - 103 y.
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- * An international group is collaborating to tackle regulatory challenges related to microneedles combined with pharmaceuticals for skin application, guided by Quality by Design principles.
- * The resulting 'White Paper' highlights key dosage form classifications, potential critical quality attributes, and aims to create a foundation for regulatory guidance that will help bring safe and effective microneedle products to market faster.
Article Synopsis
- This study focused on serum IFN-α2 as a potential marker for disease activity and flare prediction in juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus (jSLE).
- Researchers analyzed 222 serum samples from jSLE patients, healthy controls, and juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients to compare IFN-α2 levels across groups and assess its predictive value for disease flares.
- The results indicated that higher IFN-α2 levels were associated with active disease states and could predict flare risk in jSLE patients, suggesting its utility for monitoring and managing the condition.
Background And Objectives: Despite increasing urbanisation, little is known about skin health for urban-living Aboriginal children and young people (CYP, aged <18 years). This study aimed to investigate the primary care burden and clinical characteristics of skin conditions in this cohort.
Method: A one-year retrospective cohort study of urban-living Aboriginal CYP presenting for general practitioner (GP) consultation at an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (ACCHO) was conducted.
Introduction: Heterozygous pathogenic variants in NTRK2 (HGNC: 8032) have been associated with global developmental delay. However, only scattered cases have been described in small or general studies. The aim of our work was to consolidate our understanding of NTRK2-related disorders and to delineate the clinical presentation METHODS: We report extended cohort of 44 affected individuals, of whom 19 are from the literature and 25 were previously unreported.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProton quantal delocalization and H/D translocations in (MeOH)nH+ (n = 2, 3).
J Chem Phys
November 2024
In this study, we present results from path integral molecular dynamics simulations that describe the characteristics of the quantum spatial delocalizations of protons participating in OH bonds in (MeOH)2H+ and in (MeOH)3H+. The characterization was carried out by examining the overall structures of the corresponding isomorphic polymers. To introduce full flexibility in the force treatment, we have adopted a neural network fitting procedure based on second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory predictions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlthough there is extensive information about sperm nuclear basic proteins (SNBP) in vertebrates, there is, by comparison, very little information in Arthropoda. This study aims to contribute to filling this gap by analyzing these proteins in the sperm of the noble false widow spider Steatoda nobilis (order Araneae, family Theridiidae). To this end, we have developed a protein extraction method that allows the extraction of both cysteine-containing and non-cysteine-containing protamines that is suitable for the preparation and analysis of SNBPs from samples in which the amount of starting tissue material is limited.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Therapeutic lifestyle change can be challenging, and not every attempt is successful.
Purpose: To identify predictors of making progress toward lifestyle change among patients who participate in a lifestyle medicine program.
Methods: This was a single-center, retrospective cohort study of 205 adults who enrolled in a goal-directed, individualized, interprofessional lifestyle medicine program.
Background: Changes in lifestyle habits can reduce morbidity and mortality, but not everyone who can benefit from lifestyle intervention is ready to do so.
Purpose: To describe characteristics of patients who did and did not engage with a lifestyle medicine program, and to identify predictors of engagement.
Methods: This was a single-center, retrospective cohort study of 276 adult patients who presented for consultation to a goal-directed, individualized, interprofessional lifestyle medicine program.
Article Synopsis
- Brain tumor survivors who underwent radiotherapy may face accelerated aging and symptom burdens, prompting a study on the impact of environmental enrichment on their health outcomes.
- The study involved 39 participants diagnosed with low-grade gliomas, analyzing factors like social networks, physical activity, and financial stability, and their relationship to cognitive and overall health.
- Results showed trends indicating that higher levels of environmental enrichment correlated with better health outcomes, suggesting the need for future research to explore this association more deeply over time.
Article Synopsis
- - AST-004 is a small molecule that targets adenosine receptors and shows promise for protecting the brain after strokes and injuries, aiming to assess its safety and how it's processed in the body during a phase I clinical trial on healthy individuals.
- - The study involved giving varying doses of AST-004 to different groups of participants and then analyzing its levels in blood, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and urine; no serious side effects were observed, though headaches were reported by some.
- - Findings indicated that AST-004 is safe at higher concentrations than previously effective in animal studies and that it reaches highest levels in CSF an hour after infusion, suggesting it may be suitable for further testing in treating strokes and brain injuries.
Background: Legal performance enhancing substance (PES) use is increasing in young athletes and may lead to banned PES use. This study examines legal PES use and consideration of banned PES use in young athletes with a season-ending injury (SEI) compared to young athletes with non-SEI/no previous injury.
Hypothesis: Young athletes sustaining SEI or concussions have increased odds of reporting legal PES use and consideration of banned PES use compared with non-SEI or no injury.
Background: We examined the added value of serologic testing for estimating influenza virus infection incidence based on illness surveillance with molecular testing versus periodic serologic testing.
Methods: Pregnant persons unvaccinated against influenza at <28 weeks gestation were enrolled before the 2017 and 2018 influenza seasons in Peru and Thailand. Blood specimens were collected at enrollment and ≤14 days postpartum for testing by hemagglutination inhibition assay for antibodies against influenza reference viruses.
Article Synopsis
- Research indicates a higher prevalence of upper lumbar spondylolysis in young athletes than previously thought, highlighting a lack of sport-specific studies on this condition.
- The study aimed to identify risk factors associated with upper lumbar stress injuries in pediatric and adolescent athletes by reviewing medical records from two academic centers.
- Results showed that the majority of diagnosed athletes had lower level injuries, while a smaller percentage experienced upper level injuries, which were linked to being older at diagnosis and shorter durations of low back pain.
Article Synopsis
- The study explores the link between retinal changes from age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and brain structure in older adults, specifically focusing on those aged 70 and above.
- Participants underwent a series of tests, including cognitive assessments and brain imaging, to analyze the correlation between retinal thickness and brain morphology.
- Results indicated that thinner outer retinal layers are associated with reduced size and thickness in critical brain areas, suggesting that AMD may have implications for cognitive health and brain aging.
Regression of postprandial cardiac hypertrophy in burmese pythons is mediated by FoxO1.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
October 2024
As ambush-hunting predators that consume large prey after long intervals of fasting, Burmese pythons evolved with unique adaptations for modulating organ structure and function. Among these is cardiac hypertrophy that develops within three days following a meal (Andersen et al., 2005, Secor, 2008), which we previously showed was initiated by circulating growth factors (Riquelme et al.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe development of pharmaceutical products is the critical bridge that moves a potential new medicine from academic discovery to applied treatment of patients. It translates an idea for a new drug to bench-level research on how it can be manufactured, formulated, characterized and controlled for use in non-clinical and early clinical trials. From pre-clinical R&D discovery work through the commercial launch, substantial R&D CMC data is generated to develop and optimize cGMP manufacturing and testing operations, while also supporting product comparability, elucidating product / impurity structures, assessing critical quality attributes, developing the drug delivery mode, and developing the product formulation for long-term stability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFContext: Majority of research surrounding the predictive value of clinical measurements and assessments for future athletic injury does not differentiate between contact and non-contact injuries.
Objective: We assessed the association between clinical measures and questionnaire data collected prior to sport participation and the incidence of non-contact lower extremity (LE) injuries among Division III collegiate athletes.
Design: Prospective cohort study.
Background US shear-wave elastography (SWE) and vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE) enable assessment of liver stiffness, an indicator of fibrosis severity. However, limited reproducibility data restrict their use in clinical trials. Purpose To estimate SWE and VCTE measurement variability in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) within and across systems to support clinical trial diagnostic enrichment and clinical interpretation of longitudinal liver stiffness.
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- RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) is being used to enhance diagnostics in cases where DNA testing doesn't provide clear answers, particularly for detecting abnormal gene expression and splicing patterns.
- The study analyzed blood samples from 86 patients with suspected genetic disorders, focusing on identifying splicing abnormalities and gene expression outliers in VUSs and undiagnosed cases.
- The results showed that RNA-seq helped diagnose four new cases by revealing novel splicing events and provided insights into the utility of RNA analysis for improving diagnostic outcomes in genetic disorders.
Neuroinflammation is a feature of both neurodegenerative disease and normal brain aging. The roles of type I interferon (IFN-I) in the aged brain are incompletely understood. A recent article by Roy et al.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Fencing is a unique and increasingly popular sport, but limited data exist regarding related injuries.
Purpose: To examine the types of injuries incurred by fencing athletes, and to analyze associations between age, sex, and hand dominance with type and location of injury.
Study Design: Cross-sectional.
Article Synopsis
- * The stability of DELLA proteins is influenced by phytohormones and post-translational modifications like SUMO-conjugation and different forms of glycosylation, although the impact of phosphorylation on DELLA stability has been debated.
- * This study identifies specific phosphorylation sites on the DELLA protein RGA, revealing that these modifications enhance RGA's activity without affecting its interactions with transcription factors or its overall stability.