Assessment of upper respiratory and gut bacterial microbiomes during COVID-19 infection in adults: potential aerodigestive transmission.

SARS-CoV-2 is the viral pathogen responsible for COVID-19. Although morbidity and mortality frequently occur as a result of lung disease, the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is recognized as a primary location for SARS-CoV-2. Connections and interactions between the microbiome of the gut and respiratory system have been linked with viral infections via what has been referred to as the 'gut-lung axis' with potential aerodigestive communication in health and disease.

A constrained optimisation framework for parameter identification of the SIRD model.

We consider a numerical framework tailored to identifying optimal parameters in the context of modelling disease propagation. Our focus is on understanding the behaviour of optimisation algorithms for such problems, where the dynamics are described by a system of ordinary differential equations associated with the epidemiological SIRD model. Applying an optimise-then-discretise approach, we examine properties of the solution operator and determine existence of optimal parameters for the problem considered.

The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor paroxetine improves right ventricular systolic function in experimental pulmonary hypertension.

Background: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) often leads to right ventricle (RV) failure, a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Despite advancements in PH management, progression to RV maladaptation and subsequent failure remain a clinical challenge. This study explored the effect of paroxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), on RV function in a rat model of PH, hypothesizing that it improves RV function by inhibiting G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2) and altering myofilament protein phosphorylation.

Imageless imagery in aphantasia revealed by early visual cortex decoding.

Activity in the early visual cortex is thought to tightly couple with conscious experience, including feedback-driven mental imagery. However, in aphantasia (a complete lack of visual imagery), the state of mental imagery, what takes its place, or how any activity relates to qualia remains unknown. This study analyzed univariate (amplitude) and multivariate (decoding) blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signals in primary visual cortex during imagery attempts.

Comparing two-sample log-linear exposure estimation with Bayesian model-informed precision dosing of tobramycin in adult patients with cystic fibrosis.

Tobramycin dosing in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) is challenged by its high pharmacokinetic (PK) variability and narrow therapeutic window. Doses are typically individualized using two-sample log-linear regression (LLR) to quantify the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC). Bayesian model-informed precision dosing (MIPD) may allow dose individualization with fewer samples; however, the relative performance of these methods is unknown.