Global Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Stroke Volumes and Cerebrovascular Events: A 1-Year Follow-up.

Background And Objectives: Declines in stroke admission, IV thrombolysis (IVT), and mechanical thrombectomy volumes were reported during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a paucity of data on the longer-term effect of the pandemic on stroke volumes over the course of a year and through the second wave of the pandemic. We sought to measure the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the volumes of stroke admissions, intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), IVT, and mechanical thrombectomy over a 1-year period at the onset of the pandemic (March 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021) compared with the immediately preceding year (March 1, 2019, to February 29, 2020).

Elimination of receptor binding by influenza hemagglutinin improves vaccine-induced immunity.

The binding of influenza hemagglutinin (HA) to sialic acid (SA) receptors plays a well-defined role in shaping infection but the impact of such binding on vaccine responses has not yet been explored. We generated a virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine bearing the HA of H1N1 A/California/07/09 that is unable to bind to its α(2,6)-linked SA receptor (H1-VLP) and compared its immunogenicity and efficacy to a wild-type H1-VLP (H1-VLP) in mice. The H1-VLP elicited significantly stronger and more durable antibody responses (hemagglutination inhibition and microneutralization titers) and greater avidity maturation, likely attributable to improved germinal center formation.

Plasma ctDNA is a tumor tissue surrogate and enables clinical-genomic stratification of metastatic bladder cancer.

Molecular stratification can improve the management of advanced cancers, but requires relevant tumor samples. Metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC) is poised to benefit given a recent expansion of treatment options and its high genomic heterogeneity. We profile minimally-invasive plasma circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) samples from 104 mUC patients, and compare to same-patient tumor tissue obtained during invasive surgery.

Development and validation of a disease severity index for ataxia of Charlevoix-Saguenay.

Objective: To develop a disease-specific severity index for adults with autosomal recessive spastic ataxia of Charlevoix-Saguenay (ARSACS) (DSI-ARSACS) that considers the 3 components (pyramidal, cerebellar, neuropathic) of the disease, and to document its content validity, internal consistency, and construct validity.

Methods: The Beta DSI-ARSACS (17 items) was developed based on literature review and expert inputs and then administered to 26 participants. Items reduction was based on Cronbach α and desirable criteria.

An exploratory natural history of ataxia of Charlevoix-Saguenay: A 2-year follow-up.

Objective: To document the decline of upper and lower limb functions, mobility, and independence in daily living activities in adults with autosomal recessive spastic ataxia of Charlevoix-Saguenay (ARSACS) over a 2-year period.

Methods: An exploratory longitudinal design was used. Nineteen participants were assessed on 2 occasions 2 years apart.

Antibacterial Balsacones J-M, Hydroxycinnamoylated Dihydrochalcones from Populus balsamifera Buds.

A phytochemical investigation of buds from the hardwood tree Populus balsamifera led to the isolation of six new cinnamoylated dihydrochalcones as pairs of racemates and one as a racemic mixture along with the known compound iryantherin-D (2), the absolute configuration of which was determined for the first time. The structures of balsacones J (1), K (3), L (4), and M (5) were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data (1D and 2D NMR, IR, and MS). Chiral HPLC separations were carried out, and the absolute configuration of the isolated enantiomers unambiguously established via X-ray diffraction analyses and electron circular dichroism spectroscopic data.

Changes in leptin and peptide YY do not explain the greater-than-predicted decreases in resting energy expenditure after weight loss.

Context: It is unknown whether leptin and peptide YY (PYY) influence changes in resting energy expenditure (REE), independently of fat mass (FM) and fat-free mass (FFM) in addition to changes in other energy expenditure (EE) components during weight loss.

Objective: The objective of the study was to examine the relationships between leptin, PYY, and body composition with different EE components before and after weight loss and whether changes in leptin and PYY were associated with differences in predicted vs measured REE after the intervention.

Design: This was a randomized controlled design.