Allogeneic mesenchymal stem cell therapy with laromestrocel in mild Alzheimer's disease: a randomized controlled phase 2a trial.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by progressive cognitive decline, severe brain atrophy and neuroinflammation. We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group phase 2a clinical trial that tested the safety and efficacy of laromestrocel, a bone-marrow-derived, allogeneic mesenchymal stem-cell therapy, in slowing AD clinical progression, atrophy and neuroinflammation. Participants across ten centers in the United States were randomly assigned 1:1:1:1 to four infusion groups: group 1 (placebo; four monthly infusions, n = 12); group 2 (25 million cells, one infusion followed by three monthly infusions of placebo, n = 13); group 3 (25 million cells; four monthly doses, n = 13); and group 4 (100 million cells; four monthly doses, n = 11).

Cost as a barrier to eyeglasses in pediatric population: a cross-sectional survey analysis.

Eyeglasses are an essential medical device to maximize visual potential and learning in children. We surveyed parents and pediatric ophthalmologists regarding their perspectives on the cost of pediatric eyeglasses. Parents and ophthalmologists identified cost as a barrier to obtaining eyeglasses.

Relationship Between Optic Nerve Head Area and Peripapillary Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness in Laboratory Beagles.

Objective: To determine if the area of the canine optic nerve head (ONH) is related to the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness.

Animals Studied: A total of 44 eyes of 22 adult normal laboratory Beagles.

Procedures: In this retrospective study, confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (cSLO) and spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) images were evaluated.

Influence of Social Determinants of Health on Presentation and Outcomes of Primary Congenital Glaucoma.

Purpose: Assess the effect of social determinants of health on presentation and outcomes in primary congenital glaucoma (PCG) DESIGN: Retrospective case series SUBJECTS: Patients with PCG presenting between 2011 and 2023 with >3 months follow-up METHODS: The percentage of households with 0, 1-2 or >3 community resilience estimates (CRE) risk factors and median income for the census tract of residence for each patient were collected. Initial details and final outcomes were correlated with race, ethnicity, insurance type and census tract data.

Main Outcome Measures: Final best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) RESULTS: Of 59 patients (105 eyes, 68% male), the presenting average age was 294 ± 365 days.

Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines in Aqueous Humor From ADAMTS10-Mutant Beagles at an Early Stage of Open-Angle Glaucoma.

Objective: To investigate the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines in aqueous humor from ADAMTS10-mutant research Beagles at an early stage of open-angle glaucoma (OAG).

Animals Studied: Twenty-four research Beagles were enrolled into this case-controlled study. Three groups of ADAMTS10-mutant research Beagles were enrolled in this study: (1) Intraocular pressure (IOP) 15-25 mmHg (normotensive IOP), (2) IOP 25-30 mmHg, and (3) IOP 30-36 mmHg.

A phloem-limited RNA phytovirus infection does not positively modulate vector preference and fitness in primary and alternate hosts.

Colonizing aphids play an important role in the transmission of RNA phytoviruses in the family Solemoviridae. According to "host manipulation hypothesis," phloem limited and persistently transmitted Solemoviridae viruses modulate host physiology that positively affects vector behavior and fitness and facilitates virus spread. However, it is unclear if virus-modulated host effects on vectors across pathosystems involving Solemoviridae members are always positive.

Tracking the translocation of nanoplastics from soil to plant: Comparison of different analytical techniques.

Nanoplastics (NPs) are increasingly prevalent in the environment, posing potential risks to agricultural systems and the food web. Despite this, currently it lacks comprehensive evaluation on NPs detection and quantification techniques, which is critical for quantitatively understanding the fate and transport of NPs. To address this gap, our study systematically assesses and compares advanced analytical tools for tracking different types of NPs (derived from both top-down and bottom-up approaches) from soil to plants.

Five-Year Fracture Rate for Transgender and Gender Diverse Patients on Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy.

Introduction: Gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) is a cornerstone of gender-affirming care for transgender and gender diverse (TGD) patients, with a direct biological role on bone metabolism. However, a paucity of data describes how GAHT influences fracture rate over time. The study's primary objective was to describe the 5-year all-cause fracture incidence rate (IR) among TGD patients initiating estrogen-based GAHT (E-GAHT) or testosterone-based GAHT (T-GAHT), compared with TGD patients not using GAHT (non-GAHT).

The influence of crop and leaf position on thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) oviposition in cotton, soybean, and peanut seedlings.

Thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) can injure seedling cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.

I feel your pain: higher empathy is associated with higher posterior default mode network activity.

Empathy is characterized as the ability to share one's experience and is associated with altruism. Previous work using blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) functional MRI (fMRI) has found that empathy is associated with greater activation in brain mechanisms supporting mentalizing (temporoparietal junction), salience (anterior cingulate cortex; insula), and self-reference (medial prefrontal cortex; precuneus). However, BOLD fMRI has some limitations that may not reliably capture the tonic experience of empathy.

An evaluation of novaluron on Southern green stink bug (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) nymphs and sublethal effects on fecundity in adults.

Stink bug species emerged as major insect pests of cotton in the mid-southern United States following the eradication of the boll weevil and the introduction of genetically modified Bt cotton for lepidopteran pests. Considering the limited number of chemical classes available for insect control, further insights into other chemistries are necessary to inform management strategies with the overall goal of establishing and maintaining the most cost efficient and efficacious control programs for stink bugs in Alabama. The insect growth regulator, novaluron, has shown control of tarnished plant bugs, but little research has been done on its effect in stink bugs.

Safety observations in neuroblastoma patients undergoing 18 F- m FBG PET.

Objective: Limited safety data have been published on fluorine-18 ( 18 F) meta-fluorobenzylguanidine ( m FBG), a new PET radiopharmaceutical for imaging neural crest and neuroendocrine tumors. As part of a prospective clinical trial, safety data in patients with neuroblastoma were collected and analyzed.

Methods: Between April 2015 and January 2022, 27 patients with neuroblastoma underwent 18 F- m FBG PET imaging as part of an ongoing single-center phase 1/2 trial (NCT02348749).

Airway, breathing, cellphone: a new vital sign?

Introduction: In emergency medicine, triage encompasses more than the initial prioritization of treatment; it also includes decisions about the most suitable level of care and disposition for each patient. However, the increasing use of mobile technology by patients in the emergency department (ED) introduces a new factor. This study aims to explore the relationship between patients' cellphone use at the time of initial assessment and final disposition in the ED.

Analysis of different populations accessing online overdose response training and harm reduction supplies (ADORES).

Background: An online mail order naloxone and harm reduction supply program was created by an interdisciplinary team at the University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy and hosted on the university website (UNIV). The program was subsequently funded by the Rhode Island Department of Health (DOH) and added to the DOH website. This study compares demographic characteristics of the two populations submitting requests through the program's distinct access points, UNIV and DOH, to those of populations at-risk for overdose.

Benefits of Bedside Open Tracheostomy: A Safe and Cost-Effective Alternative to the Operating Room.

Introduction: Tracheostomy is a commonly performed procedure in Otolaryngology and can be performed in different settings. We evaluate patient characteristics and cost efficacy of tracheostomy at the bedside versus operating room (OR).

Materials And Methods: Retrospective chart review was performed for adult intensive care unit (ICU) patients who underwent tracheostomy from 2020 to 2023.

Efficacy of Brodalumab in Patients with Psoriasis and Risk Factors for Treatment Failure: A Review of Post Hoc Analyses.

Factors such as obesity, alcohol consumption, and tobacco use are associated with both increased psoriasis severity and inadequate response to systemic and biologic therapies. Obesity is linked to chronic inflammation, which can contribute to psoriasis pathogenesis. Fixed-dose therapies may have reduced efficacy in patients with a higher body mass index, while weight-based dosing can increase the burden of drug-specific side effects.

Pleiotropic effects of PAB1 deletion: Extensive changes in the yeast proteome, transcriptome, and translatome.

Cytoplasmic poly(A)-binding protein (PABPC; Pab1 in yeast) is thought to be involved in multiple steps of post-transcriptional control, including translation initiation, translation termination, and mRNA decay. To understand both the direct and indirect roles of PABPC in more detail, we have employed mass spectrometry to assess the abundance of the components of the yeast proteome, as well as RNA-Seq and Ribo-Seq to analyze changes in the abundance and translation of the yeast transcriptome, in cells lacking the PAB1 gene. We find that pab1Δ cells manifest drastic changes in the proteome and transcriptome, as well as defects in translation initiation and termination.

Reducing Length of Stay in Reconstructive Head and Neck Surgery Patients: A Quality Improvement Initiative.

Objective: To investigate whether a new preoperative education and discharge planning protocol reduced unexpected discharge delays for patients undergoing reconstructive surgery for head and neck cancer.

Methods: A quality improvement (QI) intervention was implemented in January 2021 with several components to address historically prolonged observed lengths of stay (LOS) with head and neck cancer patients. The intervention added a preoperative educational visit with a head and neck cancer advanced practice provider, a standardized preoperative speech and swallow assessment, a personalized patient care plan document, discussion of inpatient hospital stay expectations, and early discharge planning.

Investigating therapeutic nonsense suppression in a neurofibromatosis mouse model.

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a human genetic disorder caused by variants in the NF1 gene. Plexiform neurofibromas, one of many NF1 manifestations, are benign peripheral nerve sheath tumors occurring in up to 50% of NF1 patients. A substantial fraction of NF1 pathogenetic variants are nonsense mutations, which result in the synthesis of truncated non-functional NF1 protein (neurofibromin).