Neuronal gain modulability is determined by dendritic morphology: A computational optogenetic study.

The mechanisms by which the gain of the neuronal input-output function may be modulated have been the subject of much investigation. However, little is known of the role of dendrites in neuronal gain control. New optogenetic experimental paradigms based on spatial profiles or patterns of light stimulation offer the prospect of elucidating many aspects of single cell function, including the role of dendrites in gain control.

Gene activation of CEBPA using saRNA: preclinical studies of the first in human saRNA drug candidate for liver cancer.

Liver diseases are a growing epidemic worldwide. If unresolved, liver fibrosis develops and can lead to cirrhosis and clinical decompensation. Around 5% of cirrhotic liver diseased patients develop hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which in its advanced stages has limited therapeutic options and negative survival outcomes.

Accuracy of alcohol and breast cancer risk information on Drinkaware's website.

A recent paper in Drug and Alcohol Review analysed the information on cancer disseminated by 27 alcohol industry funded organisations. The independent UK alcohol education charity Drinkaware was among the organisations whose information was studied, and based on the analysis claims were made of misrepresentation of evidence about the alcohol-related risk of cancer and alcohol industry influence. This commentary challenges the validity of these findings in respect to the evidence relating to the Drinkaware information, as the analysis is found to be misrepresenting the information by both disregarding the wider information content provided and the order and prominence with which alcohol-related cancer risk is presented.

Culturing substrates influence the morphological, mechanical and biochemical features of lung adenocarcinoma cells cultured in 2D or 3D.

Alternative models such as three-dimensional (3D) cell cultures represent a distinct milestone towards capturing the realities of cancer biology in vitro and reduce animal experimentation in the preclinical stage of drug discovery. Significant work remains to be done to understand how substrates used in in vitro alternatives influence cancer cells phenotype and drug efficacy responses, so that to accurately link such models to specific in vivo disease scenarios. Our study describes how the morphological, mechanical and biochemical properties of adenocarcinoma (A549) cells change in response to a 3D environment and varying substrates.

Increased Substrate Stiffness Elicits a Myofibroblastic Phenotype in Human Lamina Cribrosa Cells.

Purpose: Alteration in the extracellular matrix (ECM) of the optic nerve head (ONH) causes lamina cribrosa (LC) fibrosis and affects the mechanical integrity of the ONH. Increased ECM tissue stiffness drives myofibroblast activation leading to tissue fibrosis throughout the body. Here using primary human LC cells, we investigate the effect of substrate stiffness on profibrotic changes, which might be a key molecular mechanism driving ECM remodeling of the LC in primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) glaucoma.

Exploring knowledge, attitudes and experience of genitourinary symptoms in women with early breast cancer on adjuvant endocrine therapy.

Clinical trials of adjuvant endocrine therapy in women with early breast cancer have consistently reported that genitourinary symptoms are common. However, little is known about women's experiences of genitourinary symptoms, their views about the symptoms and how they impact on their lives. The aim of this study was to explore knowledge, attitudes and experiences of genitourinary symptoms among women receiving adjuvant endocrine therapy for early breast cancer.

At-a-glance - "A tough sell": findings from a qualitative analysis on the provision of healthy foods in recreation and sports settings.

Recreation and sport settings (RSS) typically promote health in the form of physical activity, but the healthfulness of their food environment is often neglected. We explored stakeholder perspectives on barriers to healthy food provision in RSS through telephone interviews with ten representatives from RSS across Nova Scotia. Three key barriers were identified: 1) cultural norms associated with food in RSS and the broader environment, 2) the persisting notion of personal choice and responsibility, and 3) financial implications of healthy food provision.

The Nicotine Content of a Sample of E-cigarette Liquid Manufactured in the United States.

Objectives: Use of electronic cigarettes has dramatically increased in the United States since 2010, with a forecasted growth of 37% between 2014 and 2019. There is little research on e-liquid nicotine concentration from domestic manufacturers. However, limited research outside of the United States found wide inconsistencies between the labeled concentration of nicotine in e-liquids and the actual nicotine concentration.

Thromboxane inhibition during concurrent therapy with low-dose aspirin and over-the-counter naproxen sodium.

Unlabelled: Aspirin is the dominant antiplatelet therapy for cardiovascular disease. Naproxen is frequently used in aspirin-treated patients and may influence the antiplatelet effect of aspirin. We evaluated the pharmacodynamic interaction (lower bound of the one-sided 95% CI for serum TxB inhibition < 95%) between 220 mg immediate-release naproxen sodium (once or twice daily) and 81 mg daily immediate release aspirin at various dosing intervals.

Concurrent Pilot Instrument Monitoring in the Automated Multi-Crew Airline Cockpit.

Introduction: Pilot instrument monitoring has been described as "inadequate," "ineffective," and "insufficient" after multicrew aircraft accidents. Regulators have called for improved instrument monitoring by flight crews, but scientific knowledge in the area is scarce. Research has tended to investigate the monitoring of individual pilots when in the pilot-flying role; very little research has looked at crew monitoring, or that of the "monitoring-pilot" role despite it being half of the apparent problem.

Comparing routine inpatient data and death records as a means of identifying children and young people with life-limiting conditions.

Background: Recent estimates of the number of children and young people with life-limiting conditions derived from routine inpatient data are higher than earlier estimates using death record data.

Aim: To compare routine inpatient data and death records as means of identifying life-limiting conditions in children and young people.

Design: Two national cohorts of children and young people with a life-limiting condition (primary cohort from England with a comparator cohort from Scotland) were identified using linked routinely collected healthcare and administrative data.

Evidence that disrupted orienting to evaluative social feedback undermines error correction in rejection sensitive women.

For individuals high in Rejection Sensitivity (RS), a learned orientation to anxiously expect rejection from valued others, negative feedback from social sources may disrupt engagement with learning opportunities, impeding recovery from mistakes. One context in which this disruption may be particularly pronounced is among women high in RS following evaluation by a male in authority. To investigate this prediction, 40 college students (50% female) answered general knowledge questions followed by immediate performance feedback and the correct answer while we recorded event-related potentials.

Lipid profiling of complex biological mixtures by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry using a novel scanning quadrupole data-independent acquisition strategy.

Rationale: A novel data-independent acquisition method is detailed that incorporates a scanning quadrupole in front of an orthogonal acceleration time-of-flight (TOF) mass analyser. This approach is described and the attributes are compared and contrasted to other DIA approaches.

Methods: Specific application of the method to both targeted and untargeted lipidomic identification strategies is discussed, with data from both shotgun and LC separated lipidomics experiments presented.

Google Trends can improve surveillance of Type 2 diabetes.

Recent studies demonstrate that people are increasingly looking online to assess their health, with reasons varying from personal preferences and beliefs to inability to book a timely appointment with their local medical practice. Records of these activities represent a new source of data about the health of populations, but which is currently unaccounted for by disease surveillance models. This could potentially be useful as evidence of individuals' perception of bodily changes and self-diagnosis of early symptoms of an emerging disease.

A cross-sectional analysis of green space prevalence and mental wellbeing in England.

Background: With urbanisation increasing, it is important to understand how to design changing environments to promote mental wellbeing. Evidence suggests that local-area proportions of green space may be associated with happiness and life satisfaction; however, the available evidence on such associations with more broadly defined mental wellbeing in still very scarce. This study aimed to establish whether the amount of neighbourhood green space was associated with mental wellbeing.

Aging and ocular tissue stiffness in glaucoma.

Glaucoma is a progressive and chronic neurodegenerative disorder characterized by damage to the inner layers of the retina and deformation of the optic nerve head. The degeneration of retinal ganglion cells and their axons results in an irreversible loss of vision and is correlated with increasing age. Extracellular matrix changes related to natural aging generate a stiffer extracellular environment throughout the body.