EasyEyes: Crowded Dynamic Fixation for Online Psychophysics.

Online vision testing enables efficient data collection from diverse participants but requires accurate fixation. Fixation accuracy is traditionally ensured by using a camera to track gaze. That works well in the lab, but tracking during online testing with a built-in webcam is not yet sufficiently precise.

Feasibility and reliability of an online version of the beat alignment test in neurotypical adults and people with stroke.

Background: Rhythm-based rehabilitation interventions are gaining attention and measuring their effects is critical. With more clinical care and research being conducted online, it is important to determine the feasibility of measuring rhythm abilities online. However, some tools used to measure rhythm abilities, in particular the beat alignment test (BAT), have not been validated for online delivery.

In Situ Protein Expression Analysis of Melanocyte Differentiation Antigen TRP1 (Tyrosinase-Related Protein-1).

Melanocyte differentiation antigens refer to molecules expressed in cells of melanocytic lineage such as gp100/PMEL, tyrosinase, and Melan-A. Corresponding antibodies such as HMB45, T311, and A103 have become key immunohistochemical tools in surgical pathology for the diagnosis of pigmented and related lesions. Little is known about tyrosinase-related protein 1 (TRP1), another melanocyte differentiation antigen, which is an enzymatic component of melanogenesis and known as the brown locus in mice.

Reflex strategy to ensure accurate total testosterone results from consumer initiated, self-collected capillary samples.

Background: Self-collected capillary samples are convenient for direct access testing (DAT), but exogenous testosterone use may cause falsely elevated total testosterone (TT) results. We designed a quality assurance workflow to differentiate between accurate or erroneous supraphysiological TT concentrations.

Methods: Clinical samples with TT > 1500 ng/dL were reflexed to luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and screened for exogenous testosterone use.

Strengthening oropharyngeal muscles as an approach to treat post-stroke obstructive sleep apnea: A feasibility randomised controlled trial.

This study aimed to determine the feasibility of a randomised controlled trial (RCT) evaluating oropharyngeal exercise (OPE) intervention as an alternative therapy for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in patients with stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA). Despite the high prevalence of OSA in this population, the standard therapy, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), is often poorly tolerated. Thirty stroke/TIA patients with OSA unable to tolerate CPAP were randomly assigned to an oropharyngeal exercise or sham exercise protocol.

Development and validation of a model gene therapy biodistribution assay for AVGN7 using digital droplet polymerase chain reaction.

Biodistribution assays are integral to gene therapy commercialization and have traditionally used real-time qPCR. Droplet digital PCR (ddPCR), however, has distinct advantages including higher sensitivity and absolute quantification but is underused because of lacking regulatory guidance and meaningful examples in the literature. We report a fit-for-purpose model process to validate a good laboratory practice (GLP)-compliant ddPCR assay for AVGN7, a Smad7 gene therapeutic for muscle wasting.

Role of Race and Insurance Status in Prostate Cancer Diagnosis-to-Treatment Interval.

Introduction: Numerous studies have shown that both race and insurance status may affect prostate cancer (PCa) workup and treatment. Preliminary investigations have shown that these factors may be associated with treatment delays, which may indicate inequitable care and increase risk of tumor progression. This investigation aimed to assess whether race and insurance impacted the interval between multiparametric MRI (mpMRI)-to-biopsy, and biopsy-to-prostatectomy.

Psychometric Properties of a New Measure of Upper Limb Performance in Post-Stroke Individuals: Trunk-Based Index of Performance.

Background: Several measures of upper limb (UL) motor tasks have been developed to characterize recovery. However, UL performance and movement quality measures in isolation may not provide a true profile of functional recovery.

Objective: To investigate the measurement properties of a new trunk-based Index of Performance (IPt) of the UL combining endpoint performance (accuracy and speed) and movement quality (trunk displacement) in stroke.

Functional Neuroplasticity and Motor Skill Change Following Gross Motor Interventions for Children With Diplegic Cerebral Palsy.

Background: Gross motor intervention designs for children with diplegic cerebral palsy (DCP) require an improved understanding of the children's potential for neuroplasticity.

Objective: To identify relations between functional neuroplasticity and motor skill changes following gross motor interventions for children with DCP.

Methods: There were 17 participants with DCP (ages 8-16 years; 6 females; Gross Motor Function Classification System Level I [n = 9] and II [n = 8]).

The role of oral and pharyngeal motor exercises in post-stroke recovery: A scoping review.

Objective: To analyze intervention goals, protocols, and outcome measures used for oral and pharyngeal motor exercises in post-stroke recovery.

Data Sources: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsychINFO, and Cochrane databases were searched in September 2022.

Methods: Studies were included if they (1) recruited post-stroke adult patients, (2) administered exercises for the oral and/ or pharyngeal muscles, and (3) reported results at baseline and post-exercise.

Characteristics and Perspectives of Human Trafficking Education: A Survey of U.S. Medical School Administrators and Students.

To assess the timing, duration, methodology, and content of human trafficking (HT) curricula in U.S. medical schools.

Reevaluating Corticosteroid Classification Models in Patient Patch Testing.

Importance: Individuals with allergic contact dermatitis to one topical corticosteroid may also react to other corticosteroids. Corticosteroid classification models have been proposed to predict such copositivity, recommend representative screening corticosteroids, and guide allergen avoidance.

Objective: To use patient data to determine copositivity patterns between corticosteroids and evaluate against previous corticosteroid classification models.

Transcranial direct current stimulation leads to faster acquisition of motor skills, but effects are not maintained at retention.

Practice is required to improve one's shooting technique in basketball or to play a musical instrument well. Learning these motor skills may be further enhanced by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). We aimed to investigate whether tDCS leads to faster attainment of a motor skill, and to confirm prior work showing it improves skill acquisition and retention performance.

Decreasing the Lower Limit of Quantitation for Urine Albumin Improves Clinical Utility.

Background: Urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (uACR) is a screening assay for chronic kidney disease (CKD). A value of >30 mg/g is flagged abnormal, but lower ratios have prognostic implications. Thus, to maximize diagnostic utility, urine albumin (uAlb) should be measurable to 3 mg/L to match the lowest creatinine concentration generally utilized (10 mg/dL).

Changes in Companion Diagnostic Labelling: Implementation of FDA's April 2020 Guidance for Industry for In Vitro CDx Labeling for Specific Oncology Therapeutic Groups.

Advanced understanding of the molecular pathways of oncologic diseases has shifted therapeutic treatment development to focus on mechanism of actions targeting specific genomic alterations. These precision medicines are indicated for patient subsets defined by these specific mutations as determined by diagnostic devices approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Intended Use section within the companion diagnostic (CDx) labeling has historically specified the therapeutic products for which they have been clinically validated.

Atypical Functional Connectivity During Unfamiliar Music Listening in Children With Autism.

Background: Atypical processing of unfamiliar, but less so familiar, stimuli has been described in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), in particular in relation to face processing. We examined the construct of familiarity in ASD using familiar and unfamiliar songs, to investigate the link between familiarity and autism symptoms, such as repetitive behavior.

Methods: Forty-eight children, 24 with ASD (21 males, mean age = 9.

Therapeutic Instrumental Music Training and Motor Imagery in Post-Stroke Upper-Extremity Rehabilitation: A Randomized-Controlled Pilot Study.

Objective: To investigate the potential benefits of 3 therapeutic instrumental music performance (TIMP)-based interventions in rehabilitation of the affected upper-extremity (UE) for adults with chronic poststroke hemiparesis.

Design: Randomized-controlled pilot study.

Setting: University research facility.

Response patterns to vowel formant perturbations in children.

Auditory feedback is an important component of speech motor control, but its precise role in developing speech is less understood. The role of auditory feedback in development was probed by perturbing the speech of children 4-9 years old. The vowel sound /ɛ/ was shifted to /æ/ in real time and presented to participants as their own auditory feedback.

Nano-optogenetic engineering of CAR T cells for precision immunotherapy with enhanced safety.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell-based immunotherapy, approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, has shown curative potential in patients with haematological malignancies. However, owing to the lack of control over the location and duration of the anti-tumour immune response, CAR T cell therapy still faces safety challenges arising from cytokine release syndrome and on-target, off-tumour toxicity. Herein, we present the design of light-switchable CAR (designated LiCAR) T cells that allow real-time phototunable activation of therapeutic T cells to precisely induce tumour cell killing.