Outcomes in Patients With Henoch-Schönlein Purpura After Kidney Transplantation: A Propensity Score Matched Study.

Aim: Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) nephritis leads to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in upto 3% of cases, necessitating kidney transplantation (KT). This study compared graft and patient survival outcomes between HSP and non-HSP KT recipients and identified factors associated with HSP recurrence.

Methods: Data from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) were analysed for adult and paediatric KT patients listed between January 2005 and April 2021.

CCL2/CCR2 Signalling in Mesenchymal Stem/Progenitor Cell Recruitment and Fracture Healing in Mice.

Macrophage efferocytosis (clearance of apoptotic cells) is crucial for tissue homeostasis and wound repair, where macrophages secrete factors that promote resolution of inflammation and regenerative signalling. This study examined the role of efferocytic macrophage-associated CCL2 secretion, its influence on mesenchymal stem/progenitor cell (MSPC) chemotaxis, and in vivo cell recruitment using Ccr2 (KO) mice with disrupted CCL2 receptor signalling in two regenerative models: ossicle implants and ulnar stress fractures. Single cell RNA sequencing and PCR validation indicated that efferocytosis of various apoptotic cells at bone injury sites (osteoblasts, pre-osteoblasts, MSPC) upregulated CCL2.

Understanding spatio-temporal complexity of vegetation using drones, what could we improve?

Unraveling the intricate spatial and temporal complexities of vegetation represents a crucial key to understanding ecosystem functioning. Drones, as cutting-edge technology, hold immense potential in bridging the gap between on-ground measurements and satellite remote sensing data. Nonetheless, a multitude of challenges still looms, with one of the foremost being the nuanced identification of scales that strike a balance between capturing maximum complexity while minimizing measurement errors.

Matrix Architecture and Mechanics Regulate Myofibril Organization, Costamere Assembly, and Contractility in Engineered Myocardial Microtissues.

The mechanical function of the myocardium is defined by cardiomyocyte contractility and the biomechanics of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Understanding this relationship remains an important unmet challenge due to limitations in existing approaches for engineering myocardial tissue. Here, they established arrays of cardiac microtissues with tunable mechanics and architecture by integrating ECM-mimetic synthetic, fiber matrices, and induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs), enabling real-time contractility readouts, in-depth structural assessment, and tissue-specific computational modeling.

(In) visibility of health and illness: Instagram as an unregulated public health platform.

This paper examines the changing terrain of accessing health and illness guidance and information through the lens of social media, specifically It argues how Instagram, has increasingly become an unregulated -public health platform in today's digital society. Drawing on extensive empirical interview data from two research projects before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, which explored how users showcased and performed health and illness on Instagram, this paper demonstrates how Instagram has became an important forum from which to perform proactive health practices, as well as to legitimate ill health through making healthy behaviours visible, as well as invisible illnesses like disease, COVID-19, and mental health conditions. Over time and through continuous sharing of this content may contribute to increased understanding or even a de-stigmatisation of such illnesses or chronic conditions.

Ultrasound-generated bubbles enhance osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stromal cells in composite collagen hydrogels.

Hydrogels can improve the delivery of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) by providing crucial biophysical cues that mimic the extracellular matrix. The differentiation of MSCs is dependent on biophysical cues like stiffness and viscoelasticity, yet conventional hydrogels cannot be dynamically altered after fabrication and implantation to actively direct differentiation. We developed a composite hydrogel, consisting of type I collagen and phase-shift emulsion, where osteogenic differentiation of MSCs can be non-invasively modulated using ultrasound.

Predictability in Achieving Target Intervertebral Lordosis Using Personalized Interbody Implants.

Background: Lumbar lordosis distribution has become a pivotal factor in re-establishing the foundational alignment of the lumbar spine. This can directly influence overall sagittal alignment, leading to improved long-term outcomes for patients. Despite the wide availability of hyperlordotic stock cages intended to achieve optimal postoperative alignment, there is a lack of correlation between the lordotic shape of a cage and the resultant intervertebral alignment.

Radiographic Alignment in Deformity Patients Treated With Personalized Interbody Devices: Early Experience From the COMPASS Registry.

Background: Literature supports the need for improved techniques to achieve spinopelvic alignment and reduce complication rates in patients with adult spinal deformity (ASD). Personalized interbody devices were developed to address this need and are under evaluation in the multicenter Clinical Outcome Measures in Personalized aprevo (circle R superscript) Spine Surgery (COMPASS (TM suprascript) registry. This report presents interim COMPASS pre- and postoperative sagittal alignment results and complication rates for a subcohort of COMPASS patients diagnosed and surgically treated for spinal deformity.

Augmentation of Tendon and Ligament Repair with Fiber-Reinforced Hydrogel Composites.

This review highlights the promise of fiber-reinforced hydrogel composites (FRHCs) for augmenting tendon and ligament repair and regeneration. Composed of reinforcing fibers embedded in a hydrogel, these scaffolds provide both mechanical strength and a conducive microenvironment for biological processes required for connective tissue regeneration. Typical properties of FRHCs are discussed, highlighting their ability to simultaneously fulfill essential mechanical and biological design criteria for a regenerative scaffold.

Controlling chaos using edge computing hardware.

Machine learning provides a data-driven approach for creating a digital twin of a system - a digital model used to predict the system behavior. Having an accurate digital twin can drive many applications, such as controlling autonomous systems. Often, the size, weight, and power consumption of the digital twin or related controller must be minimized, ideally realized on embedded computing hardware that can operate without a cloud-computing connection.

The Feel of Speech: Multisystem and Polymodal Somatosensation in Speech Production.

Purpose: The oral structures such as the tongue and lips have remarkable somatosensory capacities, but understanding the roles of somatosensation in speech production requires a more comprehensive knowledge of somatosensation in the speech production system in its entirety, including the respiratory, laryngeal, and supralaryngeal subsystems. This review was conducted to summarize the system-wide somatosensory information available for speech production.

Method: The search was conducted with PubMed/Medline and Google Scholar for articles published until November 2023.

Practical deployment of automation to expedite aqueous two-phase extraction.

The feasibility of bioprocess development relies heavily on the successful application of primary recovery and purification techniques. Aqueous two-phase extraction (ATPE) disrupts the definition of "unit operation" by serving as an integrative and intensive technique that combines different objectives such as the removal of biomass and integrated recovery and purification of the product of interest. The relative simplicity of processing large samples renders this technique an attractive alternative for industrial bioprocessing applications.

Engineered Microenvironmental Cues from Fiber-Reinforced Hydrogel Composites Drive Tenogenesis and Aligned Collagen Deposition.

Effective tendon regeneration following injury is contingent on appropriate differentiation of recruited cells and deposition of mature, aligned, collagenous extracellular matrix that can withstand the extreme mechanical demands placed on the tissue. As such, myriad biomaterial approaches have been explored to provide biochemical and physical cues that encourage tenogenesis and template aligned matrix deposition in lieu of dysfunctional scar tissue formation. Fiber-reinforced hydrogels present an ideal biomaterial system toward this end given their transdermal injectability, tunable stiffness over a range amenable to tenogenic differentiation of progenitors, and capacity for modular inclusion of biochemical cues.

Randomized Trial of Augmented Pelvic Fixation in Patients Undergoing Thoracolumbar Fusion for Adult Spine Deformity: Initial Results from a Multicenter Randomized Trial.

Background: The optimal configuration for spinopelvic fixation during multilevel spine fusion surgery for adult spine deformity remains unclear. Postoperative sacroiliac (SI) joint pain, S2AI screw loosening and implant breakage could be related to continued motion of the SI joint with use of only a single point of fixation across the SI joint.

Methods: Prospective, international, multicenter randomized controlled trial of 222 patients with adult spine deformity scheduled for multilevel (4 or more levels) spine fusion surgery with pelvic fixation.

Controlling chaotic maps using next-generation reservoir computing.

In this work, we combine nonlinear system control techniques with next-generation reservoir computing, a best-in-class machine learning approach for predicting the behavior of dynamical systems. We demonstrate the performance of the controller in a series of control tasks for the chaotic Hénon map, including controlling the system between unstable fixed points, stabilizing the system to higher order periodic orbits, and to an arbitrary desired state. We show that our controller succeeds in these tasks, requires only ten data points for training, can control the system to a desired trajectory in a single iteration, and is robust to noise and modeling error.

Modeling evaluation of the impact of residual source material on remedial time frame at a former uranium mill site.

Groundwater contamination at legacy uranium processing sites is an ongoing global challenge. Plumes at many uranium-contaminated sites are more persistent than originally predicted by groundwater modeling. Previous investigations of uranium plume persistence identified residual and secondary sources that contribute to plume longevity, but there is a remaining need to revise forecasted cleanup times using information about these ongoing sources.

Early Outcomes Following Plantar Condylectomy and Imbrication of Plantar Plate to Metatarsal Neck for Metatarsalgia and Grade 0 Lesser Toe Metatarsophalangeal Joint Instability.

Background: Metatarsalgia and plantar plate tears are characterized by forefoot pain and toe deformity in severe cases. Conservative management may slow progression of symptoms; however, definitive treatment often requires operative intervention. The purpose of this observational study was to evaluate the combination of plantar condylectomy and surgical imbrication of the plantar plate to the metatarsal neck to repair grade 0 plantar plate injuries.

Association Between the Characteristics of mHealth Apps and User Input During Development and Testing: Secondary Analysis of App Assessment Data.

Background: User involvement is increasingly acknowledged as a central part of health care innovation. However, meaningful user involvement during the development and testing of mobile health apps is often not fully realized.

Objective: This study aims to examine in which areas user input is most prevalent and whether there is an association between user inclusion and compliance with best practices for mobile health apps.

Building-Block Size Mediates Microporous Annealed Particle Hydrogel Tube Microenvironment Following Spinal Cord Injury.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a life-altering event, which often results in loss of sensory and motor function below the level of trauma. Biomaterial therapies have been widely investigated in SCI to promote directional regeneration but are often limited by their pre-constructed size and shape. Herein, the design parameters of microporous annealed particles (MAPs) are investigated with tubular geometries that conform to the injury and direct axons across the defect to support functional recovery.

CDPK2A and CDPK1 form a signaling module upstream of motility.

This work uncovers interactions between various signaling pathways that govern egress. Specifically, we compare the function of three canonical calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) using chemical-genetic and conditional-depletion approaches. We describe the function of a previously uncharacterized CDPK, CDPK2A, in the lytic cycle, demonstrating that it contributes to parasite fitness through regulation of microneme discharge, gliding motility, and egress from infected host cells.

Non-Lung Solid Organ Transplantation From SARS-CoV-2-Positive Donors to Uninfected Recipients.

Background: There is a paucity of evidence on the risk of donor-recipient transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 in solid organ transplant recipients. Initial impressions suggest non-lung solid organs may be safely transplanted from SARS-CoV-2-positive donors without risk of viral transmission.

Methods: We reviewed clinical results of transplants in which SARS-CoV-2-negative recipients received non-lung solid organs from SARS-CoV-2-positive donors at a single transplant center.

Molehill Mountain feasibility study: Protocol for a non-randomised pilot trial of a novel app-based anxiety intervention for autistic people.

Up to 50% of autistic people experience co-occurring anxiety, which significantly impacts their quality of life. Consequently, developing new interventions (and/ or adapting existing ones) that improve anxiety has been indicated as a priority for clinical research and practice by the autistic community. Despite this, there are very few effective, evidence-based therapies available to autistic people that target anxiety; and those that are available (e.

Metrology of infrared superconducting bolometers with a backshort.

We present the detailed metrology of a superconducting Transition-Edge Sensor (TES) absorber-coupled bolometer array bonded to a variable-delay backshort to form an integral field unit. The backshort is shaped as a wedge to continuously vary the electrical phase delay of the bolometer absorber reflective termination across the array. This resonant absorber termination structure is used to define a spectral response over a 4:1 bandwidth in the far-infrared, from ∼30 to 120 μm.

MyosinA is a druggable target in the widespread protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii.

Toxoplasma gondii is a widespread apicomplexan parasite that can cause severe disease in its human hosts. The ability of T. gondii and other apicomplexan parasites to invade into, egress from, and move between cells of the hosts they infect is critical to parasite virulence and disease progression.