A new method to assess lumbar vertebral body rotation on simple radiographs.

Introduction And Objectives: A number of sophisticated methods have been used to identify the degree of vertebral rotation. This is an experimental model using saw bone and motorized device to identify the possible parameter of vertebral body axial rotation on simple radiographs.

Materials And Methods: A sawbones model of the lumbar spine was used in this study.

Radiographic outcomes and subsidence rate in hyperlordotic versus standard lordotic interbody spacers in patients undergoing anterior cervical discectomy and fusion.

Background: Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is a common surgery for patients with degenerative cervical disease and current interbody spacers utilized vary based on material composition, structure, and angle of lordosis. Currently, there is a lack of literature comparing subsidence rates or long-term radiographic outcomes with hyperlordotic and standard lordotic spacers. This study compares long-term radiographic outcomes, subsidence rate, and rate of fusion in patients who underwent ACDF with hyperlordotic or standard interbody placement.

Self-Attention-Based Contextual Modulation Improves Neural System Identification.

Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have been shown to be state-of-the-art models for visual cortical neurons. Cortical neurons in the primary visual cortex are sensitive to contextual information mediated by extensive horizontal and feedback connections. Standard CNNs integrate global contextual information to model contextual modulation via two mechanisms: successive convolutions and a fully connected readout layer.

A sustainable framework for advancing circular practices for polyethylene terephthalate textiles: optimized recycling of depolymerization byproducts and LCA validation.

This study demonstrates a novel circular approach for discarded polyethylene terephthalate (PET) textiles with life cycle assessment (LCA) validation, proposing an optimized recycling method for PET depolymerization byproducts. The experimental approach emphasizes sourcing the metal-organic framework ingredients including metal and linker components from a single PET depolymerization reaction. For depolymerization, a metal salt-based deep eutectic solvent (DES) composed of -toluene sulfonic acid and iron(iii) chloride hexahydrate was employed acting as both solvent and catalyst.

Deformation analysis of 3D-printed three-unit fixed partial dentures according to various cleaning strategies after DLP 3D printing: a geometric library matching approach.

Purpose: Three-dimensional (3D) printing must go through a post-processing procedure. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different cleaning methods on 3D printed three-unit fixed partial dentures using 3D analysis.

Materials And Methods: A three-unit fixed partial denture was designed and printed using two different printers.

Comparison of interference from eccentric movements of dental crowns fabricated via dynamic jaw motion tracking and conventional methods: a double-blind clinical study.

Purpose: The purpose of this clinical study was to evaluate the extent of intraoral occlusal adjustment required for zirconia crowns designed with a dynamic jaw motion tracking method compared to a conventional approach.

Materials And Methods: Fifteen patients needing zirconia crown restorations in the anterior or posterior regions participated in this study. Following tooth preparation, dynamic jaw motion tracking records were gathered using a tracking device.

Discovery of isoquinoline-tethered quinazoline derivatives with enhanced HER2 inhibition over EGFR.

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is a critical therapeutic target for HER2-positive or HER2-dependent cancers. While several HER2 kinase inhibitors have been identified, achieving high selectivity for HER2 over EGFR remains a significant challenge. In this study, we aimed to develop HER2-selective inhibitors with enhanced cellular activity.

Optimizing drug sensitivity assays in patient-derived tumor organoids: a comparison of IC50 estimation methods and experimental parameters.

Patient-derived tumor organoids (PDOs) hold immense potential for personalized drug sensitivity testing, but accurate efficacy determination is crucial for clinical translation. This study investigated factors influencing the accuracy and reproducibility of drug sensitivity measurements in PDOs, focusing on half-maximal-inhibitory-concentration (IC50) calculation methods, drug concentration numbers, and plate types. PDOs were established from six primary cancer tissues, including two cervical resections, one lung biopsy, one lung pleural effusion, one breast biopsy, and one gastric resection.

Aromatic Residue F443 Modulates the Dimer Interface and Activity of Glutathione Reductase.

Glutathione reductase (GR) is a homodimeric flavoenzyme that regenerates reduced glutathione, essential for cellular redox balance, with an active site cleft at the upper dimer interface. However, the role of intramolecular interactions within each monomer in maintaining the dimer interface and influencing enzyme activity remains unclear. This study investigates how hydrophobic interactions within each monomer near the dimer interface, particularly involving L416 (α12 helix) and F443 (α14 helix), affect the stability and activity of GR from the psychrotrophic bacterium JR-1 (PmGR).

Comparison between Different Configurations of Reference Electrodes for an Extended-Gate Field-Effect Transistor pH Sensor.

This study investigates the performance and stability of extended-gate field-effect transistor (EGFET) pH sensors with three different reference electrode configurations: conventional external Ag/AgCl, external gold (Au), and integrated Au electrodes. The goal is to identify an optimal reference electrode configuration for enhancing the portability and manufacturability of EGFET pH sensors, which are crucial in medical, agricultural, and environmental applications. Results showed that the integrated Au electrode exhibits superior stability and comparable sensitivity to those of Ag/AgCl and external Au electrodes.

Users' safety perceptions from crime in relation to park type and user gender in Mexico.

While parks hold potential as inclusive spaces for promoting physical activity, perceptions of safety from crime may affect their use, especially in low-to middle-income countries. Safety perceptions may be shaped by gender and park type; however, these relationships have not been explored in Mexico. The aim of this study was to explore associations between safety perceptions and park type by gender.

Endoluminal photodynamic therapy with a photoreactive stent-based catheter system to treat malignant colorectal obstruction.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) using photosensitizer (PS)-embedded silicone membrane-covered self-expandable metallic stents (SEMSs) can function in palliative therapeutic option for malignant gastrointestinal tract obstruction. However, stent-related complications should be considered, and accurate delivery of light sources is technically difficult. Here, a Chlorin e6 (Ce6)-an embedded stent-based catheter is developed to improve its therapeutic efficacy and safety.

Rational design of next-generation filovirus vaccines with glycoprotein stabilization, nanoparticle display, and glycan modification.

Unlabelled: Filoviruses pose a significant threat to human health with frequent outbreaks and high mortality. Although two vector-based vaccines are available for Ebola virus, a broadly protective filovirus vaccine remains elusive. In this study, we evaluate a general strategy for stabilizing glycoprotein (GP) structures of Ebola, Sudan, and Bundibugyo ebolaviruses and Ravn marburgvirus.

Development of an image-guided non-vitrectomy subretinal access approach for trans-scleral cell and gene therapy delivery.

Purpose: Regenerative therapies for retinal diseases include cell and gene therapy modalities that are targeted to the subretinal space. Several recent clinical trials have shown that the morbidity of surgical access is the major limitation of safe subretinal space delivery. We aimed to develop an image-guided procedure for minimally invasive subretinal access (MISA) as a platform to deliver therapeutic agents for the treatment of degenerative retinal diseases.

Luminos: open-source software for bidirectional microscopy.

Bidirectional microscopy (BDM) combines simultaneous targeted optical perturbation and imaging of biophysical or biochemical signals (e.g. membrane voltage, Ca , or signaling molecules).

Targeting the ferroptosis pathway: A novel compound, AZD1390, protects the brain after ischemic stroke.

Background: Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent form of regulated cell death driven by lipid peroxidation. This process has been implicated in various diseases, including ischemic stroke. Ischemic stroke leads to oxidative stress, iron overload, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, which collectively may trigger ferroptotic neuronal cell death.

Social housing effects of Intermittent Access of Methamphetamine Self-administration and social behavior.

Unlabelled: Social support is a potentially protective factor against substance use disorders (SUDs). Previous studies in animal models for SUDs have shown that when females are pair housed, they have lower motivation for cocaine and methamphetamine (METH), than females who are single housed. In males, however, social housing has not had the same beneficial effect.

Multi-omic analysis of the ciliogenic transcription factor reveals a role in promoting activity-dependent responses via enhancing CREB binding in human neurons.

Heterozygous loss-of-function (LoF) variants in a transcription factor known to play key roles in ciliogenesis, result in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and neurodevelopmental delay. RFX binding motifs are also enriched upstream of genes found to be commonly dysregulated in transcriptomic analyses of brain tissue from individuals with idiopathic ASD. Still, the precise functions of in the human brain is unknown.

Cigarette Smoke and Decreased DNA Repair by Xeroderma Pigmentosum Group C Use a Double Hit Mechanism for Epithelial Cell Lung Carcinogenesis.

Emerging evidence suggests a complex interplay of environmental and genetic factors in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) development. Among these factors, compromised DNA repair plays a critical but incompletely understood role in lung tumorigenesis and concurrent lung diseases, such as chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD). In this study, we investigated the interplay between cigarette smoke, DNA damage and repair, focusing on the Nucleotide Excision Repair (NER) protein Xeroderma Pigmentosum Group C (XPC).

Mutant IDH impairs chromatin binding by PDGFB to promote chromosome instability.

Non-canonical roles for growth factors in the nucleus have been previously described, but their mechanism of action and biological roles remain enigmatic. Platelet-derived growth factor B (PDGFB) can drive formation of low-grade glioma and here we show that it localizes to the nucleus of human glioma cells where it binds chromatin to preserve genome stability and cell lineage. Failure of PDGFB to localize to the nucleus leads to chromosomal abnormalities, aberrant heterochromatin architecture and accelerated tumorigenesis.

Loss of JAK1 Function Causes G2/M Cell Cycle Defects Vulnerable to Kif18a Inhibition.

To gain insight into biological mechanisms that cause resistance to DNA damage, we performed parallel pooled genetic CRISPR-Cas9 screening for survival in high risk HNSCC subtypes. Surprisingly, and in addition to ATM, DNAPK, and NFKB signaling, JAK1 was identified as a driver of tumor cell radiosensitivity. Knockout of JAK1 in HNSCC increases cell survival by enhancing the DNA damage-induced G2 arrest, and both knockout and JAK1 inhibition with abrocitinib prevent subsequent formation of radiation-induced micronuclei.

Tumor B cell infiltration in platinum-treated advanced urothelial carcinoma.

Platinum-based chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy provides durable disease control in advanced urothelial cancer. However, cisplatin and carboplatin differently impact the tumor immune microenvironment, affecting chemo-immunotherapy response. Here, we evaluate immune cell populations and ecosystems associated with overall survival in patients treated with platinum-based chemotherapy.

Sequencing by Expansion (SBX) - a novel, high-throughput single-molecule sequencing technology.

Remarkable advances in high-throughput sequencing have enabled major biological discoveries and clinical applications, but achieving wider distribution and use depends critically on further improvements in scale and cost reduction. Nanopore sequencing has long held the promise for such progress, but has had limited market penetration. This is because efficient and accurate nanopore sequencing of nucleic acids has been challenged by fundamental signal-to-noise limitations resulting from the poor spatial resolution and molecular distinction of nucleobases.

Granular hydrogels as brittle yield stress fluids.

While granular hydrogels are increasingly used in biomedical applications, methods to capture their rheological behavior generally consider shear-thinning and self-healing properties or produce ensemble metrics such as the dynamic moduli. Analytical approaches paired with common oscillatory shear tests can describe not only solid-like and fluid-like behavior of granular hydrogels but also transient characteristics inherent in yielding and unyielding processes. Combining oscillatory shear testing with consideration of Brittility (Bt) via the Kamani-Donley-Rogers (KDR) model, we show granular hydrogels behave as brittle yield stress fluids with complex transient rheology.