Lower osteoporotic-like vertebral fractural deformity (OLVF) prevalence and severity among older Thais and Indonesians than among older Chinese.

Background: Chinese are known to have a lower vertebral fragility fracture risk than Caucasians. This study evaluates radiographic osteoporotic-like vertebral fractural deformity (OLVF) prevalence and severity among Chinese, Thai, Indonesian women and men.

Methods: In an epidemiological study with community subjects, spine radiographs (T4-L5) were sampled for 195 Thai women (mean: 73.

Associations between nurse-to-patient ratio, nurse educational level, and nurse-sensitive patient outcomes: A 12-month prospective observational study.

Aim: To investigate the associations between nurse staffing levels, nurse educational level, and nurse-sensitive patient outcomes among patients in medical and surgical wards.

Background: Patient outcomes are affected by a variety of factors, including nurse staffing and registered nurse (RN) educational levels. An examination of the associations between these factors and patient outcomes will help identify the impact that nurses make on patient care, including health and safety.

Complete chloroplast genome data reveal the existence of the L. complex and its potential introduction pathways into China.

, native to North America, is an invasive species in many areas of the world, where it causes serious damage to natural ecosystems and economic losses. However, a dearth of genetic resources and molecular markers has hampered our understanding of its invasion history. Here, we assembled 40 complete chloroplast genomes of species, including 21 individuals, 15 individuals, and four individuals, the sizes of which ranged from 152,412 bp to 153,170 bp.

Going beyond cell clustering and feature aggregation: Is there single cell level information in single-cell ATAC-seq data?

Single-cell Assay for Transposase Accessible Chromatin with sequencing (scATAC-seq) has become a widely used method for investigating chromatin accessibility at single-cell resolution. However, the resulting data is highly sparse with most data entries being zeros. As such, currently available computational methods for scATAC-seq feature a range of transformation procedures to extract meaningful information from the sparse data.

ChatGPT as a patient education tool in colorectal cancer-An in-depth assessment of efficacy, quality and readability.

Aim: Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots such as Chat Generative Pretrained Transformer-4 (ChatGPT-4) have made significant strides in generating human-like responses. Trained on an extensive corpus of medical literature, ChatGPT-4 has the potential to augment patient education materials. These chatbots may be beneficial to populations considering a diagnosis of colorectal cancer (CRC).

COVID-19 vaccination and cerebral small vessel disease progression-A prospective cohort study.

Objectives: The association between SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and cerebrovascular diseases raised a concern of cerebrovascular safety of COVID-19 vaccines. We aimed to determine the risk of radiologic cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD) progression with BNT162b2 and CoronaVac.

Methods: In this community-based prospective cohort study, community-dwelling subjects underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before and 4 months after vaccination with BNT162b2 or CoronaVac.

SARS-CoV-2 human challenge reveals biomarkers that discriminate early and late phases of respiratory viral infections.

Blood transcriptional biomarkers of acute viral infections typically reflect type 1 interferon (IFN) signalling, but it is not known whether there are biological differences in their regulation that can be leveraged for distinct translational applications. We use high frequency sampling in the SARS-CoV-2 human challenge model to show induction of IFN-stimulated gene (ISG) expression with different temporal and cellular profiles. MX1 gene expression correlates with a rapid and transient wave of ISG expression across all cell types, which may precede PCR detection of replicative infection.

DNAJC12 Deficiency, an Emerging Condition Picked Up by Newborn Screening: A Case Illustration and a Novel Variant Identified.

DNAJC12 deficiency is a recently described inherited metabolic disorder resulting in hyperphenylalaninemia and neurotransmitter deficiency. The effect of treatment on the prevention of neurological manifestations in this newly reported and heterogenous disorder is not fully understood, and the optimal treatment strategy remains to be elucidated. The global or regional incidence of the disease is yet to be estimated.

Dinochromosome Heterotermini with Telosomal Anchorages.

Dinoflagellate birefringent chromosomes (BfCs) contain some of the largest known genomes, yet they lack typical nucleosomal micrococcal-nuclease protection patterns despite containing variant core histones. One BfC end interacts with extranuclear mitotic microtubules at the nuclear envelope (NE), which remains intact throughout the cell cycle. Ultrastructural studies, polarized light and fluorescence microscopy, and micrococcal nuclease-resistant profiles (MNRPs) revealed that NE-associated chromosome ends persisted post-mitosis.

The Pathology and Blood Biochemistry of Juvenile Lates calcarifer on Diets Contaminated With Mycotoxins, Histamines and Rancid Fats-A Case Study.

Mycotoxins, originating from contaminated raw materials or suboptimal feed storage, are a growing concern in tropical aquaculture. Common fungi such as Aspergillus spp. and Fusarium spp.

Cheminformatic Identification of Tyrosyl-DNA Phosphodiesterase 1 (Tdp1) Inhibitors: A Comparative Study of SMILES-Based Supervised Machine Learning Models.

Background: Tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterase 1 (Tdp1) repairs damages in DNA induced by abortive topoisomerase 1 activity; however, maintenance of genetic integrity may sustain cellular division of neoplastic cells. It follows that Tdp1-targeting chemical inhibitors could synergize well with existing chemotherapy drugs to deny cancer growth; therefore, identification of Tdp1 inhibitors may advance precision medicine in oncology.

Objective: Current computational research efforts focus primarily on molecular docking simulations, though datasets involving three-dimensional molecular structures are often hard to curate and computationally expensive to store and process.

Pharmacological Activation and Transgenic Overexpression of SIRT1 Attenuate Traumatic Optic Neuropathy Induced by Blunt Head Impact.

Purpose: Resveratrol (RSV) is a nutraceutical compound known for its therapeutic potential in neurodegenerative and metabolic diseases. RSV promotes survival signals in retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) through activation of SIRT1, an NAD+-dependent deacetylase. RSV and SIRT1 reduce RGC loss induced by direct optic nerve injury, but effects in indirect models of traumatic optic neuropathy remain unknown and are examined in this study.

Advances in understanding and management of IgG4-related ophthalmic disease.

Immunoglobulin G4-related ophthalmic disease (IgG4-ROD) is an emerging, immune-mediated fibroinflammatory orbital disease, characterized by tumefactive lesions with noticeable IgG4+ plasma cell infiltration and distinctive pathohistological features. This disease is often associated with elevated serum IgG4 concentrations. IgG4-ROD may affect any ophthalmic tissues, particularly the lacrimal gland, extraocular muscles, and trigeminal nerves.

Early Optical Coherence Tomography Signs of Erdafitinib-Induced Retinopathy.

A 64-year-old male presented for a baseline ophthalmic exam before beginning erdafitinib, a fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) inhibitor, for stage 4 papillary urothelial cancer. Baseline optical coherence tomography (OCT) and ophthalmic examination were unremarkable. After one month of treatment, his OCT demonstrated a significant thickening of the ellipsoid zone and prominence of the interdigitation zones along with a small amount of subretinal fluid.

Psychometric properties of lift and carry test in assessing people with stroke.

Objective: To investigate the psychometric properties of the Lift and Carry Test (LCT) time in people with stroke.

Design: Cross-sectional design.

Setting: University based neurorehabilitation laboratory.

Pilot model of hepatitis C virus micro-elimination in high-risk populations in Hong Kong: Barriers and facilitators.

Background: Although the general seroprevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in Hong Kong is <0.5 %, Hong Kong is still striving for HCV elimination owing to barriers in care cascade encompassing linkage-to-care (LTC), treatment initiation and adherence. We aimed to evaluate the feasibility of a pilot model of micro-elimination to strengthen the HCV care cascade for high-risk groups in Hong Kong.

Physician Assistants in Plastic Surgery: A Descriptive Analysis Using the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants Dataset.

Physician assistants (PAs) play a vital role in the US health care system, particularly amid the persistent surgeon shortage and escalating health care demands. We aim to characterize the current cohort of PAs in plastic surgery by comparing them to PAs in all other specialties. Using a cross-sectional analysis of the 2022 National Commission on Certification of PAs dataset, we examined demographic and practice characteristics of PAs in plastic surgery with those in all other specialties.

Lasting Effects of Surgically Used Topical Vasodilators on DIEP Artery Vascular Function.

Background:  Surgeons routinely apply papaverine, lidocaine, or verapamil to produce acute vasodilation and prevent vasospasms during microvascular surgeries. There is evidence that topical vasodilators may induce postoperative endothelial and smooth muscle dysfunction, which would present after the acute vasodilatory effects of the topical drugs wear off. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to evaluate the lasting effects of papaverine, lidocaine, and verapamil on human deep inferior epigastric perforator artery vasodilatory function after the acute effects of the topical drugs had worn off.

Risk Assessment and Optimization for Pregnancy in Patients with Rheumatic Diseases.

Patients with rheumatic diseases frequently operate with incomplete or incorrect information while planning for and experiencing pregnancy, often due to variability in provider care and knowledge. Risk assessment at each stage of pregnancy-pre-conception, during pregnancy, and postpartum-is focused on reducing maternal and neonatal complications. This review aims to compile updated, evidence-based guidance on how to minimize risk factors contributing to adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs).

COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance, Hesitancy, and Uptake in People with Diabetes in Australia.

This study explored vaccination hesitancy, diabetes-specific COVID-19 vaccination concerns, and whether they predicted vaccination uptake in people with diabetes. Quantitative, cross-sectional, and predictive approaches were used. An online survey was conducted with people with diabetes attending four Australian health services, using convenience sampling ( = 842).

Demultiplexing of single-cell RNA-sequencing data using interindividual variation in gene expression.

Motivation: Pooled designs for single-cell RNA sequencing, where many cells from distinct samples are processed jointly, offer increased throughput and reduced batch variation. This study describes expression-aware demultiplexing (EAD), a computational method that employs differential co-expression patterns between individuals to demultiplex pooled samples without any extra experimental steps.

Results: We use synthetic sample pools and show that the top interindividual differentially co-expressed genes provide a distinct cluster of cells per individual, significantly enriching the regulation of metabolism.

eQTLs identify regulatory networks and drivers of variation in the individual response to sepsis.

Sepsis is a clinical syndrome of life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated response to infection, for which disease heterogeneity is a major obstacle to developing targeted treatments. We have previously identified gene-expression-based patient subgroups (sepsis response signatures [SRS]) informative for outcome and underlying pathophysiology. Here, we aimed to investigate the role of genetic variation in determining the host transcriptomic response and to delineate regulatory networks underlying SRS.