Publications by authors named "L V Bell"

Recent advancements in engineering Complex models (CIVMs) such as Blood-brain barrier (BBB) organoids offer promising platforms for preclinical drug testing. However, their application in drug development, and especially for the regulatory purposes of toxicity assessment, requires robust and reproducible techniques. Here, we developed an adapted set of orthogonal image-based tissue methods including hematoxylin and eosin staining (HE), immunohistochemistry (IHC), multiplex immunofluorescence (mIF), and Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry Imaging (MALDI-MSI) to validate CIVMs for drug toxicity assessments.

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Background And Objectives: Fibromyalgia has many unmet needs relating to treatment, and the delivery of effective and evidence-based healthcare is lacking. We analyzed social media conversations to understand the patients' perspectives on the lived experience of fibromyalgia, factors reported to trigger flares of pain, and the treatments being discussed, identifying barriers and opportunities to improve healthcare delivery.

Methods: A non-interventional retrospective analysis accessed detail-rich conversations about fibromyalgia patients' experiences with 714,000 documents, including a fibromyalgia language tag, which were curated between May 2019 and April 2021.

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Purpose: Lay midwives attend most births at home in Guatemala facing many challenges with limited resources. Current research demonstrates that acupressure can reduce preterm contractions and encourage post-term labor. Sharing acupressure techniques with lay midwives could improve birth outcomes in Guatemala.

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Article Synopsis
  • The TAOK proteins are important kinases involved in various cellular functions and are linked to neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) like those caused by TAOK1 and TAOK2 variants.
  • A study analyzed clinical and genetic data from individuals with these variants, revealing that TAOK1 variants lead to significant neurodevelopmental issues and some novel characteristics, while TAOK2 variants are tied to neurodevelopmental abnormalities, autism, and obesity.
  • This research expands the understanding of these disorders by presenting the largest cohort of individuals with TAOK1-NDD and identifying new variants and phenotypes associated with both TAOK1 and TAOK2.
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Evolving technology and the development of new devices that can aerosolize water present a risk for new sources of Legionella bacteria growth and spread within industrial settings. We investigated a cluster of legionellosis among employees of a manufacturing facility in South Carolina, USA, and found 2 unique equipment sources of Legionella bacteria. The cluster of cases took place during August-November 2022; a total of 34 cases of legionellosis, including 15 hospitalizations and 2 deaths, were reported.

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