The inter-trial and inter-session reliability of Theia3D-derived markerless gait analysis in tight versus loose clothing.

Background: Gait analysis is traditionally conducted using marker-based methods yet markerless motion capture is emerging as an alternative. Initial studies have begun to evaluate the reliability of markerless motion capture yet the evaluation of different clothing conditions across sessions and complete evaluation of the lower limb and pelvis reliability have yet to be considered. The aim of this study was to evaluate the inter-trial, inter-session and inter-session-clothing variation and root mean square differences between tight- or loose-fitting clothing during walking.

PPP1R2 stimulates protein phosphatase-1 through stabilisation of dynamic subunit interactions.

Protein Ser/Thr phosphatase PP1 is always associated with one or two regulatory subunits or RIPPOs. One of the earliest evolved RIPPOs is PPP1R2, also known as Inhibitor-2. Since its discovery nearly 5 decades ago, PPP1R2 has been variously described as an inhibitor, activator or (metal) chaperone of PP1, but it is still unknown how PPP1R2 affects the function of PP1 in intact cells.

Development and validation of an ultra-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method for determination of soluble repulsive guidance molecule A in human serum and cerebrospinal fluid.

Repulsive guidance molecule A (RGMa) is upregulated in neurodegenerative diseases. To assess RGMa levels in human serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), a quantification method was developed and validated according to ICH M10 guideline. Sample preparation consisted of immunoprecipitation (IP, only for serum), digestion and purification followed by MS.

SDS22 coordinates the assembly of holoenzymes from nascent protein phosphatase-1.

SDS22 forms an inactive complex with nascent protein phosphatase PP1 and Inhibitor-3. SDS22:PP1:Inhibitor-3 is a substrate for the ATPase p97/VCP, which liberates PP1 for binding to canonical regulatory subunits. The exact role of SDS22 in PP1-holoenzyme assembly remains elusive.

Exposure to Violence and Mental Health Outcomes Among Pre-schoolers in a South African Birth Cohort.

Little is known about the relationship between violence exposure and mental health in preschoolers living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Multiple regression analyses investigated associations between violence exposure and mental health in the Drakenstein Child Health Study (N = 978), a South African birth cohort. Lifetime violence exposure was assessed at age 4.

Persistent Impact of Antenatal Maternal Anaemia on Child Brain Structure at 6-7 Years of Age: A South African Child Health Study.

Background: The study aim was to determine whether associations of antenatal maternal anaemia with smaller corpus callosum, putamen, and caudate nucleus volumes previously described in children at age 2-3 years persist to age 6-7 years in the Drakenstein Child Health Study (DCHS).

Methods: This neuroimaging sub-study was nested within the DCHS, a South African population-based birth cohort. Pregnant women were enrolled (2012-2015) and mother-child dyads were followed prospectively.

Quantitative turbidimetric characterization of stabilized complex coacervate dispersions.

Stabilizing complex coacervate microdroplets is desirable due to their various applications, such as bioreactors, drug delivery vehicles, and encapsulants. Here, we present quantitative characterization of complex coacervate dispersion stability inferred by turbidimetry measurements. The stability of the dispersions is shown to be modulated by the concentrations of comb polyelectrolyte (cPE) stabilizers and salt.

Language outcomes of preschool children who are HIV-exposed uninfected: An analysis of a South African cohort.

Introduction: There are approximately 16 million children who are HIV-exposed and uninfected (CHEU) worldwide. Studies suggest that CHEU are at risk for developmental impairment in infancy, particularly in language domains. However, there is limited research examining neurocognitive function in CHEU older than 2 years, including important pre-school years.

Impact of perinatal exposure counseling on patient reported emotional outcomes and decisional empowerment.

Background: Exposures during pregnancy are common and most pregnant patients utilize at least one medication during pregnancy. The lack of reliable information on medication safety during pregnancy available to providers and patients is a stressor and obstacle to decision-making about medication use in pregnancy. Previous studies showed that exposures in pregnancy are associated with guilt, worry, and decisional conflict.

Whole leg compression garments influence lower limb kinematics and associated muscle synergies during running.

The utilization of compression garments (CGs) has demonstrated the potential to improve athletic performance; however, the specific mechanisms underlying this enhancement remain a subject of further investigation. This study aimed to examine the impact of CGs on running mechanics and muscle synergies from a neuromuscular control perspective. Twelve adult males ran on a treadmill at 12 km/h, while data pertaining to lower limb kinematics, kinetics, and electromyography were collected under two clothing conditions: whole leg compression garments and control.

Risk and rates of hospitalisation in young children: A prospective study of a South African birth cohort.

Children in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are disproportionately affected by morbidity and mortality. There is also a growing vulnerable population of children who are HIV-exposed uninfected (HEU). Understanding reasons and risk factors for early-life child hospitalisation will help optimise interventions to improve health outcomes.

Efficacy of a dialogic book-sharing intervention in a South African birth cohort: A randomized controlled trial.

Objective: Evidence shows that dialogic book-sharing improves language development in young children in low-middle income countries (LMICs), particularly receptive and expressive language. It is unclear whether this intervention also boosts development of other neurocognitive and socio-emotional domains in children. Using a randomized controlled trial (RCT) nested in the Drakenstein Child Health Study (DCHS), a book-sharing intervention was implemented in caregivers of 3.

Genome-scale functional genomics screening highlights genes impacting protein fucosylation in Chinese hamster ovary cells.

N-linked glycosylation is a common post-translational modification that has various effects on multiple types of proteins. The extent to which an N-linked glycoprotein is modified and the identity of glycans species involved is of great interest to the biopharmaceutical industry, since glycosylation can impact the efficacy and safety of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). mAbs lacking core fucose, for example, display enhanced clinical efficacy through increased antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity.

Early Childhood Violence Exposure Patterns in The Drakenstein Child Health Study (DCHS).

: Research has highlighted high rates of exposure to violence among South African youth. However, work to date has been largely cross-sectional, focused on violence exposure during the adolescence period, and has been limited to specific types of violence exposure. We examined violence exposure in South African preschool children between 3 and 6 years of age, capturing both direct and indirect forms of violence, and tested for potential sex differences across the several types of exposures.

Latent Classes of Anthropometric Growth in Early Childhood Using Uni- and Multivariate approaches in a South African Birth Cohort.

Background: Conventional methods for modelling longitudinal growth data focus on the analysis of mean longitudinal trends or the identification of abnormal growth based on cross-sectional standardized z-scores. Latent Class Mixed Modelling (LCMM) considers the underlying heterogeneity in growth profiles and allows for the identification of groups of subjects that follow similar longitudinal trends.

Methods: LCMM was used to identify underlying latent profiles of growth for univariate responses of standardized height, standardized weight, standardized body mass index and standardized weight-for-length/height measurements and multivariate response of joint standardized height and standardized weight measurements from birth to five years for a sample of 1143 children from a South African birth cohort, the Drakenstein Child Health Study (DCHS).

Bat teeth illuminate the diversification of mammalian tooth classes.

Tooth classes are an innovation that has contributed to the evolutionary success of mammals. However, our understanding of the mechanisms by which tooth classes diversified remain limited. We use the evolutionary radiation of noctilionoid bats to show how the tooth developmental program evolved during the adaptation to new diet types.

Risk and rates of hospitalisation in young children: a prospective study of a South African birth cohort.

Introduction: Children in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are disproportionately affected by morbidity and mortality; there is also a growing vulnerable population of children who are HIV-exposed uninfected (HEU). Understanding reasons and risk factors for early-life child hospitalisation will help optimise interventions to improve health outcomes. We investigated hospitalisations from birth to two years in a South African birth cohort.

Novel method to specifically determine the structures of non-N297 glycans in IgGs.

Monoclonal antibodies comprise a major class of biologic therapeutics and are also extensively studied in immunology. Given the importance of glycans on antibodies, fluorescent labeling of enzymatically released glycans and their LC/MS analysis is routinely used for in-depth characterization of antibody glycosylation. In this technical note, we propose a method for facile characterization of glycans in the variable region of antibodies using sequential enzymatic digests with Endoglycosidase-S2 and RapidTM Peptide-N-Glycosidase-F followed by labeling with a fluorescent dye carrying an NHS-carbamate moiety.

The human proton pump inhibitors inhibit rifampicin efflux and macrophage-induced rifampicin tolerance.

Tuberculosis treatment requires months-long combination chemotherapy with multiple drugs, with shorter treatments leading to relapses. A major impediment to shortening treatment is that becomes tolerant to the administered drugs, starting early after infection and within days of infecting macrophages. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that macrophage-induced drug tolerance is mediated by mycobacterial drug efflux pumps.

Interpersonal Firearm Injury and Death in Portland, Oregon: 2018 Through 2021.

The annual number of firearm injuries in Portland, Oregon has been higher in the years since 2020 than in any prior year in the city's history. This descriptive study analyzed data from Gun Violence Archives (GVA) from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2021. All incidents in GVA of interpersonal firearm injury that occurred in Portland during this period were analyzed for location, number of people injured or killed, and demographic information for those injured or killed.

Clinical implementation of the first Cherenkov imaging system in a community-based hospital.

Purpose: To document experiences with one year of clinical implementation of the first Cherenkov imaging system and share the methods that we developed to utilize Cherenkov imaging to improve treatment delivery accuracy in real-time.

Methods: A Cherenkov imaging system was installed commissioned and calibrated for clinical use. The optimal room lighting conditions and imaging setup protocols were developed to optimize both image quality and patient experience.

Microporous affinity membranes and their incorporation into microfluidic devices for monitoring of therapeutic antibodies.

Control of monoclonal antibody (mAb) concentrations in serum is important for maintaining the safety and efficacy of these lifesaving therapeutics. Point-of-care (POC) quantification of therapeutic mAbs could ensure that patients have effective mAb levels without compromising safety. This work uses mimotope-functionalized microporous alumina affinity membranes in vertical flow assays for detection and quantitation of therapeutic mAbs.

Nonplatelet thromboxane generation is associated with impaired cardiovascular performance and mortality in heart failure.

Nonplatelet thromboxane generation, stimulated largely by oxidative stress, is a novel mortality risk factor in individuals with coronary artery disease. Though inversely associated with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), a potential role in the pathobiology of heart failure (HF) remains poorly defined. Nonplatelet thromboxane generation and oxidative stress were assessed by measuring urine thromboxane-B metabolites (TXB-M) and 8-isoPGF by ELISA in 105 subjects taking aspirin and undergoing right heart catheterization for evaluation of HF, valve disease, or after transplantation.

Selective inclusion in cash transfer programs: Unintended consequences for social cohesion.

Debates over universal versus selective or targeted provision of benefits in social protection programming have gained traction in recent years. In some cases, poverty targeting has been found to benefit communities, creating positive economic spillover effects even for non-recipients. However, targeted programs can also reconfigure social relations, carrying a social stigma that bifurcates communities.