Penile suspensory ligament: anatomy, function, and clinical perspectives of its repair.

Background: The penile suspensory ligament (PSL) plays a significant role in penile support and erection and its injury or congenital absence may result in functional impairment of erectile function.

Aim: To describe the diagnosis and surgical repair technique for PSL abnormalities and overall outcomes.

Methods: A comprehensive review of the literature was performed to understand the anatomic relevance of the PSL and historical management of PSL defects.

A pathway-based genetic score for inflammation: An indicator of vulnerability to phthalate-induced adverse neurodevelopment outcomes.

Introduction: Phthalates, chemical additives used to enhance plastic products' flexibility, are easily released into the environment, and can harm the brain development through various mechanisms including inflammation. Genetic variation influencing an individual's susceptibility to inflammation may play a role in the effects of phthalate exposure on neurodevelopment however there is no summary measure developed for genetic susceptibility to inflammation.

Methods: We developed a genetic pathway function score for inflammation (gPFS), based on the transcriptional activity of the inflammatory response pathway in the brain and other tissues.

Rationale and Design of the Personalized Therapy Study: Evaluating Real-World Performance of Two Automated Defibrillation Therapy Algorithms.

Background: Barriers to maximizing patient benefit with implantable defibrillation devices include limited ability to tailor antitachycardia pacing (ATP) therapy in real-time and identify patients at risk of heart failure (HF) events early on. The Personalized Therapy study aims to evaluate the performance of two algorithms, intrinsic ATP (iATP) and TriageHF, to address these barriers in routine clinical practice.

Methods And Results: The Personalized Therapy Study was designed as a prospective, multicenter, post-market registry study expected to enroll approximately 2,200 patients meeting the following criteria: (1) implanted with a study-eligible device regardless of procedure type; (2) Medtronic CareLink® Network enrolled; (3) TriageHF enabled within CareLink and High Risk Alert notifications turned ON; and (4) iATP enabled.

The use of sex-sorted semen in horses.

The application of sex-sorted semen in horses has historically lagged the bovine industry due to differences in the reproductive physiology and grater variability in equine semen quality. Recent advancements, including SuperGen™ sorters and Ultraplus™ semen processing methods developed by STgenetics® (Navasota, Texas), have significantly improved the efficiency of the sex-sorting process and reduced the sperm damage previously reported. To facilitate the broader use sex-sorted semen in the equine industry, it is essential to address challenges such as shipping cooled semen to a central sorting facility, minimizing oxidative stress and DNA fragmentation, and developing effective methods for short-term cooling or long-term cryopreservation of the sex-sorted sperm.

Tipping Point: Pathogenic Stress and the Biopolitics of Euthanasia.

Hopelessness and demoralization following a terminal diagnosis can affect the capacity for self-governance. Such dispositions can increase the allostatic load-the cumulative burden of stress and anxiety-resulting in a neurophysiologic decline that can impair autonomy and influence the desire to end one's life deliberately. An allostatic overload is characterized by the inability to autoregulate stress and is associated with pathological changes to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and hippocampus.

Melatonin Vapes Contain Potential Contaminants and Alter the Human Bronchial Epithelial Transcriptome.

Melatonin vaping products, touted for their faster absorption than oral melatonin supplements, have been gaining popularity among adolescents as sleep aid. Here, we elucidated the response of human bronchial epithelial cells (hBECs) to high levels of melatonin from vaped aerosols, investigated the uptake of melatonin by hBECs , and characterized the chemical composition of three commercially available melatonin vapes. Melatonin vape exposure decreased the secretion of chemokines and produced an immunosuppressive gene expression signature.

Spermatozoal acrosome dysfunction and its role in stallion subfertility.

Cases of stallion subfertility due to acrosome dysfunction have been recognized since the 1990s. While some of these were observed in stallions with reduced sperm motility and morphology, a more severe form has been reported in stallions with normal-to-excellent sperm quality parameters, which is also uniquely observed in individuals of the Thoroughbred registry. These stallions carry a susceptibility genotype (A/A-A A in the gene FKBP6, exon 5) for Impaired Acrosomal Exocytosis (IAE).

Microbial dynamics and pulmonary immune responses in COVID-19 secondary bacterial pneumonia.

Secondary bacterial pneumonia (2°BP) is associated with significant morbidity following respiratory viral infection, yet remains incompletely understood. In a prospective cohort of 112 critically ill adults intubated for COVID-19, we comparatively assess longitudinal airway microbiome dynamics and the pulmonary transcriptome of patients who developed 2°BP versus controls who did not. We find that 2°BP is significantly associated with both mortality and corticosteroid treatment.

BiP/GRP78 is a pro-viral factor for diverse dsDNA viruses that promotes the survival and proliferation of cells upon KSHV infection.

The Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER)-resident HSP70 chaperone BiP (HSPA5) plays a crucial role in maintaining and restoring protein folding homeostasis in the ER. BiP's function is often dysregulated in cancer and virus-infected cells, conferring pro-oncogenic and pro-viral advantages. We explored BiP's functions during infection by the Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), an oncogenic gamma-herpesvirus associated with cancers of immunocompromised patients.

RNA-seq validation of microRNA expression signatures for precision melanoma diagnosis and prognostic stratification.

Background: New diagnostic tools are needed to improve the diagnosis and risk stratification of cutaneous melanoma. Disease-specific microRNA signatures have been previously described via NanoString profiling of solid biopsy tissue and plasma. This study validated these signatures via next-generation sequencing technology and compared their performance against clinical metrics and other published melanoma signatures.

Bacterial cross-feeding can promote gene retention by lowering gene expression costs.

Gene loss is expected in microbial communities when the benefit of obtaining a biosynthetic precursor from a neighbor via cross-feeding outweighs the cost of retaining a biosynthetic gene. However, gene cost primarily comes from expression, and many biosynthetic genes are only expressed when needed. Thus, one can conversely expect cross-feeding to repress biosynthetic gene expression and promote gene retention by lowering gene cost.

Should they stay or should they go? Stroke transfers across a hospital network pre- and post-implementation of an automated image interpretation and communication platform.

Background: A key decision facing nonthrombectomy capable (spoke) hospitals is whether to transfer a suspected large vessel occlusion (LVO) patient to a comprehensive stroke center (CSC). In a retrospective cohort study, we investigated the rate of transfers resulting in endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) and associated costs before and after implementation of an artificial intelligence (AI)-based software.

Methods: All patients with a final diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke presenting across a five-spoke community hospital network in affiliation with a CSC were included.

Small airway brush gene expression predicts chronic lung allograft dysfunction and mortality.

Background: Chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD) limits survival following lung transplant, but substantial lung damage occurs before diagnosis by traditional methods. We hypothesized that small airway gene expression patterns could identify CLAD risk before spirometric diagnosis and predict subsequent graft failure.

Methods: Candidate genes from 4 rejection-associated transcript sets were assessed for associations with CLAD or graft failure in a derivation cohort of 156 small airway brushes from 45 CLAD cases and 37 time-matched controls with >1-year stable lung function.

A study on methods for preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) on in vivo- and in vitro-produced equine embryos, with emphasis on embryonic sex determination.

Two methods for preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) have been described for equine embryos: trophoblast cell biopsy (TCB) or blastocoele fluid aspiration (BFA). While TCB is widely applied for both in vivo- and in vitro-produced embryos, BFA has been mostly utilized for in vivo-produced embryos. Alternative methods for PGT, including analysis of cell-free DNA (CFD) in the medium where in vitro-produced embryos are cultured, have been reported in humans but not for equine embryos.

Analytical advances in horseracing medication and doping control from 2018 to 2023.

The analytical approaches taken by laboratories to implement robust and efficient regulation of horseracing medication and doping control are complex and constantly evolving. Each laboratory's approach will be dictated by differences in regulatory, economic and scientific drivers specific to their local environment. However, in general, laboratories will all be undertaking developments and improvements to their screening strategies in order to meet new and emerging threats as well as provide improved service to their customers.

Specific microRNAs in stallion spermatozoa are potential biomarkers of high functionality.

Males of some species, from horses to humans, require medical help for subfertility problems. There is an urgent need for novel molecular assays that reflect spermatozoal function. In the last 25 years, studies examined RNAs in spermatozoa as a window into gene expression during their development and, more recently, for their functions in early embryo development.

Lithium Plating Characteristics in High Areal Capacity Li-Ion Battery Electrodes.

Li-ion battery degradation and safety events are often attributed to undesirable metallic lithium plating. Since their release, Li-ion battery electrodes have been made progressively thicker to provide a higher energy density. However, the propensity for plating in these thicker pairings is not well understood.