Behavioral and Physiological Responses of Therapy Dogs to Animal-Assisted Treatment in an Inpatient Stroke Rehabilitation Program.

Therapy dogs have been increasingly incorporated into a variety of medical treatment programs to improve patients' treatment outcomes and wellbeing. However, research investigating the stress level of therapy dogs in this setting is limited. This is the first randomized-controlled and prospective study that investigated the wellbeing of therapy dogs in an inpatient stroke rehabilitation program.

Clinical practices on acute acquired comitant esotropia: A consensus statement proposed by the Council of Asia-Pacific Strabismus and Pediatric Ophthalmology Society.

Acute acquired comitant esotropia (AACE) is a concomitant strabismus characterized by sudden onset, mostly associated with diplopia. The prevalence of AACE has significantly increased, and various management approaches have been recommended in recent years. This study by the Council of Asia-Pacific Strabismus and Pediatric Ophthalmology Society aimed to provide an overview of the clinical features, etiology and the nonsurgical and surgical treatment recommendations for the condition to equip strabismus specialists with the most updated knowledge.

Phylogenomic insights into the taxonomy, ecology, and mating systems of the lorchel family Discinaceae (Pezizales, Ascomycota).

Lorchels, also known as false morels (Gyromitra sensu lato), are iconic due to their brain-shaped mushrooms and production of gyromitrin, a deadly mycotoxin. Molecular phylogenetic studies have hitherto failed to resolve deep-branching relationships in the lorchel family, Discinaceae, hampering our ability to settle longstanding taxonomic debates and to reconstruct the evolution of toxin production. We generated 75 draft genomes from cultures and ascomata (some collected as early as 1960), conducted phylogenomic analyses using 1542 single-copy orthologs to infer the early evolutionary history of lorchels, and identified genomic signatures of trophic mode and mating-type loci to better understand lorchel ecology and reproductive biology.

Draft genomes and assemblies of the ectomycorrhizal basidiomycetes hr and jo associated with chestnut trees.

The earthball , an ectomycorrhizal basidiomycete belonging to the Sclerodermataceae family, serves as a significant mutualistic tree symbiont globally. Originally, two genetically sequenced strains of this genus were obtained from fruiting bodies collected under chestnut trees (). These strains were utilized to establish ectomycorrhizal roots of chestnut seedlings.

Open-set deep learning-enabled single-cell Raman spectroscopy for rapid identification of airborne pathogens in real-world environments.

Pathogenic bioaerosols are critical for outbreaks of airborne disease; however, rapidly and accurately identifying pathogens directly from complex air environments remains highly challenging. We present an advanced method that combines open-set deep learning (OSDL) with single-cell Raman spectroscopy to identify pathogens in real-world air containing diverse unknown indigenous bacteria that cannot be fully included in training sets. To test and further enhance identification, we constructed the Raman datasets of aerosolized bacteria.

Efficient Production of Recombinant Human Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor in Through the Engineering of Its Pro-Region.

Thus far, no manufacturing process able to support industrialization has been reported for the recombinant human brain-derived neurotrophic factor (rhBDNF). Here, we described the setup of a new protocol for its production in () and its purification to homogeneity. A synthetic gene, codifying for the neurotrophin precursor, was inserted into an expression vector and transformed into BL21 (DE3) strain.

Ketoconazole-Fumaric Acid Pharmaceutical Cocrystal: From Formulation Design for Bioavailability Improvement to Biocompatibility Testing and Antifungal Efficacy Evaluation.

Development of cocrystals through crystal engineering is a viable strategy to formulate poorly water-soluble active pharmaceutical ingredients as stable crystalline solid forms with enhanced bioavailability. This study presents a controlled cocrystallization process by cooling for the 1:1 cocrystal of Ketoconazole, an antifungal class II drug with the Fumaric acid coformer. This was successfully set up following the meta-stable zone width determination in acetone-water 4:6 (/) and pure ethanol.

CD19 CAR-T cell therapy: a new dawn for autoimmune rheumatic diseases?

Autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs), such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and systemic sclerosis, involve dysregulated immune responses causing chronic inflammation and tissue damage. Despite advancements in clinical management, many patients do not respond to current treatments, which often show limited efficacy due to the persistence of autoreactive B cells. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy, which has shown success in oncology for B cell malignancies, targets specific antigens and involves the adoptive transfer of genetically engineered T cells.

Bayesian semiparametric inference in longitudinal metabolomics data.

The article is motivated by an application to the EarlyBird cohort study aiming to explore how anthropometrics and clinical and metabolic processes are associated with obesity and glucose control during childhood. There is interest in inferring the relationship between dynamically changing and high-dimensional metabolites and a longitudinal response. Important aspects of the analysis include the selection of the important set of metabolites and the accommodation of missing data in both response and covariate values.

Jumping Dynamics of Cyanomethyl Radicals on Corrugated Graphene/Ru(0001) Substrates.

Graphene adsorbed on Ru(0001) has been widely used as a template for adsorbing and isolating molecules, assembling organic-molecule structures with desired geometric and electronic properties and even inducing chemical reactions that are challenging to achieve in the gas phase. To fully exploit the potential of this substrate, for example, by being able to tune a graphene-based catalyst to perform optimally under specific conditions, it is crucial to understand the factors and mechanisms governing the molecule-substrate interaction. To contribute to this effort, we have conducted a combined experimental and theoretical study of the adsorption of cyanomethyl radicals (-CHCN) on this substrate below room temperature by performing scanning tunneling microscopy experiments and density functional theory simulations.

Exchange, promiscuity, and orthogonality in designed coiled-coil peptide assemblies.

protein design is delivering new peptide and protein structures at a rapid pace. Many of these synthetic polypeptides form well-defined and hyperthermal-stable structures. Generally, however, less is known about the dynamic properties of the designed structures.

LRH-1/NR5A2 targets mitochondrial dynamics to reprogram type 1 diabetes macrophages and dendritic cells into an immune tolerance phenotype.

Background: The complex aetiology of type 1 diabetes (T1D), characterised by a detrimental cross-talk between the immune system and insulin-producing beta cells, has hindered the development of effective disease-modifying therapies. The discovery that the pharmacological activation of LRH-1/NR5A2 can reverse hyperglycaemia in mouse models of T1D by attenuating the autoimmune attack coupled to beta cell survival/regeneration prompted us to investigate whether immune tolerisation could be translated to individuals with T1D by LRH-1/NR5A2 activation and improve islet survival.

Methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from individuals with and without T1D and derived into various immune cells, including macrophages and dendritic cells.

Structured tailored rehabilitation after hip fragility fracture: The 'Stratify' feasibility and pilot randomised controlled trial protocol.

Background: Rehabilitation in hospital is effective in reducing mortality after hip fracture. However, there is uncertainty over optimal in-hospital rehabilitation treatment ingredients, and the generalizability of trial findings to subgroups of patients systematically excluded from previous trials. The aim of this study is to determine the feasibility of a randomized controlled trial which aims to assess the clinical- and cost-effectiveness of adding a stratified care intervention to usual care designed to improve outcomes of acute rehabilitation for all older adults after hip fracture.

Ensembl 2025.

Ensembl (www.ensembl.org) is an open platform integrating publicly available genomics data across the tree of life with a focus on eukaryotic species related to human health, agriculture and biodiversity.

Structure and mechanism of the Zorya anti-phage defense system.

Zorya is a recently identified and widely distributed bacterial immune system that protects bacteria from viral (phage) infections. Three Zorya subtypes have been discovered, each containing predicted membrane-embedded ZorAB complexes paired with soluble subunits that differ among Zorya subtypes, notably ZorC and ZorD in type I Zorya systems. Here, we investigate the molecular basis of Zorya defense using cryo-electron microscopy, mutagenesis, fluorescence microscopy, proteomics, and functional studies.

First-in-class transactivator-free, doxycycline-inducible IL-18-engineered CAR-T cells for relapsed/refractory B cell lymphomas.

Although chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has revolutionized type B cancer treatment, efficacy remains limited in various lymphomas and solid tumors. Reinforcing conventional CAR-T cells to release cytokines can improve their efficacy but also increase safety concerns. Several strategies have been developed to regulate their secretion using minimal promoters that are controlled by chimeric proteins harboring transactivators.

B-Spline Solution of the Two-Center Dirac Equation in the Electronic Continuum for Relativistic Molecular Photoionization.

In this work, the two-center Dirac equation is solved numerically using an extension of an adapted B-spline basis set method previously implemented in relativistic atomic calculations (Fischer, C. F.; Zatsarinny, O.

Bilevel positive airway pressure treatment of sleep apnea syndrome in a patient with Crouzon syndrome.

Crouzon syndrome (CS) is a hereditary disorder characterized by deformities of the face and skull brought on by syndromic craniosynostosis or the premature fusion of coronal sutures. Pediatric patients with Crouzon syndrome have a high likelihood of developing obstructive sleep apnea (OSAS), primarily due to skeletal hypoplasia and facial dysmorphism. Treatment of OSAS in patients with Crouzon syndrome requires multidisciplinary and sequential treatment planning because Crouzon syndrome often has different phenotypes with varying severity in OSA and facial dysmorphism.

Electron delocalization in a 2D Mott insulator.

The prominent role of electron-electron interactions in two-dimensional (2D) materials is at the origin of a great variety of fermionic correlated states reported in the literature. Artificial van der Waals heterostructures comprising single layers of highly correlated insulators allow one to explore the effect of the subtle interlayer interaction in the way electrons interact. We study the temperature dependence of the electronic properties of a van der Waals heterostructure composed of a single-layer Mott insulator lying on a metallic substrate by performing quasi-particle interference (QPI) maps.

GENCODE 2025: reference gene annotation for human and mouse.

GENCODE produces comprehensive reference gene annotation for human and mouse. Entering its twentieth year, the project remains highly active as new technologies and methodologies allow us to catalog the genome at ever-increasing granularity. In particular, long-read transcriptome sequencing enables us to identify large numbers of missing transcripts and to substantially improve existing models, and our long non-coding RNA catalogs have undergone a dramatic expansion and reconfiguration as a result.

Antiseizure medication use during pregnancy and children's neurodevelopmental outcomes.

The teratogenic potential of valproate in pregnancy is well established; however, evidence regarding the long-term safety of other antiseizure medications (ASMs) during pregnancy remains limited. Using routinely collected primary care data from the UK and nationwide Swedish registries to create a cohort of 3,182,773 children, of which 17,495 were exposed to ASMs in pregnancy, we show that those exposed to valproate were more likely to receive a diagnosis of autism, intellectual disability, and ADHD, when compared to children not exposed to ASMs. Additionally, children exposed to topiramate were 2.

Interpreting the patterns of local failure following postoperative volumetric-modulated arctherapy in oral cavity and oropharynx cancers: Impact of the different methods of analysis.

Purpose: Intensity-modulated radiation therapy or volumetric-modulated arctherapy is nowadays the recommended radiation technique for the treatment of head and neck cancers. However, by providing a significant dose gradient between target volumes and organs at risk, there is a risk of target missing and thus recurrence in case of inadequate delineation. It is therefore necessary to determine the origin of these recurrences to improve clinical practice.