The fornix, the limbic system's white matter tract connecting the extended hippocampal system to subcortical structures of the medial diencephalon, is strongly associated with learning and memory in humans and nonhuman primates (NHPs). Here, we sought to investigate alterations in structural connectivity across key cortical and subcortical regions after fornix transection in NHPs. We collected diffusion-weighted MRI (dMRI) data from three macaque monkeys that underwent bilateral fornix transection during neurosurgery and from four age- and cohort-matched control macaques that underwent surgery to implant a head-post but remained neurologically intact.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: High treatment prices of new cancer drugs are a global public health challenge to patients and healthcare systems. Policymakers in the US and Europe are debating reforms to drug pricing. The objective of this study was to assess whether drug efficacy or epidemiological characteristics (prevalence, incidence, mortality) explain the gap in treatment prices between cancer and non-cancer drugs in the US, Germany, and Switzerland.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe examined the morphology, colour patterns and genetic relationships of Nososticta populations allied to N. salomonis (Selys) from across Melanesia. Seven species-level taxa are recognised in the N.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Healthy Oregon Project (HOP) is a statewide effort that aims to build a large research repository and influence the health of Oregonians through providing no-cost genetic screening to participants for a next-generation sequencing 32-gene panel comprising genes related to inherited cancers and familial hypercholesterolemia. This type of unbiased population screening can detect at-risk individuals who may otherwise be missed by conventional medical approaches. However, challenges exist for this type of high-throughput testing in an academic setting, including developing a low-cost high-efficiency test and scaling up the clinical laboratory for processing large numbers of samples.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe thalamus and cortex are anatomically interconnected, with the thalamus providing integral information for cortical functions. The anteroventral thalamic nucleus (AV) is reciprocally connected to retrosplenial cortex (RSC). Two distinct AV subfields, dorsomedial (AVDM) and ventrolateral (AVVL), project differentially to granular vs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCystic fibrosis (CF) is a recessive genetic disease that is caused by mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein. The recent development of a class of drugs called "correctors", which repair the structure and function of mutant CFTR, has greatly enhanced the life expectancy of CF patients. These correctors target the most common disease causing CFTR mutant F508del and are exemplified by the FDA-approved VX-809.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: The aim of this clinical review was to summarise the existing knowledge on the adverse effects of alpha-blockers and centrally acting antihypertensives, the effect these may have on falls risk, and guide deprescribing of these medications.
Methods: Literature searches were conducted using PubMed and Embase. Additional articles were identified by searching reference lists and reference to personal libraries.
Most microbes have developed responses that protect them against stresses relevant to their niches. Some that inhabit reasonably predictable environments have evolved anticipatory responses that protect against impending stresses that are likely to be encountered in their niches-termed "adaptive prediction". Unlike yeasts such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Kluyveromyces lactis and Yarrowia lipolytica and other pathogenic Candida species we examined, the major fungal pathogen of humans, Candida albicans, activates an oxidative stress response following exposure to physiological glucose levels before an oxidative stress is even encountered.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe widespread existence of expired antigen testing kits in households and potential coronavirus outbreaks necessitates evaluating the reliability of these expired kits. Our study examined BinaxNOW COVID-19 rapid antigen tests 27 months postmanufacture and 5 months past their FDA extended expiration dates, using SARS-CoV-2 variant XBB.1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFormation of hyphae is a key virulence trait of the fungal pathogen Candida albicans. Hypha morphogenesis depends upon the cyclin Hgc1, which acts together with cyclin-dependent protein kinase Cdc28 to phosphorylate effectors that drive polarized growth. Hgc1 has also been implicated in gene regulation through its effects on 2 transcription factors, Efg1 and Ume6.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Aims: Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a severe disease characterized by elevated immunoglobin levels. However, the role of autoantibodies in the pathophysiology of AIH remains uncertain.
Methods: Phage Immunoprecipitation-Sequencing (PhIP-seq) was employed to identify autoantibodies in the serum of patients with AIH ( = 115), compared to patients with other liver diseases (metabolic associated steatotic liver disease (MASH) = 178, primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), = 26, or healthy controls, = 94).
As science and technology evolve, there is an increasing need for promotion of international scientific exchange. Collaborations, while offering substantial opportunities for scientists and benefit to society, also present challenges for those working with animal models, such as non-human primates (NHPs). Diversity in regulation of animal research is sometimes mistaken for the absence of common international welfare standards.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: The aim of this clinical narrative review was to summarise the existing knowledge on the use of anticoagulants and potential adverse events in older people at risk of falls with a history of atrial fibrillation or venous thromboembolism. The review also offers practical steps prescribers can take when (de-)prescribing anticoagulants to maximise safety.
Methods: Literature searches were conducted using PubMed, Embase and Scopus.
The clinical success of immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in both resected and metastatic melanoma has confirmed the validity of therapeutic strategies that boost the immune system to counteract cancer. However, half of patients with metastatic disease treated with even the most aggressive regimen do not derive durable clinical benefit. Thus, there is a critical need for predictive biomarkers that can identify individuals who are unlikely to benefit with high accuracy so that these patients may be spared the toxicity of treatment without the likely benefit of response.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHuman skin and its commensal microbiome form the first layer of protection to the outside world. A dynamic microbial ecosystem of bacteria, fungi and viruses, with the potential to respond to external insult, the skin microbiome has been shown to evolve over the life course with an alteration in taxonomic composition responding to altered microenvironmental conditions on human skin. This work sought to investigate the taxonomic, diversity and functional differences between infant and adult leg skin microbiomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe objective of this analysis was to describe patterns of prescription medication use during pregnancy, including secular trends, with consideration of indication, and distributions of use within demographic subgroups. We conducted a descriptive secondary analysis using data from 9,755 women whose infants served as controls in two large United States case-control studies from 1997-2011 and 2014-2018. After excluding vitamin, herbal, mineral, vaccine, i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBreaking bad news is a fundamental yet challenging aspect of the role of healthcare professionals, including nurses. This article provides a step-by-step framework that nurses can use when delivering bad news and having challenging conversations with patients and/or families. • Preparation is important to ensure that challenging conversations are carried out in a suitable physical environment and with family members and/or friends present as appropriate.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAccess to comprehensive contraceptive services for youth is essential to improving sexual and reproductive health. However, youth in many countries still face substantial obstacles to contraceptive access and use. The purpose of this study is to compare the contraceptive access experiences and perspectives of pregnant and parenting Mexican-origin youth in Guanajuato, Mexico, and Fresno County, California.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAtrial fibrillation (AF) and diabetes are increasingly prevalent worldwide, both increasing stroke risk. AF can be detected by patient-led electrocardiogram (ECG) screening applications. Understanding patients' views around AF screening is important when considering recommendations, and this study explores these views where there is an existing diagnosis of diabetes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAn altered thrombo-hemorrhagic profile has long been observed in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). We hypothesized that this observed clinical phenotype may result from altered expression of genes known to harbor genetic variants in bleeding, thrombotic, or platelet disorders. Here, we identify 32 genes from a clinically validated gene panel that were also significantly differentially expressed in platelets from MPN patients as opposed to healthy donors.
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