Adaptations in gut Bacteroidales facilitate stable co-existence with their lytic bacteriophages.

Background: Bacteriophages (phages) and bacteria within the gut microbiome persist in long-term stable coexistence. These interactions are driven by eco-evolutionary dynamics, where bacteria employ a variety of mechanisms to evade phage infection, while phages rely on counterstrategies to overcome these defences. Among the most abundant phages in the gut are the crAss-like phages that infect members of the Bacteroidales, in particular In this study, we explored some of the mechanisms enabling the co-existence of four phage-Bacteroidales host pairs using a multi-omics approach (transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics).

Exploring patient perspectives on shared decision making about bariatric surgery in two healthcare systems.

Objective: To assess patient perspectives on the level of shared decision making (SDM) experienced related to bariatric surgery.

Background: Severe obesity is common and has serious health implications. Yet, few eligible patients pursue bariatric surgery.

Boolean network modeling and its integration with experimental read-outs : An interdisciplinary presentation using a leukemia model.

The limited availability of suitable animal models and cell lines often impedes experimental cancer research. Wet-laboratory experiments are also time-consuming and cost-intensive. In this review, we present an in silico modeling strategy, namely, Boolean network (BN) models, and demonstrate how it could be applied to streamline experimental design and to focus the effort of experimental read-outs.

Large language models can outperform humans in social situational judgments.

Large language models (LLM) have been a catalyst for the public interest in artificial intelligence (AI). These technologies perform some knowledge-based tasks better and faster than human beings. However, whether AIs can correctly assess social situations and devise socially appropriate behavior, is still unclear.

Fluid-Structure Interaction Simulations of the Initiation Process of Cerebral Aneurysms.

Hemodynamics during the growth process of cerebral aneurysms are incompletely understood. We developed a novel fluid-structure interaction analysis method for the identification of relevant scenarios of aneurysm onset. This method integrates both fluid dynamics and structural mechanics, as well as their mutual interaction, for a comprehensive analysis.

Unification of insertion and supercapacitive storage concepts: Storage profiles in titania.

Insertion storage in battery electrodes and supercapacitive storage are typically considered to be independent phenomena and thus are dealt with in separate scientific communities. Using tailored experiments on titanium oxide thin films of various thicknesses, we demonstrate the simultaneous occurrence of both processes. For the interpretation of the entire storage profile encompassing both contributions, the (free) energies of the charge carriers in the mixed conductor and the neighboring phase are the only materials parameters required.

Personalizing the shoulder rhythm in a computational upper body model improves kinematic tracking in high range-of-motion arm movements.

Musculoskeletal models of the shoulder are needed to understand the mechanics of overhead motions. Existing models implementing the shoulder rhythm are generic and might not accurately represent an individual's scapular kinematics. We introduce a method to personalize the shoulder rhythm of a computational model of the upper body that defines the orientations of the clavicle and scapula based on glenohumeral joint angles.

Skin Biopsies and Diagnostic Outcomes at a Multisite Family Medicine Residency Network.

Objectives: Physicians other than dermatologists evaluate nearly 60% of all skin diseases, and 22% of these physicians are family physicians. Dermatology education is therefore an important aspect of Family Medicine training. Dermatologic procedural training in Family Medicine residency is not standardized, however, so family physicians graduate with highly variable skills.

Reconstructing and analyzing the invariances of low-dose CT image denoising networks.

Background: Deep learning-based methods led to significant advancements in many areas of medical imaging, most of which are concerned with the reduction of artifacts caused by motion, scatter, or noise. However, with most neural networks being black boxes, they remain notoriously difficult to interpret, hindering their clinical implementation. In particular, it has been shown that networks exhibit invariances w.

Taste enhances the ability to express a preference for a congruent odor in rats.

Foods that make up a typical diet are characterized by a rich set of sensory qualities that are perceived through multiple different modalities. It is well known that multisensory aspects of food are integrated to create our perception of flavor, which in turn affects our behavioral responses to food. However, the principles underlying multisensory integration of flavor-related sensory signals and how they inform perceptual judgments remain poorly understood, partly due to lack of control over flavor experience in human subjects.

Magnesium: A Defense Line to Mitigate Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in Adipose Tissue.

Magnesium (Mg) is involved in essential cellular and physiological processes. Globally, inadequate consumption of Mg is widespread among populations, especially those who consume processed foods, and its homeostasis is impaired in obese individuals and type 2 diabetes patients. Since Mg deficiency triggers oxidative stress and chronic inflammation, common features of several frequent chronic non-communicable diseases, interest in this mineral is growing in clinical medicine as well as in biomedicine.

Premature cognitive decline in a mouse model of tuberous sclerosis.

Little is known about the influence of (impaired) neurodevelopment on cognitive aging. We here used a mouse model for tuberous sclerosis (TS) carrying a heterozygous deletion of the Tsc2 gene. Loss of Tsc2 function leads to mTOR hyperactivity in mice and patients.

The central role of magnesium in skeletal muscle: from myogenesis to performance.

A physiological concentration of magnesium (Mg) is essential for optimal skeletal muscle function. Indeed, Mg plays a crucial role during the differentiation process (myogenesis), in muscle fiber composition, muscle contraction and performance. This narrative review describes in detail the relevance of Mg in skeletal muscle, highlighting the importance of adequate Mg intake to ensure optimal skeletal muscle cell function and performance in individuals of all ages.

Patient radiation risk reduction by controlling the tube start angle in single and dual source spiral CT scans: A simulation study.

Background: Organ doses in spiral CT scans depend on the tube start angle.

Purpose: To determine the effective dose in single source CT (SSCT) and dual source CT (DSCT) scans as a function of tube start angle and spiral pitch value to identify the dose reduction potential by selecting the optimal start angle.

Methods: Using Monte Carlo simulations, dose values for different tube positions with an angular increment of and a longitudinal increment of were simulated over a range of with collimations of , , and .

Pseudo-pac site sequences used by phage P22 in generalized transduction of Salmonella.

Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium (Salmonella) and its bacteriophage P22 are a model system for the study of horizontal gene transfer by generalized transduction. Typically, the P22 DNA packaging machinery initiates packaging when a short sequence of DNA, known as the pac site, is recognized on the P22 genome. However, sequences similar to the pac site in the host genome, called pseudo-pac sites, lead to erroneous packaging and subsequent generalized transduction of Salmonella DNA.

Optimization of diastereomeric dihydropyridines as antimalarials.

The increase in research funding for the development of antimalarials since 2000 has led to a surge of new chemotypes with potent antimalarial activity. High-throughput screens have delivered several thousand new active compounds in several hundred series, including the 4,7-diphenyl-1,4,5,6,7,8-hexahydroquinolines, hereafter termed dihydropyridines (DHPs). We optimized the DHPs for antimalarial activity.

Mixed ionic-electronic conduction in Ruddlesden-Popper and Dion-Jacobson layered hybrid perovskites with aromatic organic spacers.

The understanding of mixed ionic-electronic conductivity in hybrid perovskites has enabled major advances in the development of optoelectronic devices based on this class of materials. While recent investigations revealed the potential of using dimensionality effects for various applications, the implication of this strategy on mixed conductivity is yet to be established. Here, we present a systematic analysis of mixed conduction in layered (2D) hybrid halide perovskite films based on 1,4-phenylenedimethylammonium (PDMA) and benzylammonium (BzA) organic spacers in (PDMA)PbI and (BzA)PbI compositions, forming representative Dion-Jacobson (DJ) and Ruddleson-Popper (RP) phases, respectively.

Accessing the electronic structure of liquid crystalline semiconductors with bottom-up electronic coarse-graining.

Understanding the relationship between multiscale morphology and electronic structure is a grand challenge for semiconducting soft materials. Computational studies aimed at characterizing these relationships require the complex integration of quantum-chemical (QC) calculations, all-atom and coarse-grained (CG) molecular dynamics simulations, and back-mapping approaches. However, these methods pose substantial computational challenges that limit their application to the requisite length scales of soft material morphologies.

Image quality of opportunistic breast examinations in photon-counting computed tomography: A phantom study.

Purpose: To compare the breast imaging performance of a clinical whole-body photon-counting CT (PCCT) to that of a dedicated breast CT (BCT) to determine the image quality of opportunistic breast examinations in clinical PCCT.

Materials And Methods: To quantify image quality for breast cancer applications, acquisitions of a breast phantom including representations of calcifications, fibers, and masses were performed using a clinical PCCT and a dedicated BCT. When imaging with the PCCT, the phantom was also combined with a thorax phantom to simulate realistic patient positioning, while only the breast phantom was imaged in the BCT.

Impact of Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase Activation on Endothelial Behavior under Magnesium Deficiency.

Endothelial dysfunction is a crucial event in the early pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases and is linked to magnesium (Mg) deficiency. Indeed, in endothelial cells, low Mg levels promote the acquisition of a pro-inflammatory and pro-atherogenic phenotype. This paper investigates the mechanisms by which Mg deficiency promotes oxidative stress and affects endothelial behavior in human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs).