Cleavage of Cartilage Oligomeric Matrix Protein (COMP) by ADAMTS4 generates a neoepitope associated with osteoarthritis and other forms of degenerative joint disease.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a highly prevalent joint disease, affecting millions of people worldwide and characterized by degradation of articular cartilage, subchondral bone remodeling and low-grade inflammation, leading to pain, stiffness and disability. Cartilage Oligomeric Matrix Protein (COMP) is a major structural component of cartilage and its degradation has been proposed as a marker of OA severity/progression. Several proteases cleave COMP in vitro, however, it is unclear which of these COMPase activities is prevalent in an osteoarthritic joint.

SARS-CoV-2 infection of salivary glands compromises the production of a secreted antifungal peptide with potential implications for development of oral candidiasis.

Saliva contains antimicrobial peptides considered integral components of host innate immunity, and crucial for protection against colonizing microbial species. Most notable is histatin-5 which is exclusively produced in salivary glands with uniquely potent antifungal activity against the opportunistic pathogen Candida albicans. Recently, SARS-CoV-2 was shown to replicate in salivary gland acinar cells eliciting local immune cell activation.

An analysis of perceptions and thoughts of rapid weight loss in Olympic weightlifters.

Background: Weight-class athletes commonly engage in rapid weight loss (RWL) practices.

Aim: Investigate attributed RWL perceptions and thoughts of UK-based Olympic weightlifters.

Methods: Participants (n: 39, male: 22, female: 17) were selected from International Weightlifting Federation populations, 85% had previously acutely reduced pre-competition body mass.

Tubulin glutamylation regulates axon guidance via the selective tuning of microtubule-severing enzymes.

The microtubule cytoskeleton is a major driving force of neuronal circuit development. Fine-tuned remodelling of this network by selective activation of microtubule-regulating proteins, including microtubule-severing enzymes, has emerged as a central process in neuronal wiring. Tubulin posttranslational modifications control both microtubule properties and the activities of their interacting proteins.

Characterizing patient portal use of people with cognitive impairment and potentially inappropriate medications.

Background: People with cognitive impairment commonly use central nervous system-active potentially inappropriate medications (CNS-PIM), increasing risk of adverse outcomes. Patient portals may be a promising tool for facilitating medication-related conversations. Little is known about portal use by this population related to medications.

Prone positioning is associated with increased insulin requirements in mechanically ventilated patients with COVID-19.

Stress hyperglycaemia is common in critical illness. We have previously observed that increasing severity of respiratory failure in patients with severe COVID-19 is associated with increased insulin demand. Given previously reported direct effects of hypoxia on insulin action, we reasoned that rapid improvements in oxygenation following prone positioning may improve insulin sensitivity and increase risk of hypoglycaemia.

SAL3D: a model for saliency prediction in 3D meshes.

Advances in virtual and augmented reality have increased the demand for immersive and engaging 3D experiences. To create such experiences, it is crucial to understand visual attention in 3D environments, which is typically modeled by means of saliency maps. While attention in 2D images and traditional media has been widely studied, there is still much to explore in 3D settings.

Tumor Response and Its Impact on Treatment Failure in Rectal Cancer: Does Intensity of Neoadjuvant Treatment Matter?

Additional adjuvant treatment in patients with rectal cancer with limited response to neoadjuvant treatment to mitigate their higher risk of treatment failure remains controversial. This is a post hoc analysis of a cohort study of 3 randomized phase 2 or 3 trials (CAO/ARO/AIO-94, -04, and -12 trial) that included 1948 patients with locally advanced rectal adenocarcinoma. After excluding patients with missing information, 1788 patients (1254 men and 524 women; median age: 62.

In Situ Uranium Extraction through the Synthesis of the Uranyl Peroxide Studtite Using a Nonthermal Plasma.

Extraction of uranium from water is an essential step in leach (ISL) mining and environmental decontamination. This is often done by precipitating uranium in solution as the uranyl peroxide studtite, [(UO)(O)(HO)](HO), by adding hydrogen peroxide, which is energy-intensive to produce and hazardous to transport. Here, we present a method for synthesizing studtite, by generating reactive oxygen species in solution using a nonthermal plasma.

Leadership Development and Its Association With Retention of Surgical Versus Nonsurgical Faculty at a Large Academic Health Center.

Introduction: Leadership development programs are the key for engaging physicians as partners in health-care administration. These programs have become common; however, one potential consequence of leadership training is attrition.

Methods: Using a prospectively collected database, Kaplan-Meier curves were used to analyze attrition of physician faculty following an intramural leadership program at an academic health center.

Local adaptation to climate facilitates a global invasion.

Local adaptation may facilitate range expansion during invasions, but the mechanisms promoting destructive invasions remain unclear. Cheatgrass (), native to Eurasia and Africa, has invaded globally, with particularly severe impacts in western North America. We sequenced 307 genotypes and conducted controlled experiments.

G protein coupled receptor transcripts in human immune cells and platelets.

G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are encoded by nonabundant mRNAs, and it is difficult to detect them reliably with the highly parallel methods that are in general use. Because of this, we developed and validated a sensitive, specific, semi-quantitative method for detecting these transcripts. We have used the method to profile GPCR transcripts in white blood cells (WBCs)-B, CD4, CD8, NK, and dendritic cells; monocytes, and macrophage-like monocytes treated with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor-as well as platelets.

Predictive Factors of State Licensure Board Disciplinary Actions in Occupational Therapy.

Importance: One primary function of occupational therapy state licensure boards (SLBs) is the discipline of ethical misconduct by licensed occupational therapy practitioners. However, SLB sanctioning is poorly understood by practitioners, regulators, and the public.

Objective: To identify predictors of occupational therapy practitioner sanctioning outcomes in the United States.

Irradiation alters extracellular vesicle microRNA load in the serum of patients with leukaemia.

Purpose: Recent data suggest an impact of extracellular vesicles (EVs) and their micro(mi)RNA cargo on cell-cell interactions to contribute to pathophysiology of leukaemia and radiation response. Here, we investigated differential miRNA cargo of EVs from serum derived from patients with leukaemia (n = 11) before and after total body irradiation with 2 × 2 Gy as compared to healthy donors (n = 6).

Methods: RNA was isolated from EVs and subjected to next generation sequencing of miRNAs.

Persistent Lymph Node Metastases After Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy for Rectal Cancer.

Importance: Patients with locally advanced rectal cancer and persistent lymph node metastases (PLNM) after neoadjuvant treatment are at high risk of developing locoregional and distant metastasis, yet optimal postsurgical treatment of these patients is limited.

Objective: To analyze the association of PLNM with pretreatment clinical parameters, intensity of neoadjuvant treatment, and long-term oncological outcomes.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cohort study is a post-hoc analysis of 3 randomized clinical trials (Surgical Oncology Working Group of Germany [CAO], Radiological Oncology Working Group of Germany [ARO], and Working Group for Internal Oncology in the German Cancer Society [AIO]) conducted in Germany in 1994, 2004, and 2012 that included 1948 patients with locally advanced rectal cancer recruited between February 1995 and January 2018.

Open Access Data Repository and Common Data Model for Pulse Oximeter Performance Data.

The OpenOximetry Repository is a structured database storing clinical and lab pulse oximetry data, serving as a centralized repository and data model for pulse oximetry initiatives. It supports measurements of arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) by arterial blood gas co-oximetry and pulse oximetry (SpO2), alongside processed and unprocessed photoplethysmography (PPG) data and other metadata. This includes skin color measurements, finger diameter, vital signs (e.

Specific 3-O-sulfated heparan sulfate domains regulate salivary gland basement membrane metabolism and epithelial differentiation.

Heparan sulfate (HS) regulation of FGFR function, which is essential for salivary gland (SG) development, is determined by the immense structural diversity of sulfated HS domains. 3-O-sulfotransferases generate highly 3-O-sulfated HS domains (3-O-HS), and Hs3st3a1 and Hs3st3b1 are enriched in myoepithelial cells (MECs) that produce basement membrane (BM) and are a growth factor signaling hub. Hs3st3a1;Hs3st3b1 double-knockout (DKO) mice generated to investigate 3-O-HS regulation of MEC function and growth factor signaling show loss of specific highly 3-O-HS and increased FGF/FGFR complex binding to HS.

Comparison of safety of lumbar drain versus external ventricular drain in symptomatic hydrocephalus following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Background And Objective: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) diversion is typically performed with an external ventricular drain (EVD) for symptomatic hydrocephalus (HCP) following subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Lumbar drain (LD) has also been studied to reduce the incidence of vasospasm after SAH but not HCP. We performed a single center retrospective analysis to evaluate the safety of LD versus EVD for symptomatic HCP following aneurysmal SAH in a naturally randomized patient population.

Mean-field solution of the neural dynamics in a Greenberg-Hastings model with excitatory and inhibitory units.

We present a mean-field solution of the dynamics of a Greenberg-Hastings neural network with both excitatory and inhibitory units. We analyze the dynamical phase transitions that appear in the stationary state as the model parameters are varied. Analytical solutions are compared with numerical simulations of the microscopic model defined on a fully connected network.

Oxidative stress, redox status and surfactant metabolism in mechanically ventilated patients receiving different approaches to oxygen therapy (MecROX): An observational study protocol for mechanistic evaluation.

Background: MecROX is a mechanistic sub-study of the UK-ROX trial which was designed to evaluate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a conservative approach to oxygen therapy for invasively ventilated adults in intensive care. This is based on the scientific rationale that excess oxygen is harmful. Epithelial cell damage with alveolar surfactant deficiency is characteristic of hyperoxic acute lung injury.

Attitudes and Knowledge of Electroconvulsive Therapy: An Exploration of Medical Students' Perspectives.

Aims: To explore knowledge and attitudes of medical students before and after exposure to a technology-enhanced learning and teaching (TELT) session about electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

Background: Adequate knowledge of and attitudes toward ECT is essential for medical students. However, the impact of teaching on knowledge and attitudes is infrequently studied.

A new genus and species of nudibranch-mimicking Syllidae (Annelida, Polychaeta).

Nudibranch mollusks, which are well-known for their vivid warning coloration and effective defenses, are mimicked by diverse invertebrates to deter predation through both Müllerian and Batesian strategies. Despite extensive documentation across different taxa, mimickers have not been detected among annelids, including polychaetes, until now. This study described a new genus and species of polychaete living on Dendronephthya octocorals in Vietnam and Japan.