Identification of a global gene expression signature associated with the genetic risk of catastrophic fracture in iPSC-derived osteoblasts from Thoroughbred horses.

Bone fractures are a significant problem in Thoroughbred racehorses. The risk of fracture is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. To determine the biological processes that are affected in genetically susceptible horses, we utilised polygenic risk scoring to establish induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from horses at high and low genetic risk.

Evolving knowledge of "red flag" clinical features associated with TTR p.(Val142Ile) in a diverse electronic health record-linked biobank.

Purpose: Previous studies have established "red flags" that raise clinical suspicion for the hereditary form of transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTRv). However, these have not been specifically evaluated for the most common associated variant, TTR p.(Val142Ile).

Feasibility of training family caregivers of people living with dementia online to deliver life review depression intervention at home.

Objectives: To alleviate the high prevalence of depressive symptoms and dementia in older Americans (≥65 years), we developed a depression intervention, , and taught family caregivers life review skills online compared to a synchronous group virtual training, and examined the feasibility and delivery impact ( = 20 dyads).

Method: In a cross-sectional, mixed-methods dyadic design, we recruited family caregiver-care recipient dyads nationwide, collected the pre- and post-intervention measures on care recipients' depression (primary outcome), life satisfaction, caregivers' burden, caregiving rewards, and dyads' relationship quality (secondary outcomes), and compared them using t-tests. We took fidelity scores to measure caregivers' feasibility of delivering life reviews adhering to the protocol.

Comparing Unmet Service Needs Between Rural and Urban Family Caregivers of People Living With Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias: A Multisite Study.

Background And Objectives: The scarcity of resources and available caregiving services in rural areas in the United States has been well documented. However, less research has compared unmet service needs between caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) in rural versus urban areas.

Research Design And Methods: Using semistructured interviews guided by theories of health service use and dependent care, we interviewed 20 family caregivers residing in rural areas of Western North Carolina and 18 caregivers within the urban setting of Houston, Texas, and compared their unmet service needs and contextual factors that facilitate their service use.

Gratitude Predicts Meaning in Life in Family Caregivers of Persons with Alzheimer's Disease.

Gratitude is a well-known and researched internal positive psychological resource. Empirical data, however, on the association between gratitude, meaning in life, and burden in family caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's disease is scant. The aims of this study were to (1) investigate the relationships among these variables in a sample of family caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's; and (2) determine if gratitude mediates the effects of perceived burden on meaning in life in this population.

Hope Mediates Stress to Reduce Burden in Family Caregivers of Persons with Alzheimer's Disease.

The experience of burden among family caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia may be deleterious for their health and well-being. Little is known, however, about the degree to which internal positive psychological resources, such as hope, influence burden perceptions in this population. The current study is novel in that it examined how multiple dimensions of hope, hope-agency and hope-pathway, influenced burden in a sample of one-hundred and fifty-five family caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's disease.

TARGET: A Randomized, Noninferiority Trial of a Pretest, Patient-Driven Genetic Education Webtool Versus Genetic Counseling for Prostate Cancer Germline Testing.

Purpose: Germline genetic testing (GT) is important for prostate cancer (PCA) management, clinical trial eligibility, and hereditary cancer risk. However, GT is underutilized and there is a shortage of genetic counselors. To address these gaps, a patient-driven, pretest genetic education webtool was designed and studied compared with traditional genetic counseling (GC) to inform strategies for expanding access to genetic services.

A culturally and linguistically tailored Community-Engaged Dementia Education Program (CEDEP) for the Houston Vietnamese American community.

Data from the Vietnamese Aging and Care Survey (VACS) showed the high prevalence of disability, depressive symptoms, and cognitive impairment in older Vietnamese immigrants and refugees. We proposed a to examine the Houston Vietnamese American community's literacy on dementia and develop a one-pager educational material. This is a cross-sectional, qualitative study (interviews and focus groups) using the Cultural Exchange Model as a conceptual framework.

Spinal cord injury significantly alters the properties of reticulospinal neurons: delayed repolarization mediated by potassium channels.

After rostral spinal cord injury (SCI) of lampreys, the descending axons of injured (axotomized) reticulospinal (RS) neurons regenerate and locomotor function gradually recovers. Our previous studies indicated that relative to uninjured lamprey RS neurons, injured RS neurons display several dramatic changes in their biophysical properties, called the "injury phenotype." In the present study, at the onset of applied depolarizing current pulses for membrane potentials below as well as above threshold for action potentials (APs), injured RS neurons displayed a transient depolarization consisting of an initial depolarizing component followed by a delayed repolarizing component.

The Influence of Spirituality on Professional Identity, Role Performance, and Career Resilience among Nursing Home Social Workers.

This paper explores how social workers integrate personal spirituality within nursing homes, where a highly regulated, stressful environment marginalizes professional identity and challenges retention. Researchers offer new evidence of how spirituality informs professional identity, ethical practice, and continuation in the role. Twenty BSW/MSW licensed nursing home social workers (NHSWs) reported how they daily navigate the personal spirituality-at-work opportunity and challenge.

Feasibility and Efficacy of Life Review Delivered by Virtually-Trained Family Caregivers.

Background: Due to the high prevalence of depressive symptoms and Alzheimer's disease and related dementias in older Americans (≥65 years), we developed a six-week depression intervention, Caregiver-Provided Life Review (C-PLR) for care recipients (CRs) with early-stage dementia and mild depression.

Objective: The objective of the study was to examine the feasibility and efficacy of C-PLR delivered by virtually-trained caregivers (CGs) on CRs who live with dementia and depression in community and long-term care settings (N = 25 CG-CR dyads).

Methods: We used fidelity scores as a measure of CG's feasibility to provide C-PLR.

Tumour necrosis factor alpha, interleukin 1 beta and interferon gamma have detrimental effects on equine tenocytes that cannot be rescued by IL-1RA or mesenchymal stromal cell-derived factors.

Tendon injuries occur commonly in both human and equine athletes, and poor tendon regeneration leads to functionally deficient scar tissue and an increased frequency of re-injury. Despite evidence suggesting inadequate resolution of inflammation leads to fibrotic healing, our understanding of the inflammatory pathways implicated in tendinopathy remains poorly understood, meaning successful targeted treatments are lacking. Here, we demonstrate IL-1β, TNFα and IFN-γ work synergistically to induce greater detrimental consequences for equine tenocytes than when used individually.

Feasibility Study of Caregiver-Provided Life Review: Implementation, Adaptation, and Effects on Care Recipients' Depressive Symptoms.

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the feasibility of unpaid, family/friend caregivers conducting life reviews with people with dementia in long-term care and community settings and reported on how we adapted the intervention modality under the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: Twenty-one caregiver-care recipient dyads completed 6 weekly life review sessions. The intervention format was modified to accommodate COVID-19 restrictions.

Student Attitudes Contribute to the Effectiveness of a Genomics CURE.

The Genomics Education Partnership (GEP) engages students in a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE). To better understand the student attributes that support success in this CURE, we asked students about their attitudes using previously published scales that measure epistemic beliefs about work and science, interest in science, and grit. We found, in general, that the attitudes students bring with them into the classroom contribute to two outcome measures, namely, learning as assessed by a pre- and postquiz and perceived self-reported benefits.

A physics-based digital twin for model predictive control of autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle landing.

This paper proposes a two-level, data-driven, digital twin concept for the autonomous landing of aircraft, under some assumptions. It features a digital twin instance (DTI) for model predictive control (MPC); and an innovative, real-time, digital twin prototype for fluid-structure interaction and flight dynamics to inform it. The latter digital twin is based on the linearization about a pre-designed glideslope trajectory of a high-fidelity, viscous, nonlinear computational model for flight dynamics; and its projection onto a low-dimensional approximation subspace to achieve real-time performance, while maintaining accuracy.

Spinal Cord Injury Significantly Alters the Properties of Reticulospinal Neurons: I. Biophysical Properties, Firing Patterns, Excitability, and Synaptic Inputs.

Following spinal cord injury (SCI) for larval lampreys, descending axons of reticulospinal (RS) neurons regenerate, and locomotor function gradually recovers. In the present study, the electrophysiological properties of uninjured (left)-injured (right) pairs of large, identified RS neurons were compared following rostral, right spinal cord hemi-transections (HTs). First, changes in firing patterns of injured RS neurons began in as little as 2-3 days following injury, these changes were maximal at ~2-3 weeks (wks), and by 12-16 wks normal firing patterns were restored for the majority of neurons.

Modeling of lamprey reticulospinal neurons: multiple distinct parameter sets yield realistic simulations.

For the lamprey and other vertebrates, reticulospinal (RS) neurons project descending axons to the spinal cord and activate motor networks to initiate locomotion and other behaviors. In the present study, a biophysically detailed computer model of lamprey RS neurons was constructed consisting of three compartments: dendritic, somatic, and axon initial segment (AIS). All compartments included passive channels.

Understanding the roles and responsibilities of the US Coast Guard during a federally declared disaster.

The US Coast Guard fulfils significant roles and responsibilities during federally declared disasters, continuing to carry out its inherent functions within the broad, whole-of-government response. Under the National Response Framework, the Federal Emergency Management Agency coordinates federal assistance according to the Stafford Act. Through this framework, the Coast Guard receives mission assignments to serve as a primary or support agency to perform various tasks essential to recovery from disaster.

Facilitating Growth through Frustration: Using Genomics Research in a Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience.

A hallmark of the research experience is encountering difficulty and working through those challenges to achieve success. This ability is essential to being a successful scientist, but replicating such challenges in a teaching setting can be difficult. The Genomics Education Partnership (GEP) is a consortium of faculty who engage their students in a genomics Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE).

Canine Corneal Stromal Cells Have Multipotent Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Properties In Vitro.

The objective of this study was to determine whether corneal stromal cells (CSCs) from the limbal and central corneal stroma in dogs have multipotent mesenchymal stem/stromal cell (MSC) properties, and whether this cell population can be differentiated into keratocyte-like cells (KDCs). Normal, donated, mesocephalic dog corneas were used to isolate CSC in vitro. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated a distinct population of CD90 expressing cells in the anterior stroma throughout the limbal and central cornea.

Follow the nevus: the cost-utility of monitoring for growth of choroidal nevi.

Aim: To develop a model to evaluate the cost-utility of choroidal nevi monitoring recommendations with varying clinical risk factors.

Methods: A Markov model was created to evaluate the cost-utility in cost per quality-adjusted life-year ($/QALY) for monitoring patients with choroidal nevus. This probabilistic model was applied both to a hypothetically monitored and unmonitored group of patients beginning at different ages and with varying clinical risk factors of the nevus.

Cellular functions and molecular mechanisms of non-lysine ubiquitination.

Protein ubiquitination is of great cellular importance through its central role in processes such as degradation, DNA repair, endocytosis and inflammation. Canonical ubiquitination takes place on lysine residues, but in the past 15 years non-lysine ubiquitination on serine, threonine and cysteine has been firmly established. With the emerging importance of non-lysine ubiquitination, it is crucial to identify the responsible molecular machinery and understand the mechanistic basis for non-lysine ubiquitination.

Equine Fetal, Adult, and Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Tenocytes Are All Immune Privileged but Exhibit Different Immune Suppressive Properties In Vitro.

In horses and humans, tendon injuries are a significant problem. Not only can they occur in both athletes and nonathletes, they require lengthy periods of recuperation and undergo poor natural regeneration, which leads to high reinjury rates. Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) may provide a renewable source of allogeneic cells to use in clinical applications to aid tissue regeneration.

Restoration of the Topological Organization of the Trigeminal System Following Trigeminal Nerve Root Injury in the Lamprey.

Two issues were examined regarding the trigeminal system in larval lampreys: (1) for normal animals, double labeling was used to confirm that the trigeminal system has a topological organization; (2) following trigeminal nerve root transections, double labeling was used to test whether the topological organization of the trigeminal system is restored. First, for normal animals, Alexa 488 dextran amine applied to the medial oral hood (anterior head) labeled trigeminal motoneurons (MNs) in the ventromedial part of the trigeminal motor nuclei (nVm) and axons of trigeminal sensory neurons (SNs) in the ventromedial part of the trigeminal descending tracts (dV). Also, Texas red dextran amine (TRDA) applied to the lateral oral hood labeled trigeminal MNs in the dorsolateral nVm and sensory axons in the dorsolateral dV.