Anatomy and transcriptomics of the common jingle shell (Bivalvia, Anomiidae) support a sensory function for bivalve tentacles.

Animals have evolved numerous mechanisms to perceive and interact with the environment that can be translated into different sensory modalities. However, the genomic and phenotypic features that support sensory functions remain enigmatic for many invertebrates, such as bivalves, an ecologically and economically important taxonomic group. No repertoire of sensory genes has been characterized in bivalves, representing a significant knowledge gap in molluscan sensory biology.

Diminishing Returns: An Analysis of Surgeon Compensation in the Setting of Ever-Increasing Student Debt.

Background: The knowledge required to manage surgical patients has expanded considerably over the past 40 years. Simultaneously, the cost of medical education has increased substantially. Surgical trainees are at particular disadvantage due to the time demands of training.

NET guidelines for white patients may not fit Asian patients.

Introduction: Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs) are slow growing, malignant tumors that show different survival outcomes by race. Current size-based guidelines were largely developed in White patients. Our aim was to investigate tumor size and incidence of lymph node metastasis (LNM) between White and Asian pNET patients to evaluate generalizability of established guidelines.

Innovating to meet AACN essentials in a bachelor of science in nursing program.

Our large, two campus (one urban and one suburban) and two track (RN-BSN and Entry-level BSN) program has revised our BSN curriculum to reflect the new Level One American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education (AACN, 2021). This article describes the work to revise the curriculum to meet the demands of contemporary nursing education with increased elective choices for Generation Z learners, professional role courses on wellness and resiliency, a course on palliative care and symptom management, increased clinical hours to include virtual simulation and more community and public health experiences, and increased innovative student experiences with our clinical partners. A revised clinical evaluation tool (CET) was also developed to evaluate students in competency-based education and to reflect our new program outcomes.

A chromosome-level genome assembly of the disco clam, Ctenoides ales.

The bivalve subclass Pteriomorphia, which includes the economically important scallops, oysters, mussels, and ark clams, exhibits extreme ecological, morphological, and behavioral diversity. Among this diversity are five morphologically distinct eye types, making Pteriomorphia an excellent setting to explore the molecular basis for the evolution of novel traits. Of pteriomorphian bivalves, Limida is the only order lacking genomic resources, greatly limiting the potential phylogenomic analyses related to eyes and phototransduction.

Ocean state rising: Storm simulation and vulnerability mapping to predict hurricane impacts for Rhode Island's critical infrastructure.

Predicting the consequences of a major coastal storm is increasingly difficult as the result of global climate change and growing societal dependence on critical infrastructure (CI). Past storms are no longer a reliable predictor of future weather events, and the traditional approach to vulnerability assessment presents accumulated loss in largely quantitative terms that lack the specificity local emergency managers need to develop effective plans and mitigation strategies. The Rhode Island Coastal Hazards Modeling and Prediction (RI-CHAMP) system is a geographic information system (GIS)-based modeling tool that combines high-resolution storm simulations with geolocated vulnerability data to predict specific consequences based on local concerns about impacts to CI.

Opsin expression varies across larval development and taxa in pteriomorphian bivalves.

Introduction: Many marine organisms have a biphasic life cycle that transitions between a swimming larva with a more sedentary adult form. At the end of the first phase, larvae must identify suitable sites to settle and undergo a dramatic morphological change. Environmental factors, including photic and chemical cues, appear to influence settlement, but the sensory receptors involved are largely unknown.

What would you do? A survey of HPB surgeons practice patterns.

Background: The surgical decision making for pancreatic adenocarcinoma is complex. Although practice guidelines exist for many scenarios, these do not cover many common eventualities that may be encountered during these cases. We sought to identify the practice pattern variations amongst pancreatic surgeons in response to commonly experienced clinical scenarios.

Molluscan Genomes Reveal Extensive Differences in Photopigment Evolution Across the Phylum.

In animals, opsins and cryptochromes are major protein families that transduce light signals when bound to light-absorbing chromophores. Opsins are involved in various light-dependent processes, like vision, and have been co-opted for light-independent sensory modalities. Cryptochromes are important photoreceptors in animals, generally regulating circadian rhythm, they belong to a larger protein family with photolyases, which repair UV-induced DNA damage.

Genome-Enabled Analysis of Population Dynamics and Virulence-Associated Loci in the Oat Crown Rust Fungus f. sp. .

f. sp. () is an important fungal pathogen causing crown rust that impacts oat production worldwide.

Funding a general surgery residency academic development time program.

Background: To encourage progression of surgeon scientists amongst increasingly limited funding, academic interest, training institutions are supporting mid-training academic development time (ADT). We propose that supporting ADT with a full funding mechanism will improve ADT participation at minimal institutional cost.

Materials And Methods: From 2017 to 2022, our surgery department proposed a full funding mechanism for a post-graduate year three (PGY-3) resident to encourage ADT participation.

Disease pathology signatures in a mouse model of Mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIB.

Mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIB (MPS IIIB) is a rare and devastating childhood-onset lysosomal storage disease caused by complete loss of function of the lysosomal hydrolase α-N-acetylglucosaminidase. The lack of functional enzyme in MPS IIIB patients leads to the progressive accumulation of heparan sulfate throughout the body and triggers a cascade of neuroinflammatory and other biochemical processes ultimately resulting in severe mental impairment and early death in adolescence or young adulthood. The low prevalence and severity of the disease has necessitated the use of animal models to improve our knowledge of the pathophysiology and for the development of therapeutic treatments.

Haemophilia joint health score (HJHS) usage, patterns and outcome data in patients with haemophilia A and haemophilia B in Australia: A descriptive study using the Australian Bleeding Disorders Registry (ABDR).

Introduction: Assessment of joint health is an essential component of haemophilia management. A variety of clinical tools have been developed to standardise this assessment process. One such tool, the Haemophilia Joint Health Score (HJHS), is embedded for use within the Australian Bleeding Disorders Registry (ABDR).

Two decades of change in sea star abundance at a subtidal site in Puget Sound, Washington.

Long-term datasets can reveal otherwise undetectable ecological trends, illuminating the historical context of contemporary ecosystem states. We used two decades (1997-2019) of scientific trawling data from a subtidal, benthic site in Puget Sound, Washington, USA to test for gradual trends and sudden shifts in total sea star abundance across 11 species. We specifically assessed whether this community responded to the sea star wasting disease (SSWD) epizootic, which began in 2013.

Nationwide Trends in COVID-19 Cases and SARS-CoV-2 RNA Wastewater Concentrations in the United States.

Wastewater-based epidemiology has emerged as a promising technology for population-level surveillance of COVID-19. In this study, we present results of a large nationwide SARS-CoV-2 wastewater monitoring system in the United States. We profile 55 locations with at least six months of sampling from April 2020 to May 2021.

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Maternal and Child COVID-19 Vaccination Intent Among Pregnant and Postpartum Women in the USA (April-June 2020): an Application of Health Belief Model.

This study investigated racial/ethnic differences in pregnant and postpartum women's intentions to receive the COVID-19 vaccination (maternal COVID-19 vaccination intent) and intentions to vaccinate their children against COVID-19 (child COVID-19 vaccination intent) during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic (April-June 2020). This study also assessed Health Belief Model constructs to examine their influence on maternal and child COVID-19 vaccination intent by race/ethnicity. This study includes 489 US pregnant and postpartum women (18-49 years) recruited via Prolific Academic to complete a 55-item cross-sectional online survey.

Safety of temozolomide use in adult patients with renal dysfunction.

Purpose: Temozolomide (TMZ), a cytotoxic DNA alkylating agent, is the main chemotherapy used for the treatment of high grade astrocytomas. The active alkylator, methylhydrazine, is not recovered in urine and thus renal function is not expected to affect clearance. Prescribing information for TMZ states pharmacokinetics have not been studied in adults with poor renal function, eGFR < 36 mL/min/1.

PSMA-targeted NIR probes for image-guided detection of prostate cancer.

Tumour-targeted near-infrared (NIR) optical imaging is an emerging tool for the detection of malignant tissues. This modality can be useful in both diagnosis and intraoperative visualisation, to help defining tumour margins and allow a more precise removal of all the cancerous mass during surgery. In this context, we have developed a series of NIR fluorescent probes that target the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), an established biomarker overexpressed in prostate cancer.

Additive and epistatic effects influence spectral tuning in molluscan retinochrome opsin.

The relationship between genotype and phenotype is non-trivial because of the often complex molecular pathways that make it difficult to unambiguously relate phenotypes to specific genotypes. Photopigments, comprising an opsin apoprotein bound to a light-absorbing chromophore, present an opportunity to directly relate the amino acid sequence to an absorbance peak phenotype (λmax). We examined this relationship by conducting a series of site-directed mutagenesis experiments of retinochrome, a non-visual opsin, from two closely related species: the common bay scallop, Argopecten irradians, and the king scallop, Pecten maximus.

Metrics to relate COVID-19 wastewater data to clinical testing dynamics.

Wastewater surveillance has emerged as a useful tool in the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While wastewater surveillance has been applied at various scales to monitor population-level COVID-19 dynamics, there is a need for quantitative metrics to interpret wastewater data in the context of public health trends. 24-hour composite wastewater samples were collected from March 2020 through May 2021 from a Massachusetts wastewater treatment plant and SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations were measured using RT-qPCR.