Publications by authors named "Michael Taylor"

We present a theory that explains the resonance effect of the vibrational strong coupling (VSC) modified reaction rate constant at the normal incidence of a Fabry-Pérot (FP) cavity. This analytic theory is based on a mechanistic hypothesis that cavity modes promote the transition from the ground state to the vibrational excited state of the reactant, which is the rate-limiting step of the reaction. This mechanism for a single molecule coupled to a single-mode cavity has been confirmed by numerically exact simulations in our recent work in [J.

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  • The CAMP study is an ongoing research project aiming to assess the mid- and long-term effects of myocarditis and pericarditis following the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in patients under 21.
  • It involves a cohort of at least 200 vaccinated patients and a comparison group of 100 patients with COVID-19 related myocarditis, collecting data over a 5-year span to track health outcomes and complications.
  • As of October 16, 2024, the study has enrolled 273 participants, focusing on heart function, complications, and overall quality of life post-illness.
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Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common malignant brain tumour in children. The Sonic Hedgehog (SHH)-medulloblastoma subtype arises from the cerebellar granule neuron lineage. Terminally differentiated neurons are incapable of undergoing further cell division, so an effective treatment for this tumour could be to force neuronal differentiation.

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Stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy is a powerful label-free imaging technique that probes the vibrational response of chemicals with high specificity and sensitivity. High-power, quantum-enhanced SRS microscopes have been recently demonstrated and applied to polymers and biological samples. Quantum correlations, in the form of squeezed light, enable the microscopes to operate below the shot noise limit, enhancing their performance without increasing the illumination intensity.

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A pyridinium ylide-alkylation strategy has been developed for selectively accessing ,-disubstituted pyridinium salts from monosubstituted pyridinium salts possessing ambident nucleophiles. The method was shown to be tolerant toward an array of different pyridinium scaffolds and common electrophiles, enabling access to structurally diverse pyridinium salts. The potential versatility of the approach was demonstrated through the synthesis of chemically complex, heterotrifunctional pyridinium salts containing a pyridinium warhead, a click chemistry handle, and a third, high-value, payload.

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ABCB6 has been implicated in dyschromatosis universalis hereditaria, a condition characterized by hyperpigmented and hypopigmented skin macules. Dyschromatosis universalis hereditaria can also present with hearing loss. Dyschromatosis universalis hereditaria-associated mutations in ABCB6 have been reported, but the role of this protein in the inner ear has not been studied.

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Objective: To challenge clinicians and informaticians to learn about potential sources of bias in medical machine learning models through investigation of data and predictions from an open-source severity of illness score.

Methods: Over a two-day period (total elapsed time approximately 28 hours), we conducted a datathon that challenged interdisciplinary teams to investigate potential sources of bias in the Global Open Source Severity of Illness Score. Teams were invited to develop hypotheses, to use tools of their choosing to identify potential sources of bias, and to provide a final report.

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Central nervous system neuroblastoma with FOXR2 activation (NB-FOXR2) is a high-grade tumor of the brain hemispheres and a newly identified molecular entity. Tumors express dual neuronal and glial markers, leading to frequent misdiagnoses, and limited information exists on the role of FOXR2 in their genesis. To identify their cellular origins, we profiled the transcriptomes of NB-FOXR2 tumors at the bulk and single-cell levels and integrated these profiles with large single-cell references of the normal brain.

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  • Medulloblastoma and ependymoma are common types of brain tumors in children, and this study analyzes their molecular differences using bulk RNA sequencing data from a large number of tumor samples.
  • The researchers processed the data to create a unified landscape, identifying distinct gene expression profiles and molecular characteristics within the tumors, particularly highlighting two compartments in ependymoma and subtypes in medulloblastoma.
  • The findings provide a valuable resource for discovering new biomarkers and improving diagnostic accuracy, and the data can be explored using the interactive platform Oncoscape for better patient classification in future research.
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  • Four main molecular subtypes of medulloblastoma (MB) have been identified, but the differences in their 3D genome architecture remain unclear.
  • To investigate this, researchers used a technique called in situ Hi-C to create detailed 3D genome maps from 28 surgical MB samples and one patient-derived xenograft.
  • The findings revealed that differences in insulation scores of topologically associating domains (TADs) can effectively differentiate MB subtypes, indicating that these differences occur independently of the subtypes' gene expression levels.
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Background And Objectives: Having a limited number of trained faculty is a barrier to successful incorporation of ultrasound into undergraduate medical education. We evaluated the effectiveness of a resident-led extended focused assessment with sonography in trauma (eFAST) session administered to fourth-year medical students during their emergency medicine clerkship by measuring students' end-of-year eFAST performance and confidence.

Methods: This was a single-site cross-sectional study of all graduating medical students enrolled in fourth-year clerkships between May 1, 2022 and April 30, 2023.

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The bacteria of a host's digestive tract play crucial roles in digestion and pathogen resistance. Hosts living in captivity often have more human interaction and antibiotic use, in addition to differences in diet and environment, compared to their wild counterparts. Consequently, wild and captive animals frequently harbour different bacterial communities.

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  • - Changes in epigenetic processes like histone acetylation are important for the function and progression of pediatric brain tumors, with drugs like valproic acid (VPA) showing potential as anticancer therapies by inhibiting histone deacetylases (HDACs).
  • - VPA treatment resulted in reduced viability of medulloblastoma (MB) cells, induced cell cycle arrest, and altered gene expression related to oncogenes and differentiation, alongside morphological changes that suggest neuronal differentiation.
  • - The effects of VPA on MB cells included modifications in histone acetylation patterns that correlated with patient outcomes, suggesting its potential to influence clinical prognosis by targeting stemness and differentiation in specific MB subgroups.
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The gut microbiome plays vital roles in human health, including mediating metabolism, immunity, and the gut-brain axis. Many ethnicities remain underrepresented in gut microbiome research, with significant variation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples due to dietary, socioeconomic, health, and urbanization differences. Although research regarding the microbiomes of Indigenous peoples is increasing, Māori microbiome literature is lacking despite widespread inequities that Māori populations face.

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Successful long-term cryobanking of multicellular tissues and organs at deep subzero temperatures calls for the avoidance of ice cryoinjury by reliance upon ice-free cryopreservation techniques. However, the quality of the cryopreserved material is the direct result of its ability to survive a host of harmful mechanisms, chief among which is overcoming the trifecta effects of ice crystallization, toxicity, and mechanical stress. This study aims at exploring improved conditions to scale-up ice-free cryopreservation by combining DP6 as a base cryoprotective agent (CPA) solution with an array of synthetic ice modulators (SIMs).

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Background: The installation and testing of the first Radixact with Synchrony system in Colombia marked a significant milestone in Latin America's medical landscape. There was a need to devise a robust quality assurance protocol to comprehensively evaluate both dose delivery and motion tracking accuracy. However, testing experiences under clinical conditions have not been extensively reported.

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Inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) are a rare group of eye disorders characterized by progressive dysfunction and degeneration of retinal cells. In this study, we characterized the raifteirí (raf) zebrafish, a novel model of inherited blindness, identified through an unbiased ENU mutagenesis screen. A mutation in the largest subunit of the endoplasmic reticulum membrane protein complex, emc1 was subsequently identified as the causative raf mutation.

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MYC promotes tumor growth through multiple mechanisms. Here, we show that, in human glioblastomas, the variant transcript encodes a 114-amino acid peptide, MYC pre-mRNA encoded protein (MPEP), from the upstream open reading frame (uORF) . Secreted MPEP promotes patient-derived xenograft tumor growth in vivo, independent of MYC through direct binding, and activation of tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TRKB), which induces downstream AKT-mTOR signaling.

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Adverse events (AEs) experienced by children and adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) on ventricular assist devices (VADs) are sometimes unique to these populations. The Advanced Cardiac Therapies Improving Outcomes Network (ACTION) and the Academic Research Consortium (ARC) aimed to harmonize definitions of pediatric and CHD AEs for use in clinical trials, registries, and regulatory evaluation. Data from the ACTION registry and adjudication committee were used to adapt general mechanical circulatory support ARC definitions.

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  • The study explores how financial stress changes over time for patients with early-stage colorectal cancer, indicating that their financial situation is dynamic.
  • Conducted between May 2018 and July 2020, the research involved English-speaking adults newly diagnosed with stages I to III colorectal cancer and tracked their financial hardship through surveys at different intervals over 24 months.
  • Results showed a decrease in material hardship from 57.6% to 35.0% over the study period, while cost-related care nonadherence remained stable; factors such as lower financial worry, higher education, and older age were linked to less nonadherence.
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Background: Depression is a common concern for patients seeking medical care. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is a tool used to diagnose and manage depression. Tracking individual symptom scores rather than the sum of multiple symptom scores has been found to be more predictive of depression treatment response.

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  • * The study identifies a five-gene signature linked to N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA modification that is associated with patient survival and can improve risk assessment in medulloblastoma through a machine learning classification model.
  • * Findings indicate that m6A-associated long non-coding RNAs influence tumor progression and immune responses, suggesting potential new targets for treatment and the development of clinical tools for better management of the disease.
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  • Confocal reflectance imaging has issues with high background noise and low sensitivity in observing cells.
  • The study showcases a new method for imaging cells embedded in clear 3D hydrogels that achieves high sensitivity and low background interference.
  • This technique allows for detailed visualization of cell structures with low laser power and less harmful effects on the specimens, while also requiring minimal preparation.
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Introduction: Transplantation of kidneys from expanded criteria donors (ECD), including after circulatory death (DCD), is associated with a higher risk of adverse events compared to kidneys from standard criteria donors. In previous studies, improvements in renal transplant outcomes have been seen when kidneys were perfused with gaseous oxygen during preservation (persufflation, PSF). In the present study, we assessed ex-vivo renal function from a Diffusion Contrast Enhanced (DCE)-MRI estimation of glomerular filtration rate (eGFR); and metabolic sufficiency from whole-organ oxygen consumption (WOOCR) and lactate production rates.

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