Hepatic fat changes with antisense oligonucleotide therapy targeting ANGPTL3.

Background: Angiopoietin-like protein 3 (ANGPTL3) is a novel therapeutic target for hyperlipidemia. Vupanorsen, an antisense oligonucleotide targeting ANGPTL3, reduced triglycerides up to 57% in a phase 2b trial, but caused dose-dependent increases in hepatic fat fraction (HFF).

Objective: To determine the degree of HFF progression with escalating doses of vupanorsen, differential HFF increases in key patient subgroups, and the correlation between changes in HFF and liver enzymes.

Transit and treatment: Aligning systems to address substance use in Connecticut.

Objective: Test hypotheses that proximity to new transit improves substance use disorder treatment provider cost efficiency (i.e., economies of scale and scope).

3D Bioprinted Liver-on-a-Chip for Drug Cytotoxicity Screening.

Tissues on a chip are sophisticated three-dimensional (3D) microphysiological systems designed to replicate human tissue conditions within dynamic physicochemical environments. However, the current fabrication methods for tissue spheroids on a chip require multiple parts and manual processing steps, including the deposition of spheroids onto prefabricated "chips." These challenges also lead to limitations regarding scalability and reproducibility.

Non-pharmacological rehabilitation interventions for individuals with antiphospholipid syndrome: A scoping review.

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore what non-pharmacological interventions have been examined for individuals with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS).

Methods: We conducted a systematic literature search of the databases PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, and ClinicalTrials.gov from 1983-Feb.

Promoting skill use in skill enhanced cognitive behavioral therapy: A case example.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) appears to achieve its effects at least in part by fostering the development of CBT skills. In an effort to leverage CBT skill development, our group developed and tested a skill-enhanced version of CBT (CBT-SE) in a recent trial. In this paper, we describe our work with a client who participated in a 12-week course of CBT-SE as part of that trial.

Sexual Violence against Children with Disabilities: A Danish National Birth Cohort Prospective Study.

Background: Children with disabilities are at heightened risk of sexual violence compared to non-disabled peers.

Objective: We aimed to examine the associations between ten childhood disabilities and sexual victimization.

Methods: Data were drawn from the Danish Psychiatric Case Register, the Criminal Register, and other population-based registers.

Optimising a co-production framework for developing public health interventions: application and testing of school-based Research Action Groups.

Existing frameworks for developing public health interventions have limited guidance for researchers on how to work with stakeholders to co-produce context-specific interventions. To address this, a promising framework for the co-production of public health interventions was developed through a previous review of school-based co-production. The present study aimed to optimise this co-production framework through applying and testing it in real-world secondary school contexts.

Reduced oxygen desaturation in the vastus lateralis of chronic stroke survivors during graded muscle contractions.

Background: Few studies have examined changes in skeletal muscle physiology post-stroke. This study examined changes in tissue oxygen saturation (StO) of the vastus lateralis (VL) muscle of stroke survivors and age-matched control participants during maximal and submaximal isometric contractions of the knee extensor muscles.

Objectives: We hypothesized that tissue oxygen desaturation (ΔStO) during knee extensor muscle contractions would be less in the VL in the paretic vs.

Plasmodium knowlesi in pig-tailed macaques: a potential new model for malaria vaccine research.

Background: Plasmodium knowlesi is an established experimental model for basic and pre-clinical malaria vaccine research. Historically, rhesus macaques have been the most common host for malaria vaccine studies with P. knowlesi parasites.

Trends in adolescent emotional problems in Wales between 2013 and 2019: the contribution of peer relationships.

Background: Epidemiological evidence shows a substantial increase in adolescent emotional problems in many countries, but reasons for this increase remain poorly understood. We tested change in emotional problems in a national sample of young people in Wales in 2013, 2017 and 2019 using identical symptom screens, and examined whether trends were accounted for by changes in youth friendship quality and bullying.

Methods: The present study of 230,735 11-16-year olds draws on repeat cross-sectional data obtained on three occasions (2013, 2017 and 2019) in national school-based surveys in Wales (conducted by the School Health Research Network).

Screening for lipid nanoparticles that modulate the immune activity of helper T cells towards enhanced antitumour activity.

Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) can be designed to potentiate cancer immunotherapy by promoting their uptake by antigen-presenting cells, stimulating the maturation of these cells and modulating the activity of adjuvants. Here we report an LNP-screening method for the optimization of the type of helper lipid and of lipid-component ratios to enhance the delivery of tumour-antigen-encoding mRNA to dendritic cells and their immune-activation profile towards enhanced antitumour activity. The method involves screening for LNPs that enhance the maturation of bone-marrow-derived dendritic cells and antigen presentation in vitro, followed by assessing immune activation and tumour-growth suppression in a mouse model of melanoma after subcutaneous or intramuscular delivery of the LNPs.

Developing Message Strategies to Engage Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups in Digital Oral Self-Care Interventions: Participatory Co-Design Approach.

Background: The prevention of oral health diseases is a key public health issue and a major challenge for racial and ethnic minority groups, who often face barriers in accessing dental care. Daily toothbrushing is an important self-care behavior necessary for sustaining good oral health, yet engagement in regular brushing remains a challenge. Identifying strategies to promote engagement in regular oral self-care behaviors among populations at risk of poor oral health is critical.

Jail-based medication for opioid use disorder and patterns of reincarceration and acute care use after release: A sequence analysis.

Background: Treatment with methadone and buprenorphine medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) during incarceration may lead to better community re-entry, but evidence on these relationships have been mixed. We aimed to identify community re-entry patterns and examine the association between in-jail MOUD and a pattern of successful reentry defined by rare occurrence of reincarceration and preventable healthcare utilization.

Methods: Data came from a retrospective, observational cohort study of 6066 adults with opioid use disorder who were incarcerated in New York City jails and released to the community during 2011-14.

Assessing the state of antibacterial drug discovery through patent analysis.

Patent filings suggest increasing intensity of antibacterial drug discovery in recent years, but the share of patents published by commercial companies has declined.

Implementing a mentoring program for clinical research professionals: A novel professional development initiative for university health research staff.

Clinical and translational research relies on a well-trained workforce, but mentorship programs designed expressly for this workforce are lacking. This paper presents the development of a mentoring program for research staff and identifies key programmatic outcomes. Research staff participating in this program were matched with a senior mentor.

High-Temperature Intrinsic Defect Chemistry of LiPbO Ceramic Breeding Material.

Understanding the intrinsic defect chemistry of tritium breeder materials proposed for use in future fusion reactors is imperative, as certain defects may act as traps leading to retention of tritium in the ceramic matrix. In this paper, we use combined density functional theory simulations with simple thermodynamics to explore the intrinsic defect chemistry of octalithium plumbate (LiPbO) as a function of both temperature and oxygen partial pressure. Importantly, we consider vibrational contributions to the energies of the reference states used in the calculations of the defect formation energies.

Spatiotemporal Trends Spanning Three Decades Show Toxic Levels of Chemical Contaminants in Marine Mammals.

Despite their ban and restriction under the 2001 Stockholm Convention, persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are still widespread and pervasive in the environment. Releases of these toxic and bioaccumulative chemicals are ongoing, and their contribution to population declines of marine mammals is of global concern. To safeguard their survival, it is of paramount importance to understand the effectiveness of mitigation measures.

Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Inherited Ataxia in Ireland.

Inherited cerebellar ataxias (CA) are heterogeneous progressive neurological conditions associated with significant functional limitations. This study aimed to assess the implications of inherited CA on patients' self-reported quality of life (QoL) and impairments in work and activities. 129 individuals with ataxia responded to a survey focused on QoL.

Short-latency reaction time and accuracy are impaired in patients with cirrhosis: An international multicenter retrospective study.

Aim: The inability to quickly react to an external event can lead to an increased risk for accidents (e.g., falls, car crashes) in patients with cirrhosis.

COPD Exposed to Air Pollution: A Path to Understand and Protect a Susceptible Population.

Topic Importance: Air pollution poses a risk to the respiratory health of individuals with COPD. Long- and short-term exposures to higher levels of particulate-rich air pollution are associated with increased COPD exacerbation, hospitalization, and mortality, collectively implicating air pollution as a cause of adverse COPD-related outcomes.

Review Findings: This review summarizes the evidence for COPD as a phenotype that confers susceptibility for adverse health outcomes in the face of common air pollution.