From banks to burrows: Habitat preferences and nesting behaviours of platypuses in the Snowy River.

Platypuses are a unique freshwater mammal native to eastern Australia. They are semi-aquatic, predominantly nocturnal, and nest in burrows dug into the banks of waterbodies. Quantifying nesting burrow characteristics is challenging due to the species' cryptic nature.

Speciation and Aqueous Dissolution of Macronutrients in Fire Ash: Variation across Ecosystems and the Effects on Nutrient Cycling.

This study investigated the speciation and aqueous dissolution of macronutrients in fire ash from diverse ecosystems and speciation of ash and smoke from laboratory burning, exploring the variations and their causes. The speciation of phosphorus (P), calcium (Ca), and potassium (K) in fire ash from five globally distributed ecosystems was characterized by using X-ray absorption spectroscopy and sequential fractionation. Aqueous dissolution of the macronutrients was measured by batch experiments at acidic and alkaline pHs.

Association of Hepatic Gene Expression with Chemical Concentrations in Wild-Collected Double-Crested Cormorant Embryos using an EcoToxChip Gene Array.

Contaminant monitoring programs use wild bird eggs, but determining whether measured concentrations elicit adverse effects relies on extrapolation from toxicity studies with avian model species. Here, we directly evaluated the relationships between whole embryo contaminant concentrations and mRNA expression in liver tissue of the double-crested cormorant (). Eggs collected from three North American sites (one from Lake Erie and two from the Salish Sea) were artificially incubated until pipping.

Multi-omic integration with human DRG proteomics highlights TNFα signalling as a relevant sexually dimorphic pathway.

The peripheral nervous system has been widely implicated in pathological conditions that exhibit distinct clinical presentations in men and women, most notably in chronic pain disorders. Here, we explored this sexual dimorphism at a molecular level. We expanded the available omics landscape in the PNS to include quantitative proteomics of the human dorsal root ganglia (hDRG) and nerve.

Effectiveness of tofacitinib versus tumor necrosis factor inhibitors and in those receiving tofacitinib as different lines of therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: results from the United States CorEvitas Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry.

Objectives: To compare effectiveness of tofacitinib versus tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi), and across tofacitinib lines of therapy, in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), using US CorEvitas RA Registry data.

Methods: Analysis included patients with RA initiating tofacitinib or TNFi with a 12-month follow-up visit between November 2012-February 2021. Primary (Clinical Disease Activity Index-defined low disease activity [CDAI-LDA: CDAI ≤ 10]) and secondary (clinical/disease activity/patient-reported) effectiveness outcomes were assessed at month 12.

Comparing new tools of artificial intelligence to the authentic intelligence of our global health students.

Introduction: The transformative feature of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the massive capacity for interpreting and transforming unstructured data into a coherent and meaningful context. In general, the potential that AI will alter traditional approaches to student research and its evaluation appears to be significant. With regard to research in global health, it is important for students and research experts to assess strengths and limitations of GenAI within this space.

Snap Diagnosis: Developing an Artificial Intelligence Algorithm for Penile Cancer Detection from Photographs.

: Penile cancer is aggressive and rapidly progressive. Early recognition is paramount for overall survival. However, many men delay presentation due to a lack of awareness and social stigma.

Cryo-EM Structure of Recombinantly Expressed hUGDH Unveils a Hidden, Alternative Allosteric Inhibitor.

Human UDP-glucose dehydrogenase (hUGDH) catalyzes the oxidation of UDP-glucose into UDP-glucuronic acid, an essential substrate in the Phase II metabolism of drugs. hUGDH is a hexamer that exists in an equilibrium between an active (E) state and an inactive (E) state, with the latter being stabilized by the binding of the allosteric inhibitor UDP-xylose (UDP-Xyl). The allosteric transition between E and E is slow and can be observed as a lag in progress curves.

Validation of an Oral Health Tool for Clinicians to Screen Patients With Cardiovascular Disease.

Aims: To develop and validate a screening tool to identify patients with cardiovascular disease at risk of poor oral health and requiring referrals.

Design: This study was part of a larger pilot study involving a cross-sectional survey and an oral health assessment conducted with patients with cardiovascular disease.

Methods: A four-item screening tool was developed by an expert panel and validated through a cross-sectional survey of patients with cardiovascular disease.

Exposure to child sexual abuse materials among law enforcement investigative personnel: Exploring trauma and resilience profiles.

Objective: This study aimed to identify distinct profiles of investigators based on their exposure to child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and associated mental health symptomatology. Specifically, the study seeks to differentiate resilient profiles from those exhibiting psychopathologies. Additionally, this research explores resilience as a transdiagnostic and distal factor, examining individual- and agency-level coping and resiliency factors.

Cognitive considerations for adults with sickle cell disease completing the brief pain inventory.

Introduction: Accurate assessment of pain severity is important for caring for patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). The Brief Pain Inventory was developed to address limitations of previous pain-rating metrics and is available in a short form (BPI-SF). However, the BPI-SF is a self-report scale dependent on patient comprehension and interpretation of items.

Socioeconomic and environmental factors associated with glaucoma in an African Ancestry Population: findings from the Primary Open-Angle African American Glaucoma Genetics (POAAGG) study.

Background/objectives: Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness, disproportionately affecting individuals of African ancestry. Limited research has examined the impact of neighbourhood quality and socioeconomic factors on primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) risk in this population. This study aims to address these gaps by evaluating associations between ocular health and neighbourhood characteristics using geospatial data.

Uncovering the electrical synapse proteome in retinal neurons via proximity labeling.

Through decades of research, we have gained a comprehensive understanding of the protein complexes underlying function and regulation of chemical synapses in the nervous system. Despite the identification of key molecules such as ZO-1 or CaMKII, we currently lack a similar level of insight into the electrical synapse proteome. With the advancement of BioID as a tool for proteomics, it has become possible to identify complex interactomes of a given protein of interest by combining enzymatic biotinylation with subsequent streptavidin affinity capture.

The effects of two Alzheimer's disease related genes and in healthy young adults: An attentional blink study.

Background: Genetic risk factors start to affect the brain and behavior in Alzheimer's disease (AD) before clinical symptoms occur. Although AD is mainly associated with memory deficits, attention and executive dysfunctions can present at the early presymptomatic stages in middle age for those with non-modifiable risks.

Objective: Here, we investigated whether known risk genes for AD already affected attention in young adulthood.

"They are not victimless crimes…that's frustrating to hear": Qualitative insights from prosecutors working on cases related to technology facilitated child sexual abuse material.

Background: Child sexual abuse material (CSAM) are any videos or images of individuals under the age of 18 engaging in sexually explicit activities or positions. The incidence and scope of CSAM has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic; however, the prosecution of such crimes has not risen at the same rate.

Objective: This study presents exploratory qualitative findings regarding prosecutors' challenges prosecuting CSAM cases from the perspectives of experienced CSAM prosecutors.

Baseline Nodal Status on Ga-PSMA-11 Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography in Men with Intermediate- to High-risk Prostate Cancer Is Prognostic for Treatment Failure: Follow-up of the proPSMA Trial.

Background And Objective: There is uncertainty regarding the clinical significance of Ga-PSMA-11 positron emission tomography (PET) computed tomography (CT) findings in men with prostate cancer. In this prespecified objective of the proPSMA study, we report the prognostic value of PET-defined nodal involvement.

Methods: Men with intermediate- to high-risk prostate cancer (grade group 3-5, prostate-specific antigen [PSA] ≥20 ng/ml, or clinical stage ≥T3) underwent Ga-PSMA-11 PET-CT or CT and bone scanning as first- or second-line imaging.

Mapping rare protein-coding variants on multi-organ imaging traits.

Human organ structure and function are important endophenotypes for clinical outcomes. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified numerous common variants associated with phenotypes derived from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain and body. However, the role of rare protein-coding variations affecting organ size and function is largely unknown.