Development of genomic evaluation for methane efficiency in Canadian Holsteins.

Reducing methane (CH) emissions from agriculture, among other sectors, is a key step to reducing global warming. There are many strategies to reduce CH emissions in ruminant animals, including genetic selection, which yields cumulative and permanent genetic gains over generations. A single-step genomic evaluation for methane efficiency (MEF) was officially implemented in April 2023 for the Canadian Holstein breed, aiming to reduce CH emissions without affecting production levels.

Chemical diversity of cyanobacterial natural products.

Covering: 2010 to 2023Cyanobacterial natural products are a diverse group of molecules with promising biotechnological applications. This review examines the chemical diversity of 995 cyanobacterial metabolites reported from 2010 to 2023. A computational analysis using similarity networking was applied to visualize the chemical space and to compare the diversity of cyanobacterial metabolites among taxonomic orders and environmental sources.

Multiplexed immunohistochemical evaluation of small bowel inflammatory and epithelial parameters in environmental enteric dysfunction.

Background: Environmental enteric dysfunction (EED) is characterized by reduced absorptive capacity and barrier function of the small intestine, leading to poor ponderal and linear childhood growth.

Objectives: To further define gene expression patterns that are associated with EED to uncover new pathophysiology of this disorder.

Methods: Duodenal biopsies from cohorts of children with EED from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Zambia were analyzed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) to interrogate gene products that distinguished differentiation and various biochemical pathways in immune and epithelial cells, some identified by prior bulk RNA sequence analyses.

EUS-directed transgastric ERCP with EUS-guided rendezvous for difficult biliary cannulation in a patient with Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

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Duodenal quantitative mucosal morphometry in children with environmental enteric dysfunction: a cross-sectional multicountry analysis.

Background: Environmental enteric dysfunction (EED), a chronic inflammatory condition of the small intestine, is an important driver of childhood malnutrition globally. Quantifying intestinal morphology in EED allows for exploration of its association with functional and disease outcomes.

Objectives: We sought to define morphometric characteristics of childhood EED and determine whether morphology features were associated with disease pathophysiology.

Preclinical development of a chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy targeting FGFR4 in rhabdomyosarcoma.

Pediatric patients with relapsed or refractory rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) have dismal cure rates, and effective therapy is urgently needed. The oncogenic receptor tyrosine kinase fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 (FGFR4) is highly expressed in RMS and lowly expressed in healthy tissues. Here, we describe a second-generation FGFR4-targeting chimeric antigen receptor (CAR), based on an anti-human FGFR4-specific murine monoclonal antibody 3A11, as an adoptive T cell treatment for RMS.

Open-Label Trial of Amikacin Liposome Inhalation Suspension in Mycobacterium abscessus Lung Disease.

Background: Mycobacterium abscessus is the second most common nontuberculous mycobacterium respiratory pathogen and shows in vitro resistance to nearly all oral antimicrobials. M abscessus treatment success is low in the presence of macrolide resistance.

Research Question: Does treatment with amikacin liposome inhalation suspension (ALIS) improve culture conversion in patients with M abscessus pulmonary disease who are treatment naive or who have treatment-refractory disease?

Study Design And Methods: In an open-label protocol, patients were given ALIS (590 mg) added to background multidrug therapy for 12 months.

FGFR4-Targeted Chimeric Antigen Receptors Combined with Anti-Myeloid Polypharmacy Effectively Treat Orthotopic Rhabdomyosarcoma.

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft tissue cancer in children. Treatment outcomes, particularly for relapsed/refractory or metastatic disease, have not improved in decades. The current lack of novel therapies and low tumor mutational burden suggest that chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy could be a promising approach to treating RMS.

Solid Tumor Microenvironment Can Harbor and Support Functional Properties of Memory T Cells.

Robust T cell responses are crucial for effective anti-tumor responses and often dictate patient survival. However, in the context of solid tumors, both endogenous T cell responses and current adoptive T cell therapies are impeded by the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). A multitude of inhibitory signals, suppressive immune cells, metabolites, hypoxic conditions and limiting nutrients are believed to render the TME non-conducive to sustaining productive T cell responses.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-Specific Memory B Cells From Individuals With Diverse Disease Severities Recognize SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern.

The unprecedented severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has called for substantial investigations into the capacity of the human immune system to protect against reinfection and keep pace with the evolution of SARS-CoV-2. We evaluated the magnitude and durability of the SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody responses against parental WA-1 SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD) and a representative variant of concern (VoC) RBD using antibodies from 2 antibody compartments: long-lived plasma cell-derived plasma antibodies and antibodies encoded by SARS-CoV-2-specific memory B cells (MBCs). Thirty-five participants naturally infected with SARS-CoV-2 were evaluated; although only 25 of 35 participants had VoC RBD-reactive plasma antibodies, 34 of 35 (97%) participants had VoC RBD-reactive MBC-derived antibodies.

Visual attention and dietary supplementation in children with perinatal brain injury.

Aim: To investigate whether children with perinatal brain injury have impairments in specific components of visual attention, and whether early dietary supplementation can reduce any deficits.

Method: Children participating in the Dolphin neonatal trial of dietary supplementation were tested at age 6 months with the Infant Fixation Shift Attention Test, and at 4 to 5 years with four subtests of the Early Childhood Attention Battery (ECAB) assessing different components of attention (selective, sustained, and executive function), and the Fluid Crystallized Intelligence Index of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition (KABC-II). From 59 children originally assigned to trial groups, 33 were available for testing at 4 to 5 years (18 treatment group of whom seven, six, and five showed mild, moderate, or severe neonatal brain injury; 15 controls with one, seven, and seven in the neonatal brain injury categories respectively).

Phormidepistatin from the Cyanobacterium UIC 10484: Assessing the Phylogenetic Distribution of the Statine Pharmacophore.

A new linear lipopeptide, phormidepistatin (), containing an epi-statine amino acid was isolated from cf. sp. strain UIC 10484.

Wide pulse pressure and Quincke's pulse in high-output heart failure.

A 74-year-old man with a history of chronic alcohol use presented with progressive exertional dyspnoea and weight gain. On physical examination, he was noted to have wide pulse pressure, elevated jugular venous pressure, and alternating flushing and blanching of the nail beds in concert with the cardiac cycle, known as Quincke's pulse. Transthoracic echocardiography demonstrated normal biventricular systolic function and valvular function, but noted a dilated inferior vena cava.

SARS-CoV-2 specific memory B-cells from individuals with diverse disease severities recognize SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern.

In this investigation we examined the magnitude, breadth, and durability of SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies in two distinct B-cell compartments: long-lived plasma cell-derived antibodies in the plasma, and peripheral memory B-cells along with their associated antibody profiles elicited after stimulation. We found that magnitude varied amongst individuals, but was the highest in hospitalized subjects. Variants of concern (VoC) -RBD-reactive antibodies were found in the plasma of 72% of samples in this investigation, and VoC-RBD-reactive memory B-cells were found in all but 1 subject at a single time-point.

Neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 variants by convalescent and vaccinated serum.

We tested human sera from large, demographically balanced cohorts of BNT162b2 vaccine recipients (n=51) and COVID-19 patients (n=44) for neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 variants B.1.1.

Artificial Intelligence Research and Development for Application in Video Capsule Endoscopy.

Artificial intelligence (AI) research for medical applications has expanded quickly. Advancements in computer processing now allow for the development of complex neural network architectures (eg, convolutional neural networks) that are capable of extracting and learning complex features from massive data sets, including large image databases. Gastroenterology and endoscopy are well suited for AI research.

Surgical approach for kidney transplantation under spinal anesthesia.

Kidney transplantation is the treatment of choice for patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). It has been shown to improve quality of life as well as extending life of patients with ESRD as compared to renal replacement therapy (5-year survival rate of 68% after transplant vs 36% dialysis) (Hart A, Smith JM, Skeans MA. OPTN/SRTR 2015 annual data report: kidney.