Social dominance influences individual susceptibility to an evolutionary trap in mosquitofish.

Plastic pollution threatens almost every ecosystem in the world. Critically, many animals consume plastic, in part because plastic particles often look or smell like food. Plastic ingestion is thus an evolutionary trap, a phenomenon that occurs when cues are decoupled from their previously associated high fitness outcomes.

"Telephone Angels" Against Loneliness: Experimental Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Telephone Partnerships with Older Adults.

Loneliness affects many older adults.As part of the "Telephone Angel" project, telephone partnerships between volunteers and older adults affected by loneliness were designed to counteract experiencing loneliness. Volunteers (100 ≤  ≤ 114) and older adults who are (22 ≤  ≤ 45) and who are not (25 ≤  ≤ 71) part of the project were surveyed twice.

Implementation of simultaneous ultraviolet/visible and x-ray absorption spectroscopy with microfluidics.

X-ray spectroscopies are uniquely poised to describe the geometric and electronic structure of metalloenzyme active sites under a wide variety of sample conditions. UV/Vis (ultraviolet/visible) spectroscopy is a similarly well-established technique that can identify and quantify catalytic intermediates. The work described here reports the first simultaneous collection of full in situ UV/Vis and high-energy resolution fluorescence detected x-ray absorption spectra.

Sequence-dependent conformational preferences of disordered single-stranded RNA.

Disordered single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) molecules, like their well-folded counterparts, have crucial functions that depend on their structures. However, since native ssRNAs constitute a highly heterogeneous conformer population, their structural characterization poses challenges. One important question regards the role of sequence in influencing ssRNA structure.

Hospital-level variation in cardiac rehabilitation metrics.

Background: To inform the delivery of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) care nationwide at the hospital level, we described hospital-level variation in CR metrics, overall and stratified by the hospital's tier of cardiac care provided.

Methods: This retrospective cohort analysis used Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) data (2018-2020), Parts A and B, and American Hospital Association (AHA) data (2018). We included beneficiaries with an acute myocardial infarction (AMI), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) in 2018, aged ≥65 years, and continuously enrolled in a FFS plan.

Scaling and merging time-resolved pink-beam diffraction with variational inference.

Time-resolved x-ray crystallography (TR-X) at synchrotrons and free electron lasers is a promising technique for recording dynamics of molecules at atomic resolution. While experimental methods for TR-X have proliferated and matured, data analysis is often difficult. Extracting small, time-dependent changes in signal is frequently a bottleneck for practitioners.

Costs and Healthcare Utilization of Heart Disease by COVID-19 Diagnosis and Race and Ethnicity.

Introduction: Heart disease poses a significant health and economic burden in the U.S., with considerable variations in outcomes across different racial and ethnic groups.

Antihypertensive Medication Adherence and Medical Costs, Health Care Use, and Labor Productivity Among People With Hypertension.

Background: Hypertension affects nearly half of US adults yet remains inadequately controlled in over three-quarters of these cases. This study aimed to assess the association between adherence to antihypertensive medications and total medical costs, health care use, and productivity-related outcomes.

Methods And Results: We conducted cross-sectional analyses using MarketScan databases, which included individuals aged 18 to 64 years with noncapitated health insurance plans in 2019.

Cation-induced intramolecular coil-to-globule transition in poly(ADP-ribose).

Poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR), a non-canonical nucleic acid, is essential for DNA/RNA metabolism and protein condensation, and its dysregulation is linked to cancer and neurodegeneration. However, key structural insights into PAR's functions remain largely uncharacterized, hindered by the challenges in synthesizing and characterizing PAR, which are attributed to its length heterogeneity. A central issue is how PAR, comprised solely of ADP-ribose units, attains specificity in its binding and condensing proteins based on chain length.

Hypertension-Associated Expenditures Among Privately Insured US Adults in 2021.

Background: There are no recent estimates for hypertension-associated medical expenditures. This study aims to estimate hypertension-associated incremental medical expenditures among privately insured US adults.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using IQVIA's Ambulatory Electronic Medical Records-US data set linked with PharMetrics Plus claims data.

A Cautionary Tale: Digital Clinical Trial Implementation of a Couples-Based HIV Prevention Study among Transgender Women and Their Partners in the United States.

This study investigates baseline differences in couples enrolled in the "It Takes Two" HIV prevention intervention for transgender women and their partners, comparing in-person participation pre-COVID-19 and digital participation during the pandemic. Among 52 couples (40% in-person, 60% digital), bivariate analyses revealed that in-person participants were more likely to be African American, have cisgender male partners, report higher unemployment, incarceration histories, greater relationship stigma, and lower relationship quality. The findings highlight the limitations of digital modalities in engaging transgender women of color and those with structural vulnerabilities.

Distinct conformational states enable transglutaminase 2 to promote cancer cell survival versus cell death.

Transglutaminase 2 (TG2) is a GTP-binding, protein-crosslinking enzyme that has been investigated as a therapeutic target for Celiac disease, neurological disorders, and aggressive cancers. TG2 has been suggested to adopt two conformational states that regulate its functions: a GTP-bound, closed conformation, and a calcium-bound, crosslinking-active open conformation. TG2 mutants that constitutively adopt an open conformation are cytotoxic to cancer cells.

"I Don't Feel Judged, I Don't Feel Less of a Person" - Engaged and Supportive Providers in the HIV Care Experiences of Black Sexual Minority Men Living with HIV.

Background: Black sexual minority men (BSMM) in the Southern region of the United States experience a disproportionate burden of HIV. Research findings suggest that having supportive patient-provider relationships are critical for sustained HIV care engagement. The present study explores the role of supportive healthcare providers in the care engagement among BSMM living with HIV (BSMM+) in the US South.

Scaling and Merging Time-Resolved Laue Data with Variational Inference.

Time-resolved X-ray crystallography (TR-X) at synchrotrons and free electron lasers is a promising technique for recording dynamics of molecules at atomic resolution. While experimental methods for TR-X have proliferated and matured, data analysis is often difficult. Extracting small, time-dependent changes in signal is frequently a bottleneck for practitioners.

Special issue: Multiscale simulations of DNA from electrons to nucleosomes.

This editorial for Volume 16, Issue 3 of highlights the three-dimensional structural and dynamic information encoded in DNA sequences and introduces the topics covered in this special issue of the journal on Multiscale Simulations of DNA from Electrons to Nucleosomes. is the official journal of the International Union for Pure and Applied Biophysics (IUPAB 2024). The international scope of the articles in the issue exemplifies the goals of IUPAB to organize worldwide advancements, co-operation, communication, and education in biophysics.

Impact of State Telehealth Parity Laws for Private Payers on Hypertension Medication Adherence Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: Telehealth has emerged as an effective tool for managing common chronic conditions such as hypertension, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the impact of state telehealth payment and coverage parity laws on hypertension medication adherence remains uncertain.

Methods: Data from the 2016 to 2021 Merative MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters Database were used to construct the study cohort, which included nonpregnant individuals aged 25 to 64 years with hypertension.

Health Care Expenditures and Use Associated with Hypertension Among U.S. Adults.

Introduction: This study seeks to estimate health care expenditures and use associated with hypertension, focusing on differences among racial and ethnic groups.

Methods: Data were from the 2019 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, analyzed in 2023. The study sample included noninstitutionalized U.

Weight change in the first 30 days among infants born less than 2000 grams in Guinea-Bissau and Uganda.

Despite the high prevalence of low birth weight infants in sub-Saharan Africa and the associated poor outcomes, weight change during the newborn period has not been well characterized for this population. We prospectively assessed growth over the first 30 days among 120 infants born < 2000 g (g) in Guinea-Bissau and Uganda, and compared it to a similar cohort of 420 infants born ≥ 2000 g. Among those born < 2000 g, mean birth weight was 1747 ± 164 g, and initial weight loss was 8.

Time-resolved cryogenic electron tomography for the study of transient cellular processes.

Cryogenic electron tomography (cryo-ET) is the highest resolution imaging technique applicable to the life sciences, enabling subnanometer visualization of specimens preserved in their near native states. The rapid plunge freezing process used to prepare samples lends itself to time-resolved studies, which researchers have pursued for in vitro samples for decades. Here, we focus on developing a freezing apparatus for time-resolved studies in situ.

Mechanical Ventilation in Older Adults With Dementia: Opportunities to Promote Goal-Concordant Care.

Context: Recent studies show increasing use of mechanical ventilation among people living with dementia. There are concerns that this trend may not be driven by patient preferences.

Objectives: To better understand decision-making regarding mechanical ventilation in people living with dementia.

County-Level Cardiac Rehabilitation and Broadband Availability: Opportunities for Hybrid Care in the United States.

Purpose: Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) improves patient outcomes and quality of life and can be provided virtually through hybrid CR. However, little is known about CR availability in conjunction with broadband access, a requirement for hybrid CR. This study examined the intersection of CR and broadband availability at the county level, nationwide.