Measurement of Intracellular Ca in Muscle Isolated from Rat and Human Hearts.

Contraction and relaxation within the heart is controlled by the coordinated rise and fall of Ca levels within the cytosol of cardiomyocytes. This requires Ca to be moved between subcellular and extracellular compartments with each cardiac cycle, since Ca is not destroyed or broken down by the excitation-contraction and relaxation cycles. Many cardiac pathologies alter Ca homeostasis and can lead to impaired contraction, incomplete relaxation, and arrhythmias.

Projecting the Population Level Burden of CKD Progression According to Urine Albumin-to-Creatinine Ratio Categories.

Introduction: Urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (uACR) is an independent predictor of chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression. However there is limited evidence on the burden of CKD according to uACR categories at the population level. This study estimates future clinical and financial burden of CKD according to uACR categories using the Inside CKD microsimulation.

Bartonella quintana Endocarditis Associated With Head Lice in a Canadian Indigenous Youth.

Bartonella quintana is a rare but important cause of culture-negative endocarditis, classically associated with body lice infestation. We report the first known pediatric case of Bartonella quintana endocarditis associated with head lice. The importance of sending targeted testing for this organism in at-risk patients, ideally on tissue specimens, is emphasized.

Quantitative and Computational Spinal Imaging in Neurodegenerative Conditions and Acquired Spinal Disorders: Academic Advances and Clinical Prospects.

Quantitative spinal cord imaging has facilitated the objective appraisal of spinal cord pathology in a range of neurological conditions both in the academic and clinical setting. Diverse methodological approaches have been implemented, encompassing a range of morphometric, diffusivity, susceptibility, magnetization transfer, and spectroscopy techniques. Advances have been fueled both by new MRI platforms and acquisition protocols as well as novel analysis pipelines.

Decreasing Endomyocardial Biopsy Frequency in Pediatric Heart Transplantation Using A Rejection Risk Prediction Score-A Single Center Study.

Background: Rejection remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality after pediatric heart transplantation (HT). Endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) is the gold standard for rejection diagnosis, but it comes with procedural risk. The frequency of EMB varies significantly across centers.

The Monocrotaline Rat Model of Right Heart Disease Induced by Pulmonary Artery Hypertension.

Pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH) is characterised by increased pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) resulting in elevated pressure in the pulmonary artery supplying the pulmonary circulation. Disease of the right ventricle (RV) often manifests as a result of PAH placing excessive pressure on the right side of the heart. Although a relatively rare disease in humans, the impact of sustained PAH is severe, with poor outcomes even in treated individuals.

Exploring Structures and Processes Supporting Interprofessional Education During Experiential Learning Placements for Student Pharmacists.

Objective: To explore stakeholder views on the structures and processes supporting planned and unplanned interprofessional education (IPE) during experiential learning (EL) placements for student pharmacists in Scotland.

Methods: Online semistructured group interviews were conducted with academic staff, practice educators, and EL facilitators (preceptors). Recordings were transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically.

What does 'feeling at home' mean for adults with intellectual disabilities living in group homes in England?

Background: Shared housing for adults with intellectual disabilities with staff support, is a common housing model internationally. We explored an overlooked aspect of group homes, namely the extent to which they enable a sense of 'feeling at home' for residents.

Method: A diverse group of 19 housemates participated in a photovoice study.

Contemporary Pediatric Heart Transplant Waitlist Mortality.

Background: In 2016, the United Network for Organ Sharing revised its pediatric heart transplant (HT) allocation policy.

Objectives: This study sought to determine whether the 2016 revisions are associated with reduced waitlist mortality and capture patient-specific risks.

Methods: Children listed for HT from 1999 to 2023 were identified using Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network data and grouped into 3 eras (era 1: 1999-2006; era 2: 2006-2016; era 3: 2016-2023) based on when the United Network for Organ Sharing implemented allocation changes.

Feasibility of a 4 French resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) device for nontraumatic cardiac arrest in a randomized controlled study using a large porcine model.

Aim: The objectives of this study were to assess the return of spontaneous circulation rates and hemodynamic response of large swine (>65Kg) during cardiopulmonary resuscitation after nontraumatic cardiac arrest using the COBRA-OS® aortic occlusion balloon and to address limitations of large swine closed-chest cardiopulmonary resuscitation by comparing closed-chest vs. open-chest cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Methods: Yorkshire pigs ( = 10) weighing >65 kg were anesthetized and ventilated.

Agar and agarose used for Staphylococcus aureus biofilm cultivation impact fluoroquinolone tolerance.

Aims: Staphylococcus aureus is an opportunistic pathogen whose treatment is further complicated by its ability to form biofilms. In this study, we examine the impact of growing S. aureus biofilms on different polymerizing surfaces, specifically agar and agarose, on the pathogen's tolerance to fluoroquinolones.

Projecting the economic burden of chronic kidney disease at the patient level (): a microsimulation modelling study.

Background: The growing burden of chronic kidney disease (CKD) places substantial financial pressures on patients, healthcare systems, and society. An understanding of the costs attributed to CKD and kidney replacement therapy (KRT) is essential for evidence-based policy making. maps and projects the economic burden of CKD across 31 countries/regions from 2022 to 2027.

Analysis of Cerebrospinal Fluid, Plasma β-Amyloid Biomarkers, and Cognition from a 2-Year Phase 2 Trial Evaluating Oral ALZ-801/Valiltramiprosate in APOE4 Carriers with Early Alzheimer's Disease Using Quantitative Systems Pharmacology Model.

Introduction: ALZ-801/valiltramiprosate is an oral, small-molecule inhibitor of beta-amyloid (Aβ) aggregation and oligomer formation in late-stage development as a disease-modifying therapy for early Alzheimer's disease (AD). The present investigation provides a quantitative systems pharmacology (QSP) analysis of amyloid fluid biomarkers and cognitive results from a 2-year ALZ-801 Phase 2 trial in APOE4 carriers with early AD.

Methods: The single-arm, open-label phase 2 study evaluated effects of ALZ-801 265 mg two times daily (BID) on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma amyloid fluid biomarkers over 104 weeks in APOE4 carriers with early AD [Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) ≥ 22].

Effects of Oral ALZ-801/Valiltramiprosate on Plasma Biomarkers, Brain Hippocampal Volume, and Cognition: Results of 2-Year Single-Arm, Open-Label, Phase 2 Trial in APOE4 Carriers with Early Alzheimer's Disease.

Introduction: ALZ-801/valiltramiprosate is a small-molecule oral inhibitor of beta amyloid (Aβ) aggregation and oligomer formation being studied in a phase 2 trial in APOE4 carriers with early Alzheimer's disease (AD) to evaluate treatment effects on fluid and imaging biomarkers and cognitive assessments.

Methods: The single-arm, open-label phase 2 trial was designed to evaluate the effects of the ALZ-801 265 mg tablet taken twice daily (after 2 weeks once daily) on plasma fluid AD biomarkers, hippocampal volume (HV), and cognition over 104 weeks in APOE4 carriers. The study enrolled subjects aged 50-80 years, with early AD [Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) ≥ 22, Clinical Dementia Rating-Global (CDR-G) 0.

N-cadherin directs the collective Schwann cell migration required for nerve regeneration through Slit2/3-mediated contact inhibition of locomotion.

Collective cell migration is fundamental for the development of organisms and in the adult for tissue regeneration and in pathological conditions such as cancer. Migration as a coherent group requires the maintenance of cell-cell interactions, while contact inhibition of locomotion (CIL), a local repulsive force, can propel the group forward. Here we show that the cell-cell interaction molecule, N-cadherin, regulates both adhesion and repulsion processes during Schwann cell (SC) collective migration, which is required for peripheral nerve regeneration.

Nitric Oxide Modulates Ca Leak and Arrhythmias via S-Nitrosylation of CaMKII.

Background: Nitric oxide (NO) has been identified as a signaling molecule generated during β-adrenergic receptor stimulation in the heart. Furthermore, a role for NO in triggering spontaneous Ca release via -nitrosylation of CaMKIIδ (Ca/calmodulin kinase II delta) is emerging. NO donors are routinely used clinically for their cardioprotective effects on the heart, but it is unknown how NO donors modulate the proarrhythmic CaMKII to alter cardiac arrhythmia incidence.

A cross-sectional study examining the nature and extent of interprofessional education in schools of pharmacy in the United Kingdom.

Background: Interprofessional education can prepare the workforce for collaborative practice in complex health and social care systems.

Aim: To examine the nature and extent of interprofessional education in schools of pharmacy in the United Kingdom.

Method: An online questionnaire was developed using systems theory, published literature and input from an interprofessional expert panel; it included closed and open-ended questions and a demographic section.

Nutritional risk predicts postoperative complications and length of stay, whereas sarcopenia risk predicts need for step-down care in a mixed elective surgery population.

Background: Malnutrition and poor functional reserves place patients at risk for negative surgical outcomes. In this prospective study we aimed to measure preoperative nutritional and sarcopenia risk and evaluate their impact on postoperative outcomes.

Methods: Adults scheduled to undergo elective general and gastrointestinal surgery were screened for nutrition risk using the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool screening tool.

Plant susceptibility to a shared herbivore is reduced by belowground competition with neighbors.

Spatial variation in plant community composition is an important driver of variation in susceptibility to herbivores. In close proximity, certain neighbors can attract or repel herbivores to a focal plant ("associational effects"). Neighboring plants may also compete for resources, modifying their phenotype in ways that affect susceptibility to herbivores.

Late-onset Tay-Sachs disease presenting with a neuromuscular phenotype-a case series.

Background And Purpose: Tay-Sachs disease is a rare and often fatal, autosomal recessive, lysosomal storage disease. Deficiency in β-hexosaminidase leads to accumulation of GM2 ganglioside resulting in neuronal swelling and degeneration. Typical onset is in infancy with developmental regression and early death.