Efficient Polymeric Nanoparticle Gene Delivery Enabled Via Tri- and Tetrafunctional Branching.

Poly(β-amino ester) (PBAE) nanoparticles (NPs) show great promise for nonviral gene delivery. Recent studies suggest branched PBAEs (BPBAEs) offer advantages over linear counterparts, but the effect of polymer structure has not been well investigated across many chemical constituents. Here, a library of BPBAEs was synthesized with tri- and tetrafunctional branching.

Fluorescein-conjugated hyaluronic acid enables visualization of retained ophthalmic viscosurgical device in anterior chamber.

Purpose: To develop and assess the utility of an ophthalmic viscosurgical device (OVD) manufactured with fluorescein-conjugated hyaluronic acid (conjHA).

Setting: Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University and School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.

Design: Laboratory study.

Preprocedural Computed Tomography Planning for Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement.

Background: Selection of transcatheter valve size using preprocedural computed tomography (CT) is standardized and well established. However, valve sizing for surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) is currently performed intraoperatively by using sizers, which may result in variation among operators and risk for prosthesis-patient mismatch. This study evaluated the usefulness of CT annulus measurement for SAVR valve sizing.

Digestive Tolerance and Safety of an Anti-Regurgitation Formula Containing Locust Bean Gum, Prebiotics and Postbiotics: A Real-World Study.

Purpose: Infant regurgitation is associated with other functional gastrointestinal disorders and signs and symptoms that have a major impact on the quality of life of infants and their families. This study evaluated the safety, tolerance, and real-world effectiveness of an anti-regurgitation formula containing locust bean gum (LBG), prebiotics, and postbiotics to alleviate digestive symptoms beyond regurgitation.

Methods: This 3-month study involved infants with regurgitation requiring the prescription of an anti-regurgitation formula according to usual clinical practice.

Intraocular Lens Unfurling Time Exponentially Decays with Increased Solution Temperature.

Purpose: Intraocular lens (IOL) unfurling can be a rate-limiting step in cataract surgery, limiting operative efficiency. Furthermore, inefficient unfurling has important implications for clinical outcomes. We examine the effects of solution temperature on IOL unfurling time using three in vitro models of the ocular environment.

Older adults and family caregivers' experience of digital health technology in frailty care: A systematic review and meta-ethnography protocol.

Digital health technology has been identified as a valuable tool to support older adults with frailty needs in their home setting. Despite the numerous technologies and evaluations of these innovations, a synthesis of the older person and family caregivers' experience using technology for support self-management has not been conducted to date. A systematic review and meta-ethnography will be conducted in accordance with the PRISMA and eMERGe reporting guidelines.

Mapping Research Domain Criteria using a transdiagnostic mini-RDoC assessment in mental disorders: a confirmatory factor analysis.

This study aimed to build on the relationship of well-established self-report and behavioral assessments to the latent constructs positive (PVS) and negative valence systems (NVS), cognitive systems (CS), and social processes (SP) of the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework in a large transnosological population which cuts across DSM/ICD-10 disorder criteria categories. One thousand four hundred and thirty one participants (42.1% suffering from anxiety/fear-related, 18.

The negative impact of vitamin D on antipsychotic drug exposure may counteract its potential benefits in schizophrenia.

Aims: Patients with schizophrenia frequently show insufficient vitamin D levels, which are associated with somatic comorbidity and may contribute to psychopathology. For many reasons, vitamin D supplementation may be indicated for this patient cohort. However, there is growing evidence for a vitamin D-mediated increase of drug metabolism by induction of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4.

Neural correlates of fluctuations in the intermediate band for heart rate and respiration are related to interoceptive perception.

Supratentorial brain structures such as the insula and the cingulate cortex modulate the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The neural underpinnings of separate frequency bands for variability in cardiac and respiratory data have been suggested in explaining parasympathetic and sympathetic ANS modulation. As an extension, an intermediate (IM) band in peripheral physiology has been considered to reflect psychophysiological states during rest.

Geometric indices of hip bone strength in overweight and control elderly men.

Aim Of The Study: The aim of this study was to compare geometric indices of hip bone strength in overweight and control elderly men.

Methods & Results: This study included 16 overweight (Body mass index (BMI) > 25 kg/m2) elderly men (aged 65-84 years) and 38 age-matched controls (BMI < 25 kg/m2). Body composition and bone mineral density (BMD) were assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA).

High whey protein intake delayed the loss of lean body mass in healthy old rats, whereas protein type and polyphenol/antioxidant supplementation had no effects.

Our aim was to compare and combine 3 nutritional strategies to slow down the age-related loss of muscle mass in healthy old rats: 1) increase protein intake, which is likely to stimulate muscle protein anabolism; 2) use leucine rich, rapidly digested whey proteins as protein source (whey proteins are recognized as the most effective proteins to stimulate muscle protein anabolism). 3) Supplement animals with a mixture of chamomile extract, vitamin E, vitamin D (reducing inflammation and oxidative stress is also effective to improve muscle anabolism). Such comparisons and combinations were never tested before.

Modulation of gut microbiota during probiotic-mediated attenuation of metabolic syndrome in high fat diet-fed mice.

Structural disruption of gut microbiota and associated inflammation are considered important etiological factors in high fat diet (HFD)-induced metabolic syndrome (MS). Three candidate probiotic strains, Lactobacillus paracasei CNCM I-4270 (LC), L. rhamnosus I-3690 (LR) and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp.

Bone mineral density, hip bone geometry, and calcaneus trabecular bone texture in obese and normal-weight children.

Our study aimed at comparing bone mineral density (BMD), geometric indices of hip bone strength, and indices of trabecular bone texture at the calcaneus in obese and normal-weight children. Fifty-three obese children (10.3 ± 1.

Dairy foods and osteoporosis: an example of assessing the health-economic impact of food products.

Unlabelled: Osteoporosis has become a major health concern, carrying a substantial burden in terms of health outcomes and costs. We constructed a model to quantify the potential effect of an additional intake of calcium from dairy foods on the risk of osteoporotic fracture, taking a health economics perspective.

Introduction: This study seeks, first, to estimate the impact of an increased dairy consumption on reducing the burden of osteoporosis in terms of health outcomes and costs, and, second, to contribute to a generic methodology for assessing the health-economic outcomes of food products.

Osteocalcin-insulin relationship in obese children: a role for the skeleton in energy metabolism.

Objective: Osteocalcin is a bone-specific protein secreted by osteoblasts and often used as a bone formation biomarker. Rodent studies have reported a hormonal role of osteocalcin on glucose metabolism, increasing insulin secretion and sensitivity and increasing energy expenditure. However, it is unknown whether osteocalcin fulfils the same function in humans.

Effects of hyperthermia on pharmacokinetics of ertapenem in rats.

The aim of this study was to document the influence of hyperthermia on the pharmacokinetics of ertapenem. Two groups of Wistar rats, normothermic (n = 6) and hyperthermic (n = 8), were injected a single intravenous bolus of ertapenem (15 mg/kg of body weight). Hyperthermia-induced animals were placed in a water-bath at 47 degrees C and control group animals were kept in a water-bath at 25 degrees C to obtain a stable mean core temperature of 39.

Bone mineral density in prepubertal obese and control children: relation to body weight, lean mass, and fat mass.

The aim of the study was to determine the influence of obesity on bone status in prepubertal children. This study included 20 obese prepubertal children (10.7 +/- 1.

Identification of BFN1, a bifunctional nuclease induced during leaf and stem senescence in Arabidopsis.

Nuclease I enzymes are responsible for the degradation of RNA and single-stranded DNA during several plant growth and developmental processes, including senescence. However, in the case of senescence the corresponding genes have not been reported. We describe the identification and characterization of BFN1 of Arabidopsis, and demonstrate that it is a senescence-associated nuclease I gene.

Direct evidence for rapid degradation of Bacillus thuringiensis toxin mRNA as a cause of poor expression in plants.

It is well established that the expression of Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.) toxin genes in higher plants is severely limited at the mRNA level, but the cause remains controversial.

Premature polyadenylation at multiple sites within a Bacillus thuringiensis toxin gene-coding region.

Some foreign genes introduced into plants are poorly expressed, even when transcription is controlled by a strong promoter. Perhaps the best examples of this problem are the cry genes of Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.

Developmentally regulated systemic endopolyploid in succulents with small genomes.

Nuclei from Mesembryanthemum crystallinum (ice plant) exhibit multiple levels of ploidy in every tissue as revealed by flow microfluorometric analysis of isolated nuclei stained with mithramycin. Multiples of the haploid nuclear genome complement (1C) corresponding to 2C, 4C, 8C, 16C, 32C, and 64C were observed. The distribution of nuclei among the different ploidy levels is tissue-specific and in leaves is characteristic of the stage of development.