Serious harm reduction protective behavioral strategies reduce consequences associated with alcohol-induced blackouts in college students.

Objective: Alcohol-induced blackouts (AIBs) have been associated with increased alcohol-related consequences. Serious harm reduction (SHR) protective behavioral strategies may reduce consequences when students are drinking heavily. We examined whether SHR weakened the relationship between AIBs and a) total consequences and b) serious consequences (e.

Astrocyte regulation of critical period plasticity across neural circuits.

Critical periods are brief windows of heightened neural circuit plasticity that allow circuits to permanently reset their structure and function to facilitate robust organismal behavior. Understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms that instruct critical period timing is of broad clinical interest, as altered developmental plasticity is linked to multiple neurodevelopmental disorders. While intrinsic, neuronal mechanisms shape both neural circuit remodeling and critical period timing, recent data indicate that signaling from astrocytes and surrounding glia can both promote and limit critical period plasticity.

The Minimally Invasive 1-Hour Esophageal String Test Monitors Therapeutic Changes in Mucosal Inflammation in Eosinophilic Esophagitis.

Introduction: Endoscopy, standard-of-care for monitoring eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), assesses mucosal inflammation. The Esophageal String Test (EST), a minimally invasive swallowed capsule and immunoassays, quantifies EoE inflammation. We determined whether the EST/EoEScore can monitor disease in patients undergoing treatment.

Bioengineering lipid-based synthetic cells for therapeutic protein delivery.

Synthetic cells (SCs) offer a promising approach for therapeutic protein delivery, combining principles from synthetic biology and drug delivery. Engineered to mimic natural cells, SCs provide biocompatibility and versatility, with precise control over their architecture and composition. Protein production is essential in living cells, and SCs aim to replicate this process using compartmentalized cell-free protein synthesis systems within lipid bilayers.