Host control by Acmispon strigosus constrains fitness gains of ineffective Bradyrhizobium symbionts in mixed infections.

Plant hosts can gain significant growth benefits from symbiosis with microbes, but these benefits could be threatened by divergent fitness interests among partners. Here, we measured fitness outcomes in symbiosis, by varying the genotypes of both microbes and hosts, to examine scenarios that might favor uncooperative symbionts. We studied associations between Acmispon strigosus, an annual legume native to California, and its nitrogen fixing symbionts in the genus Bradyrhizobium.

Electronic Health Records-based identification of newly diagnosed Crohn's Disease cases.

Background: Early diagnosis and treatment of Crohn's Disease are associated with decreased risk of surgery and complications. However, diagnostic delay is frequently seen in clinical practice. To better understand Crohn's Disease risk factors and disease indicators, we identified, described, and predicted incident Crohn's Disease patients based on the Electronic Health Record data of the Mount Sinai Health System.

Improving precision of vaccine efficacy evaluation using immune correlate data in time-to-event models.

Understanding potential differences in vaccine-induced protection between demographic subgroups is key for vaccine development. Vaccine efficacy evaluation across these subgroups in phase 2b or 3 clinical trials presents challenges due to lack of precision: such trials are typically designed to demonstrate overall efficacy rather than to differentiate its value between subgroups. This study proposes a method for estimating vaccine efficacy using immunogenicity (instead of vaccination status) as a predictor in time-to-event models.

Editorial Commentary: Meniscal Allograft Transplantation Is a Powerful Tool for Treating Pain for Properly Indicated Patients, but Ability to Prevent Osteoarthritis Progression Remains Undetermined.

In well-indicated patients, meniscal allograft transplantation (MAT) survivorship can approach 80% to 90% at 10 years and 50% to 60% at 15 years, although these studies have included mostly younger patients (mean ages 25-30 years). Evidence-based indications for MAT are symptomatic meniscal deficiency in the absence of uncorrected osteoarthritis and malalignment in the young, active patient. The definition of young and active continues to evolve as demands of an aging population grow, and MAT has been performed with favorable outcomes in those over 40 and even 50 years old.

Genetic Mapping of , a New Lethal Allele of .

The mutation was generated in a Flp/FRT EMS screen for conditional mutations that cause growth and developmental defects in a genetic background that blocks apoptosis. The mutations were conditional, based on the allele being present on the starting chromosome, and blocking canonical apoptosis in a homozygous state. The mosaic eyes exhibit defects in eye development including patches of rough eye and irregular surface structure.

Host-imposed control mechanisms in legume-rhizobia symbiosis.

Legumes are ecologically and economically important plants that contribute to nutrient cycling and agricultural sustainability, features tied to their intimate symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing rhizobia. Rhizobia vary dramatically in quality, ranging from highly growth-promoting to non-beneficial; therefore, legumes must optimize their symbiosis with rhizobia through host mechanisms that select for beneficial rhizobia and limit losses to non-beneficial strains. In this Perspective, we examine the considerable scientific progress made in decoding host control over rhizobia, empirically examining both molecular and cellular mechanisms and their effects on rhizobia symbiosis and its benefits.

Update: Parathyroid CT and Primary Hyperparathyroidism.

- Update articles supplement or update information found in full-length articles previously published in . These updates, written by at least one author of the previous article, provide a brief synopsis that emphasizes important new information such as technological advances, revised imaging protocols, new clinical guidelines involving imaging, or updated classification schemes.

Editorial Commentary: Autologous Minced Repair of Knee Cartilage Is Safely and Effectively Performed Using Arthroscopic Techniques.

Articular cartilage defects in the knee are common and possess a limited ability to inherently heal. Many of the surgical management options for cartilage repair that result in a hyaline or hyaline-like chondral surface have donor-site morbidity, are resource intensive, are costly, and may require multiple surgeries. Autologous minced cartilage implantation is an encouraging, single-stage technique that can be safely and efficiently performed arthroscopically to address focal chondral defects in the knee.

Elucidating vaccine efficacy using a correlate of protection, demographics, and logistic regression.

Background: Vaccine efficacy (VE) assessed in a randomized controlled clinical trial can be affected by demographic, clinical, and other subject-specific characteristics evaluated as baseline covariates. Understanding the effect of covariates on efficacy is key to decisions by vaccine developers and public health authorities.

Methods: This work evaluates the impact of including correlate of protection (CoP) data in logistic regression on its performance in identifying statistically and clinically significant covariates in settings typical for a vaccine phase 3 trial.

Post-translational modification sites are present in hydrophilic cavities of alpha-synuclein, tau, FUS, and TDP-43 fibrils: A molecular dynamics study.

Hydration plays a crucial role in the refolding of intrinsically disordered proteins into amyloid fibrils; however, the specific interactions between water and protein that may contribute to this process are still unknown. In our previous studies of alpha-synuclein (aSyn), we have shown that waters confined in fibril cavities are stabilizing features of this pathological fold; and that amino acids that hydrogen bond with these confined waters modulate primary and seeded aggregation. Here, we extend our aSyn molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with three new polymorphs and correlate MD trajectory information with known post-translational modifications (PTMs) and experimental data.

How often should I meditate? A randomized trial examining the role of meditation frequency when total amount of meditation is held constant.

Meditation apps are the most commonly used mental health apps. However, the optimal dosing of app-delivered meditation practice has not been established. We examined whether the distribution of meditation practices across a day impacted outcomes in a distressed population.

One Score to Rule Them All? Comparing the Predictive and Concurrent Validity of 30 Hearts and Flowers Scoring Approaches.

The Hearts and Flowers (H&F) task is a computerized executive functioning (EF) assessment that has been used to measure EF from early childhood to adulthood. It provides data on accuracy and reaction time (RT) across three different task blocks (hearts, flowers, and mixed). However, there is a lack of consensus in the field on how to score the task that makes it difficult to interpret findings across studies.

Nuchal-type Fibroma Induced by Repetitive Trauma from Weightlifting: Case Report and Comprehensive Review of Literature.

A nuchal-type fibroma (NTF) is a rare, benign, subcutaneous nodule that most frequently occurs in the posterior neck along the midline. It is characterized histologically by bundles of thick collagen fibers confined to the dermis and subcutaneous tissue of the posterior neck. Few trauma-related NTF cases have been published.

Predicted serotype-specific effectiveness of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines V114 and PCV20 against invasive pneumococcal disease in children.

Background: Next-generation, higher-valency pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs), 15-valent PCV V114 and 20-valent PCV (PCV20), have been assessed by comparing their immune responses across serotypes shared with the 13-valent PCV (PCV13). Without efficacy or real-world vaccine effectiveness (VE) it becomes important to relate IgG titers to VE to aid in the interpretation of the immune response elicited by V114 and PCV20.

Methods: We estimated the protective antibody concentrations for each serotype in 7-valent PCV (PCV7) and PCV13 which were then used to predict the serotype-specific VE for each PCV7 and PCV13 non PCV7 serotype present in V114 and PCV20.

Savings in CT Net Scan Energy Consumption: Assessment Using Dose Report Metrics and Comparison With Savings in Idle State Energy Consumption.

CT scanners' net scan state (i.e., image acquisition period) represents a potential target for energy savings through protocol adjustments.

Resting state functional connectivity changes following mindfulness-based stress reduction predict improvements in disease control for patients with asthma.

Background: The staggering morbidity associated with chronic inflammatory diseases can be reduced by psychological interventions, including Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). Proposed mechanisms for MBSR's beneficial effects include changes in salience network function. Salience network perturbations are also associated with chronic inflammation, including airway inflammation in asthma, a chronic inflammatory disease affecting approximately 10% of the population.

Results from a Phase 1 Study of ACTR707 in Combination with Rituximab in Patients with Relapsed or Refractory CD20 B Cell Lymphoma.

The antibody-coupled T cell receptor (ACTR) platform is an autologous engineered T cell therapy combining the cell-killing ability of T cells and the tumor-targeting ability of coadministered antibodies. Activation of the T cell product ACTR707 is dependent on the engagement of antibody bound to target cells via the CD16 domain of the chimeric receptor (CD16V-CD28-CD3ζ). ACTR707 in combination with the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab was evaluated in the ATTCK-20-03 study, a multisite, single-arm, open-label phase I trial in B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).

The Value of Electroretinography in Identifying Candidate Genes for Inherited Retinal Dystrophies: A Diagnostic Guide.

Inherited retinal dystrophies (IRDs) are a group of heterogeneous diseases caused by genetic mutations that specifically affect the function of the rod, cone, or bipolar cells in the retina. Electroretinography (ERG) is a diagnostic tool that measures the electrical activity of the retina in response to light stimuli, and it can help to determine the function of these cells. A normal ERG response consists of two waves, the a-wave and the b-wave, which reflect the activity of the photoreceptor cells and the bipolar and Muller cells, respectively.

Evaluation of a stabilized RSV pre-fusion F mRNA vaccine: Preclinical studies and Phase 1 clinical testing in healthy adults.

Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes a substantial proportion of respiratory tract infections worldwide. Although RSV reinfections occur throughout life, older adults, particularly those with underlying comorbidities, are at risk for severe complications from RSV. There is no RSV vaccine available to date, and treatment of RSV in adults is largely supportive.

Replicate Testing of Clinical Endpoints Can Prevent No-Go Decisions for Beneficial Vaccines.

In vaccine efficacy trials, inaccurate counting of infection cases leads to systematic under-estimation-or "dilution"-of vaccine efficacy. In particular, if a sufficient fraction of observed cases are false positives, apparent efficacy will be greatly reduced, leading to unwarranted no-go decisions in vaccine development. Here, we propose a range of replicate testing strategies to address this problem, considering the additional challenge of uncertainty in both infection incidence and diagnostic assay specificity/sensitivity.

Microwave Angiography by Ultra-Wideband Sounding: A Preliminary Investigation.

Angiography is a very informative method for physicians such as cardiologists, neurologists and neuroscientists. The current modalities experience some shortages, e.g.