Safety and Tolerability of Wharton's Jelly-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Patients With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: A Phase 1 Clinical Study.

Background And Purpose: This study was an open-label, dose-escalation, phase 1 clinical trial to determine the safety and dose of EN001 for patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). EN001, developed by ENCell, are allogeneic early-passage Wharton's jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells that originate at the umbilical cord, with preclinical studies demonstrating their high therapeutic efficacy for DMD.

Methods: This phase 1 clinical trial explored the safety and tolerability of EN001 as a potential treatment option for patients with DMD.

Anti-necroptotic effects of human Wharton's jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells in skeletal muscle cell death model via secretion of GRO-α.

Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) have therapeutic applications and potential for use in regenerative medicine. However, the use of hMSCs in research and clinical medicine is limited by a lack of information pertaining to their donor-specific functional attributes. In this study, we compared the characteristics of same-donor derived placenta (PL) and Wharton's jelly (WJ)-derived hMSCs, we also compared their mechanism of action in a skeletal muscle disease in vitro model.

Synergistic effect of Wharton's jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells and insulin on Schwann cell proliferation in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A treatment.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A (CMT1A) is a demyelinating disease caused by PMP22 duplication and an exceedingly rare hereditary peripheral neuropathy, with an incidence of 1 in 2500. Currently, no cure exists for CMT1A; however, various therapeutic approaches are under development. Considering the known therapeutic effects of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and the relation of blood sugar levels with nerve damage in CMT, this study aimed to confirm the therapeutic effects of MSCs and insulin on CMT, using both in-vitro and in-vivo models.

Nervonic acid improves fat transplantation by promoting adipogenesis and angiogenesis.

Adipose tissue engraftment has become a promising strategy in the field of regenerative surgery; however, there are notable challenges associated with it, such as resorption of 50‑90% of the transplanted fat or cyst formation due to fat necrosis after fat transplantation. Therefore, identifying novel materials or methods to improve the engraftment efficiency is crucial. The present study investigated the effects of nervonic acid (NA), a monounsaturated very long‑chain fatty acid, on adipogenesis and fat transplantation, as well as its underlying mechanisms.

Evaluating student performance assessment methods in Objective Structured Clinical Exam: perspectives and comparisons.

Purpose: This study aims to evaluate how student performance and perspectives changed when the Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE) assessment system was changed from a composite score to discipline-specific grading at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine.

Methods: The retrospective study population consisted of all students (n = 349) who completed three OSCEs (OSCE 1, 2, and 3) as part of the predoctoral program during the years 2014-2023. Data on the students' OSCE scores were obtained from the Office of Dental Education, and data on students' race/ethnicity and gender were obtained from their admissions data.

Bright diffusion sign: A sensitive and specific radiologic biomarker for multinodular and vacuolating neuronal tumor.

Background And Purpose: Accurate differentiation between multinodular and vacuolating neuronal tumor (MVNT) and dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor (DNET) is important for treatment decision-making. We aimed to develop an accurate radiologic diagnostic model for differentiating MVNT from DNET using T2WI and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI).

Materials And Methods: A total of 56 patients (mean age, 47.

Deep Learning-Based Synthetic TOF-MRA Generation Using Time-Resolved MRA in Fast Stroke Imaging.

Background And Purpose: Time-resolved MRA enables collateral evaluation in acute ischemic stroke with large-vessel occlusion; however, a low SNR and spatial resolution impede the diagnosis of vascular occlusion. We developed a CycleGAN-based deep learning model to generate high-resolution synthetic TOF-MRA images using time-resolved MRA and evaluated its image quality and clinical efficacy.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective, single-center study included 397 patients who underwent both TOF- and time-resolved MRA between April 2021 and January 2022.

Perspectives on virtual interviews for dental school admissions.

Introduction: Admissions interviews are an integral part of the dental school application process. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, interviews had to adapt and become a part of the virtual realm. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the perspectives of interviewees and interviewers in this process.

Tacrolimus Improves Therapeutic Efficacy of Umbilical Cord Blood-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Diabetic Retinopathy by Suppressing DRP1-Mediated Mitochondrial Fission.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of blindness in diabetic patients. Umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (UCB-MSCs) are emerging as a promising new drug for degenerative disease associated with diabetes. Recent studies have shown that high glucose-increased excessive calcium levels are a major risk factor for mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS) accumulation and apoptosis.

Defining success in healthcare education: US dental student and faculty perspectives.

Purpose/objectives: Academic metrics and clinical performance are necessary but alone insufficient in describing success in dental education. This paper identifies themes critical for dental student success as commonly cited by both dental students and faculty.

Methods: Dental faculty interviews and pre-doctoral D2/D3/D4 student focus groups at two dental institutions generated data for thematic analysis.

Laser frequency stabilization in the 10 range via optimized modulation transfer spectroscopy on the Rb D line.

We present a high-performance laser frequency stabilization method using modulation transfer spectroscopy (MTS) on the rubidium D transition line. A substantial improvement of the laser frequency stability was achieved by searching for the optimal diameter and intensity settings of the probe and pump beam. The frequency instability measured from the beat frequency of two locked external cavity diode lasers (ECDLs) reached a short-term stability of 4.

Coherent consolidation of trillions of nucleations for mono-atom step-level flat surfaces.

Constructing a mono-atom step-level ultra-flat material surface is challenging, especially for thin films, because it is prohibitively difficult for trillions of clusters to coherently merge. Even though a rough metal surface, as well as the scattering of carriers at grain boundaries, limits electron transport and obscures their intrinsic properties, the importance of the flat surface has not been emphasised sufficiently. In this study, we describe in detail the initial growth of copper thin films required for mono-atom step-level flat surfaces (MSFSs).

Zinc enhances autophagic flux and lysosomal function through transcription factor EB activation and V-ATPase assembly.

The stimulation of autophagy or lysosomes has been considered therapeutic for neurodegenerative disorders because the accumulation of misfolded proteins is commonly observed in the brains of individuals with these diseases. Although zinc is known to play critical roles in the functions of lysosomes and autophagy, the mechanism behind this regulatory relationship remains unclear. Therefore, in this study, we examined which mechanism is involved in zinc-mediated activation of autophagy and lysosome.

Moving-frame imaging of transiting cold atoms for precise long-range transport.

Transporting cold atoms between interconnected vacuum chambers is an important technique for increasing the versatility of cold atom setups, particularly for those that couple atoms to photonic devices. In this report, we introduce a method where we are able to image the atoms at all points during transport via moving optical dipole trap. Cooled Rb atoms are transported ∼50 cm into an auxiliary vacuum chamber while being monitored with a moving-frame imaging system for which in-situ characterization of the atom transport is demonstrated.

Is dental education meeting the oral health needs of older adults?

The aim of this article is to highlight the importance of promoting oral health for the geriatric population and implementing change to address their complex oral and systemic health needs. Oral healthcare providers are unequipped to meet the demanding oral health needs of the aging population, resulting in a geriatric oral health crisis that needs immediate attention and action. Despite the advancements in geriatric education over the last two decades, the geriatric curriculum in 2022 is still inadequate, and varies greatly among different US dental schools for both pre- and postdoctoral programs.

A New Method of Myostatin Inhibition in Mice via Oral Administration of Expressing Modified Myostatin Protein, BLS-M22.

Myostatin is a member of the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily and is an endogenous negative regulator of muscle growth. This study aimed to determine whether an oral administration of expressing modified human myostatin (BLS-M22) could elicit sufficient levels of myostatin-specific antibody and improve the dystrophic features of an animal model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD; mouse). BLS-M22 is a recombinant engineered to harbor the pKV vector and poly-gamma-glutamic acid gene linked to a modified human myostatin gene.

Comparison of student and faculty interviewers using ratings data for admissions decisions.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlations of cognitive and noncognitive dental school admission factors with interview ratings provided by faculty and student interviewers.

Methods: Interviewees for the 2019-2021 admissions cycles underwent a 90-minute period consisting of two 45-min interviews and received two interview scores ranging from 1.0 to 2.

Association of admissions factors with student performance in preclinical operative dentistry.

Purpose/objective: Admission to dental school is based on various factors including academic achievements in undergraduate coursework and the Dental Admission Test (DAT) scores. Students' success in an operative course requires fundamental knowledge, hand skills, spatial awareness, and self-assessment ability. The goal of this study is to evaluate how admissions factors, such as Grade Point Average (GPA) and DAT, including the Perceptual Ability Test (PAT), relate to students' academic and preclinical performance and self-assessment skills in preclinical operative dentistry.

Wharton's Jelly-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells with High Aurora Kinase A Expression Show Improved Proliferation, Migration, and Therapeutic Potential.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are effective therapeutic agents that contribute to tissue repair and regeneration by secreting various factors. However, donor-dependent variations in MSC proliferation and therapeutic potentials result in variable production yields and clinical outcomes, thereby impeding MSC-based therapies. Hence, selection of MSCs with high proliferation and therapeutic potentials would be important for effective clinical application of MSCs.

miR-96-5p targets PTEN to mediate sunitinib resistance in clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

A multiple receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, sunitinib, is a first-line therapy for clear cell renal cell carcinoma (CCRCC). Unfortunately, it has the major challenges of low initial response rate and resistance after about one year of treatment. Here we evaluated a microRNA (miRNA) and its target responsible for sunitinib resistance.

A FAIR and AI-ready Higgs boson decay dataset.

To enable the reusability of massive scientific datasets by humans and machines, researchers aim to adhere to the principles of findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability (FAIR) for data and artificial intelligence (AI) models. This article provides a domain-agnostic, step-by-step assessment guide to evaluate whether or not a given dataset meets these principles. We demonstrate how to use this guide to evaluate the FAIRness of an open simulated dataset produced by the CMS Collaboration at the CERN Large Hadron Collider.

Synthetic Time of Flight Magnetic Resonance Angiography Generation Model Based on Cycle-Consistent Generative Adversarial Network Using PETRA-MRA in the Patients With Treated Intracranial Aneurysm.

Background: Pointwise encoding time reduction with radial acquisition (PETRA) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) is useful for evaluating intracranial aneurysm recurrence, but the problem of severe background noise and low peripheral signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) remain. Deep learning could reduce noise using high- and low-quality images.

Purpose: To develop a cycle-consistent generative adversarial network (cycleGAN)-based deep learning model to generate synthetic TOF (synTOF) using PETRA.