Correction: Smoking is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events, disease severity, and mortality among patients hospitalized for SARS-CoV-2 infections.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Distinguishing Early from Late Mild Cognitive Impairment Using Magnetic Resonance Free-Water Diffusion Tensor Imaging.

Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is a transitional stage between normal aging and Alzheimer's disease. Differentiating early MCI (EMCI) from late MCI (LMCI) is crucial for early diagnosis and intervention. This study used free-water diffusion tensor imaging (fw-DTI) to investigate white matter differences and voxel-based correlations with Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores.

Factors Associated With Semaglutide Initiation Among Adults With Obesity.

Importance: Semaglutide, a novel glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist medication, was approved for weight management in individuals with obesity in June 2021. There is limited evidence on factors associated with uptake among individuals in this subgroup without diabetes.

Objective: To explore factors associated with semaglutide initiation among a population of commercially insured individuals with obesity but no diagnosed diabetes.

Trends in Obesity Care Among US Adults, 2010-2021.

Background: Obesity is a major contributor to mortality in the United States. Clinical guidelines emphasize the need for multimodal treatment, but novel treatments may be changing care-seeking behavior.

Objective: To characterize obesity treatment access patterns and factors associated with obesity care from 2010 to 2021 in the United States.

Assessment of complementary white matter microstructural changes and grey matter atrophy in the 6-OHDA-induced model of Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by motor symptoms such as tremors, rigidity, and bradykinesia. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers a non-invasive means to study PD and its progression. This study utilized the unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) rat model of parkinsonism to assess whether white matter microstructural integrity measured using advanced free-water diffusion tensor imaging metrics (fw-DTI) and gray matter density using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) can serve as imaging biomarkers of pathological changes following nigrostriatal denervation.

Association of Cigarette-E-Cigarette Transitions With Respiratory Symptom Resolution.

Introduction: Adults increasingly use e-cigarettes for cigarette cessation because of the perceived reduced risk. While e-cigarette use is associated with reduced toxicant exposure compared with smoking, it is unclear whether transitioning from cigarettes to e-cigarettes is associated with resolution of respiratory symptoms.

Methods: Data were obtained from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study waves 1-5.

Reporting patient experiences within elective perioperative care: a scoping review.

Patient experience is an important descriptor of the human experience of healthcare. Specifically, it is described as the sum of all interactions, shaped by an organization's culture, that influence patient perceptions, across the continuum of care. Currently, patient experience is measured with a focus on the hospital experience.

Exploring white matter microstructural alterations in mild cognitive impairment: a multimodal diffusion MRI investigation utilizing diffusion kurtosis and free-water imaging.

Background: Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is a transitional stage from normal aging to dementia, characterized by noticeable changes in cognitive function that do not significantly impact daily life. Diffusion MRI (dMRI) plays a crucial role in understanding MCI by assessing white matter integrity and revealing early signs of axonal degeneration and myelin breakdown before cognitive symptoms appear.

Methods: This study utilized the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database to compare white matter microstructure in individuals with MCI to cognitively normal (CN) individuals, employing advanced dMRI techniques such as diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI), mean signal diffusion kurtosis imaging (MSDKI), and free water imaging (FWI).

Safety but limited efficacy of donor lymphocyte infusion for post-transplantation cyclophosphamide-treated patients.

The therapeutic efficacy of donor lymphocyte infusions (DLIs) given after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is limited by risk of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (PTCy) effectively prevents severe GVHD, but there are limited data on outcomes of DLIs given to PTCy-treated patients. We reviewed 162 consecutive PTCy-treated patients transplanted between 2015-2022 within the Center for Immuno-Oncology at the National Cancer Institute.

Partial asynchrony of coniferous forest carbon sources and sinks at the intra-annual time scale.

As major terrestrial carbon sinks, forests play an important role in mitigating climate change. The relationship between the seasonal uptake of carbon and its allocation to woody biomass remains poorly understood, leaving a significant gap in our capacity to predict carbon sequestration by forests. Here, we compare the intra-annual dynamics of carbon fluxes and wood formation across the Northern hemisphere, from carbon assimilation and the formation of non-structural carbon compounds to their incorporation in woody tissues.

Structural and Evolutionary Relationships of Melanin Cascade Proteins in Cnidarian Innate Immunity.

Melanin is an essential product that plays an important role in innate immunity in a variety of organisms across the animal kingdom. Melanin synthesis is performed by many organisms using the tyrosine metabolism pathway, a general pathway that utilizes a type-three copper oxidase protein, called PO-candidates (phenoloxidase candidates). While melanin synthesis is well-characterized in organisms like arthropods and humans, it is not as well-understood in non-model organisms such as cnidarians.

Understanding factors impacting patient-reported outcome measures integration in routine clinical practice: an umbrella review.

Purpose: Patient-report outcome measures (PROMs) have gained widespread support as a mechanism to improve healthcare quality. We aimed to map out key enablers and barriers influencing PROMs implementation strategies in routine clinical practice.

Methods: An umbrella review was conducted to identify reviews exploring enablers and barriers related to the integration of PROMs in routine clinical practice from January 2000 to June 2023.

Rapid simultaneous estimation of relaxation rates using multi-echo, multi-contrast MRI.

Purpose: Multi-echo, multi-contrast methods are increasingly used in dynamic imaging studies to simultaneously quantify R and R. To overcome the computational challenges associated with nonlinear least squares (NLSQ) fitting, we propose a generalized linear least squares (LLSQ) solution to rapidly fit R and R.

Methods: Spin- and gradient-echo (SAGE) data were simulated across T and T values at high (200) and low (20) SNR.

Optimizing Recombinant Cas9 Expression: Insights from BL21(DE3) Strains for Enhanced Protein Purification and Genome Editing.

The CRISPR-Cas9 system is a revolutionary tool in genetic engineering, offering unprecedented precision and efficiency in genome editing. Cas9, an enzyme derived from bacteria, is guided by RNA to edit DNA sequences within cells precisely. However, while CRISPR-Cas9 presents notable benefits and encouraging outcomes as a molecular tool and a potential therapeutic agent, the process of producing and purifying recombinant Cas9 protein remains a formidable hurdle.

Soft Robotics: A Route to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusivity in Robotics.

Robotics is entering our daily lives. The discipline is increasingly crucial in fields such as agriculture, medicine, and rescue operations, impacting our food, health, and planet. At the same time, it is becoming evident that robotic research must embrace and reflect the diversity of human society to address these broad challenges effectively.

Identification of a Single-Dose, Low-Flip-Angle-Based CBV Threshold for Fractional Tumor Burden Mapping in Recurrent Glioblastoma.

Background And Purpose: DSC-MR imaging can be used to generate fractional tumor burden (FTB) maps via application of relative CBV thresholds to spatially differentiate glioblastoma recurrence from posttreatment radiation effects (PTRE). Image-localized histopathology was previously used to validate FTB maps derived from a reference DSC-MR imaging protocol by using preload, a moderate flip angle (MFA, 60°), and postprocessing leakage correction. Recently, a DSC-MR imaging protocol with a low flip angle (LFA, 30°) with no preload was shown to provide leakage-corrected relative CBV (rCBV) equivalent to the reference protocol.

Impact of preovulatory follicle maturity on oocyte metabolism and embryo development.

Improved oocyte competence for embryo development and pregnancy was observed following ovulation of preovulatory follicles with greater physiological maturity, as indicated by estradiol production, prior to the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-induced luteinizing hormone (LH) surge. It was hypothesized that follicular fluid from preovulatory follicles of greater maturity better supports the maturing oocyte's metabolic requirements and improves embryo development. The objective was to determine if differences in preovulatory follicular fluid due to follicle maturity influence oocyte metabolism during in vitro maturation (IVM) and affect embryo development.

Metacognition as a Transdiagnostic Determinant of Recovery in Schizotypy and Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders.

The term schizotypy refers to the latent personality organization that is thought to underpin the liability to develop schizophrenia and associated disorders. Metacognition, or the ability to understand and form increasingly complex and integrated ideas of oneself, others, and one's community, has been proposed to be an important transdiagnostic construct across schizophrenia spectrum disorders and a range of both clinical and non-clinical manifestations of schizotypy. In this paper, we review evidence that deficits in metacognition are present in individuals with relatively high levels of schizotypy and that these deficits are related to symptomology, function, and quality of life.

Recovery Animals in Toxicology Studies: An Innovation and Quality Consortium Perspective on Best Practices With Case Study Examples.

The inclusion of recovery animals in nonclinical safety studies that support clinical trials is undertaken with a wide diversity of approaches even while operating under harmonized regulatory guidance. While empirical evaluation of reversibility may enhance the overall nonclinical risk assessment, there are often overlooked opportunities to reduce recovery animal use by leveraging robust scientific and regulatory information. In the past, there were several attempts to benchmark recovery practices; however, recommendations have not been consistently applied across the pharmaceutical industry.