Nerve Growth Factor Signaling Tunes Axon Maintenance Protein Abundance and Kinetics of Wallerian Degeneration.

Neurotrophic factors are critical for establishing functional connectivity in the nervous system and sustaining neuronal survival through adulthood. As the first neurotrophic factor purified, nerve growth factor (NGF) is extensively studied for its prolific role in axon outgrowth, pruning, and survival. Applying NGF to diseased neuronal tissue is an exciting therapeutic option and understanding how NGF regulates local axon susceptibility to pathological degeneration is critical for exploiting its full potential.

Interpretable deep learning survival predictions in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

Background: Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) is a rapidly progressive and fatal prion disease with significant public health implications. Survival is heterogenous, posing challenges for prognostication and care planning. We developed a survival model using diagnostic data from comprehensive UK sCJD surveillance.

Using diagnostic data from veterinary diagnostic laboratories to unravel macroepidemiological aspects of porcine circoviruses 2 and 3 in the United States from 2002-2023.

Porcine circoviruses (PCVs), including porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2) and porcine circovirus 3 (PCV3), have been associated with clinical syndromes in swine, resulting in significant economic losses. To better understand the epidemiology and clinical relevance of PCV2 and PCV3, this study analyzed a dataset comprising diagnostic data from six veterinary diagnostic laboratories (VDLs) in the United States of America. The data comprised of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results, sample type, and age group for PCV2 and PCV3 submissions from 2002-2023.

Developing Self-Compassion in Healthcare Professionals Utilising a Brief Online Intervention: A Randomised Waitlist Control Trial.

(1) Background: The level of stress experienced by staff in the healthcare sector is highly prevalent and well documented. Self-compassion may support the health and wellbeing of individuals and enable them to stay well at work. This study aimed to understand whether a brief, online, self-guided, novel intervention improved the health and wellbeing of healthcare professionals.

Can Australian plantation forest carbon offset methods increase carbon storage and timber supply? A case study from the Green Triangle plantation forestry region in Australia.

The plantation forestry estate in Australia has been in decline for a decade or more. Previous studies attribute observed investment inertia to factors including the long-term nature of forestry investments, high up front establishment cost and more recently water resource constraints. The introduction of plantation forestry methods as part of the Australian Carbon Credit Unit Scheme in 2017 has generated renewed interest in plantation forestry as a carbon abatement option.

Microtubules, Membranes, and Movement: New Roles for Stathmin-2 in Axon Integrity.

Neurons establish functional connections responsible for how we perceive and react to the world around us. Communication from a neuron to its target cell occurs through a long projection called an axon. Axon distances can exceed 1 m in length in humans and require a dynamic microtubule cytoskeleton for growth during development and maintenance in adulthood.

The Solar EruptioN Integral Field Spectrograph.

The Solar eruptioN Integral Field Spectrograph (SNIFS) is a solar-gazing spectrograph scheduled to fly in the summer of 2025 on a NASA sounding rocket. Its goal is to view the solar chromosphere and transition region at a high cadence (1 s) both spatially ( ) and spectrally (33 mÅ) viewing wavelengths around Lyman alpha (1216 Å), Si iii (1206 Å), and O v (1218 Å) to observe spicules, nanoflares, and possibly a solar flare. This time cadence will provide yet-unobserved detail about fast-changing features of the Sun.

Incidence, Nature and Natural History of Additional Histological Findings in Preimplantation and Implantation Kidney Transplant Biopsies.

The quality assurance provided by preimplantation biopsy quantification of chronic damage may allow greater use of kidneys from expanded criteria donors, and thereby expand the deceased donor pool. Preimplantation biopsy may, however, identify additional acute or chronic pathologies not considered in the scoring of chronic damage, and these may influence the decision to implant or discard the kidney. This single-centre retrospective cohort study of a contemporary UK donor population systematically characterised the nature of additional findings in 1,046 preimplantation and implantation biopsies over an eight-year period.

Suppressing phagocyte activation by overexpressing the phosphatidylserine lipase ABHD12 preserves sarmopathic nerves.

Programmed axon degeneration (AxD) is a key feature of many neurodegenerative diseases. In healthy axons, the axon survival factor NMNAT2 inhibits SARM1, the central executioner of AxD, preventing it from initiating the rapid local NAD+ depletion and metabolic catastrophe that precipitates axon destruction. Because these components of the AxD pathway act within neurons, it was also assumed that the timetable of AxD was set strictly by a cell-intrinsic mechanism independent of neuron-extrinsic processes later activated by axon fragmentation.

Monitoring emerging pathogens using negative nucleic acid test results from endemic pathogens in pig populations: Application to porcine enteric coronaviruses.

This study evaluated the use of endemic enteric coronaviruses polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-negative testing results as an alternative approach to detect the emergence of animal health threats with similar clinical diseases presentation. This retrospective study, conducted in the United States, used PCR-negative testing results from porcine samples tested at six veterinary diagnostic laboratories. As a proof of concept, the database was first searched for transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) negative submissions between January 1st, 2010, through April 29th, 2013, when the first porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) case was diagnosed.

Doppler ultrasound surveillance of recently formed haemodialysis arteriovenous fistula: the SONAR observational cohort study.

Background: Arteriovenous fistulas are considered the best option for haemodialysis provision, but as many as 30% fail to mature or suffer early failure.

Objective: To assess the feasibility of performing a randomised controlled trial that examines whether, by informing early and effective salvage intervention of fistulas that would otherwise fail, Doppler ultrasound surveillance of developing arteriovenous fistulas improves longer-term arteriovenous fistula patency.

Design: A prospective multicentre observational cohort study (the 'SONAR' study).

Early Ultrasound Surveillance of Newly-Created Hemodialysis Arteriovenous Fistula.

Introduction: We assess if ultrasound surveillance of newly-created arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) can predict nonmaturation sufficiently reliably to justify randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluation of ultrasound-directed salvage intervention.

Methods: Consenting adults underwent blinded fortnightly ultrasound scanning of their AVF after creation, with scan characteristics that predicted AVF nonmaturation identified by logistic regression modeling.

Results: Of 333 AVFs created, 65.

Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in adults over 80 years: a 10-year review of United Kingdom surveillance.

Introduction: Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) is a rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disease with public health implications. Mean age of onset is 68 years. Age-specific incidence declines after 80 years.

Perspectives of practicing school psychologists during COVID-19: A multi-country, mixed methods investigation.

COVID-19 presented a range of challenges to the delivery of school psychology services in countries around the world. The current study aimed to investigate the practices of school psychologists from the United States of America, Australia, Germany, Canada, and the United Kingdom, including changes to practice and exploration of the factors that supported the delivery of school psychology services during the pandemic. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 1,030 school psychologists and analyzed using a mixed methods, multiple case study design.

Characterisation of RT-QuIC negative cases from the UK National CJD Research and Surveillance programme.

Introduction: Incorporation of the real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) assays for diagnosis of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) has transformed diagnosis largely related to its extremely high specificity. However, the test has a c.10% false-negative result and we aim to characterize the clinical features, investigation profile, and molecular subtype in this cohort of patients.

Habitat suitability maps for Australian flora and fauna under CMIP6 climate scenarios.

Background: Spatial information about the location and suitability of areas for native plant and animal species under different climate futures is an important input to land use and conservation planning and management. Australia, renowned for its abundant species diversity and endemism, often relies on modeled data to assess species distributions due to the country's vast size and the challenges associated with conducting on-ground surveys on such a large scale. The objective of this article is to develop habitat suitability maps for Australian flora and fauna under different climate futures.

Towards Meaningful Engagement with Clinician Advisors: Lessons Learned Co-Creating a Digital Mental Health Tool.

In partnership with clinician advisors, a text-based program, BeWell, was co-created to support clinician well-being at a Canadian mental health hospital. This paper briefly describes the process of designing BeWell with clinician advisors and highlights key lessons learned in engaging clinicians as advisors in the design and development of a digital health intervention. The lessons learned can serve as best practices for health systems, organizations, and researchers to consider when engaging clinicians in the design, development, and implementation of digital health interventions.

Loss of Sarm1 reduces retinal ganglion cell loss in chronic glaucoma.

Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness worldwide and vision loss in the disease results from the deterioration of retinal ganglion cells (RGC) and their axons. Metabolic dysfunction of RGC plays a significant role in the onset and progression of the disease in both human patients and rodent models, highlighting the need to better define the mechanisms regulating cellular energy metabolism in glaucoma. This study sought to determine if Sarm1, a gene involved in axonal degeneration and NAD+ metabolism, contributes to glaucomatous RGC loss in a mouse model with chronic elevated intraocular pressure (IOP).