Structure and swelling of cross-linked nanocellulose foams.

Hypothesis: The water absorption capacity of nanocellulose (NC) foam is tailored by crosslinking with polyethyleneimine (PEI) and hexamethylenediamine (HMDA). The interaction of amine groups in PEI and HMDA with the carboxylic groups (COO) of NC affects the foam structure which reduces its swelling capacity.

Experiments: Functionalised NC foams were prepared by TEMPO (2,2,6,6,-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl) oxidation of bleached pulp, followed by fibrillation into a hydrogel, adding a crosslinker and freeze drying the hydrogel into a foam.

Inorganic polyphosphate controls cyclophilin B-mediated collagen folding in osteoblast-like cells.

Evidence is emerging that inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) is a fundamental molecule involved in a wide range of biological processes. In higher eukaryotes, polyP is abundant in osteoblasts but questions remain as to its functions. Here, we find that polyP is particularly enriched in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) where it colocalizes with cyclophilin B (CypB) using osteoblastic SaOS-2 model cell line.

Impaired folate binding of serine hydroxymethyltransferase 8 from soybean underlies resistance to the soybean cyst nematode.

Management of the agricultural pathogen soybean cyst nematode (SCN) relies on the use of SCN-resistant soybean cultivars, a strategy that has been failing in recent years. An underutilized source of resistance in the soybean genotype Peking is linked to two polymorphisms in serine hydroxy-methyltransferase 8 (SHMT8). SHMT is a pyridoxal 5'-phosphate-dependent enzyme that converts l-serine and (6)-tetrahydrofolate to glycine and 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate.

Antimicrobial forcing solution improves recovery of cryopreserved temperate fruit tree dormant buds.

Dormant bud cryogenic preservation is a cost- and labor-efficient method of genetic resource backup compared to in vitro derived meristem shoots cryopreservation. While protocols have been developed for cryopreserving apple dormant buds, effective and reproducible protocols are yet to be developed for several temperate fruit and nut species. Dormant bud cryopreservation typically requires material to be grafted to evaluate viability and recover a plant.

Infection dynamics of Bonamia exitiosa on intertidal Ostrea angasi farms.

Bonamia spp. cause epizootics in oysters worldwide. In southern Australia, Bonamia exitiosa Hine, Cochennac and Berthe, 2001 threatens aquaculture of Ostrea angasi Sowerby, 1871.

A Three-Dimensional Print Model of the Pterygopalatine Fossa Significantly Enhances the Learning Experience.

The pterygopalatine fossa (PPF) is a bilateral space deep within the skull that serves as a major neurovascular junction. However, its small volume and poor accessibility make it a difficult space to comprehend using two-dimensional illustrations and cadaveric dissections. A three-dimensional (3D) printed model of the PPF was developed as a visual and kinesthetic learning tool for completely visualizing the fossa, its boundaries, its communicating channels, and its neurovascular structures.

Cognitive Impairments and Self-Reported Sleep in Early-Stage Parkinson's Disease with Versus without Probable REM Sleep Behavior Disorder.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with cognitive and sleep impairments. The presence of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) symptoms may represent a worse disease prognosis for PD individuals. We investigated cognitive functioning and self-reported sleep in early-stage PD individuals with ( = 19) or without ( = 31) probable RBD.

SAXSDom: Modeling multidomain protein structures using small-angle X-ray scattering data.

Many proteins are composed of several domains that pack together into a complex tertiary structure. Multidomain proteins can be challenging for protein structure modeling, particularly those for which templates can be found for individual domains but not for the entire sequence. In such cases, homology modeling can generate high quality models of the domains but not for the orientations between domains.

Canadian Medication Cost Savings Associated with Combinatorial Pharmacogenomic Guidance for Psychiatric Medications.

Objective: To estimate Canadian pharmacy cost savings associated with psychiatric medication prescribing that is guided by combinatorial pharmacogenomic testing in patients switching or augmenting their psychiatric medication.

Methods: Pharmacy claims data from a United States (US) pharmacy benefit manager were analyzed for 1662 patients who recently augmented or switched to a different antidepressant or antipsychotic medication and underwent combinatorial pharmacogenomic testing. Costs of prescription medications were translated to the Canadian healthcare system by matching drug names and doses using the Ontario Drug Benefit Formulary.

Economic Burden of Depression and Associated Resource Use in Manitoba, Canada.

Objectives: To characterize the health-care utilization and economic burden associated with depression in Manitoba, Canada.

Methods: Patient-level data were retrieved from the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy administrative, clinical, and laboratory databases for the study period of January 1, 1996, through December 31, 2016. Patients were assigned to the depression cohort based on diagnoses recorded in hospitalizations and outpatient physician claims, as well as antidepressant prescription drug claims.

Levator ani muscle (LAM) anatomical volume compared to age and body mass index (BMI) of patients.

Introduction And Hypothesis: The levator ani muscle (LAM) plays an important role in pelvic support. Estimated levator ani subtended volume (eLASV) is an objective measurement of the anatomical volume of the LAM obtained from pelvic MRIs. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between the anatomical volume of LAM to the age and body mass index (BMI) of a surgical patient based on our previous published cutoff value of increased LAM volume as measured by pelvic MRIs (eLASV > 38.

Structural analysis of pathogenic mutations targeting Glu427 of ALDH7A1, the hot spot residue of pyridoxine-dependent epilepsy.

Certain loss-of-function mutations in the gene encoding the lysine catabolic enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase 7A1 (ALDH7A1) cause pyridoxine-dependent epilepsy (PDE). Missense mutations of Glu427, especially Glu427Gln, account for ~30% of the mutated alleles in PDE patients, and thus Glu427 has been referred to as a mutation hot spot of PDE. Glu427 is invariant in the ALDH superfamily and forms ionic hydrogen bonds with the nicotinamide ribose of the NAD cofactor.

Feasibility and effect of a physical activity counselling session with or without provision of an activity tracker on maintenance of physical activity in women with breast cancer - A randomised controlled trial.

Objectives: The SAFE-Maintain study sought to evaluate the effect and acceptability of a physical activity counselling (PAC) session, versus a PAC session plus provision of a Fitbit (Charge HR®; PAC+F), on maintenance of physical activity levels 12 weeks following participation in a supervised exercise intervention.

Design: Fifty-two women with stage II+breast cancer who had recently (within the previous 7 days) completed a 12-week supervised exercise program were randomised to the PAC or PAC+F group.

Methods: Physical activity levels, including weekly minutes of total physical activity (min/week), daily step count (steps/day), and weekly minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA, min/week), were assessed using the Active Australia survey and Actigraph® GT3X+ accelerometers.

A Super-Clustering Approach for Fully Automated Single Particle Picking in Cryo-EM.

Structure determination of proteins and macromolecular complexes by single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) is poised to revolutionize structural biology. An early challenging step in the cryo-EM pipeline is the detection and selection of particles from two-dimensional micrographs (particle picking). Most existing particle-picking methods require human intervention to deal with complex (irregular) particle shapes and extremely low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in cryo-EM images.

The impact of the ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM transition on the prevalence of birth defects among infant hospitalizations in the United States.

Background: Many public health surveillance programs utilize hospital discharge data in their estimation of disease prevalence. These databases commonly use the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) coding scheme, which transitioned from the ICD-9 clinical modification (ICD-9-CM) to ICD-10-CM on October 1, 2015. This study examined this transition's impact on the prevalence of major birth defects among infant hospitalizations.

Do Learning Disabilities Affect Testicular Cancer Survival: A National Cohort Study Between 2001 and 2015.

Background: Some 1.5 million people in the UK have a learning disability (LD). This vulnerable group derives less benefit from population-based education programs.

Structural and biochemical consequences of pyridoxine-dependent epilepsy mutations that target the aldehyde binding site of aldehyde dehydrogenase ALDH7A1.

In humans, certain mutations in the gene encoding aldehyde dehydrogenase 7A1 are associated with pyridoxine-dependent epilepsy (PDE). Understanding the impact of PDE-causing mutations on the structure and activity of ALDH7A1 could allow for the prediction of symptom-severity and aid the development of patient-specific medical treatments. Herein, we investigate the biochemical and structural consequences of PDE missense mutations targeting residues in the aldehyde substrate binding site: N167S, P169S, A171V, G174V, and W175G.

Sexual signal loss in field crickets maintained despite strong sexual selection favoring singing males.

Evolutionary biologists commonly seek explanations for how selection drives the emergence of novel traits. Although trait loss is also predicted to occur frequently, few contemporary examples exist. In Hawaii, the Pacific field cricket (Teleogryllus oceanicus) is undergoing adaptive sexual signal loss due to natural selection imposed by eavesdropping parasitoids.

Exploring classification of birth defects severity in national hospital discharge databases compared to an active surveillance program.

Objective: To explore the extent to which the severity of birth defects could be differentiated using severity of illness (SOI) and risk of mortality (ROM) measures available in national discharge databases.

Methods: Data from the 2012-14 National Inpatient Sample (NIS) was used to identify hospitalizations with one or more major birth defects reported annually to the National Birth Defects Prevention Network using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Edition, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) diagnosis codes. Each hospitalization also contained a 4-level SOI and 4-level ROM classification measure.

AutoCryoPicker: an unsupervised learning approach for fully automated single particle picking in Cryo-EM images.

Background: An important task of macromolecular structure determination by cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) is the identification of single particles in micrographs (particle picking). Due to the necessity of human involvement in the process, current particle picking techniques are time consuming and often result in many false positives and negatives. Adjusting the parameters to eliminate false positives often excludes true particles in certain orientations.

Outcomes of colorectal stents when used as a bridge to curative resection in obstruction secondary to colorectal cancer.

Background: Up to 25% of colorectal cancers present with bowel obstruction. Metal stents (MS) can provide a bridge to surgery by relieving obstruction and allowing the subject's condition to improve pre-operatively.

Methods: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) is a database of all NHS funded secondary care episodes in England.

Better Brain and Cognition Prior to Surgery Is Associated With Elevated Postoperative Brain Extracellular Free-Water in Older Adults.

For adults age 65 and older, the brain shows acute functional connectivity decreases after total knee arthroplasty with the severity of change predicted by preoperative cognitive function and brain disease burden. The extent of acute structural microstructural brain changes acutely after surgery remains unknown within the literature. For the current study, we report on the severity of acute post-surgery microstructural brain changes as measured by diffusion imaging and free-water analysis.

Proof of principle: Preoperative cognitive reserve and brain integrity predicts intra-individual variability in processed EEG (Bispectral Index Monitor) during general anesthesia.

Background: Preoperative cognitive reserve and brain integrity may explain commonly observed intraoperative fluctuations seen on a standard anesthesia depth monitor used ubiquitously in operating rooms throughout the nation. Neurophysiological variability indicates compromised regulation and organization of neural networks. Based on theories of neuronal integrity changes that accompany aging, we assessed the relative contribution of: 1) premorbid cognitive reserve, 2) current brain integrity (gray and white matter markers of neurodegenerative disease), and 3) current cognition (specifically domains of processing speed/working memory, episodic memory, and motor function) on intraoperative neurophysiological variability as measured from a common intraoperative tool, the Bispectral Index Monitor (BIS).

Mild Cognitive Impairment and Decline in Resting State Functional Connectivity after Total Knee Arthroplasty with General Anesthesia.

Background: Research shows that older adults can have a decline in three key resting state networks (default mode network, central executive network, and salience network) after total knee arthroplasty and that patients' pre-surgery brain and cognitive integrity predicts decline.

Objectives: First, to assess resting state network connectivity decline from the perspective of nodal connectivity changes in a larger older adult surgery sample. Second, to compare pre-post functional connectivity changes in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) versus non-MCI.