Preparing a dialysis patient.

Preparing a dialysis patient for access placement is a process that should ideally begin well before the need for access use. Unfortunately, this is often not the case and patients are often seen well after dialysis has been initiated with a catheter. The process should include a detail-oriented history and a thorough vascular oriented physical examination.

Re-evaluating John Snow's 1856 south London study.

John Snow, the London doctor who studied cholera in the 1840s and 1850s, argued in Snow (1856) that water exerted an "overwhelming influence" on mortality in a region of south London during the 1854 outbreak. In a paper re-assessing Snow's analysis, Koch and Denike (2006) claim that "Snow made not merely minor arithmetic errors but more importantly critical, conceptual mistakes that adversely affected his results." The claim of errors and mistakes is incorrect and due to a misreading or misunderstanding of Snow's data and analysis.

Spirituality of Science: Implications for Meaning, Well-Being, and Learning.

Scientists often refer to spiritual experiences with science. This research addresses this unique component of science attitudes-: feelings of meaning, awe, and connection derived through scientific ideas. Three studies ( = 1,197) examined individual differences in Spirituality of Science (SoS) and its benefits for well-being, meaning, and learning.

Refinement of an ovine-based immunoglobulin therapy against SARS-CoV-2, with comparison of whole IgG versus F(ab') fragments.

The development of new therapies against SARS-CoV-2 is required to extend the toolkit of intervention strategies to combat the global pandemic. In this study, hyperimmune plasma from sheep immunised with whole spike SARS-CoV-2 recombinant protein has been used to generate candidate products. In addition to purified IgG, we have refined candidate therapies by removing non-specific IgG via affinity binding along with fragmentation to eliminate the Fc region to create F(ab') fragments.

Focused ultrasound neuromodulation of the spleen activates an anti-inflammatory response in humans.

Focused ultrasound stimulation (FUS) activates mechanosensitive ion channels and is emerging as a method of noninvasive neuromodulation. In preclinical studies, FUS of the spleen (sFUS) activates an anti-inflammatory neural pathway which suppresses acute and chronic inflammation. However, the relevance of sFUS for regulating inflammatory responses in humans is unknown.

Thiocarbazate building blocks enable the construction of azapeptides for rapid development of therapeutic candidates.

Peptides, polymers of amino acids, comprise a vital and expanding therapeutic approach. Their rapid degradation by proteases, however, represents a major limitation to their therapeutic utility and chemical modifications to native peptides have been employed to mitigate this weakness. Herein, we describe functionalized thiocarbazate scaffolds as precursors of aza-amino acids, that, upon activation, can be integrated in a peptide sequence to generate azapeptides using conventional peptide synthetic methods.

Origin and Development of Cervical Dentin Hypersensitivity and Noncarious Cervical Lesions: Literature Review.

This article reports on published literature for causative factors of cervical dentin hypersensitivity and noncarious cervical lesions. The author conducted an exhaustive literary review of both conditions to examine etiologic co-factors involved for these dental findings. Previous literature found that these two conditions arise from combinations of dental stress distant from occlusal contacts, biocorrosion, and possibly friction.

Impedance Planimetry and the Changing Paradigm of Esophageal Dysphagia.

Objectives: Patients presenting with dysphagia can encounter a pathway to therapy and relief that is expensive and frustrating. High resolution impedance planimetry (HRIP) is a new mechanism for enhancing and possibly hastening that process. A balloon with integrated pressure sensors is utilized to measure luminal geometry and pressure by volume-controlled distention.

Stimulation of the hepatoportal nerve plexus with focused ultrasound restores glucose homoeostasis in diabetic mice, rats and swine.

Peripheral neurons that sense glucose relay signals of glucose availability to integrative clusters of neurons in the brain. However, the roles of such signalling pathways in the maintenance of glucose homoeostasis and their contribution to disease are unknown. Here we show that the selective activation of the nerve plexus of the hepatic portal system via peripheral focused ultrasound stimulation (pFUS) improves glucose homoeostasis in mice and rats with insulin-resistant diabetes and in swine subject to hyperinsulinemic-euglycaemic clamps.

Targeted peripheral focused ultrasound stimulation attenuates obesity-induced metabolic and inflammatory dysfunctions.

Obesity, a growing health concern, is associated with an increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Chronic low-grade inflammation is implicated in obesity-driven metabolic complications. Peripheral focused ultrasound stimulation (pFUS) is an emerging non-invasive technology that modulates inflammation.

In Doubt and Disbelief: How Mrdjenovich 2018 Misunderstands the (Non)Religion-Health Relationship.

The article, "Religiously/Spiritually Involved, but in Doubt or Disbelief-Why? Healthy?" (Mrdjenovich in J Relig Health. https://doi.org/10.

The psychology of nonbelievers.

Contrary to some conceptualizations, nonbelievers are more than simply those scoring low on religiosity scales. They seem to be characterized by analytic, flexible, and open-minded social-cognitive attributes, although this may interact with sociocultural levels of religiosity. This paper demonstrates that nonbelief, at least in the West, tends to coincide with specific worldviews, namely valuing rationality and science, as well as humanistic and liberal values.

Nonspecific wrist pain in pediatric patients: A systematic review.

Determining the cause of wrist pain is a challenge for clinicians due to the complex biomechanical characteristics of the multiple articulations which comprise the wrist, and the intricacies of the soft tissue supporting them. Patients presenting with wrist pain can be diagnosed by obtaining a detailed history, physical examination and radiographic images. For some patients, a diagnosis remains elusive even after a complete appropriate work up, and the pain may persist following conservative management.

Author Correction: Noninvasive sub-organ ultrasound stimulation for targeted neuromodulation.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

DMSO-mediated curing of several yeast prion variants involves Hsp104 expression and protein solubilization, and is decreased in several autophagy related gene (atg) mutants.

Chaperones and autophagy are components of the protein quality control system that contribute to the management of proteins that are misfolded and aggregated. Here, we use yeast prions, which are self-perpetuating aggregating proteins, as a means to understand how these protein quality control systems influence aggregate loss. Chaperones, such as Hsp104, fragment prion aggregates to generate more prion seeds for propagation.

Respiratory Support during Bronchiolitis Due to One Virus versus More Than One Virus: An Observational Study.

Bronchiolitis is common during infancy and frequently leads to pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission. This study aimed to determine if there is a difference in the duration of respiratory support when bronchiolitis is due to one virus or more than one virus. This is a retrospective, observational study of cases admitted to PICU with confirmed bronchiolitis.

Distributed Acoustic Sensing of Strain at Earth Tide Frequencies.

The solid Earth strains in response to the gravitational pull from the Moon, Sun, and other planetary bodies. Measuring the flexure of geologic material in response to these Earth tides provides information about the geomechanical properties of rock and sediment. Such measurements are particularly useful for understanding dilation of faults and fractures in competent rock.

Noninvasive sub-organ ultrasound stimulation for targeted neuromodulation.

Tools for noninvasively modulating neural signaling in peripheral organs will advance the study of nerves and their effect on homeostasis and disease. Herein, we demonstrate a noninvasive method to modulate specific signaling pathways within organs using ultrasound (U/S). U/S is first applied to spleen to modulate the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway (CAP), and US stimulation is shown to reduce cytokine response to endotoxin to the same levels as implant-based vagus nerve stimulation (VNS).

Immunization Elicits Antigen-Specific Antibody Sequestration in Dorsal Root Ganglia Sensory Neurons.

The immune and nervous systems are two major organ systems responsible for host defense and memory. Both systems achieve memory and learning that can be retained, retrieved, and utilized for decades. Here, we report the surprising discovery that peripheral sensory neurons of the dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) of immunized mice contain antigen-specific antibodies.

A literature review and hypothesis for the etiologies of cervical and root caries.

Unlabelled: The presence of endogenous acids from bacteria acting on a suitable substrate combined with sources of exogenous biocorrosives such as exogenous acids and proteolytic enzymes in areas of stress concentration are hypothesized to lead to the development and progression of cervical and root caries (RC). Quantifying the effects of each of the mechanisms (stress and biocorrosion) is a daunting task to investigate since so many factors are involved at various times in the etiology of noncarious cervical lesions (NCCLs), cervical caries (CC), and RC. Frictional action of the tongue has a cleansing effect and lingual serous saliva, which has a high flow rate buffering capacity from bicarbonates seem to account for the paucity of lingual NCCLs, cervical, and RC in these areas of teeth.

Effects of novel muscarinic M3 receptor ligand C1213 in pulmonary arterial hypertension models.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a complex disease comprising a pathologic remodeling and thickening of the pulmonary vessels causing an after load on the right heart ventricle that can result in ventricular failure. Triggered by oxidative stress, episodes of hypoxia, and other undetermined causes, PH is associated with poor outcomes and a high rate of morbidity. In the neonate, this disease has a similar etiology but is further complicated by the transition to breathing after birth, which requires a reduction in vascular resistance.

Mechanisms of blood pressure salt sensitivity: new insights from mathematical modeling.

Mathematical modeling is an important tool for understanding quantitative relationships among components of complex physiological systems and for testing competing hypotheses. We used HumMod, a large physiological model, to test hypotheses of blood pressure (BP) salt sensitivity. Systemic hemodynamics, renal, and neurohormonal responses to chronic changes in salt intake were examined during normal renal function, fixed low or high plasma angiotensin II (ANG II) levels, bilateral renal artery stenosis, increased renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA), and decreased nephron numbers.

C1q and HMGB1 reciprocally regulate human macrophage polarization.

A healthy immune system results from a balance of stimulatory and inhibitory pathways that allow effective responses to acute insults, without descending into chronic inflammation. Failed homeostasis is characteristic of autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus. Although HMGB1 induces proinflammatory M1-like macrophage differentiation, we describe a mechanism by which C1q modulates this activity and collaborates with HMGB1 to induce the differentiation of monocytes to anti-inflammatory M2-like macrophages.