Meeting report of the seventh annual Tri-Service Microbiome Consortium Symposium.

The Tri-Service Microbiome Consortium (TSMC) was founded to enhance collaboration, coordination, and communication of microbiome research among DoD organizations and to facilitate resource, material and information sharing among consortium members, which includes collaborators in academia and industry. The 2023 annual symposium was a hybrid meeting held in Washington DC on 26-27 September 2023 concurrent with the virtual attendance, with oral and poster presentations and discussions centered on microbiome-related topics within five broad thematic areas: 1) Environmental Microbiome Characterization; 2) Microbiome Analysis; 3) Human Microbiome Characterization; 4) Microbiome Engineering; and 5) In Vitro and In Vivo Microbiome Models. Collectively, the symposium provided an update on the scope of current DoD and DoD-affiliated microbiome research efforts and fostered collaborative opportunities.

Modified-release morphine or placebo for chronic breathlessness: the MABEL trial protocol.

Chronic breathlessness, a persistent and disabling symptom despite optimal treatment of underlying causes, is a frightening symptom with serious and widespread impact on patients and their carers. Clinical guidelines support the use of morphine for the relief of chronic breathlessness in common long-term conditions, but questions remain around clinical effectiveness, safety and longer term (>7 days) administration. This trial will evaluate the effectiveness of low-dose oral modified-release morphine in chronic breathlessness.

Non-invasive treatment of ischemia/reperfusion injury: Effective transmission of therapeutic near-infrared light into the human brain through soft skin-conforming silicone waveguides.

Noninvasive delivery of near-infrared light (IRL) to human tissues has been researched as a treatment for several acute and chronic disease conditions. We recently showed that use of specific IRL wavelengths, which inhibit the mitochondrial enzyme cytochrome oxidase (COX), leads to robust neuroprotection in animal models of focal and global brain ischemia/reperfusion injury. These life-threatening conditions can be caused by an ischemic stroke or cardiac arrest, respectively, two leading causes of death.

Systems and processes for regulation of investigational medical devices in Uganda.

Background: In many parts of the world, medical devices and the processes of their development are tightly regulated. However, the current regulatory landscape in Uganda like other developing countries is weak and poorly defined, which creates significant barriers to innovation, clinical evaluation, and translation of medical devices.

Aim: To evaluate current knowledge, systems and infrastructure for medical devices regulation and innovation in Uganda.

Protocol for the TRANSLATE prospective, multicentre, randomised clinical trial of prostate biopsy technique.

Objectives: Primary objectives: to determine whether local anaesthetic transperineal prostate (LATP) biopsy improves the detection of clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa), defined as International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) Grade Group ≥2 disease (i.e., any Gleason pattern 4 disease), compared to transrectal ultrasound-guided (TRUS) prostate biopsy, in biopsy-naïve men undergoing biopsy based on suspicion of csPCa.

Review of investigational medical devices' clinical trials and regulations in Africa as a benchmark for new innovations.

Medical technologies present a huge potential in improving global health playing a key role toward achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3 by 2030. A number of clinicians, innovators, business entities and biomedical engineers among others have developed a number of innovative medical devices and technologies to address the healthcare challenges especially in Africa. Globally, medical devices clinical trials present the most acceptable method for determining the risks and benefits of medical device innovations with the aim of ascertaining their effectiveness and safety as compared with established medical practice.

Reduced trabecular bone mineral density and thinner cortices in men with distal forearm fractures.

Men with distal forearm fractures have reduced bone density, an increased risk of osteoporosis and of further fractures. The aim of the study was to investigate the structural determinants of these observations using quantitative CT (qCT). Ninety six men with low-trauma distal forearm fracture and 101 age-matched healthy control subjects were recruited.

Mechanical-Stress-Related Epigenetic Regulation of Transcription Factor in the Etiology of Postmenopausal Osteoporosis.

Mechanical loading exerts a profound influence on bone density and architecture, but the exact mechanism is unknown. Our study shows that expression of the neurological transcriptional factor zinc finger of the cerebellum 1 () is markedly increased in trabecular bone biopsies in the lumbar spine compared with the iliac crest, skeletal sites of high and low mechanical stress, respectively. Human trabecular bone transcriptome analyses revealed a strong association between mRNA levels and gene transcripts characteristically associated with osteoblasts, osteocytes and osteoclasts.

Prospective comparative study of quantitative X-ray (QXR) versus dual energy X-ray absorptiometry to determine the performance of QXR as a predictor of bone health for adult patients in secondary care.

Objectives: To evaluate a method of quantitative X-ray (QXR) for obtaining bone health information from standard radiographs aimed at identifying early signs of osteoporosis to enable improved referral and treatment. This QXR measurement is performed by postexposure analysis of standard radiographs, meaning bone health data can be acquired opportunistically, alongside routine imaging.

Design: The relationship between QXR and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) was demonstrated with a phantom study.

ReIMAGINE: a prostate cancer research consortium with added value through its patient and public involvement and engagement.

Background: ReIMAGINE aims to improve the current prostate specific antigen (PSA)/biopsy risk stratification for prostate cancer (PCa) and develop a new image-based method (with biomarkers) for diagnosing high/low risk PCa in men. ReIMAGINE's varied patient and public involvement (PPI) and engagement (PE) strategy maximises the impact of its scientific output by informing and shaping the different stages of research.

Aims: Through including the voice of patients and the public, the ReIMAGINE Consortium aims to translate these different perspectives into the design and implementation process.

TAT-6, a putative aminophospholipid translocase, is expressed in sujc cells in the hermaphrodite gonad.

In healthy eukaryotic cells, the two leaflets that make up plasma membranes are highly asymmetric with respect to the lipids they contain. In both unicellular eukaryotes and metazoans, the asymmetry in the distribution of aminophospholipids is maintained by P4-family transmembrane ATPases, which catalyze the movement of selected phospholipids from the outer leaflet to the inner. has six P4-family ATPases, TAT-1 - TAT-6.

A randomized, feasibility trial of an exercise and nutrition-based rehabilitation programme (ENeRgy) in people with cancer.

Background: Despite rehabilitation being increasingly advocated for people living with incurable cancer, there is limited evidence supporting efficacy or component parts. The progressive decline in function and nutritional in this population would support an approach that targets these factors. This trial aimed to assess the feasibility of an exercise and nutrition based rehabilitation programme in people with incurable cancer.

ReIMAGINE Prostate Cancer Screening Study: protocol for a single-centre feasibility study inviting men for prostate cancer screening using MRI.

Introduction: The primary objective of the ReIMAGINE Prostate Cancer Screening Study is to explore the uptake of an invitation to prostate cancer screening using MRI.

Methods And Analysis: The ReIMAGINE Prostate Cancer Screening Study is a prospective single-centre feasibility study. Eligible men aged 50-75 years with no prior prostate cancer diagnosis or treatment will be identified through general practitioner practices and randomly selected for invitation.

EGL-4 promotes turning behavior of males during mating.

During mating, males whose tails have reached the head or tail of their intended mates are able to switch to scanning the other side by performing a turn during which the male's tail curls ventrally all the while keeping in contact with the hermaphrodite. The ability to execute turns efficiently is dependent upon serotonergic neurons in the posterior ventral nerve cord that stimulate diagonal muscles by activating a serotonin receptor, SER-1. Here we show that turning behavior is abnormal in males lacking a cGMP-dependent protein kinase, EGL-4.

Bone turnover markers as determinants of bone density and fracture in men with distal forearm fractures: the pathogenesis examined in the Mr F study.

Unlabelled: The pathogenesis for low-trauma wrist fractures in men is not fully understood. This study found that these men had evidence of significantly higher bone turnover compared with control subjects. Bone turnover markers were negative predictors of bone mineral density and were a predictor of fracture.

Update from the ReIMAGINE Prostate Cancer Screening Study NCT04063566: Inviting Men for Prostate Cancer Screening Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

ReIMAGINE Screening is a single-centre study assessing the feasibility of biparametric magnetic resonance imaging as a screening tool for prostate cancer. The study outcomes will take us a step towards more accurate and less harmful prostate cancer screening.

Long-term evaluation of anabolic and anti-resorptive agents in adults with familial osteoporosis due to pro205ala variant of the col1a1 gene.

Introduction: Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a rare disorder with variable clinical presentation, commonly caused by mutations in collagen type I genes. OI affects both bone quality and density resulting in fractures and deformity. The effectiveness of bisphosphonates in the treatment of adult OI remains unclear.

Paget's Disease of the Bone: Patterns of Referral to Secondary Care Following Diagnosis on X-rays.

Paget's disease of bone (PDB) is the second commonest metabolic bone disorder in the UK after osteoporosis and is both underdiagnosed and undertreated. PDB is often found incidentally on plain X-rays. There is effective treatment so identification of affected individuals is important.

Adult Paget's disease of bone.

Adult Paget's disease of bone is the second commonest metabolic bone condition after osteoporosis. The condition is characterised by increased bone cell activity, with bone-resorbing osteoclasts often larger and containing more nuclei than normal and osteoblasts producing increased amounts of disorganised bone. This leads to expanded bone of poor quality possessing both sclerotic and lytic areas.

Cytochrome c oxidase-modulatory near-infrared light penetration into the human brain: Implications for the noninvasive treatment of ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Near-infrared light (IRL) has been evaluated as a therapeutic for a variety of pathological conditions, including ischemia/reperfusion injury of the brain, which can be caused by an ischemic stroke or cardiac arrest. Strategies have focused on modulating the activity of mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) enzyme cytochrome c oxidase (COX), which has copper centers that broadly absorb IRL between 700 and 1,000 nm. We have recently identified specific COX-inhibitory IRL wavelengths that are profoundly neuroprotective in rodent models of brain ischemia/reperfusion through the following mechanism: COX inhibition by IRL limits mitochondrial membrane potential hyperpolarization during reperfusion, which otherwise causes reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and cell death.