A bioinspired glycopolymer for capturing membrane proteins in native-like lipid-bilayer nanodiscs.

Amphiphilic copolymers that directly extract membrane proteins and lipids from cellular membranes to form nanodiscs combine the advantages of harsher membrane mimics with those of a native-like membrane environment. Among the few commercial polymers that are capable of forming nanodiscs, alternating diisobutylene/maleic acid (DIBMA) copolymers have gained considerable popularity as gentle and UV-transparent alternatives to aromatic polymers. However, their moderate hydrophobicities and high electric charge densities render all existing aliphatic copolymers rather inefficient under near-physiological conditions.

IgG4-related lung disease as a differential diagnosis of a lymphoproliferative disease: atypical presentation of an atypical disease.

IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is an immunomodulated inflammatory disease that usually affects the pancreas and parotid glands. Although lung involvement is rare, it has been recently reported and could mimic various other diagnoses. We present a case of IgG4-RD whose symptoms and images raised the suspicion of a malignant lymphoproliferative lung neoplasm.

Five-Year Community Surveillance Study for Acute Respiratory Infections Using Text Messaging: Findings From the MoSAIC Study.

Background: Acute respiratory infections (ARI) are the most common infectious diseases globally. Community surveillance may provide a more comprehensive picture of disease burden than medically attended illness alone.

Methods: In this longitudinal study conducted from 2012 to 2017 in the Washington Heights/Inwood area of New York City, we enrolled 405 households with 1915 individuals.

Patient-reported outcomes version of the common terminology criteria for adverse events and quality-of-life linear analogue self-assessment in breast cancer patients receiving radiation therapy: single-institution prospective registry.

Purpose/objectives: We sought to investigate the impact of patient-reported outcomes version of the common terminology criteria for adverse events (PRO-CTCAE) on overall quality-of-life (QOL) employing linear analogue self-assessment (LASA) in breast cancer (BC) patients undergoing radiation therapy (RT).

Materials/methods: All patients treated with RT for BC with curative intent from 2015 to 2019 at our institution were included. Breast specific PRO-CTCAE and overall QOL LASA questionnaires were administered at baseline, end-of-treatment, 3, 6, 12 months, and then annually.

EGFR Inhibitors Plus Bevacizumab are Superior Than EGFR Inhibitors Alone as First-Line Setting in Advanced NSCLC With EGFR Mutations and BIM Deletion Polymorphisms (BIM-CLICaP).

Purpose: BIM activation is essential for epidermal growth factor receptor ()-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)-triggered apoptosis in -mutant non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A deletion in the intron two of the BIM gene results in generation of alternatively spliced isoforms that impairs their apoptotic response to TKIs, conferring the NSCLC cells intrinsic resistance to these medications. Patients with both alterations have poor clinical evolution.

Kinematic Changes in the Uninjured Limb After a Traumatic Brachial Plexus Injury.

Traumatic brachial plexus injury (TBPI) typically causes sensory, motor and autonomic deficits of the affected upper limb. Recent studies have suggested that a unilateral TBPI can also affect the cortical representations associated to the uninjured limb. To investigate the kinematic features of the uninjured upper limb in participants with TBPI.

Clinical and organizational framework of repurposing pediatric intensive care unit to adult critical care in a resource-limited setting: Lessons from the response of an urban general hospital to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Purpose: We aim to describe the action plan and clinical results of a COVID-19 unit for adult patient care in units intended for critically ill children, proposing a clinical/administrative framework.

Methods: We reviewed the preparedness of the PICU team before the surge of cases of COVID-19 and the organizational/administrative issues to increase critical beds in a six-bed PICU allocated to adult critical care in a government-funded general hospital in Latin America. We analyzed the prospectively collected administrative/clinical data of severe COVID-19 cases admitted to PICU during the peak of the first wave of the pandemic.

Ocean acidification induces distinct metabolic responses in subtropical zooplankton under oligotrophic conditions and after simulated upwelling.

Ocean acidification (OA) is one of the most critical anthropogenic threats to marine ecosystems. While significant ecological responses of plankton communities to OA have been revealed mainly by small-scale laboratory approaches, the interactive effect of OA-related changes on zooplankton metabolism and their biogeochemical implications in the natural environment still remains less well understood. Here, we explore the responses of zooplankton respiration and ammonium excretion, two key processes in the nutrient cycling, to high pCO levels in a 9-week in situ mesocosm experiment conducted during the autumn oligotrophic season in the subtropical northeast Atlantic.

Prenatal Δ-Tetrahydrocannabinol Exposure in Males Leads to Motivational Disturbances Related to Striatal Epigenetic Dysregulation.

Background: Cannabis remains one of the most widely abused drugs during pregnancy. In utero exposure to its principal psychoactive component, Δ-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), can result in long-term neuropsychiatric risk for the progeny. This study investigated epigenetic signatures underlying these enduring consequences.

Diagnosis of bipolar disorders and body mass index predict clustering based on similarities in cortical thickness-ENIGMA study in 2436 individuals.

Aims: Rates of obesity have reached epidemic proportions, especially among people with psychiatric disorders. While the effects of obesity on the brain are of major interest in medicine, they remain markedly under-researched in psychiatry.

Methods: We obtained body mass index (BMI) and magnetic resonance imaging-derived regional cortical thickness, surface area from 836 bipolar disorders (BD) and 1600 control individuals from 14 sites within the ENIGMA-BD Working Group.

p.G12C KRAS mutation prevalence in non-small cell lung cancer: Contribution from interregional variability and population substructures among Hispanics.

Background: The KRAS exon 2 p. G12C mutation in patients with lung adenocarcinoma has been increasing in relevance due to the development and effectiveness of new treatment medications. Studies around different populations indicate that regional variability between ethnic groups and ancestries could play an essential role in developing this molecular alteration within lung cancer.

Aspects of Large-Enrollment Online College Science Courses That Exacerbate and Alleviate Student Anxiety.

Anxiety is the top mental health concern for undergraduates. While researchers have identified ways that in-person science courses can affect anxiety, little is known about how online science courses affect anxiety. In this study, 2111 undergraduates at a large research-intensive institution completed survey questions about their anxiety in large-enrollment online science courses.

Proteomic analysis reveals Renibacterium salmoninarum grown under iron-limited conditions induces iron uptake mechanisms and overproduction of the 57-kDa protein.

Renibacterium salmoninarum, a slow-growing facultative intracellular pathogen, is the causative agent of bacterial kidney disease, a chronic, progressive and granulomatous infection that threatens farmed and wild salmonids worldwide. Pathogenic R. salmoninarum colonizes tissues and invades the host through cell surface-associated and secreted proteins.

Identification of COVID-19 Waves: Considerations for Research and Policy.

The identification of COVID-19 waves is a matter of the utmost importance, both for research and decision making. This study uses COVID-19 information from the 52 municipalities of the Metropolitan Region, Chile, and presents a quantitative method-based on weekly accumulated incidence rates-to define COVID-19 waves. We explore three different criteria to define the duration of a wave, and performed a sensitivity analysis using multivariate linear models to show their commonalities and differences.

Concentration of current-use pesticides in frogs from the Pampa region and correlation of a mixture toxicity index with biological effects.

Contamination with current-use pesticides is frequently mentioned as a key factor in global amphibian declines although a limited number of studies have examined the mixture of pesticides accumulated by free-living frogs. This study examined the presence of 46 different pesticide residues in the muscle and kidney tissues of two frog species living in close association with row crops in the Pampa region of Argentina: The terrestrial Leptodactylus latinasus and the semi-aquatic Leptodactylus latrans. A total of 20 different pesticides were identified in frog tissues; chlorpyrifos-methyl, pirimiphos-methyl and acetochlor being the most frequently detected molecules.

Signalling Three-Way Intersections: Is Redundancy Better Than Only Mandatory or Prohibitory Signs?

At intersections, drivers need to infer which ways are allowed by interpreting mandatory and/or prohibitory traffic signs. Time and accuracy in this decision-making process are crucial factors to avoid accidents. Previous studies show that integrating information from prohibitory signs is generally more difficult than from mandatory signs.

Intercomparison and performance assessment of radionuclide calibrators used in nuclear medicine departments in Serbia.

The purpose of this work is to assess accuracy and compare the performance of radionuclide calibrators (RNCs) used in nuclear medicine departments in Serbia. Testing of the RNCs included verification of measurement accuracy, as well as analysis of routinely used quality control protocols, by using the certified radioactivity standards (Co, Cs). RNCs performances were assessed with Tc through comparison of reference value for radionuclide activity and RNC measurements.

Proton Therapy of Prostate and Pelvic Lymph Nodes for High Risk Prostate Cancer: Acute Toxicity.

Purpose: To assess acute gastrointestinal (GI) and genitourinary (GU) toxicities of intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) targeting the prostate/seminal vesicles and pelvic lymph nodes for prostate cancer.

Materials And Methods: A prospective study (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02874014), evaluating moderately hypofractionated IMPT for high-risk or unfavorable intermediate-risk prostate cancer, accrued a target sample size of 56 patients.

Consensus Statement on Proton Therapy for Prostate Cancer.

Proton therapy is a promising but controversial treatment in the management of prostate cancer. Despite its dosimetric advantages when compared with photon radiation therapy, its increased cost to patients and insurers has raised questions regarding its value. Multiple prospective and retrospective studies have been published documenting the efficacy and safety of proton therapy for patients with localized prostate cancer and for patients requiring adjuvant or salvage pelvic radiation after surgery.

Self-Assembly of Protein-Containing Lipid-Bilayer Nanodiscs from Small-Molecule Amphiphiles.

When membrane proteins are removed from their natural environment, the quality of the membrane-solubilizing agent used is critical for preserving their native structures and functions. Nanodiscs that retain a lipid-bilayer core around membrane proteins have attracted great attention because they offer a much more native-like environment than detergent micelles. Here, two small-molecule amphiphiles with diglucose headgroups and either a hydrocarbon or a fluorocarbon hydrophobic chain are shown to directly assemble lipids and membrane proteins to form native nanodiscs rather than mixed micelles.

Hyperammonemia in Inherited Metabolic Diseases.

Ammonia is a neurotoxic compound which is detoxified through liver enzymes from urea cycle. Several inherited or acquired conditions can elevate ammonia concentrations in blood, causing severe damage to the central nervous system due to the toxic effects exerted by ammonia on the astrocytes. Therefore, hyperammonemic patients present potentially life-threatening neuropsychiatric symptoms, whose severity is related with the hyperammonemia magnitude and duration, as well as the brain maturation stage.

Dosimetry and Acute Toxicity Profile of Patients With Esophageal Cancer Treated With Proton Beam Radiation Therapy: Outcomes From the Proton Collaborative Group REG001-09 Trial.

Purpose: Concurrent chemoradiation plays an integral role in the treatment of esophageal cancer. Proton beam radiation therapy has the potential to spare adjacent critical organs, improving toxicity profiles and potentially improving clinical outcomes.

Methods And Materials: We evaluated the REG001-09 registry for patients undergoing proton radiation therapy for esophageal cancer.

The Effects of Two Different Concurrent Training Configurations on Markers of Metabolic Syndrome and Fitness in Women With Severe/Morbid Obesity: A Randomised Controlled Trial.

Concurrent training (CT), characterised by combining both aerobic and resistance training modalities within the same session, is recognised to improve metabolic syndrome (MetS) markers, but little is known about the effects of different configurations (i.e., order) of these exercise modalities on MetS markers and the interindividual responses.

Dose-volume histogram parameters and patient-reported EPIC-Bowel domain in prostate cancer proton therapy.

Purpose: To analyze rectal dose and changes in quality of life (QOL) measured with the Expanded Prostate and Cancer Index Composite (EPIC) bowel domain in patients being treated for prostate cancer with curative-intent proton beam therapy (PBT) within a large single-institution prospective registry.

Materials And Methods: Data was collected from 243 patients with localized prostate cancer treated with PBT from 2016 to 2018. The EPIC survey was administered at baseline, end-of-treatment, 3, 6, and 12 months, then annually.