Publications by authors named "Wells S"

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) is invaluable for profiling cellular heterogeneity and transcriptional states, but transcriptomic profiles do not always delineate subsets defined by surface proteins. Cellular indexing of transcriptomes and epitopes (CITE-seq) enables simultaneous profiling of single-cell transcriptomes and surface proteomes; however, accurate cell-type annotation requires a classifier that integrates multimodal data. Here, we describe multimodal classifier hierarchy (MMoCHi), a marker-based approach for accurate cell-type classification across multiple single-cell modalities that does not rely on reference atlases.

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Introduction And Objective: Urodynamic study (UDS) is required to diagnose bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) during evaluation of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) but is seldom performed due to cost and invasiveness. Therefore, anatomic and clinical parameters to predict BOO have been proposed, including the prostate transition zone index (TZI) which is the ratio of prostate transition zone volume (TZV) to whole gland volume (WGV). Historically computed with ellipsoid volume estimation of prostate WGV and TZV from transrectal ultrasound measurements, controversy exists regarding the utility of TZI to predict likelihood of BOO on UDS and clinical outcomes following BPH surgery.

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Objective: In-bore MRI-guided biopsy allows direct visualization of suspicious lesions, biopsy needles, and trajectories, allowing accurate sampling when MRI-ultrasound fusion biopsy is not feasible. However, its use has been limited. Wide-bore, lower-field, and lower-cost scanners could help address these issues, but their feasibility for prostate biopsy is unknown.

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In response to increased focus on the issue of Assisted Dying (AD) in the UK due to the presentation of The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill 2024-25 [1] and bills before parliaments in the Isle of Man, Guernsey and Scotland, the British Geriatric Society (BGS) recently developed a position statement opposing legalisation of AD in the UK [2]. We set out our key reasoning behind this position, namely the current adverse health and social care context and significant concern about whether effective safeguards can be created to protect older people with complex needs from undue harms. The BGS asks for improved, personalised, multidisciplinary care for older people at the end of their lives, including high-quality palliative and end-of-life care.

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Nursing home acquired pneumonia (NHAP), and its subset - aspiration-associated pneumonia, is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among residents in long-term care facilities (LTCFs). Understanding colonization dynamics of respiratory pathogens in LTCF residents is essential for effective infection control. This study examines the longitudinal trends in prevalence, persistence, bacterial load, and co-colonization patterns of five respiratory pathogens in three LTCFs in Phoenix, Arizona.

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Despite a varied selection of available trauma-focused evidence-based psychotherapies (TF-EBPs) for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), few veterans receive a full course of an evidence-based treatment. A better understanding of and alignment with veterans' PTSD treatment goals could be one way to improve treatment engagement and adherence, consistent with veteran-oriented care within the U.S.

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  • High-dose methotrexate (MTX) can lead to serious complications like acute kidney injury (AKI), neutropenia, and liver damage, but glucarpidase, an enzyme that breaks down MTX, shows potential benefits.
  • In a study of 708 patients with MTX-AKI across 28 cancer centers, those receiving glucarpidase had a significantly higher chance of kidney recovery and faster recovery times compared to those who did not receive the treatment.
  • Additionally, glucarpidase treatment was associated with lower rates of severe neutropenia and liver enzyme elevation, but there was no notable difference in mortality rates between the two groups.
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The cellular concentrations of splicing factors (SFs) are critical for controlling alternative splicing. Most serine and arginine-enriched (SR) protein SFs regulate their own concentration via a homeostatic feedback mechanism that involves regulation of inclusion of non-coding 'poison exons' (PEs) that target transcripts for nonsense-mediated decay. The importance of SR protein PE splicing during animal development is largely unknown despite PE ultra-conservation across animal genomes.

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Background: Men's perpetration of sexual violence (SV) toward women in drinking venues is a pervasive yet understudied phenomenon with significant downstream consequences for women. Although men's negative attitudes and beliefs toward women play an important role in SV, current attitude measures are limited in that they do not focus on SV specific to drinking contexts, thereby precluding understandings of SV in this context. As such, we developed and evaluated a measure of beliefs and attitudes about men's alcohol-related sexual harassment and aggression (BAMASHA) toward women in drinking venues to better understand this ubiquitous problem.

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Construct failure is a rare complication of tibial cranial closing wedge ostectomy for the management of cranial cruciate ligament disease. Construct failure can present significant challenges for reconstruction. This case report describes three dogs with construct failure which were successfully revised by the repurposing of an inverted femoral supracondylar femoral plate as part of the revision.

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  • Heart age is a tool used to help younger patients understand their long-term cardiovascular risks, even if their short-term risk appears low.
  • A study on New Zealand patients showed that while short-term CVD risk increases with age, heart age gaps generally decrease, highlighting differences between age groups.
  • Misusing heart age to guide medication decisions may not be appropriate since it does not directly correlate with short-term CVD risk, leading to potential misunderstandings in patient care.
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  • The anti-WNT factor ZNRF3 is crucial for determining gonadal sex, as XY mice lacking it show variable ovarian tissue development during fetal stages.
  • Researchers used single-cell RNA sequencing to investigate how ZNRF3 deficiency affects cell development in the gonads, revealing failures in the proper differentiation of Sertoli and granulosa cells.
  • The study finds that without ZNRF3, there is significant disruption in the expected testicular cell fate, leading to a mix of cellular identities that complicate the traditional understanding of sexual differentiation.
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  • Paraxanthine (PXN), the main metabolite of caffeine, has been found to enhance cognition, memory, and attention in various studies, but there hasn't been a direct comparison with caffeine (CAF) in preclinical settings.
  • This study aimed to analyze the effects of different doses of PXN and CAF on memory and related brain biomarkers in young and aged rats using tests that measure cognition and neurotransmitter levels.
  • Results indicated that PXN, particularly at higher doses, outperformed CAF in improving escape latency and increasing BDNF levels, suggesting that PXN may be a more effective nootropic than caffeine.
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Background: This scoping review aims to explore the most common foot problems people experiencing homelessness (PEH) experience, as well as to explore the potential strategies for addressing foot problems in PEH, such as foot clinics, foot screening, and foot care for adults experiencing homelessness.

Methods: A scoping review of the literature from MEDLINE (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCOhost), Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials (Ovid), EMBASE (Ovid), PubMed, clinicaltrials.gov, Google Scholar, and Web of Science was conducted to identify relevant articles published from inception to April 14, 2023.

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The objective of this study was to evaluate biosecurity practices related to chronic wasting disease (CWD) transmission pathways and prevention in active cervid herds in Minnesota in 2019 by species, size and location of herds. A self-administered questionnaire was sent to all cervid producers in Minnesota to gather demographic, management, and biosecurity practices. Among producers (N=136), 63.

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Background: Biological sample collection and data linkage can expand the utility of population health surveys. The present study investigates factors associated with population health survey respondents' willingness to provide biological samples and personal health information.

Methods: Using data from the 2019 Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) Monitor survey (n = 2,827), we examined participants' willingness to provide blood samples, saliva samples, probabilistic linkage, and direct linkage with personal health information.

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There is an increasing understanding that some mitral valve pathologies have developmental origins. The time course of valvulogenesis varies by animal model; in cattle, the branched chordae tendineae architecture becomes fully developed at full term. The mechanism by which chordae tendineae bifurcate during fetal development remains unknown.

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  • Memory T and B cells in tissues are crucial for immunity, with a study analyzing immune memory from mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in 63 organ donors of varying ages.* -
  • Spike-reactive memory T cells were found in lymphoid organs and lungs, showing differences in expression based on prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, while B cells in these areas were mainly class-switched memory cells.* -
  • Tissue memory T cells lasted longer than blood counterparts, especially in older individuals, with distinct roles: regulatory profiles were more common in tissues, helping protect while minimizing damage.*
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Aim: There is no consensus on the optimal time horizon for predicting cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk to inform treatment decisions. New Zealand and Australia recommend 5 years, whereas most countries recommend 10 years. We compared predicted risk and treatment-eligible groups using 5-year and 10-year equations.

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Animal health and veterinary medicine are integral to One Health, contributing important perspectives on complex challenges arising at the human-animal-environment interface. The published Competency-Based Veterinary Education (CBVE) framework dedicates a domain of competence and three associated sub-competencies to public health (Domain 4). However, a panel of One Health scientists sought to establish additional outcomes believed necessary to support core veterinary curricula related to veterinary public health (VPH)/One Health.

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Recurrent and metastatic breast cancer is frequently treatment resistant. A wealth of evidence suggests that reprogrammed lipid metabolism supports cancer recurrence. Overexpression of the RON and DEK oncoproteins in breast cancer is associated with poor outcome.

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