Prediction of Upper Limb Motor Recovery by the PREP2 Algorithm in a Nonselected Population: External Validation and Influence of Cognitive Syndromes.

Background: Early prediction of poststroke motor recovery is challenging in clinical settings. The Prediction recovery potential (PREP2) algorithm is the most accurate approach for prediction of Upper Limb function available to date but lacks external validation.

Objectives: (i) To externally validate the PREP2 algorithm in a prospective cohort, (ii) to study the characteristics of patients misclassified by the algorithm, and (iii) to compare the performance according to the presence of cognitive syndromes (aphasia, neglect, cognitive disorders).

Reconstitution of the alternative pathway of the complement system enables rapid delineation of the mechanism of action of novel inhibitors.

The complement system plays a critical role in the innate immune response, acting as a first line of defense against invading pathogens. However, dysregulation of the complement system is implicated in the pathogenesis of numerous diseases, ranging from Alzheimer's to age-related macular degeneration and rare blood disorders. As such, complement inhibitors have enormous potential to alleviate disease burden.

Potential associations between organic dairy products, gut microbiome, and gut health: A review.

Organic products have received longstanding, widespread attention for their nutritional and ecological benefits, as they are said to have certain positive health attributes and contain fewer harmful compounds than conventional (or non-organic) products. We reviewed the recent literature to examine potential associations between nutrient composition, gut microbiota, and gut health effects in recent comparative studies of organic and conventional dairy products. Trends of increased ratios of omega-3 to omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and unsaturated to saturated fat, increased fat-soluble vitamin content, and decreased levels of certain pernicious contaminants in organic milk were observed across the studies reviewed.

Historical development of the survivorship of zoo rhinoceroses-A comparative historical analysis.

Zoo animal husbandry is a skill that should be developing constantly. In theory, this should lead to an improvement of zoo animal survivorship over time. Additionally, it has been suggested that species that are at a comparatively higher risk of extinction in their natural habitats (in situ) might also be more difficult to keep under zoo conditions (ex situ).

Dual antibody inhibition of KLK5 and KLK7 for Netherton syndrome and atopic dermatitis.

The epidermis is a barrier that prevents water loss while keeping harmful substances from penetrating the host. The impermeable cornified layer of the stratum corneum is maintained by balancing continuous turnover driven by epidermal basal cell proliferation, suprabasal cell differentiation, and corneal shedding. The epidermal desquamation process is tightly regulated by balance of the activities of serine proteases of the Kallikrein-related peptidases (KLK) family and their cognate inhibitor lymphoepithelial Kazal type-related inhibitor (LEKTI), which is encoded by the serine peptidase inhibitor Kazal type 5 gene.

Analysis of Thermal and Roughness Effects on the Turbulent Characteristics of Experimentally Simulated Boundary Layers in a Wind Tunnel.

The aim of this paper is to analyse the thermal effects in a wind tunnel experiment to simulate the planetary boundary layer (PBL). Experiments were performed in the wind tunnel of the Laboratory of Constructions Aerodynamics at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. This wind tunnel is a closed return low-speed wind tunnel specifically designed for dynamic and static studies on civil construction models.

Outcome of Very Premature Newborn Receiving an Early Second Dose of Surfactant for Persistent Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

Infants presenting respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) not responding to surfactant often receive a second instillation. Few studies evaluated the consequences of this second administration. This study aimed at determining the outcome of infants presenting persistent RDS and receiving an early second dose of surfactant.

The advantages of describing covalent inhibitor in vitro potencies by IC at a fixed time point. IC determination of covalent inhibitors provides meaningful data to medicinal chemistry for SAR optimization.

Recent years have seen a resurgence in drug discovery efforts aimed at the identification of covalent inhibitors which has led to an explosion of literature reports in this area and most importantly new approved therapies. These reports and breakthroughs highlight the significant investments made across the industry in SAR campaigns to optimize inhibitors. The potency of covalent inhibitors is generally considered to be more accurately described by the time-independent kinetic parameter k/K rather than a by a simple IC since the latter is a time-dependent parameter.

Case Series of COVID-19 Asymptomatic Newborns With Possible Intrapartum Transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

Despite the pandemic, data are limited regarding COVID-19 infection in pregnant women and newborns. This report aimed to bring new information about presentation that could modify precautionary measures for infants born of mothers with a remote history of COVID-19. We report two infants with possible maternofetal transmission, and four mothers without immunologic reactions.

Impact of introducing a standardized nutrition protocol on very premature infants' growth and morbidity.

Background: Inappropriate nutritional intake in premature infants may be responsible for postnatal growth restriction (PGR) and adverse long-term outcomes.

Objective: We evaluated the impact of an updated nutrition protocol on very premature infants' longitudinal growth and morbidity, and secondly the compliance to this new protocol.

Design: All infants born between 26-32 weeks gestation (GA) were studied retrospectively during two 6-month periods before (group 1) and after (group 2) the introduction of an optimized nutrition protocol, in a longitudinal comparative analysis.

Probiotics in Goat Milk Products: Delivery Capacity and Ability to Improve Sensory Attributes.

Dairy foods, particularly those of bovine origin, are the predominant vehicles for delivery of probiotic bacteria. Caprine (goat) milk also possesses potential for successful delivery of probiotics, and despite its less appealing flavor in some products, the use of goat milk as a probiotic carrier has rapidly increased over the last decade. This review reports on the diversity, applicability, and potential of using probiotics to enhance the sensory properties of goat milk and goat milk-based products.

Deciphering the Allosteric Binding Mechanism of the Human Tropomyosin Receptor Kinase A ( hTrkA) Inhibitors.

Access to cryptic binding pockets or allosteric sites on a kinase that present themselves when the enzyme is in a specific conformational state offers a paradigm shift in designing the next generation small molecule kinase inhibitors. The current work showcases an extensive and exhaustive array of in vitro biochemical and biophysical tools and techniques deployed along with structural biology efforts of inhibitor-bound kinase complexes to characterize and confirm the cryptic allosteric binding pocket and docking mode of the small molecule actives identified for hTrkA. Specifically, assays were designed and implemented to lock the kinase in a predominantly active or inactive conformation and the effect of the kinase inhibitor probed to understand the hTrkA binding and hTrkB selectivity.

Aminopyrazole Carboxamide Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors. Irreversible to Reversible Covalent Reactive Group Tuning.

Potent covalent inhibitors of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) based on an aminopyrazole carboxamide scaffold have been identified. Compared to acrylamide-based covalent reactive groups leading to irreversible protein adducts, cyanamide-based reversible-covalent inhibitors provided the highest combined BTK potency and EGFR selectivity. The cyanamide covalent mechanism with BTK was confirmed through enzyme kinetic, NMR, MS, and X-ray crystallographic studies.

Quantum Decision Theory in Simple Risky Choices.

Quantum decision theory (QDT) is a recently developed theory of decision making based on the mathematics of Hilbert spaces, a framework known in physics for its application to quantum mechanics. This framework formalizes the concept of uncertainty and other effects that are particularly manifest in cognitive processes, which makes it well suited for the study of decision making. QDT describes a decision maker's choice as a stochastic event occurring with a probability that is the sum of an objective utility factor and a subjective attraction factor.

Risky Decisions in a Lottery Task Are Associated with an Increase of Cocaine Use.

Cocaine use disorder is associated with maladaptive decision-making behavior, which strongly contributes to the harmful consequences of chronic drug use. Prior research has shown that cocaine users exhibit impaired neuropsychological test performances, particularly with regard to attention, learning, and memory but also in executive functions such as decision-making and impulse control. However, to what extent cocaine users show impaired decision-making under risk without feedback has not yet been investigated systematically.

Salivary Alpha-Amylase Correlates with Subjective Heat Pain Perception.

Objective: Self-reports of pain are important for an adequate therapy. This is a problem with patients and infants who are restricted in providing an accurate verbal estimation of their pain. Reliable, real-time, economical, and non-invasive physiological correlates might contribute to a more comprehensive description of pain.

Juicy lemons for measuring basic empathic resonance.

Watch or even think of someone biting into a juicy lemon and your saliva will flow. This is a phenomenon of resonance, best described by the Perception-Action Model, where a physiological state in a person is activated through observation of this state in another. Within a broad framework of empathy, including manifold abilities depending on the Perception-Action link, resonance has been proposed as one physiological substrate for empathy.

Help-seeking in people with exceptional experiences: results from a general population sample.

Background: Exceptional experiences (EE) are experiences that deviate from ordinary experiences, for example precognition, supernatural appearances, or déjà vues. In spite of the high frequency of EE in the general population, little is known about their effect on mental health and about the way people cope with EE. This study aimed to assess the quality and quantity of EE in persons from the Swiss general population, to identify the predictors of their help-seeking, and to determine how many of them approach the mental health system.

Preventing T7 RNA polymerase read-through transcription-A synthetic termination signal capable of improving bioprocess stability.

The phage-derived T7 RNA polymerase is the most prominent orthogonal transcriptions system used in the field of synthetic biology. However, gene expression driven by T7 RNA polymerase is prone to read-through transcription due to contextuality of the T7 terminator. The native T7 terminator has a termination efficiency of approximately 80% and therefore provides insufficient insulation of the expression unit.

Intra-rater and inter-rater reliability of the five image-based criteria of the foot posture index-6.

Purpose/background: The Foot Posture Index-6 (FPI-6) is considered a simple quantification tool to assess static foot alignment. Palpation of the foot is required for assessment of one of the six criteria that comprise the FPI-6; the remaining five criteria may be evaluated using still-frame photographs. Using only the image-based criteria may allow multiple clinicians to evaluate large groups of patients quickly.

Differential kinetics and inhibition of purified recombinant tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK-2) and its catalytic domain JH-1.

The Janus kinase (JAK) family consists of four members: JAK-1, -2, -3 and tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK-2). Recent work suggests that cytokine signaling through TYK-2 may play a critical role in a number of inflammatory processes. We recently described the purification and characterization of phosphorylated isoforms of the TYK-2 kinase domain (TYK-2 KD) and its high resolution 3D structure in the presence of inhibitors.

Modulation of cellular S1P levels with a novel, potent and specific inhibitor of sphingosine kinase-1.

SphK (sphingosine kinase) is the major source of the bioactive lipid and GPCR (G-protein-coupled receptor) agonist S1P (sphingosine 1-phosphate). S1P promotes cell growth, survival and migration, and is a key regulator of lymphocyte trafficking. Inhibition of S1P signalling has been proposed as a strategy for treatment of inflammatory diseases and cancer.