Mitigating the effect of COVID-19 in a postemergency phase: The role of sense of community and individual resilience.

To identify and confirm patterns of relationships connecting sense of community (SOC) and individual resilience with psychological well-being, via the mediation of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) impacts on life domains. An online survey was conducted with a sample of adults (n = 650) 1 year after the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy and the United States (April-December 2021). Utilizing a Structural Equation Model, we tested a mediation model (n = 563) to identify the associations between SOC and individual resilience and the perceived impacts of the emergency situation and psychological well-being.

Disparities in Lung Cancer Clinical Trial Discussion and Enrollment at a Safety Net Hospital.

Background: In the United States, less than 5% of all adult cancer patients enroll in clinical trials. Few studies explore participation in cancer clinical trials at safety net hospitals, which disproportionately care for minoritized, low-income, uninsured, and underinsured populations. Our study aims to investigate disparities in clinical trial discussions and enrollment among lung cancer patients at Boston Medical Center, the largest safety net hospital in New England.

Depression and Anxiety Among English- and Spanish-Speaking Patients With Breast Cancer Receiving Radiation Therapy.

Purpose: An estimated 30% and 40% of patients with breast cancer experience depression and anxiety, respectively. However, distress experienced by patients with breast cancer receiving radiation therapy may vary among patients and vary at different time points. This study sought to describe the changes in levels of depression and anxiety experienced by English- and Spanish-speaking patients throughout a course of radiation therapy for breast cancer, along with the effect of different variables to better understand potential gaps.

Disparities in US Lung Cancer Clinical Trial Enrollment.

Background: Disparities within clinical trial enrollment are well-documented, reducing the generalizability of results. Although nearly 30 years have passed since Congress passed the NIH Revitalization Act to encourage the participation of minoritized populations in clinical trials, these patients continue to be underrepresented. This study aimed to investigate lung cancer clinical trial enrollment disparities for race/ethnicity, sex, and age.

Activation of the Hedgehog signaling pathway leads to fibrosis in aortic valves.

Background: Fibrosis is a pathological wound healing process characterized by excessive extracellular matrix deposition, which interferes with normal organ function and contributes to ~ 45% of human mortality. Fibrosis develops in response to chronic injury in nearly all organs, but the a cascade of events leading to fibrosis remains unclear. While hedgehog (Hh) signaling activation has been associated with fibrosis in the lung, kidney, and skin, it is unknown whether hedgehog signaling activation is the cause or the consequence of fibrosis.

Timeliness of Lung Cancer Care From the Point of Suspicious Image at an Urban Safety Net Hospital.

Background: Timeliness of care is an important metric for lung cancer patients, and care delays in the safety-net setting have been described. Timeliness from the point of the suspicious image is not well-studied. Herein, we evaluate time intervals in the workup of lung cancer at an urban, safety net hospital and assess for disparities by demographic and clinical factors.

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Association Between Periodontal Disease and Severe Mental Illness.

Background: Periodontal disease represents a global public health concern, with a disproportionate burden being borne by vulnerable populations. One such group is people with severe mental illness (SMI), and this study examined whether periodontal health is poorer in people with SMI than the general population.

Methods: We conducted a systematic search for studies published before March 2021 on the periodontal health of people with SMI using the following databases: PubMed, PsycINFO, EMBASE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Chongqing VIP.

Variation in the stearoyl-CoA desaturase gene () and its influence on milk fatty acid composition in late-lactation dairy cattle grazed on pasture.

Gene markers have become useful tools for improving animal genetics and breeding since they improve the accuracy of selection for superior breeding stock. In this study, the stearoyl-CoA desaturase ( -9-desaturase) gene () was investigated in New Zealand pasture-grazed Holstein-Friesian   Jersey cows. Three nucleotide substitutions were identified in exon 5 of the gene (c.

Promoter and Terminator Optimization for DNA Methylation Targeting in .

DNA methylation is an important epigenetic mark involved in gene regulation and silencing of transposable elements. The presence or absence of DNA methylation at specific sites can influence nearby gene expression and cause phenotypic changes that remain stable over generations. Recently, development of new technologies has enabled the targeted addition or removal of DNA methylation at specific sites of the genome.

Effects of variation on milk fatty-acid composition for dairy cattle grazed on pasture in late lactation.

This research communication describes associations between variation in the fatty acid binding protein 4 gene (FABP4) and milk fat composition in New Zealand Holstein-Friesian × Jersey cross dairy cows. After correcting for the effect of the amino acid substitution p.K232A in diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1), which is associated with variation in many milk fatty acid (FA) component levels, the effect of FABP4 c.

Co-targeting RNA Polymerases IV and V Promotes Efficient De Novo DNA Methylation in Arabidopsis.

The RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) pathway in plants controls gene expression via cytosine DNA methylation. The ability to manipulate RdDM would shed light on the mechanisms and applications of DNA methylation to control gene expression. Here, we identified diverse RdDM proteins that are capable of targeting methylation and silencing in Arabidopsis when tethered to an artificial zinc finger (ZF-RdDM).

Targeted DNA demethylation of the genome using the human TET1 catalytic domain.

DNA methylation is an important epigenetic modification involved in gene regulation and transposable element silencing. Changes in DNA methylation can be heritable and, thus, can lead to the formation of stable epialleles. A well-characterized example of a stable epiallele in plants is , which consists of the loss of DNA cytosine methylation (5mC) in the promoter of the () gene, causing up-regulation of and a heritable late-flowering phenotype.

Antioxidant and functional properties of protein hydrolysates obtained from squid pen chitosan extraction effluent.

Squid pens were subjected to alkali hydrolysis to extract chitin and chitosan. Proteins present in the alkaline extraction wastewater were recovered at pH 3, 4, 5 and 6, and were subjected to hydrolysis by trypsin, pepsin and a bacterial protease called HT for 1, 2, 4 and 24h. Hydrolysis of the extracted proteins with either trypsin or HT generated more antioxidant activity than hydrolysis with pepsin.

Antioxidant activities, sensory and anti-influenza activity of grape skin tea infusion.

Grape skin extracts from pinot noir and pinot gris exhibited significant in vitro antiviral (influenza virus) activity. Five tea infusions from grape skins (Vitis vinifera var. pinot noir and pinot gris) without any additives (control pinot noir and control pinot gris) or by adding variable amounts of green tea and hibiscus were investigated as a means to utilise wine wastes.

Collaborative prescribing: a qualitative exploration of a role for pharmacists in mental health.

Background: Collaborative prescribing has been proposed as an extension of practice for advanced pharmacist practitioners. A lack of research investigating how pharmacists might be most effective as prescribers in mental health was identified.

Objective: To explore health professionals' and consumers' attitudes and beliefs that relate to the role of specialist mental health pharmacists working as collaborative prescribers within their advanced scope of practice in secondary care.

Mutant KRAS promotes hyperplasia and alters differentiation in the colon epithelium but does not expand the presumptive stem cell pool.

Background & Aims: Adenomatous polyps are precursors to colorectal cancer (CRC), whereas hyperplastic polyps (HPPs) have low risk of progression to CRC. Mutations in KRAS are found in ∼40% of CRCs and large adenomas and a subset of HPPs. We investigated the reasons why HPPs with KRAS mutations lack malignant potential and compared the effects of Kras/KRAS activation with those of Apc/APC inactivation, which promotes adenoma formation.

Osteopotentia regulates osteoblast maturation, bone formation, and skeletal integrity in mice.

During skeletal development and regeneration, bone-forming osteoblasts respond to high metabolic demand by active expansion of their rough endoplasmic reticulum (rER) and increased synthesis of type I collagen, the predominant bone matrix protein. However, the molecular mechanisms that orchestrate this response are not well understood. We show that insertional mutagenesis of the previously uncharacterized osteopotentia (Opt) gene disrupts osteoblast function and causes catastrophic defects in postnatal skeletal development.

Histomorphometric and microCT analysis of bone biopsies from postmenopausal osteoporotic women treated with strontium ranelate.

Unlabelled: Strontium ranelate is a new anti-osteoporotic treatment. On bone biopsies collected from humans receiving long-term treatment over 5 yr, it has been shown that strontium ranelate has good bone safety and better results than placebo on 3D microarchitecture. Hence, these effects may explain the decreased fracture rate.

A selective p38 alpha mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitor reverses cartilage and bone destruction in mice with collagen-induced arthritis.

Destruction of cartilage and bone is a poorly managed hallmark of human rheumatoid arthritis (RA). p38 Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) has been shown to regulate key proinflammatory pathways in RA, including tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin (IL)-1beta, and cyclooxygenase-2, as well as the process of osteoclast differentiation. Therefore, we evaluated whether a p38alpha MAPK inhibitor, indole-5-carboxamide (SD-282), could modulate cartilage and bone destruction in a mouse model of RA induced with bovine type II collagen [collagen-induced arthritis (CIA)].

Osteoblast-derived PTHrP is a potent endogenous bone anabolic agent that modifies the therapeutic efficacy of administered PTH 1-34.

Mice heterozygous for targeted disruption of Pthrp exhibit, by 3 months of age, diminished bone volume and skeletal microarchitectural changes indicative of advanced osteoporosis. Impaired bone formation arising from decreased BM precursor cell recruitment and increased apoptotic death of osteoblastic cells was identified as the underlying mechanism for low bone mass. The osteoporotic phenotype was recapitulated in mice with osteoblast-specific targeted disruption of Pthrp, generated using Cre-LoxP technology, and defective bone formation was reaffirmed as the underlying etiology.

Application of micro-CT assessment of 3-D bone microstructure in preclinical and clinical studies.

As the mechanical competence of trabecular bone is a function of its apparent density and 3-D distribution, assessment of 3-D trabecular structural characteristics may improve our ability to understand the pathophysiology of osteoporosis, to test the efficacy of pharmaceutical intervention, and to estimate bone biomechanical properties. We have studied ovariectomy-induced osteopenia in rats and its treatment with agents such as estrogen and sodium fluoride. We have demonstrated that 3-D micro-computed tomography (microCT) can directly quantify mouse trabecular and cortical bone structure with an isotropic resolution of 6 microm(3).