Assays to Enhance Metabolic Phenotyping in the Kidney.

The kidney is highly metabolically active, and injury induces changes in metabolism that can impact repair and fibrosis progression. Changes in expression of metabolism-related genes and proteins provide valuable data, but functional metabolic assays are critical to confirm changes in metabolic activity. Stable isotope metabolomics are the gold standard, but these involve considerable cost and specialized expertise.

Frontier-Model Chatbots Can Help Instructors Create, Improve, and Use Learning Objectives.

Learning Objectives (LOs) are a pillar of course design and execution, and thus a focus of curricular reforms. This study explored the extent to which the creation and usage of LOs might be facilitated by three leading chatbots: ChatGPT-4o, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, and Google Gemini Advanced.

Group differences in biographical inventories: A meta-analysis on the adverse impact potential of biodata.

The purpose of the present meta-analysis was to determine if biodata scale scores differ based on demographic group membership (i.e., gender, race, age) and to evaluate the contextual factors that amplify or mitigate these effects (e.

Symmetrical "super learning": Enhancing causal learning using a bidirectional probabilistic outcome.

In a learning environment, with multiple predictive cues for a single outcome, cues interfere with or enhance each other during the acquisition process (e.g., Baker et al.

Understanding broader community perspectives on the scientific accuracy and stigma of personality trait labels.

Many labels are used within and across subfields to describe personality disorder (PD) and interpersonally-oriented trait dimensions. For example, "interpersonal disorders" is a suggested alternative label to "personality disorders" in clinical research. Other "dark trait" terms, though not proposed as formal labels for PDs, also are used in different research areas for describing externalizing traits.

Structural brain correlates of externalizing traits and symptoms in the IMAGEN sample.

The evidence supporting the presence of individual brain structure correlates of the externalizing spectrum (EXT) is sparse and mixed. To date, large-sample studies of brain-EXT relations have mainly found null to very small effects by focusing exclusively on either EXT-related personality traits (e.g.

Unraveling the gender gap in negotiation: How children's perceptions of negotiation and of themselves relate to their bargaining outcomes.

Women tend to negotiate less than men, which-along with other well-documented interpersonal and structural factors-contributes to persistent gender gaps in pay for equal work. Here, we explore the developmental origins of these gender differences in negotiation. Across three studies ( = 462), we investigated 6- to 12-year-old girls' and boys' perceptions of negotiation (e.

Emotion regulation strategy use and forecasting in response to dynamic, multimodal stimuli.

Successful emotion regulation (ER) requires effective strategy selection. Research suggests that disengagement strategies (e.g.

Reconstitution of synaptic junctions orchestrated by teneurin-latrophilin complexes.

Synapses are organized by trans-synaptic adhesion molecules that coordinate assembly of pre- and postsynaptic specializations, which, in turn, are composed of scaffolding proteins forming liquid-liquid phase-separated condensates. Presynaptic teneurins mediate excitatory synapse organization by binding to postsynaptic latrophilins; however, the mechanism of action of teneurins, driven by extracellular domains evolutionarily derived from bacterial toxins, remains unclear. In this work, we show that only the intracellular sequence, a dimerization sequence, and extracellular bacterial toxin-derived latrophilin-binding domains of Teneurin-3 are required for synapse organization, suggesting that teneurin-induced latrophilin clustering mediates synaptogenesis.

Mapping TcdB interactions with host cell-surface and intracellular factors using proximity-dependent biotinylation labeling.

Many bacterial toxins exert their cytotoxic effects by enzymatically inactivating one or more cytosolic targets in host cells. To reach their intracellular targets, these toxins possess functional domains or subdomains that interact with and exploit various host factors and biological processes. Despite great progress in identifying many of the key host factors involved in the uptake of toxins, significant knowledge gaps remain as to how partially characterized and newly discovered microbial toxins exploit host factors or processes to intoxicate target cells.

Molecular Strain Accelerates Electron Transfer for Enhanced Oxygen Reduction.

Fe-N-C materials are emerging catalysts for replacing precious platinum in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) for renewable energy conversion. However, their potential is hindered by sluggish ORR kinetics, leading to a high overpotential and impeding efficient energy conversion. Using iron phthalocyanine (FePc) as a model catalyst, we elucidate how the local strain can enhance the ORR performance of Fe-N-Cs.

PEGylation Improves the Therapeutic Index of Dexamethasone To Treat Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome with Obesity Background in Mouse.

With increasing prevalence globally, obesity presents unique challenges to the clinical management of other diseases. In the case of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), glucocorticoid therapy (e.g.

Sex-Specific Mechanisms of Fluoride-Induced Gonadal Injury: A Multi-Omics Investigation into Reproductive Toxicity and Gut Microbiota Disruption.

Fluoride, a common agricultural additive used to enhance plant resilience and pest control, poses toxicity risks when exposure surpasses safe thresholds, affecting ecosystems and human health. While its reproductive toxicity is recognized, the sex-specific and cross-generational effects remain underexplored. To address this gap, we employed an integrative approach combining transcriptomics (next-generation sequencing (NGS)), bioinformatic network analysis, gut microbiota sequencing, and functional assays.

Integrating Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-8 with DES-Treated Loofah Sponge for Enhanced Toluene Adsorption.

The pervasive presence of toluene in aquatic environments, primarily due to oil spills and industrial effluents, necessitates the development of effective and sustainable remediation strategies. This study introduces ZIF-8@DES-treated loofah sponge (ZIF-8@DLS), a novel adsorbent composite material, synthesized via an in situ process that integrates the high surface area of ZIF-8 with the natural loofah sponge. The composite was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), confirming the successful loading of ZIF-8 onto the loofah substrate.

Secondary Alkylation of Arenes via the Borono-Catellani Strategy.

A modular platform technology for the synthesis of α-aryl carbonyl derivatives via Borono-Catellani-type secondary alkylation of arenes is presented. This practical method features a broad substrate scope regarding aryl boronic acid catechol esters, secondary alkyl bromides, and diversified terminating reagents (e.g.

Nitrogen-Doped Two-Dimensional Carbon Nanosheets for High-Sulfur-Loading Lithium-Sulfur Batteries via a Lignin-Based High-Internal-Phase Pickering Emulsion Strategy.

Attributable to sulfur's significant theoretical energy density, its affordability, and its environmentally friendly nature, lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) are recognized as advanced energy storage technologies with considerable potential. Nonetheless, the solubility and migration of polysulfides within the electrolyte substantially hinder their practical implementation. To address this issue, we developed a nitrogen-doped two-dimensional (2D) wavy carbon nanosheet material (NCN) by using the Pickering emulsion templating method.

Constructing Interfacial B-P Bonding Bridge to Promote S-Scheme Charge Migration within Heteroatom-Doped Carbon Nitride Homojunction for Efficient HO Photosynthesis.

The emerging step (S)-scheme heterojunction systems became a powerful strategy in promoting photogenerated charge separation while maintaining their high redox potentials. However, the weak interfacial interaction limits the charge migration rate in S-scheme heterojunctions. Herein, we construct a unique S-scheme carbon nitride (CN) homojunction with boron (B)-doped CN and phosphorus (P)-doped CN (B-CN/P-CN) for hydrogen peroxide (HO) photosynthesis.

Two-Dimensional Tantalum Carbo-Selenide for Hydrogen Evolution.

Herein, we report the synthesis of two-dimensional TaSeC (2D-TaSeC) nanosheets using electrochemical lithiation in multilayer TaSeC followed by sonication in deionized water. Multilayer TaSeC was obtained via solid-state synthesis of FeTaSeC followed by chemical etching of Fe. 2D-TaSeC exhibited promising electrocatalytic activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction from water compared to multilayer TaSeC and 2D-TaSe.

Concentration-Dependent Control of the Band Gap Energy of a Low-Dimensional Lepidocrocite Titanate.

Recently, we reported on the simple, scalable synthesis of quantum-confined one-dimensional (1D) lepidocrocite titanate nanofilaments (1DLs). Herein, we show, using solid-state UV-vis spectroscopy, that reducing the concentration of aqueous 1DL colloidal suspensions from 40 to 0.01 g/L increases the band gap energy and light absorption onset of dried filtered films from ≈3.

Detection of STAT4 in Multiple Sclerosis patients by polymerase chain reaction and flowcytometry.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the central nervous system, characterized by progressive demyelination and inflammation. MS is characterized by immune system attacks on the myelin sheath surrounding nerve fibers. Genome-wide association studies revealed a polymorphism in the signal transducer and activator of transcription 4 (STAT4) gene that increases risk for MS.

ECG Patterns of Occlusion Myocardial Infarction: A Narrative Review.

The traditional management of acute coronary syndrome has relied on the identification of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) as a proxy of acute coronary occlusion. This conflation of STEMI with acute coronary occlusion has historically overshadowed non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), despite evidence suggesting 25% to 34% of NSTEMI cases may also include acute coronary occlusion. Current limitations in the STEMI/NSTEMI binary framework underscore the need for a revised approach to chest pain and acute coronary syndrome management.

Site-Specific Ventricular Tachycardia Inducibility.

Background: Programmed electrical stimulation (PES) is an essential part of ventricular tachycardia (VT) ablation procedures, but VT is not always inducible, usually for reasons that are not clear.

Objectives: This study sought to review pacing site-specific failure of PES to induce scar-related VT and to provide a potential mechanistic explanation of the phenomena using a computer simulation.

Methods: Six patients in whom aggressive PES from traditional RV pacing sites failed to induce VT, but VT was easily inducible from a nontraditional site, were reviewed.

A conceptual framework for identifying and managing system vulnerabilities for diversion of controlled substances in healthcare.

Purpose: Diversion or theft of controlled substances is a recognized problem affecting healthcare systems globally. The purpose of this study was to develop a framework for identifying and characterizing system factors leading to vulnerabilities for diversion within hospitals.

Methods: We applied a qualitative framework method, which involved 1) compiling a list of critical diversion vulnerabilities through observations and proactive risk analyses in the inpatient pharmacy, emergency department and intensive care unit of two Canadian hospitals; 2) coding the vulnerabilities into deductively and inductively derived themes and subthemes; and 3) building a conceptual framework.