Optimizing Drug Selection in Children with Multiple Sclerosis: What Do We Know and What Remains Unanswered?

Pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS) refers to multiple sclerosis with onset before 18 years of age. It is characterized by a more inflammatory course, more frequent clinical relapses, and a greater number of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) lesions compared with adult-onset MS (AOMS), leading to significant impacts on both disability progression and cognitive outcomes in affected individuals. Managing POMS presents distinct challenges due to the unique needs of pediatric patients and the limited number of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) approved for pediatric use.

Histone Modification-Dependent Transcriptional Regulation of Defence Genes in Early Response of Arabidopsis to Spodoptera litura Attack.

Histone modification is a cellular process for transcriptional regulation. In herbivore-damaged plants, activation of genes involved in defence responses is required for antiherbivore properties, but little is known about how the chromatin remodelling system is involved. In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants responding to Spodoptera litura larvae, HAC1 and HDA6, a histone acetyltransferase and a histone deacetylase, respectively, were found here to be involved in histone H3 (Lys9; H3K9) acetylation/deacetylation at the promoter region of the plant defensin gene PDF1.

Fabrication-aware inverse design with shape optimization for photonic integrated circuits.

Inverse design (ID) is a computational method that systematically explores a design space to find optimal device geometries based on specific performance criteria. In silicon photonics, ID often generates design features that degrade significantly due to the fabrication process, limiting the applicability of these devices in scalable fabrication. We demonstrate a solution to this performance degradation through fabrication-aware inverse design (FAID), integrating lithography models for deep-ultraviolet (DUV) lithography and electron-beam lithography (EBL) into the shape optimization approach of ID.

Conditioned serum-free culture medium accomplishes adhesion and proliferation of bovine myogenic cells on uncoated dishes.

To establish a sustainable cultured meat technology, a low-cost culture medium must be developed without expensive biological materials such as serum and coating substances. However, even adhering bovine myogenic cells to uncoated culture dishes in the serum-free medium is challenging. We found that serum-free culture medium conditioned by HepG2 and NIH/3T3 cells not only accomplished the cell adhesion on uncoated culture dishes (the serum-containing medium : the serum-free medium : the conditioned medium = 6722 ± 1500 : 2210 ± 319 : 5985 ± 1558 cells/cm), but also induced proliferation comparable to that observed in a serum-containing medium (the serum-containing medium : the serum-free medium : the conditioned medium = 10,050 ± 2814 : 2200 ± 707 : 8998 ± 3890 cells/cm).

The Feasibility of Measuring Central Blood Pressure with Bedside Echocardiography: An Observational Cross-Sectional Study.

Rationale And Objectives: Central arterial blood pressure (CBP) is considered a more valuable prognostic marker of major cardiovascular diseases than peripheral blood pressure. Non-invasive evaluation of central aortic pressure by Doppler echocardiography is a hopeful tool, avoiding many complications of invasive catheter strategy and diminishing time and costs.

Methods: A total of 118 patients were referred for elective cardiac catheterization at the Cardiovascular Medicine Department, Mansoura University.

The RecA-NT homology motif in ImuB mediates the interaction with ImuA', which is essential for DNA damage-induced mutagenesis.

The mycobacterial mutasome-comprising ImuA', ImuB, and DnaE2-has been implicated in DNA damage-induced mutagenesis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. ImuB, which is predicted to enable mutasome function via its interaction with the β clamp, is a catalytically inactive Y-family DNA polymerase. Like some other members of the Y-family, ImuB features a recently identified amino acid motif with homology to the RecA N terminus (RecA-NT).

Comparative Effectiveness of Cell-Based Versus Egg-Based Influenza Vaccines in Prevention of Influenza Hospitalization During the 2022-2023 Season Among Adults 18-64 Years.

This retrospective cohort study evaluated the comparative vaccine effectiveness (cVE) of licensed standard-dose cell-based versus egg-based influenza vaccines in preventing influenza hospitalization among adults 18-64 years during the 2022-2023 season. The cohort included eligible Kaiser Permanente Southern California members who received ≥ 1 dose of influenza vaccine (n = 848,334). The adjusted cVE against influenza hospitalization was -10.

Bifidobacterium longum CECT 30763 improves depressive- and anxiety-like behavior in a social defeat mouse model through the immune and dopaminergic systems.

Adolescence is a crucial period marked by profound changes in the brain. Exposure to psychological stressors such as bullying, abuse or maltreatment during this developmental period may increase the risk of developing depression, anxiety and comorbid cardiometabolic conditions. Chronic psychological stress is associated with behavioral changes and disruption of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, leading to corticosterone overproduction in rodents and changes in both the immune system and the gut microbiome.

Diffusion-driven growth of calcium carbonate polymorphs in microchannels.

We propose a novel approach to characterize the growth of individual crystals. Calcium chloride and sodium carbonate solutions have been injected into a Y-shaped microfluidic channel at various stoichiometric ratios, and the development of calcium carbonate has been monitored. The formation of calcite and vaterite depends not only on the stoichiometric ratio of the reactants but also on the region of the reactor where they form.

Large Language Model Ability to Translate CT and MRI Free-Text Radiology Reports Into Multiple Languages.

Background High-quality translations of radiology reports are essential for optimal patient care. Because of limited availability of human translators with medical expertise, large language models (LLMs) are a promising solution, but their ability to translate radiology reports remains largely unexplored. Purpose To evaluate the accuracy and quality of various LLMs in translating radiology reports across high-resource languages (English, Italian, French, German, and Chinese) and low-resource languages (Swedish, Turkish, Russian, Greek, and Thai).

Comparing the Thin Plate Spline and Gaussian Interpolation Methods in Generating Hill of Visions for X-Linked Retinitis Pigmentosa Patients.

Purpose: To compare the efficacy of thin plate spline (TPS) and Gaussian interpolation methods in generating hill of visions (HOVs) for patients with X-linked retinitis pigmentosa (XLRP).

Methods: Visual field data from 78 eyes of 39 patients with XLRP were acquired using the Octopus 900 Pro. TPS, Gaussian, and Universal Kriging interpolation methods were implemented to generate HOVs.

Efficacy and safety of prucalopride in patients with chronic idiopathic constipation stratified by age, body mass index, and renal function: a post hoc analysis of phase III and IV, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical studies.

Background: Prucalopride (1 or 2 mg once daily) is approved for treating adults with chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC).

Objectives: We determined the effect of age, body mass index (BMI), and renal function on the efficacy and safety of prucalopride in adults with CIC.

Design: Data were pooled from six 12-week, phase III-IV clinical studies in adults who received prucalopride (1 or 2 mg once daily) or placebo for CIC.

T-switch-ing TCR specificity.

Central tolerance restricts T cells that target self-antigens. In this issue of Immunity, Abdelfattah et al. describe a method to generate self-reactive T cell receptors (TCRs) by directed evolution of non-autoreactive TCRs to recognize self-antigen peptides and demonstrate potential for T cells engineered with such receptors in immunotherapy.

Sperm retrieval, fertilization rates, and clinical outcomes of infertile men with Y chromosome microdeletion: A retrospective cohort study.

Introduction: In this study, we aimed to explore whether a Y chromosome microdeletion (YCM) confers adverse effects on surgical sperm retrieval potential and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) outcomes in men with azoospermia and severe oligospermia.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study, which included infertile men with azoospermia or severe oligospermia who were evaluated for karyotype analysis and YCM testing at a university-affiliated hospital between 2010 and 2022. Outcomes of microdissection testicular sperm extraction (mTESE) for surgical sperm retrieval were compared between men diagnosed with YCM and the control group in which no YCM were found.

Characterization of high Zr/Ce ratio Ba(Zr,Ce,Y)O proton conductors: investigating the impact of Y on the properties of materials.

Acceptor-substituted Ba(Zr,Ce)O proton conducting oxides have attracted significant attention due to their excellent proton conductivity at intermediate temperatures (400-600 °C). A high Zr/Ce ratio is crucial for maintaining stability in humid or other harsh atmospheres. Herein, a systematic study was conducted on the phase composition, microstructure, and the resulting hydration ability and electrochemical performance of high Zr/Ce ratio Ba(Zr,Ce)O solid solutions with different Y substitution levels (10 at% to 30 at%).

Yersinia pseudotuberculosis-Associated Myositis.

() is a Gram-negative pathogen associated with gastrointestinal infections, such as enterocolitis. While complications like reactive arthritis can occur, progression to myositis is extremely rare. This report describes a five-year-old boy who developed myositis following a infection.

A Genetic Polymorphism Underlying Alternative Reproductive Tactics in Eurycea Salamanders.

Alternative reproductive tactics are discrete, intrasexual differences in reproductive behaviour within a population. In some cases, these complex phenotypes are determined by autosomal supergenes or sex chromosomes-both of which exhibit reduced recombination and thus enable the linked inheritance of co-adapted alleles from multiple loci. Most alternative reproductive tactics in amphibians are plastic (and reversible), environmentally determined and lacking morphological differentiation, but a striking exception is found in the two-lined salamander (Eurycea bislineata) species complex.

Factors Influencing Nerinetide Effect on Infarct Volume in Patients Without Alteplase in the Randomized ESCAPE-NA1 Trial.

Background: In the ESCAPE-NA1 trial (Efficacy and Safety of Nerinetide for the Treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke), treatment with nerinetide was associated with a smaller infarct volume among patients who did not receive intravenous alteplase. We assessed the effect of nerinetide on the surrogate imaging outcome of final infarct volume in patients who did not receive intravenous alteplase and explored predictors of outcome and modifiers of nerinetide's effect on infarct volume.

Methods: ESCAPE-NA1 was a multicenter, randomized trial in which patients with acute stroke with a baseline Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score >4, undergoing endovascular thrombectomy, were randomized to receive intravenous nerinetide or placebo.

Factors associated with malignant biopsy results for newly detected lesions within one year after breast cancer surgery.

Rationale And Objectives: This study aimed to identify the factors associated with malignant biopsy results for new lesions within one year after breast cancer surgery.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study included 192 lesions from 186 patients who underwent biopsy for newly developed breast lesions within one year of breast cancer surgery. All patients underwent breast ultrasound (US) at 6 months and breast US with mammography one year after surgery.

Analyzing different functional and dyeing performance of natural blended fabric utilizing natural dyes and quality prediction by fuzzy logic.

This research evaluated ways for applying natural dyes, such as pomegranate peels, marigold flowers, and turmeric separately, to dye hybrid fabric made of cotton and jute. Natural dyes provide a harmless alternative to synthetic dyes, which support the sustainable properties of cotton and jute. Applying natural dyes, such as the dye extracted from pomegranate peels, can reduce wastes.

THz graphene-integrated metasurface for electrically reconfigurable polarization conversion.

Terahertz (THz) waves have been widely hailed as a key enabling technology for future sixth generation (6G) wireless networks. Dynamic modulation of their polarization states is of great attraction for high-capacity communications and anisotropic sensing. The development of such technology is, however, still in very early stage owing to the difficulties of realizing electrical reconfigurability for THz devices.

Arrayed CRISPR libraries for the genome-wide activation, deletion and silencing of human protein-coding genes.

Arrayed CRISPR libraries extend the scope of gene-perturbation screens to non-selectable cell phenotypes. However, library generation requires assembling thousands of vectors expressing single-guide RNAs (sgRNAs). Here, by leveraging massively parallel plasmid-cloning methodology, we show that arrayed libraries can be constructed for the genome-wide ablation (19,936 plasmids) of human protein-coding genes and for their activation and epigenetic silencing (22,442 plasmids), with each plasmid encoding an array of four non-overlapping sgRNAs designed to tolerate most human DNA polymorphisms.