Biliary complications of surgical procedures: what the radiologist needs to know.

Post-surgical biliary complications increase morbidity, mortality, and healthcare utilization. Early detection and management of biliary complications is thus of great clinical importance. Even though the overall risk for biliary complications is low after laparoscopic cholecystectomy, post-cholecystectomy biliary complications are frequently encountered in clinical practice as laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the most common surgical procedure performed in the United States.

SOCS domain targets ECM assembly in lung fibroblasts and experimental lung fibrosis.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal disease defined by a progressive decline in lung function due to scarring and accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. The SOCS (Suppressor Of Cytokine Signaling) domain is a 40 amino acid conserved domain known to form a functional ubiquitin ligase complex targeting the Von Hippel Lindau (VHL) protein for proteasomal degradation. Here we show that the SOCS conserved domain operates as a molecular tool, to disrupt collagen and fibronectin fibrils in the ECM associated with fibrotic lung myofibroblasts.

Elucidating governing factors of PFAS removal by polyamide membranes using machine learning and molecular simulations.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have recently garnered considerable concerns regarding their impacts on human and ecological health. Despite the important roles of polyamide membranes in remediating PFASs-contaminated water, the governing factors influencing PFAS transport across these membranes remain elusive. In this study, we investigate PFAS rejection by polyamide membranes using two machine learning (ML) models, namely XGBoost and multimodal transformer models.

Strontium isoscape of sub-Saharan Africa allows tracing origins of victims of the transatlantic slave trade.

Strontium isotope (Sr/Sr) analysis with reference to strontium isotope landscapes (Sr isoscapes) allows reconstructing mobility and migration in archaeology, ecology, and forensics. However, despite the vast potential of research involving Sr/Sr analysis particularly in Africa, Sr isoscapes remain unavailable for the largest parts of the continent. Here, we measure the Sr/Sr ratios in 778 environmental samples from 24 African countries and combine this data with published data to model a bioavailable Sr isoscape for sub-Saharan Africa using random forest regression.

Guidelines for the standardization of pre-analytical variables for salivary biomarker studies in Alzheimer's disease research: An updated review and consensus of the Salivary Biomarkers for Dementia Research Working Group.

There is a pressing need for accessible biomarkers with high diagnostic accuracy for Alzheimer's disease (AD) diagnosis to facilitate widespread screening, particularly in underserved groups. Saliva is an emerging specimen for measuring AD biomarkers, with distinct contexts of use that could complement blood and cerebrospinal fluid and detect various analytes. An interdisciplinary, international group of AD and related dementias (ADRD) researchers convened and performed a narrative review of published studies on salivary AD biomarkers.

Do Factors Influencing Acceptance of Kidney Stone Formers as Donors Predict Subsequent Stone Events?

Purpose: This study aimed to assess whether kidney stone burden and risk factors at the time of kidney donor evaluation were associated with a symptomatic stone event post-donor evaluation.

Methods: We identified adults evaluated at Mayo Clinic (two sites) (2000-2011) for living kidney donation and had either a personal history or radiological evidence of kidney stone disease. We analyzed demographics, stone risk factors, stone number/size, and the committee's donation decision and reasons.

Corneal Refractive Surgery Considerations in Patients with Anorexia Nervosa.

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a psychiatric eating disorder characterized by body mass index (BMI) ≤ 18.5, fear of gaining weight, and a distorted perception of body weight. With increasing rates of myopia, there is a population of patients who concurrently develop AN and may seek corneal refractive surgery.

Effect of insertion of intein to Cryptococcus amylolentus, a nonpathogenic fungus closely related to causative agents of cryptococcosis.

Inteins are mobile elements within a host protein, with flanking exteins. Autocleavage of intein results in the fusion of exteins, leading to activation of protein. The presence of intein is species dependent.

DefNEtTrp: An Iron Dual Chelator Approach for Anticancer Application.

Targeting iron metabolism has emerged as a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of cancer. As such, iron chelator drugs are repurposed or specifically designed as anticancer agents. Two important chelators, deferasirox (Def) and triapine (Trp), attack the intracellular supply of iron (Fe) and inhibit Fe-dependent pathways responsible for cellular proliferation and metastasis.

Individualized Cell-Free DNA Monitoring With Chromosomal Junctions for Mesothelioma.

Introduction: The spatially complex nature of mesothelioma and interventions like pleurodesis, surgery, and radiation often complicate imaging-based assessment. Further, cell-free DNA (cfDNA) based monitoring strategies are inadequate for mesothelioma, given the presence of a few recurring nonsynonymous somatic variants. However, patient-specific chromosomal rearrangements are commonly found in mesothelioma.

Predictors of Stability/Change in Observed Parenting Patterns Across Early Childhood: A Latent Transition Approach.

Parenting has long been a topic of research based on its importance for family and child outcomes. Recent methodological advances in person-centered approaches suggest that our understanding of parenting could be further advanced by examining parenting typologies across various parenting behaviors longitudinally. Accordingly, the current study aims to examine latent transitions in parenting practice patterns across four annual assessments during early childhood and examine whether individual- and family-level factors at baseline discriminate parenting transition patterns.

Combined Solid Organ Transplant and Transfusion-Associated Graft-Versus-Host Disease in a Lung Transplant Recipient: An Uncertain Culprit With Lethal Complications.

Although graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a common complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, it is rare after solid organ transplantation (SOT) or blood transfusion. We present a rare case of SOT-derived and/or transfusion-associated graft-versus-host disease (TA-GVHD) in a 66-year-old man with interstitial lung disease who underwent bilateral lung transplantation (LT) from a 12-year-old female donor and required three units of packed red blood cells intraoperatively. He presented with signs and symptoms consistent with GVHD, and a bone marrow biopsy revealed an XX karyotype.

Combination of Coevolutionary Information and Supervised Learning Enables Generation of Cyclic Peptide Inhibitors with Enhanced Potency from a Small Data Set.

Computational generation of cyclic peptide inhibitors using machine learning models requires large size training data sets often difficult to generate experimentally. Here we demonstrated that sequential combination of Random Forest Regression with the pseudolikelihood maximization Direct Coupling Analysis method and Monte Carlo simulation can effectively enhance the design pipeline of cyclic peptide inhibitors of a tumor-associated protease even for small experimental data sets. Further studies showed that such -evolved cyclic peptides are more potent than the best peptide inhibitors previously developed to this target.