Measurement of optical density of microbes by multi-light path transmission method.

Optical density (OD) is an important indicator of microbial density, and a commonly used variable in growth curves to express the growth of microbial culture. However, OD values show a linear relationship with bacterial concentration only at low concentrations. When the cell density is high, the relationship loses linearity, and serial dilution is needed to obtain readings of better accuracy.

Robot-assisted laparoscopic continent cutaneous urinary diversion in adults: A single-centre study.

Objectives: To show that robot-assisted laparoscopic cutaneous continent urinary diversion (RALCCUD) is feasible and safe; however, data on clinical outcomes in adults are lacking.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of all adults who underwent RALCCUD between 2017 and 2022 at a single tertiary reference centre.Patient characteristics, clinical information and perioperative outcomes were recorded.

Antiplatelet Prophylaxis Reduces the Risk of Early Hepatic Artery Thrombosis Following Liver Transplantation in High-Risk Patients.

The prevention of hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT) is pivotal for graft survival immediately after liver transplantation (LT). This study aimed to identify risk factors (RF) for early HAT (eHAT) and assess the benefit of antiplatelet prophylaxis (AP). This retrospective single-center study included 836 adult patients who underwent LT between 2007 and 2022.

A retrospective, observational study of real-world clinical data from the Cognitive Function Development Therapy program.

Introduction: Cognitive deficits are common in psychiatric and mental health disorders, making the assessment of cognitive function in mental health treatment an important area of research. Cognitive Function Development Therapy (CFDT) is a novel therapeutic modality designed to enhance cognitive function and regulate the autonomic nervous system through targeted exercises and activities focused on attention networks and memory systems. The therapy is tracked and based on Primary Cognitive Function (PCF) scores.

An assessment of cord ferritin concentration and its predictors among a cohort of Canadian preterm and term infants.

Low iron stores at birth may adversely influence child cognitive and motor development. The aims of this study were to assess cord blood iron levels and explore maternal and neonatal factors associated with iron status. Cord blood specimens (=46) were obtained from the BC Children's Hospital BioBank in Vancouver, Canada.

A Sentinel Survey in Remote Western Thailand Indicates that School-Aged Children and Reproductive-Aged Women of the Indigenous Pwo Karen Community are Iodine Sufficient.

Indigenous peoples are often not routinely included in iodine programs because of language barriers and remote access, and may thus be at higher risk of iodine deficiency disorders, which could adversely impact their quality of life. We conducted this cross-sectional study in the remote Pwo Karen community of Thailand to determine the urinary iodine concentration (UIC) of school-aged children (SAC) and women of reproductive age (WRA) and investigate the iodine content in household salt. We measured UIC in spot urine samples from healthy SAC and WRA, administered a questionnaire, estimated daily iodine intake and collected household salt samples to determine salt iodine concentration.

Hippocampal Lesions in Male Rats Produce Retrograde Memory Loss for Over-Trained Spatial Memory but Do Not Impact Appetitive-Contextual Memory: Implications for Theories of Memory Organization in the Mammalian Brain.

Evidence suggests that hippocampal (HPC) disruption following learning produces retrograde amnesia on a range of tasks. Many of these tasks do not require HPC function in the anterograde direction suggesting that, in the intact brain, the HPC is actively involved during all forms of learning. However, prior work has also demonstrated double dissociations of HPC and amygdala function, which is inconsistent with this view.

Mentorship in Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery: A Scoping Review.

Importance: Mentorship is increasingly recognized as a critical part of training across the spectrum of trainees. While explored more in-depth in the literature of other medical specialties, mentorship remains a nascent topic in the Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery (OHNS) literature.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the current literature on mentorship in OHNS.

The influence of stories including myths of origin.

Sijilmassi et al. argue that myths serve to gain coalitional support by detailing shared histories of ancestry and cooperation. They overlook the emotional influences of stories, which include myths of human origin.

Historical myths promote cooperation through affective states.

Although we agree that historical myths function to increase cooperation in the groups that share them, we propose that the mechanisms at work may include affective states. We suggest that sharing historical myths can create a felt sense of intimacy, similarity, and security among group members, which increases trust and motivates cooperation, even without particular beliefs about population structure.

Streamlining Global Germplasm Exchange: Integrating Scientific Rigor and Common Sense to Exclude Phantom Agents from Regulation.

This collaborative work by over 180 researchers from 40+ countries addresses the challenges posed by "phantom agents"-putative pathogenic agents named in literature without supporting data on their existence. Those agents remain on regulatory lists, creating barriers in trade and plant certification. Historically identified based solely on symptoms, these agents lack isolates or sequence data, making reliable detection or risk assessment impossible.

Magnetospheric origin of a fast radio burst constrained using scintillation.

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are microsecond-to-millisecond-duration radio transients that originate mostly from extragalactic distances. The FRB emission mechanism remains debated, with two main competing classes of models: physical processes that occur within close proximity to a central engine; and relativistic shocks that propagate out to large radial distances. The expected emission-region sizes are notably different between these two types of models.

Non-Abelian lattice gauge fields in photonic synthetic frequency dimensions.

Non-Abelian gauge fields provide a conceptual framework to describe particles having spins, underlying many phenomena in electrodynamics, condensed-matter physics and particle physics. Lattice models of non-Abelian gauge fields allow us to understand their physical implications in extended systems. The theoretical importance of non-Abelian lattice gauge fields motivates their experimental synthesis and explorations.

A pulsar-like polarization angle swing from a nearby fast radio burst.

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) last for milliseconds and arrive at Earth from cosmological distances. Although their origins and emission mechanisms are unknown, their signals bear similarities with the much less luminous radio emission generated by pulsars within our Miky Way Galaxy, with properties suggesting neutron star origins. However, unlike pulsars, FRBs typically show minimal variability in their linear polarization position angle (PA) curves.

Gliomagenesis mimics an injury response orchestrated by neural crest-like cells.

Glioblastoma is an incurable brain malignancy. By the time of clinical diagnosis, these tumours exhibit a degree of genetic and cellular heterogeneity that provides few clues to the mechanisms that initiate and drive gliomagenesis. Here, to explore the early steps in gliomagenesis, we utilized conditional gene deletion and lineage tracing in tumour mouse models, coupled with serial magnetic resonance imaging, to initiate and then closely track tumour formation.

Oral Health-Related Quality of Life of Children Following Different Treatment Regimens of Silver Diammine Fluoride.

To investigate the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of young children in a randomized clinical trial (RCT) of silver diammine fluoride (SDF) and five percent sodium fluoride varnish (NaFV) to manage early childhood caries (ECC). Children younger than 72 months of age with active dentinal caries lesions (ICDAS 5 or 6) in primary teeth received two applications of 38 percent SDF and five percent NaFV as part of an RCT testing three different frequency regimes (one, four, and six months apart). The Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS) questionnaire was completed at three study visits.

Effectiveness of sensorimotor therapy on action naming in post-stroke aphasia: a systematic review.

Purpose: Aphasia, a language disorder caused by brain injury, often results in action naming difficulties. This systematic review reports and analyzes the studies on speech-therapy interventions that use sensorimotor strategies for treating isolated verbs in individuals with chronic aphasia.

Methods: Following PRISMA guidelines, the MEDLINE, CINAHL and PsycInfo databases were searched on January 18, 2024, for articles published in English and French between 1996 and 2024.

Genetic variants of accessory proteins and G proteins in human genetic disease.

We present a series of three articles on the genetics and pharmacogenetics of G protein- coupled receptors (GPCR). In the first article, we discuss genetic variants of the G protein subunits and accessory proteins that are associated with human phenotypes; in the second article, we build upon this to discuss "G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) gene variants and human genetic disease" and in the third article, we survey "G protein-coupled receptor pharmacogenomics". In the present article, we review the processes of ligand binding, GPCR activation, inactivation, and receptor trafficking to the membrane in the context of human genetic disease resulting from pathogenic variants of accessory proteins and G proteins.

Coating of Threads with Fluorescent Curli Fibers for pH Sensing.

Threads coated with bioresponsive materials hold promise for innovative wearable diagnostics. However, most thread coatings reported so far cannot be easily customized for different analytes and frequently incorporate non-biodegradable components. Most optically active thread coatings rely on dyes, which often exhibit irreversible responses.

Kinetic and Affinity Profiling Rare Earth Metals Using a DNA Aptamer.

Rare earth elements (REEs) are widely used in various high-tech industries. Developing affinity ligands that can detect and distinguish REEs is at the forefront of analytical chemistry. It is also interesting to understand the limits of natural biomolecules for the recognition of REEs.

Parathyroid carcinoma: New insights.

Parathyroid carcinoma (PC) is a rare malignancy, comprising 1 % of all cases of primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT). This narrative review explores recent advances in PC management, with a focus on molecular insights, diagnostic advancements, surgical innovations, and emerging targeted therapies. Manuscripts published between 2023 and 2024 were obtained from PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL).

Treatment Persistence Among Anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor-experienced Patients With Ulcerative Colitis Switching to a Biologic With a Different Mode of Action or Cycling to Another Anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor Agent.

Purpose: In ulcerative colitis (UC), anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents often are first-line biologic therapy. Switching to a biologic with a different mode of action (ustekinumab and vedolizumab) or cycling to another anti-TNF agent (adalimumab, infliximab, and golimumab) is necessary if an initial anti-TNF fails. This study compared real-world persistence in patients with UC who switched to a biologic with a different mode of action or cycled with another anti-TNF after nonresponse to an anti-TNF.

Treatment-free Survival After First-line Therapies for Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma: An International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium Analysis.

Background And Objective: Patients receiving immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy may experience periods of prolonged disease control without a need for systemic therapy. Treatment-free survival (TFS) is an important measure for this period, but no data are available for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) starting first-line agents. Our aim was to analyze TFS outcomes for patients with mRCC starting first-line therapy.