Meridional anisotropy in contrast sensitivity and visual evoked potential in adults with high myopic astigmatism.

Purpose: Astigmatism can lead to meridional amblyopia, an orientation-specific visual deficit. This study investigated the effects of astigmatism on meridional anisotropy in contrast sensitivity (CS) and steady-state visual evoked potential (ssVEP) across a range of spatial frequencies.

Methods: Thirty-two young adults with a best-corrected distance visual acuity of logMAR 0 or better were categorized into two groups: highly astigmatic (HAS,  = 16) with spherical-equivalent error (SE) ≥ -6.

The effect of renal function on the clinical outcomes and management of patients hospitalized with hyperglycemic crises.

Background: The global prevalence of diabetes has been rising rapidly in recent years, leading to an increase in patients experiencing hyperglycemic crises like diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state (HHS). Patients with impaired renal function experience a delay in insulin clearance, complicating the adjustment of insulin dosing and elevating hypoglycemia risk. Accordingly, this study aims to evaluate the impact of renal function on the safety and efficacy of insulin use in patients with isolated DKA or combined DKA/HHS.

From air to mind: unraveling the impact of indoor pollutants on psychiatric disorders.

Epidemiological evidence from the past 20 years indicates that environmental chemicals brought into the air by the vaporization of volatile organic compounds and other anthropogenic pollutants might be involved, at least in part, in the development or progression of psychiatric disorders. This evidence comes primarily from occupational work studies in humans, with indoor occupations being the most important sources of airborne pollutants affecting neural circuits implicated in mood disorders (e.g.

Pain detection using biometric information acquired by a wristwatch wearable device: a pilot study of spontaneous menstrual pain in healthy females.

Objective: Pain is subjective, and self-reporting pain might be challenging. Studies conducted to detect pain using biological signals and real-time self-reports pain are limited. We evaluated the feasibility of collecting pain data on healthy females' menstrual pain and conducted preliminary analysis.

WT1-mRNA dendritic cell vaccination of patients with glioblastoma multiforme, malignant pleural mesothelioma, metastatic breast cancer, and other solid tumors: type 1 T-lymphocyte responses are associated with clinical outcome.

Cell therapies, including tumor antigen-loaded dendritic cells used as therapeutic cancer vaccines, offer treatment options for patients with malignancies. We evaluated the feasibility, safety, immunogenicity, and clinical activity of adjuvant vaccination with Wilms' tumor protein (WT1) mRNA-electroporated autologous dendritic cells (WT1-mRNA/DC) in a single-arm phase I/II clinical study of patients with advanced solid tumors receiving standard therapy. Disease status and immune reactivity were evaluated after 8 weeks and 6 months.

Single-cell RNA sequencing highlights the role of distinct natural killer subsets in sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Background: Neuroinflammation plays a major role in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and cumulative evidence suggests that systemic inflammation and the infiltration of immune cells into the brain contribute to this process. However, no study has investigated the role of peripheral blood immune cells in ALS pathophysiology using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq).

Methods: We aimed to characterize immune cells from blood and identify ALS-related immune alterations at single-cell resolution.

The effectiveness of providing training and ongoing support to foster cultural humility in volunteers serving as mentors to youth of color: a mixed-methods study protocol.

Background: The aim of this randomized control trial is to test the impact of providing additional training and support to volunteers who are paired with youth of color in the Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) community-based mentoring program. The aim of the intervention activities is to enhance the capacity of mentors to have more culturally responsive and informed interactions with their mentees of color, thereby strengthening the youth's ethnic/racial identity and abilities to both cope with experiences of racism and contribute to causes that advance social justice.

Methods: Recruitment started in June 2022, with a goal of enrolling 240 dyads (i.

October 2024 ACIP Meeting Update: Influenza, COVID-19, RSV and Other Vaccines.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a group of medical and public health experts that provides advice to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, normally meets 3 times per year to develop US vaccine recommendations. The ACIP met October 23-24, 2024, to discuss influenza vaccines, chikungunya vaccines, coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines, RSV immunizations, meningococcal vaccines, human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines, pneumococcal vaccines, and adult and child/adolescent immunization schedule revisions. This update summarizes the proceedings of these meetings, with an emphasis on topics that are most relevant to the pediatric population.

Multiplex digital PCR enables sensitive detection of resistance to BTK inhibitors.

The advent of BTK inhibitors has been transformative in the management of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia or other B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders. However, emergence of BTK or PLCG2 mutations lead to resistance to these compounds and are now a growing concern in clinical practice. Assessing BTK mutations is now becoming a priority to guide the therapeutic decision at further relapse.

Systemic IFN-I combined with topical TLR7/8 agonists promotes distant tumor suppression by c-Jun-dependent IL-12 expression in dendritic cells.

Dendritic cell (DC) activation by pattern recognition receptors like Toll-like-receptors (TLRs) is crucial for cancer immunotherapies. Here, we demonstrate the effectiveness of the TLR7/8 agonist imiquimod (IMQ) in treating both local tumors and distant metastases. Administered orally, IMQ activates plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) to produce systemic type I interferons (IFN-I) required for TLR7/8 upregulation in DCs and macrophages, sensitizing them to topical IMQ treatment, which is essential for therapeutic efficacy.

YAT2150 is irresistible in Plasmodium falciparum and active against Plasmodium vivax and Leishmania clinical isolates.

We recently characterized the potent antiplasmodial activity of the aggregated protein dye YAT2150, whose presumed mode of action is the inhibition of protein aggregation in the malaria parasite. Using single-dose and ramping methods, assays were done to select Plasmodium falciparum parasites resistant to YAT2150 concentrations ranging from 3× to 0.25× the in vitro IC of the compound (in the two-digit nM range) and performed a cross-resistance assessment in P.

Individual-specific strategies inform category learning.

Categorization is an essential task for sensory perception. Individuals learn category labels using a variety of strategies to ensure that sensory signals, such as sounds or images, can be assigned to proper categories. Categories are often learned on the basis of extreme examples, and the boundary between categories can differ among individuals.

Metformin intake and risk of metabolic acidosis after radical cystectomy with urinary diversion: A comparative study using data from the TriNetX research network.

Purpose: To investigate the association of diabetes mellitus and metformin use with metabolic acidosis risk after radical cystectomy (RC) and urinary diversion for bladder cancer.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective cohort study used TriNetX Research Network data. Patients undergoing RC with continent diversion or ileal conduit for bladder cancer were identified using International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) and ICD-10 Procedure Coding System (ICD-10-PCS) codes.

Metagenomic deciphers the mobility and bacterial hosts of antibiotic resistance genes under antibiotics and heavy metals co-selection pressures in constructed wetlands.

Both antibiotics and heavy metals exert significant selection pressures on antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs). This study aimed to investigate the co-selection effects of doxycycline (DC) and cadmium (Cd) on ARGs in constructed wetlands (CWs). The results demonstrated that under antibiotic and heavy metal co-selection pressures, single high concentration DC/Cd or double high, relative abundances of metagenomics assembled genomes all reached 55.

Practice patterns for acquiring neuroimaging after pediatric in-hospital cardiac arrest.

Aims: To determine which patient and cardiac arrest factors were associated with obtaining neuroimaging after in-hospital cardiac arrest, and among those patients who had neuroimaging, factors associated with which neuroimaging modality was obtained.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study of patients who survived in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) and were enrolled in the ICU-RESUS trial (NCT02837497).

Results: We tabulated ultrasound (US), CT, and MRI frequency within 7 days following IHCA and identified patient and cardiac arrest factors associated with neuroimaging modalities utilized.

Identification and characterization of CD83 and CD276 as markers of dendritic cells in olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus).

Dendritic cells (DCs) play a pivotal role in activating naïve T-cells and bridging innate and adaptive immunity. This study aimed to identify and characterize CD83 and CD276 as potential markers for DCs in olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus). Specific antibodies against these markers were developed and used to analyze their distribution in peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs) and intestinal tissues.

Transmission-Based Monitoring of Dual-Applicator Microwave Ablation Discriminates Discontiguous from Contiguous Ablation Zones in an In Vivo Porcine Liver Model.

Purpose: To determine the technical feasibility of discriminating discontiguous from contiguous ablation zones between a pair of microwave ablation (MWA) applicators using broadband microwave transmission signal measurements in an in vivo porcine liver model.

Methods: Dual applicator 2.45GHz MWA was performed using one directional and one omnidirectional applicator, spaced 3cm apart, under imaging guidance.

Academic Achievement of Children With Neurofibromatosis Type 1.

Background And Objectives: Learning difficulties are frequently reported in children with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), yet little is known about the extent and predictors of their academic functions across ages. We aimed to examine the developmental patterns of academic achievement in these children from childhood to adolescence and how these patterns differ across demographic and NF1-related disease factors.

Methods: This cross-sectional study integrated data of 1512 children with NF1 (mean age, 11.

Respiratory syncytial virus vaccine effectiveness among US veterans, September, 2023 to March, 2024: a target trial emulation study.

Background: New respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines have been approved in the USA for the prevention of RSV-associated lower respiratory tract disease in adults aged 60 years and older. Information on the real-world effectiveness of these vaccines is needed.

Methods: We used electronic health records in the Veterans Health Administration to emulate a target trial comparing a single dose of a recombinant stabilised prefusion F protein RSV vaccine versus no vaccination among veterans aged 60 years and older.

Immunoglobulin E, the potential accelerator of comorbid psoriasis and atherosclerosis.

Immunoglobulin (Ig) E is a key mediator in the induction and maintenance of allergic inflammation, characterized by a Th2-dominated immune response. Recently epidemiological studies have showed that elevated serum total IgE levels or an increased abundance of mast cells (MCs) at the lesion site are observed in psoriatic patients with cardiovascular diseases (CVD), such as atherosclerosis. Although the underlying mechanisms by which IgE synergizing with MCs in promoting these chronic immune-inflammatory diseases remain unclear, the interleukin (IL)-23/IL-17 axis appears to play a crucial role in comorbidity of psoriasis and atherosclerosis.

Harmonizing excellence: Crafting the nexus of competencies, standards, and degree demands in nurse practitioner education.

Nurse practitioner (NP) programs have a long history of producing safe and competent NPs; however, bold, transformative leadership is needed to set a minimum standard for quality NP education to support a 21st-century healthcare system. This paper is a call to action for leaders in NP education to transition NP education to the DNP degree utilizing the 2022 National Task Force Standards for Quality NP Education and a competency-based approach as defined in the 2021 AACN Essentials. There is now an opportunity to redesign healthcare systems with quality and equity as a primary consideration and DNP-prepared NPs are positioned to lead this redesign.