Recommendations for Design, Execution, and Reporting of Studies on Experimental Thoracic Aortopathy in Preclinical Models.

There is a recent dramatic increase in research on thoracic aortic diseases that includes aneurysms, dissections, and rupture. Experimental studies predominantly use mice in which aortopathy is induced by chemical interventions, genetic manipulations, or both. Many parameters should be deliberated in experimental design in concert with multiple considerations when providing dimensional data and characterization of aortic tissues.

Burn inhalation injury and intubation with dexamethasone-eluting endotracheal tubes modulate local microbiome and alter airway inflammation.

Background: Inhalation injuries, caused by exposure to extreme heat and chemical irritants, lead to complications with speaking, swallowing, and breathing. This study investigates the effects of thermal injury and endotracheal tube (ETT) placement on the airway microbiome and inflammatory response. A secondary aim is to assess the impact of localized dexamethasone delivery via a drug-eluting ETT to reduce laryngeal scarring.

Retina-Targeted 17β-Estradiol by the DHED Prodrug Rescues Visual Function and Actuates Neuroprotective Protein Networks After Optic Nerve Crush in a Rat Model of Surgical Menopause.

The association between 17β-estradiol (E2) deprivation, seen in menopause, and a risk for developing glaucoma has been shown. Thus, exogenous supplementation of E2 may protect against retinal ganglion cell (RGC) degradation and vision loss. Here, we investigated the utility of topical 10β,17β-dihydroxyestra-1,4-dien-3-one (DHED), a prodrug of E2 that selectively produces the neuroprotective hormone in the retina, on visual function after optic nerve crush (ONC) and ovariectomy (OVX).

Proteogenomic Profiling of Treatment-Naïve Metastatic Malignant Melanoma.

Background: Melanoma is a highly heterogeneous disease, and a deeper molecular classification is essential for improving patient stratification and treatment approaches. Here, we describe the histopathology-driven proteogenomic landscape of 142 treatment-naïve metastatic melanoma samples to uncover molecular subtypes and clinically relevant biomarkers.

Methods: We performed an integrative proteogenomic analysis to identify proteomic subtypes, assess the impact of BRAF V600 mutations, and study the molecular profiles and cellular composition of the tumor microenvironment.

Enhancing sickle cell leg ulcer healing with combined photodynamic and photobiomodulation therapies: A pilot experience.

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of combined photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photobiomodulation (PBM) in treating sickle cell leg ulcers (SCLUs), with a focus on pain reduction and enhanced healing.

Materials And Methods: In this prospective, open-label, uncontrolled pilot study, ten SCD patients with 17 chronic leg ulcers received PDT and PBM treatments. Ulcer severity, pain levels, and microbiome changes were monitored, and clinical data were analyzed using appropriate statistical methods.

Corneal Keratocytes, Fibroblasts, and Myofibroblasts Exhibit Distinct Transcriptional Profiles In Vitro.

Purpose: After stromal injury to the cornea, the release of growth factors and pro-inflammatory cytokines promotes the activation of quiescent keratocytes into a migratory fibroblast and/or fibrotic myofibroblast phenotype. Persistence of the myofibroblast phenotype can lead to corneal fibrosis and scarring, which are leading causes of blindness worldwide. This study aims to establish comprehensive transcriptional profiles for cultured corneal keratocytes, fibroblasts, and myofibroblasts to gain insights into the mechanisms through which these phenotypic changes occur.

Advancements in Three-Dimensional Super-Resolution Ultrasound Imaging: A Narrative Review.

The lack of sensibility of traditional ultrasound (US) imaging to the slow blood flow in small vessels resulted in the development of microbubble (MB) contrast agents. These MBs are given intravenously, and US imaging can detect them quite effectively. This noninvasive imaging method, known as contrast-enhanced US (CEUS), now makes it possible to accurately assess tissue perfusion and blood flow.

Visible light polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography with balanced detection.

Significance: We introduce a visible-light polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) system that operates in the spectral domain with balanced detection (BD) capability. While the BD improves the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), the use of shorter wavelengths improves spatial resolution and birefringence sensitivity.

Aim: We aim to implement a new optical design, characterize its performance, and investigate the imaging potential for biological tissues.

Alpha-frequency stimulation strengthens coupling between temporal fluctuations in alpha oscillation power and default mode network connectivity.

Alpha (8-12 Hz) oscillations and default mode network (DMN) activity dominate the brain's intrinsic activity in the temporal and spatial domains, respectively. They are thought to play crucial roles in the spatiotemporal organization of the complex brain system. Relatedly, both have been implicated, often concurrently, in diverse neuropsychiatric disorders, with accruing electroencephalogram/magnetoencephalogram (EEG/MEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data linking these two neural activities both at rest and during key cognitive operations.

Vascular architecture-on-chip: engineering complex blood vessels for reproducing physiological and heterogeneous hemodynamics and endothelial function.

Human circulation exhibits significant diversity and heterogeneity of blood vessel shapes. The complex architecture of these vessels may be physiological or pathological resulting in unique hemodynamics and endothelial cell phenotypes that may determine the regulation and alteration of cell signaling pathways and vascular function. While human microphysiological systems of blood vessels (vessel-chips) have mimicked several aspects of vascular pathophysiology, engineering of these tools is still limited to the fabrication of homogeneous tubular structures, especially when living endothelial cell culture is also included.

Introducing AI-generated cases (AI-cases) & standardized clients (AI-SCs) in communication training for veterinary students: perceptions and adoption challenges.

Introduction: The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into medical education and healthcare has grown steadily over these past couple of years, though its application in veterinary education and practice remains relatively underexplored. This study is among the first to introduce veterinary students to AI-generated cases (AI-cases) and AI-standardized clients (AI-SCs) for teaching and learning communication skills. The study aimed to evaluate students' beliefs and perceptions surrounding the use of AI in veterinary education, with specific focus on communication skills training.

Epigallocatechin -3- gallate mitigates diazinon neurotoxicity via suppression of pro-inflammatory genes and upregulation of antioxidant pathways.

Diazinon is a commonly used organophosphate (OP) insecticide especially in developing countries for the control of insect pests, however, exposure to its toxic impact especially in humans and other non-target species remains an important public health concern. The study aimed to investigate the effect of epigallocatechin -3- gallate (EGCG), abundant in green tea plants on neurobehavioural, biochemical, and pathological changes in the brain of male Wistar rats following exposure to diazinon toxicity. Sixty adult male Wistar rats were acclimatized for seven days and subsequently randomly assigned into six treatment groups as follows: Group I: Control group (0.

Music tempo modulates emotional states as revealed through EEG insights.

Music can effectively influence human emotions, with different melodies and rhythms eliciting varying emotional responses. Among these, tempo is one of the most important parameters affecting emotions. This study explores the impact of music tempo on emotional states and the associated brain functional networks.

Protective biomechanical and histological changes in the false lumen wall in chronic type B aortic dissection.

Objective: The outer false lumen wall (FLW) changes from thin/compliant to thick/rigid as aortic dissection transitions from the acute to chronic phase. This study investigates biomechanical stiffness and histological changes of the FLW as the dissected aorta ages.

Methods: The free outer FLW from human tissue was analyzed from chronic type B dissection (chronic-FLW) n = 10, acute type A dissection (acute-FLW) n = 10, and transplant donor descending aorta that was manually peeled into 2 layers (control-FLW) n = 17.

Infant muscle activity is modified by inclined environments during different styles of rolling.

Rolling is an important part of infant motor development and is largely affected by experiences and surroundings. The purpose of this study was to determine how inclined mechanical environments affect infant muscle activation during previously defined coordinated rolling movements. The results demonstrate that infant muscle utilization (age: 6.

The function of microRNA related to cancer-associated fibroblasts in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly lethal malignant tumor characterized by a poor prognosis. A prominent feature of PDAC is the rich and dense stroma present in the tumor microenvironment (TME), which significantly hinders drug penetration. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), activated fibroblasts originating from various cell sources, including pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), play a critical role in PDAC progression and TME formation.

Physics-informed machine learning for automatic model reduction in chemical reaction networks.

Physics-informed machine learning bridges the gap between the high fidelity of mechanistic models and the adaptive insights of artificial intelligence. In chemical reaction network modeling, this synergy proves valuable, addressing the high computational costs of detailed mechanistic models while leveraging the predictive power of machine learning. This study applies this fusion to the biomedical challenge of Aβ fibril aggregation, a key factor in Alzheimer's disease.

Histidine 73 methylation coordinates β-actin plasticity in response to key environmental factors.

The functional importance of the methylation of histidine 73 (H73) in actin remains unclear. Focusing on cytoplasmic β-actin, present in all mammalian cells, we use molecular dynamics simulations with a polarizable force field and adaptive sampling to examine the effects of H73 methylation. Our results show that methylation enhances nucleotide binding cleft opening, alters allosteric pathways connecting subdomains 2 and 4 (SD2 and SD4) in G-actin, and affects backdoor openings and inorganic phosphate release in F-actin, as validated by biochemical assays.

Evaluation of enzyme activity predictions for variants of unknown significance in Arylsulfatase A.

Continued advances in variant effect prediction are necessary to demonstrate the ability of machine learning methods to accurately determine the clinical impact of variants of unknown significance (VUS). Towards this goal, the ARSA Critical Assessment of Genome Interpretation (CAGI) challenge was designed to characterize progress by utilizing 219 experimentally assayed missense VUS in the Arylsulfatase A (ARSA) gene to assess the performance of community-submitted predictions of variant functional effects. The challenge involved 15 teams, and evaluated additional predictions from established and recently released models.

Sequencing in over 50,000 cases identifies coding and structural variation underlying atrial fibrillation risk.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a prevalent and morbid abnormality of the heart rhythm with a strong genetic component. Here, we meta-analyzed genome and exome sequencing data from 36 studies that included 52,416 AF cases and 277,762 controls. In burden tests of rare coding variation, we identified novel associations between AF and the genes MYBPC3, LMNA, PKP2, FAM189A2 and KDM5B.

Meta-analysis of genome-wide associations and polygenic risk prediction for atrial fibrillation in more than 180,000 cases.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common heart rhythm abnormality and is a leading cause of heart failure and stroke. This large-scale meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies increased the power to detect single-nucleotide variant associations and found more than 350 AF-associated genetic loci. We identified candidate genes related to muscle contractility, cardiac muscle development and cell-cell communication at 139 loci.

Oculomics: Current Concepts and Evidence.

The eye provides novel insights into general health, as well as pathogenesis and development of systemic diseases. In the past decade, growing evidence has demonstrated that the eye's structure and function mirror multiple systemic health conditions, especially in cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, and kidney impairments. This has given rise to the field of oculomics- the application of ophthalmic biomarkers to understand mechanisms, detect and predict disease.

Enzyme-Mimetic Zwitterionic Microgel Coatings for Antifouling and Enhanced Antithrombosis.

Blood-contacting devices serve as a mainstay in clinical treatment, yet thrombosis remains a major cause of device failure and poses risks to patient health. In this study, we developed a diselenide cross-linker, ,'-bis(methacryloyl)selenocystamine (BMASC), incorporated into poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) (PSBMA) microgels (defined as BSM) to create an enzyme-mimetic zwitterionic microgel coating (BSMC). The superhydrophilicity of PSBMA provides outstanding antifouling performance, while the diselenide bonds mimic the catalytic action of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in generating nitric oxide (NO).

MRI acquisition and reconstruction cookbook: recipes for reproducibility, served with real-world flavour.

MRI acquisition and reconstruction research has transformed into a computation-driven field. As methods become more sophisticated, compute-heavy, and data-hungry, efforts to reproduce them become more difficult. While the computational MRI research community has made great leaps toward reproducible computational science, there are few tailored guidelines or standards for users to follow.

Optimization of Immunogenic Cell Death in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer with Virus-like Particle-Based Photothermal Therapy.

Photothermal therapy (PTT) uses near-infrared (NIR) light and a photothermal agent (PTA) to generate heat to kill tumor cells. PTT is an attractive therapy for highly metastatic tumors─such as triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC)─because PTT is a potent activator of immunogenic cell death (ICD). ICD is characterized by the production of damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) that help the immune system recognize cancer cells as "nonself.