Measurement Properties of the Friedreich Ataxia Rating Scale in Patients with Spinocerebellar Ataxia.

Introduction: The Friedreich Ataxia Rating Scale-Activities of Daily Living (FARS-ADL) is a valid, highly utilized measure for assessing ADL impacts in patients with Friedreich ataxia. We provide evidence of the psychometric validity of the FARS-ADL in two cohorts of patients with spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA).

Methods: Using data from a cohort of real-world subjects with SCA (recruited at Massachusetts General Hospital [MGH]; n = 33) and a phase 3 trial of troriluzole in adults with SCA (NCT03701399 [Study 206]; n = 217), comprising a subset of patients with the SCA3 genotype (n = 89), the psychometric measurement properties and minimal change thresholds of the FARS-ADL were examined.

Endothelial Gsα deficiency promotes ferroptosis and exacerbates atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice via the inhibition of NRF2 signaling.

The importance of ferroptosis in the occurrence and progression of atherosclerosis is gradually being recognized. The stimulatory G protein α subunit (Gsα) plays a crucial role in the physiology of endothelial cells (ECs). Our previous study showed that endothelial Gsα could regulate angiogenesis and preserve endothelial permeability.

Dysregulated autoantibodies targeting AGTR1 are associated with the accumulation of COVID-19 symptoms.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) presents a wide spectrum of symptoms, the causes of which remain poorly understood. This study explored the associations between autoantibodies (AABs), particularly those targeting G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and renin‒angiotensin system (RAS) molecules, and the clinical manifestations of COVID-19. Using a cross-sectional analysis of 244 individuals, we applied multivariate analysis of variance, principal component analysis, and multinomial regression to examine the relationships between AAB levels and key symptoms.

Robust collection and processing for label-free single voxel proteomics.

With advanced mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics, genome-scale proteome coverage can be achieved from bulk tissues. However, such bulk measurement lacks spatial resolution and obscures tissue heterogeneity, precluding proteome mapping of tissue microenvironment. Here we report an integrated wet collection of single microscale tissue voxels and Surfactant-assisted One-Pot voxel processing method termed wcSOP for robust label-free single voxel proteomics.

Dietary-Lifestyle Patterns and Colorectal Cancer Risk: Global Cancer Update Programme (CUP Global) Systematic Literature Review.

Background: While healthy dietary and lifestyle factors have been individually linked to lower colorectal cancer (CRC) risks, recommendations for whole diet-lifestyle patterns remained unestablished due to limited studies and inconsistent pattern definitions.

Objective: This updated review synthesized literature on dietary-lifestyle patterns and CRC risk/mortality.

Methods: PubMed and Embase were searched through 31 March 2023 for randomized controlled trials and prospective cohort studies examining adulthood dietary patterns combined with modifiable lifestyle factors such as adiposity, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, and/or others.

Impact of pulmonary rehabilitation on survival in people with Interstitial lung disease.

Background: Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is a beneficial intervention for people with interstitial lung disease (ILD), however the effect of PR on survival is unclear. This study compared the survival outcomes in people with ILD who were allocated to PR versus those who were allocated to control in two published randomised controlled trials (RCTs).

Research Question: Does participation in PR impact survival among people with ILD?

Study Design And Methods: The combined data from the two previous RCTs of PR in ILD were included.

Secondary bile acid derivatives are contributors to the fecal bile acid pool and associated with bile acid modulating nutrients.

Objective: Accumulation of hydrophobic bile acids is linked with cancer development. However, derivatives of deoxycholic acid (DCA) and lithocholic acid (LCA) produced via bacterial metabolism may mitigate the proinflammatory and cytotoxic effects of hydrophobic bile acids. The impact of diet on secondary bile acid (BA) derivative production has not been determined.

Peripheral blood immune cells from individuals with Parkinson's disease or inflammatory bowel disease share deficits in iron storage and transport that are modulated by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a multisystem disorder in which dysregulated neuroimmune crosstalk and inflammatory relay via the gut-blood-brain axis have been implicated in PD pathogenesis. Although alterations in circulating inflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been associated with PD, no biomarkers have been identified that predict clinical progression or disease outcome. Gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction, which involves perturbation of the underlying immune system, is an early and often-overlooked symptom that affects up to 80 % of individuals living with PD.

The Dermatologic Oral Examination and Biopsy: A Guide for Incorporation into Everyday Practice.

Many dermatologic and systemic disorders present with oral manifestations. Early diagnosis and treatment can improve patient outcomes. Medical, dermatology, and dentistry training in disorders of the oral mucosa is significantly lacking and has created a practice gap in diagnosing and treating oral mucosal disorders.

Outdoor Overground Gait Biomechanics and Energetics in Individuals With Transtibial Amputation Walking With a Prescribed Passive Prosthesis and a Bionic Myoelectric Prosthesis.

The metabolic cost of walking for individuals with transtibial amputation is generally greater compared with able-bodied individuals. One aim of powered prostheses is to reduce metabolic deficits by replicating biological ankle function. Individuals with transtibial amputation can activate their residual limb muscles to volitionally control bionic ankle prostheses for walking; however, it is unknown how myoelectric control performs outside the laboratory.

Coalescence characteristics of free-living and particle-attached bacteria in a cascade river-reservoir system: A case study of the Jinsha River.

Microbial coalescence plays a crucial role in shaping aquatic ecosystems by facilitating the merging of neighboring microbial communities, thereby influencing ecosystem structure. Although this phenomenon is commonly observed in natural environments, comprehensive quantitative comparative studies on different lifestyle bacteria involved in this process are still lacking. The study focuses on 16S rRNA Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs) at the Jinsha River hydropower stations (Wudongde [WDD], Baihetan [BHT], Xiluodu [XLD], Xiangjiaba [XJB]), specifically examining free-living (FL) and particle-attached (PA) bacteria.

Trends, challenges, and research pathways in emerging contaminants: a comprehensive bibliometric analysis.

The growing concern over environmental pollution has spurred extensive research into various contaminants impacting ecosystems and human health. Emerging contaminants (ECs), including pharmaceuticals, personal care products, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, nanomaterials, and microplastics, have garnered significant attention due to their persistence, bioaccumulation, and toxicity. This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of EC research, aiming to detail the research landscape, highlight significant contributions, and identify influential researchers and pivotal studies.

Effect of cardiomyocyte-specific lipid phosphate phosphatase 3 overexpression on high-fat diet-induced cardiometabolic dysfunction in mice.

Lipid phosphate phosphatase 3 (LPP3) is a membrane-bound enzyme that hydrolyzes lipid phosphates including the bioactive lipid, lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). Elevated circulating LPA production and cellular LPA signaling are implicated in obesity-induced metabolic and cardiac dysfunction. Deletion of LPP3 in the cardiomyocyte increases circulating LPA levels and causes heart failure and mitochondrial dysfunction in mice.

Floodplain forests drive fruit-eating fish diversity at the Amazon Basin-scale.

Unlike most rivers globally, nearly all lowland Amazonian rivers have unregulated flow, supporting seasonally flooded floodplain forests. Floodplain forests harbor a unique tree species assemblage adapted to flooding and specialized fauna, including fruit-eating fish that migrate seasonally into floodplains, favoring expansive floodplain areas. Frugivorous fish are forest-dependent fauna critical to forest regeneration via seed dispersal and support commercial and artisanal fisheries.

Exercise intensity and training alter the innate immune cell type and chromosomal origins of circulating cell-free DNA in humans.

Exercising regularly promotes health, but these benefits are complicated by acute inflammation induced by exercise. A potential source of inflammation is cell-free DNA (cfDNA), yet the cellular origins, molecular causes, and immune system interactions of exercise-induced cfDNA are unclear. To study these, 10 healthy individuals were randomized to a 12-wk exercise program of either high-intensity tactical training (HITT) or traditional moderate-intensity training (TRAD).

Discharge Disposition after Total Hip Arthroplasty: A 10-Year Analysis of Trends and Predictors of Nonhome Discharge (2011-2021).

Background: Total hip arthroplasty (THA) practices are evolving under the influence of the current value-based healthcare system and bundled payment models. This study aimed to (1) evaluate national trends in discharge disposition and postoperative outcomes after THA, (2) compare discharge cohorts on episode-of-care parameters, and (3) determine predictors of nonhome discharge from 2011 to 2021.

Methods: The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was queried for THA data from 2011 to 2021.

Intravaginal cooling provides symptom relief in women with vulvovaginal candidiasis and reduces immunopathology in an accompanying mouse model.

Background: Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC), caused primarily by Candida albicans, is currently treated with either prescription or over-the-counter antifungal drugs, often with variable efficacy and relapses. New and improved therapeutic strategies, including drug-free treatment alternatives, are needed. Upon overgrowth or environmental triggers, C.

Rural Roads to cognitive Resilience (RRR): A prospective cohort study protocol.

Background: Ambient air pollution, detrimental built and social environments, social isolation (SI), low socioeconomic status (SES), and rural (versus urban) residence have been associated with cognitive decline and risk of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). Research is needed to investigate the influence of ambient air pollution and built and social environments on SI and cognitive decline among rural, disadvantaged, ethnic minority communities. To address this gap, this cohort study will recruit an ethnoracially diverse, rural Florida sample in geographic proximity to seasonal agricultural burning.

Open Soil Spectral Library (OSSL): Building reproducible soil calibration models through open development and community engagement.

Soil spectroscopy is a widely used method for estimating soil properties that are important to environmental and agricultural monitoring. However, a bottleneck to its more widespread adoption is the need for establishing large reference datasets for training machine learning (ML) models, which are called soil spectral libraries (SSLs). Similarly, the prediction capacity of new samples is also subject to the number and diversity of soil types and conditions represented in the SSLs.

Heat Transfer Analysis of Cryogenic EXLO Specimen Handling.

A conduction heat transfer analysis of ex situ lift-out specimen handling under cryogenic conditions (cryo-EXLO) is performed and compared with experimentally determined temperature values using a type K thermocouple. Using a finite-volume solver for heat conduction, the analysis confirms that manipulation of a specimen by a probe above a working surface cooled at liquid nitrogen (LN2) temperatures can remain below the critical vitreous temperature up to several hundreds of micrometers above the working surface, allowing for ample distance for lift out and specimen manipulation. In addition, the temperature above the cryogenic shuttle sample holder working surface remains below the vitreous temperature for several tens of minutes without adding cryogen, yielding sufficient time to complete multiple manipulations.

Studying the Digital Intervention Engagement-Mediated Relationship Between Intrapersonal Measures and Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Adherence in Sexual and Gender Minority Youth: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Improving adherence to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) via digital health interventions (DHIs) for young sexual and gender minority men who have sex with men (YSGMMSM) is promising for reducing the HIV burden. Measuring and achieving effective engagement (sufficient to solicit PrEP adherence) in YSGMMSM is challenging.

Objective: This study is a secondary analysis of the primary efficacy randomized controlled trial (RCT) of Prepared, Protected, Empowered (P3), a digital PrEP adherence intervention that used causal mediation to quantify whether and to what extent intrapersonal behavioral, mental health, and sociodemographic measures were related to effective engagement for PrEP adherence in YSGMMSM.

Clinical Decision Support Using Speech Signal Analysis: Systematic Scoping Review of Neurological Disorders.

Background: Digital biomarkers are increasingly used in clinical decision support for various health conditions. Speech features as digital biomarkers can offer insights into underlying physiological processes due to the complexity of speech production. This process involves respiration, phonation, articulation, and resonance, all of which rely on specific motor systems for the preparation and execution of speech.

Mercury exposure in an endangered songbird: influence of marsh hydrology and evidence for early breeding impairment.

Songbird reproductive success can decline from consuming mercury-contaminated aquatic insects, but assessments of hydrologic conditions influencing songbird mercury exposure are lacking. We monitored breast feather total mercury (THg) concentrations and reproductive success in the U.S.

A retrospective analysis of medications associated with pityriasis rosea reported in the FDA adverse events reporting system.

Pityriasis rosea (PR) is an acute exanthematous disease with an uncertain physiopathology, increasingly recognized as potentially drug induced. This study aims to investigate medication triggers associated with PR by analyzing cases reported in the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database. A retrospective review of 343 PR cases reported in the FAERS database from January 1, 1998, to March 31, 2024, was conducted.