Evaluation of a biomarker for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis derived from a hypomethylated DNA signature of human motor neurons.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) lacks a specific biomarker, but is defined by relatively selective toxicity to motor neurons (MN). As others have highlighted, this offers an opportunity to develop a sensitive and specific biomarker based on detection of DNA released from dying MN within accessible biofluids. Here we have performed whole genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) of iPSC-derived MN from neurologically normal individuals.

Effects of injectable trace minerals (Se, Zn, Cu, and Mn) administration on the immune response elicited by primary intranasal modified-live virus vaccination in dairy calves.

The objective was to determine the effects of injectable trace minerals (ITM, containing Se, Cu, Zn & Mn) administered at the time of primary intranasal (IN) modified-live virus (MLV) vaccination of young dairy calves on the serum neutralizing antibody (SNA) titers to Bovine herpes virus 1 (BHV1), Bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV), and Bovine Parainfluenza type 3 virus (BPIV); cytokine expression in peripheral white blood cells, and BHV1-specific IgA titers in nasal secretions following the vaccination. A total of 60 calves (1 month old) were administered an IN MLV vaccine containing BHV1, BRSV, BPIV (Inforce 3) and randomly assigned to one of two experimental groups: ITM (n = 30; Multimin90, containing Se, Cu, Zn, and Mn) or SAL (n = 30; sterile saline). There was a consistent decay in virus-specific SNA titers in both groups.

Diagnostic models to differentiate Takotsubo syndrome from acute coronary syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aims: Differentiation between patients with Takotsubo syndrome and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) remains a challenge. We performed a systematic review to identify and evaluate diagnostic predictive models to distinguish both conditions.

Methods And Results: We performed an electronic search in PubMed, EMBASE, and Scopus until January 2024.

Conceptualizing and Measuring Systemic Racism.

This article provides a guide for rigorous, theory-driven measurement approaches, proposing best practices for the scientific study of systemic racism in health research. We argue that the analytical crux of measuring systemic racism-a complex, interconnected, and dynamic system-lies in operationalizing the collective logics, properties, and mechanisms that undergird racial inequities. Misalignment between measurement tools and these foundational features undermines research validity, as incongruent measures distort findings and obscure systemic racism's true impacts.

Mediation analysis identifies causal factors that lead to increased rates of kidney transplant failure in patients with peripheral vascular disease.

Background: This study aims to identify causal mediators of one-year kidney transplant failure in patients with peripheral vascular disease.

Methods: Standard Transplant Analysis and Research database was queried for adults who underwent kidney transplantation from 1987 to 2021. Multi-organ transplant, prior transplant, and living donor kidneys were excluded.

Modeling, synthesis and cell-based evaluation of pyridine-substituted analogs of CD3254 and fluorinated analogs of CBt-PMN as novel therapeutics.

Six pyridine analogs of (E)-3-(3-(1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-1,1,4,4,6-pentamethylnaphthalen-7-yl)-4-hydroxyphenyl)acrylic acid-or CD3254 (11)-in addition to two novel analogs of 1-(3,5,5,8,8-pentamethyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydronaphthalen-2-yl)-1H-benzo[d][1,2,3]triazole-5-carboxylic acid (CBt-PMN or 23) were prepared and evaluated for selective retinoid-X-receptor (RXR) agonism alongside bexarotene (1), an FDA-approved drug for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). Treatment with 1 often elicits side-effects by disrupting or provoking other RXR-dependent nuclear receptors and cellular pathways. All analogs were assessed through modeling for their ability to bind RXR and then evaluated in human colon and kidney cells employing an RXR-RXR mammalian-2-hybrid (M2H) system and in an RXRE-controlled transcriptional assay.

How I Treat Higher-Risk MDS.

Myelodysplastic syndromes/neoplasms (MDS) are a widely heterogenous group of myeloid malignancies characterized by morphologic dysplasia, a defective hematopoiesis, and recurrent genetic abnormalities. The original and revised International Prognostic Scoring Systems (IPSS) have been used to risk-stratify patients with MDS to guide treatment strategies. In higher-risk MDS, the therapeutic approach is geared toward delaying leukemic transformation and prolonging survival.

Development of the Lee Symptom Scale-Skin Sclerosis for chronic GVHD-associated sclerosis.

Sclerosis is a highly morbid manifestation of chronic GVHD (cGVHD), associated with distressing symptoms and significant long-term disability. A patient-reported outcome measure (PRO) for cGVHD-associated sclerosis is essential to advance therapeutic trials. We aimed to develop a PRO for adults with cGVHD-associated sclerosis and evaluate and refine its content validity.

Optimal control of agent-based models via surrogate modeling.

This paper describes and validates an algorithm to solve optimal control problems for agent-based models (ABMs). For a given ABM and a given optimal control problem, the algorithm derives a surrogate model, typically lower-dimensional, in the form of a system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs), solves the control problem for the surrogate model, and then transfers it back to the original ABM. It applies to quite general ABMs and offers several options for the ODE structure, depending on what information about the ABM is to be used.

Predictive Optimization of Patient No-Show Management in Primary Healthcare Using Machine Learning.

The "no-show" problem in healthcare refers to the prevalent phenomenon where patients schedule appointments with healthcare providers but fail to attend them without prior cancellation or rescheduling. In addressing this issue, our study delves into a multivariate analysis over a five-year period involving 21,969 patients. Our study introduces a predictive model framework that offers a holistic approach to managing the no-show problem in healthcare, incorporating elements into the objective function that address not only the accurate prediction of no-shows but also the management of service capacity, overbooking, and idle resource allocation resulting from mispredictions.

Impact of trauma center status on radiology resident performance in detecting non-accidental trauma on the WIDI SIM exam.

Purpose: To evaluate whether adult and pediatric trauma center status, as well as the presence of dedicated child protection teams, influences radiology resident performance in detecting non-accidental trauma on the Emergent/Critical Care Imaging Simulation (WIDI SIM) exam.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 639 WIDI SIM exam scores for four pediatric non-accidental trauma cases completed by radiology residents across 33 programs. Residents were stratified by level (R1-R4) and institutional factors, including adult trauma center status, pediatric trauma center status, and child protection team presence.

A Neighborhood-Level Hispanic Paradox: the Interaction between Hispanic Density, Neighborhood Disadvantage, and Survival in Breast Cancer Patients.

Background: To evaluate the impact of Hispanic ethnic enclaves (EE) on the relationship between neighborhood disadvantage and overall survival (OS) in breast cancer (BCa) patients.

Methods: Data from BCa patients with stage I-IV disease diagnosed between 2005-2017 was used to analyze the effects of Area Deprivation Index (ADI) scores, a measure of neighborhood disadvantage, and census-tract level Hispanic density, a measure of EE, on OS using mixed-effects Cox regression models. The final model included the following individual-level factors (age, income, race, Hispanic/Latino origin, nativity, insurance status, and comorbidities (hypertension, diabetes, and body mass index) and clinical factors (National Comprehensive Cancer Network guideline-concordant treatment, stage, and receptor subtype).

Cancer Incidence in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) - The Onco-SOL Ancillary Study.

Background: Few studies have examined how cancer incidence varies by country of origin among United States Hispanic/Latino adults. Herein, we describe the incidence rates of cancer overall and for screen-detectable, tobacco-related, and obesity-related cancers among 16,415 participants in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), an ongoing population-based cohort study of Hispanic/Latino adults from diverse backgrounds.

Methods: Cohort participant records were linked to the state cancer registries in New York, Florida, California, and Illinois to ascertain cancer incidence from baseline (2008-2011) through 2021.

Triple Threat: How Global Fungal Rice and Wheat Pathogens Utilize Comparable Pathogenicity Mechanisms to Drive Host Colonization.

Plant pathogens pose significant threats to global cereal crop production, particularly for essential crops like rice and wheat, which are fundamental to global food security and provide nearly 40% of the global caloric intake. As the global population continues to rise, increasing agricultural production to meet food demands becomes even more critical. However, the production of these vital crops is constantly threatened by phytopathological diseases, especially those caused by fungal pathogens such as , the causative agent of rice blast disease, , responsible for head blight (FHB) in wheat, and , the source of Septoria tritici blotch (STB).

Optimizing automated photo identification for population assessments.

Several legal acts mandate that management agencies regularly assess biological populations. For species with distinct markings, these assessments can be conducted noninvasively via capture-recapture and photographic identification (photo-ID), which involves processing considerable quantities of photographic data. To ease this burden, agencies increasingly rely on automated identification (ID) algorithms.

Benchmarking the Efficacy of Salvage Systemic Therapies for Recurrent Meningioma: A RANO Group Systematic Review and Meta-analysis to Guide Clinical Trial Design.

Background: Despite advances in our understanding of the molecular underpinnings of meningioma progression and innovations in systemic and local treatments, recurrent meningiomas remain a substantial therapeutic challenge. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to provide a historical baseline, contemporary analysis, and propose a "rate of probable interest" to inform future clinical trial design and development on behalf of the RANO meningioma group.

Methods: PubMed, ClinicalTrials.

Pump-controlled retrograde trial off extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation weaning strategies are not standardized. When dealing with patients with complex physiologies and borderline haemodynamics, it is prudent to have a fail-safe method of approaching decannulation from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Standardizing the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation weaning strategy with a pump-controlled retrograde trial off protocol seems a feasible alternative to traditional venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation weaning approaches.

Don't ignore cognitive evolution during the three million years that preceded the archaeological record of material culture!

The target article rightly questions whether the archaeological record is useful for identifying sea changes in hominin cognitive abilities. This commentary suggests an alternative approach of synthesizing findings from primatology, evolutionary developmental biology, and paleoanthropology to formulate hypotheses about cognitive evolution in hominins that lived during the three million years that preceded the record of material culture (the Botanic Age).

Heart Rate and Blood Pressure Responses Vary Between Blood Flow Restriction Cuff Type.

The purpose of the study was to compare heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) following high load resistance exercise (HLRE) and blood flow restriction exercise (BFRE) with a knee wrap (kBFRE) and pneumatic cuff (pBFRE). Eleven men (N = 9) and women (N = 2) participated. HR, SBP, and DBP were collected at Rest, immediately post exercise (IP), 10-, 30-, and 45-minutes post exercise.

Validity and Reliability of a Linear Position Transducer to Measure Barbell Velocity, Duration, and Displacement During the Bench Press.

This investigation evaluated validity and reliability of the HUMAC360 linear position transducer (LPT) compared to the Tendo Sport Weightlifting Analyzer (TENDO) for measuring mean velocity (MV), peak velocity (PV), and displacement (D) during the bench press. Seventeen recreationally active individuals completed three visits. During visit one, participants were assessed for their one repetition maximum (1RM) bench press.