Phthalimides as anti-inflammatory agents.

Isoindoline-1,3-dione, also referred as phthalimide, has gained recognition as promising pharmacophore due to the documented biological activities of its derivatives. Phthalimides are a family of synthetic molecules that exhibit notable bioactivity across various fields, particularly as anticancer and anti-inflammatory agents. This review focuses on syntheses and anti-inflammatory studies of the reported phthalimide derivatives.

Rebalancing immune homeostasis in combating disease: The impact of medicine food homology plants and gut microbiome.

Background: Gut microbiota plays an important role in multiple human physiological processes and an imbalance in it, including the species, abundance, and metabolites can lead to diseases. These enteric microorganisms modulate immune homeostasis by presenting a myriad of antigenic determinants and microbial metabolites. Medicinal and food homologous (MFH) plants, edible herbal materials for both medicine and food, are important parts of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

Comparing total medical costs of surgical treatment versus nonoperative care for femoral neck fractures among Alzheimer's disease patients: A retrospective cohort study.

Objectives: To compare the total medical costs associated with operative versus non-operative medical procedures for femoral neck fractures in older adults with Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Methods: This retrospective cohort study examined 4,157 Optum beneficiaries diagnosed with AD who filed an initial claim for femoral neck fracture between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2017. Generalized linear regression with Gamma log link function was performed to evaluate total medical costs between surgical treatment and non-operative care while controlling for covariates.

Type 2 biomarkers in olfactory cleft mucus correlate with SNOT-22 in chronic rhinosinusitis independent of nasal polyp status.

Background: Quantitative mucus cytokine analysis to examine the sinonasal microenvironment may bridge the gap between patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and empirical measures of inflammation in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS).

Objective: Investigate the correlation between mucus cytokine levels and Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) scores, including individual subdomains.

Methods: Patients with CRS were prospectively recruited between 2016 and 2021 into a multi-institutional observational study.

Risk reduction in SARS-CoV-2 infection and reinfection conferred by humoral antibody levels among essential workers during Omicron predominance.

The extent to which semi-quantitative antibody levels confer protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection in populations with heterogenous immune histories is unclear. Two nested case-control studies were designed within the multisite HEROES/RECOVER prospective cohort of frontline workers to study the relationship between antibody levels and protection against first-time post-vaccination infection and reinfection with SARS-CoV-2 from December 2021 to January 2023. All participants submitted weekly nasal swabs for rRT-PCR testing and blood samples quarterly and following infection or vaccination.

Reconciling heterogeneous dengue virus infection risk estimates from different study designs.

Uncovering rates at which susceptible individuals become infected with a pathogen, i.e., the force of infection (FOI), is essential for assessing transmission risk and reconstructing distribution of immunity in a population.

A scoping review of applied tick control research in North America: funding, implementation, and advancement.

Geographic ranges of ticks and tick-borne pathogens within North America are shifting due to environmental changes and human-driven activities, with species of public health concern presenting a multifaceted risk to human health. Innovative strategies and continued collaboration to control tick populations are needed to combat this growing threat. We conducted a scoping review of the literature to describe the nature of applied tick control research conducted in North America (Canada, Mexico, and the United States) to date, with the goal of describing key concepts and identifying gaps in this research area.

The Role of Mechanosignaling in the Control of Myocardial Mass.

Regulation of myocardial mass is key for maintaining cardiovascular health. This review highlights the complex and regulatory relationship between mechanosignaling and myocardial mass, influenced by many internal and external factors including hemodynamic and microgravity, respectively. The heart is a dynamic organ constantly adapting to changes in workload (preload and afterload) and mechanical stress exerted on the myocardium, influencing both physiological adaptations and pathological remodeling.

Generating Ultradense Jammed Ellipse Packings Using Biased SWAP.

Using a Lubachevsky-Stillinger-like growth algorithm combined with biased SWAP Monte Carlo and transient degrees of freedom, we generate ultradense disordered jammed ellipse packings. For all aspect ratios α, these packings exhibit significantly smaller intermediate-wavelength density fluctuations and greater local nematic order than their less-dense counterparts. The densest packings are disordered despite having packing fractions ϕ(α) that are within less than 0.

The Demographic Basis of Population Growth: A 32-Year Transient Life Table Response Experiment.

It has recently been recognised that populations are rarely in demographic equilibrium, but rather in a 'transient' state. To examine how transient dynamics influence our empirical understanding of the links between changes in demographic rates and population growth, we conducted a 32-year study of Columbian ground squirrels. The population increased rapidly for 10 years, followed by a 2-year crash, and a gradual 19-year recovery.

Willingness to Use Oral and Long-Acting Injectable PrEP in Substance-Using Men who have Sex with Men (SU-MSM) in High HIV Incidence Southern U.S. Cities: A NIDA Clinical Trials Network Study.

In Southern U.S. states with high HIV incidence and low HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake, enhanced efforts to increase interest in and willingness to use PrEP are needed.

Density dependence maintains long-term stability despite increased isolation and inbreeding in the Florida Scrub-Jay.

Isolation caused by anthropogenic habitat fragmentation can destabilize populations. Populations relying on the inflow of immigrants can face reduced fitness due to inbreeding depression as fewer new individuals arrive. Empirical studies of the demographic consequences of isolation are critical to understand how populations persist through changing conditions.

The brain selectively allocates energy to functional brain networks under cognitive control.

Network energy has been conceptualized based on structural balance theory in the physics of complex networks. We utilized this framework to assess the energy of functional brain networks under cognitive control and to understand how energy is allocated across canonical functional networks during various cognitive control tasks. We extracted network energy from functional connectivity patterns of subjects who underwent fMRI scans during cognitive tasks involving working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility, in addition to task-free scans.

Evidence that transverse variability of critical current density can greatly mitigate screening current stress in high field REBCO magnets.

Plastic damage of REBCO (REBaCuO, where RE=rare earth) coated conductors by screening current stress (SCS) is a significant concern for ultra-high-field superconducting magnets. Indeed, the third Little Big Coil (LBC3), a REBCO magnet that generated a record, high field of 45.5 T, showed wavy plastic damage produced by excess SCS in all pancakes except two made with single-slit conductors having their slit edges pointing inward towards the magnet center.

Regulation of Paneth cell-specific genes in COVID-19 patients and SARS-CoV-2-infected mice by quantification of mRNA from exfoliated cells in stool samples.

The Paneth cell, a secretory cell of the small intestine, expresses numerous host defense proteins, and is hypothesized to play an important role in host defense against infection. However, studying gene expression in this cell requires invasive procedures. To test the hypothesis that we could observe Paneth cell-specific gene regulation from exfoliated cells in infectious conditions, we obtained stool samples from patients with COVID-19 and uninfected controls.

Photoswitch dissociation from a G protein-coupled receptor resolved by time-resolved serial crystallography.

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest family of cell surface receptors in humans. The binding and dissociation of ligands tunes the inherent conformational flexibility of these important drug targets towards distinct functional states. Here we show how to trigger and resolve protein-ligand interaction dynamics within the human adenosine A receptor.

The structural basis of protective and nonprotective human monoclonal antibodies targeting the parainfluenza virus type 3 hemagglutinin-neuraminidase.

Parainfluenza virus 3 (PIV3) infection poses a substantial risk to vulnerable groups including infants, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals, and lacks effective treatments or vaccines. This study focuses on targeting the hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) protein, a structural glycoprotein of PIV3 critical for viral infection and egress. With the objective of targeting these activities of HN, we identified eight neutralizing human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) with potent effects on viral neutralization, cell-cell fusion inhibition, and complement deposition.

Strained two-dimensional tungsten diselenide for mechanically tunable exciton transport.

Tightly bound electron-hole pairs (excitons) hosted in atomically-thin semiconductors have emerged as prospective elements in optoelectronic devices for ultrafast and secured information transfer. The controlled exciton transport in such excitonic devices requires manipulating potential energy gradient of charge-neutral excitons, while electrical gating or nanoscale straining have shown limited efficiency of exciton transport at room temperature. Here, we report strain gradient induced exciton transport in monolayer tungsten diselenide (WSe) across microns at room temperature via steady-state pump-probe measurement.

Multi-Trophic Level Responses to Marine Heatwave Disturbances in the California Current Ecosystem.

Marine heatwaves (MHWs) caused by multiple phenomena with days to months duration are increasingly common disturbances in ocean ecosystems. We investigated the impacts of MHWs on pelagic communities using spatially resolved time-series of multiple trophic levels from the Southern California Current Ecosystem. Indices of phytoplankton biomass mostly declined during MHWs because of reduced nutrient supply (excepting Prochlorococcus) and were generally more sensitive to marine heatwave intensity than duration.

Assessing Trauma and Training Needs of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners Across the United States.

Background: Much of the research on sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs) focuses on program outcomes rather than the individual experiences of SANEs. The present research therefore sought to examine the individual experiences of SANEs regarding trauma, support, training needs, and challenges.

Methods: A national sample of SANEs participated in an online survey.

Uncontrolled Diabetes is a Strong Predictor of Amputation in End Stage Renal Disease Patients on Hemodialysis.

Background: Diabetic nephropathy remains a strong risk factor for chronic kidney disease progression. Hemoglobin A1C (HBA1C) has historically been used as a marker for complications related to diabetes.

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between HBA1C and clinical complications in a patient population with end stage renal disease.

Factors Associated with Pediatric Drowning-Associated Lung Injury.

Objective: To identify risk factors for clinically-important drowning-associated lung injury (ciDALI) in children.

Study Design: This was a cross-sectional study of children (0 through18 years) who presented to 32 pediatric emergency departments (EDs) from 2010 through 2017. We reviewed demographics, comorbidities, prehospital data, chest radiographs reports, and ED course from emergency medical services, medical, and fatality records.