Pre-diagnosis and pre-treatment loss to follow-up and associated factors among patients with presumed tuberculosis and those diagnosed in Uganda.

Background: Loss to follow-up (LTFU) of patients with presumed tuberculosis (TB) before completing the diagnostic process (pre-diagnosis LTFU) and before initiating treatment for those diagnosed (pre-treatment LTFU) is a challenge in the realization of the End TB Strategy. We assessed the proportion of pre-diagnosis and pre-treatment LTFU and associated factors among patients with presumed TB and those diagnosed in the selected health facilities.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study involving a review of routinely collected data from presumptive, laboratory and TB treatment registers from January 2019 to December 2022.

The Holobiont concept in ruminant physiology - more of the same, or something new and meaningful to food quality, food security, and animal health?

The holobiont concept has emerged as an attempt to recognize and describe the myriad interactions and physiological signatures inherent to a host organism, as impacted by the microbial communities that colonize and/or co-inhabit the environment within which the host resides. The field acknowledges and draws upon principles from evolution, ecology, genetics, and biology, and in many respects has been "pushed" by the advent of high throughput DNA sequencing and, to a lesser extent, other "omics"-based technologies. Despite the explosion in data generation and analyses, much of our current understanding of the human and ruminant "holobiont" is based on compositional forms of data and thereby, restricted to describing host phenotypes via associative or correlative studies.

Multi-niche human bone marrow on-a-chip for studying the interactions of adoptive CAR-T cell therapies with multiple myeloma.

Multiple myeloma (MM), a cancer of bone marrow plasma cells, is the second-most common hematological malignancy. However, despite immunotherapies like chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells, relapse is nearly universal. The bone marrow (BM) microenvironment influences how MM cells survive, proliferate, and resist treatment.

Brain networks and intelligence: A graph neural network based approach to resting state fMRI data.

Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) is a powerful tool for investigating the relationship between brain function and cognitive processes as it allows for the functional organization of the brain to be captured without relying on a specific task or stimuli. In this paper, we present a novel modeling architecture called BrainRGIN for predicting intelligence (fluid, crystallized and total intelligence) using graph neural networks on rsfMRI derived static functional network connectivity matrices. Extending from the existing graph convolution networks, our approach incorporates a clustering-based embedding and graph isomorphism network in the graph convolutional layer to reflect the nature of the brain sub-network organization and efficient network expression, in combination with TopK pooling and attention-based readout functions.

Advances in deep learning for personalized ECG diagnostics: A systematic review addressing inter-patient variability and generalization constraints.

The Electrocardiogram (ECG) remains a fundamental tool in cardiac diagnostics, yet its interpretation has traditionally relied on cardiologists' expertise. Deep learning has revolutionized medical data analysis, especially within ECG diagnostics. However, the challenge of inter-patient variability limits the generalizability of ECG-AI models trained on population datasets, often reducing accuracy for specific patients or groups.

Effects of prolonged NaHCO exposure on the serum immune function, antioxidant capacity, intestinal tight junctions, microbiota, mitochondria, and autophagy in crucian carp (Carassius auratus).

This study investigated the effects of long-term NaHCO stress on serum immunity, antioxidant capacity, intestinal tight junction, intestinal microbiota, mitochondrial function and autophagy in crucian carp. A total of 240 fish (31.19 ± 1.

Mindfulness interventions in older adults for mental health and well-being: A meta-analysis.

Objectives: Mindfulness interventions are consistently associated with beneficial effects in younger adults. In this meta-analysis, we seek to quantify the effectiveness of mindfulness interventions for the mental health and well-being of older adults.

Method: We include 46 studies that implemented a mindfulness intervention (MBSR = 20; MBCT = 9; ad hoc protocol = 17) with older adults (samples with an average age of 60 or older; healthy adults = 20; adults with underlying symptoms = 26), examining a wide range of outcome measures (e.

Left Ventricular Dimensions and Clinical Outcomes With a Fully Magnetically Levitated Left Ventricular Assist Device.

Background: Prior analyses have suggested that a smaller left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD) is associated with reduced survival following HeartMate 3 left ventricular assist device implantation.

Objectives: In this trial-based comprehensive analysis, the authors sought to examine clinical characteristics and association with the outcome of this specific relationship.

Methods: The authors analyzed the presence of LVEDD <55 mm among 1,921 analyzable HeartMate 3 patients within the MOMENTUM 3 (Multicenter Study of MagLev Technology in Patients Undergoing Mechanical Circulatory Support Therapy With HeartMate 3) trial portfolio, on endpoints of overall survival and adverse events at 2 years.

The Effect of Heat-treated Poultry Pellets and Composted Poultry Litter on E. coli Survival in Southeastern US Soils: Florida and Georgia.

Biological soil amendments of animal origin (BSAAO) are a source of foodborne pathogens that can contaminate fresh produce. This study evaluated the survival of E. coli over 140 d in agricultural soils amended with composted poultry litter (PL), heat-treated poultry pellets (HTPP), or unamended (UN) in Florida (FL) and Georgia (GA).

A wearable triboelectric impedance tomography system for noninvasive and dynamic imaging of biological tissues.

Tissue imaging is usually captured by hospital-based nuclear magnetic resonance. Here, we present a wearable triboelectric impedance tomography (TIT) system for noninvasive imaging of various biological tissues. The imaging mechanism relies on the obtained impedance information from the different soft human tissues.

DNA Origami Colloidal Crystals: Opportunities and Challenges.

Over the last three decades, colloidal crystallization has provided an easy-to-craft platform for mesoscale engineering of photonic and phononic crystals. Nevertheless, the crystal lattices achieved thus far with commodity colloids are largely limited to symmetric and densely packed structures, restricting their functionalities. To obtain non-close-packed crystals and the resulting complexity of the available structures, directional binding between "patchy" colloids has been pursued.

Music, body, and machine: gesture-based synchronization in human-robot musical interaction.

Musical performance relies on nonverbal cues for conveying information among musicians. Human musicians use bodily gestures to communicate their interpretation and intentions to their collaborators, from mood and expression to anticipatory cues regarding structure and tempo. Robotic Musicians can use their physical bodies in a similar way when interacting with fellow musicians.

SARTAB, a scalable system for automated real-time behavior detection based on animal tracking and Region Of Interest analysis: validation on fish courtship behavior.

Methods from Machine Learning (ML) and Computer Vision (CV) have proven powerful tools for quickly and accurately analyzing behavioral recordings. The computational complexity of these techniques, however, often precludes applications that require real-time analysis: for example, experiments where a stimulus must be applied in response to a particular behavior or samples must be collected soon after the behavior occurs. Here, we describe SARTAB (Scalable Automated Real-Time Analysis of Behavior), a system that achieves automated real-time behavior detection by continuously monitoring animal positions relative to behaviorally relevant Regions Of Interest (ROIs).

Approximate nearest neighbor graph provides fast and efficient embedding with applications for large-scale biological data.

Dimension reduction (DR or embedding) algorithms such as t-SNE and UMAP have many applications in big data visualization but remain slow for large datasets. Here, we further improve the UMAP-like algorithms by (i) combining several aspects of t-SNE and UMAP to create a new DR algorithm; (ii) replacing its rate-limiting step, the K-nearest neighbor graph (K-NNG), with a Hierarchical Navigable Small World (HNSW) graph; and (iii) extending the functionality to DNA/RNA sequence data by combining HNSW with locality sensitive hashing algorithms (e.g.

Accuracy deficits during robotic time-constrained reaching are related to altered prefrontal cortex activity in children with cerebral palsy.

Background: The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is an important node for action planning in the frontoparietal reaching network but its role in reaching in children with cerebral palsy (CP) is unexplored. This case-control study combines a robotic task with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to concurrently assess reaching accuracy and PFC activity during time-constrained, goal-directed reaching in children with CP. We hypothesized that reaching accuracy in children with CP would be lower than in typically developing children and would be related to PFC activity.

Effects of vagus nerve stimulation on daily function and quality of life in markedly treatment-resistant major depression: Findings from a one-year, randomized, sham-controlled trial.

Background: Depression treatments aim to minimize symptom burden and optimize quality of life (QoL) and psychosocial function.

Objective: Compare the effects of adjunctive versus sham vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) on QoL and function in markedly treatment-resistant depression (TRD).

Methods: In this multicenter, double-blind, sham-controlled trial, 493 adults with TRD and ≥4 adequate but unsuccessful antidepressant treatment trials (current episode) were randomized to active (n = 249) or sham (n = 244) VNS (plus treatment as usual) over a 12-month observation period.

Microengineered in vitro CAR T cell screens and assays.

Established and emergent microengineered in vitro systems enable the evaluation of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell product purity, avidity, and functionality. Here, we describe such systems and how they have been used to optimize CAR T cell products by selecting highly viable cells, eliminating off-target cells, and tailoring avidity to balance efficacy and safety. The future of CAR T cell therapy development and manufacturing is expected to be anchored in a cyclical process that integrates multiple high-throughput and patient-centered techniques for identifying, enriching, and evaluating T cell subtypes.

Consistent frontal-limbic-occipital connections in distinguishing treatment-resistant and non-treatment-resistant schizophrenia.

Background And Hypothesis: Treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TR-SZ) and non-treatment-resistant schizophrenia (NTR-SZ) lack specific biomarkers to distinguish from each other. This investigation aims to identify consistent dysfunctional brain connections with different atlases, multiple feature selection strategies, and several classifiers in distinguishing TR-SZ and NTR-SZ.

Study Design: 55 TR-SZs, 239 NTR-SZs, and 87 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited from the Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University.

Eleven Grand Challenges for Inflammatory Bowel Disease Genetics and Genomics.

The past 2 decades have witnessed extraordinary advances in our understanding of the genetic factors influencing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), providing a foundation for the approaching era of genomic medicine. On behalf of the NIDDK IBD Genetics Consortium, we herein survey 11 grand challenges for the field as it embarks on the next 2 decades of research utilizing integrative genomic and systems biology approaches. These involve elucidation of the genetic architecture of IBD (how it compares across populations, the role of rare variants, and prospects of polygenic risk scores), in-depth cellular and molecular characterization (fine-mapping causal variants, cellular contributions to pathology, molecular pathways, interactions with environmental exposures, and advanced organoid models), and applications in personalized medicine (unmet medical needs, working toward molecular nosology, and precision therapeutics).

Multiple Strategies Enhance 7-Dehydrocholesterol Production from Kitchen Waste by Engineered .

7-Dehydrocholesterol (7-DHC) is an important precursor of vitamin D. The microbial synthesis of 7-DHC has attracted substantial attention. In this study, multiple strategies were developed to create a sustainable green route for enhancing 7-DHC yield from kitchen waste by engineered .

Introducing "Identification Probability" for Automated and Transferable Assessment of Metabolite Identification Confidence in Metabolomics and Related Studies.

Methods for assessing compound identification confidence in metabolomics and related studies have been debated and actively researched for the past two decades. The earliest effort in 2007 focused primarily on mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and resulted in four recommended levels of metabolite identification confidence─the Metabolite Standards Initiative (MSI) Levels. In 2014, the original MSI Levels were expanded to five levels (including two sublevels) to facilitate communication of compound identification confidence in high resolution mass spectrometry studies.