Economic impact of prolonged tracheal extubation times on operating room time overall and for subgroups of surgeons: a historical cohort study.

Background: Prolonged tracheal extubation time is defined as an interval ≥ 15 min from the end of surgery to extubation. An earlier study showed that prolonged extubations had a mean 12.4 min longer time from the end of surgery to operating room (OR) exit.

Drusen Regression after Macula-involving Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment Repair.

Purpose: To investigate the effect of macula-involving rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) repair on drusen regression.

Methods: A retrospective review was performed of patients with drusen who underwent macula-involving RRD repair. Longitudinal optical coherence tomography scans were reviewed by three graders, and each case was grouped into one of three categories: drusen regression, drusen persistence, or mixed.

Conformational landscape of soluble α-klotho revealed by cryogenic electron microscopy.

α-Klotho (KLA) is a type-1 membranous protein that can associate with fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) to form co-receptor for FGF23. The ectodomain of unassociated KLA is shed as soluble KLA (sKLA) to exert FGFR/FGF23-independent pleiotropic functions. The previously determined X-ray crystal structure of the extracellular region of sKLA in complex with FGF23 and FGFR1c suggests that sKLA functions solely as an on-demand coreceptor for FGF23.

Challenges with effective removal of surfactants from monoclonal antibody formulations.

Buffer exchange is a critical step in biologics development, playing a pivotal role in removing contaminants, adjusting sample conditions, and facilitating compatibility studies. The efficiency of centrifugal concentrators for polysorbate removal was compared to a two-step approach involving a surfactant removal column followed by buffer exchange. Trastuzumab-pkrb from Herzuma® was used.

Multiple cell types support productive infection and dynamic translocation of infectious Ebola virus to the surface of human skin.

Ebola virus (EBOV) causes severe human disease. During late infection, EBOV virions are on the skin's surface; however, the permissive skin cell types and the route of virus translocation to the epidermal surface are unknown. We describe a human skin explant model and demonstrate that EBOV infection of human skin via basal media increases in a time-dependent and dose-dependent manner.

Structural and functional dynamics of human cone cGMP-phosphodiesterase important for photopic vision.

Cone cGMP-phosphodiesterase (PDE6) is the key effector enzyme for daylight vision, and its properties are critical for shaping distinct physiology of cone photoreceptors. We determined the structures of human cone PDE6C in various liganded states by single-particle cryo-EM that reveal essential functional dynamics and adaptations of the enzyme. Our analysis exposed the dynamic nature of PDE6C association with its regulatory γ-subunit (Pγ) which allows openings of the catalytic pocket in the absence of phototransduction signaling, thereby controlling photoreceptor noise and sensitivity.

Long-term forced-use therapy after sensorimotor cortex lesions restores contralesional hand function and promotes its preference in Macaca mulatta.

Injury to one cerebral hemisphere can result in paresis of the contralesional hand and subsequent preference of the ipsilesional hand in daily activities. However, forced use therapy in humans can improve function of the contralesional paretic hand and increase its use in daily activities, although the ipsilesional hand may remain preferred for fine motor activities. Studies in monkeys have shown that minimal forced use of the contralesional hand, which was the preferred hand prior to brain injury, can produce remarkable recovery of function.

Metabolic Aging as an Increased Risk for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Background/objectives: Both aging and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are strongly associated with changes in the metabolome; however, it is unknown whether there are common aging/COPD metabolomic signatures and if accelerated aging is associated with COPD.

Methods: Plasma from 5704 subjects from the Genetic Epidemiology of COPD study (COPDGene) and 2449 subjects from Subpopulations and intermediate outcome measures in COPD study (SPIROMICS) were profiled using the Metabolon global metabolomics platform (1013 annotated metabolites). Post-bronchodilator spirometry measures of airflow obstruction (forced expiratory volume at one second (FEV)/forced vital capacity (FVC) < 0.

Effect of Fluoride Varnishes on Demineralization and Acid Resistance in Subsurface Demineralized Lesion Models.

This study aimed to clarify the effects of high-concentration fluoride varnish application on the inhibition of the progression of initial enamel caries. Remineralization capacity and acid resistance following high-concentration fluoride varnish application were compared with untreated models and models treated with fluoride mouthwash. Bovine enamel was used to create a model of initial enamel caries.

Comparing Polymerization Shrinkage Measurement Methods for Universal Shade Flowable Resin-Based Composites.

Universal shade flowable composites have been introduced to mimic tooth structure with reduced color mismatch and reduced chair time and cost. However, the polymerization shrinkage of resin material may lead to sensitivity and restoration failure. The purpose of this study was to compare the polymerization shrinkage of recently introduced universal shade flowable resin-based composites using both wet and dry density methods.

In silico design and assessment of a multi-epitope peptide vaccine against multidrug-resistant .

Unlabelled: , an opportunistic and notorious nosocomial pathogen, is responsible for many infections affecting soft tissues, skin, lungs, bloodstream, and urinary tract, accounting for more than 722,000 cases annually. Despite the numerous advancements in therapeutic options, no approved vaccine is currently available for this particular bacterium. Consequently, this study focused on creating a rational vaccine design using bioinformatics tools.

Do Pulmonary Ionocytes Absorb Chloride or Secrete Chloride?

Pulmonary ionocytes express high levels of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) channels. When studied using the short-circuit current technique, ionocytes produce CFTR-dependent short-circuit currents consistent with Cl secretion. However, when studied without a voltage-clamp, data indicate that ionocytes absorb Cl.

SOX2-induced IL1α-mediated immune suppression drives epithelial dysplasia malignant transformation.

Squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) are often preceded by potentially malignant precursor lesions, most of which remain benign. The terminal exhaustion phenotypes of effector T-cells and the accumulation of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) have been thoroughly characterized in established SCC. However, it is unclear what precancerous lesions harbor a bona fide high risk for malignant transformation and how precancerous epithelial dysplasia drives the immune system to the point of no return.

The human RAD52 complex undergoes phase separation and facilitates bundling and end-to-end tethering of RAD51 presynaptic filaments.

Human RAD52 is a prime target for synthetical lethality approaches to treat cancers with deficiency in homologous recombination. Among multiple cellular roles of RAD52, its functions in homologous recombination repair and protection of stalled replication forks appear to substitute those of the tumor suppressor protein BRCA2. However, the mechanistic details of how RAD52 can substitute BRCA2 functions are only beginning to emerge.

Discovery of Staircase Chirality through the Design of Unnatural Amino Acid Derivatives.

Chirality has garnered significant attention in the scientific community since its discovery by Louis Pasteur over a century ago. It has been showing a profound impact on chemical, biomedical, and materials sciences. Significant progress has been made in controlling molecular chirality, as evidenced by the several Nobel Prizes in chemistry awarded in this area, particularly for advancements in the asymmetric catalytic synthesis of molecules with central and axial chirality.

Phylogenetics and systematics of the subfamilies Cheirurinae and Deiphoninae (Trilobita).

Unlabelled: Cheiruridae is one of the most diverse families of trilobites known from the Ordovician with 453 species assigned. Within Cheiruridae eight subfamilies (Acanthoparyphinae, Cheirurinae, "Cyrtometopinae", Deiphoninae, Eccoptochilinae, Heliomerinae, Pilekiinae, and Sphaerexochinae) have historically been recognised. Insights about the evolution of the family and the relationships within and between subfamilies have been published.

Determinants of Self-Medication in Immigrants: A Systematic Review.

Immigrants intended to more rely on self-medication because of the difficulty of accessing formal healthcare in host countries. Negative consequences could occur when self-medication was inappropriate. This study aimed to systematically explore the prevalence, sources and determinants of immigrants' self-medication and the extent of their inappropriate self-medication episodes.

Novel Strategies for Lung Cancer Interventional Diagnostics.

Lung cancer is a major global health issue, with 2.21 million cases and 1.80 million deaths reported in 2020.

Differential Infiltration of Key Immune T-Cell Populations Across Malignancies Varying by Immunogenic Potential and the Likelihood of Response to Immunotherapy.

Solid tumors vary by the immunogenic potential of the tumor microenvironment (TME) and the likelihood of response to immunotherapy. The emerging literature has identified key immune cell populations that significantly impact immune activation or suppression within the TME. This study investigated candidate T-cell populations and their differential infiltration within different tumor types as estimated from mRNA co-expression levels of the corresponding cellular markers.

PyAMARES, an Open-Source Python Library for Fitting Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Data.

: Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is a valuable tool for studying metabolic processes in vivo. While numerous quantification methods exist, the advanced method for accurate, robust, and efficient spectral fitting (AMARES) is among the most used. This study introduces pyAMARES, an open-source Python implementation of AMARES, addressing the need for a flexible, user-friendly, and versatile MRS quantification tool within the Python ecosystem.

Effectiveness and Safety of Irreversible Electroporation When Used for the Ablation of Stage 3 Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma: Initial Results from the DIRECT Registry Study.

Background/objectives: Overall survival for patients with Stage 3 pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains limited, with a median survival of 12 to 15 months. Irreversible electroporation (IRE) is a local tumor ablation method that induces cancerous cell death by disrupting cell membrane homeostasis. The DIRECT Registry study was designed to assess the effectiveness and safety of IRE when combined with standard of care (SOC) treatment for Stage 3 PDAC versus SOC alone in a real-world setting after at least 3 months of induction chemotherapy; Methods: Patients with Stage 3 PDAC treated with IRE plus SOC or SOC alone were prospectively enrolled in a multicenter registry study.

Validation of a rapid algorithm for repeated intensity modulated radiation therapy dose calculations.

As adaptive radiotherapy workflows and deep learning model training rise in popularity, the need for repeated applications of a rapid dose calculation algorithm increases. In this work we evaluate the feasibility of a simple algorithm that can calculate dose directly from MLC positions in near real-time. Given the necessary machine parameters, the intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) doses are calculated and can be used in optimization, deep learning model training, or other cases where fast repeated segment dose calculations are needed.

Genome-wide Machine Learning Analysis of Anosmia and Ageusia with COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused substantial worldwide disruptions in health, economy, and society, manifesting symptoms such as loss of smell (anosmia) and loss of taste (ageusia), that can result in prolonged sensory impairment. Establishing the host genetic etiology of anosmia and ageusia in COVID-19 will aid in the overall understanding of the sensorineural aspect of the disease and contribute to possible treatments or cures. By using human genome sequencing data from the University of Iowa (UI) COVID-19 cohort (N=187) and the National Institute of Health All of Us (AoU) Research Program COVID-19 cohort (N=947), we investigated the genetics of anosmia and/or ageusia by employing feature selection techniques to construct a novel variant and gene prioritization pipeline, utilizing machine learning methods for the classification of patients.