Brown Carbon in East Asia: Seasonality, Sources, and Influences on Regional Climate and Air Quality.

Brown carbon (BrC) has been recognized as an important light-absorbing carbonaceous aerosol, yet understanding of its influence on regional climate and air quality has been lacking, mainly due to the ignorance of regional coupled meteorology-chemistry models. Besides, assumptions about its emissions in previous explorations might cause large uncertainties in estimates. Here, we implemented a BrC module into the WRF-Chem model that considers source-dependent absorption and avoids uncertainties caused by assumptions about emission intensities.

Improving the Clinical Diagnostic Criteria for Genetically Confirmed Adult-Onset Huntington Disease: Considering Nonmotor Presentations.

Background: Huntington disease (HD) is a genetic neurodegenerative disorder. Given the focus on motor manifestations, nonmotor symptoms are frequently underappreciated in clinical evaluations, despite frequently contributing to primary functional impairment.

Recent Findings: A diagnosis of motor-onset as the definition of manifest symptoms misrepresents the complex nature of HD presentation.

Consensus Recommendations for the Management of Neurosarcoidosis: A Delphi Survey of Experts Across the United States.

Background And Objectives: Neurosarcoidosis poses a diagnostic and management challenge due to its rarity, phenotypic variability, and lack of randomized controlled studies to guide treatment selection. Recommendations for management based on expert opinion are useful in clinical practice and provide a framework for designing prospective studies.

Methods: In this Delphi survey study, specialists with experience in managing patients with neurosarcoidosis were invited to anonymously complete 2 surveys about key elements of evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, monitoring, and long-term management of neurosarcoidosis.

Increasing Authenticity of the Laboratory through the MICRO Project: Analysis of Analytical Chemistry Laboratory Experiments for Their Level of Inquiry.

Inquiry-based laboratory experiments, in comparison to traditional "cookbook" style laboratory experiments, more accurately model the work scientists do and engage students in the skills they use. Students who participate in inquiry-based laboratory experiments engage in science practices and develop skills such as critical thinking and argumentation. Despite the abundance of literature surrounding the benefits of inquiry-based laboratory learning approaches, adoption of these instructional approaches has been slow.

Single-molecule analysis of PARP1-G-quadruplex interaction.

The human genome contains numerous repetitive nucleotide sequences that display a propensity to fold into non-canonical DNA structures including G-quadruplexes (G4s). G4s have both positive and negative impacts on various aspects of nucleic acid metabolism including DNA replication, DNA repair and RNA transcription. Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP1), an important anticancer drug target, has been recently shown to bind a subset of G4s, and to undergo auto-PARylation.

SAMHD1 enhances HIV-1-induced apoptosis in monocytic cells via the mitochondrial pathway.

Sterile alpha motif (SAM) and histidine-aspartate (HD) domain-containing protein 1 (SAMHD1) inhibits HIV-1 replication in non-dividing cells by reducing the intracellular dNTP pool. SAMHD1 enhances spontaneous apoptosis in cells, but its effects on HIV-1-induced apoptosis and the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Here we uncover a new mechanism by which SAMHD1 enhances HIV-1-induced apoptosis in monocytic cells through the mitochondrial pathway.

Next-generation metabolic models informed by biomolecular simulations.

Metabolic modeling is essential for understanding the mechanistic bases of cellular metabolism in various organisms, from microbes to humans, and the design of fitter microbial strains. Metabolic networks focus on the overall fluxes through biochemical reactions that implicitly rely on several biochemical processes, such as active or diffusive uptake (or export) of nutrients (or metabolites), enzymatic turnover of metabolites, and metal-cofactor enzyme interactions. Despite independent progress in biomolecular simulations, they have yet to be integrated to inform metabolic models.

A multifactorial, evidence-based analysis of pathophysiology in Spaceflight Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome (SANS).

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the United States has been studying a fascinating and unique constellation of neuro-ophthalmic findings collectively known as Spaceflight Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome (SANS). SANS is unique to the space environment of microgravity and produces novel physiological and pathological findings that have no direct terrestrial equivalent. The neuro-ophthalmic phenomenon is a major physiologic barrier to future planetary spaceflight.

Prolonged immune response to tick-borne Ehrlichia chaffeensis infection using a genetically modified live vaccine.

Ehrlichia chaffeensis, a tick transmitted rickettsial bacterium, causes monocytic ehrlichiosis in humans and dogs. Earlier, we demonstrated that dogs immunized with a mutant strain of E. chaffeensis having a functional disruption in the gene encoding the phage head-to-tail connector protein serves as a modified live vaccine (MLAV) capable of inducing immunity against intravenous and tick-transmitted infection challenges within one month of vaccination.

Daily associations between sleep and alcohol use among veterans: Acute and cumulative effects.

Background And Aims: Military veterans demonstrate high rates of heavy drinking and insomnia, but few if any studies have tested real-world, daily associations between sleep and alcohol use within this population. Moreover, although daily diary and experimental studies among civilians have found negative associations between alcohol use and sleep, these patterns change with consecutive days of drinking and may differ for those with insomnia. This study measured (a) acute and cumulative day-level associations between sleep and alcohol use among heavy-drinking US veterans and (b) the extent to which insomnia moderates these associations.

Psychometric Examination of the Proposed Specifiers for Conduct Disorder Self-Report (PSCD) Among an Adult Community Sample From Brazil.

The Proposed Specifiers for Conduct Disorder (PSCD) is a promising novel scale that measures psychopathic traits and includes an additional conduct disorder factor that taps the antisocial dimension of psychopathy. The current study sought to broaden the application of PSCD by examining the factor structure, convergent and discriminant validity, and connections to delinquency in a young adult sample ( = 450;  = 31.91 years,  = 13.

Somatic CAG repeat expansion in blood associates with biomarkers of neurodegeneration in Huntington's disease decades before clinical motor diagnosis.

Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease with the age at which characteristic symptoms manifest strongly influenced by inherited HTT CAG length. Somatic CAG expansion occurs throughout life and understanding the impact of somatic expansion on neurodegeneration is key to developing therapeutic targets. In 57 HD gene expanded (HDGE) individuals, ~23 years before their predicted clinical motor diagnosis, no significant decline in clinical, cognitive or neuropsychiatric function was observed over 4.

Neutralizing antibody immune correlates in COVAIL trial recipients of an mRNA second COVID-19 vaccine boost.

Neutralizing antibody titer has been a surrogate endpoint for guiding COVID-19 vaccine approval and use, although the pandemic's evolution and the introduction of variant-adapted vaccine boosters raise questions as to this surrogate's contemporary performance. For 985 recipients of an mRNA second bivalent or monovalent booster containing various Spike inserts [Prototype (Ancestral), Beta, Delta, and/or Omicron BA.1 or BA.

Intermittent and increasing intravenous lipopolysaccharide's impact on metabolism, inflammation and production in lactating dairy cows.

Experimental objectives were to create a chronic inflammatory model to evaluate the effects of persistent immune activation on metabolism, inflammation, and productivity in lactating dairy cows. Twelve lactating Holstein cows (631 ± 16 kg BW; 124 ± 15 DIM) were enrolled in a study with 2 experimental periods (P); during P1 (5 d), cows were fed ad libitum and baseline data were obtained. At the initiation of P2 (7 d), cows were assigned to 1 of 2 treatments: 1) saline-infused and pair-fed (PF; 5 mL intravenously (IV) sterile saline on d 1, 3, and 5; n = 6) or 2) lipopolysaccharide infused and ad libitum-fed (LPS; 0.

Associations of Physical Activity and Cardiorespiratory Fitness with Incident Chronic Kidney Disease in a Korean Population.

Objective: This large cohort study aimed to examine the overall associations of physical activity (PA) and estimated cardiorespiratory fitness (eCRF) with incident chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Methods: This study included a total of 274,292 participants (mean age, 37.9±8.

Staging of swine carcasses to mitigate leachate contamination in the environment.

Outbreaks of infectious diseases involving depopulation of animals require on-farm practices to stage carcasses when final disposal methods are unavailable. The current study assessed various materials and techniques for containing carcasses to minimize leachate and biological substances. The tested materials included tarps, soil, corn stover (CS), and lime, while the methods involved covers, chemical additives, barriers, and containment.

Mucin Colocalizes with Influenza Virus and Preserves Infectivity in Deposited Model Respiratory Droplets.

The stability of influenza virus in respiratory particles varies with relative humidity (RH) and protein content. This study investigated the decay, or loss of infectivity, of influenza A virus (IAV) in 1-μL respiratory droplets deposited on a surface with varying concentrations of mucin, one of the most abundant proteins in respiratory mucus, and examined the localization of virions within droplets. IAV remained stable at 0.

Accuracy and Performance Characteristics of Administrative Codes for the Diagnosis of Autoinflammatory Syndromes: A Discovery and Validation Study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate and validate the accuracy and performance characteristics of administrative codes in diagnosing autoinflammatory syndromes (AISs).

Methods: We identified potential AIS patients from the electronic medical records at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics and the Stead Family Children's Hospital using a screening filter based on the 10th edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) codes and interleukin-1 antagonists. Diagnostic criteria for adult-onset Still disease, systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis, Behçet disease (BD), familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), cryopyrin-associated periodic syndrome (CAPS), and SAPHO (synovitis, acne, pustulosis, hyperostosis, and osteitis) syndrome and chronic nonbacterial osteomyelitis (SAPHO-CNO) were reviewed for each patient.

NET Models Meeting 2024 white paper: the current state of neuroendocrine tumour research models and our future aspirations.

Current models for the study of neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) are severely limited. While (e.g.

Dementia and Cognitive Impairment in an Urban Multiethnic Indigenous Community from Amazonas.

Introduction: Studies about dementia in Indigenous communities are still scarce worldwide, especially in low-middle-income countries, limiting timely intervention in minority groups. Our research aimed to bridge this gap by determining the prevalence of dementia and mild cognitive impairment no dementia (CIND), and the associated factors, in a multiethnic Indigenous community in Manaus, Brazil.

Methods: A cross-sectional observational study evaluated the cognitive and functional performances of 141 Indigenous individuals (aged 50 and above).

Recovery of Complex Isolates Including Pre-Extensively Drug-Resistant Strains From Cattle at a Slaughterhouse in Chennai, India.

Background: India has the highest global burden of human tuberculosis (TB) and the largest cattle herd with endemic bovine TB (bTB). However, the extent of cross-species transmission and the zoonotic spillover risk, including drug-resistant complex (MTBC) strains circulating in cattle, remain uncharacterized.

Methods: To address this major knowledge gap, we investigated tissue samples from 500 apparently healthy cattle at a slaughterhouse in Chennai, India.

Neighborhood Disadvantage and the Association of Hurricanes Sandy and Harvey With Veterans' Mental Health.

Importance: Hurricanes are associated with a wide range of adverse health effects in the general population and are increasing in frequency and severity due to global climate change. Due to prior military exposures and distinct sociodemographic characteristics, US veterans may be more vulnerable than the general population to negative health effects of hurricanes.

Objective: To evaluate whether acute care mental health visits among US veterans were associated with exposure to hurricanes.

2024 Scholars' Research Symposium Abstract: Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic on Routine Pediatric Vaccination Rates in 7 Upper Midwestern States.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic stressed healthcare systems by increasing patient loads and creating shortages of both staffing and medical supplies. As a result, the process of administering routine pediatric vaccinations was affected. Multiple studies have reported ongoing decreases in vaccination opportunities.

The associations between cardiovascular and pain responses to a cold pressor test differ between males and females.

Nociceptors contribute to the cardiovascular responses during a cold pressor test (CPT). While these responses are lower in females, data suggest that they perceive the CPT as more painful. Thus, we examined sex differences in associations between pain and cardiovascular responses to a CPT (Aim 1) as well as differences between females using (OC), and not using (NC), an oral contraceptive (Aim 2).