Perinatal mental health and risk of severe maternal morbidity in women with physical disabilities, Massachusetts 2003-2015.

Background: Perinatal mental health and substance use disorders contribute to adverse maternal outcomes. Women with disabilities experience increased risk for severe maternal morbidity (SMM). No studies have examined the association between perinatal mental health and SMM risk in women with physical disabilities.

Divergent evolution of opposite base specificity and single-stranded DNA activity in animal and plant AP endonucleases.

Apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) endonucleases are key enzymes responsible for the repair of base-less nucleotides generated by spontaneous hydrolysis or as DNA repair intermediates. APE1, the major human AP endonuclease, is a druggable target in cancer and its biological function has been extensively studied. However, the molecular features responsible for its substrate specificity are poorly understood.

Targeting the CD74 signaling axis suppresses inflammation and rescues defective hematopoiesis in -familial platelet disorder.

Familial platelet disorder (FPD) is associated with germline mutations, establishing a preleukemic state and increasing the risk of developing leukemia. Currently, there are no intervention strategies to prevent leukemia progression. Single-cell RNA sequencing ( = 10) combined with functional analysis of samples from patients with -FPD ( > 75) revealed that FPD hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) displayed increased myeloid differentiation and suppressed megakaryopoiesis because of increased activation of prosurvival and inflammatory pathways.

Induction of Tier 2 HIV-Neutralizing IgA Antibodies in Rhesus Macaques Vaccinated with BG505.664 SOSIP.

Background: A goal of mucosal human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) vaccines is to generate mucosal plasma cells producing polymeric IgA (pIgA)-neutralizing antibodies at sites of viral entry. However, vaccine immunogens capable of eliciting IgA neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) that recognize tier 2 viral isolates have not yet been identified.

Methods: To determine if stabilized native-like HIV-1 envelope (Env) trimers could generate IgA nAbs, we purified total IgA and IgG from the banked sera of six rhesus macaques that had been found in a previous study to develop serum nAbs after subcutaneous immunization with BG505.

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation to Provide Neuroprotection and Enhance Cerebral Blood Flow in Stroke: A Comprehensive Review.

Stroke remains a leading cause of global disability and mortality despite advancements in acute interventions. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a non-invasive neuromodulation technique, has primarily been studied for its effects on cortical excitability, with limited exploration of its neuroprotective and hemodynamic benefits. This review examines the role of tDCS in stroke, with a focus on neuroprotection in acute settings and cerebral blood flow (CBF) modulation in both acute and chronic phases.

A Novel Method for the Generation of Realistic Lung Nodules Visualized Under X-Ray Imaging.

Objective: Image-guided diagnosis and treatment of lung lesions is an active area of research. With the growing number of solutions proposed, there is also a growing need to establish a standard for the evaluation of these solutions. Thus, realistic phantom and preclinical environments must be established.

Time-Dependent ECG-AI Prediction of Fatal Coronary Heart Disease: A Retrospective Study.

: Fatal coronary heart disease (FCHD) affects ~650,000 people yearly in the US. Electrocardiographic artificial intelligence (ECG-AI) models can predict adverse coronary events, yet their application to FCHD is understudied. : The study aimed to develop ECG-AI models predicting FCHD risk from ECGs.

Peritraumatic C-reactive protein levels predict pain outcomes following traumatic stress exposure in a sex-dependent manner.

Background: Chronic pain following traumatic stress exposure (TSE) is common. Increasing evidence suggests inflammatory/immune mechanisms are induced by TSE, play a key role in the recovery process versus development of post-TSE chronic pain, and are sex specific. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (CRP) is associated with chronic pain after TSE in a sex-specific manner.

A dynamic customized electronic health record rule based clinical decision support tool for standardized adult intensive care metrics.

Objectives: Many routine patient care items should be reviewed at least daily for intensive care unit (ICU) patients. These items are often incompletely performed, and dynamic clinical decision support tools (CDSTs) may improve attention to these daily items. We sought to evaluate the accuracy of institutionalized electronic health record (EHR) based custom dynamic CDST to support 22 ICU rounding quality metrics across 7 categories (hypoglycemia, venothromboembolism prophylaxis, stress ulcer prophylaxis, mechanical ventilation, sedation, nutrition, and catheter removal).

Regional dynamic cerebral autoregulation across anterior and posterior circulatory territories: A detailed exploration and its clinical implications.

Cerebral autoregulation (CA) is the mechanism that maintains stable cerebral blood flow (CBF) despite fluctuations in systemic blood pressure, crucial for brain homeostasis. Recent evidence highlights distinct regional variations in CA between the anterior (carotid) and posterior (vertebrobasilar) circulations. Non-invasive neuromonitoring techniques, such as transcranial Doppler, transfer function analysis, and near-infrared spectroscopy, facilitate the dynamic assessment of CBF and autoregulation.

Coupling cellular drug-target engagement to downstream pharmacology with CeTEAM.

Cellular target engagement technologies enable quantification of intracellular drug binding; however, simultaneous assessment of drug-associated phenotypes has proven challenging. Here, we present cellular target engagement by accumulation of mutant as a platform that can concomitantly evaluate drug-target interactions and phenotypic responses using conditionally stabilized drug biosensors. We observe that drug-responsive proteotypes are prevalent among reported mutants of known drug targets.

Anti-diabetic drug pioglitazone reduces Islet amyloid aggregation overload in the Drosophila neuronal cells.

Amyloid-proteinopathy is observed in type 2 diabetes, where Islet amyloid polypeptide is secreted atypically and impedes cellular homeostasis. The thiazolidinediones family is reported to influence amyloid-beta aggregations. However, research on drug-based stimulation of insulin signaling to alleviate Islet amyloid aggregations is lacking.

The crystal and cryo-EM structures of PLCγ2 reveal dynamic interdomain recognitions in autoinhibition.

Phospholipase C gamma 2 (PLCγ2) plays important roles in cell signaling downstream of various membrane receptors. PLCγ2 contains a multidomain inhibitory region critical for its regulation, while it has remained unclear how these domains contribute to PLCγ2 activity modulation. Here we determined three structures of human PLCγ2 in autoinhibited states, which reveal dynamic interactions at the autoinhibition interface, involving the conformational flexibility of the Src homology 3 (SH3) domain in the inhibitory region, and its previously unknown interaction with a carboxyl-terminal helical domain in the core region.

Access to Breast Cancer Screening: Disparities and Determinants- Expert Panel Narrative Review.

While breast cancer screening reduces mortality, disparities in access continue to limit equitable care. Medically underserved groups-including American Indian or Alaska Native, Black, Hispanic, disabled, and LGBTQ+ individuals-face significant barriers in accessing screening mammography services. This AJR Expert Panel Narrative Review leverages the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Framework to analyze persistent inequities in screening, focusing on race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, disabilities, health insurance, and geography.

Estimating the Impact of Asthma and COPD on Lung Cancer Screening in the USA.

Objectives: Examine the association of asthma, COPD, and Asthma-COPD overlap (ACO) on rates of lung cancer screening.

Methods: 2022 Behavior and Risk Factors Surveillance Survey was used for cross-sectional analysis of self-reported lung cancer screening prevalence in those with COPD, asthma, and ACO, with stratification by smoking status. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to assess the relationship between asthma, COPD, ACO and lung cancer screening status.

piRNA Defense Against Endogenous Retroviruses.

Infection by retroviruses and the mobilization of transposable elements cause DNA damage that can be catastrophic for a cell. If the cell survives, the mutations generated by retrotransposition may confer a selective advantage, although, more commonly, the effect of new integrants is neutral or detrimental. If retrotransposition occurs in gametes or in the early embryo, it introduces genetic modifications that can be transmitted to the progeny and may become fixed in the germline of that species.

Optimizing Care Across the Continuum for Older Adults with Lung Cancer: A Review.

Older adults with lung cancer experience inferior clinical outcomes compared to their younger counterparts. This review provides the scaffolding to address these disparities by delineating (1) the distinct and varied care needs of older adults with lung malignancies, (2) evidence-based measures for identifying subgroups within this population meriting tailored approaches to care, (3) age-specific considerations for the selection of cancer-directed therapy, and (4) opportunities for future work to enhance clinical outcomes and care delivery.

How initial perceptions of the effectiveness of mind and body complementary and integrative health therapies influence long-term adherence in a pragmatic trial.

Objective: Beliefs and perceptions about pain intervention effectiveness when initiating a therapy may influence long-term engagement. This study examines how early perceived effectiveness of complementary and integrative health therapies impacts long-term engagement in a pragmatic trial context.

Participants: Veterans with chronic musculoskeletal pain participating in a pragmatic trial of provider-delivered complementary and integrative health therapies (acupuncture, chiropractic care, or massage therapy) used alone compared to combining those therapies with self-care therapies (yoga, Tai Chi/Qigong, or meditation).

Screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment for pain management for veterans separating from military service: study protocol of a hybrid type 2 study testing implementation facilitation versus training-as-usual.

Background: Veterans transitioning to civilian life often have chronic pain from service-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) with higher risk for substance misuse. Many seek VA (Department of Veterans Affairs) compensation for MSD. Use of Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment for Pain Management (SBIRT-PM) by VA Post-9/11 Military2VA (M2VA) case managers presents an opportunity to engage these veterans in VA pain care and address substance misuse.

Type III interferons induce pyroptosis in gut epithelial cells and impair mucosal repair.

Tissue damage and repair are hallmarks of inflammation. Despite a wealth of information on the mechanisms that govern tissue damage, mechanistic insight into how inflammation affects repair is lacking. Here, we investigated how interferons influence tissue repair after damage to the intestinal mucosa.

Developing personas to inform the design of digital interventions for perinatal mental health.

Objectives: Digital interventions are increasingly in demand to address mental health concerns, with significant potential to reach populations that disproportionately face barriers to accessing mental health care. Challenges with user engagement, however, persist. The goal of this study was to develop user personas to inform the development of a digital mental health intervention (DMHI) for a perinatal population.