Navigating Regulatory Frameworks and Compliances for Bacteriophages as Therapeutic Agents.

The emergence of multiple antibiotic resistance in recurrent bacterial infections has led to exploring alternative therapeutic options, including using bacteria lysing viruses [bacteriophages] to control recalcitrant infections. Bacteriophages [Phage] and their end products such as enzymes, virus-like particles, and vectors are being used for varied applications such as basic and applied research for the field of phage therapeutics. Phage-based products and services such as viral vectors for gene therapy/vaccines, imaging agents, diagnostics as well as drug delivery agents form a wide range of useful innovative therapeutics that are under development.

Impact of Implant Mesiodistal Distance on Peri-Implant Bone Loss: A Cross-Sectional Retrospective Study.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to verify the effect of our previously proposed mesiodistal distance for multiple posterior implants on preserving peri-implant bone, and to provide a measurable criterion for predicting implant prognosis.

Methods: One hundred and two patients with dental implants placed in the posterior free-end edentulous arches were recruited in this cross-sectional study. Calibrated X-rays (peri-apical [PA] or bite-wing x-ray) were collected to measure the mesiodistal space as well as the corresponding bone resorption of implants after prosthesis placement.

Use of alternative payment models for substance use disorder prevention in the United States: development of a conceptual framework.

Background: Alternative payment models (APMs) are methods through which insurers reimburse health care providers and are widely used to improve the quality and value of health care. While there is a growing movement to utilize APMs for substance use disorder (SUD) treatment services, they have rarely included SUD prevention strategies. Challenges to using APMs for SUD prevention include underdeveloped program outcome measures, inadequate SUD prevention funding, and lack of clarity regarding what prevention strategies might fit within the scope of APMs.

Associations of maternal night shift work during pregnancy with DNA methylation in offspring: a meta-analysis in the PACE consortium.

Background: Night shift work during pregnancy has been associated with differential DNA methylation in placental tissue, but no studies have explored this association in cord blood. We aimed to examine associations of maternal night shift work with cord blood DNA methylation.

Methods: A total of 4487 mother-newborn pairs from 7 studies were included.

Dynamic co-evolution of transposable elements and the piRNA pathway in African cichlid fishes.

Background: East African cichlid fishes have diversified in an explosive fashion, but the (epi)genetic basis of the phenotypic diversity of these fishes remains largely unknown. Although transposable elements (TEs) have been associated with phenotypic variation in cichlids, little is known about their transcriptional activity and epigenetic silencing. We set out to bridge this gap and to understand the interactions between TEs and their cichlid hosts.

Incident Cheyne-Stokes respiration occurring in CPAP-treated patients and cardiovascular risk: a 2-years prospective follow-up (The Alertapnee study).

The Alertapnée study followed 555 adults with obstructive sleep apnea treated with CPAP and found that the occurrence of Cheyne-Stokes respiration (CSR) was linked to a 14-fold increase in the risk of significant cardiac events (SCE) after one year. However, the progression and clinical significance of CSR episodes over time remain unclear. This ancillary study aimed to assess CSR progression and clinical outcomes during a second year of follow-up in 66 patients who had experienced at least one CSR episode in the first year.

Demographic disparities in access to COVID-19 clinical trial sites across the United States: a geospatial analysis.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, underserved populations, such as racial and ethnic minority communities, were disproportionately impacted by illness and death. Ensuring people from diverse backgrounds have the ability to participate in clinical trials is key to advancing health equity. We sought to analyze the spatial variability in locations of COVID-19 trials sites and to test associations with demographic correlates.

Provocation of brachial plexus and systemic symptoms during the elevated arm stress test in individuals with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome or idiopathic chronic fatigue.

Background: We have noted that some adolescents and young adults with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) report difficulty with arms-overhead activities, suggestive of brachial plexus dysfunction or thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS). In the TOS literature, diagnostic maneuvers focus on the provocation of upper limb symptoms (arm fatigue and heaviness, paresthesias, neck and upper back pain), but not on elicitation of systemic symptoms.

Objectives: To estimate the proportion of patients with fatiguing illness who experience local and systemic symptoms during a common maneuver used in evaluating TOS-the elevated arm stress test (EAST).

Restless legs syndrome without insomnia and antenatal depressive symptoms.

Background: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) with insomnia is presumed to be associated with antenatal depression. RLS without insomnia, however, has not been investigated in association with antenatal depression. We aimed to examine whether RLS without insomnia during pregnancy is associated with antenatal depressive symptoms.

Safety and efficacy of intravenous thrombolysis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 93,057 minor stroke patients.

Background: The definition of minor ischemic stroke (MIS) is a topic of debate, however, the most accepted definition is a stroke with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) ≤ 5. Intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) is a crucial treatment option for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) including: alteplase, recombinant human tissue-type plasminogen activator (r-tPA), and the recently approved tenecteplase. However, there is a debate regarding its safety and efficacy.

The role of exercise-based prehabilitation in enhancing surgical outcomes for patients with digestive system cancers: a meta-analysis.

Background: Prehabilitation is a crucial component of tumor rehabilitation that attempts to improve patients' preoperative health, although its efficacy in treating patients with cancers of the digestive system is still up for debate.

Methods: The records from PubMed (MEDLINE), Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EBSCO, Scopus, CNKI and Wan fang database up to November 2024 were systematically searched. The Cochrane Collaboration tool was employed for evaluating the risk of bias in each study, and the PRISMA 2020 checklist provided by the EQUATOR network was utilized.

Mortality risk among individuals who smoke opioids compared with those who inject: A propensity score-matched cohort analysis of United States national treatment data.

Background And Aims: Opioid smoking is becoming more common in the United States. The aim of this analysis was to estimate relative mortality risk among those who primarily smoke opioids compared with those who inject.

Design: Retrospective propensity score-matched cohort analysis.

The gut microbiota predicts and time-restricted feeding delays experimental colitis.

The etiology of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) remains unclear, treatment options unsatisfactory and disease development difficult to predict for individual patients. Dysbiosis of the gastrointestinal microbiota and disruption of the biological clock have been implicated and studied as diagnostic and therapeutic targets. Here, we examine the relationship of IBD to biological clock and gut microbiota by using the IL-10 deficient () mouse model for microbiota-dependent spontaneous colitis in combination with altered (4 h/4 h) light/dark cycles to disrupt and time-restricted feeding (TRF) to restore circadian rhythmicity.

Genetic mutations in Cryptococcus neoformans pyrimidine salvage pathway enzymes contribute to reduced susceptibility against 5-fluorocytosine.

Cryptococcal meningitis is a high-mortality infection. Adding 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC) to its treatment improves outcomes, but resistance to 5-FC presents a significant challenge. We conducted whole-genome sequencing on seven C.

First-line cadonilimab plus chemotherapy in HER2-negative advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma: a randomized, double-blind, phase 3 trial.

Programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) inhibitors plus chemotherapy have been the standard of care in the first-line treatment of advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction (G/GEJ) adenocarcinoma; however, the survival benefits are modest in patients with low programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression. Here we investigated the efficacy and safety of cadonilimab (PD-1/cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) bispecific antibody) plus chemotherapy as first-line treatment in G/GEJ adenocarcinoma. The prespecified interim analysis is reported here.

Triple-negative breast cancer modifies the systemic immune landscape and alters neutrophil functionality.

Cancer disrupts intratumoral innate-adaptive immune crosstalk, but how the systemic immune landscape evolves during breast cancer progression remains unclear. We profiled circulating immune cells in stage I-III and stage IV triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients and healthy donors (HDs). Metastatic TNBC (mTNBC) patients had reduced T cells, dendritic cells, and differentiated B cells compared to non-metastatic TNBC patients and HDs, partly linked to prior chemotherapy.

MD-Unet for tobacco leaf disease spot segmentation based on multi-scale residual dilated convolutions.

Identification and diagnosis of tobacco diseases are prerequisites for the scientific prevention and control of these ailments. To address the limitations of traditional methods, such as weak generalization and sensitivity to noise in segmenting tobacco leaf lesions, this study focused on four tobacco diseases: angular leaf spot, brown spot, wildfire disease, and frog eye disease. Building upon the Unet architecture, we developed the Multi-scale Residual Dilated Segmentation Model (MD-Unet) by enhancing the feature extraction module and integrating attention mechanisms.

Moiré-driven topological electronic crystals in twisted graphene.

In a dilute two-dimensional electron gas, Coulomb interactions can stabilize the formation of a Wigner crystal. Although Wigner crystals are topologically trivial, it has been predicted that electrons in a partially filled band can break continuous translational symmetry and time-reversal symmetry spontaneously, resulting in a type of topological electron crystal known as an anomalous Hall crystal. Here we report signatures of a generalized version of the anomalous Hall crystal in twisted bilayer-trilayer graphene, whose formation is driven by the moiré potential.

Genomics yields biological and phenotypic insights into bipolar disorder.

Bipolar disorder is a leading contributor to the global burden of disease. Despite high heritability (60-80%), the majority of the underlying genetic determinants remain unknown. We analysed data from participants of European, East Asian, African American and Latino ancestries (n = 158,036 cases with bipolar disorder, 2.

Evolving Immunotherapy Strategies in Gastrointestinal Neuroendocrine Neoplasms.

Treatment for neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) is tailored to the tumor's site of origin, grade, and differentiation. NENs are categorized into two main types: well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), which tend to grow more slowly and are less aggressive, and poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinomas (NECs), which are highly aggressive and harder to treat. Treatment options for NETs range from somatostatin analogues and mTOR inhibitors to peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) with Lutetium-177 dotatate.

Platinum hydride formation during cathodic corrosion in aqueous solutions.

Cathodic corrosion is an electrochemical phenomenon that etches metals at moderately negative potentials. Although cathodic corrosion probably occurs by forming a metal-containing anion, such intermediate species have not yet been observed. Here, aiming to resolve this long-standing debate, our work provides such evidence through X-ray absorption spectroscopy.

Patient Perceptions of Provider Race Concordance and Quality of Chronic Illness Care.

Background: Black people are more likely to have hypertension and report lower quality of care than White people. Patient-provider race concordance could improve perceived quality of care, potentially lessening disparities.

Objective: Investigate the association between patient-provider race concordance and patient-perceived quality of chronic disease care, as measured by the Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (PACIC) scale.

Curcumin as a potential inhibitor of TGFβ3 computational insights for breast cancer therapy.

Previous research indicates that Transforming growth factor beta-3 (TGFβ3) expression levels correlate with breast cancer metastasis, and elevated TGFβ3 levels have been linked with poor overall survival in breast cancer patients. The study used computational methods to examine curcumin's effects on TGFβ3, a chemical with antiviral and anticancer characteristics. The curcumin has low Molecular Weight 368.

Fabrication of nonplanar tapered fibers to integrate optical and electrical signals for neural interfaces in vivo.

Implantable multifunctional probes have transformed neuroscience research, offering access to multifaceted brain activity that was previously unattainable. Typically, simultaneous access to both optical and electrical signals requires separate probes, while their integration into a single device can result in the emergence of photogenerated electrical artifacts, affecting the quality of high-frequency neural recordings. Among the nontrivial strategies aimed at the realization of an implantable multifunctional interface, the integration of optical and electrical capabilities on a single, minimally invasive, tapered optical fiber probe has been recently demonstrated using fibertrodes.