Application of Causal Forest Model to Examine Treatment Effect Heterogeneity in Substance Use Disorder Psychosocial Treatments.

Objectives: Heterogeneity of treatment effect (HTE) is a concern in substance use disorder (SUD) treatments but has not been rigorously examined. This exploratory study applied a causal forest approach to examine HTE in psychosocial SUD treatments, considering multiple covariates simultaneously.

Methods: Data from 12 randomized controlled trials of nine psychosocial treatments were obtained from the National Institute on Drug Abuse Clinical Trials Network.

School and meal characteristics associated with plate waste in K-12 cafeterias in the United States.

Food wasted in primary and secondary education institutions creates nutritional losses, financial inefficiencies, and environmental degradation. While there is some evidence of how particular interventions within schools may influence the amount of waste created, there is little recent information about typical levels of food waste generated in U.S.

Detection of Putative Ligand Dissociation Pathways in Proteins Using Site-Identification by Ligand Competitive Saturation.

Drug efficacy often correlates better with dissociation kinetics than binding affinity alone. To study binding kinetics computationally, it is necessary to identify all of the possible ligand dissociation pathways. The site identification by ligand competitive saturation (SILCS) method involves the precomputation of a set of maps (FragMaps), which describe the free energy landscapes of typical chemical functionalities in and around a target protein or RNA.

Memristive Ion Dynamics to Enable Biorealistic Computing.

Conventional artificial intelligence (AI) systems are facing bottlenecks due to the fundamental mismatches between AI models, which rely on parallel, in-memory, and dynamic computation, and traditional transistors, which have been designed and optimized for sequential logic operations. This calls for the development of novel computing units beyond transistors. Inspired by the high efficiency and adaptability of biological neural networks, computing systems mimicking the capabilities of biological structures are gaining more attention.

Prevalence of Disability Among Older Adults in Prison.

Importance: The number of older adults in long-term correctional facilities (prisons) has increased rapidly in recent years. The cognitive and functional status of this population is not well understood due to limitations in the availability of longitudinal data.

Objective: To comparatively examine the prevalence and disability status of the population of adults 55 years and older in prisons and adults living in community settings for a 14-year period (2008-2022).

Implementation of Function Focused Care for Acute Care Using the Evidence Integration Triangle.

Background: The purpose of this study was to test the impact of Function Focused Care for Acute Care Using the Evidence Integration Triangle (FFC-AC-EIT) on hospitalized patients living with dementia.

Methods: This was a clustered randomized clinical trial including 12 hospitals from two states and 455 patients living with dementia. Hospitals were randomized to FFC-AC-EIT versus FFC Education Only.

Gene therapy for sickle cell disease: recent advances, clinical trials and future directions.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most common inherited blood disorder worldwide, impacting millions and imposing severe healthcare challenges, particularly in resource-limited regions. Current treatments have variable efficacy and require lifelong adherence. Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation can be curative but comes with significant side effects and limited donor availability limits its widespread applicability.

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells in Birds: Opportunities and Challenges for Science and Agriculture.

The only cells in an organism that could do any other sort of cell until 2006 (except sperm or egg) were known as embryonic stem cells, ESC [...

Mild Gestational Hypothyroidism in Mice Has Transient Developmental Effects and Long-Term Consequences on Neuroendocrine Systems.

Thyroid hormones (TH) play a key role in fetal brain development. While severe thyroid dysfunction, has been shown to cause neurodevelopmental and reproductive disorders, the rising levels of TH-disruptors in the environment in the past few decades have increased the need to assess effects of subclinical (mild) TH insufficiency during gestation. Since embryos do not produce their own TH before mid-gestation, early development processes rely on maternal production.

Modulation of the Plasma Lipidomic Profile in Piglets Fed Polar Lipid-Rich Diets.

Polar lipids from dairy are novel sources of energy that may replace other dietary lipids and impact plasma lipidomic profiles in piglets. This study evaluated the impact of feeding diets rich in polar lipids on the plasma lipidome of piglets during the weaning period. Weaned male piglets ( = 240; 21 days of age; 6.

radiosensitivity and Mn antioxidant content: antigenic preservation and pathobiology.

The bacterium responsible for Lyme disease, , accumulates high levels of manganese without iron and possesses a polyploid genome, characteristics suggesting potential extreme resistance to radiation. Contrary to expectations, we report that wild-type B31 cells are radiosensitive, with a gamma-radiation survival limit for 10 wild-type cells of <1 kGy. Thus, we explored radiosensitivity through electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy by quantitating the fraction of Mn present as antioxidant Mn metabolite complexes (H-Mn).

HIV-1 transcription start sites usage and its impact on unspliced RNA functions in people living with HIV.

HIV-1 unspliced RNA serves two distinct functions during viral replication: it is packaged into particles as the viral genome, and it is translated to generate Gag/Gag-Pol polyproteins required for virus assembly. Recent studies have demonstrated that in cultured cells, HIV-1 uses multiple transcription start sites to generate several unspliced RNA species, including two major transcripts with three and one 5' guanosine, referred to as 3G and 1G RNA, respectively. Although nearly identical, 1G RNA is selected over 3G RNA to be packaged as the virion genome, indicating that these RNA species are functionally distinct.

Integrating Implementation Science in Interpersonal Violence Research and Practice: A Systematic Review of Barriers and Facilitators of Implementation.

Despite the prevalence and harmful consequences of interpersonal violence and the growth in intervention research, applying research evidence and strategies into practice remains limited. This systematic review addresses this gap by using the Consolidated Framework of Implementation Research (CFIR) to characterize barriers and facilitators in efforts to prevent and address interpersonal violence. A systematic search of peer-reviewed literature was conducted using the following databases: PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane, Web of Science, Scopus, and APA PsycInfo.

The Unusual Role of Ribonuclease L in Innate Immunity.

Ribonuclease L is an endonuclease that is activated as part of the dsRNA-driven innate immune response. Active RNase L cleaves pathogenic RNAs as a way to eliminate infections. However, there are additional and unexpected ways that RNase L causes changes in the host that promote an immune response and contribute to its role in host defense.

Pilot Study: Human Adipose Tissue Allograft for Fat Pad Defects in Patients With Preulcerative Lesions.

Background: Loss or displacement of a fat pad on the foot increases plantar pressure, leading to pain and plantar ulcers. These ulcers, especially in patients with diabetic neuropathy, have high recurrence rates, often resulting in amputations. Standard of care focuses on reducing plantar pressure with shoe padding or orthotic devices, leaving the restoration of the fat pad as an unmet medical need.

Modifiable Areal Unit Problems for Infectious Disease Cases Described in Medicare and Medicaid Claims, 2016-2019.

Introduction: Modifiable Areal Unit Problems are a major source of spatial uncertainty, but their impact on infectious diseases and epidemic detection is unknown.

Methods: CMS claims (2016-2019) which included infectious disease codes learned through Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine Clinical Terms (SNOMED CT) were extracted and analysed at two different units of geography; states and 'home to work commute extent' mega regions. Analysis was per member per month.

Contrastive Learning Approach for Assessment of Phonological Precision in Patients with Tongue Cancer Using MRI Data.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) allows analyzing speech production by capturing high-resolution images of the dynamic processes in the vocal tract. In clinical applications, combining MRI with synchronized speech recordings leads to improved patient outcomes, especially if a phonological-based approach is used for assessment. However, when audio signals are unavailable, the recognition accuracy of sounds is decreased when using only MRI data.

Clinical Implications of Pan-Immune-inflammatory Values in Patients with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

Objective: Despite significant advances in understanding hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in recent years, there is a need to improve risk stratification for patients at high risk of adverse outcomes. The relationship between inflammation and disease severity in HCM patients is known. Recently, a new inflammation parameter called the pan-immune inflammation value (PIV) has been introduced.

Universal, School-Based Mental Health Literacy Programs for Middle School Students: A Scoping Review.

Background: Universal, classroom-based mental health literacy (MHL) curricula are associated with improved mental health knowledge, attitudes, and help-seeking behaviors. Young adolescents are an ideal target given their need for and receptivity toward MHL education.

Methods: We conducted a scoping review to identify universal, school-based MHL programs primarily for students aged 10-14 years, with adequate descriptions of curriculum implementation and content, and measured outcomes.

Design of Small Non-Peptidic Ligands That Alter Heteromerization between Cannabinoid CB and Serotonin 5HT Receptors.

Activation of cannabinoid CB receptors (CBR) by agonists induces analgesia but also induces cognitive impairment through the heteromer formed between CBR and the serotonin 5HT receptor (5HTR). This side effect poses a serious drawback in the therapeutic use of cannabis for pain alleviation. Peptides designed from the transmembrane helices of CBR, which are predicted to bind 5HTR and alter the stability of the CBR-5HTR heteromer, have been shown to avert CBR agonist-induced cognitive impairment while preserving analgesia.

Polygenic response to selection by transgenic Bt-expressing crops in wild Helicoverpa zea and characterization of a major effect locus.

Strong and shifting selective pressures of the Anthropocene are rapidly shaping phenomes and genomes of organisms worldwide. Crops expressing pesticidal proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) represent one major selective force on insect genomes. Here we characterize a rapid response to selection by Bt crops in a major crop pest, Helicoverpa zea.

Mutational signatures define immune and Wnt-associated subtypes of ampullary carcinoma.

Background And Objective: Ampullary carcinoma (AMPAC) taxonomy is based on morphology and immunohistochemistry. This classification lacks prognostic reliability and unique genetic associations. We applied an approach of integrative genomics characterising patients with AMPAC exploring molecular subtypes that may guide personalised treatments.