Healthy Aging and the Gut Microbiome in People With and Without HIV.

Background: Aging-related comorbidities are more common in people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) compared to people without HIV. The gut microbiome may play a role in healthy aging; however, this relationship remains unexplored in the context of HIV.

Methods: 16S rRNA gene sequencing was conducted on stool from 1409 women (69% with HIV; 2304 samples) and 990 men (54% with HIV; 1008 samples) in the MACS/WIHS Combined Cohort Study.

Computationally Efficient Polarizable MD Simulations: A Simple Water Model for the Classical Drude Oscillator Polarizable Force Field.

An improvement in the computational efficiency of polarizable force field simulations is made through the development of a polarizable Drude water model, SWM3, in combination with the use of Lennard-Jones Particle Mesh Ewald (LJPME) for the treatment of long-range LJ interactions. The experimental bulk properties, density, heat of vaporization, dielectric constant, and self-diffusion constant of the SWM3 model are accurately replicated at ambient condition. The temperature dependence of the bulk properties is also captured except for the density.

Modular Synthesis of Anti-HER2 Dual-Drug Antibody-Drug Conjugates Demonstrating Improved Toxicity.

Antibodies have gained clinical success in the last two decades for the targeted delivery of highly toxic small molecule chemotherapeutics. Yet antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) often fail in the clinic due to the development of resistance. The delivery of two mechanistically distinct small molecule drugs on one antibody is of increasing interest to overcome these challenges with single-drug ADCs.

Exploring animal food microbiomes and resistomes via 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and shotgun metagenomics.

As a diverse and complex food matrix, the animal food microbiota and repertoire of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes remain to be better understood. In this study, 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and shotgun metagenomics were applied to three types of animal food samples (cattle feed, dry dog food, and poultry feed). ZymoBIOMICS mock microbial community was used for workflow optimization including DNA extraction kits and bead-beating conditions.

Continuing bonds or ongoing attachments? Exploring the distinction.

This article examines how attachment and bonds, while addressing the same phenomenon, rest on fundamentally different assumptions. We highlight two key distinctions between attachment theory and the continuing bonds model of grief, which are often conflated in their approaches to ongoing relationships with the deceased. Attachment theory frames continuing bonds as compensatory adaptations necessitated by the impossibility of reunion, emphasizing individual adaptation within an intrapsychic framework that often overlooks cultural and social contexts.

Allosteric modulation of NF1 GAP: Differential distributions of catalytically competent populations in loss-of-function and gain-of-function mutants.

Neurofibromin (NF1), a Ras GTPase-activating protein (GAP), catalyzes Ras-mediated GTP hydrolysis and thereby negatively regulates the Ras/MAPK pathway. NF1 mutations can cause neurofibromatosis type 1 manifesting tumors, and neurodevelopmental disorders. Exactly how the missense mutations in the GAP-related domain of NF1 (NF1) allosterically impact NF1 GAP to promote these distinct pathologies is unclear.

Human recombinant tyrosinase destabilization caused by the double mutation R217Q/R402Q.

Oculocutaneous albinism is an autosomal recessive inherited disorder associated with mutations in the TYR gene. A single missense change in the tyrosinase (Tyr) could result in partial or complete loss of catalytic activity. The effect of two genetic mutations in the same Tyr as the molecule is less studied.

α-N-Methyltransferase regiospecificity is mediated by proximal, redundant enzyme-substrate interactions.

N-Methylation of the peptide backbone confers pharmacologically beneficial characteristics to peptides that include greater membrane permeability and resistance to proteolytic degradation. The borosin family of ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides offer a post-translational route to install amide backbone α-N-methylations. Previous work has elucidated the substrate scope and engineering potential of two examples of type I borosins, which feature autocatalytic precursors that encode N-methyltransferases that methylate their own C-termini in trans.

A novel transgenic reporter of extracellular acidification in zebrafish elucidates skeletal muscle T-tubule pH regulation.

Disruption of extracellular pH and proton-sensing can profoundly impact cellular and protein functions, leading to developmental defects. To visualize changes in extracellular pH in the developing embryo, we generated a zebrafish transgenic line that ubiquitously expresses the ratiometric pH-sensitive fluorescent protein pHluorin2, tethered to the extracellular face of the plasma membrane using a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor. Monitoring of pHluorin2 with ratiometric fluorescence revealed dynamic and discrete domains of extracellular acidification over the first 72 h of embryonic development.

Illness Intrusiveness, Perceived Control, and Quality of Life in Older Adults with Arthritis and Multimorbidity.

Objectives: Arthritis is associated with poor quality of life (QOL) among older adults; and QOL is even worse among those with arthritis and multimorbidity (MM). Illness intrusiveness and perceived control have been identified in studies of single illnesses as modifiable mechanisms for QOL, but are understudied in older adults with arthritis and MM. We investigated the role of these potential mechanisms with QOL among older adults with arthritis and MM.

An Updated Demographic Profile of Orthopaedic Surgery Using a New ABOS Data Set.

Introduction: The orthopaedic surgery physician workforce is predominately White and male and has been identified as the least diverse medical specialty. Increasing efforts toward diversification within orthopaedic surgery are underway. Evaluating the effectiveness of these programs requires a thorough understanding of the current demographic profile of the profession.

A Qualitative Study of Attitudes Toward HPV Vaccine Recommendation in Otolaryngology Clinics.

Objective: The incidence of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oropharyngeal cancers has increased such that they are now the most prevalent HPV-related cancer. In 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded the indication for Gardasil-9 to include the prevention of oropharyngeal and other head and neck cancers caused by selected HPV types, but uptake remains low. Otolaryngology office interactions may provide opportunities to increase uptake, given the relevance of HPV to clinical practice.

Association Between Running Characteristics and Lower Extremity Musculoskeletal Injuries in United States Military Academy Cadets.

Background: Running-related overuse injuries are common among recreational runners; however, there is currently little prospective research investigating the role of running characteristics on overuse injury development.

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between running characteristics and lower extremity musculoskeletal injury (MSKI).

Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2.

Impact of race-based calculations of eGFR on the management of muscle invasive bladder cancer.

Purpose: The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) has historically been calculated with a race-coefficient multiplier (RCM); however, the RCM has been broadly criticized as inaccurate and a potential contributor to exacerbating disparities. We evaluated the impact of the RCM on eGFR and examined the 30-day post-cystectomy complications in a muscle-invasive bladder cancer cohort.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients diagnosed with MIBC who underwent cystectomy in the ACS NSQIP database from 2006 to 2020 using CPT and ICD codes.

Association of Infection with Pediatric Asthma in Palestine.

Purpose: Significant debate exists on the association between infection and childhood asthma. We aimed to explore this association in a cohort of children in Palestine while estimating the prevalence of in this population.

Methods: We conducted a prospective case-control study among children aged 6-15 years in Palestine, including 44 asthma cases diagnosed by pediatric pulmonologists and 99 age-matched healthy controls recruited through cluster sampling from schools.

Corrigendum: Making sense of a pandemic: reasoning about COVID-19 in the intellectual dark web.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fsoc.2024.

Type B Aortic Dissection Secondary to Non-typhoidal Salmonella Aortitis: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Infectious aortitis is an uncommon but potentially fatal condition that can lead to aortic dissection or rupture. We describe a case of a 69-year-old female who developed a Stanford type B aortic dissection, presumptively caused by Salmonella, which was successfully managed with thoracic endovascular aneurysm repair (TEVAR) and long-term antibiotics. A literature review of 17 reported cases from 2000 to 2024 of aortic dissection secondary to infectious aortitis was conducted.

Promoting Evidence-Based Tobacco Cessation Treatment in Community Mental Health Clinics: Results of a Pilot Implementation Study: Promouvoir le traitement de sevrage tabagique fondé sur des données probantes dans les cliniques communautaires de santé mentale : résultats d'une étude pilote de mise en œuvre.

Objective: Tobacco smoking is the leading cause of preventable death among individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) but few persons with SMI are offered smoking cessation treatment. The purpose of this study was to pilot-test a multicomponent intervention to increase the delivery of evidence-based smoking cessation treatment in community mental health clinics (CMHCs).

Method: This study was carried out at five CMHCs in Maryland involving clinicians who participated in training in smoking cessation.

Pangenomics Links Boll Weevil Divergence With Ancient Mesoamerican Cotton Cultivation.

The boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman, and thurberia weevil, Anthonomus grandis thurberiae Pierce, together comprise a species complex that ranges throughout Mexico, the southwestern regions of the United States and parts of South America. The boll weevil is a historically damaging and contemporaneously threatening pest to commercial upland cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L. (Malvales: Malvaceae), whereas the thurberia weevil is regarded as an innocuous non-pest subspecies that is mostly found on non-cultivated Thurber's or Arizona cotton, Gossypium thurberi L.

Missense variants at the p.Arg225 residue in ARHGEF40 identified in individuals with multiple congenital anomalies and developmental delay.

The ARHGEF40 gene, also known as SOLO, encodes a RhoA-targeting guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) and is currently considered a candidate gene with a potential relationship to disease. Our laboratory has confirmed variants at position p.Arg225 of the ARHGEF40 protein in multiple unrelated individuals with a phenotype including dysmorphic features, congenital anomalies and neurodevelopmental abnormalities.

Reliability of Central Vein Sign Imaging With 3T FLAIR* in a Multicenter Study.

Background And Purpose: The central vein sign (CVS) is a diagnostic imaging biomarker for multiple sclerosis (MS). FLAIR* is a combined MRI contrast that provides high conspicuity for CVS at 3 Tesla (3T), enabling its sensitive and accurate detection in clinical settings. This study evaluated whether CVS conspicuity of 3T FLAIR* is reliable across imaging sites and MRI vendors and whether gadolinium (Gd) contrast increases CVS conspicuity.