Can State Family Support Policies Level the Playing Field for Early-Career Women in Plastic Surgery? An Analysis of Web-Scraped Data.

Background: For the young plastic surgeon, the quantity of first-author peer-reviewed publications plays a prominent role in job offers and promotions. Women surgeons carry a disproportionate share of family responsibilities, contributing to their lower representation in positions of leader- ship and influence. Policies protecting reproductive rights and mandating paid family leave (PFL) boost women's participation and productivity in the workplace.

Microfluidics-generated PLA nanoparticles: impact of purification method on macrophage interactions, anti-inflammatory effects, biodistribution, and protein corona formation.

Polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) are traditionally formulated using batch methodologies that are poorly scalable and require time consuming, hands-on purification procedures. Here, we prepared poly(lactic acid) (PLA)-based polymeric NPs using a scalable microfluidics-based method and systematically investigated the impact of purification method (centrifugation tangential flow filtration (TFF)) to remove poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) on macrophage uptake, anti-inflammatory effects, biodistribution, and protein corona formation. TFF purification demonstrated significantly higher recovery of NPs compared to the centrifugation method, with little-to-no aggregation observed.

Facile control of giant green-emission in multifunctional ZnO quantum dots produced in a single-step process: femtosecond pulse ablation.

Controlling both UV and visible emissions in ZnO quantum dots (QDs) poses a significant challenge due to the inherent introduction of defects during the growth process. We have refined the photoluminescence (PL) emission characteristics of ZnO QDs through a single-step, reagent-free femtosecond pulsed laser ablation in liquid (fs-PLAL) technique. The ratio of the near band edge (NBE) to deep-level emission (DLE), which determines the shape of the QDs' optical emission spectrum, is precisely controlled by the ablation laser pulse parameters-namely, pulse energy and temporal duration.

Switchable Adhesion of Hydrogels to Plant and Animal Tissues.

The ability to "switch on" adhesion between a thin hydrogel and a biological tissue can be useful in biomedical applications such as surgery. One way to accomplish this is with an electric field, a phenomenon termed electroadhesion (EA). Here, it is shown that cationic gels can be adhered by EA to tissues across all of biology.

Elevated C-reactive protein levels and cardiovascular risk in prurigo nodularis patients with sleep disturbance: a multi-center cohort study.

Patients with prurigo nodularis (PN) present with pruritus which may lead to sleep disturbances and systemic comorbidities. The objective of our study was to determine the risk of sleep disorders in PN and its association with systemic inflammation and adverse cardiovascular outcomes. We conducted a retrospective population-level cohort using a global health records database to analyze the development of sleep disorders, C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, and risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality in PN compared to controls.

Identification of an Intrinsically Disordered Region (IDR) in Arginyltransferase 1 (ATE1).

Arginyltransferase 1 (ATE1) catalyzes arginylation, an important posttranslational modification (PTM) in eukaryotes that plays a critical role in cellular homeostasis. The disruption of ATE1 function is implicated in mammalian neurodegenerative disorders and cardiovascular maldevelopment, while posttranslational arginylation has also been linked to the activities of several important human viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 and HIV. Despite the known significance of ATE1 in mammalian cellular function, past biophysical studies of this enzyme have mainly focused on yeast ATE1, leaving the mechanism of arginylation in mammalian cells unclear.

Modeling Ligand Binding Site Water Networks with Site Identification by Ligand Competitive Saturation: Impact on Ligand Binding Orientations and Relative Binding Affinities.

Appropriate treatment of water contributions to protein-ligand interactions is a very challenging problem in the context of adequately determining the number of waters to investigate and undertaking conformational sampling of the ligands, the waters, and the surrounding protein. In the present study, an extension of the Site Identification by Ligand Competitive Saturation-Monte Carlo (SILCS-MC) docking approach is presented that enables the determination of the location of water molecules in the binding pocket and their impact on the predicted ligand binding orientation and affinities. The approach, termed SILCS-WATER, involves MC sampling of the ligand along with explicit water molecules in a binding site followed by selection of a subset of waters within specified energetic and distance cutoffs that contribute to ligand binding and orientation.

Peripheral airways dysfunction measured by oscillometry differentiates asthma from inducible laryngeal obstruction.

Background: Inducible laryngeal obstruction (ILO, also called vocal cord dysfunction) can be difficult to distinguish clinically from asthma. Limited studies have explored the use of respiratory oscillometry to detect changes unique to ILO, but more study is needed to determine if routine oscillometry can differentiate these two clinical entities.

Objective: Determine if impedance variables measured on routine oscillometry over tidal breathing vary between individuals with asthma and ILO.

Structure-guided design of a peripherally restricted chemogenetic system.

Designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADDs) are chemogenetic tools for remotely controlling cellular signaling, neural activity, behavior, and physiology. Using a structure-guided approach, we provide a peripherally restricted Gi-DREADD, hydroxycarboxylic acid receptor DREADD (HCAD), whose native receptor is minimally expressed in the brain, and a chemical actuator that does not cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB). This was accomplished by combined mutagenesis, analoging via an ultra-large make-on-demand library, structural determination of the designed DREADD receptor via cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM), and validation of HCAD function.

K channel-dependent electrical signaling links capillary pericytes to arterioles during neurovascular coupling.

The brain has evolved mechanisms to dynamically modify blood flow, enabling the timely delivery of energy substrates in response to local metabolic demands. Several such neurovascular coupling (NVC) mechanisms have been identified, but the vascular signal transduction and transmission mechanisms that enable dilation of penetrating arterioles (PAs) remote from sites of increased neuronal activity are unclear. Given the exponential relationship between vessel diameter and blood flow, tight control of arteriole membrane potential and diameter is a crucial aspect of NVC.

SARS-CoV-2 Nsp6-Omicron causes less damage to the Drosophila heart and mouse cardiomyocytes than ancestral Nsp6.

A few years into the COVID-19 pandemic, the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain rapidly becomes and has remained the predominant strain. To date, Omicron and its subvariants, while more transmittable, appear to cause less severe disease than prior strains. To study the cause of this reduced pathogenicity we compare SARS-CoV-2 ancestral Nsp6 with Nsp6-Omicron, which we have previously identified as one of the most pathogenic viral proteins.

Behavioral assessment of well-being in the naïve laboratory ferret (Mustela putorius furo).

Domestic ferrets (Mustela putorius furo) are an emerging model species in biomedical research. While behavioral studies are a critical translational tool for evaluating neurologic function in disease models and toxicology studies, there is a lack of ferret-specific behavioral assays and corresponding data on baseline behavior. Play behavior is a promising target for evaluation of psychological well-being, particularly because ferrets engage in solitary and social play well into adulthood.

Balancing Group 1 Monoatomic Ion-Polar Compound Interactions in the Polarizable Drude Force Field: Application in Protein and Nucleic Acid Systems.

An accurate force field (FF) is the foundation of reliable results from molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. In our recently published work, we developed a protocol to generate atom pair-specific Lennard-Jones (known as NBFIX in CHARMM) and through-space Thole dipole screening (NBTHOLE) parameters in the context of the Drude polarizable FF based on readily accessible quantum mechanical (QM) data to fit condensed phase experimental thermodynamic benchmarks, including the osmotic pressure, diffusion coefficient, ionic conductivity, and solvation free energy, when available. In the present work, the developed protocol is applied to generate NBFIX and NBTHOLE parameters for interactions between monatomic ions (specifically Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs, and Cl) and common functional groups found in proteins and nucleic acids.

Regulatory T cells crosstalk with tumor cells and endothelium through lymphotoxin signaling.

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) with multifaceted functions suppress anti-tumor immunity by signaling surrounding cells. Here we report Tregs use the surface lymphotoxin (LT)α1β2 to preferentially stimulate LT beta receptor (LTβR) nonclassical NFκB signaling on both tumor cells and lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) to accelerate tumor growth and metastasis. Selectively targeting LTβR nonclassical NFκB pathway inhibits tumor growth and migration in vitro.

Agitation: Neurobiology and current management guidelines.

There have been important updates in the guidelines for the management of agitation in emergency room settings, including psychiatric emergency services. This manuscript provides a synthesis of current recommendations, combined with a detailed breakdown of the neurobiology of agitation, linking these neuroscientific dimensions with the pharmacological profiles of the drugs recommended by practice guidelines (as well as the profiles of other important agents). Since Project BETA (Best Practices in Evaluation and Treatment of Agitation) guidelines were published in 2012 (by the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry), there have been several developments in the standard of care, including an increase in use of ketamine and droperidol.

The Role of Liver Transplantation in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Liver transplantation (LT) is the standard-of-care for early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Current selection criteria depend primarily on measures of tumor burden and alpha-fetoprotein levels. Evolving strategies include the application of prognostic scores and the development of specialized molecular markers to predict recurrence.

Advancing Dentistry Through Respectful Inclusion: A Focus on Racial Inequities.

Dentistry has faced, and continues to face, challenges in expanding its ranks to include diverse, especially minoritized, people. American Indian/Alaska Native, Hispanic, and Black representation, for example, has not grown significantly in dentistry. Although dental schools have an accreditation standard to be humanistic environments, it is not clear that dental schools have climates that are functionally inclusive of minoritized people-whether for patients, the student body, staff members, faculty members or leadership.

Ageism and Ableism in Individuals Aging with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

Biomedical and structural factors impact oral health for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The onset of age prevalent chronic diseases and conditions can result in new cognitive or physical disabilities leaving individuals with IDD to contend with ageism as well as ableism and further exclusion from the oral health care systems. Environments and attitudes that inform how health care systems are built and maintained significantly impact quality of life and outcomes, more than the fact of being disabled or old.

Screening of Polymers for Oral Ritonavir Amorphous Solid Dispersions by Film Casting.

Drug-polymer interactions and miscibility promote the formation and performance of amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) of poorly soluble drugs for improved oral bioavailability. The objective of this study was to employ drug-polymer interaction calculations and small-scale experimental characterization to screen polymers for potential ASDs of ritonavir. Seven polymers across four polymer types were screened as follows: an enteric one (EudragitS100), amphiphilic ones (HPMCAS-L, HPMCAS-H, and their 1:1 combination), hydrophilic ones (PEG-6000, PVP-VA), and a surfactant (Soluplus), including PVP-VA as a positive control, as the commercial ASD employs PVP-VA.