Quantitative Analysis of Mitochondria-Associated Endoplasmic Reticulum Membrane (MAM) Stabilization in a Neural Model of Alzheimer's Disease (AD).

A method to quantitate the stabilization of Mitochondria-Associated endoplasmic reticulum Membranes (MAMs) in a 3-dimensional (3D) neural model of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is presented here. To begin, fresh human neuro progenitor ReN cells expressing β-amyloid precursor protein (APP) containing familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD) or naïve ReN cells are grown in thin (1:100) Matrigel-coated tissue culture plates. After the cells reach confluency, these are electroporated with expression plasmids encoding red fluorescence protein (RFP)-conjugated mitochondria-binding sequence of AKAP1(34-63) (Mito-RFP) that detects mitochondria or constitutive MAM stabilizers MAM 1X or MAM 9X that stabilize tight (6 nm ± 1 nm gap width) or loose (24 nm ± 3 nm gap width) MAMs, respectively.

Enhanced O-glycosylation Site Prediction Using Explainable Machine Learning Technique with Spatial Local Environment.

Motivation: The accurate prediction of O-GlcNAcylation sites is crucial for understanding disease mechanisms and developing effective treatments. Previous machine learning models primarily relied on primary or secondary protein structural and related properties, which have limitations in capturing the spatial interactions of neighboring amino acids. This study introduces local environmental features as a novel approach that incorporates three-dimensional spatial information, significantly improving model performance by considering the spatial context around the target site.

Advances in Coronary CT Angiography: Applications and Implications for Coronary Artery Disease.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, necessitating advancements in diagnostic techniques. Coronary CT angiography (CCTA) has emerged as a pivotal non-invasive tool for evaluating coronary artery anatomy and detecting atherosclerotic plaque burden with high spatial resolution. This review explores the evolution of CCTA, highlighting its technological advancements, clinical applications, and challenges.

Two new enzymes that liberate undecaprenyl-phosphate to replenish the carrier lipid pool during envelope stress.

The 55-carbon isoprenoid, undecaprenyl-phosphate (UndP), is a universal carrier lipid that ferries most glycans and glycopolymers across the cytoplasmic membrane in bacteria. In addition to peptidoglycan precursors, UndP transports O-antigen, capsule, wall teichoic acids, and sugar modifications. How this shared but limited lipid is distributed among competing pathways is just beginning to be elucidated.

Current views and trends of nanomaterials as vectors for gene delivery since the 21st century: a bibliometric analysis.

Background: Gene therapy is garnering increasing support due to its potential for a "once-delivered, lifelong benefit." The limitations of traditional gene delivery methods have spurred the advancement of bionanomaterials. Despite this progress, a thorough analysis of the evolution, current state, key contributors, focal studies, and future directions of nanomaterials in gene delivery remains absent.

Introducing Sofosbuvir/Velpatasvir + Ribavirin as a Generic Retreatment Regimen for Hepatitis C: Evaluation of a Government Program in Rwanda.

Sofosbuvir/velpatasvir/voxilaprevir is recommended for hepatitis C virus (HCV) retreatment in those who fail initial treatment but is unavailable in resource-limited settings. We describe a government sofosbuvir/velpatasvir + ribavirin (SOF/VEL + RBV) × 24 weeks retreatment program in Rwanda (November 2021-October 2022). Of 231 participants, 174 were cured (75.

The Critical Role of Commercial Analytical Reference Standards in the Control of Chemical Risks: The Case of PFAS and Ways Forward.

Background: Various countries have instituted risk governance measures to control and minimize the risks of chemicals at the national and international levels. Activities typically include risk assessment based on ) hazard and exposure assessments; ) setting limits on the production, use, and emissions of chemicals; ) enforcement of regulations; and ) monitoring the effectiveness of the measures taken. These steps largely depend on chemical analysis and access to pure chemical reference standards.

Coupling of Size Exclusion Chromatography to High Throughput Charge Detection Mass Spectrometry for the Analysis of Large Proteins and Virus-like Particles.

Charge detection mass spectrometry (CD-MS) is an emerging single-particle technique where both the / and charge are measured individually to determine each ion's mass. It is particularly well-suited for analyzing high mass and heterogeneous samples. With conventional MS, the loss of charge state resolution with high mass samples has hindered the direct coupling of MS to separation techniques like size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and forced the use of lower resolution detectors.

Characterization of Optokinetic Nystagmus in Healthy Participants With a Novel Oculography Device.

Objective: To develop a proof-of-concept smart-phone-based eye-tracking algorithm to assess non-pathologic optokinetic (OKN) nystagmus in healthy participants. Current videonystagmography (VNG) is typically restricted to in-office use, and advances in portable vestibular diagnostics would yield immense public health benefits.

Study Design: Prospective cohort study.

Performance of sentinel lymph node biopsy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in clinically node positive breast cancer patients: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The reliability of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in patients with initially node-positive breast cancer is still controversial. This meta-analysis is conducted to investigate the feasibility and accuracy of SLNB after NACT in patients with initially positive axillary nodes.

Methods: We conducted a literature search using Medline, PubMed, Embase, Central, and SCOPUS up until April 2021 for studies on the performance of SLNB following NACT.

Electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation.

Background: Electronic cigarettes (ECs) are handheld electronic vaping devices that produce an aerosol by heating an e-liquid. People who smoke, healthcare providers, and regulators want to know if ECs can help people quit smoking, and if they are safe to use for this purpose. This is a review update conducted as part of a living systematic review.

Distribution and Biological Response of Nanoplastics in Constructed Wetland Microcosms: Mechanistic Insights into the Role of Photoaging.

Concern over nanoplastic contamination of wetland ecosystems has been increasing. However, little is known about the effect of photoaging on the distribution and biological response of the nanoplastics. Here, palladium-labeled polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-Pd NPs) at 0.

Loneliness among Adults Aging with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: The Importance of Living Situation.

Background And Objectives: Loneliness is a serious public health concern among the aging population. Not only is loneliness an unpleasant emotional experience, it is also associated with worse health, well-being, and even mortality. This is a particularly important issue among the population aging with intellectual and developmental disabilities, who are more likely to experience loneliness across the life course, and who - particularly if living in an intermediate care facility (ICF) or nursing facility - may lack social connections.

Nuclear blebs are associated with destabilized chromatin packing domains.

Disrupted nuclear shape is associated with multiple pathological processes including premature aging disorders, cancer-relevant chromosomal rearrangements, and DNA damage. Nuclear blebs (i.e.

Refractory and Resistant Herpes Simplex Virus Mucocutaneous Infections in Immunocompromised Patients: Literature Review and Proposed Definitions for Use in Clinical Trials.

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection is one of the most prevalent viral infections worldwide. In general, host immunity is sufficient to clear viral shedding and recurrences, although it is insufficient to prevent subsequent virologic reactivations. In immunocompromised patients, prolonged and difficult-to-treat HSV infections may develop.

Accuracy of nursing diagnoses identified at admission and discharge of patients with decompensated heart failure.

Purpose: To determine the accuracy of nursing diagnoses at hospital admission and discharge for patients with heart failure (HF).

Methods: This comparative study examined the documentation in 155 medical records of patients with an admitting diagnosis of HF during August 2018 and July 2019. An audit tool was used to record the diagnoses made by nurses during routine care at the time of admission and discharge.

Human TSC2 mutant cells exhibit aberrations in early neurodevelopment accompanied by changes in the DNA Methylome.

Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) is a debilitating developmental disorder characterized by a variety of clinical manifestations. While benign tumors in the heart, lungs, kidney, and brain are all hallmarks of the disease, the most severe symptoms of TSC are often neurological, including seizures, autism, psychiatric disorders, and intellectual disabilities. TSC is caused by loss of function mutations in the TSC1 or TSC2 genes and consequent dysregulation of signaling via mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 1 (mTORC1).

ALS Motor Observational Telemedicine Objective Rasch-Built Assessment: A Quantitative Scale for the Era of Teleneurology.

Background And Objectives: Telemedicine has become a mainstay of ALS clinical care, but there is currently no standardized approach for assessing and tracking changes to the neurologic examination in this format. The goal of this study was to create a standardized telemedicine-based motor examination scale to objectively and reliably track ALS progression and use Rasch methodology to validate the scale and improve its psychometric properties.

Methods: A draft telemedicine examination scale with 25 items assessing movement in the bulbar muscles, neck, trunk, and extremities was created by an ALS expert panel, incorporating input from patient advisors.

Development and Evaluation of the Dermatomyositis Outcomes for Muscle and Skin as an Outcome Measure in Dermatomyositis Clinical Trials.

The Total Improvement Score (TIS), which is used as the primary efficacy measure in dermatomyositis (DM) clinical trials, lacks a skin-specific measure. However, skin is a defining feature of DM. In this study, data were analyzed from the phase 3 trial of lenabasum in DM.

Effective and Engaging Active Learning in the Medical School Classroom: Lessons from Case-Based Collaborative Learning.

Large group collaborative teaching approaches are rapidly gaining popularity in undergraduate medical education. The case-based collaborative Learning (CBCL) pedagogy was instituted for pre-clerkship teaching at Harvard Medical School in 2015 with subsequent implementation at other medical schools. CBCL emphasizes inductive reasoning, integrates basic and clinical sciences, stimulates curiosity, and fosters teamwork.

The health-related experiences of detained immigrants with and without mental illness.

Background: Incarcerated individuals with mental illness face unique health challenges, yet we know little about individuals with mental illness who are detained by US immigration authorities. We aimed to describe the health-related experiences of detained immigrants with and without mental illness.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional telephone survey in 2021 with a sample of recently detained immigrants who were detained by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and released in the United States in 2020-2021 ( = 203).

MiMICRI: Towards Domain-centered Counterfactual Explanations of Cardiovascular Image Classification Models.

The recent prevalence of publicly accessible, large medical imaging datasets has led to a proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) models for cardiovascular image classification and analysis. At the same time, the potentially significant impacts of these models have motivated the development of a range of explainable AI (XAI) methods that aim to explain model predictions given certain image inputs. However, many of these methods are not developed or evaluated with domain experts, and explanations are not contextualized in terms of medical expertise or domain knowledge.

Atrial Tachyarrhythmia in Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy: A Case Report.

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is a heritable myocardial condition that mostly affects the right ventricle (RV). Atrial involvement is poorly understood and the evidence for atrial involvement remains limited. In this case report, we describe an 18-year-old woman who had ARVC with the atrial tachyarrhythmia and initially presented with palpitations.

How digital paywalls shape news coverage.

The internet has significantly transformed how news is produced, consumed, and distributed. As a result, the news industry has transitioned from ad-supported to subscription-based models regulated by digital paywalls. In the light of this disruption, it is crucial to investigate not only how news consumers adapt to this change but also how economic incentives shape content coverage.