Combined T1-weighted MRI and diffusion MRI tractography of paraventricular, locus coeruleus, and dorsal vagal complex connectivity in brainstem-hypothalamic nuclei.

Background: Current multimodal neuroimaging plays a critical role in studying clinical conditions such as cardiovascular disease, major depression, and other disorders related to chronic stress. These conditions involve the brainstem-hypothalamic network, specifically the locus coeruleus (LC), dorsal vagal complex (DVC), and paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus, collectively referred to as the "DVC-LC-PVN circuitry." This circuitry is strongly associated with the norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (E) neurotransmitter systems, which are implicated in the regulation of key autonomic functions, such as cardiovascular and respiratory control, stress response, and cognitive and emotional behaviors.

A phase II study of ramucirumab and somatostatin analog therapy in patients with advanced neuroendocrine tumors.

Objectives: Well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors (NET) are highly vascular tumors characterized by their expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). This trial investigated the activity of ramucirumab, a monoclonal antibody that targets VEGF receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) and inhibits activity of VEGF, in combination with somatostatin analog therapy in patients (pts) with advanced extra-pancreatic NET.

Methods: We conducted a single-arm phase II trial enrolling pts with advanced, progressive extra-pancreatic NET.

Enhanced multiscale human brain imaging by semi-supervised digital staining and serial sectioning optical coherence tomography.

A major challenge in neuroscience is visualizing the structure of the human brain at different scales. Traditional histology reveals micro- and meso-scale brain features but suffers from staining variability, tissue damage, and distortion, which impedes accurate 3D reconstructions. The emerging label-free serial sectioning optical coherence tomography (S-OCT) technique offers uniform 3D imaging capability across samples but has poor histological interpretability despite its sensitivity to cortical features.

The Impacts of Programs and Policies to Address Food Insecurity: An Analysis of Change in Income.

Background/objectives: This paper examines hunger over time to analyze how food insecurity is impacted by reduced income, including household funding from the government. Federal policies and community-based programs have the ability to prevent increases in food insecurity, particularly for populations that have risk factors, such as households with children; single-parent households; low-income households, especially those in rural areas; Black and Hispanic households; and, households experiencing economic hardships.

Methods: This study is bas ed on a cross-sectional survey that was administered in 2018 and 2019 to food pantry clients, an already food insecure population accessing resources, in Eastern Massachusetts.

Evaluating the readability of FDA-approved JAK inhibitor medication guides in dermatology.

Prior studies have highlighted significant challenges in the readability of patient educational materials in dermatology, which may represent a barrier to optimal treatment outcomes. As newer Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi) gain FDA approval and are integrated into treatment regimens, it is crucial for patients to understand their usage, risks, and benefits. We evaluated the readability of FDA-approved JAKi medication guides to see if lessons from prior readability studies have been incorporated into these newer materials.

Caregiver worry about COVID-19 as a predictor of social mitigation behaviours and SARS-CoV-2 infection in a 12-city U.S. surveillance study of households with children.

Objective: Understanding compliance with COVID-19 mitigation recommendations is critical for informing efforts to contain future infectious disease outbreaks. This study tested the hypothesis that higher levels of worry about COVID-19 illness among household caregivers would predict lower (a) levels of overall and discretionary social exposure activities and (b) rates of household SARS-CoV-2 infections.

Methods: Data were drawn from a surveillance study of households with children ( = 1913) recruited from 12 U.

Elucidating the Mechanism of Recognition and Binding of Heparin to Amyloid Fibrils of Serum Amyloid A.

Amyloid diseases feature pathologic deposition of normally soluble proteins and peptides as insoluble fibrils in vital organs. Amyloid fibrils co-deposit with various nonfibrillar components including heparan sulfate (HS), a glycosaminoglycan that promotes amyloid formation in vitro for many unrelated proteins. HS-amyloid interactions have been proposed as a therapeutic target for inflammation-linked amyloidosis wherein N-terminal fragments of serum amyloid A (SAA) protein deposit in the kidney and liver.

Nutritionally acquired immunodeficiency must be addressed with the same urgency as HIV to end tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading infectious killer worldwide, with 10.6 million cases and 1.6 million deaths in 2021 alone.

Guardians at the Gate: Optimization of Small Molecule Entry Inhibitors of Ebola and Marburg Viruses.

Ebola and Marburg (EBOV and MARV) filoviral infections lead to fatal hemorrhagic fevers and have caused over 30 outbreaks in the last 50 years. Currently, there are no FDA-approved small molecule therapeutics for effectively treating filoviral diseases. To address this unmet medical need, we have conducted a systematic structural optimization of an early lead compound, -(4-(4-methylpiperidin-1-yl)-3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-4-(morpholinomethyl)benzamide (), borne from our previously reported hit-to-lead effort.

Obfuscation via pitch-shifting for balancing privacy and diagnostic utility in voice-based cognitive assessment.

Introduction: Digital voice analysis is gaining traction as a tool to differentiate cognitively normal from impaired individuals. However, voice data poses privacy risks due to the potential identification of speakers by automated systems.

Methods: We developed a framework that uses weighted linear interpolation of privacy and utility metrics to balance speaker obfuscation and cognitive integrity in cognitive assessments.

A comparison of scalable routine clinical materials and observer ratings to assess CBT fidelity.

Decades of research have demonstrated the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapies (CBTs) for a wide variety of psychiatric diagnoses, resulting in the inclusion of CBT as a first-line evidence-based practice (EBP) in treatment guidelines for mood and anxiety disorders. However, some research suggests that many providers do not implement EBPs as intended. Ongoing quality monitoring is needed to support EBP implementation and sustainability, but "gold standard" fidelity monitoring (e.

At-home wearables and machine learning capture motor impairment and progression in adult ataxias.

A significant barrier to developing disease-modifying therapies for spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) and multiple system atrophy of the cerebellar type (MSA-C) is the scarcity of tools to sensitively measure disease progression in clinical trials. Wearable sensors worn continuously during natural behavior at home have the potential to produce ecologically valid and precise measures of motor function by leveraging frequent and numerous high-resolution samples of behavior. Here we test whether movement-building block characteristics (i.

Prediction, prognosis and monitoring of neurodegeneration at biobank-scale via machine learning and imaging.

Background: Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) are the most common neurodegenerative conditions. These central nervous system disorders impact both the structure and function of the brain and may lead to imaging changes that precede symptoms. Patients with ADRD or PD have long asymptomatic phases that exhibit significant heterogeneity.

The Prevalence of Creak Across Breath Groups in Adductor Laryngeal Dystonia.

Objective: Creak is an acoustic feature found to discriminate speakers with adductor laryngeal dystonia (AdLD) from typical speakers with outstanding diagnostic accuracy. Yet creak is also used by typical speakers as a phrase-boundary marker. This study aims to compare the prevalence of creak across estimated breath groups in speakers with AdLD and controls to delineate physiological mechanisms underlying creak in AdLD.

Data Science and Geriatric Anesthesia Research: Opportunity and Challenges.

With an increase in geriatric population undergoing surgical procedures, research focused on enhancing their perioperative outcomes is of paramount importance. Currently, most of the evidence-based medicine protocols are driven by studies concentrating on adults encompassing all adult age groups. Given the alterations in physiology with aging, geriatric patients respond differently to anesthetics and, therefore, require specific research initiatives to further expound on the same.

Does implementation of office based addiction treatment by a nurse care manager increase the duration of OUD treatment in primary care? A secondary analysis of the PROUD randomized control trial.

Background: Implementation of office-based addiction treatment (OBAT) by nurse care managers increases overall use of OUD medication, but it is unknown whether it increases treatment duration among treated patients.

Methods: The Primary Care Opioid Use Disorders Treatment (PROUD) trial was a pragmatic, cluster-randomized trial testing whether implementation of OBAT increased OUD treatment in 12 primary care clinics in 6 systems. One of 2 clinics per system was randomized to implement OBAT (intervention), the other, usual care (UC).

Intrinsically disordered regions and RNA binding domains contribute to protein enrichment in biomolecular condensates in Xenopus oocytes.

Proteins containing both intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) and RNA binding domains (RBDs) can phase separate in vitro, forming bodies similar to cellular biomolecular condensates. However, how IDR and RBD domains contribute to in vivo recruitment of proteins to biomolecular condensates remains poorly understood. Here, we analyzed the roles of IDRs and RBDs in L-bodies, biomolecular condensates present in Xenopus oocytes.

Considerations in the Care of Transgender and Gender-Diverse Patients Requiring Invasive Cardiac Catheterization.

Transgender and gender diverse patients undergoing cardiac procedures require unique considerations to ensure the delivery of respectful, safe, and high-value health care. There are several issues for which practicing clinicians may have limited experience managing, including the potential interactions between gender-affirming medical and surgical interventions and cardiovascular conditions; using correct patient name and pronouns and additional strategies to increase comfort and safety of medical interventions; and nuances of cardiac clearance before gender-affirming surgeries. This article provides a primer on these topics and sets cardiologists up to learn more about the needs of transgender and gender diverse patient populations.

WEST is an ensemble method for spatial transcriptomics analysis.

Spatial transcriptomics is a groundbreaking technology, enabling simultaneous profiling of gene expression and spatial orientation within biological tissues. Yet when analyzing spatial transcriptomics data, effective integration of expression and spatial information poses considerable analytical challenges. Although many methods have been developed to address this issue, many are platform specific and lack the general applicability to analyze diverse datasets.

Screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment for pain management for veterans separating from military service: study protocol of a hybrid type 2 study testing implementation facilitation versus training-as-usual.

Background: Veterans transitioning to civilian life often have chronic pain from service-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) with higher risk for substance misuse. Many seek VA (Department of Veterans Affairs) compensation for MSD. Use of Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment for Pain Management (SBIRT-PM) by VA Post-9/11 Military2VA (M2VA) case managers presents an opportunity to engage these veterans in VA pain care and address substance misuse.

Cancer disparities by age: a focus on sexual and gender minorities.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the age at which sexual and gender minorities are diagnosed with cancer relative to heterosexual cisgender individuals.

Methods: We use population-based representative Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey data with self-reported sexual orientation, gender identity, cancer diagnoses, and the age at diagnosis. We determined the mean age at diagnosis and used logistic regression modeling to obtain odds ratios, reporting significant differences defined as p < 0.