Antibacterial and antioxidant potentials, detection of host origin compounds, and metabolic profiling of endophytic Bacillus spp. isolated from Rauvolfia serpentina (L.) Benth. ex Kurz.

The research highlights the importance of exploring endophytic microbiomes of medicinal plants to uncover their potential for secondary metabolite production and their role in the biosynthesis of host-derived compounds. This study was aimed to isolate leaf endophytic bacteria of Rauvolfia serpentina, investigate their antibacterial, antioxidant potentials and detect host-origin compound reserpine using Reverse Phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (RPHPLC). Untargeted analysis via Ultra High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS/MS) was conducted for profiling main phytochemicals in the leaves and to explore potential bioactive compounds in bacterial extracts.

Machine learning analysis of cervical balance in early-onset scoliosis post-growing rod surgery: a case-control study.

We aimed to analyze the cervical sagittal alignment change following the growing rod treatment in early-onset scoliosis (EOS) and identify the risk factors of sagittal cervical imbalance after growing-rod surgery of machine learning. EOS patients from our centre between 2007 and 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Radiographic parameters include the cervical lordosis (CL), T1 slope, C2-C7 sagittal vertical axis (C2-7 SVA), primary curve Cobb angle, thoracic kyphosis (TK), C7-S1 sagittal vertical axis (C7-S1 SVA) and proximal junctional angle (PJA) were evaluated preoperatively, postoperatively and at the final follow-up.

Auditory decision-making deficits after permanent noise-induced hearing loss.

Loud noise exposure is one of the leading causes of permanent hearing loss. Individuals with noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) suffer from speech comprehension deficits and experience impairments to cognitive functions such as attention and decision-making. Here, we investigate the specific underlying cognitive processes during auditory perceptual decision-making that are impacted by NIHL.

Association between abatacept exposure levels and infection occurrence in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: post hoc analysis of the AVERT-2 study.

Objective: To determine if higher serum exposure during subcutaneous (SC) abatacept treatment was associated with an increased infection risk in adult patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Data from AVERT-2 (Assessing Very Early Rheumatoid arthritis Treatment-2, NCT02504268), a randomized, placebo-controlled study in anticitrullinated protein antibody- positive patients with early RA, were analyzed. A post hoc population pharmacokinetic (PPK) analysis was performed.

Change in management for digital subtraction angiography-identified false-positive traumatic vertebral artery injury.

Background: For patients with suspected traumatic vertebral artery injury (TVAI), CT angiography (CTA) is the first-line screening modality. Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) serves as the confirmatory diagnostic imaging, and is the gold standard for cerebrovascular injury assessment, due to its higher sensitivity and specificity. Among patients with TVAI based on CTA who have undergone follow-up DSA, this study aims to investigate how diagnostic information with additional imaging affects clinical management.

Open Chrono-Morph Viewer: visualize big bioimage time series containing heterogeneous volumes.

Summary: Time-lapse 3D imaging is fundamental for studying biological processes but requires software able to handle terabytes of voxel data. Although many multidimensional viewing applications exist, they mostly lack support for heterogeneous voxel counts, datatypes, and modalities in a single timeline. Open Chrono-Morph Viewer provides a straightforward graphical user interface to quickly investigate multi-timescale datasets represented as separate volume files in the common NRRD format for compatibility between toolchains.

Spatially programmed alignment and actuation in printed liquid crystal elastomers.

Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) exhibit reversible shape morphing behavior when cycled above their nematic-to-isotropic transition temperature. During extrusion-based 3D printing, LCE inks are subjected to coupled shear and extensional flows that can be harnessed to spatially control the alignment of their nematic director along prescribed print paths. Here, we combine experiment and modeling to elucidate the effects of ink composition, nozzle geometry, and printing parameters on director alignment.

A histochemical approach to activity-based copper sensing reveals cuproplasia-dependent vulnerabilities in cancer.

Copper is an essential nutrient for sustaining vital cellular processes spanning respiration, metabolism, and proliferation. However, loss of copper homeostasis, particularly misregulation of loosely bound copper ions which are defined as the labile copper pool, occurs in major diseases such as cancer, where tumor growth and metastasis have a heightened requirement for this metal. To help decipher the role of copper in the etiology of cancer, we report a histochemical activity-based sensing approach that enables systematic, high-throughput profiling of labile copper status across many cell lines in parallel.

Restorative Neurostimulation Therapy Compared to Optimal Medical Management: A Randomized Evaluation (RESTORE) for the Treatment of Chronic Mechanical Low Back Pain due to Multifidus Dysfunction.

Introduction: Many interventional strategies are commonly used to treat chronic low back pain (CLBP), though few are specifically intended to target the distinct underlying pathomechanisms causing low back pain. Restorative neurostimulation has been suggested as a specific treatment for mechanical CLBP resulting from multifidus dysfunction. In this randomized controlled trial, we report outcomes from a cohort of patients with CLBP associated with multifidus dysfunction treated with restorative neurostimulation compared to those randomized to a control group receiving optimal medical management (OMM) over 1 year.

Diagnostic value of CT scans in pediatric patients with acute non-traumatic altered mental status: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Computed tomography (CT) scans are widely used for evaluating children with acute atraumatic altered mental status (AMS) despite concerns about radiation exposure and limited diagnostic yield. This study aims to assess the efficacy of CT scans in this population and provide evidence-based recommendations.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines.

Outcomes of mechanical thrombectomy for medium vessel occlusion in acute ischemic stroke patients with ASPECTS 4-5 vs. 6-7: a retrospective, multicenter, and multinational study.

Introduction: Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) efficacy in medium vessel occlusion (MeVO) stroke, particularly in patients with low Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomography Score (ASPECTS), remains less explored.

Methods: This retrospective study analyzed data from 443 AIS patients treated with MT for MeVO and low ASPECTS (4-7) at 37 centers across North America, Asia, and Europe, from September 2017 to July 2021. Patients were categorized into ASPECTS of 4-5 and 6-7.

Real-World Effectiveness of Long-Acting Injectable and Oral Antipsychotic Agents in US Medicare Patients with Schizophrenia.

Introduction: Daily oral antipsychotics (OAPs) are the mainstay of schizophrenia treatment; however, long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAIs) are associated with better treatment adherence and improved outcomes.

Methods: This study assessed the real-world comparative effectiveness of LAIs and daily OAPs using claims data from a nationally representative sample of fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries with schizophrenia. Antipsychotic discontinuation, psychiatric hospitalization, and treatment failure were compared relative to different reference groups using within-individual Cox regression models.

Development and validation of an ultrasensitive qPCR method to identify and quantify EGFR T790M in cell-free DNA.

Background: Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is a promising biomarker for cancer prognosis and drug development. A major challenge in the ctDNA determination method is discriminating ctDNA from highly similar but significantly more abundant wild-type DNA sensitively and accurately.

Method: An ultrasensitive qPCR method termed Triple Enrichment Amplification of Mutation PCR (TEAM-PCR) was developed to detect EGFR T790M mutation.

Assessment of clinical characteristics and mortality in patients hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 from January 2022 to November 2022, when Omicron variants were predominant in the United States.

Objective: To describe the demographic/clinical characteristics, treatment patterns, and mortality among patients hospitalized with COVID-19 during Omicron predominance by immunocompromised and high-risk status.

Methods: Retrospective observational study of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 between January 1, 2022 and November 30, 2022, using data from the Optum de-identified Clinformatics Data Mart Database. Patient demographic/clinical characteristics, treatments, mortality and costs, were assessed, during the emergence of BA.

What Is the Prevalence of Hip Abductor Pathology in Patients Undergoing Total Hip Arthroplasty?

Background: Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is generally considered a successful operation for patients with advanced hip arthritis. Hip abductor pathology can lead to diminished outcomes. The prevalence of hip abductor pathology in patients undergoing THA is not well described.

Exosomal Galectin-3 promotes peritoneal metastases in gastric adenocarcinoma via microenvironment alterations.

Peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) in gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC) is the most common metastatic site and leads to a short median survival. Exosomes have been shown to remodel the microenvironment, facilitating tumor metastases. However, the functional component in GAC cell-derived exosomes that remodel the landscape in the peritoneal cavity remains unclear.

Zebrafish glial-vascular interactions progressively expand over the course of brain development.

Glial-vascular interactions are critical for the formation and maintenance of brain blood vessels and the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in mammals, but their role in the zebrafish BBB remains unclear. Using three glial gene promoters-, , and (a truncated )-we explored glial-vascular development in zebrafish. Sparse labeling showed fewer glial-vascular interactions at early stages, with glial coverage and contact area increasing with age.

The promise and limits of inclusive public policy: federal safety net clinics and immigrant access to health care in the U.S.

In the United States, exclusionary public policies generate inequalities within and across labor, financial, and legal status hierarchies, which together undermine immigrant well-being. But can inclusive public policies improve immigrant health? We examine whether and how an immigrant-inclusive federal program, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), shaped health care access and use among farmworkers over nearly three decades, paying particular attention to disparities at the intersection of nativity and legal status. Linking historical administrative data on the location and funding of FQHCs with the National Agricultural Workers Survey from 1989-2017, we first document trends in farmworkers' county-level proximity to FQHCs and identify a steady increase in FQHC access among undocumented farmworkers following the Affordable Care Act.

Endometriosis-associated primary clear cell adenocarcinoma of the urinary bladder: A case report and literature review.

Primary clear cell adenocarcinoma (CCA) of the urinary bladder is a rare and aggressive malignancy. Few reports in the literature describe this presentation, as associated with malignant transformation of endometriosis. This case highlights the complex etiology of this variant of CCA, initially diagnosed using comprehensive imaging and genetic analysis, and subsequently confirmed through extensive surgical intervention and chemotherapy.

Exploring trauma surgeons' views on trauma care in Nigeria: A qualitative study.

Background: In Nigeria, trauma care faces challenges due to high injury and death rates from road traffic accidents and violence. Improvements are underway, but gaps in service availability, training, and coordination persist, necessitating evidence-based interventions.

Purpose: To evaluate trauma care practices in Nigeria, focusing on practitioners' perceptions of training, resources, and care quality to inform policy and practice enhancements.

High-resolution isotopic data link settlement complexification to infant diets within the Roman Empire.

Our study explores the potential relationship between infant feeding practices and settlement complexity in the Roman Empire through high-resolution Bayesian-modeled stable isotope measurements from incremental dentine. We compiled isotopic data from permanent first molars of individuals from various Roman sites: five from Bainesse (UK), 30 from Thessaloniki (Greece), along with new carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses from four individuals from Pompeii and six from Ostia Via del Mare (AVM). Our results reveal significant inter-site variability in breastfeeding durations, ranging from 1.

Fact-checks focus on famous politicians, not partisans.

Does the fact-checking enterprise focus its attention on one party? If Republican or Democratic politicians were systematically more likely to have their statements evaluated, that would call into question both the impartiality of the fact-checking enterprise and the results of the many papers that rely on fact-checks to drive other measurements. Despite frequent claims that fact-checking organizations are biased against Republicans, there is little systematic evidence regarding political bias in this industry. We address these gaps using data on how often each member of Congress was fact-checked from 2018 to 2021.