Bilateral hip exoskeleton assistance enables faster walking in individuals with chronic stroke-related gait impairments.

Millions of individuals surviving a stroke have lifelong gait impairments that reduce their personal independence and quality of life. Reduced walking speed is one of the major problems limiting community mobility and reintegration. Previous studies have shown positive effect of robot-assisted gait training utilizing hip exoskeletons for individuals with gait impairments due to a stroke, leading to increased walking speed in post-treatment compared to pre-treatment assessments.

A Warm Water Immersion Intervention for Symptoms of PTSD in Military Veterans: A Qualitative Descriptive Study.

Background: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a substantial problem for Veterans and active members of armed forces across the globe, resulting in debilitating mental and physical comorbidities. Evidence-based treatments have demonstrated some success; however, many Veterans remain symptomatic mandating the urgent need for innovative treatment strategies.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experience of military Veterans with PTSD symptoms who participated in a therapeutic warm water immersion intervention aimed at reducing their symptoms.

Local delivery of mesenchymal stem cell-extruded nanovesicles through a bio-responsive scaffold for acute spinal cord injury treatment.

Intense inflammatory responses and elevated levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) extremely exacerbate the pathological process of spinal cord injury (SCI). Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-derived extracellular vesicles (EV) can mitigate SCI-related inflammation but their production yield remains limited. Alternatively, MSC-extruded nanovesicles (NV) inherit the therapeutic potential from MSCs and have a markedly higher yield than EV.

Enteric neuronal substrates underlying spontaneous and evoked neurogenic contractions in mouse colon.

Background And Aims: Gastrointestinal motility persists when peripheral cholinergic signaling is blocked genetically or pharmacologically, and a recent study suggests nitric oxide drives propagating neurogenic contractions.

Methods: To determine the neuronal substrates that underlie these contractions, we measured contractile-associated movements together with calcium responses of cholinergic or nitrergic myenteric neurons in un-paralyzed ex vivo preparations of whole mouse colon. We chose to look at these two subpopulations because they encompass nearly all myenteric neurons.

Twenty-four-hour pattern of children with febrile seizures presenting to a United States Pediatric Emergency Department.

Background: Febrile seizure (FS) is the most common convulsive disorder in children. Understanding its time-of-day pattern can provide insight into mechanisms and prevention.

Purpose: We explored clock-time variation of FS presentations of children to a US pediatric emergency department (PED) in comparison to two control cohorts: one (n = 5719) like-aged children presenting solely with fever, i.

Tissue remodeling during high-altitude pulmonary edema in rats: Biochemical and histomorphological analysis.

High altitude characterized by the low partial pressure of the oxygen is a life-threatening condition that contributes to the development of acute pulmonary edema and hypoxic lung injury. In this study, we aimed to investigate the contribution of some inflammatory and oxidative stress markers along with antioxidant system enzymes in the pathogenesis of HAPE (high-altitude pulmonary edema) formation. We incorporated the study on 42 male rats to unravel the role of mast cells (MCs) and TNF-α in the lung after the effect of acute hypobaric hypoxia.

In Vivo Nanodiamond Quantum Sensing of Free Radicals in Caenorhabditis elegans Models.

Free radicals are believed to play a secondary role in the cell death cascade associated with various diseases. In Huntington's disease (HD), the aggregation of polyglutamine (PolyQ) not only contributes to the disease but also elevates free radical levels. However, measuring free radicals is difficult due to their short lifespan and limited diffusion range.

Rapid, in Situ Neutralization of Nitrogen- and Silicon-Vacancy Centers in Diamond Using Above-Band Gap Optical Excitation.

The charge state of a quantum point defect in a solid-state host strongly determines its optical and spin characteristics. Consequently, techniques for controlling the charge state are required to realize technologies for quantum networking and sensing. In this work, we demonstrate the use of deep-ultraviolet (DUV) radiation to dynamically neutralize nitrogen- (NV) and silicon-vacancy (SiV) centers.

Contextualizing the Upper Paleolithic of the Armenian Highlands: New data from Solak-1, central Armenia.

As a potential corridor connecting Southwest Asia with western and northern Europe, the Armenian Highlands and southern Caucasus hold great potential for increasing our understanding of Upper Paleolithic behavioral and cultural variability. However, given the dearth of Upper Paleolithic sites, we lack the data necessary to answer basic questions regarding the timing and nature of the Upper Paleolithic in this region. Solak-1 is an open-air site located along the upper Hrazdan Valley (1635 m above sea level) in central Armenia.

Dynamics of fungal endophytic communities in bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) fruits through development is shaped by host phenolic compounds.

The physical and chemical properties of wild berry fruits change dramatically during development, and the ripe berries host species-specific endophytic communities. However, the development of fungal endophytic communities during berry ripening is unknown. We studied bilberries (Vaccinium myrtillus L.

Sustainable corrosion prevention of mild steel in acidic media with herb extract.

Mild steel provides strength to various building and industrial materials but it is badly affected by corrosion. In the present study, we investigate the efficacy of , a plant-based green corrosion inhibitor to minimize mild steel corrosion in a 1 M HSO solution. Weight loss, surface coverage, inhibition efficiency, and corrosion rate measurements were evaluated for various inhibitor concentrations and time intervals.

Fluorescent nanodiamond scintillators for beam diagnostics of EUV and soft X-ray in photolithographic applications.

Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography is a cutting-edge technology in contemporary semiconductor chip manufacturing. Monitoring the EUV beam profiles is critical to ensuring consistent quality and precision in the manufacturing process. This study uncovers the practical use of fluorescent nanodiamonds (FNDs) coated on optical image sensors for profiling EUV and soft X-ray (SXR) radiation beams.

R21 in Matrix-M adjuvant in UK malaria-naive adult men and non-pregnant women aged 18-45 years: an open-label, partially blinded, phase 1-2a controlled human malaria infection study.

Background: R21 is a novel malaria vaccine, composed of a fusion protein of the malaria circumsporozoite protein and hepatitis B surface antigen. Following favourable safety and immunogenicity in a phase 1 study, we aimed to assess the efficacy of R21 administered with Matrix-M (R21/MM) against clinical malaria in adults from the UK who were malaria naive in a controlled human malaria infection study.

Methods: In this open-label, partially blinded, phase 1-2A controlled human malaria infection study undertaken in Oxford, Southampton, and London, UK, we tested five novel vaccination regimens of R21/MM.

Nanoscale Magnetic Ordering Dynamics in a High Curie Temperature Ferromagnet.

Thermally driven transitions between ferromagnetic and paramagnetic phases are characterized by critical behavior with divergent susceptibilities, long-range correlations, and spin dynamics that can span kHz to GHz scales as the material approaches the critical temperature , but it has proven technically challenging to probe the relevant length and time scales with most conventional measurement techniques. In this study, we employ scanning nitrogen-vacancy center based magnetometry and relaxometry to reveal the critical behavior of a high- ferromagnetic oxide near its Curie temperature. Cluster analysis of the measured temperature-dependent nanoscale magnetic textures points to a 3D universality class with a correlation length that diverges near .

Fit for purpose testing and independent GMP validation of the monocyte activation test.

The present study describes the "fit for purpose" testing and the independent product-specific GMP validation of the monocyte activation test (MAT) to detect pyrogenic and pro-inflammatory contaminants, MAT Method A, Quantitative Test (European Pharmacopoeia, Ph. Eur. chapter 2.

Think With Your Gut: A Retrospective Analysis on the Effects of Chronic Gastrointestinal Illness and Psychiatric Comorbidities.

Background: As mental health awareness increases, healthcare professionals must understand the interplay between chronic gastrointestinal (GI) conditions and psychological well-being, particularly regarding healthcare utilization. This study uniquely aggregates various chronic GI disorders, such as inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, and eosinophilic esophagitis, to examine their impact on depression and anxiety.

Methods: Utilizing a retrospective observational design, we analyzed data from 34,876 patients admitted to HCA national hospitals from January 2016 to December 2022.

Evaluating the Impact of Phosphatidylethanol Testing on Hospital Outcomes.

Background: Alcohol dependence remains a significant global health issue, exacerbated by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Phosphatidylethanol (PEth), a direct biomarker of recent alcohol consumption, offers improved specificity, sensitivity, and a longer detection window of 2 - 4 weeks compared to traditional biomarkers. This study evaluates the association between PEth testing and hospital outcomes in hospitalized patients by comparing outcomes among patients with positive PEth and negative PEth test results.

Revealing the Dynamics of Sustainable Epoxy-Acrylate Networks from Recycled Plastics Blends and Oligomeric Lignin Precursors.

The growing pursuit of carbon circularity in material fabrication has led to the increased use of recycled and biobased resources, especially in epoxy resin systems. Fossil-based bisphenols are being replaced with recycled bisphenol A (r-BPA) and lignin derivatives, both derived from previous processes. In this study, r-BPA was chemically recycled from end-of-life televisions, then converted into r-DGEBA and r-DAGBA through glycidylation and acrylic acid ring-opening.

From division to 'divergence': to understand wood growth across timescales, we need to (learn to) manipulate it.

Wood formation is the Rosetta stone of tree physiology: a traceable, integrated record of physiological and morphological status. It also produces a large and persistent annual sink for terrestrial carbon, motivating predictive understanding. Xylogenesis studies have greatly expanded our knowledge of the intra-annual controls on wood formation, while dendroecology has quantified the environmental drivers of multi-annual variability.

Key considerations for combination therapy in Alzheimer's clinical trials: Perspectives from an expert advisory board convened by the Alzheimer's drug discovery foundation.

There is growing consensus in the Alzheimer's community that combination therapy will be needed to maximize therapeutic benefits through the course of the disease. However, combination therapy raises complex questions and decisions for study sponsors, from preclinical research through clinical trial design to regulatory, statistical, and operational considerations. In January 2024, the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation convened an expert advisory board to discuss the key considerations in each of these areas.