Prioritizing working memory resources depends on prefrontal cortex.

How the prefrontal cortex contributes to working memory remains controversial, as theories differ in their emphasis on its role in storing memories versus controlling their content. To adjudicate between these competing ideas, we tested how perturbations to the human (both sexes) lateral prefrontal cortex impact the storage and control aspects of working memory during a task that requires human subjects to allocate resources to memory items based on their behavioral priority. Our computational model made a strong prediction that disruption of this control process would counterintuitively improve memory for low-priority items.

Addressing residual and recurrent aneurysms post-Woven EndoBridge device embolization: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Early literature on the Woven EndoBridge (WEB) device reported 80-90% adequate aneurysm occlusion but low complete occlusion (40-55%). It is uncertain whether residual or recurrent aneurysms require re-treatment to prevent future rupture.

Objective: To systematically review the literature to meta-analyze occlusion and complication rates after re-treatment of these aneurysms.

Retinoids and retinoid-binding proteins: Unexpected roles in metabolic disease.

Alterations in tissue expression levels of both retinol-binding protein 2 (RBP2) and retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) have been associated with metabolic disease, specifically with obesity, glucose intolerance and hepatic steatosis. Our laboratories have shown that this involves novel pathways not previously considered as possible linkages between impaired retinoid metabolism and metabolic disease development. We have established both biochemically and structurally that RBP2 binds with very high affinity to very long-chain unsaturated 2-monoacylglycerols like the canonical endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG) and other endocannabinoid-like substances.

Patient-reported Outcomes in Mothers with Chronic Hepatitis B Infection: A cross-sectional analysis.

Background & Aims: The health-related quality of life (HRQoL) during pregnancy has not been well-lidated in mothers with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). We aim to compare patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in CHB mothers with those of healthy mothers during pregnancy.

Methods: Between 4/16/2023 and 7/31/2023, we invited consecutive CHB and healthy mothers to complete the self-administered 36-item Short Form Survey (SF-36) and the Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire (CLDQ) for PRO assessment.

Statin Use is Associated with Decreased Venous Thromboembolism Events Following Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Matched Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Despite advances in surgical techniques and postoperative prophylactic protocols, venous thromboembolism (VTE) events remain an important source of morbidity following total hip arthroplasty (THA). Prior research in cardiology and other surgical fields has suggested that statin medications may have a protective effect against VTE. Our study aimed to: 1) Assess if preoperative statin use was associated with decreased rates of VTE following THA, and 2) conduct a subgroup analysis of statin intensity and VTE events.

Sex differences in diet-mediated salivary protein upregulation.

Our lab previously established that repeated exposure to a bitter diet can increase salivary protein (SP) expression, which corresponds to an increase in acceptance of the bitter stimulus. However, this work was exclusively in male rodents, here we examine sex differences. We found that there are no differences in SP expression (experiment 1) or quinine diet acceptance (experiment 2) across stage of estrous cycle.

Female Genital Schistosomiasis: Addressing Diagnostic and Programmatic Gaps to Advance Elimination Efforts.

This report underscores the critical need to include Female Genital Schistosomiasis (FGS) within schistosomiasis elimination frameworks and sexual and reproductive health programs. Affecting an estimated 40-56 million women, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa, FGS is often underdiagnosed and neglected in public health programs. This paper highlights FGS as a vital gap in schistosomiasis control and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services, advocating for integrated approaches that address FGS awareness and diagnosis within disease elimination initiatives and health services.

From Mapping to Elimination: A Comprehensive Overview of Rwanda's Schistosomiasis Program.

Objectives: Schistosomiasis (SCH) remains a public health challenge in Rwanda despite ongoing interventions. This paper provides an overview of Rwanda's SCH journey, highlighting progress made through mass drug administration (MDA), diagnostic advancements, and strategic partnerships with key stakeholders.

Methods: Since 2014, the point-of-care circulating cathodic antigen (POC-CCA) test has been introduced alongside Kato-Katz (KK), improving mapping accuracy and detecting low-intensity infections.

Dietary Advanced Glycation End Products and Superovulation with Gonadotropins Alters RAGE expression in the Ovaries Differently at Each Follicular Stage of Development.

The purpose of this study was to examine the deposition of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and their receptors, RAGE, in ovarian follicles during folliculogenesis in mice fed high (H-AGE) or low (L-AGE) AGE diets and following superovulation with gonadotropins. We hypothesize that H-AGE diet is associated with increased AGE deposition and RAGE expression in various stages of ovarian follicular development, and superovulation with gonadotropins may alter these changes. C57BL/6J mice were fed low L-AGE (n=10) or H-AGE (n=10) diet for 12 weeks.

Bioimpedance Measurements of Fibrotic and Acutely Injured Lung Tissues.

In injured and diseased tissues, changes in molecular and cellular compositions, as well as tissue architecture, lead to alterations in both physiological and physical characteristics. Notably, the electrical properties of tissues, which can be characterized as bioelectrical impedance (bioimpedance), are closely linked to the health and pathological conditions of the tissues. This highlights the significant role of quantitatively characterizing these electrical properties in improving the accuracy and speed of diagnosis and prognosis.

Comparison of temporary mechanical circulatory support devices for patients with cardiogenic shock after acute myocardial infarction: A network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: Despite the high mortality of cardiogenic shock after acute myocardial infarction (AMI-CS), the comparative efficacy and safety of mechanical circulatory support (MCS) in patients with AMI-CS is unknown. This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of various MCS with initial medical therapy for AMI-CS patients.

Methods: We searched PubMed and EMBASE in July 2024.

Development of nebulized inhalation delivery for fusion-inhibitory lipopeptides to protect non-human primates against Nipah-Bangladesh infection.

Nipah virus (NiV) is a lethal zoonotic paramyxovirus that can be transmitted from person to person through the respiratory route. There are currently no licensed vaccines or therapeutics. A lipopeptide-based fusion inhibitor was developed and previously evaluated for efficacy against the NiV-Malaysia strain.

First-in-human experience performing high-resolution cortical mapping using a novel microelectrode array containing 1,024 electrodes.

Localization of function within the brain and central nervous system is an essential aspect of clinical neuroscience. Classical descriptions of functional neuroanatomy provide a foundation for understanding the functional significance of identifiable anatomic structures. However, individuals exhibit substantial variation, particularly in the presence of disorders that alter tissue structure or impact function.

Enhancing brain tumor surgery precision with multimodal connectome imaging: Structural and functional connectivity in language-dominant areas.

Objectives: Language is a critical aspect of human cognition and function, and its preservation is a priority for neurosurgical interventions in the left frontal operculum. However, identification of language areas can be inconsistent, even with electrical mapping. The use of multimodal structural and functional neuroimaging in conjunction with intraoperative neuromonitoring may augment cortical language area identification to guide the resection of left frontal opercular lesions.

Narrow elliptical motion at the outer hair cell-Deiters' cell junction explains disparate features of uniaxial displacement measurements.

Sound-evoked displacement responses at the outer hair cell-Deiters' cell junction (OHC-DC) are of significant interest in cochlear mechanics, as OHCs are believed to be in part responsible for active tuning enhancement and amplification. Motion in the cochlea is three-dimensional, and the architecture of the organ of Corti complex (OCC) suggests the presence and mechanical importance of all three components of motion. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) displacement measurements of OHC-DC motion from different experimental preparations often show disparate results, potentially due to OCT measuring only the motion component along the beam axis.

Methods to Adjust for Confounding in Test-Negative Design COVID-19 Effectiveness Studies: Simulation Study.

Background: Real-world COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness (VE) studies are investigating exposures of increasing complexity accounting for time since vaccination. These studies require methods that adjust for the confounding that arises when morbidities and demographics are associated with vaccination and the risk of outcome events. Methods based on propensity scores (PS) are well-suited to this when the exposure is dichotomous, but present challenges when the exposure is multinomial.

Establishment and Maintenance of a Digital Therapeutic Alliance in People Living With Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia: Two Exploratory Single-Arm Studies.

Background: Evidence-based digital therapeutics represent a new treatment modality in mental health, potentially providing cost-efficient, accessible means of augmenting existing treatments for chronic mental illnesses. CT-155/BI 3972080 is a prescription digital therapeutic under development as an adjunct to standard of care treatments for patients 18 years of age and older with experiential negative symptoms (ENS) of schizophrenia. Individual components of CT-155/BI 3972080 are designed based on the underlying principles of face-to-face treatment.

Endovascular Thrombectomy for Extracranial Internal Carotid Artery Occlusions With Large Ischemic Strokes: Insights From the SELECT2 Trial.

Background And Objectives: Although previous trials have established the efficacy and safety of endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) in large ischemic core strokes, most of them excluded patients with extracranial internal carotid artery (e-ICA) occlusion. We aimed to compare outcomes in patients with e-ICA occlusion and large ischemic core infarcts treated with EVT vs medical management (MM).

Methods: This was a secondary analysis of the SELECT2 trial, a randomized controlled trial conducted at 31 international sites.