Cannabinoid-2 Receptor Activation Attenuates Sulfur Mustard Analog 2-Chloroethyl-Ethyl-Sulfide-Induced Acute Lung Injury in Mice.

Exposure to sulfur mustard (SM; 2,2'-dichlorodiethyl sulfide) causes toxicity in the human body, particularly the lungs. The molecular mechanisms of SM-induced lung damage are elusive, and no effective treatments exist. This study explores the anti-inflammatory potential of cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2R) activation in mitigating acute lung injury (ALI) and inflammation induced by 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (CEES), a structural analog of SM.

Heterogeneous Clustering of Multiomics Data for Breast Cancer Subgroup Classification and Detection.

The rapid growth of diverse -omics datasets has made multiomics data integration crucial in cancer research. This study adapts the expectation-maximization routine for the joint latent variable modeling of multiomics patient profiles. By combining this approach with traditional biological feature selection methods, this study optimizes latent distribution, enabling efficient patient clustering from well-studied cancer types with reduced computational expense.

The effects of the image attributes of golf star athletes supported by adult amateur golfers on sports participation desire and continuation intention.

The image attributes of sports star athletes demonstrate positive effects on sports fans' psychological factors. In the context of golf, fans are also influenced by the players they support, experiencing a range of emotions. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effects of the image attributes of golf star athletes-supported by adult amateur golfers-on the desire for sports participation and the intention to continue.

Exploring Help-Seeking Behaviors among Black Sexual Minority Cisgender Women in Late Adolescence: The Role of Abuse Experiences.

Sexual minority youth (e.g., lesbian, queer, bisexual) encounter higher rates of abuse compared to their heterosexual peers.

Poly(A)-Selected Intergenic Transcripts in In Vivo Developed Bovine Oocytes and Pre-Implantation Embryos.

Intergenic transcription, either failure to terminate at the transcription end site (TES), or transcription initiation at other intergenic regions, is present in cultured cells and enhanced in the presence of stressors such as viral infection. Such intergenic transcription has not been characterized in natural biological samples such as pre-implantation embryos which express more than 10,000 genes and undergo drastic changes in DNA methylation. Using Automatic Readthrough Transcription Detection (ARTDeco) and poly(A)-selected RNA-seq libraries from in vivo developed bovine oocytes and embryos, we found abundant intergenic transcripts that we termed as read-outs (transcribed from 5 to 15 kb after TES) and read-ins (transcribed 1 kb upstream of reference genes, extending up to 15 kb upstream).

From a Health and Safety Lens: Voice-Related Concerns of Sporting, Fitness, and Wellness Leaders.

Objective: This study aimed to survey conditions, behaviors, and beliefs surrounding occupational voice use in fitness professionals, including the exploration of workplace factors that could be modified following principles of risk mitigation.

Methods: Individuals who instructed or led others in physical activity were eligible for this study. Recruitment was conducted through professional networks and social media.

Driving factors of TOC concentrations in four different types of estuaries (canal, urban, agricultural, and natural estuaries) identified by machine learning technique.

Mangroves are among the most significant organic carbon sinks on Earth. However, the drivers of mangrove carbon remain poorly understood due to the lack of data on organic carbon across different types of estuaries. In this study, boosted regression tree (BRT) was used to relate Total Organic Carbon (TOC) concentrations to explanatory variables describing water quality, nutrients, and meteorological characteristics of four estuaries in southwest Florida, USA.

KVX-053, a protein tyrosine phosphatase 4A3 inhibitor, ameliorates SARS-CoV-2 spike protein subunit 1-induced acute lung injury in mice.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), often preceded by acute lung injury (ALI), is characterized by the accumulation of inflammatory fluid in the lung alveoli, leaky alveolar epithelium and endothelium, and overexpression of proinflammatory cytokines. This progression from ALI to ARDS is a major contributor to the high mortality observed in patients with COVID-19. The spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) binds to lung angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), and in addition to facilitating viral cell entry, it plays an important role in the development of ALI and ARDS, especially in the later phases of COVID-19 as well as long-COVID.

Exploring Differences in Cannabis Use and Harm Perceptions Among Sexual Minority and Heterosexual Females: A Brief Report.

Objective: Sexual minority women (SMW) have higher rates of cannabis use compared to heterosexual women, which may be partially attributed to lower harm perceptions. However, no study has examined if the association between harm perceptions and cannabis use is stronger for SMW than heterosexual women. This study examined if sexual identity (SMW vs.

Quantification of Antiretroviral Drug Emtricitabine in Human Plasma by Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy.

In this study, reproducible label-free detection and quantification of the antiretroviral drug emtricitabine (FTC) down to 78 ng/mL in human plasma by surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is presented. A novel plasma sample pretreatment method using silver nitrate and silver colloidal nanoparticles (Ag CNPs) was used to prepare the plasma samples for analysis. The pretreated plasma samples were evaporated to dryness on an aluminum surface and a computer-controlled Raman scanning system was used to collect spatially resolved SERS spectra of the entire surface.

Cultures for acid-fast bacilli: are we being good stewards?

Objective: To describe the use of cultures for acid-fast bacilli (AFB) and situations in which AFB cultures are unlikely to be of clinical benefit.

Design: Retrospective descriptive study of AFB cultures submitted to Sentara Health microbiology laboratory from December 1, 2021, to December 1, 2023. Data were collected from the electronic medical record and included patient demographics, the service line that ordered the culture, specimen source, and culture results.

Methylene Blue-Mediated Photodynamic Therapy in Combination With Doxorubicin: A Novel Approach in the Treatment of HT-29 Colon Cancer Cells.

With an alarmingly growing number of patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer, adopting innovative anti-cancer approaches has recently garnered great attention. One interesting concept is the co-administration of cytotoxic agents and safer modalities such as photodynamic therapy (PDT), which can subsequently improve therapeutic efficacy and potentially reduce the risks of severe adverse effects and drug resistance. In the course of PDT, a locally injected photosensitizer (PS) is irradiated with a light source, which subsequently generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) and induces programmed cell death in tumor cells.

Detection of a late autumn Karenia papilionacea bloom in Virginia, USA, coastal waters.

A late autumn Karenia papilionacea bloom was detected within Virginia, USA shellfish harvesting areas in mid-November 2023. Using Imaging FlowCytobot (IFCB) data collected during the Northeast Fisheries Science Center Ecosystem Monitoring October - November 2023 cruise, we were able to document a larger Karenia bloom composed of K. papilionacea, K.

Daily drinking intention-behavior discrepancies are associated with drinking-related consequences.

Unplanned drinking episodes are empirically and conceptually linked with adverse outcomes, though recent research suggests planned drinking episodes may be riskier. Mixed findings may be due to unplanned drinking being operationalized as a dichotomous representation of the phenomenon (e.g.

Influencer Drinking Norms: Cross-Sectional Mediators of Alcohol-Related Social Media and College Drinking.

Social influences from peers, such as the perceptions of how much one's peers drink (i.e., descriptive drinking norms) are robust predictors of college drinking.

Zika virus modulates arthropod histone methylation for its survival in mosquito cells.

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne human pathogen that causes mild febrile illness in adults and severe neurological complications and microcephaly in newborns. Studies have reported that ZIKV modulates methylation of human and viral RNA critical for its replication in vertebrate cells. In this study, we show that ZIKV modulates mosquito S-adenosyl methionine (SAMe)-synthase, an enzyme involved in the production of SAMe (methyl donor), and histone methylation for its survival in mosquito cells.

Surgical Management of Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors.

Background/objectives: Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are heterogeneous malignancies arising from enterochromaffin cells that can arise from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and pancreas. Surgical management is the cornerstone of treatment, with the optimal approach tailored by tumor grade, size, location, and presence of metastasis. This review discusses the current strategies for the surgical management of NETs of the gastroenteropancreatic tract.

Determination of Structural Factors Contributing to Protection of Zinc Fingers in Estrogen Receptor α through Molecular Dynamic Simulations.

The ERα transcription factor that induces tumor growth is a potential target for breast cancer treatment. Each monomer of the ERα DNA-binding domain (ERαDBD) homodimer has two conserved (Cys)-type zinc fingers, ZF1 (N-terminal) and ZF2 (C-terminal). Electrophilic agents release Zn by oxidizing the coordinating Cys of the more labile ZF2 to inhibit dimerization and DNA binding.

Intercellular mitochondrial transfer contributes to microenvironmental redirection of cancer cell fate.

The mammary microenvironment has been shown to suppress tumor progression by redirecting cancer cells to adopt a normal mammary epithelial progenitor fate in vivo. However, the mechanism(s) by which this alteration occurs has yet to be defined. Here, we test the hypothesis that mitochondrial transfer from normal mammary epithelial cells to breast cancer cells plays a role in this redirection process.

Improving Dental Hygiene Students' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Confidence Toward Prenatal Oral Health Through Experiential Learning: A pilot study.

Maintaining optimal oral health is essential for maternal health as well as the health of their child. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine dental hygiene (DH) students' knowledge of prenatal oral health before and after receiving an asynchronous prenatal oral health care training (POHCT), and their attitudes and self-perceived confidence before and after receiving an experiential learning opportunity with a pregnant and/or post-partum client at a Women's Infants and Children nutrition program (WIC) clinic. A one-group pre/post-test design was used.

Match Accuracy of Burned Teeth: A pilot study of allied dental professionals.

The purpose of this pilot study was to assess allied dental professionals' match accuracy of burned teeth; a skill required by disaster victim identification (DVI) team members. This cross-sectional study used a convenience sample of registered dental hygienists (RDH) (n=15) and dental assistants (DA) (n=15) to assess their match accuracy of burned teeth with simulated antemortem (AM) and postmortem (PM) images. Fifteen human teeth were heated at 400°C for 15 minutes.

Impact of Coronavirus Disease 2019 on the Incidence of No Prenatal Care.

This study aimed to examine the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the racial disparity in prenatal care utilization in the United States before and during the pandemic.This was a cross-sectional study using the National Vital Statistics Data from 2018 to 2022. Our focus was on low-risk individuals who delivered singleton pregnancies at term.

Frailty and Sleep in Adult Survivors of Childhood Cancer: A Childhood Cancer Survivor Study Report.

Background: Young adult survivors of childhood cancer exhibit rates of frailty similar to adults several decades older without a cancer history. Frailty has been associated with sleep disturbances in non-cancer populations, but the relationship has not been examined in childhood cancer survivors who are known to exhibit elevated rates of sleep problems.

Aims: Examine associations between frailty and poor sleep quality in long-term survivors of childhood cancer.

Differences in Prescription Drug Misuse Among U.S. Adults With and Without Disabilities.

Introduction: Increasing evidence suggests that adults with disabilities have higher rates of drug misuse than adults without disabilities; however, there is limited information on rates of commonly misused prescription drugs (e.g., stimulants, opioids, tranquilizers) to quantify the magnitude of this disparity.

Nanomaterial-based electrochemical sensors for anti-HIV drug monitoring: Innovations, challenges, and prospects.

Monitoring human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and anti-HIV drugs is critical for optimizing treatment outcomes and preventing drug resistance. Accurate detection and quantification of anti-HIV drugs are essential to ensure appropriate dosing, enhancing patient care and therapeutic efficacy. Electrochemical biosensors have emerged as a pivotal tool in this context, offering high sensitivity, specificity, and rapid response times.