Multi-tensor fixel-based metrics in tractometry: application to multiple sclerosis.

Traditional Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) metrics are affected by crossing fibers and lesions. Most of the previous tractometry works use the single diffusion tensor, which leads to limited sensitivity and challenging interpretation of the results in crossing fiber regions. In this work, we propose a tractometry pipeline that combines white matter tractography with multi-tensor fixel-based metrics.

Predicting CRISPR-Cas9 off-target effects in human primary cells using bidirectional LSTM with BERT embedding.

Motivation: Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)-Cas9 system is a ground-breaking genome editing tool, which has revolutionized cell and gene therapies. One of the essential components involved in this system that ensures its success is the design of an optimal single-guide RNA (sgRNA) with high on-target cleavage efficiency and low off-target effects. This is challenging as many conditions need to be considered, and empirically testing every design is time-consuming and costly.

Evoked and entrained pupillary activity while moving to preferred tempo and beyond.

People synchronize their movements more easily to rhythms with tempi closer to their preferred motor rates than with faster or slower ones. More efficient coupling at one's preferred rate, compared to faster or slower rates, should be associated with lower cognitive demands and better attentional entrainment, as predicted by dynamical system theories of perception and action. We show that synchronizing one's finger taps to metronomes at tempi outside of their preferred rate evokes larger pupil sizes, a proxy for noradrenergic attention, relative to passively listening.

Enhancing the quality of lentil proteins via combination with whey proteins based on a dual process: a novel strategy through the incorporation of complexation and fermentation.

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in developing a distinguished alternative to human consumption of animal-based proteins. The application of lentil proteins in the food industry is typically limited due to their poor solubility and digestibility. An innovative method of balancing lentil-whey protein (LP-WP) complexes with higher-quality protein properties was established to address this issue, which coupled a pH-shifting approach with fermentation treatment.

Toward Automated Preprocessing of Untargeted LC-MS-Based Metabolomics Feature Lists from Human Biofluids.

Maximizing the extraction of true, high-quality, nonredundant features from biofluids analyzed via LC-MS systems is challenging. Here, the R packages IPO and AutoTuner were used to optimize XCMS parameter settings for the retrieval of metabolite or lipid features in both ionization modes from either faecal or urine samples from two cohorts ( = 621). The feature lists obtained were compared with those where the parameter values were selected manually.

Multifunctional Carbon Dots In Situ Confined Hydrogel for Optical Communication, Drug Delivery, pH Sensing, Nanozymatic Activity, and UV Shielding Applications.

Inspired by the emerging potential of photoluminescent hydrogels, this work unlocks new avenues for advanced biosensing, bioimaging, and drug delivery applications. Carbon quantum dots (CDs) are deemed particularly promising among various optical dyes, for enhancing polymeric networks with superior physical and chemical properties. This study presents the synthesis of CDs derived from Prunella vulgaris, a natural plant resource, through a single-step hydrothermal process, followed by their uniform integration into hydrogel matrices via an in situ free radical graft polymerization.

Disentangling the effect of sex from brain size on brain organization and cognitive functioning.

Neuroanatomical sex differences estimated in neuroimaging studies are confounded by total intracranial volume (TIV) as a major biological factor. Employing a matching approach widely used for causal modeling, we disentangled the effect of TIV from sex to study sex-differentiated brain aging trajectories, their relation to functional networks and cytoarchitectonic classes, brain allometry, and cognition. Using data from the UK Biobank, we created subsamples that removed, maintained, or exaggerated the TIV differences in the original sample.

"I'm trying to figure out who the hell I am": Examining the psychosocial and mental health experience of individuals learning "Not Parent Expected" news from a direct-to-consumer DNA ancestry test.

Background: According to recent estimates, around 30 million people have taken Direct-to-Consumer DNA ancestry tests, typically marketed as a fun, harmless and exciting process of discovery. These tests estimate a user's ethnic ancestry, also matching users with biological relations on their database. This matching can produce a surprising 'not parent expected' discovery, where a user learns that an assumed parent (typically the father) is not a biological parent.

Differential bioaccumulation and histopathological changes induced by iron oxide nanoparticles and ferric chloride in the neotropical snail Biomphalaria glabrata.

Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) are prominent in nanomedicine, cosmetics, and environmental applications. However, their increasing production, use, and release into the environment raises concerns about their potential risks to aquatic life and human health. This study aimed to evaluate the bioaccumulation, as concentration of small, medium and large iron aggregates in the digestive tubules, histopathological changes, and inflammatory responses in the freshwater snail Biomphalaria glabrata following chronic exposure to gluconic-acid functionalized IONPs (GLA-IONPs) compared to their dissolved counterpart (FeCl).

Canagliflozin Inhibits Hedgehog Interacting Protein (Hhip) Induction of Tubulopathy in Diabetic Akita Mice.

Renal hedgehog interacting protein (Hhip) activates sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (Sglt2) expression and promotes tubular senescence in murine diabetic kidney disease (DKD), yet its underlying mechanism(s) are poorly understood. Here we study the effect of the SGLT2 inhibitor, canagliflozin on tubulopathy (fibrosis and apoptosis) in Akia/Hhip-transgenic (Tg) mice with overexpression of Hhip in their renal proximal tubular cells (RPTCs) and its relevant mechanisms. The DKD-tubulopathy with pronounced Sglt2 expression was aggravated in the kidney of Akita/Hhip-Tg cf.

DNA methylation levels may contribute to severe hypertriglyceridemia in multifactorial chylomicronemia syndrome.

Background And Aims: Familial chylomicronemia syndrome (FCS) and multifactorial chylomicronemia syndrome (MCS) are the two main causes of severe hypertriglyceridemia (sHTG). FCS is a rare autosomal recessive form of sHTG, whereas MCS is mainly polygenic in nature with both common and rare variants accumulating and leading to sHTG. However, 30 to 50% of MCS patients have no identified genetic cause of sHTG.

Effects of analgesic delivery on pelvic floor function of primiparous women.

This was an original article, and the objective of this study was to clarify the short-term effects of analgesic delivery on the pelvic floor function of primiparous women. Three hundred primiparas who delivered vaginally in The Affiliated Hospital of Kangda College of Nanjing Medical University from January 2022 to July 2022 were enrolled, and were divided into control and intervention groups. The control accepted traditional delivery without special analgesic intervention, while the intervention group accepted intraspinal block analgesia at the time of delivery.

Emergency department ophthalmoscopy: physician confidence and clinical practices.

Objectives: Fundoscopy is crucial in the emergency department to identify or rule out serious ocular and neurological conditions. Despite its clinical importance, fundoscopy is often omitted due to the technical challenges associated with traditional direct ophthalmoscopy, particularly for non-ophthalmologists. This study examines emergency physicians' practices, confidence levels, and training related to various modalities of fundoscopy including traditional direct ophthalmoscopes, binocular indirect ophthalmoscopes, panoptic ophthalmoscopes, slit lamp fundoscopy and fundus cameras; and explores the potential role of alternative modalities, such as fundus cameras, in Canadian emergency departments.

Park7 deletion leads to sex-specific transcriptome changes involving NRF2-CYP1B1 axis in mouse midbrain astrocytes.

Loss-of-function mutations in PARK7, encoding for DJ-1, can lead to early onset Parkinson's disease (PD). In mice, Park7 deletion leads to dopaminergic deficits during aging, and increased sensitivity to oxidative stress. However, the severity of the reported phenotypes varies.

Machine learning models predicting risk of revision or secondary knee injury after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction demonstrate variable discriminatory and accuracy performance: a systematic review.

Background: To summarize the statistical performance of machine learning in predicting revision, secondary knee injury, or reoperations following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), and to provide a general overview of the statistical performance of these models.

Methods: Three online databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE) were searched from database inception to February 6, 2024, to identify literature on the use of machine learning to predict revision, secondary knee injury (e.g.

Classes of outpatient quality of care among individuals with substance-related disorders, based on a survey and health insurance registry.

Objectives: Improving quality of care for individuals with substance-related disorders (SRD) should be a priority considering SRD are associated with high morbidity. This study aimed to identify classes of individuals with SRD based on their clinical characteristics and the quality of outpatient care they received, and to verify whether better quality of care was associated with other respondent characteristics and more favorable subsequent outcomes.

Methods: Data came from the 2023-14 and 2015-16 Canadian Community Health Survey (N = 42,099), merged with administrative data from Quebec's health insurance registry.

"On-off" elution mechanism facilitates the rapid LC/MS/MS-based analysis of peptide antibiotics in human plasma.

Individualized medication with peptide antibiotics, guided by therapeutic drug monitoring, is essential to treat infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria. Peptide antibiotics exhibit an "on-off" elution mechanism on a C18 column, leading to adsorption at the column inlet in all-aqueous conditions. Unlike small molecules, column length minimally influences their retention, with longer columns simply broadening peptide antibiotic peaks due to unnecessary post-column volume.

Overcoming CD226-related immune evasion in acute myeloid leukemia with CD38 CAR-engineered NK cells.

CD226 plays a vital role in natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxicity, interacting with its ligands CD112 and CD155 to initiate immune synapse formation, primarily through leukocyte function-associated-1 (LFA-1). Our study examined the role of CD226 in NK cell surveillance of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). NK cells in patients with AML had lower expression of CD226.

Exploring the challenges in manual wheelchair operation for new users.

This exploratory qualitative study examines the challenges faced by manual wheelchair (MWC) users and their clinicians, with a focus on mobility difficulties in both outdoor and indoor environments, as well as training priorities. The study involved semi-structured interviews with 18 clinicians and 25 MWC users from various rehabilitation centres. The interviews, lasting between 30 and 60 minutes, explored specific aspects of MWC use, including mobility challenges, training needs, and psychological factors.

The Emerging Role of Multimodality Imaging in the Diagnosis and Management of Post Pericardiotomy Syndrome.

Purpose Of Review: This review aims to evaluate current diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for postpericardiotomy syndrome (PPS), with a focus on the evolving role of multimodality imaging, including echocardiography, cardiac computed tomography (CCT), and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR). The review also explores the potential benefits of advanced imaging in improving the accuracy and management of PPS.

Recent Findings: PPS, a common complication following cardiac surgery, presents with pleuritic chest pain, fever, and pericardial or pleural effusion.

Nanoscale reference and test materials for the validation of characterization methods for engineered nanomaterials - current state, limitations, and needs.

The rational design of engineered nanomaterials (NMs) with improved functionality and their increasing industrial application requires reliable, validated, and ultimately standardized characterization methods for their application-relevant, physicochemical key properties such as size, size distribution, shape, or surface chemistry. This calls for nanoscale (certified) reference materials (CRMs; RMs) and well-characterized reference test materials (RTMs) termed also quality control (QC) samples, assessed, e.g.

Facilitators and barriers affecting the implementation of e-health for chronic respiratory diseases in remote settings: a qualitative evidence synthesis.

Background: Chronic respiratory diseases are important causes of disability and mortality globally. Their incidence may be higher in remote locations where healthcare is limited and risk factors, such as smoking and indoor air pollution, are more prevalent. E-health could overcome some healthcare access obstacles in remote locations, but its utilisation has been limited.

Transmantle pressure under the influence of free breathing: non-invasive quantification of the aqueduct pressure gradient in healthy adults.

Background: The pressure gradient between the ventricles and the subarachnoid space (transmantle pressure) is crucial for understanding CSF circulation and the pathogenesis of certain neurodegenerative diseases. This pressure can be approximated by the pressure difference across the aqueduct (ΔP). Currently, no dedicated platform exists for quantifying ΔP, and no research has been conducted on the impact of breathing on ΔP.

Understanding the Components of Eating Behaviour-Focused Weight Management Interventions Adjunct to Metabolic Bariatric Surgery: Systematic Review of Published Literature.

Purpose Of Review: Eating behaviour-focused interventions are essential for improving health and weight-related outcomes in patients undergoing metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS). This work aims to examine the content of eating behaviour-focused weight management interventions adjunct to MBS in terms of the type and quantity of behaviour change techniques (BCTs). A literature search retrieved randomised controlled and parallel group trials up to March 2024.