Leg Dominance Effects During Single- and Dual-Task Modified Balance Error Scoring System Assessment in Collegiate and High School Athletes.

Background: The modified Balance Error Scoring System (mBESS) incorporates nondominant leg stance for a ceiling effect, but that may not be the worse balancing leg. Updated recommendations call for single- and dual-task tandem gait, but limited research has explored these effects on the mBESS.

Purposes: To compare mBESS performance between dominant and nondominant legs during single and dual tasks and to determine 1-week test-retest reliability.

International consensus guidelines on the implementation and monitoring of vosoritide therapy in individuals with achondroplasia.

Achondroplasia is the most common genetic form of short-limbed skeletal dysplasia (dwarfism). Clinical manifestations and complications can affect individuals across the lifespan, including the need for adaptations for activities of daily living, which can affect quality of life. Current international guidelines focus on symptomatic management, with little discussion regarding potential medication, as therapeutic options were limited at the time of their publication.

Genome analysis uncovers an inverse correlation between alterations in P21-activated kinases and patient survival across multiple cancer types.

Cancer is a complex disease with profound societal and economic impacts, especially in metastatic cases where treatment challenges arise due to the absence of reliable biomarkers and effective therapies. While P21-activated kinases (PAKs) play a key role in cancer progression, their potential as predictive markers for metastasis and therapeutic targets has not been fully explored. We hypothesized that genetic alterations in PAK isoforms could be linked to reduced overall patient survival.

Rice husk- and lemongrass-derived eco-enzymes as potential food contact surface disinfectants against biofilm-forming foodborne pathogens.

This study aims to evaluate the rice husk (EE-R)- and lemongrass (EE-L)-derived eco-enzymes (EE) as alternatives to chemical-based disinfectants. The EE-R's and EE-L's antimicrobial activity were tested against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Staphylococcus aureus using a broth microdilution method. The antibiofilm activities of EE were determined using crystal violet staining.

Mendelian randomization analysis reveals causal relationship between depression, antidepressants and benign paroxysmal vertigo.

Benign paroxysmal vertigo (BPV) is a common cause of dizziness, and some patients are comorbid with psychiatric disorders such as depression, requiring intervention with antidepressants. However, the causal association between BPV, depression and antidepressants has not been clearly established. We used two-sample bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) to analyze the causal association between BPV, depression, and antidepressants.

Temporal dynamics of affective scene processing in the healthy adult human brain.

Understanding how the brain distinguishes emotional from neutral scenes is crucial for advancing brain-computer interfaces, enabling real-time emotion detection for faster, more effective responses, and improving treatments for emotional disorders like depression and anxiety. However, inconsistent research findings have arisen from differences in study settings, such as variations in the time windows, brain regions, and emotion categories examined across studies. This review sought to compile the existing literature on the timing at which the adult brain differentiates basic affective from neutral scenes in less than one second, as previous studies have consistently shown that the brain can begin recognizing emotions within just a few milliseconds.

Unveiling the Burden of Sickle Cell Anemia: A Pilot Study Validating Dried Blood Spots for Newborn Screening.

This hospital-based cross-sectional study aimed to screen newborns for sickle cell anemia immediately after birth and validate dried blood spot (DBS) samples against conventional venous blood samples (CBS) for hemoglobin variant analysis by HPLC. Among 751 newborns, 2.93% were found to have sickle cell trait.

A data-driven approach to study temporal characteristics of COVID-19 infection and death Time Series for twelve countries across six continents.

Background: In this work, we implement a data-driven approach using an aggregation of several analytical methods to study the characteristics of COVID-19 daily infection and death time series and identify correlations and characteristic trends that can be corroborated to the time evolution of this disease. The datasets cover twelve distinct countries across six continents, from January 22, 2020 till March 1, 2022. This time span is partitioned into three windows: (1) pre-vaccine, (2) post-vaccine and pre-omicron (BA.

Personalized, autologous neoantigen-specific T cell therapy in metastatic melanoma: a phase 1 trial.

New treatment approaches are warranted for patients with advanced melanoma refractory to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) or BRAF-targeted therapy. We designed BNT221, a personalized, neoantigen-specific autologous T cell product derived from peripheral blood, and tested this in a 3 + 3 dose-finding study with two dose levels (DLs) in patients with locally advanced or metastatic melanoma, disease progression after ICB, measurable disease (Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors version 1.1) and, where appropriate, BRAF-targeted therapy.

Deeper response predicts better outcomes in high-risk-smoldering-myeloma: results of the I-PRISM phase II clinical trial.

Early therapeutic intervention in high-risk smoldering multiple myeloma (HR-SMM) has shown benefits, however, no studies have assessed whether biochemical progression or response depth predicts long-term outcomes. The single-arm I-PRISM phase II trial (NCT02916771) evaluated ixazomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone in 55 patients with HR-SMM. The primary endpoint, median progression-free survival (PFS), was not reached (NR) (95% CI: 57.

Treatment of Seizures in People with Intellectual Disability.

There is a synergistic relationship between epilepsy and intellectual disability (ID), and the approach to managing people with these conditions needs to be holistic. Epilepsy is the main co-morbidity associated with ID, and clinical presentation tends to be complex, associated with higher rates of treatment resistance, multi-morbidity and premature mortality. Despite this relationship, there is limited level 1 evidence to inform treatment choice for this vulnerable population.

Visceral Pain in Preterm Infants with Necrotizing Enterocolitis: Underlying Mechanisms and Implications for Treatment.

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a relatively rare but very severe gastrointestinal disease primarily affecting very preterm infants. NEC is characterized by excessive inflammation and ischemia in the intestines, and is associated with prolonged, severe visceral pain. Despite its recognition as a highly painful disease, current pain management for NEC is often inadequate, and research on optimal analgesic therapy for these patients is lacking.

The Role of WNT5a and TGF-β1 in Airway Remodelling and Severe Asthma.

Background: Airway remodelling is a feature of severe asthma with airway epithelial damage observed frequently. We evaluated the role of WNT5a and TGF-β in asthmatic airway biopsies and in sputum and bronchial brushings assessed their role in remodelling.

Methods: WNT5a and TGF-β protein expression were assessed in the lamina propria epithelium of people with asthma (GINA 1-3, n-8 and GINA 4-5, n-14) and healthy subjects (n-9), alongside relevant remodelling markers.

Education Research: Utilization of Simulation in Residency Programs: A Survey of Adult Neurology Residency Program Directors.

Background And Objectives: Previous research has demonstrated that simulation-based medical education (SBME) can improve neurology trainees' confidence, knowledge, and competence. However, a general needs assessment and review of current SBME used within neurology are needed to guide SBME curriculum development. The objective of this study was to describe the current use of SBME in resident education and to assess perceived barriers to expanding SBME interventions.

Development of small molecule non-covalent coronavirus 3CL protease inhibitors from DNA-encoded chemical library screening.

Variants of SARS-CoV-2 have continued to emerge across the world and cause hundreds of deaths each week. Due to the limited efficacy of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 and resistance to current therapies, additional anti-viral therapeutics with pan-coronavirus activity are of high interest. Here, we screen 2.

Targeting chromosomally unstable tumors with a selective KIF18A inhibitor.

Chromosome instability is a prevalent vulnerability of cancer cells that has yet to be fully exploited therapeutically. To identify genes uniquely essential to chromosomally unstable cells, we mined the Cancer Dependency Map for genes essential in tumor cells with high levels of copy number aberrations. We identify and validate KIF18A, a mitotic kinesin, as a vulnerability of chromosomally unstable cancer cells.

The molecular reach of antibodies crucially underpins their viral neutralisation capacity.

Key functions of antibodies, such as viral neutralisation, depend on high-affinity binding. However, viral neutralisation poorly correlates with antigen affinity for reasons that have been unclear. Here, we use a new mechanistic model of bivalent binding to study  >45 patient-isolated IgG1 antibodies interacting with SARS-CoV-2 RBD surfaces.

Comparison of Renal Adverse Events Between Intravitreal Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Agents: A Meta-Analysis.

Purpose: To compare the risk of renal adverse events, particularly acute kidney injury (AKI), between intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents.

Design: Meta-analysis.

Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted on Ovid Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Library for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published from January 2005 to February 2024 involving adult patients receiving anti-VEGF intravitreal injections for age-related macular degeneration, diabetic macular edema, and macular edema secondary to retinal vein occlusion.

Implementation of Billing for Patient Portal Messages as E-visits in a Large Integrated Health System.

Background: Patient-provider communication through the patient portal has markedly increased in recent years. Some health care facilities implemented programs to enable providers to bill for responding to patient-initiated messages that require substantive medical decision making through an e-visit.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of billing eligible patient-initiated portal messages as e-visits using a mixed-methods approach.

Deep Learning-Based SD-OCT Layer Segmentation Quantifies Outer Retina Changes in Patients With Biallelic RPE65 Mutations Undergoing Gene Therapy.

Purpose: To quantify outer retina structural changes and define novel biomarkers of inherited retinal degeneration associated with biallelic mutations in RPE65 (RPE65-IRD) in patients before and after subretinal gene augmentation therapy with voretigene neparvovec (Luxturna).

Methods: Application of advanced deep learning for automated retinal layer segmentation, specifically tailored for RPE65-IRD. Quantification of five novel biomarkers for the ellipsoid zone (EZ): thickness, granularity, reflectivity, and intensity.

Effects of maternal Cu, Mn, and Zn supplementation from different sources on physiological and productive responses of cows and their offspring.

Seventy-two nonlactating, pregnant Angus cows (initial body weight [BW] = 637 ± 13 kg; body condition score [BCS] = 5.5 ± 0.07 yr; and age = 6.