Protocol for the three-dimensional analysis of rodent skeletal muscle.

Confocal imaging is a powerful tool capable of analyzing cellular spatial data within a given tissue. Here, we present a protocol for preparing optically cleared extensor digitorum longus (EDL) skeletal muscle samples suitable for confocal imaging/computational analysis. We describe steps for sample preparation (including perfusion fixation and tissue clearing of muscle samples), image acquisition, and computational analysis, with sample segmentation/3D rendering outlined.

Veteran and healthcare team perspectives on the TeleWound Practice Program within the Veterans Health Administration.

Objective: The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) recently piloted the implementation of the TeleWound Practice Program (TWP), which provides interprofessional wound care to Veterans remotely. We assessed the perceptions of Veterans and healthcare team members (HCTMs), and their experiences with the TWP.

Method: We surveyed Veterans from four VHA medical centres who had received at least one TWP visit between 1 May 2020 and 31 May 2021, and HCTMs associated with any TWP encounter between 1 September 2019 and 31 March 2021.

CASE (CemiplimAb-rwlc Survivorship and Epidemiology): a study in advanced basal cell carcinoma.

Patients diagnosed with metastatic basal cell carcinoma (BCC) have a poor prognosis. The current standard of care for adults with locally advanced or metastatic BCC who are not candidates for surgery or radiation therapy is treatment with hedgehog pathway inhibitors (HHIs). For patients who progress while on this therapy, further treatment options are limited.

Gemcitabine and docetaxel for high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer: EuroGemDoce group results.

Objective: To evaluate the oncological efficacy and safety of sequential intravesical gemcitabine/docetaxel (Gem/Doce) therapy in a European cohort of patients with high-risk and very-high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) after previous Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) treatment.

Materials And Methods: Data were retrospectively collected from 95 patients with NMIBC, treated with Gem/Doce at 12 European centres between 2021 and 2024. Patients previously treated with BCG who had completed a full induction course and received at least one follow-up evaluation were included.

Analysis of healthcare utilization before the diagnosis of radiologically isolated syndrome.

Background: Previous studies have shown that people with multiple sclerosis (MS) had frequent healthcare visits up to 10 years before being diagnosed but with no information from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the connection with the radiologically isolated syndrome (RIS).

Objective: To analyze healthcare use 3 years before the RIS diagnosis.

Methods: We examined healthcare usage before the first scan in RIS cases from 2010 to 2019.

Neonatal Feeding Practices and SARS-CoV-2 Transmission in Neonates with Perinatal SARS-CoV-2 Exposure: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The risk of neonatal SARS-CoV-2 infection from the mother's own milk (MoM) in neonates who are exposed to maternal SARS-CoV-2 during the perinatal period remains unclear. We conducted a systematic review to assess the association between MoM feeding and neonatal SARS-CoV-2 infection in neonates who were born to SARS-CoV-2-positive pregnant persons. PubMed Central and Google Scholar were searched for studies published by 14 March 2024 that reported neonatal SARS-CoV-2 infection by feeding type.

The Impact of Radioactive Iodine on Outcomes Among Pediatric and Adolescent Thyroid Cancer Patients: A SEER Database Analysis.

Background/objectives: Pediatric populations with well-differentiated thyroid cancer typically have favorable prognoses. However, the role of radioactive iodine (RAI) ablation in these patients remains uncertain. This investigation evaluates the national trends, therapeutic practices, and the impact of RAI on clinical outcomes.

Glutaminase-2 Expression Induces Metabolic Changes and Regulates Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Activity in Glioblastoma Cells.

Glutaminase controls the first step in glutaminolysis, impacting bioenergetics, biosynthesis and oxidative stress. Two isoenzymes exist in humans, GLS and GLS2. GLS is considered prooncogenic and overexpressed in many tumours, while GLS2 may act as prooncogenic or as a tumour suppressor.

Molecular Sentinels: Unveiling the Role of Sirtuins in Prostate Cancer Progression.

Prostate cancer (PCa) remains a critical global health challenge, with high mortality rates and significant heterogeneity, particularly in advanced stages. While early-stage PCa is often manageable with conventional treatments, metastatic PCa is notoriously resistant, highlighting an urgent need for precise biomarkers and innovative therapeutic strategies. This review focuses on the dualistic roles of sirtuins, a family of NAD+-dependent histone deacetylases, dissecting their unique contributions to tumor suppression or progression in PCa depending on the cellular context.

Adopting GPR75 in treating obesity: unraveling the knowns and unknowns of this orphan GPCR.

G protein-coupled receptor 75 (GPR75) is emerging as a promising target for obesity treatment, but its exact role in energy regulation remains unclear. This article explores the latest research on GPR75's molecular function, potential ligands, and therapeutic challenges in addressing obesity.

Mechanism of Amplified Photoacoustic Effect for Silica-Coated Spherical Gold Nanoparticles.

Plasmonic nanomaterials are effective photoacoustic (PA) contrast agents with diverse biomedical applications. While silica coatings on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been demonstrated to increase PA efficiency, the underlying mechanism remains elusive. Here, we systematically investigated the impact of silica coatings on PA generation under picosecond and nanosecond laser pulses.

Hypoxia inducible factor-dependent upregulation of Agrp in glomus type I cells of the carotid body.

Agouti-related peptide (AgRP) is a well-established potent orexigenic peptide primarily expressed in hypothalamic neurons. Nevertheless, the expression and functional significance of extrahypothalamic AgRP remain poorly understood. In this study, utilizing histological and molecular biology techniques, we have identified a significant expression of Agrp mRNA and AgRP peptide production in glomus type I cells within the mouse carotid body (CB).

Exploring in vivo human brain metabolism at 10.5 T: Initial insights from MR spectroscopic imaging.

Introduction: Ultra-high-field magnetic resonance (MR) systems (7 T and 9.4 T) offer the ability to probe human brain metabolism with enhanced precision. Here, we present the preliminary findings from 3D MR spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) of the human brain conducted with the world's first 10.

Social and Legal Needs in Patients and Families With Cancer: Interaction With Patient-Level Financial Toxicity.

Adverse financial burden and its effect on patients resulting from the costs associated with cancer care, both direct and indirect, is known as financial toxicity. This review explores the interplay between financial toxicity and key social and legal needs in cancer care. Drawing from the WHO's framework and the ASCO's policy statement on social determinants of health, we propose a conceptual model that discusses five key needs-housing insecurity, food insecurity, transportation and access barriers, employment disruptions, and psychosocial needs-which interact with, and are affected by financial toxicity, and adversely influence patients' well-being and adherence to treatment.

Intraoperative Anesthetic Care During Emergent/Urgent Craniotomy or Craniectomy for Intracranial Hypertension or Herniation: A Systematic Review.

This systematic review aimed to identify and describe best practice for the intraoperative anesthetic management of patients undergoing emergent/urgent decompressive craniotomy or craniectomy for any indication. The PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases were searched for articles related to urgent/emergent craniotomy/craniectomy for intracranial hypertension or brain herniation. Only articles focusing on intraoperative anesthetic management were included; those investigating surgical or intensive care unit management were excluded.

Population encoding of observed and actual somatosensations in the human posterior parietal cortex.

Cognition relies on transforming sensory inputs into a generalizable understanding of the world. Mirror neurons have been proposed to underlie this process, mapping visual representations of others' actions and sensations onto neurons that mediate our own, providing a conduit for understanding. However, this theory has limitations.

A lever hypothesis for Synaptotagmin-1 action in neurotransmitter release.

Neurotransmitter release is triggered in microseconds by Ca-binding to the Synaptotagmin-1 C-domains and by SNARE complexes that form four-helix bundles between synaptic vesicles and plasma membranes, but the coupling mechanism between Ca-sensing and membrane fusion is unknown. Release requires extension of SNARE helices into juxtamembrane linkers that precede transmembrane regions (linker zippering) and binding of the Synaptotagmin-1 CB domain to SNARE complexes through a "primary interface" comprising two regions (I and II). The Synaptotagmin-1 Ca-binding loops were believed to accelerate membrane fusion by inducing membrane curvature, perturbing lipid bilayers, or helping bridge the membranes, but SNARE complex binding through the primary interface orients the Ca-binding loops away from the fusion site, hindering these putative activities.

Morphogen-induced kinase condensates transduce Hh signal by allosterically activating Gli.

Hedgehog (Hh) morphogen governs embryonic development and tissue homeostasis through the Ci/Gli family transcription factors. Here we report that Hh induces phase separation of the fused (Fu)/Ulk family kinases to allosterically regulate Ci/Gli. We find that Hh-induced phosphorylation of Fu/Ulk3 promotes SUMOylation of their inverted phosphorylation-dependent SUMOylation motifs.

Obesity reshapes regulatory T cells in the visceral adipose tissue by disrupting cellular cholesterol homeostasis.

Regulatory T cells (T) accumulate in the visceral adipose tissue (VAT) to maintain systemic metabolic homeostasis but decline during obesity. Here, we explored the metabolic pathways controlling the homeostasis, composition, and function of VAT T under normal and high-fat diet feeding conditions. We found that cholesterol metabolism was specifically up-regulated in ST2 VAT T subsets.

Associations of Central Arterial Stiffness With Brain White Matter Integrity and Gray Matter Volume in MRI Across the Adult Lifespan.

Background: Central arterial stiffening is associated with brain white matter (WM) damage and gray matter (GM) volume loss in older adults, but little is known about this association from an adult lifespan perspective.

Purpose: To investigate the associations of central arterial stiffness with WM microstructural organization, WM lesion load, cortical thickness, and GM volume in healthy adults across the lifespan.

Study Type: This is a cross-sectional study.

The adiponectin-PPARγ axis in hepatic stellate cells regulates liver fibrosis.

Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are key drivers of local fibrosis. Adiponectin, conventionally thought of as an adipokine, is also expressed in quiescent HSCs. However, the impact of its local expression on the progression of liver fibrosis remains unclear.

Utility of Genetic Testing in Adults with CKD: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Key Points: Diagnostic yield of genetic testing in adults with CKD is 40%. Risk factors including positive family history and extra-kidney features associate with higher diagnostic yield, although young age at testing did not. Seventeen percent of patients who received a genetic diagnosis were reclassified into a different phenotype after testing.

Heart failure outcomes captured by adverse event reporting in participants with type 2 diabetes and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease: Observations from the VERTIS CV trial.

Aims: In VERTIS CV, ertugliflozin was associated with a 30% risk reduction for adjudication-confirmed, first and total hospitalizations for heart failure (HHF) in participants with type 2 diabetes and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. We evaluated the impact of ertugliflozin on the broader spectrum of all reported heart failure (HF) events independent of adjudication confirmation.

Methods And Results: Data from participants who received ertugliflozin (5 or 15 mg) were pooled and compared versus placebo.

Molecular Epidemiology and Clinical Aspects of Dermatophytosis in Guiyang, Southwest China (2017-2023): A Single-Institution Retrospective Study.

Epidemiological studies combining taxonomic and clinical data have been limited globally, particularly Guiyang, the most under-developed economic provincial capital city in southwestern China. A retrospective analysis was performed of dermatophyte epidemiology involving all culture-positive cases received between May 2017 and May 2023 at the Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University. Phylogenetic analysis was conducted on 391 dermatophyte isolates collected from patients using the rDNA internal transcribed spacer sequences.