Wild bees show local spatial and temporal dynamics in southeastern US blueberry farmscapes.

Wild bee communities are the target of various conservation and ecological restoration programs. Strategic conservation can influence bee communities visiting fields and help mitigate pollinator limitations in fruit production. However, planning compatible conservation strategies and gauging their effectiveness requires understanding how local communities vary across space and time in crops and adjacent semi-natural areas.

Clinical and Structural Parameters in Autosomal Dominant Optic Atrophy Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study Using Optical Coherence Tomography.

Background: Autosomal Dominant Optic Atrophy (ADOA) is a hereditary optic neuropathy characterized by retinal ganglion cell degeneration and optic nerve fiber loss. This study examined the correlation between clinical and structural parameters in patients with ADOA using optical coherence tomography (OCT) and explored potential clinical biomarkers.

Methods: A cross-sectional, case-control observational study included 27 patients with ADOA and 27 age- and sex-matched healthy controls.

Supervised Exercise for Patients With Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Cost-Utility Analysis Alongside the PREFERABLE-EFFECT Randomized Controlled Trial.

Purpose: To evaluate the cost utility of a 9-month supervised exercise program for patients with metastatic breast cancer (mBC), compared with control (usual care, supplemented with general activity advice and an activity tracker). Evidence on the cost-effectiveness of exercise for patients with mBC is essential for implementation in clinical practice and is currently lacking.

Methods: A cost-utility analysis was performed alongside the multinational PREFERABLE-EFFECT randomized controlled trial, conducted in 8 centers across Europe and Australia.

The model of fear of movement/(re)injury runs clockwise from catastrophizing: evidence from a sample of outpatients with chronic non-specific low back pain.

Objective: To provide evidence that catastrophizing is the primer of the cognitive-behavioural model of fear of movement/(re)injury (FAM).

Design: A cross-sectional analysis of 180 outpatients with chronic non-specific low back pain who completed the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK), the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale - Depression (HADS-D), and a pain intensity numerical rating scale (NRS). The intercorrelations of the outcome measures were estimated using Pearson's correlation coefficient (r), and regression analyses were used to examine their predictive values by following the left side of the FAM clockwise from the PCS (p = 0.

Covalent Template-Directed Synthesis: A Powerful Tool for the Construction of Complex Molecules.

Template-directed synthesis has become a powerful methodology to access complex molecules. Noncovalent templating has been widely used in the last few decades, but less attention has been paid to covalent template-directed synthesis, despite the fact that this methodology was used for the first reported synthesis of a catenane. This review highlights the evolution of covalent templating over the last 60 years, thereby providing a toolbox for the design of efficient covalent templating processes.

Factors associated with tuberculosis treatment initiation among bacteriologically negative individuals evaluated for tuberculosis: An individual patient data meta-analysis.

Background: Globally, over one-third of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) disease diagnoses are made based on clinical criteria after a negative bacteriological test result. There is limited information on the factors that determine clinicians' decisions to initiate TB treatment when initial bacteriological test results are negative.

Methods And Findings: We performed a systematic review and individual patient data meta-analysis using studies conducted between January 2010 and December 2022 (PROSPERO: CRD42022287613).

Benchmarking residue-resolution protein coarse-grained models for simulations of biomolecular condensates.

Intracellular liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of proteins and nucleic acids is a fundamental mechanism by which cells compartmentalize their components and perform essential biological functions. Molecular simulations play a crucial role in providing microscopic insights into the physicochemical processes driving this phenomenon. In this study, we systematically compare six state-of-the-art sequence-dependent residue-resolution models to evaluate their performance in reproducing the phase behaviour and material properties of condensates formed by seven variants of the low-complexity domain (LCD) of the hnRNPA1 protein (A1-LCD)-a protein implicated in the pathological liquid-to-solid transition of stress granules.

Ambivalent partnership of the Drosophila posterior class Hox protein Abdominal-B with Extradenticle and Homothorax.

Hox proteins, a sub-group of the homeodomain (HD) transcription factor family, provide positional information for axial patterning in development and evolution. Hox protein functional specificity is reached, at least in part, through interactions with Pbc (Extradenticle (Exd) in Drosophila) and Meis/Prep (Homothorax (Hth) in Drosophila) proteins. Most of our current knowledge of Hox protein specificity stems from the study of anterior and central Hox proteins, identifying the molecular and structural bases for Hox/Pbc/Meis-Prep cooperative action.

Impact of sex hormones on pheochromocytomas, paragangliomas, and gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

Objective: The effects of sex hormones remain largely unexplored in pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGLs) and gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs).

Methods: We evaluated the effects of estradiol, progesterone, Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), and testosterone on human patient-derived PPGL/GEP-NET primary culture cell viability (n = 38/n = 12), performed next-generation sequencing and immunohistochemical hormone receptor analysis in patient-derived PPGL tumor tissues (n = 36).

Results: In PPGLs, estradiol and progesterone (1 µm) demonstrated overall significant antitumor effects with the strongest efficacy in PPGLs with NF1 (cluster 2) pathogenic variants.

Sex Differences in Aortic Valve Inflammation and Remodeling in Chronic Severe Aortic Regurgitation.

Aortic regurgitation (AR) is more prevalent in male, although cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the sex differences in prevalence and pathophysiology are unknown. This study evaluates the impact of sex on aortic valve (AV) inflammation and remodeling as well as the cellular differences in valvular interstitial cells (VICs) and valvular endothelial cells (VECs) in patients with AR. A total of 144 patients (27.

Improved Description of Environment and Vibronic Effects with Electrostatically Embedded ML Potentials.

Incorporation of environment and vibronic effects in simulations of optical spectra and excited state dynamics is commonly done by combining molecular dynamics with excited state calculations, which allows to estimate the spectral density describing the frequency-dependent system-bath coupling strength. The need for efficient sampling, however, usually leads to the adoption of classical force fields despite well-known inaccuracies due to the mismatch with the excited state method. Here, we present a multiscale strategy that overcomes this limitation by combining EMLE simulations based on electrostatically embedded ML potentials with the QM/MMPol polarizable embedding model to compute the excited states and spectral density of 3-methyl-indole, the chromophoric moiety of tryptophan that mediates a variety of important biological functions, in the gas phase, in water solution, and in the human serum albumin protein.

Effectiveness of oral platelet lysate gel to treat oral mucosal manifestations associated with chronic graft versus host disease.

Background: Chronic graft-vs-host disease (cGvHD) is a severe immune-mediated complication that affects patients following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Oral manifestations of cGvHD, such as ulcers and mucosal inflammation, significantly impair quality of life and often require long-term treatment. Existing therapies provide limited relief, prompting the exploration of new approaches, including the use of autologous platelet lysate (PL) gel for its regenerative properties.

An Infrequent Guest in Orthopedic Infections.

is a species of anaerobic gram-positive coccus considered part of human microbiota. It has been described as a cause of skin and soft tissue infections, but it is not a common cause of operation-related infections. Describe the characteristics, treatment, and results of musculoskeletal infection by treated in our center.

Genome-Wide Association Study and Genomic Predictions for Hydroxycinnamate Concentrations in Maize Stover.

Hydroxycinnamates, like ferulate (FA) and -coumarate (CA), are important components of maize cell walls, which influence pest resistance, ruminal digestibility, and biofuel production. Increasing their concentration has been linked to increased pest resistance, but also may lead to a decrease in nutritional value or bioethanol production efficiency. Therefore, improving forage quality or biofuel production without compromising plant resistance and a thorough understanding of the biosynthesis and deposition of these compounds is necessary, especially in stover, which is the feedstock for second-generation biofuel production and determines animal forage quality.

Identification of Antigens Recognized by Murine Intestinal IgAs by a Gel-Independent Immunoproteomic Approach.

As part of the intestinal microbiota, can elicit a humoral response in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) that is mainly directed toward hyphal antigens. This response has been implicated in controlling the invasive form of the fungus and maintaining the yeast as an innocuous commensal. However, the specific targets of this response are still unknown.

Acute Pancreatitis: An Update of Evidence-Based Management and Recent Trends in Treatment Strategies.

Acute pancreatitis is a common gastrointestinal disease leading to hospitalisation. Recent advancements in its management have primarily focussed on the development of early phase medical interventions targeting inflammatory pathways, optimisation of supportive treatment (including fluid resuscitation, pain management and nutritional management), appropriate use of antibiotics, implementation of minimally invasive interventions for infected necrosis, and the necessity of follow-up for long-term complications. These advancements have significantly improved personalised management and overall outcomes of acute pancreatitis.

Addressing Water Scarcity to Achieve Climate Resilience and Human Health.

Water scarcity is projected to affect half of the world's population, gradually exacerbated by climate change. This article elaborates from a panel discussion at the 2023 United Nations Water Conference on Addressing Water Scarcity to Achieve Climate Resilience and Human Health. Understanding and addressing water scarcity goes beyond hydrological water balances to also include societal and economic measures.

Estimating the contribution of early and late noise in vision from psychophysical data.

Human performance in psychophysical detection and discrimination tasks is limited by inner noise. It is unclear to what extent this inner noise arises from early noise (e.g.

Crystal growth, structural phase transitions and optical gap evolution of FAPb(BrCl) hybrid perovskites (FA: formamidinium ion, CH(NH)).

Chemically tuned organic-inorganic hybrid halide perovskites based on bromide and chloride anions CH(NH)Pb(BrCl) (CH(NH): formamidinium ion, FA) have been crystallized and investigated by neutron powder diffraction (NPD), single crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV-vis spectroscopy. FAPbBr and FAPbCl experience successive phase transitions upon cooling, lowering the symmetry from cubic to orthorhombic phases; however, these transitions are not observed for the mixed halide phases, probably due to compositional disorder. The band-gap engineering brought about by the chemical doping of FAPb (BrCl) perovskites (x = 0.

Association Between Diagnostic Delay and Economic and Clinical Burden in Axial Spondyloarthritis: A Multicentre Retrospective Observational Study.

Introduction: Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is a chronic inflammatory condition associated with considerable pain and impaired health-related quality of life (HRQoL) for affected patients. Despite the documented increase in healthcare resource utilization (HRU) related to axSpA, few studies have explored the impact of diagnostic delays on these outcomes. This study sought to determine the association between diagnostic delay of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and costs in the 3 years after diagnosis.

Validation of a tele-robotic ultrasound system for abdomen and thyroid gland explorations: a comparison with standard ultrasound.

Background: Tele-robotic ultrasound (US) is a novel technique that might help overcome the current shortage of radiologists and poor access to radiologists and/or sonographers in remote or rural areas. Despite the promising results of this technology in the past two decades, there is still insufficient data about its advantages and limits, as well as the implementation in routine clinical practice and the learning curve for the user. The purpose of this prospective cohort-based study is to evaluate the performance of a 5G-based tele-robotic US system for abdominal and thyroid gland assessment in a cohort of healthy volunteers and outpatients, as well as assessing the learning curve and patient satisfaction.