Heterogeneity of Apolipoprotein B Levels Among Hispanic or Latino Individuals Residing in the US.

Importance: Apolipoprotein B (apoB) distribution and its implications as an atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk-enhancing factor among individuals of diverse Hispanic or Latino backgrounds have not been described.

Objective: To describe the distribution of apoB in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) cohort and to characterize associations of baseline sociodemographic and clinical variables with apoB and self-identified Hispanic or Latino background.

Design, Setting, And Participants: The HCHS/SOL was a prospective, population-based cohort study of diverse Hispanic or Latino adults living in the US who were recruited and screened between March 2008 and June 2011.

Clinical Perspectives on the Pathophysiology of Facial Synkinesis: A Narrative Review.

Importance: Facial synkinesis refers to pathologic cocontraction and baseline hypertonicity of muscles innervated by the facial nerve, commonly attributed to the aberrant regeneration of nerve fibers following injury. The pathomechanism and optimal treatment of facial synkinesis remain unclear. The goal of this review is to highlight current understanding of the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, assessment, and treatment of facial synkinesis.

Cardiovascular Disease and Breast Cancer Stage at Diagnosis.

Importance: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer are the leading causes of mortality in the US. Large-scale population-based and mechanistic studies support a direct effect of CVD on accelerated tumor growth and spread, specifically in breast cancer.

Objective: To assess whether individuals presenting with advanced breast cancers are more likely to have prevalent CVD compared with those with early-stage breast cancers at the time of diagnosis.

Validating Rules for Defining No Improvement of Visual Acuity in Childhood Amblyopia.

Purpose: When treating amblyopia, it is important to define when visual acuity (VA) is no longer improving (i.e., stable) because treatment decisions may be altered based on this determination.

Resistance training protects the hippocampus and precuneus against atrophy and benefits white matter integrity in older adults with mild cognitive impairment.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) refers to cognitive alterations with preservation of functionality. Individuals with this diagnosis have a higher risk of developing dementia. Non-pharmacological interventions, such as physical exercise, are beneficial for the cognition of this population.

Patterning Functional Proteins in Ultrabithorax-Based Materials.

The ability to add bioactivities, such as cell signaling or ligand recognition, to biomaterials has generated the potential to include multiple bioactivities into a single material. In some cases, it is desirable to localize these activities to different areas of the biomaterial, creating functional patterns. While photolithography and 3D printing have been effective techniques for patterning functions in many materials, patterning remains a challenge in materials composed of protein, in part due to how these materials are artificially assembled.

Studying the Role of HOX Genes in Thrombocyte Development.

In our laboratory, we study thrombopoiesis and hemostasis using zebrafish as a model organism to unravel the mechanisms of differentiation and development of thrombocytes. We have shown in our earlier work that thrombocytes are functional equivalents of platelets and have transcriptional machinery similar to megakaryocytes. We recently found evidence that hox genes play a role in their development.

Biophysical and Structural Features of αβT-Cell Receptor Mechanosensing: A Paradigmatic Shift in Understanding T-Cell Activation.

αβT cells protect vertebrates against many diseases, optimizing surveillance using mechanical force to distinguish between pathophysiologic cellular alterations and normal self-constituents. The multi-subunit αβT-cell receptor (TCR) operates outside of thermal equilibrium, harvesting energy via physical forces generated by T-cell motility and actin-myosin machinery. When a peptide-bound major histocompatibility complex molecule (pMHC) on an antigen presenting cell is ligated, the αβTCR on the T cell leverages force to form a catch bond, prolonging bond lifetime, and enhancing antigen discrimination.

Are we serologically prepared against an avian influenza pandemic and could seasonal flu vaccines help us?

The current situation with H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAI) is causing a worldwide concern due to multiple outbreaks in wild birds, poultry, and mammals. Moreover, multiple zoonotic infections in humans have been reported. Importantly, HPAI H5N1 viruses with genetic markers of adaptation to mammals have been detected.

Lung cancer-intrinsic SOX2 expression mediates resistance to checkpoint blockade therapy by inducing Treg cell-dependent CD8+ T-cell exclusion.

Tumor cell-intrinsic signaling pathways can drastically affect the tumor immune microenvironment, promoting tumor progression and resistance to immunotherapy by excluding immune-cell populations from the tumor. Several tumor cell-intrinsic pathways have been reported to modulate myeloid-cell and T-cell infiltration creating "cold" tumors. However, clinical evidence suggests that excluding cytotoxic T cells from the tumor core also mediates immune evasion.

Transposon-sequencing across multiple isolates reveals significant functional genomic diversity among strains.

Unlabelled: ) is a clinically significant pathogen and a highly genetically diverse species due to its large accessory genome. The functional consequence of this diversity remains unknown mainly because, to date, functional genomic studies in have been primarily performed on reference strains. Given the growing public health threat of infections, understanding the functional genomic differences among clinical isolates can provide more insight into how its genetic diversity influences gene essentiality, clinically relevant phenotypes, and importantly, potential drug targets.

Vaccine hesitancy and other challenges to sexually transmitted infection vaccine acceptance.

Purpose Of Review: Development of vaccines that protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis, has progressed greatly over the past decade. However, little research has been conducted to examine STI vaccine acceptance and hesitancy and how these factors may impact future uptake. This review examines literature that could provide additional insights into factors that would impact STI vaccine acceptance and hesitancy.

Ego networks associated with e-cigarette use among college fraternity students: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: To use egocentric network analysis (ENA) to identify how the role of social networks relates to e-cigarette use among college fraternity members.

Participants: 212 fraternity members participated in this study.

Methods: Hierarchical logistic regression analyses assessed the relationship between egocentric network variables and ever use and current use of e-cigarettes.

Rise in Minimally Invasive Surgery for Colorectal Cancer Is Associated With Adoption of Robotic Surgery.

Background: Minimally invasive surgery is associated with improved short-term outcomes and similar long-term oncologic outcomes for colorectal cancer patients compared with open surgery. Although the robotic approach has ergonomic and technical benefits, how it has impacted utilization of traditional laparoscopic surgery and minimally invasive surgery overall is unclear.

Objective: Describe trends in open, robotic, and laparoscopic approaches for colorectal cancer resections and examine factors associated with minimally invasive surgery.

Examining the Recovery Course of Adolescent Concussion Patients With Protracted Recovery Referred to a Specialty Concussion Clinic.

Objective: This study investigated the role of specialty concussion care on the clinical course of recovery in adolescent patients who initiated care beyond 3 weeks from their injury.

Design: Retrospective analysis of protracted recovery groups was based on the number of days in which a patient presented for care postinjury: early (22-35 days), middle (36-49 days), and late (50+ days).

Setting: Sports medicine and orthopedics clinic.

Virus Protein-Specific Immune Responses in Selective Depletion of Lymphocyte Populations Using Monoclonal Antibodies in Bolivian Squirrel Monkeys ().

The increasing use of immune suppressive monoclonal antibodies in the treatment of organ transplant recipients and patients with oncologic, neurological, and autoimmune diseases can lead to serious morbidity and mortality from the reactivation of viral agents that persist in humans. The squirrel monkey polyomaviruses are naturally found in Bolivian squirrel monkeys (SQM) and may be a useful model for the study of polyomavirus-associated pathogenesis and experimental treatment and prevention strategies. Two diverse groups of squirrel monkeys were given, a single dose of an anti-B cell antibody (rituximab) resulting in complete depletion of B cells (CD20+), while an anti-CD8 monoclonal antibody (7 pt-3F9) resulted in a transient depletion of CD8+ lymphocytes compared with control animals (group with no infusion with either of the monoclonal antibodies).

Simulating anharmonic vibrational polaritons beyond the long wavelength approximation.

In this work, we investigate anharmonic vibrational polaritons formed due to strong light-matter interactions in an optical cavity between radiation modes and anharmonic vibrations beyond the long-wavelength limit. We introduce a conceptually simple description of light-matter interactions, where spatially localized cavity radiation modes couple to localized vibrations. Within this theoretical framework, we employ self-consistent phonon theory and vibrational dynamical mean-field theory to efficiently simulate momentum-resolved vibrational-polariton spectra, including effects of anharmonicity.

Surface structure characterization of rubrene(001) single crystal with sum frequency generation spectroscopy and reflection high-energy electron diffraction.

Rubrene is one of the leading organic semiconductors in scientific and industrial research, showing good conductivities and utilities in devices such as organic field-effect transistors. In these applications, the rubrene crystals often contact ionic liquids and other materials. Consequently, their surface properties and interfacial interactions influence the device's performance.

Epitaxial Stabilization of a Pyrochlore Interface between Weyl Semimetal and Spin Ice.

Pyrochlore materials are known for their exotic magnetic and topological phases arising from complex interactions among electron correlations, band topology, and geometric frustration. Interfaces between different pyrochlore crystals characterized by complex many-body ground states hold immense potential for novel interfacial phenomena due to the strong interactions between these phases. However, the realization of such interfaces has been severely hindered by limitations in material synthesis methods.

Potential of phosphodiesterase 4B inhibition in the treatment of progressive pulmonary fibrosis.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is often regarded as the archetypal progressive fibrosing interstitial lung disease (ILD). The term "progressive pulmonary fibrosis" (PPF) generally describes progressive lung fibrosis in an individual with an ILD other than IPF. Both IPF and PPF are associated with loss of lung function, worsening dyspnea and quality of life, and premature death.

Mechanistic Insights into the Enhanced Ammonia Oxidation Activity of PtRh Electrodeposits.

Ammonia has garnered significant attention as a promising hydrogen carrier due to its high volumetric energy density, milder storage conditions, and relatively mature infrastructure. The electrochemical ammonia oxidation reaction (AOR) can facilitate the release of hydrogen from ammonia at the point of use, enabling on-demand hydrogen production without the need for high pressure storage. However, current AOR catalysts exhibit high overpotentials and sluggish kinetics, and they are susceptible to poisoning by AOR byproducts.