The Contribution of the Limbus and Collagen Fibrils to Corneal Biomechanical Properties: Estimation of the Low-Strain In Vivo Elastic Modulus and Tissue Strain.

We have compared the biomechanical properties of human and porcine corneas using vibrational optical coherence tomography (VOCT). The elastic modulus of the cornea has been previously reported in the literature to vary from about several kPa to more than several GPa based on the results of different techniques. In addition, the formation of corneal cones near the central cornea in keratoconus has been observed in the clinic.

Geometric variations in nucleosomal DNA dictate higher-order chromatin structure and enhancer-promoter communication.

The dynamic organization of chromatin plays an essential role in the regulation of genetic activity, interconverting between open and compact forms at the global level. The mechanisms underlying these large-scale changes remain a topic of widespread interest. The simulations of nucleosome-decorated DNA reported herein reveal profound effects of the nucleosome itself on overall chromatin properties.

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation for Prevention and Treatment of Post-Herpetic Neuralgia: A Narrative Review.

The present investigation evaluated transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) for the non-pharmacological treatment of post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN). PHN is the most common complication of the Herpes Zoster virus, affecting one in every five patients with shingles, and presents as intense neuropathic pain that can persist for 90 days or longer after the initial onset of symptoms. Current pharmacological treatment options are mainly limited to symptom management, including oral medications such as tricyclic antidepressants and gabapentinoid preparations, as well as topical options such as lidocaine or capsaicin.

Ursolic Acid as a Protective Agent Against UVB-Induced Metabolic and Epigenetic Alterations in Human Skin Keratinocytes: An Omics-Based Study.

This study aimed to assess how ursolic acid (UA) can protect human skin keratinocytes from damage caused by ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation. Utilizing an omics-based approach, we characterized the features of photodamage and investigated the potential of UA to reverse HaCaT cell subpopulation injury caused by UVB radiation. The most significant changes in metabolite levels after UA treatment were in pathways associated with phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis, arginine and proline metabolism.

Identifying a Genetic Link Between Lung Function and Psoriasis.

Introduction: The common genetic underpinnings of psoriasis and pulmonary comorbidities have yet to be explored.

Material And Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we investigated the single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with psoriasis and their relationship with pulmonary function using data from the UK Biobank (UKBB) and the Vanderbilt University Medical Center Biobank (BioVU).

Results: Out of the 63 psoriasis-associated SNPs identified in previous genome-wide association studies within the European population, we successfully identified 53 SNPs, including proxy SNPs in UKBB database.

Temporal dynamics in a red alga dominated geothermal feature in Yellowstone National Park.

Alga-dominated geothermal spring communities in Yellowstone National Park (YNP), USA, have been the focus of many studies, however, relatively little is known about the composition and community interactions which underpin these ecosystems. Our goal was to determine, in three neighboring yet distinct environments in Lemonade Creek, YNP, how cells cope with abiotic stressors over the diurnal cycle. All three environments are colonized by two photosynthetic lineages, and , both of which are extremophilic Cyanidiophyceae red algae.

Novel Digital Anomalies, Hippocampal Atrophy, and Mutations Expand the Genotypic and Phenotypic Spectra of CNKSR2 in the Houge Type of X-Linked Syndromic Intellectual Development Disorder (MRXSHG).

The Houge type of X-linked syndromic intellectual developmental disorder (MRXSHG) encompasses a spectrum of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by intellectual disability (ID), language/speech delay, attention issues, and epilepsy. These conditions arise from hemizygous or heterozygous deletions, along with point mutations, affecting CNKSR2, a gene located at Xp22.12.

Neonates exposed to HIV but uninfected exhibit an altered gut microbiota and inflammation associated with impaired breast milk antibody function.

Background: Infants exposed to HIV but uninfected have altered immune profiles which include heightened systemic inflammation. The mechanism(s) underlying this phenomenon is unknown. Here, we investigated differences in neonatal gut bacterial and viral microbiome and associations with inflammatory biomarkers in plasma.

Identification of Cysteine Metabolism Regulator (CymR)-Derived Pentapeptides as Nanomolar Inhibitors of -Acetyl-l-serine Sulfhydrylase (CysK).

The pathway of bacterial cysteine biosynthesis is gaining traction for the development of antibiotic adjuvants. Bacterial cysteine biosynthesis is generally facilitated by two enzymes possessing -acetyl-l-serine sulfhydrylases (OASS), CysK and CysM. In , there exists a single OASS homologue, CysK.

The Staphylococcus aureus non-coding RNA IsrR regulates TCA cycle activity and virulence.

Staphylococcus aureus has evolved mechanisms to cope with low iron (Fe) availability in host tissues. Staphylococcus aureus uses the ferric uptake transcriptional regulator (Fur) to sense titers of cytosolic Fe. Upon Fe depletion, apo-Fur relieves transcriptional repression of genes utilized for Fe uptake.

Effectiveness of Paliperidone Palmitate on Treatment Adherence and Relapse in the Adult Schizophrenia Population: A One-Year Mirror-Image Study in a Colombian Mental Health Care Facility.

Introduction: The benefits of long-acting injectable antipsychotics have been documented in several observational studies, but data remain scarce in Latin America. This study aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of paliperidone palmitate once monthly (PP1M) on treatment adherence and relapse in the schizophrenia population followed in a government-funded mental health care facility in Colombia.

Methods: A mirror-image study was conducted.

Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation for adolescents with treatment-resistant depression: Behavioral and neural correlates of clinical improvement.

Background: Affective bias toward negativity is associated with depression and may represent a promising treatment target. Stimulating the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) with deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (dTMS) could lead to shifts in affective bias. The current study examined behavioral and neural correlates of affective bias in the context of dTMS in adolescents with treatment-resistant depression (TRD).

The Hygienic Significance of Microbiota and Probiotics for Human Wellbeing.

The human body can be viewed as a combination of ecological niches inhabited by trillions of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites, all united by the microbiota concept. Human health largely depends on the nature of these relationships and how they are built and maintained. However, personal hygiene practices have historically been focused on the wholesale elimination of pathogens and "hygiene-challenging microorganisms" without considering the collateral damage to beneficial and commensal species.

Sheath-enhanced concentration and on-chip detection of bacteria from an extremely low-concentration level.

Microfluidic-based sheath flow focusing methods have been widely used for efficiently isolating, concentrating, and detecting pathogenic bacteria for various biomedical applications due to their enhanced sensitivity and exceptional integration. However, such a microfluidic device usually needs complicated device fabrication and sample dilution, hampering the efficient and sensitive identification of target bacteria. In this study, we develop and fabricate a sheath-assisted and pneumatic-induced nano-sieve device for achieving the improved on-chip concentration and sensitive detection of (MRSA).

Characteristics of Meat from Farmed Sika Deer () and the Effects of Age and Sex on Meat Quality.

This study assessed the meat quality of Sika deer () from various age and sex groups using the longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle. Samples from different age groups (2, 3, and 4 years old) were analyzed for various parameters. The results show that, with increasing age, there is a decrease in moisture and drip loss ( < 0.

Electrokinetic Power-Series Solution in Narrow Cylindrical Capillaries for All Zeta Potentials.

Work from Rice and Whitehead showed the results of electrokinetic flow in a capillary tube under the assumption of low zeta potential 25 mV, limiting the approximation's usability. Further research conducted by Philip and Wooding provided an alternative solution that assumes high zeta potentials 25 mV and relies on Rice and Whitehead's solution for lower ranges. However, this solution is presented as a piecewise function, where the functions change based on the zeta potential and the parameter, introducing infinite values for the zeta potential and discontinuities in the derived functions.

Atomically Dispersed Fe and Ni Sites for Efficient and Durable Oxygen Electrocatalysis.

Developing highly efficient, cost-effective, and robust electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is paramount for the large-scale commercialization of renewable fuel cells and rechargeable metal-air batteries. Herein, a new ternary-atom catalyst that is composed of paired Fe sites and single Ni sites (as Fe-N and Ni-N) coordinated onto hollow nitrogen-doped carbon microspheres is developed. The as-synthesized catalyst exhibits remarkable activities toward both the ORR and OER in alkaline media, with superior performances to those of the control materials that contain only Fe-N or Ni-N sites.

Attitudes toward artificial meat in Arab countries.

In development for almost 20 years, artificial meat (also known as "cell-based meat," "cell-cultured meat," "cultured meat," "cultivated meat," "in vitro meat" and "lab-grown meat") is the most striking example of cellular agriculture. This research aims to study Arab consumers' attitudes toward artificial meat, which is a topic of great interest to scientists and the media. An online survey was conducted with 1025 participants revealed that 17% consider artificial meat to be promising and acceptable.

Brief Report: Psychometric Properties of the Brief Problem Monitor-Parent (BPM-P) 6-18 in a Sample of Children Referred to an Autism Specialty Clinic.

Detection and monitoring of emotional and behavior problems is a critical part of clinical care for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), as well as a common focus of research. The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) is a well-established caregiver-report instrument that is used for screening and monitoring of emotional and behavior problems in individuals diagnosed with ASD and NDDs. However, it has over 100 items and can be time-consuming to complete.

Sources of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and -furans to sediment in the Newtown Creek Superfund Site.

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and -furans (PCDD/Fs) are contaminants of concern in the New York/New Jersey Harbor and in the organisms of the Newtown Creek Superfund site, which lies within the harbor. Because PCDD/Fs are never intentionally produced, identifying their sources can be challenging. In this work, sources of PCDD/Fs to the sediment of Newtown Creek were investigated using Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) to analyze two data sets containing data on concentrations of (1) PCDD/Fs and (2) PCDD/Fs plus polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

The relationship of coping style and social support variation to glucocorticoid metabolites in wild olive baboons (Papio anubis).

Social support, via investment in relationships of importance with others, is often emphasized as a pathway towards mediating stress. The effectiveness of social support, however, can be altered by personality differences, but the physiological consequences of such covariation are still poorly explored. How do individual differences in the functioning of the stress response system mediate access to, and use of, social support? To examine this dynamic, we investigated glucocorticoids as a biomarker of energetic activation that may also be activated by chronic psychosocial stress.

Immunization-related complex regional pain syndrome: A systematic review of case reports.

Aim: Vaccines have been shown to have the highest efficacy in preventing infectious diseases through their ability to induce immunological memory against pathogens. An adverse reaction to a vaccine is an unexpected medical occurrence following immunization. Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a disease that has undergone much controversy regarding its onset post-vaccination.

Cost-Effectiveness of Remote Tailored Risk Communication and Navigation for Hereditary Genetic Risk Assessment Uptake: Economic Evaluation From the Genetic Risk Assessment for Cancer Education and Empowerment Trial.

Purpose: The Genetic Risk Assessment for Cancer Education and Empowerment Project demonstrated that tailored counseling and navigation (TCN) substantially increased the rate of genetic evaluation (GE) in women with high-risk breast or ovarian cancer (odds ratio, 8.9 [95% CI, 3.4 to 23.