Cardiac function and coronary plaque development following masculinizing gender-affirming hormone therapy: A prospective cohort study.

Introduction: Myocardial dysfunction and the presence of calcified and non-calcified coronary plaques are predictors of cardiovascular disease. Masculinizing gender-affirming hormone therapy may increase cardiovascular risk, highlighting the need for prospective studies to evaluate cardiovascular outcomes during gender-affirming hormone therapy.

Objectives: To evaluate changes in cardiac morphology, systolic and diastolic function, and development of coronary plaques after masculinizing gender-affirming hormone therapy.

Prophage-DB: a comprehensive database to explore diversity, distribution, and ecology of prophages.

Background: Viruses that infect prokaryotes (phages) constitute the most abundant group of biological agents, playing pivotal roles in microbial systems. They are known to impact microbial community dynamics, microbial ecology, and evolution. Efforts to document the diversity, host range, infection dynamics, and effects of bacteriophage infection on host cell metabolism are extremely underexplored.

SARS-CoV-2 excretion and genetic evolution in nasopharyngeal and stool samples from primary immunodeficiency and immunocompetent pediatric patients.

Background: Primary Immunodeficiency disorders (PID) can increase the risk of severe COVID-19 and prolonged infection. This study investigates the duration of SARS-CoV-2 excretion and the genetic evolution of the virus in pediatric PID patients as compared to immunocompetent (IC) patients.

Materials And Methods: A total of 40 nasopharyngeal and 24 stool samples were obtained from five PID and ten IC children.

Predictive equation derived from 6,497 doubly labelled water measurements enables the detection of erroneous self-reported energy intake.

Nutritional epidemiology aims to link dietary exposures to chronic disease, but the instruments for evaluating dietary intake are inaccurate. One way to identify unreliable data and the sources of errors is to compare estimated intakes with the total energy expenditure (TEE). In this study, we used the International Atomic Energy Agency Doubly Labeled Water Database to derive a predictive equation for TEE using 6,497 measures of TEE in individuals aged 4 to 96 years.

Water hyacinth conversion to biochar for soil nutrient enhancement in improving agricultural product.

The conversion of water hyacinth into biochar offers a sustainable solution to mitigate its proliferation and enhances its potential as a soil amendment for agriculture. This study examined the physicochemical properties of water hyacinth biochar (WHBC) and its impact on soil fertility. Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) was pyrolyzed at 300 °C for 40 minute with restricted airflow (2-3 m/s), producing biochar with desirable properties and a yield of 44.

Peritumoral Hyperintense Signal on Post-contrast FLAIR Images Surrounding Vestibular Schwannomas Following Stereotactic Radiosurgery.

Background And Purpose: Prior investigations have noted the presence of peritumoral hyperintense signal (a "halo") around vestibular schwannomas on postcontrast 3D T2 FLAIR images. This study evaluated this phenomenon in a cohort of patients undergoing stereotactic radiosurgery.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective review was completed of consecutive patients with presumed vestibular schwannomas undergoing stereotactic radiosurgery.

Video versus Direct Laryngoscopy for Tracheal Intubation Following Cardiac Arrest: a Secondary Analysis of the DEVICE Trial.

Background: Airway management is a critical component of the care of patients experiencing cardiac arrest, but data from randomized trials on the use of video vs direct laryngoscopy for intubation in the setting of cardiac arrest are limited. Current AHA guidelines recommend placement of an endotracheal tube either during CPR or shortly after return of spontaneous circulation but do not provide guidance around intubation methods, including the choice of laryngoscope.

Research Question: Does use of video laryngoscopy improve the incidence of successful intubation on the first attempt, compared to use of direct laryngoscopy, among adults undergoing tracheal intubation after experiencing cardiac arrest?

Study Design And Methods: This secondary analysis of the Direct versus Video Laryngoscope (DEVICE) trial compared video laryngoscopy versus direct laryngoscopy in the subgroup of patients who were intubated following cardiac arrest.

Structural determinants of peanut induced anaphylaxis.

Background: Human monoclonal IgE antibodies recognizing peanut allergens have recently become available, but we lack a detailed understanding of how these IgEs target allergens.

Objective: To determine the molecular details of the antibody-allergen interaction for a panel of clinically important human IgE monoclonal antibodies and to develop strategies to disrupt disease causing antibody-allergen interactions.

Methods: We identified candidates from a panel of epitope binned human IgE monoclonals that recognize two important and homologous peanut allergens, Ara h 2 and Ara h 6.

Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy: The Importance of Biventricular Strain in Risk-Stratification.

Despite arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) being predominantly a right ventricular (RV) disease, concomitant left ventricular (LV) involvement has been recognized. ARVC is diagnosed by the RV-centric 2010 Task Force Criteria(TFC) using routine echocardiography, but previous studies have suggested that strain imaging may be more sensitive to detect RV and LV dysfunction. No data however are available regarding the additional value of combining biventricular strain for risk stratification.

In situ detection of individual classical MHC-I gene products in cancer.

Tumor-specific HLA class I expression is required for cytotoxic T-cell elimination of cancer cells expressing tumor-associated or neo-antigens. Cancers downregulate antigen presentation to avoid adaptive immunity. The highly polymorphic nature of the genes encoding these proteins, coupled with quaternary-structure changes after formalin fixation, complicate detection by immunohistochemistry.

Leveraging Artificial Intelligence as a Safety Net for Incidentally Identified Lung Nodules at a Tertiary Center.

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered platforms may be used to ensure that clinically significant lung nodules receive appropriate management. We studied the impact of a commercially available AI natural language processing tool on detection of clinically significant indeterminate pulmonary nodules (IPNs) based on radiology reports and provision of guideline-consistent care.

Study Design: All computed tomography (CT) scans performed at a single tertiary care center in the outpatient or emergency room setting between 20-Feb-2024 and 20-March-2024 were processed by the AI natural language processing algorithm.

Novel combination therapy targeting oncogenic signaling kinase P21 activated Kinase-1 and chemotherapeutic drugs against triple negative breast cancer.

Most of the triple negative phenotype or basal-like molecular subtypes of breast cancers are associated with aggressive clinical behaviour and show poor disease prognosis. Current treatment options are constrained, emphasizing the need for novel combinatorial therapies for this particular tumor subtype. Our group has demonstrated that functionally active p21 activated kinase 1 (PAK1) exhibits significantly higher expression levels in clinical triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) samples compared to other subtypes, as well as adjacent normal tissues.

Mechanisms of chromatin remodeling by an Snf2-type ATPase.

Chromatin remodeling enzymes play a crucial role in the organization of chromatin, enabling both stability and plasticity of genome regulation. These enzymes use a Snf2-type ATPase motor to move nucleosomes, but how they translocate DNA around the histone octamer is unclear. Here we use cryo-EM to visualize the continuous motion of nucleosomal DNA induced by human chromatin remodeler SNF2H, an ISWI family member.

Non-nucleosomal (CENP-A/H4) - DNA complexes as a possible platform for centromere organization.

The centromere is a part of the chromosome that is essential for the even segregation of duplicated chromosomes during cell division. It is epigenetically defined by the presence of the histone H3 variant CENP-A. CENP-A associates specifically with a group of 16 proteins that form the centromere-associated network of proteins (CCAN).

Detection of HTTex1p by western blot and immunostaining of HD human and mouse brain using neo-epitope antibody P90 highlights impact of CAG repeat expansion on its size, solubility, and response to MSH3 silencing.

has been identified in human and mouse HD brain as the pathogenic exon 1 mRNA generated from aberrant splicing between exon 1 and 2 that contributes to aggregate formation and neuronal dysfunction (Sathasivam et al., 2013). Detection of the HTT exon 1 protein (HTTex1p) has been accomplished with surrogate antibodies in fluorescence-based reporter assays (MSD, HTRF), and immunoprecipitation assays, in HD postmortem cerebellum and knock-in mice but direct detection by SDS-PAGE and western blot assay has been lacking.

Predictive routing emerges from self-supervised stochastic neural plasticity.

Neurophysiology studies propose that predictive coding is implemented via alpha/beta (8-30 Hz) rhythms that prepare specific pathways to process predicted inputs. This leads to a state of relative inhibition, reducing feedforward gamma (40-90 Hz) rhythms and spiking to predictable inputs. We refer to this model as predictive routing.

Sex-specific Associations of Gene Expression with Alzheimer's Disease Neuropathology and Ante-mortem Cognitive Performance.

The biological mechanisms underlying women's increased Alzheimer's disease (AD) prevalence remain undefined. Previous case/control studies have identified sex-biased molecular pathways, but sex-specific relationships between gene expression and AD endophenotypes, particularly sex chromosomes, are underexplored. With bulk transcriptomic data across 3 brain regions from 767 decedents, we investigated sex-specific associations between gene expression and post-mortem β-amyloid and tau as well as antemortem longitudinal cognition.

Ecological Determinants of Altruism in Prokaryote Antivirus Defense.

Prokaryote evolution is driven in large part by the incessant arms race with viruses. Genomic investments in antivirus defense can be coarsely classified into two categories, immune systems that abrogate virus reproduction resulting in clearance, and altruistic programmed cell death (PCD) systems. Prokaryotic defense systems are enormously diverse, as revealed by an avalanche of recent discoveries, but the basic ecological determinants of defense strategy remain poorly understood.

Pathobiont-triggered induction of epithelial IDO1 drives regional susceptibility to Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

The structure and function of the mammalian gut vary by region, yet why inflammatory diseases manifest in specific regions and not others remains unclear. We use a TNF-overexpressing Crohn's disease (CD) model (Tnf), which typically presents in the terminal ileum (TI), to investigate how environmental factors interact with the host's immune susceptibility to drive region-specific disease. We identified an intracellular bacterium and murine counterpart to the human sexually transmitted , as necessary and sufficient to trigger disease manifestation in the ascending colon (AC), another common site of human CD.

Causal mediation analysis of the neuroprotection of through lipid pathways.

Background: Recent studies have revealed a strong association between the e2 allele of the Apolipoprotein E ( gene and lipid metabolites. In addition, carriers appear to be protected from cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease. This correlation supports the hypothesis that lipids may mediate the protective effect of on cognitive function, thereby providing potential targets for therapeutic intervention.

LysR-Type Transcriptional Regulator VirR Responds to Temperature and pH and Directly Activates the Transcription of -Containing Operon in .

-a facultative intracellular pathogen of macrophages-causes bronchopneumonia in foals and patients who are immunocompromised. Virulent strains of possess a virulence-associated plasmid, which encodes a 15- to 17-kDa surface protein called virulence-associated protein A (VapA). VapA expression is regulated by temperature and pH.

Subacromial Distal Clavicle Dislocation with Associated Scapular Spine Fracture: A Case Report.

Introduction: Inferior or subacromial dislocation of the distal clavicle is a rare entity. Previous reports of this injury pattern have largely been limited to Rockwood VI acromioclavicular joint (AC) dislocations, with the distal clavicle located in the subcoracoid position. Few case reports have been described with the inferior clavicle being located in the subacromial space, and these have all been previously associated with clavicle fractures.

Cerebrovascular reactivity and response times describe recent ischaemic symptomatology in patients with moyamoya.

Moyamoya is a non-atherosclerotic intracranial steno-occlusive condition that places patients at high risk for ischaemic stroke. Randomized trials of surgical revascularization demonstrating efficacy in ischaemic moyamoya have not been performed, and as such, biomarkers of parenchymal haemodynamic impairment are needed to assist with triage and evaluate post-surgical response. In this prospective study, we test the hypothesis that parenchymal cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) metrics in response to a fixed-inspired 5% carbon dioxide challenge correlate with recent focal ischaemic symptoms.

Navigating the neurovascular maze of trigeminal neuralgia.

Tic douloureux, also known as trigeminal neuralgia, is distinguished by recurrent episodes of severe, lancinating pain that affects one or more branches of the trigeminal nerve, representing a prevalent pain syndrome. This condition has an annual incidence rate of 27 per 100,000 individuals. Nevertheless, direct compression caused by vertebrobasilar dolichoectasia (VBD) represents a considerably less frequent etiology of trigeminal neuralgia, with an estimated overall incidence of about 1%.

Abnormal Exercise Electrocardiography With Normal Stress Echocardiography Is Associated With Subclinical Coronary Atherosclerosis.

Background: Patients with abnormal (positive) exercise electrocardiography, but normal stress echocardiography (+ECG/-Echo), have an increased risk of adverse cardiovascular events compared with patients with a normal (negative) ECG and a normal stress Echo (-ECG/-Echo). However, it is unclear if +ECG/-Echo discordance is associated with a greater burden of subclinical coronary atherosclerosis.

Methods: Project Baseline Health Study participants who underwent a stress Echo and coronary artery calcium (CAC) scan were stratified by stress Echo result: -ECG/-Echo or +ECG/-Echo.