Advances in Analytical Methodologies for Detecting Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS): A Review.

Novel psychoactive substances (NPS) have historically been difficult compounds to analyze in forensic toxicology. The identification, detection and quantitation of these analytes and their metabolites has been difficult due to their rapid emergence, short life span and various potencies. Advancements in analytical instrumentation are fundamental to mitigating these NPS challenges by providing reliable identification and sensitivity.

Acoustic Radiation Force Optical Coherence Elastography of the Crystalline Lens: Safety.

Purpose: To assess the safety of acoustic radiation force optical coherence elastography in the crystalline lens in situ.

Methods: Acoustic radiation force (ARF) produced by an immersion single-element ultrasound transducer (nominal frequency = 3.5 MHz) was characterized using a needle hydrophone and used for optical coherence elastography (OCE) of the crystalline lens.

Utilization of Palliative Care in Cardiogenic Shock Patients: A Retrospective Analysis of the National Inpatient Sample Database, 2020.

Cardiogenic shock (CS) is one of the leading causes of death in patients with myocardial infarction, myocarditis, and congestive heart failure. The utilization patterns of specialist palliative care (PC) consultation in these patients are currently unknown. To determine the utilization of PC in patients with CS and the overall comorbidities of that population.

Surgically facilitated orthodontics with clear aligners for severe malocclusion and gingival recessions.

Background: Gingival recession defects (GRDs) pose functional and esthetic concerns and may be associated with unfavorable tooth positions. Surgically facilitated orthodontic treatment (SFOT) with clear aligners can be a valuable option for adults with severe malocclusion and GRDs.

Methods: A 28-year-old male presented with severe dental crowding, Class III dental malocclusion, localized tooth crossbites, and tapered maxillary arch.

Preservation of Cardiac Xenografts in a Model of Infant Human Cardiac Transplantation.

Introduction: There is no standard protocol for management of organ preservation for orthotopic, life-sustaining cardiac xenotransplantation, particularly for hearts from pediatric sized donors. Standard techniques and solutions successful in human allotransplantation are not viable. We theorized that a solution commonly used in reparative cardiac surgery in human children would suffice by exploiting the advantages inherent to xenotransplantation, namely the ability to reduce organ ischemic times by co-locating the donor and recipient.

Regulation of Cajal bodies: Unexpected connection to 60S ribosomes.

Cajal bodies are essential sites for the biogenesis of small nuclear and nucleolar ribonucleoproteins. In this issue, Courvan and Parker discuss new work from Neugebauer and colleagues (https://doi.org/10.

Differential impacts of ribosomal protein haploinsufficiency on mitochondrial function.

The interplay between ribosomal protein (RP) composition and mitochondrial function is essential for energy homeostasis. Balanced RP production optimizes protein synthesis while minimizing energy costs, but its impact on mitochondrial functionality remains unclear. Here, we investigated haploinsufficiency for RP genes (rps-10, rpl-5, rpl-33, and rps-23) in Caenorhabditis elegans and corresponding reductions in human lymphoblast cells.

α-Catenin force-sensitive binding and sequestration of LZTS2 leads to cytokinesis failure.

Epithelial cells can become polyploid upon tissue injury, but mechanosensitive cues that trigger this state are poorly understood. Using an Madin Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cell knock-out/reconstitution system, we show that α-catenin mutants that alter force-sensitive binding to F-actin or middle (M)-domain promote cytokinesis failure and binucleation, particularly near epithelial wound-fronts. We identified Leucine Zipper Tumor Suppressor 2 (LZTS2), a factor previously implicated in abscission, as a conformation sensitive proximity partner of α-catenin.

Real-world mepolizumab treatment in patients with severe asthma decreased exacerbations, oral corticosteroid use, and healthcare resource utilization and costs over 4 years: a retrospective analysis.

Objective: Although the efficacy of mepolizumab in reducing exacerbations and oral corticosteroid (OCS) use in severe asthma is well-established, real-world long-term effectiveness data are limited. This study evaluated the real-world impact of mepolizumab treatment in patients with severe asthma over a 4-year follow-up period.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of patients with asthma initiating mepolizumab (index date: first claim, November 2015-September 2019) using the Merative MarketScan Commercial and Medicare Databases.

Impact of Trial Eligibility Criteria on Outcomes of 1183 Patients With Follicular Lymphoma Treated in the Real-World Setting.

The development of new first-line treatments for patients with follicular lymphoma (FL) is becoming increasingly challenging due to already excellent survival outcomes. The present study investigated the outcomes of patients with FL who underwent contemporary first-line therapies but would not have been eligible for inclusion in recent trials and explored how commonly used in/exclusion criteria impacted their survival outcomes. This study included adult patients diagnosed with FL in the period 2000-2018 registered in the Danish Lymphoma Registry.

Predictive Methods and Probabilistic Mapping of Subcortical Brain Components in Fossil Carnivora.

Paleoneurology reconstructs the evolutionary history of nervous systems through direct observations from the fossil record and comparative data from extant species. Although this approach can provide direct evidence of phylogenetic links among species, it is constrained by the availability and quality of data that can be gleaned from the fossil record. Here, we sought to translate brain component relationships in a sample of extant Carnivora to make inferences about brain structure in fossil species.

Riluzole is associated with reduced risk of heart failure.

Background: Reduction of intracellular Na accumulation through late Na current inhibition has been recognized as a target for cardiac Ca handling which underlies myocardial contractility and relaxation in heart failure (HF). Riluzole, an Na channel blocker with enhancement of Ca-activated K channel function, used for management of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), is effective in suppressing Ca leak and therefore may improve cardiac function.

Objectives: The study aim was to investigate whether riluzole lowers HF incidence.

Conservation benefits of a large marine protected area network that spans multiple ecosystems.

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are widely implemented tools for long-term ocean conservation and resource management. Assessments of MPA performance have largely focused on specific ecosystems individually and have rarely evaluated performance across multiple ecosystems either in an individual MPA or across an MPA network. We evaluated the conservation performance of 59 MPAs in California's large MPA network, which encompasses 4 primary ecosystems (surf zone, kelp forest, shallow reef, deep reef) and 4 bioregions, and identified MPA attributes that best explain performance.

Biomarkers.

Background: Drugs targeting Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology are likely to be most effective in the presymptomatic stage, where individuals harbor AD pathology but have not manifested symptoms. Neuroimaging approaches can help to identify such individuals, but are costly for population-wide screening. Cost-effective screening is needed to identify those who may benefit from neuroimaging, such as those at risk of developing clinical disease.

Biomarkers.

Background: Neurite degeneration is increasingly suspected to represent a causal feature of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Therefore, sensitive and specific imaging biomarkers of neuronal degeneration are needed to elucidate the mechanisms underlying cognitive impairment in MCI and AD. However, the recently developed Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging (NODDI) MRI technique, used to measure the neurite density index (NDI), has some limitations.

Biomarkers.

Background: It is challenging to distinguish which subcortical ischemic vascular disease (SIVD) patients will present with cognitive impairment. A blood-based biomarker to distinguish SIVD patients with cognitive impairment would be superior to neuropsychological measures and neuroimaging measures in terms of cost, time, and feasibility for repeated measures. Metabolomics profiling studies could help identify blood-based biomarkers for SIVD patients with cognitive impairment.

Biomarkers.

Background: Amyloid beta (Aβ) deposition marks an early stage in the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD), detectable in-vivo years before symptoms emerge and targeted by recently FDA-approved drugs. This has propelled advancements in understanding, measuring, and treating AD, paving the way for disease prevention in those at risk. However, the psychological impact of disclosing Aβ status to cognitively unimpaired individuals remains underexplored.

Biomarkers.

Background: The immune system is substantially involved in the development and progression of age-related cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Method: As genetic and environmental factors interactively impact these conditions, we investigated how risk factors such as APOE genotype, age, and sex influence immune activation markers and AD biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in elderly individuals enrolled in the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging cohort. Among cognitively unimpaired individuals aged over 65 at the baseline visit (N=298), we measured 365 CSF immune activation markers using the proximity extension assay.

Biomarkers.

Background: The Amyloid-Tau-Neurodegeneration (ATN) biomarker framework for Alzheimer's disease (AD) indicates binary (presence/absence) designations for each type of pathology, without regard for anatomical distribution. Neurodegeneration is designated as positive if atrophy or hypometabolism are found on imaging. However, Clifford Jack et al.

Biomarkers.

Background: The ARTS biomarker is a fully automated software container that predicts the presence of arteriolosclerosis based on in-vivo MRI data and demographic features. The present study describes findings from the instrumental and clinical validation of ARTS conducted by the MarkVCID consortium.

Method: Instrumental validation of ARTS involved assessment of inter-rater reliability, test-retest repeatability, and inter-scanner reproducibility.

Biomarkers.

Background: Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) permits characterizing differences in white matter microstructure associated with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and Alzheimer's dementia (AD). However, most dMRI measures aggregate signals across multiple axonal fiber populations with varying spatial orientations, which limits the sensitivity and specificity of clinical diagnosis. To overcome this shortcoming, we estimated fiber density (FD) measures, independently from crossing fiber populations, and extracellular cerebral spinal fluid (CSF).