Comparative genomic prediction of resistance to Fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum race 2) in watermelon: parametric and nonparametric approaches.

Complex traits influenced by multiple genes pose challenges for marker-assisted selection (MAS) in breeding. Genomic selection (GS) is a promising strategy for achieving higher genetic gains in quantitative traits by stacking favorable alleles into elite cultivars. Resistance to Fusarium oxysporum f.

Efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for phantom limb pain- a meta analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Introduction: Phantom limb pain (PLP) is a neuropathic syndrome experienced by the majority of amputees. Various treatment options are available for amputees suffering from PLP including pharmacological, psychological and neuromodulation techniques. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a non-invasive neuromodulation technique that has proven its efficacy in alleviating PLP.

Risk of hospital inpatient opioid overdose (RHINOO): a review of factors impacting naloxone administration in patients receiving opioids.

Purpose: Opioid medications remain a common treatment for acute pain in hospitalized patients. This study aims to identify factors contributing to opioid overdose in the inpatient population, addressing the gap in data on which patients are at higher risk for opioid-related adverse events in the hospital setting.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of inpatients receiving at least one opioid medication was performed at a large academic medical center from January 1, 2022, through December 31, 2022.

The outcomes of the obesity paradox in pulmonary embolism: a study of the national inpatient sample database from 2016 to 2020.

The "obesity paradox" suggests that, despite a higher baseline risk for adverse health outcomes, obese patients can experience a lower complication and mortality rate in conditions such as pulmonary embolisms (PE). This study aims to examine the association between obesity and inpatient outcomes of PE patients, utilizing the data from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database. We conducted a retrospective study analysis of obese adult PE patients (aged ≥ 18) using the NIS database from 2016 to 2020.

Early-phase F-Flortaucipir tau-PET as a proxy of brain metabolism in Alzheimer's disease: a comparison with F-FDG-PET and early-phase amyloid-PET.

Purpose: As dual-phase amyloid-PET can evaluate amyloid (A) and neurodegeneration (N) with a single tracer injection, dual-phase tau-PET might be able to provide both tau (T) and N. Our study aims to assess the association of early-phase tau-PET scans and F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET and their comparability in discriminating Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients and differentiating neurodegenerative patterns.

Methods: 58 subjects evaluated at the Geneva Memory Center underwent dual-phase F-Flortaucipir-PET with early-phase acquisition (eTAU) and F-FDG-PET within 1 year.

Propagation of pathologic α-synuclein from kidney to brain may contribute to Parkinson's disease.

The pathogenesis of Lewy body diseases (LBDs), including Parkinson's disease (PD), involves α-synuclein (α-Syn) aggregation that originates in peripheral organs and spreads to the brain. PD incidence is increased in individuals with chronic renal failure, but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Here we observed α-Syn deposits in the kidneys of patients with LBDs and in the kidney and central nervous system of individuals with end-stage renal disease without documented LBDs.

Mapping the topography of spatial gene expression with interpretable deep learning.

Spatially resolved transcriptomics technologies provide high-throughput measurements of gene expression in a tissue slice, but the sparsity of these data complicates analysis of spatial gene expression patterns. We address this issue by deriving a topographic map of a tissue slice-analogous to a map of elevation in a landscape-using a quantity called the isodepth. Contours of constant isodepths enclose domains with distinct cell type composition, while gradients of the isodepth indicate spatial directions of maximum change in expression.

A temperature-inducible protein module for control of mammalian cell fate.

Inducible protein switches are currently limited for use in tissues and organisms because common inducers cannot be controlled with precision in space and time in optically dense settings. Here, we introduce a protein that can be reversibly toggled with a small change in temperature, a stimulus that is both penetrant and dynamic. This protein, called Melt (Membrane localization using temperature) oligomerizes and translocates to the plasma membrane when temperature is lowered.

Tracing the relationship between the upper plate earthquake cycle and megathrust slip, the Atacama fault system in Northern Chile.

Inland-normal faulting is recognised as an important process following large subduction earthquakes. The lack of data limits the understanding of how normal fault reactivation relates to the subduction earthquake cycle. We characterised the palaeoseismology of the Atacama fault system (AFS) in the Chilean subduction zone.

Comparisons of neurodegenerative disease biomarkers across different biological fluids from patients with Huntington's disease.

Fluid biomarkers play important roles in many aspects of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Huntington's disease (HD). However, a main question relates to how well levels of biomarkers measured in CSF are correlated with those measured in peripheral fluids, such as blood or saliva. In this study, we quantified levels of four neurodegenerative disease-related proteins, neurofilament light (NfL), total tau (t-tau), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and YKL-40 in matched CSF, plasma and saliva samples from Huntingtin (HTT) gene-positive individuals (n = 21) using electrochemiluminescence assays.

Unbound bilirubin and risk of severe neurodevelopmental impairment in extremely low birthweight newborns.

Background: Unbound bilirubin (UB) was measured on day 5 ± 1 in 1101 ELBW newborns in the Aggressive vs Conservative Phototherapy randomized controlled trial. We accessed this dataset to quantify the UB-mediated risk of severe neurodevelopmental impairment (sNDI) in extremely low birthweight (ELBW) newborns.

Methods: UB levels were standardized within laboratories as z-score percentiles.

Distinct pro-inflammatory/pro-angiogenetic signatures distinguish children with Long COVID from controls.

Background: Recent proteomic studies have documented that Long COVID in adults is characterized by a pro-inflammatory signature with thromboinflammation. However, if similar events happen also in children with Long COVID has never been investigated.

Methods: We performed an extensive protein analysis of blood plasma from pediatric patients younger than 19 years of age Long COVID and a control group of children with acute COVID-19, MIS-C, and healthy controls resulted similar for sex distribution and age.

The relationship between cannabis and cardiovascular disease: clearing the haze.

Cannabis has been consumed for centuries, but global regulatory changes over the past three decades have increased the availability and consumption of cannabis. Cannabinoids are touted to have therapeutic potential for many diseases and could be a replacement for opioids for analgesia and sedation. However, cannabinoids can cause substantial adverse cardiovascular events that would mitigate any potential benefit.

Computational design of highly signalling-active membrane receptors through solvent-mediated allosteric networks.

Protein catalysis and allostery require the atomic-level orchestration and motion of residues and ligand, solvent and protein effector molecules. However, the ability to design protein activity through precise protein-solvent cooperative interactions has not yet been demonstrated. Here we report the design of 14 membrane receptors that catalyse G protein nucleotide exchange through diverse engineered allosteric pathways mediated by cooperative networks of intraprotein, protein-ligand and -solvent molecule interactions.

Prenatal Diagnosis of Congenital Heart Disease in Liveborn Infants in the New England Region.

Prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease requiring early cardiac catheterization or surgical intervention enables optimal delivery planning for appropriate postnatal cardiovascular intervention and care. This allows for improved morbidity and mortality. Prior national data reported prenatal diagnosis rates of 32% for congenital heart disease requiring intervention in infants in the first 6 months of life in the New England region.

Digital Disputes: Minimizing Legal Vulnerability in the Information Age.

Background: This project aims to provide guidance for surgeons' online interactions by reviewing key legal decisions.

Methods: The Nexis Uni database was queried to search for state and federal case law and law journal articles. Search terms were "social media" AND (facial w/s plastic!) and internet AND advice AND "plastic surgery.

Tick-borne encephalitis vaccine uptake, effectiveness, and impact in Sweden from 2018 to 2022.

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is an increasing health threat in Sweden and elsewhere in Europe. TBE vaccination is commonly recommended in Sweden, but limited data are available on uptake, effectiveness, and impact of TBE vaccination. General population surveys conducted in 2019-2022 were used to estimated TBE vaccine uptake.

Nutritional support in children treated for advanced adrenocortical carcinoma.

Purpose: Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare, aggressive pediatric malignancy. Advanced ACC requires multimodal treatment, including surgery and systemic chemotherapy including cisplatin, etoposide, doxorubicin, and mitotane. This is associated with significant gastrointestinal toxicity, resulting in many patients being unable to complete scheduled therapy.

KorB switching from DNA-sliding clamp to repressor mediates long-range gene silencing in a multi-drug resistance plasmid.

Examples of long-range gene regulation in bacteria are rare and generally thought to involve DNA looping. Here, using a combination of biophysical approaches including X-ray crystallography and single-molecule analysis for the KorB-KorA system in Escherichia coli, we show that long-range gene silencing on the plasmid RK2, a source of multi-drug resistance across diverse Gram-negative bacteria, is achieved cooperatively by a DNA-sliding clamp, KorB, and a clamp-locking protein, KorA. We show that KorB is a CTPase clamp that can entrap and slide along DNA to reach distal target promoters up to 1.

Effects of surgical approach and downstaging in esophageal adenocarcinoma patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy: a 2010-2020 National Cancer Database (NCDB) study.

Background: Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation (nCRT) has been shown to improve survival in patients with Esophageal Adenocarcinoma (EAC). The objective of this study is to assess the patient characteristics associated with tumor downstaging in a large national database. Additionally, we evaluated surgical approach and change in clinical versus pathological staging as predictors of patient survival.

Electrochemical insights into the direct dissolution of impure sphalerites and their partial oxidation in an acidic environment.

This study examined the electrodissolution mechanism of five impure sphalerite samples, which differ significantly in purity levels, along with their partially oxidized counterparts in a 0.5 M HSO. Partially oxidized samples were prepared through an incomplete leaching of sphalerite using HSO with Fe(SO).

Sex-specific association between maternal childhood adversities and offspring's weight gain in a Brazilian cohort.

Maternal adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are linked to negative health and developmental outcomes in offspring. However, whether maternal ACEs influence infant weight gain in the first months of life, and if this effect differs by infant sex, remains unclear. This study included 352 full-term newborns from low-risk pregnancies and their mothers in low-income settings in Brazil.