Measuring salivary cortisol in biobehavioral research: A systematic review and methodological considerations.

The assessment of salivary cortisol in community settings has gained popularity in biobehavioral research due to its noninvasive sampling, ease of handling and storage, and suitability for repeated sampling in short intervals. Ensuring consistent methodological practices for salivary cortisol is essential. This systematic review critically examines salivary cortisol collection procedures, data cleaning, and analysis to better understand its role in biobehavioral research within community populations.

Association of a multiplex immune marker panel with incident cognitive impairment and dementia: The Northern Manhattan Study.

Objective: To determine whether a panel of immune markers adds significant information to known correlates of risk of dementia and cognitive impairment.

Background: The impact of immune mechanisms on dementia risk is incompletely characterized.

Design/methods: A subsample of the Northern Manhattan Study, a prospective cohort study in the racially/ethnically diverse population of New York City, underwent comprehensive neuropsychological testing up to three times, at approximately 5-year intervals.

Bioinformatic and biochemical analysis uncovers novel activity in the 2-ER subfamily of OYEs.

Members of the old yellow enzyme (OYE) family utilize a flavin mononucleotide cofactor to catalyze the asymmetric reduction of activated alkenes. The 2-enoate reductase (2-ER) subfamily are of particular industrial relevance as they can reduce α/β alkenes near electron-withdrawing groups. While the broader OYE family is being extensively explored for biocatalytic applications, oxygen sensitivity and poor expression yields associated with the presence of an Fe/S cluster in 2-ERs have hampered their characterization.

Coconut ( L.) and Carob ( L.) Flours Dietary Fibers Differentially Impact Fecal Microbiota Composition and Metabolic Outputs In Vitro.

Alternative flours can reveal beneficial health effects. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the effects of dietary fibers (DFs) of coconut and carob flours on colonic microbiota compositions and function. Coconut flour DFs were found to be dominated by mannose-containing polysaccharides by gas chromatography (GC)/MS and spectrophotometer, whereas glucose and uronic acid were the main monosaccharide moieties in carob flour DFs.

Diffuse Alveolar Hemorrhage Associated With Anti-PL-7 Antisynthetase Syndrome: A Case Report.

Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) is a potentially life-threatening condition which can present with hemoptysis, diffuse alveolar infiltrates, anemia, and hypoxic respiratory failure. Antisynthetase syndrome (AS) is a rare autoimmune disorder most often characterized by nonerosive arthritis, proximal muscle weakness with elevated muscle enzymes, Raynaud's phenomenon, hyperkeratosis of the digits (mechanic's hands), and interstitial lung disease. According to large population studies, AS has an annual incidence of 0.

Finite Element Analysis (FEA) for Influence of Variation in Dental Implant Dimensions (Length and Diameter) on Peri-implant Bone Stress/Strain Distribution: A Systematic Review.

Background & Objective: Currently, there are many implants in clinical use, making it hard to choose the right one for the patient. The success rate of an implant depends on its diameter, length, and direction of insertion in bone. In implant dentistry, Finite Element Analysis (FEA) simulates intraoral conditions in vitro and analyzes the effects of implant material, diameter, size, and other components related to oral structure on the implant and peri-implant tissues.

Characterization of 3D printed micro-blades for cutting tissue-embedding material.

Cutting soft materials on the microscale has emerging applications in single-cell studies, tissue microdissection for organoid culture, drug screens, and other analyses. However, the cutting process is complex and remains incompletely understood. Furthermore, precise control over blade geometries, such as the blade tip radius, has been difficult to achieve.

Cardiorespiratory-gated cardiac proton radiotherapy using a novel ultrasound guidance system.

Cardiac stereotactic body radiotherapy is a promising noninvasive treatment for patients with refractory ventricular tachycardia. With the aim to prove feasibility of a novel image guided radiotherapy and heart motion gating device, cardiac proton radiotherapy was performed using a porcine model. Using a novel adaptation of γ - H2AX tissue staining techniques, we have been able to localize a radiation beam in large animal tissue to assess targeting accuracy within a defined field.

Detection of alteration in carotid artery volumetry using standard-of-care computed tomography surveillance scans following unilateral radiation therapy for early-stage tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma survivors: a cross-sectional internally-matched carotid isodose analysis.

Aim: This study leveraged standard-of-care CT scans of patients receiving unilateral radiotherapy (RT) for early tonsillar cancer to detect volumetric changes in the carotid arteries, and determine whether there is a dose-response relationship.

Methods: Disease-free cancer survivors (>3 months since therapy and age > 18 years) treated with intensity modulated RT for early (T1-2, N0-2b) tonsillar cancer with pre- and post-therapy contrast-enhanced CT scans available were included. Patients treated with definitive surgery, bilateral RT, or additional RT before the post-RT CT scan were excluded.

Lightweight Retinal Layer Segmentation With Global Reasoning.

Automatic retinal layer segmentation with medical images, such as optical coherence tomography (OCT) images, serves as an important tool for diagnosing ophthalmic diseases. However, it is challenging to achieve accurate segmentation due to low contrast and blood flow noises presented in the images. In addition, the algorithm should be light-weight to be deployed for practical clinical applications.

Characteristics, Needs, and Perspectives of Individuals Living Alone With Dementia: An Integrative Review.

Background: The number of individuals living alone with dementia is increasing throughout the world, and they have unique needs that are poorly understood. The aim of this integrative review was to understand the characteristics, needs, and perspectives of individuals living alone with dementia as well as the available community resources to guide future research and clinical practice.

Methods: Electronic (PubMed, CINAHL, and PsycINFO) and manual searches were utilized to identify articles using MeSH terms.

Dual Biologic Therapy Induces Remission in Refractory Crohn's Disease With Vedolizumab and Ustekinumab.

Background: Despite advancements in the therapeutic armamentarium for Crohn's disease (CD), biologic and small molecule monotherapies are associated with sub-optimal response and remission rates. Utilizing dual biologic therapy (DBT) holds the potential to increase efficacy in the treatment of refractory or partially responsive CD. Evidence pertaining to this strategy remains limited.

Addressing the Underrepresentation of African American Mental Health Professionals: A Call to Action.

The mental health workforce in the United States faces a significant challenge: a stark underrepresentation of African American practitioners. This disparity reflects broader issues of racial inequality in healthcare and has far-reaching implications for mental health care delivery, particularly within Black communities. This perspective examines the contributing factors to this underrepresentation, explores its consequences on patient care and research, and proposes strategies to increase diversity in the field.

Engaging Patients with Headache in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA): ACTIvated Veterans Engagement Group (ACTIVE) to Improve Delivery of Patient-Centered Headache Services.

In 2018, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) established the original 19 Headache Centers of Excellence (HCoE) program, and an evaluation center. This study utilized a Veteran engagement group method to elicit input from Veteran patients living with chronic headache on daily needs, social determinants of health, and preferences and suggestions for headache programs, services, and research priorities. Four engagement groups were conducted between July 13 and August 22 of 2022 with Veterans who experience headache and received care at a VHA HCoE.

A mirror-image experiment: Sorting carbon nanotubes by L-DNA.

DNA has found increasing applications in molecular engineering, yet its chiral property has rarely been utilized. Here, we report a mirror-image experiment using naturally occurring D-DNA and its enantiomer L-DNA to sort a chiral mixture of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). We find that parity conservation leads to a robust experimental outcome: changing DNA chirality results in handedness inversion of the purified nanotube.

Primordial black holes and their gravitational-wave signatures.

In the recent years, primordial black holes (PBHs) have emerged as one of the most interesting and hotly debated topics in cosmology. Among other possibilities, PBHs could explain both some of the signals from binary black hole mergers observed in gravitational-wave detectors and an important component of the dark matter in the Universe. Significant progress has been achieved both on the theory side and from the point of view of observations, including new models and more accurate calculations of PBH formation, evolution, clustering, merger rates, as well as new astrophysical and cosmological probes.

The long-run effect of historical redlining practices on social vulnerability in U.S. cities.

Historical redlining practices in the United States date back to the 1930s and have continued to impact cities socially, environmentally, and economically since then. This study explores current social vulnerability inequity among former HOLC (Home Owners' Loan Corporation) neighborhoods with four color-coded grades in 196 U.S.

Tranexamic acid use in rotator cuff repair: A systematic review of perioperative outcomes.

Background: Tranexamic acid (TXA) use has become the gold standard in total joint arthroplasty to limit intraoperative blood loss and transfusion rates. More recently, the indications for TXA have expanded to knee and shoulder arthroscopy with promising early results. However, the effectiveness of TXA during arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (RCR) is unclear.

Rate estimation and trend analysis of new HIV infections among the international migrant population in Chile from 2013 to 2022.

Background: International migrants are central to HIV research, but comparative data on their infection rates versus resident populations, including in Chile, are scarce. This study compares HIV incidence rates between international migrants and Chileans.

Methods: A longitudinal study was conducted.

Temporal variations in and predictive values of ABG results prior to in-hospital cardiac arrest.

In-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) has been understudied relative to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Further, studies of IHCA have mainly focused on a limited number of pre-arrest patient characteristics (e.g.

Fetal radiation during acetabular and pelvic ring fixation: Which injury patterns dictate dangerous levels of fluoroscopic cumulative dose.

Background: Gravid females with pelvic fractures are rarely encountered by the orthopaedic trauma surgeon. The initial injury can be detrimental to the pregnant patient, but an unnecessary "second hit" from surgery could also contribute to the outcome of the fetus. Understanding the surgical risks for this unique patient population requires knowledge about the negative effects of anesthesia, surgical exposures, and radiation.

Exploration of degrons and their ability to mediate targeted protein degradation.

Degrons are short amino acid sequences that can facilitate the degradation of protein substrates. They can be classified as either ubiquitin-dependent or -independent based on their interactions with the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS). These amino acid sequences are often found in exposed regions of proteins serving as either a tethering point for an interaction with an E3 ligase or initiating signaling for the direct degradation of the protein.

Lazertinib: breaking the mold of third-generation EGFR inhibitors.

Small molecules targeting activating mutations within the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) are efficacious anticancer agents, particularly in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Among these, lazertinib, a third-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), has recently gained FDA approval for use in combination with amivantamab, a dual EGFR/MET-targeting monoclonal antibody. This review delves into the discovery and development of lazertinib underscoring the improvements in medicinal chemistry properties, especially in comparison with osimertinib.