N-acetylation of α-synuclein enhances synaptic vesicle clustering mediated by α-synuclein and lysophosphatidylcholine.

Previously, we reported that α-synuclein (α-syn) clusters synaptic vesicles (SV) Diao et al., 2013, and neutral phospholipid lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) can mediate this clustering Lai et al., 2023.

Large Language Models in Worldwide Medical Exams: Platform Development and Comprehensive Analysis.

Background: Large language models (LLMs) are increasingly integrated into medical education, with transformative potential for learning and assessment. However, their performance across diverse medical exams globally has remained underexplored.

Objective: This study aims to introduce MedExamLLM, a comprehensive platform designed to systematically evaluate the performance of LLMs on medical exams worldwide.

Assembly of Pyrenes through a Quadruple Photochemical Cascade: Blocking Groups Allow Diversion from the Double Mallory Path to Photocyclization at the Bay Region.

We present a six-step cascade that converts 1,3-distyrylbenzenes (-stilbenes) into nonsymmetric pyrenes in 40-60% yields. This sequence merges photochemical steps, ,-alkene isomerization, a 6π photochemical electrocyclization (Mallory photocyclization); the new bay region cyclization, with two radical iodine-mediated aromatization steps; and an optional aryl migration. This work illustrates how the inherent challenges of engineering excited state reactivity can be addressed by logical design.

Navigating Awareness and Strategies to Support Dementia Advocacy on Social Media During World Alzheimer's Month: Infodemiology Study.

Background: Understanding advocacy strategies is essential to improving dementia awareness, reducing stigma, supporting cognitive health promotion, and influencing policy to support people living with dementia. However, there is a dearth of evidence-based research on advocacy strategies used to support dementia awareness.

Objective: This study aimed to use posts from X (formerly known as Twitter) to understand dementia advocacy strategies during World Alzheimer's Awareness Month in September 2022.

Unveiling chemotherapy-induced immune landscape remodeling and metabolic reprogramming in lung adenocarcinoma by scRNA-sequencing.

Chemotherapy is widely used to treat lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) patients comprehensively. Considering the limitations of chemotherapy due to drug resistance and other issues, it is crucial to explore the impact of chemotherapy and immunotherapy on these aspects. In this study, tumor samples from nine LUAD patients, of which four only received surgery and five received neoadjuvant chemotherapy, were subjected to scRNA-seq analysis.

Memristive Ion Dynamics to Enable Biorealistic Computing.

Conventional artificial intelligence (AI) systems are facing bottlenecks due to the fundamental mismatches between AI models, which rely on parallel, in-memory, and dynamic computation, and traditional transistors, which have been designed and optimized for sequential logic operations. This calls for the development of novel computing units beyond transistors. Inspired by the high efficiency and adaptability of biological neural networks, computing systems mimicking the capabilities of biological structures are gaining more attention.

Binding Strength, Not Valency, Dictates Accumulation and Penetration of Affinity Targeted Macromolecules into Solid Tumors.

The efficacy of tumor-targeted therapeutics, engineered to engage specific cellular receptors to promote accumulation and penetration, is strongly influenced by the carrier's affinity for its target and the valency of binding molecules incorporated into the carrier. Previous research has primarily focused on improving targeting by augmenting the number of binding proteins on the carrier, inadvertently raising avidity without isolating the individual effects of binding strength and valency. Herein, we precisely evaluate the impact of multivalency on tumor targeting with a recombinant approach to independently control valency, avidity, and size.

Annotation of RxLR Effectors in Oomycete Genomes.

Pathogens have evolved effector proteins to suppress host immunity and facilitate plant infections. RxLR effectors are small, secreted effector proteins with conserved RxLR and dEER amino acid motifs at the N terminus and highly variable C termini and are commonly found in oomycete species. We provide computational approaches to annotate RxLR candidate effector genes in a genome assembly in FASTA format with an available GFF file.

Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization Protocol for Visualization of Oomycetes In Vitro and In Planta.

Fluorescence in situ hybridization enables the visualization of organisms in the environment without having to culture them. Here, we describe a FISH protocol to visualize oomycete structures (mycelia, sporangiophores, sporangia, and oospores) directly as well as from colonized plant material. The protocol utilizes organic compounds with low toxicities and does not require a permeabilization step.

Changes in Medication Complexity and Post-Hospitalization Outcomes in Older Adults Hospitalized for Heart Failure.

Introduction: Medication regimen complexity may be an important risk factor for adverse outcomes in older adults with heart failure. However, increasing complexity is often necessary when prescribing guideline-directed medical therapy at the time of a heart failure hospitalization. We sought to determine whether increased medication regimen complexity following a heart failure hospitalization was associated with worse post-hospitalization outcomes.

Global trends and hotspots in robotic surgery over the past decade: a bibliometric and visualized analysis.

Since its introduction, robotic surgery has experienced rapid development and has been extensively implemented across various medical disciplines. It is crucial to comprehend the advancements in research and the evolutionary trajectory of its thematic priorities. This research conducted a bibliometric analysis on the literature pertaining to robotic surgery, spanning the period from 2014 to 2023, sourced from the Web of Science database.

Seroprevalence of Naegleria fowleri in the Houston-Galveston Texas Population.

Naegleria fowleri is a free-living amoeba and the causative agent of Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM), a rare yet almost always fatal disease that primarily affects children. While only 431 PAM cases have been reported worldwide, the southern states of the United States, including Texas, report the highest number of cases. Despite the high mortality of the disease, studies have identified antibodies to N.

Dimensional Validation of the Italian Revised Version of the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ-r) for Children and Adolescents with ASD.

Sleep problems are common in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with potential repercussions on neurobehavioral functioning exacerbating socio-communicative impairments and aggressive behaviors. Parent reports are the most used method to assess sleep in pediatric populations and a modified 23-item of Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) for ASD has been proposed in the United States. The generalizability of the CSHQ for ASD has yet to be validated across countries, including Italy.

Efficient radiolabeling of mesoporous silica nanoparticles for single-cell PET imaging.

Purpose: Nanoparticles are highly efficient vectors for ferrying contrast agents across cell membranes, enabling ultra-sensitive in vivo tracking of single cells with positron emission tomography (PET). However, this approach must be fully characterized and understood before it can be reliably implemented for routine applications.

Methods: We developed a Langmuir adsorption model that accurately describes the process of labeling mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNP) with Ga.

Daily Screen Time Among Teenagers: United States, July 2021-December 2023.

Introduction: This report describes the self-reported prevalence of daily screen time among teenagers ages 12-17 years and explores whether differences exist by selected characteristics and demographics.

Methods: Data from the July 2021-December 2023 National Health Interview Survey-Teen were used for this analysis. Point estimates and the corresponding confidence intervals were calculated using SAS-callable SUDAAN software to account for the complex sample design of NHIS-Teen.

Implementation of Function Focused Care for Acute Care Using the Evidence Integration Triangle.

Background: The purpose of this study was to test the impact of Function Focused Care for Acute Care Using the Evidence Integration Triangle (FFC-AC-EIT) on hospitalized patients living with dementia.

Methods: This was a clustered randomized clinical trial including 12 hospitals from two states and 455 patients living with dementia. Hospitals were randomized to FFC-AC-EIT versus FFC Education Only.

Nonmalignant respiratory disease mortality among dentists in the United States from 1979 through 2018.

Background: Dentists can be exposed to dust and nanoparticles from teeth, dental composites, and metal alloys generated during dental procedures, and exposure to dust can cause respiratory diseases, including pulmonary fibrosis. The authors describe mortality from nonmalignant respiratory diseases (NMRDs) among dentists in the United States.

Methods: The authors submitted information on US dentists who died from 1979 through 2018 to a centralized US death records database to obtain underlying causes of death.

Enhanced Sampling with Suboptimal Collective Variables: Reconciling Accuracy and Convergence Speed.

We introduce an enhanced sampling algorithm to obtain converged free energy landscapes of molecular rare events, even when the collective variable (CV) used for biasing is not optimal. Our approach samples a time-dependent target distribution by combining the on-the-fly probability enhanced sampling and its exploratory variant, OPES Explore. This promotes more transitions between the relevant metastable states and accelerates the convergence speed of the free energy estimate.

Unraveling the Growth Dynamics of Rutile SnGeO Using Theory and Experiment.

Rutile GeO and related materials are attracting interest due to their ultrawide band gaps and potential for ambipolar doping in high-power electronic applications. This study examines the growth of rutile SnGeO films through oxygen-plasma-assisted hybrid molecular beam epitaxy (hMBE). The film composition and thickness are evaluated across a range of growth conditions, with the outcomes rationalized by using density functional theory calculations.

Behavior Coding of Adolescent and Therapy Dog Interactions During a Social Stress Task.

Youth mental health interventions incorporating trained therapy animals are increasingly popular, but more research is needed to understand the specific interactive behaviors between participants and therapy dogs. Understanding the role of these interactive behaviors is important for supporting both intervention efficacy and animal welfare and well-being. The goal of this study was to develop ethograms to assess interactive behaviors (including both affiliative and stress-related behaviors) of participants and therapy dogs during a social stress task, explore the relationship between human and dog behaviors, and assess how these behaviors may vary between experimental conditions with varying levels of physical contact with the therapy dog.

Effects of Vitamin and Mineral Supplementation During Gestation in Beef Heifers on Immunoglobulin Concentrations in Colostrum and Immune Responses in Naturally and Artificially Reared Calves.

Two experiments assessed the effects of providing a vitamin and mineral supplement to gestating beef heifers on concentrations of immunoglobulins (Ig) in colostrum and calf serum 24 h after feeding maternal colostrum (Exp. 1) or a colostrum-replacement product (Exp. 2).

Passive accumulation of alkaloids in inconspicuously colored frogs refines the evolutionary paradigm of acquired chemical defenses.

Understanding the origins of novel, complex phenotypes is a major goal in evolutionary biology. Poison frogs of the family Dendrobatidae have evolved the novel ability to acquire alkaloids from their diet for chemical defense at least three times. However, taxon sampling for alkaloids has been biased towards colorful species, without similar attention paid to inconspicuous ones that are often assumed to be undefended.

Impact of the clinically approved BTK inhibitors on the conformation of full-length BTK and analysis of the development of BTK resistance mutations in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Inhibition of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) has proven to be highly effective in the treatment of B-cell malignancies such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), autoimmune disorders, and multiple sclerosis. Since the approval of the first BTK inhibitor (BTKi), Ibrutinib, several other inhibitors including Acalabrutinib, Zanubrutinib, Tirabrutinib, and Pirtobrutinib have been clinically approved. All are covalent active site inhibitors, with the exception of the reversible active site inhibitor Pirtobrutinib.

Deep Proteome Coverage of Microglia Using a Streamlined Data-Independent Acquisition-Based Proteomic Workflow: Method Consideration for a Phenotypically Diverse Cell Type.

As the primary innate immune cells of the brain, microglia play a key role in various homeostatic and disease-related processes. To carry out their numerous functions, microglia adopt a wide range of phenotypic states. The proteomic landscape represents a more accurate molecular representation of these phenotypes; however, microglia present unique challenges for proteomic analysis.

BAE-ViT: An Efficient Multimodal Vision Transformer for Bone Age Estimation.

This research introduces BAE-ViT, a specialized vision transformer model developed for bone age estimation (BAE). This model is designed to efficiently merge image and sex data, a capability not present in traditional convolutional neural networks (CNNs). BAE-ViT employs a novel data fusion method to facilitate detailed interactions between visual and non-visual data by tokenizing non-visual information and concatenating all tokens (visual or non-visual) as the input to the model.