Lipid Curvature and Fluidity Influence Lipid Incorporation Disparities in Nanodiscs.

Nanodiscs have become a popular membrane mimetic system offering a well-defined bilayer environment to stabilize membrane proteins for in vitro analyses using a range of analytical methods; however, lipid compositions common to their deployment are simplistic and often fail to model native membrane complexity. Furthermore, there has been a general lack of rigorous analytical and biophysical characterization of nanodiscs comprising more than one lipid. To address these challenges, we coupled a nanodisc formation and purification workflow with targeted LC-MS/MS analysis to quantify lipids in nanodiscs made with different compositions.

Thermal Gradient-Driven Heterogeneous Actuation of Liquid Crystal Elastomers for a Crawling Robot.

Emerging soft robots based on liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) exhibit remarkable capabilities for large reversible shape morphing, enabling them to adapt to complex environments and perform diverse tasks such as locomotion and camouflage. Despite extensive studies, current methods for locally controlled actuation of LCE-based soft robots often involve intricate structural design, complex programming of LCEs, incorporation of multiple materials, or complex actuation methods. Here, we present a simple and efficient approach to achieve multiple deformation modes within a simply programmed LCE structure by harnessing Joule heating-induced thermal gradients across the LCE volume.

Improving the Predictive Strength of Better-Ear Four-Frequency Pure-Tone Average With the Addition of the Tinnitus and Hearing Survey-Hearing Subscale.

Objectives: The objective of this project was to quantify the relative efficacy of a four-frequency pure-tone average in the better ear (PTA4), the Hearing subscale of the Tinnitus and Hearing Survey (THS-H), and a combination of the two in predicting speech-in-noise performance, hearing aid recommendation, and hearing aid use among United States service members (SMs).

Design: A two-analysis retrospective study was performed. The first analysis examined the degree to which better-ear PTA4 alone, THS-H alone, and better-ear PTA4 in conjunction with THS-H predicted performance on a speech-in-noise test, the modified rhyme test.

Drug-related macular edema: a real-world FDA Adverse Event Reporting System database study.

Purpose: This study aims to assess the risks associated with drug-induced macular edema and to examine the epidemiological characteristics of this condition.

Methods: This study analyzed data from the U.S.

A qualitative process evaluation of SBIRT implementation in pediatric trauma centers using the Science to Service Laboratory implementation strategy.

Background: Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) is an evidence-based practice that can identify adolescents who use alcohol and other drugs and support proper referral to treatment. Despite an American College of Surgeons mandate to deliver SBIRT in pediatric trauma care, trauma centers throughout the United States have faced numerous patient, provider, and organizational level barriers to SBIRT implementation. The Implementing Alcohol Misuse Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment Study (IAMSBIRT) aimed to implement SBIRT across 10 pediatric trauma centers using the Science-to-Service Laboratory (SSL), an empirically supported implementation strategy.

Examining the associations between social support and postpartum depression symptoms among adolescent mothers in Nairobi, Kenya.

Background: Globally, adolescent mothers are at increased risk for postpartum depression (PPD). In Kenya, 15% of adolescent girls become mothers before the age of 18. While social support can buffer a mother's risk of PPD, there are gaps in knowledge as to whether-and which types-of social support are protective for adolescent mothers in Kenya.

Hyperhomocysteinemia-induced VCID results in visual deficits, reduced neuroinflammation and vascular alterations in the retina.

Over recent years, the retina has been increasingly investigated as a potential biomarker for dementia. A number of studies have looked at the effect of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology on the retina and the associations of AD with visual deficits. However, while OCT-A has been explored as a biomarker of cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD), studies identifying the specific retinal changes and mechanisms associated with cSVD are lacking.

Reproductive health literacy scale: a tool to measure the effectiveness of health literacy training.

Background: Refugee women's reproductive health (RH) outcomes have been impacted by several factors, including experiencing war, lack of access to healthcare, and possible gender-based violence. After resettlement, low health literacy, financial difficulties, cultural and linguistic barriers, and unfamiliarity with the healthcare system also add to the preexisting barriers. Although several efforts have focused on health education and improving health literacy among refugee women, there has not been a validated tool to measure the effectiveness of these trainings and their possible impact.

Lewy body diseases and the gut.

Gastrointestinal (GI) involvement in Lewy body diseases (LBDs) has been observed since the initial descriptions of patients by James Parkinson. Recent experimental and human observational studies raise the possibility that pathogenic alpha-synuclein (⍺-syn) might develop in the GI tract and subsequently spread to susceptible brain regions. The cellular and mechanistic origins of ⍺-syn propagation in disease are under intense investigation.

The association of body roundness index and body mass index with frailty and all-cause mortality: a study from the population aged 40 and above in the United States.

Background: The relationship between body roundness index (BRI), a new obesity index, and frailty has not been established. This study aims to compare the associations of traditional obesity index body mass index (BMI) and BRI with frailty and the risk of all-cause mortality.

Methods: The clinical data of 15,157 participants over 40 years old from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2003 to 2018 were analyzed.

The association of previous and current non-chronic low back pain with daily physical activity in middle- and older-aged adults.

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is a leading cause of years lived with disability. However, the association of non-chronic LBP with levels of daily physical activity (PA) remains poorly explored. This study investigated the association between previous and current non-chronic LBP with daily PA and compliance with PA recommendations in middle and older-aged adults.

Dermatology education in U.S. ophthalmology residency: a survey of the program directors.

Background: Many ocular conditions have associated dermatological findings. However, the inclusion of dermatology education in U.S.

A community-based approach to address lung cancer screening disparities in the black community using the Witness Project framework: development and pilot trial.

Background: Disparities in lung cancer outcomes persist among Black Americans, necessitating targeted interventions to address screening inequities. This paper reports the development and refinement of Witness Project Lung, a community-based initiative tailored to the specific needs of the Black community, aiming to improve awareness and engagement with lung cancer screening.

Methods: Utilizing a user-centered design and guided by the original Witness Project framework - an evidence-based lay health advisor intervention program originally developed to increase knowledge and awareness about breast cancer risk and screening in the Black community and later trans-created to the cervical and colorectal cancer screening contexts - Witness Project Lung was developed and refined through qualitative input from key stakeholders in the Black faith community.

Association between heavy metals and risk of cardiovascular diseases in US adults with prediabetes from NHANES 2011-2018.

Background: The association of plasma metals on the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in adults with prediabetes remains poorly investigated. To assess the association between plasma metal exposure and the risk of CVD in prediabetic adults in the United States using five plasma metals.

Methods: Five cycles of data (2011-2012, 2013-2014, 2015-2016, and 2017-2018) from the NHANES were adopted in this study.

A comprehensive allele specific expression resource for the equine transcriptome.

Background: Allele-specific expression (ASE) analysis provides a nuanced view of cis-regulatory mechanisms affecting gene expression.

Results: An equine ASE analysis was performed, using integrated Iso-seq and short-read RNA sequencing data from four healthy Thoroughbreds (2 mares and 2 stallions) across 9 tissues from the Functional Annotation of Animal Genomes (FAANG) project. Allele expression was quantified by haplotypes from long-read data, with 42,900 allele expression events compared.

Distinct Circle of Willis anatomical configurations in healthy preterm born adults: a 3D time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography study.

Background: Preterm birth (< 37 weeks' gestation) alters cerebrovascular development due to the premature transition from a foetal to postnatal circulatory system, with potential implications for future cerebrovascular health. This study aims to explore potential differences in the Circle of Willis (CoW), a key arterial ring that perfuses the brain, of healthy adults born preterm.

Methods: A total of 255 participants (108 preterm, 147 full-term) were included in the analysis.

Identifying Safeguards Disabled by Epstein-Barr Virus Infections in Genomes From Patients With Breast Cancer: Chromosomal Bioinformatics Analysis.

Background: The causes of breast cancer are poorly understood. A potential risk factor is Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a lifelong infection nearly everyone acquires. EBV-transformed human mammary cells accelerate breast cancer when transplanted into immunosuppressed mice, but the virus can disappear as malignant cells reproduce.

Resistance mechanisms and therapeutic strategies of CDK4 and CDK6 kinase targeting in cancer.

Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) 4 and 6 (CDK4/6) are important regulators of the cell cycle. Selective CDK4/6 small-molecule inhibitors have shown clinical activity in hormonal receptor-positive (HR) metastatic breast cancer, but their effectiveness remains limited in other cancer types. CDK4/6 degradation and improved selectivity across CDK paralogs are approaches that could expand the effectiveness of CDK4/6 targeting.

Toward a biological definition of neuronal and glial synucleinopathies.

Cerebral accumulation of alpha-synuclein (αSyn) aggregates is the hallmark event in a group of neurodegenerative diseases-collectively called synucleinopathies-which include Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies and multiple system atrophy. Currently, these are diagnosed by their clinical symptoms and definitively confirmed postmortem by the presence of αSyn deposits in the brain. Here, we summarize the drawbacks of the current clinical definition of synucleinopathies and outline the rationale for moving toward an earlier, biology-anchored definition of these disorders, with or without the presence of clinical symptoms.

Impact of gas composition, pressure, and temperature on interfacial Tension dynamics in CO₂-Enhanced oil recovery.

Climate change policies are driving the oil and gas industry to explore CO injection for carbon dioxide storage in reservoirs. In the United States, a substantial portion of oil production relies on CO-enhanced-oil-recovery (CO-EOR), demonstrating a growing interest in using CO to address various production challenges like condensate mitigation, pressure maintenance, and enhancing productivity in tight reservoirs. CO injection introduces gases like natural gas and N, either pre-existing or as impurities in the injected CO gas.

Association between cardiovascular health and osteoporotic fractures: a national population-based study.

Osteoporotic fractures are a major public health concern, particularly among the aging population, as they significantly contribute to morbidity, mortality, and reduced quality of life. While cardiovascular health (CVH) has traditionally been linked to cardiovascular disease outcomes, emerging evidence suggests it may also influence bone health. This study investigates the association between CVH, as measured by the Life's Essential 8 (LE8) score, and the prevalence of osteoporotic fractures in U.

Improved constructs for bait RNA display in a bacterial three-hybrid assay.

We have previously developed a transcription-based bacterial three-hybrid (B3H) assay as a genetic approach to probe RNA-protein interactions inside of E. coli cells. This system offers a straightforward path to identify and assess the consequences of mutations in RBPs with molecular phenotypes of interest.