Adaptation of a HIV Prevention Mobile App for Transmasculine People: A Pilot Acceptability and Feasibility Study.

Purpose: Using a community-engaged approach, we adapted a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention smartphone app, Transpire, to meet the HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention needs of transgender men and other transmasculine people. We conducted a pilot study to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the app among participants in two cities in the southeastern United States.

Methods: Participants were recruited online and through community partners.

Utility of photon-counting detectors for MV-kV dual-energy computed tomography imaging.

Purpose: High soft-tissue contrast imaging is essential for effective radiotherapy treatment. This could potentially be realized using both megavoltage and kilovoltage x-ray sources available on some therapy treatment systems to perform "MV-kV" dual-energy (DE) computed tomography (CT). However, noisy megavoltage images obtained with existing energy-integrating detectors (EIDs) are a limiting factor for clinical translation.

Iterative clustering material decomposition aided by empirical spectral correction for photon counting detectors in micro-CT.

Purpose: Photon counting detectors offer promising advancements in computed tomography (CT) imaging by enabling the quantification and three-dimensional imaging of contrast agents and tissue types through simultaneous multi-energy projections from broad X-ray spectra. However, the accuracy of these decomposition methods hinges on precise composite spectral attenuation values that one must reconstruct from spectral micro-CT. Errors in such estimations could be due to effects such as beam hardening, object scatter, or detector sensor-related spectral distortions such as fluorescence.

Racial Disparities in Clinical Trial Enrollment Among Patients Diagnosed With Prostate Cancer: A Population-Based Cohort of Oncology Practices.

Although clinical trials should be accessible to all patients, persistent racial and ethnic disparities in clinical trial enrollment exist. Herein, we examine racial disparities in clinical trial enrollment among prostate cancer patients from a large population-based cohort of oncology practices in the United States. Using CancerLinQ Discovery, we identified men with regional (N1+) and/or metastatic (M1) prostate cancer diagnosed from 2011 to 2023.

Examining the Relationship between Aptamer Complexity and Molecular Discrimination of a Low-Epitope Target.

Aptamers are oligonucleotide-based affinity reagents that are increasingly being used in various applications. Systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) has been widely used to isolate aptamers for small-molecule targets, but it remains challenging to generate aptamers with high affinity and specificity for targets with few functional groups. To address this challenge, we have systematically evaluated strategies for optimizing the isolation of aptamers for (+)-methamphetamine, a target for which previously reported aptamers have weak or no binding affinity.

Evaluation of Subetadex-α-methyl, a Polyanionic Cyclodextrin Scaffold, as a Medical Countermeasure against Fentanyl and Related Opioids.

Subetadex-α-methyl (SBX-Me), a modified, polyanionic cyclodextrin scaffold, has been evaluated for its utilization as a medical countermeasure (MCM) to neutralize the effects of fentanyl and related opioids. Initial toxicity assays demonstrate that SBX-Me has a nontoxic profile, comparable to the FDA-approved cyclodextrin-based drug Sugammadex. Pharmacokinetic analysis showed rapid clearance of SBX-Me with an elimination half-life of ∼7.

Molecularly Designed and Nanoconfined Polymer Electronic Materials for Skin-like Electronics.

Stretchable electronics have seen substantial development in skin-like mechanical properties and functionality thanks to the advancements made in intrinsically stretchable polymer electronic materials. Nanoscale phase separation of polymer materials within an elastic matrix to form one-dimensional nanostructures, namely nanoconfinement, effectively reduces conformational disorders that have long impeded charge transport properties of conjugated polymers. Nanoconfinement results in enhanced charge transport and the addition of skin-like properties.

Combination of Coevolutionary Information and Supervised Learning Enables Generation of Cyclic Peptide Inhibitors with Enhanced Potency from a Small Data Set.

Computational generation of cyclic peptide inhibitors using machine learning models requires large size training data sets often difficult to generate experimentally. Here we demonstrated that sequential combination of Random Forest Regression with the pseudolikelihood maximization Direct Coupling Analysis method and Monte Carlo simulation can effectively enhance the design pipeline of cyclic peptide inhibitors of a tumor-associated protease even for small experimental data sets. Further studies showed that such -evolved cyclic peptides are more potent than the best peptide inhibitors previously developed to this target.

Spectroscopic Signatures of Phonon Character in Molecular Electron Spin Relaxation.

Spin-lattice relaxation constitutes a key challenge for the development of quantum technologies, as it destroys superpositions in molecular quantum bits (qubits) and magnetic memory in single molecule magnets (SMMs). Gaining mechanistic insight into the spin relaxation process has proven challenging owing to a lack of spectroscopic observables and contradictions among theoretical models. Here, we use pulse electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) to profile changes in spin relaxation rates ( ) as a function of both temperature and magnetic field orientation, forming a two-dimensional data matrix.

Trap States in Reduced Colloidal Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles Have Different Proton Stoichiometries.

Added electrons and holes in semiconducting (nano)materials typically occupy "trap states," which often determine their photophysical properties and chemical reactivity. However, trap states are usually ill-defined, with few insights into their stoichiometry or structure. Our laboratory previously reported that aqueous colloidal TiO nanoparticles prepared from TiCl + HO have two classes of electron trap states, termed and .

From Beam Damage to Massive Reaction Amplification under the Electron Microscope: An Ionization-Induced Chain Reaction in Crystals of a Dewar Benzene.

Electron microscopy in its various forms is one of the most powerful imaging and structural elucidation methods in nanotechnology where sample information is generally limited by random chemical and structural damage. Here we show how a well-selected chemical probe can be used to transform indiscriminate chemical damage into clean chemical processes that can be used to characterize some aspects of the interactions between high-energy electron beams and soft organic matter. Crystals of a Dewar benzene exposed to a 300 keV electron beam facilitate a clean valence-bond isomerization radical-cation chain reaction where the number of chemical events per incident electron is amplified by a factor of up to ca.

Proton-Transfer Dynamics Regulates CO Electroreduction Products via Hydrogen Coverage.

Electrochemical conversion of CO to hydrocarbons is a promising approach to carbon neutrality and energy storage. The formation of reaction intermediates involves crucial steps of proton transfer, making it essential to understand the role of protons in the electrochemical process to control the product selectivity and elucidate the underlying catalytic reaction mechanism of the CO electrochemical reduction (CORR). In this work, we proposed a strategy to regulate product selectivities by tuning local proton transport rates through a surface resin layer over cuprous oxides.

A novel ensemble ARIMA-LSTM approach for evaluating COVID-19 cases and future outbreak preparedness.

Background: The global impact of the highly contagious COVID-19 virus has created unprecedented challenges, significantly impacting public health and economies worldwide. This research article conducts a time series analysis of COVID-19 data across various countries, including India, Brazil, Russia, and the United States, with a particular emphasis on total confirmed cases.

Methods: The proposed approach combines auto-regressive integrated moving average (ARIMA)'s ability to capture linear trends and seasonality with long short-term memory (LSTM) networks, which are designed to learn complex nonlinear dependencies in the data.

Role of species in pathogenesis, immune regulation, and prognostic tools for managing ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.

The gut microbiome plays a key role in the pathogenesis and disease activity of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). While research has focused on the bacterial microbiome, recent studies have shifted towards host genetics and host-fungal interactions. The mycobiota is a vital component of the gastrointestinal microbial community and plays a significant role in immune regulation.

GLP-1, GIP/GLP-1, and GCGR/GLP-1 receptor agonists: Novel therapeutic agents for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis.

The global prevalence of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is estimated at 32.4%, reflecting its growing clinical significance. MASLD, which includes MASLD and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) has been linked to increased metabolic, cardiovascular, and malignant morbidity.

Transcriptomic profiling of "brain-eating amoeba" infection in mice: the host and the protozoa perspectives.

The free-living amoeba (NF) causes a rare but lethal parasitic meningoencephalitis (PAM) in humans. Currently, this disease lacks effective treatments and the specific molecular mechanisms that govern NF pathogenesis and host brain response remain unknown. To address some of these issues, we sought to explore naturally existing virulence diversity within environmental NF isolates.

New insights into the putative role of leucine-rich repeat proteins of and their participation in host cell invasion: an analysis.

Pathogenic are spirochetes that cause leptospirosis, a worldwide zoonotic disease. Leptospirosis affects humans and animals, with approximately 1 million human infections and 60,000 deaths per year. The diversity of leptospiral strains and serovars allied to the fact that pathogenesis is not yet fully understood, make the development of an effective vaccine against leptospirosis a challenge.

Identification and characterization of a Relish-type NF-κB, DvRelish, in in response to infection.

Ixodid ticks serve as hosts and transmission vectors for several obligate intracellular bacteria, including members of the spotted fever group (SFG) of . Although ticks generate an immune response to bacterial insults, many of the signaling molecules associated with the response and how they may contribute to vector competence for are undefined. In this study, we isolated a full-length transcript from , which encoded a Relish-type NF-κB.

Assuring assistance to healthcare and medicine: Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, and Artificial Intelligence of Things.

Introduction: The convergence of healthcare with the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping medical practice with promising enhanced data-driven insights, automated decision-making, and remote patient monitoring. It has the transformative potential of these technologies to revolutionize diagnosis, treatment, and patient care.

Purpose: This study aims to explore the integration of IoT and AI in healthcare, outlining their applications, benefits, challenges, and potential risks.

Organization Theory for Implementation Science (OTIS): reflections and recommendations.

Organizations exert influence on the implementation of evidence-based practices and other innovations that are independent of the influence of organizations' individual constituents. Despite their influence, nuanced explanations of organizations' influence remain limited in implementation science. Organization theories are uniquely suited to offer insights and explain organizational influences on implementation.

Diversity and functional traits based indigenous rhizosphere associated phosphate solubilizing bacteria for sustainable production of rice.

Introduction: Rice, particularly Basmati rice, holds significant global importance as a staple food. The indiscriminate use of phosphate-based fertilizers during rice production has led to high residual levels of these chemicals in soil, impacting soil health and fertility. This study aimed to address this challenge by investigating the potential of phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) in improving soil fertility and boosting the growth of Basmati rice.

Predicting student self-efficacy in Muslim societies using machine learning algorithms.

Introduction: Self-efficacy is a critical determinant of students' academic success and overall life outcomes. Despite its recognized importance, research on predictors of self-efficacy using machine learning models remains limited, particularly within Muslim societies. This study addresses this gap by leveraging advanced machine learning techniques to analyze key factors influencing students' self-efficacy.

Is FDG-PET/CT Scan Useful in the Detection of Subcentimeter Mediastinal Lymph Node Involvement in Patients With Lung Carcinoma?

Background Early staging of lung carcinoma (CA) is pivotal in planning the treatment. Lymph node metastasis can be detected by imaging and invasive procedures. The 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) is an emerging noninvasive imaging modality in detecting nodal metastasis.

Potential Dropout Thoughts and Their Influencing Factors Among Medical Students.

Introduction: Medical student dropout is characterized by the early exit from the medical college prior to graduation. The dropout ratio fluctuates globally and is influenced by factors, such as academic demands, individual characteristics, and insufficient work-life balance, which contribute to thoughts of dropping out. This study sought to evaluate the frequency of dropout ideation and influencing factors among medical students at Lahore Medical and Dental College (LMDC).

Opioid-Prescribing Trends in Dermatology From 2014 to 2020 in the United States.

Introduction The opioid epidemic is a critical public health crisis, with opioid overdose deaths being a leading cause of injury-related deaths in the United States. Dermatology, though a small contributor to overall opioid prescriptions, still accounts for over 700,000 opioid pills annually. Reducing opioid prescribing in this specialty has been challenging due to limited comprehensive research.