Structural Immunology of SARS-CoV-2.

The SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein has undergone significant evolution, enhancing both receptor binding and immune evasion. In this review, we summarize ongoing efforts to develop antibodies targeting various epitopes of the S protein, focusing on their neutralization potency, breadth, and escape mechanisms. Antibodies targeting the receptor-binding site (RBS) typically exhibit high neutralizing potency but are frequently evaded by mutations in SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Autophagy Modulates Glioblastoma Cell Sensitivity to Selinexor-mediated XPO1 inhibition.

Background: Selinexor is a selective inhibitor of exportin-1 (XPO1), a key mediator of the nucleocytoplasmic transport for molecules critical to tumor cell survival. Selinexor's lethality is generally associated with the induction of apoptosis, and in some cases, with autophagy-induced apoptosis. We performed this study to determine Selinexor's action in glioblastoma (GBM) cells, which are notoriously resistant to apoptosis.

Risk perception and mpox vaccine acceptability among people living with HIV in northern Nigeria.

Background: There is a dearth of information regarding mpox risk perception and vaccine acceptance among people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), especially in countries with a dual burden of HIV and mpox, such as Nigeria.

Methods: We used an explanatory mixed methods design and structured questionnaires administered to a clinic-based sample of people living with HIV (n=430), followed by in-depth interviews with a purposive subsample (n=20). Data were analysed using binary logistic regression and the framework approach.

Effects of Aging on Glucose and Lipid Metabolism in Mice.

Aging is accompanied by multiple molecular changes that contribute to aging associated pathologies, such as accumulation of cellular damage and mitochondrial dysfunction. Tissue metabolism can also change with age, in part, because mitochondria are central to cellular metabolism. Moreover, the cofactor NAD, which is reported to decline across multiple tissues during aging, plays a central role in metabolic pathways such as glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and the oxidative synthesis of nucleotides, amino acids, and lipids.

Decoding acculturative stress and psychological distress in Mexican immigrant women: insights from a path mediation analysis.

Background: This study investigates acculturative stress and its impact on psychological distress among Mexican immigrant women in the United States, with a particular focus on contextual factors shaping these acculturative stress experiences. It also seeks to provide actionable insights to address Mexican immigrant women's mental health needs.

Methods: Using the data from a total of 257 Mexican immigrant women in the National Latino Asian American Survey (NLAAS), path analysis was conducted to examine the relationships between acculturative stress, psychological distress, and various contextual factors.

Positive deviance/hearth intervention in collaboration between academia and NGOs: a realist evaluation.

Numerous NGOs and donors from high-income countries (HICs) offer diverse funding to assist LMICs. A collaborative effort in nutrition programs in urban communities was conducted by an international NGO with a local university, representing the NGO's first mode of partnership with academia. This study used realist evaluation to understand how and why Positive Deviance/Hearth intervention conducted by NGOs collaborated with university work or failed to work in urban population.

The relationship between life's essential 8 score and depression symptom severity: evidence from a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults.

Background: Many studies have indicated that adverse cardiovascular health (CVH) behaviors are associated with an elevated risk of depression. However, the dose-response relationship between the two and the relative contributions of individual CVH components to depression risk remain unclear.

Methods: We utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted between 2015 and 2018.

Stomach and duodenal ulcer as a cause of death in patients with cancer: a cohort study.

Introduction: Non-cancer deaths are now becoming a significant threat to the health of cancer patients. Death from stomach and duodenal ulcer is linked to cancer due to the side effects of treatment and its pathogenesis. However, guidelines for identifying cancer patients at the highest risk of death from stomach and duodenal ulcer remain unclear.

Molecular profiles of blood from numerous species that differ in sensitivity to acute inflammation.

Vertebrates differ over 100,000-fold in responses to pro-inflammatory agonists such as bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), complicating use of animal models to study human sepsis or inflammatory disorders. We compared transcriptomes of resting and LPS-exposed blood from six LPS-sensitive species (rabbit, pig, sheep, cow, chimpanzee, human) and four LPS-resilient species (mice, rats, baboon, rhesus), as well as plasma proteomes and lipidomes. Unexpectedly, at baseline, sensitive species already had enhanced expression of LPS-responsive genes relative to resilient species.

Risk of glaucoma with bisphosphonate use in patients with osteoporosis: a case-control study.

Purpose: Bisphosphonates (BPs) are first line agents commonly used in the management of osteoporosis. There have been two case reports that have suggested a possible link between BPs and acute angle closure (AAC). In the absence of any large epidemiologic studies, we sought to determine the risk of AAC and OAG with bisphosphonate use in patients with osteoporosis.

Human brain aging is associated with dysregulation of cell type epigenetic identity.

Significant links between aging and DNA methylation are emerging from recent studies. On the one hand, DNA methylation undergoes changes with age, a process termed as epigenetic drift. On the other hand, DNA methylation serves as a readily accessible and accurate biomarker for aging.

Accelerating antiviral drug discovery: early hazard detection with a dual zebrafish and cell culture screen of a 403 compound library.

The constant emergence of new viral pathogens underscores the need for continually evolving, effective antiviral drugs. A key challenge is identifying compounds that are both efficacious and safe, as many candidates fail during development due to unforeseen toxicity. To address this, the embryonic zebrafish morphology, mortality, and behavior (ZBE) screen and the SYSTEMETRIC® Cell Health Screen (CHS) were employed to evaluate the safety of 403 compounds from the Cayman Antiviral Screening Library.

Genome-scale modeling identifies dynamic metabolic vulnerabilities during the epithelial to mesenchymal transition.

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a conserved cellular process critical for embryogenesis, wound healing, and cancer metastasis. During EMT, cells undergo large-scale metabolic reprogramming that supports multiple functional phenotypes including migration, invasion, survival, chemo-resistance and stemness. However, the extent of metabolic network rewiring during EMT is unclear.

A novel scoring protocol reveals age-related differences in abstract compared to concrete thinking in cued autobiographical remembering.

Human imagination has garnered growing interest in many fields. However, it remains unclear how to characterize different forms of imaginative thinking and how imagination differs between young and older adults. Here, we introduce a novel scoring protocol based on recent theoretical developments in the cognitive neuroscience of imagination to provide a broad tool with which to characterize imaginative thinking.

Plasma-aided direct printing of silver nanoparticle conductive structures on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surfaces.

We report a controlled deposition process using atmospheric plasma to fabricate silver nanoparticle (AgNP) structures on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates, essential for stretchable electronic circuits in wearable devices. This technique ensures precise printing of conductive structures using nanoparticles as precursors, while the relationship between crystallinity and plasma treatment is established through X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The XRD studies provide insights into the effects of plasma parameters on the structural integrity and adhesion of AgNP patterns, enhancing our understanding of substrate stretchability and bendability.

Lack of association of the PLD4 SNP rs2841277 with systemic sclerosis in a European American population.

This study aimed to examine whether a reported SSc-associated SNP rs2841277 in the PLD4 gene identified in an Asian population was also associated with SSc in European American (EA). The EA cohort consisting of 1005 SSc patients and 961 healthy controls was examined in this study. TaqMan genotyping assays were performed to examine the SNP.

Towards a more objective and high-throughput spheroid invasion assay quantification method.

Multicellular spheroids embedded in 3D hydrogels are prominent in vitro models for 3D cell invasion. Yet, quantification methods for spheroid cell invasion that are high-throughput, objective and accessible are still lacking. Variations in spheroid sizes and the shapes of the cells within render it difficult to objectively assess invasion extent.

Association between urinary volatile organic compounds metabolites and rheumatoid arthritis among the adults from NHANES 2011-2018.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is closely associated with environmental factors. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a common environment pollutant which can induce autoimmune diseases. However, studies on the relationship between VOCs and RA are still unclear.

Smoking-associated electrocardiographic abnormalities predict cardiovascular mortality.

Background -Smoking is associated with arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death, but the biological mechanisms remain unclear. In electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings abnormal durations of ventricular repolarization (QT interval), atrial depolarization (P wave), and atrioventricular depolarization (PR interval and segment), predict cardiac arrhythmia and mortality. Previous analyses of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database for associations between smoking and ECG abnormalities were incomplete.

Association between prophylactic aspirin use and hypertension using data from NHANES 2011-2018.

Aspirin may be necessary for some patients with cardiovascular disease, but previous studies on the use and dosage of aspirin and the association with hypertension have been inadequate. The results of existing studies have been somewhat inconsistent. Our study was designed to assess the association between prophylactic aspirin use and hypertension in U.

Structural inequality linked to brain volume and network dynamics in aging and dementia across the Americas.

Structural inequality, the uneven distribution of resources and opportunities, influences health outcomes. However, the biological embedding of structural inequality in aging and dementia, especially among underrepresented populations, is unclear. We examined the association between structural inequality (country-level and state-level Gini indices) and brain volume and connectivity in 2,135 healthy controls, and individuals with Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal lobe degeneration from Latin America and the United States.

Association between life's essential 8 and periodontitis in U.S. adults.

Periodontitis is closely related to lifestyle habits. Our objective was to examine the relationship between the Life's Essential 8 (LE8) and the prevalence of periodontitis in American adults. This study used data from the 2009-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

Conotoxin KM-RIIIJ reveals interplay between K1-channels and persistent sodium currents in proprioceptive DRG neurons.

Voltage-gated potassium channels (VGKCs) comprise the largest and most complex families of ion channels. Approximately 70 genes encode VGKC alpha subunits, which assemble into functional tetrameric channel complexes. These subunits can also combine to form heteromeric channels, significantly expanding the potential diversity of VGKCs.

Carboxyl ester lipase hybrid 1 (CEL-HYB1) haplotypes confer varying risk for chronic pancreatitis.

The CEL-HYB1 hybrid allele of the carboxyl ester lipase (CEL) gene and its pseudogene (CELP) has been associated with chronic pancreatitis (CP). Recent work indicated that amino acid positions 488 and 548 in CEL-HYB1 determined pathogenicity. Haplotype Thr488-Ile548 was associated with CP while haplotypes Thr488-Thr548 and Ile488-Thr548 were benign.

Sensory representations and pupil-indexed listening effort provide complementary contributions to multi-talker speech intelligibility.

Multi-talker speech intelligibility requires successful separation of the target speech from background speech. Successful speech segregation relies on bottom-up neural coding fidelity of sensory information and top-down effortful listening. Here, we studied the interaction between temporal processing measured using Envelope Following Responses (EFRs) to amplitude modulated tones, and pupil-indexed listening effort, as it related to performance on the Quick Speech-in-Noise (QuickSIN) test in normal-hearing adults.