Extracellular ATP regulates phagocytic activity, mitochondrial respiration, and cytokine secretion of human astrocytic cells.

The two main glial cell types of the central nervous system (CNS), astrocytes and microglia, are responsible for neuroimmune homeostasis. Recent evidence indicates astrocytes can participate in removal of pathological structures by becoming phagocytic under conditions of neurodegenerative disease when microglia, the professional phagocytes, are impaired. We hypothesized that adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which acts as damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP), when released at high concentrations into extracellular space, upregulates phagocytic activity of human astrocytes.

Predictors of pelvic acceleration during treadmill running across various stride frequency conditions.

Pelvic running injuries often require extensive rehabilitation and pelvic girdle pain is a barrier to running engagement in population sub-groups, such as perinatal women. However, exploration into how external pelvic loading may be altered during running is limited. This study assessed which biomechanical variables influence changes in external peak pelvic acceleration during treadmill running, across various stride frequency conditions.

Acute selective serotonin-reuptake inhibition elevates basal ventilation, attenuates the rebreathing ventilatory response, independent of cerebral perfusion.

Serotonin (5-HT) is integral to signalling in areas of the brainstem controlling ventilation and is involved in central chemoreception. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), used to effectively increase 5-HT concentrations, are commonly prescribed for depression. The effects of SSRIs on the control of breathing and the potential influence of cerebral blood flow (CBF) have not been directly assessed.

The cognitive and evolutionary science of behavioural modernity goes beyond material chronology.

Stibbard-Hawkes' taphonomic findings are valuable, and his call for caution warranted, but the hazards he raises are being mitigated by a multi-pronged approach; current research on behavioural/cognitive modernity is not based solely on material chronology. Theories synthesize data from archaeology, anthropology, psychology, neuroscience, and genetics, and predictions arising from these theories are tested with mathematical and agent-based models.

Acute Effect of High-Intensity Interval Exercise on Blood Pressure in Females Living with Type 2 Diabetes and Hypertension.

Background : The acute effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on blood pressure (BP) may depend on the exercise protocol performed. Purpose: To compare the acute effect of high and low-volume HIIT on post-exercise and ambulatory BP in untrained older females diagnosed with both type 2 diabetes (T2D) and hypertension (HTN). Methods: Fifteen females (69 [65 ─ 74] years) completed a crossover study with three experimental conditions: 1) REST (35 min in sitting position); 2) HIIT10 (10 × 1 min at 90% heart rate max [HRmax]), and 3) HIIT4 (4 × 4 min at 90% HRmax).

A novel blue-green infrastructure for providing potential drinking water source from urban stormwater through a sustainable physical-biological treatment.

In this research, a sustainable blue-green infrastructure (BGI) was developed to efficiently remove contaminants from stormwater through a combined use of modified porous asphalt (PA) and microalgae cultivation to provide a potential drinking water (DW) source. According to the results, the modified PA with powder activated carbon (PAC) could successfully reduce the level of total suspended solids (TSS), turbidity, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), oil and grease to below the DW standards but failed to efficiently remove some heavy metals (HMs) and nutrient pollutants. The results revealed that the treated stormwater was an appropriate medium for microalgae cultivation.

A comparison of radio frequency and microwave heating methods for enhancing the removal and biotransformation of endocrine-disrupting triclocarban during advanced anaerobic digestion.

Anaerobic digestion (AD) has very limited effectiveness against the removal of many emerging contaminants, including the pervasive antimicrobial triclocarban (TCC). This is the first study to compare two thermal pretreatment methods to evaluate the fate of persistent TCC and its transformation/degradation by-products during advanced AD. Two electromagnetic heating methods are employed: one uses an innovative radio frequency (RF) heating system at 13.

Effect of a home-based exercise program on subsequent falls among community-dwelling older adults with cognitive frailty: A sub-group analysis of a randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: Cognitive frailty is characterized by concurrent physical frailty and mild cognitive impairment and is associated with increased risk of falls. Exercise is an evidence-based strategy to prevent falls, but whether exercise reduces falls in people with cognitive frailty is unknown. We examined the effects of home-based exercise on subsequent falls among community-dwelling older adults with cognitive frailty who have previously fallen.

Psilocin, the Psychoactive Metabolite of Psilocybin, Modulates Select Neuroimmune Functions of Microglial Cells in a 5-HT Receptor-Dependent Manner.

Neuroinflammation that is caused by microglia, the main immune cells of the brain, contributes to neurodegenerative diseases. Psychedelics, including psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), possess certain anti-inflammatory properties and, therefore, should be considered as drug candidates for treating neuroinflammatory pathologies. When ingested, psilocybin is rapidly dephosphorylated to yield psilocin, which crosses the blood-brain barrier and exerts psychotropic activity by interacting with the 5-hydroxytryptamine 2A receptors (5-HTRs) on neurons.

Does Sleep Moderate the Effects of Exercise Training or Complex Mental and Social Activities on Cognitive Function in Adults With Chronic Stroke? Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Trial.

Background: Exercise (EX) or cognitive and social enrichment (ENRICH) are 2 strategies for promoting cognition poststroke. Whether sleep moderates the effects of EX or ENRICH on cognition in adults with chronic stroke is unknown.

Methods: A 3-arm parallel randomized clinical trial among community-dwelling adults aged 55+ years with chronic stroke (ie, ≥12 months since stroke).

Investigating premotor corticospinal excitability in fast and slow voluntary contractions of the elbow flexors.

Corticospinal excitability (CSE) increases before a voluntary contraction; however, the relative contributions of premotor cortical and spinal mechanisms are poorly understood. It is unknown whether the intended voluntary contractile rate affects CSE. Eighteen young, healthy participants (9 females) completed isometric elbow flexion contractions targeting 50% maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) torque, at either fast (fast as possible) or slow (25% MVC/s) contractile rates.

A how-to guide for code sharing in biology.

In 2024, all biology is computational biology. Computer-aided analysis continues to spread into new fields, becoming more accessible to researchers trained in the wet lab who are eager to take advantage of growing datasets, falling costs, and novel assays that present new opportunities for discovery. It is currently much easier to find guidance for implementing these techniques than for reporting their use, leaving biologists to guess which details and files are relevant.

Exploring neuroglial signaling: diversity of molecules implicated in microglia-to-astrocyte neuroimmune communication.

Effective communication between different cell types is essential for brain health, and dysregulation of this process leads to neuropathologies. Brain glial cells, including microglia and astrocytes, orchestrate immune defense and neuroimmune responses under pathological conditions during which interglial communication is indispensable. Our appreciation of the complexity of these processes is rapidly increasing due to recent advances in molecular biology techniques, which have identified numerous phenotypic states of both microglia and astrocytes.

"The Walls Had Been Built": A Qualitative Study of Canadian Adolescent Perspectives on Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Public health measures (PHMs) implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic introduced sudden changes to adolescents' everyday routines and required adolescents to repeatedly adapt their routines at a critical developmental stage. While meant to protect physical health, the PHMs destabilized mental health. Using a youth-engaged approach and interpretive description, this study explored adolescents' perspectives on their mental health in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic-related PHMs in Canada from March 2020 to the time of data collection in March 2022.

Integration of complementary split-ring resonators into digital microfluidics for manipulation and direct sensing of droplet composition.

This paper demonstrates the integration of complementary split-ring resonators (CSSRs) with digital microfluidics (DMF) sample manipulation for passive, on-chip radio-frequency (RF) sensing. Integration is accomplished by having the DMF and the RF-sensing components share the same ground plane: by designing the RF-resonant openings directly into the ground plane of a DMF device, both droplet motion and sensing are achieved, adding a new on-board detection mode for use in DMF. The system was modelled to determine basic features and to balance various factors that need to be optimized to maintain both functionalities (DMF-enabled droplet movement and RF detection) on the same chip.

The effect of the mechanodynamic lung environment on fibroblast phenotype via the Flexcell.

The lung is a highly mechanical organ as it is exposed to approximately 10 strain cycles, (where strain is the length change of tissue structure per unit initial length), with an approximately 4% amplitude change during quiet tidal breathing or 10 strain cycles at a 25% amplitude during heavy exercises, sighs, and deep inspirations. These mechanical indices have been reported to become aberrant in lung diseases such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), pulmonary hypertension, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and asthma. Through recent innovations, various in vitro systems/bioreactors used to mimic the lung's mechanical strain have been developed.

Screening Cover Crops for Utilization in Irrigated Vineyards: A Greenhouse Study on Species' Nitrogen Uptake and Carbon Sequestration Potential.

This study examines the potential of 23 plant species, comprising 10 legumes, 9 grasses, and 4 forbs, as cover crops to enhance carbon (C) sequestration and soil nitrogen (N) in vineyards. After a 120-day evaluation period, cover crop biomass was incorporated into the soil, and grapevine seedlings were planted in its place. Among the established cover crops, the C input potential ranged from 0.

Sleeping for two: A randomized controlled trial of cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBTI) delivered in pregnancy and secondary impacts on symptoms of postpartum depression.

Background: Insomnia in pregnancy is common and highly comorbid with depression.

Objective: To investigate if: 1) depressive symptoms decrease after cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBTI) delivered in pregnancy, and 2) changes in insomnia symptoms represent a mechanism linking CBT-I treatment and reduced symptoms of postpartum depression.

Methods: A two-arm, single-blind, parallel groups randomized controlled trial (RCT) design was used to evaluate the impact of a 5-week CBT-I intervention adapted for pregnant people with insomnia (N = 62).

The development and validation of a conceptual definition of avoidable transitions from long-term care to the emergency department: A mixed methods study.

Background/objectives: Transitions to and from Emergency Departments (EDs) can be detrimental to long-term care (LTC) residents and burden the healthcare system. While reducing avoidable transfers is imperative, various terms are used interchangeably including inappropriate, preventable, or unnecessary transitions. Our study objectives were to develop a conceptual definition of avoidable LTC-ED transitions and to verify the level of stakeholder agreement with this definition.

Clinical applicability of Linac-integrated CBCT based NIPAM 3D dosimetry: a dual-institutional investigation.

To develop and benchmark a novel 3D dose verification technique consisting of polymer gel dosimetry (PGD) with cone-beam-CT (CBCT) readout through a two-institution study. The technique has potential for wide and robust applicability through reliance on CBCT readout..

Temporal patterns of gut microbiota in lemurs (Eulemur rubriventer) living in intact and disturbed habitats in a novel sample type.

The gut microbiome is a plastic phenotype; gut microbial composition is highly variable across an individual host's lifetime and between host social groups, and this variation has consequences for host health. However, we do not yet fully understand how longitudinal microbial dynamics and their social drivers may be influenced by ecological stressors, such as habitat degradation. Answering these questions is difficult in most wild animal systems, as it requires long-term collections of matched host, microbiome, and environmental trait data.

Ignoring the role of reiterative processing and worldview transformation leads to exaggeration of the role of curiosity in creativity.

The Novelty-Seeking Model does not address the iterative nature of creativity, and how it restructures one's worldview, resulting in overemphasis on the role of curiosity, and underemphasis on inspiration and perseverance. It overemphasizes the product; creators often seek merely to express themselves or figure out or come to terms with something. We point to inconsistencies regarding divergent and convergent thought.