Strontium isoscape of sub-Saharan Africa allows tracing origins of victims of the transatlantic slave trade.

Strontium isotope (Sr/Sr) analysis with reference to strontium isotope landscapes (Sr isoscapes) allows reconstructing mobility and migration in archaeology, ecology, and forensics. However, despite the vast potential of research involving Sr/Sr analysis particularly in Africa, Sr isoscapes remain unavailable for the largest parts of the continent. Here, we measure the Sr/Sr ratios in 778 environmental samples from 24 African countries and combine this data with published data to model a bioavailable Sr isoscape for sub-Saharan Africa using random forest regression.

Operando real-space imaging of a structural phase transformation in the high-voltage electrode LiNiMnO.

Discontinuous solid-solid phase transformations play a pivotal role in determining the properties of rechargeable battery electrodes. By leveraging operando Bragg Coherent Diffractive Imaging (BCDI), we investigate the discontinuous phase transformation in LiNiMnO within an operational Li metal coin cell. Throughout Li-intercalation, we directly observe the nucleation and growth of the Li-rich phase within the initially charged Li-poor phase in a 500 nm particle.

Bacteroides expand the functional versatility of a conserved transcription factor and transcribed DNA to program capsule diversity.

The genomes of human gut bacteria in the genus Bacteroides include numerous operons for biosynthesis of diverse capsular polysaccharides (CPSs). The first two genes of each CPS operon encode a locus-specific paralog of transcription elongation factor NusG (called UpxY), which enhances transcript elongation, and a UpxZ protein that inhibits noncognate UpxYs. This process, together with promoter inversions, ensures that a single CPS operon is transcribed in most cells.

PSCA-targeted BPX-601 CAR T cells with pharmacological activation by rimiducid in metastatic pancreatic and prostate cancer: a phase 1 dose escalation trial.

Here we report results of a phase 1 multi-institutional, open-label, dose-escalation trial (NCT02744287) of BPX-601, an investigational autologous PSCA-directed GoCAR-T® cell product containing an inducible MyD88/CD40 ON-switch responsive to the activating dimerizer rimiducid, in patients with metastatic pancreatic (mPDAC) or castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Primary objectives were to evaluate safety and tolerability and determine the recommended phase 2 dose/schedule (RP2D). Secondary objectives included the assessment of efficacy and characterization of the pharmacokinetics of rimiducid.

World-making for a future with sentient AI.

The ways people imagine possible futures with artificial intelligence (AI) affects future world-making-how the future is produced through cultural propagation, design, engineering, policy, and social interaction-yet there has been little empirical study of everyday people's expectations for AI futures. We addressed this by analysing two waves (2021 and 2023) of USA nationally representative data from the Artificial Intelligence, Morality, and Sentience (AIMS) survey on the public's forecasts about an imagined future world with widespread AI sentience (total N = 2401). Average responses to six forecasts (exploiting AI labour, treating AI cruelly, using AI research subjects, AI welfare, AI rights advocacy, AI unhappiness reduction) showed mixed expectations for humanity's future with AI.

Guidelines for the standardization of pre-analytical variables for salivary biomarker studies in Alzheimer's disease research: An updated review and consensus of the Salivary Biomarkers for Dementia Research Working Group.

There is a pressing need for accessible biomarkers with high diagnostic accuracy for Alzheimer's disease (AD) diagnosis to facilitate widespread screening, particularly in underserved groups. Saliva is an emerging specimen for measuring AD biomarkers, with distinct contexts of use that could complement blood and cerebrospinal fluid and detect various analytes. An interdisciplinary, international group of AD and related dementias (ADRD) researchers convened and performed a narrative review of published studies on salivary AD biomarkers.

A sample size analysis of a mathematical model of longitudinal tumor volume and progression-free survival for Bayesian individual dynamic predictions in recurrent high-grade glioma.

Patients with recurrent high-grade glioma (rHGG) have a poor prognosis with median progression-free survival (PFS) of <7 months. Responses to treatment are heterogenous, suggesting a clinical need for prognostic models. Bayesian data analysis can exploit individual patient follow-up imaging studies to adaptively predict the risk of progression.

Increasing Aridity May Threaten the Maintenance of a Plant Defence Polymorphism.

It is unclear how environmental change influences standing genetic variation in wild populations. Here, we characterised environmental conditions that protect versus erode polymorphic chemical defences in Boechera stricta (Brassicaceae), a short-lived perennial wildflower. By manipulating drought and herbivory in a 4-year field experiment, we measured the effects of driver variation on vital rates of genotypes varying in defence chemistry and then assessed interacting driver effects on total fitness (estimated as each genotype's lineage growth rate, λ) using demographic models.

Pediatric T-lymphoblastic Leukemia With an Entirely Mature Immunophenotype: A Prompt and Challenging Diagnosis.

Children with T-ALL/LBL require prompt diagnosis and treatment. Flow cytometric analysis of T-lineage and immaturity markers usually leads to a straightforward diagnosis. However, rare cases of T-ALL expressing bright CD45 and lacking expression of immature markers can be a diagnostic conundrum and difficult to differentiate from mature T-cell lymphomas lacking surface CD3 expression or aberrantly expressing immature markers, which affects treatment decisions and prognosis.

Life-Space Mobility Is Related to Loneliness Among Living-Alone Older Adults: Longitudinal Analysis With Motion Sensor Data.

Background: Life-space mobility can be a behavioral indicator of loneliness. This study examined the association between life-space mobility measured with motion sensors and weekly vs. annually reported loneliness.

Using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Detect Differences in Micturition-Related Brain Activity Between Volitional and Involuntary Detrusor Contractions.

Introduction: Detrusor contractions can be classified as either volitional or involuntary. The latter are a hallmark of urge urinary incontinence. Understanding differences in neuroactivation associated with both types of contractions can help elucidate pathophysiology and therapeutic targets.

The Ontogeny of Attitudes Toward Migrants.

Immigration is among the most pressing issues of our time. Important questions concern the psychological mechanisms that contribute to attitudes about immigration. Whereas much is known about adults' immigration attitudes, the developmental antecedents of these attitudes are not well understood.

Standardized protocol for labor induction: a type I hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial.

Background: Cesarean delivery remains the most common obstetrical procedure with more than 250,000 patients in the US undergoing cesarean following labor induction annually. Here, we evaluated the impact of prospectively implementing a standardized labor induction protocol on cesarean delivery rates.

Methods: This multi-site type I hybrid effectiveness-implementation study compared 2 years before (PRE) and 2 years after (POST) implementation of a standardized labor induction protocol at two hospitals within the University of Pennsylvania Health System (2018-2022).

Impact of steroid-sparing immunosuppressive agents on tumor outcome in the context of cancer immunotherapy with highlight on melanoma: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis.

Background: The impact of steroid-sparing immunosuppressive agents (SSIAs) for immune-related adverse events (irAEs) on tumor outcome is not well-known. This systematic review evaluates tumor outcomes for corticosteroid (CS) monotherapy versus CS with SSIA (CS-SSIA) for irAE treatment with a focus on melanoma.

Methods: Search was conducted through 1/5/23 using PubMed, Embase, Cochrane CENTRAL, and Web of Science.

Anticoagulation therapy for the prevention of subclinical leaflet thrombosis after transcatheter aortic valve replacement: A comprehensive literature review and future directions.

Leaflet thrombosis after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) presents a significant challenge, leading to adverse clinical outcomes. Subclinical leaflet thrombosis (SLT) is increasingly recognized, and there is a growing concern about its role in clinical events and hemodynamic valve deterioration. Current recommendations for prophylactic anticoagulation or antiplatelet therapy following TAVR are primarily based on expert consensus rather than definitive evidence from randomized trials, resulting in a variety of antithrombotic strategies in clinical practice.

SLC26A3 (DRA, the Congenital Chloride Diarrhea Gene): A Novel Therapeutic Target for Diarrheal Diseases.

Diarrhea associated with enteric infections, gut inflammation, and genetic defects poses a major health burden and results in significant morbidity and mortality. Impaired fluid and electrolyte absorption and/or secretion in the intestine are the hallmark of diarrhea. Electroneutral NaCl absorption in the mammalian GI tract involves the coupling of Na/H and Cl/HCO exchangers.

Assessment of peri- and post-operative outcomes following apical prolapse repair in octogenarians: A retrospective cohort study.

Objective: To assess the risk of postoperative complications and unanticipated healthcare encounters in octogenarians compared to younger patients following apical prolapse repair.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Settings: University-affiliated academic tertiary hospital center.

Factors Associated with Pediatric Drowning-Associated Lung Injury.

Objective: To identify risk factors for clinically-important drowning-associated lung injury (ciDALI) in children.

Study Design: This was a cross-sectional study of children (0 through18 years) who presented to 32 pediatric emergency departments (EDs) from 2010 through 2017. We reviewed demographics, comorbidities, prehospital data, chest radiographs reports, and ED course from emergency medical services, medical, and fatality records.

Total Serum Immunoglobulin E in a Cohort of Children with Food Allergy.

Background: Total serum immunoglobulin E (TsIgE) has not been examined in children with food allergy.

Objective: Evaluate associations of TsIgE with patient, household, environmental and community-level characteristics among children with food allergy.

Method: Linear mixed effect models of data from 398 Black and/or African American (B/AA) and White and/or European American (W/EA) children with allergist-diagnosed food allergy from the multi-center, observational cohort FORWARD; TsIgE in kU/L was the primary outcome measure.

Unlocking Mesoscopic Disorder in Graphitic Carbon with Spectroelectrochemistry.

Intrinsic structural and oxidic defects activate graphitic carbon electrodes towards electrochemical reactions underpinning energy conversion and storage technologies. Yet, these defects can also disrupt the long-range and periodic arrangement of carbon atoms, and thus the characterization of graphitic carbon electrodes necessitate in-situ atomistic differentiation of graphitic regions from mesoscopic bulk disorder. Here, we leverage the combined techniques of in-situ attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy and first-principles calculations to reveal that graphitic carbon electrodes exhibit electric-field dependent infrared activity that is sensitive to the bulk mesoscopic intrinsic disorder.

The Recent Increase in Invasive Bacterial Infections: A Report From the National COVID Cohort Collaborative.

Background: When coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mitigation efforts waned, viral respiratory infections (VRIs) surged, potentially increasing the risk of postviral invasive bacterial infections (IBIs). We sought to evaluate the change in epidemiology and relationships between specific VRIs and IBIs [complicated pneumonia, complicated sinusitis and invasive group A streptococcus (iGAS)] over time using the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C) dataset.

Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of all prospectively collected pediatric (<19 years old) and adult encounters at 58 N3C institutions, stratified by era: pre-pandemic (January 1, 2018, to February 28, 2020) versus pandemic (March 1, 2020, to June 1, 2023).

Singlets-Driven Photoredox Catalysts: Transforming Noncatalytic Red Fluorophores to Efficient Catalysts.

Red-light absorbing photoredox catalysts offer potential advantages for large-scale reactions, expanding the range of usable substrates and facilitating bio-orthogonal applications. While many red-light absorbing/emitting fluorophores have been developed recently, functional red-light absorbing photoredox catalysts are scarce. Many photoredox catalysts rely on long-lived triplet excited states (triplets), which can efficiently engage in single electron transfer (SET) reactions with substrates.

Systematic review: differences in complete blood count component rhythms.

Study Objectives: The complete blood count (CBC) is one of the most commonly ordered blood tests with a large range of reference values that does not consider time of day for interpretation. Our objective was to systematically review this topic to report on peak and trough timing of CBC values.

Methods: A systematic search was performed for studies evaluating any component of the CBC with at least three collections over 24 hours.

Diversity-Related, Student-Led National Medical Organizations: Leadership Opportunities for Learners.

Introduction: In light of the lack of diversity in academic medicine leadership, diversity-related, student-led national medical organizations (NMOs) provide a space for solace and reprieve among common peers while providing an opportunity to develop leadership competencies in a supportive environment. Despite the impact NMOs have had on cultivating generations of leaders in medicine, trainees may not identify opportunities for leadership development that are transferable to future careers in academic medicine.

Methods: We designed and implemented a dynamic 60-minute workshop with an interactive PowerPoint presentation, author-owned video testimonials (from past student leaders of NMOs), two case presentations, and reflection exercises.

Combined effect of confinement and dielectric exclusion on ion adsorption in slits, pores, and cavities.

We present simulation results for the Donnan equilibrium between a homogeneous bulk reservoir and inhomogeneous confining geometries with varying number of restricted dimensions, . Planar slits ( = 1), cylindrical pores ( = 2), and spherical cavities ( = 3) are considered. The walls have a negative surface charge density.