CryoEM reveals the complex self-assembly of a chemically driven disulfide hydrogel.

Inspired by the adaptability of biological materials, a variety of synthetic, chemically driven self-assembly processes have been developed that result in the transient formation of supramolecular structures. These structures form through two simultaneous reactions, forward and backward, which generate and consume a molecule that undergoes self-assembly. The dynamics of these assembly processes have been shown to differ from conventional thermodynamically stable molecular assemblies.

Negative associations between maternal prenatal hair cortisol and child socioemotional problems.

Maternal prenatal distress can participate in the programming of offspring development, in which exposure to altered maternal long-term cortisol levels as measured by hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) may contribute. Yet, studies investigating whether and how maternal prenatal HCC associates with problems in child socioemotional development are scarce. Furthermore, questions remain regarding the timing and potential sex-specificity of fetal exposure to altered cortisol levels and whether there are interactions with maternal prenatal distress, such as depressive symptoms.

Allosteric Activation of RhoA Complexed with p115-RhoGEF Deciphered by Conformational Dynamics.

The Ras homologue family member A (RhoA) is a member of the Rho family, a subgroup of the Ras superfamily. RhoA interacts with the 115 kDa guanine nucleotide exchange factor (p115-RhoGEF), which assists in activation and binding with downstream effectors. Here, we use molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and essential dynamics analysis of the inactive RhoA-GDP and active RhoA-GTP, when bound to p115-RhoGEF to decipher the mechanism of RhoA activation at the structural level.

Undisclosed financial conflicts of interest in DSM-5-TR: cross sectional analysis.

Objective: To assess the extent and types of financial ties to industry of panel and task force members of the American Psychiatric Association's , fifth edition, text revision (DSM-5-TR), published in 2022.

Design: Cross sectional analysis.

Setting: Open Payments database, USA.

CRESPR: Modular sparsification of DNNs to improve pruning performance and model interpretability.

Modern DNNs often include a huge number of parameters that are expensive for both computation and memory. Pruning can significantly reduce model complexity and lessen resource demands, and less complex models can also be easier to explain and interpret. In this paper, we propose a novel pruning algorithm, Cluster-Restricted Extreme Sparsity Pruning of Redundancy (CRESPR), to prune a neural network into modular units and achieve better pruning efficiency.

phytools 2.0: an updated R ecosystem for phylogenetic comparative methods (and other things).

Phylogenetic comparative methods comprise the general endeavor of using an estimated phylogenetic tree (or set of trees) to make secondary inferences: about trait evolution, diversification dynamics, biogeography, community ecology, and a wide range of other phenomena or processes. Over the past ten years or so, the R package has grown to become an important research tool for phylogenetic comparative analysis. is a diverse contributed R library now consisting of hundreds of different functions covering a variety of methods and purposes in phylogenetic biology.

Religious Involvement and the Impact on Living Alone and Depression: An Examination of Gendered Pathways Post-Widowhood.

This study analyzed data from the nationally representative Health and Retirement Study (HRS) to examine the association between widowhood and depression. The results revealed that both men and women experienced increased depression after widowhood, with women exhibiting a better recovery pattern over time. Religiosity, especially attending religious services, was found to be a beneficial coping mechanism for both genders, although men were less religious than women.

Changes in Antidementia Medications upon Admission to the Nursing Home: Who Decides and Why? Results From a National Survey of Nursing Home Administrators.

Objective: Little is known about who is involved and what factors influence changes in antidementia medications for older adults living in nursing homes. The study sought to describe factors associated with initiation and discontinuation of antidementia medications in nursing home residents with dementia.

Design: National survey of nursing homes with ≥30 beds; homes with dementia units were oversampled.

Hair Cortisol Concentrations in Opioid-Exposed versus Nonexposed Mother-Infant Dyads.

Objective: To pilot measurement of hair cortisol concentration (HCC) in pregnant women with opioid use disorder and their infants over time and study the potential utility of hair cortisol as a biomarker of chronic stress in this population.

Study Design: In this pilot prospective cohort study of mother-infant dyads with and without prenatal opioid exposure, we obtained mother-infant HCCs at delivery and again within 1 to 3 months' postpartum. HCCs were compared between the opioid and control groups and between the two time points.

Physical Activity, Social Participation, and Pain Outcomes Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

Background: Little is known regarding the effect of social participation (SP) and physical activity (PA) on pain outcomes among community-dwelling older adults in the United States.

Aims: To determine whether SP and PA are associated with pain outcomes (bothersome pain and number of pain sites).

Design: Guided by the biopsychosocial model of chronic pain for older adults, we analyzed data from 7,187 community dwelling participants in the National Health and Aging Trends Study.

The use of beta-sitosterol for the treatment of prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Herbal supplements are widely used to enhance prostate health. These supplements may contain several types of plant sterols, vitamins, and minerals. By weight, however, plant sterols make up an abundant ingredient component, with saw palmetto extract or its primary component, beta-sitosterol, often comprising the most abundant sterol.

Polarization Z-Scan Studies Revealing Plasmon Coupling Enhancement Due to Dimer Formation of Gold Nanoparticles in Nematic Liquid Crystals.

We investigate the plasmon coupling of gold nanoparticle (AuNP) dimers dispersed in a nematic liquid crystal matrix using the polarization z-scan technique. Our experimental setup includes the precise control of incident light polarization through polarization angles of 0°, 45°, and 90°. Two distinct cell orientations are examined: parallel and twisted nematic cells.

Facial dysmorphology in children exposed in pregnancy to anticonvulsant medications correlates with deficits in IQ.

Some children exposed at conception to the antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) phenytoin (PHT), phenobarbital (PB), and carbamazepine (CBZ) have changes in their midface and fingers. It has been suggested that the anticonvulsant-exposed child with these subtle changes in facial features (the "anticonvulsant face") has a greater likelihood of having deficits in IQ in comparison with children exposed to the same anticonvulsants who do not have these features. 115 AED-exposed children (40, PHT; 34, PB; and 41, CBZ) between 6.

Experiences of patients and family members with follow-up care, information needs and provider support after identification of Lynch Syndrome.

Background: Lynch Syndrome is among the most common hereditary cancer syndromes and requires ongoing cancer surveillance, repeated screenings and potential risk-reducing surgeries. Despite the importance of continued surveillance, there is limited understanding of patient experiences after initial testing and counseling, the barriers or facilitators they experience adhering to recommendations, and how they want to receive information over time.

Methods: A cross-sectional, observational study was conducted among 127 probands and family members who had received genetic testing for Lynch Syndrome.

U.S. nursing home leadership experiences with COVID-19 and its impact on residents and staff: A qualitative analysis.

Objectives: To explore experiences of U.S. (United States) nursing home leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic in their efforts to address resident loneliness and social isolation and to elicit stories about personal and professional impacts on themselves and staff.

Making a new limb out of old cells: exploring endogenous cell reprogramming and its role during limb regeneration.

Cellular reprogramming is characterized by the induced dedifferentiation of mature cells into a more plastic and potent state. This process can occur through artificial reprogramming manipulations in the laboratory such as nuclear reprogramming and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) generation, and endogenously in vivo during amphibian limb regeneration. In amphibians such as the Mexican axolotl, a regeneration permissive environment is formed by nerve-dependent signaling in the wounded limb tissue.

The Mediating Role of Proxy Respondents on the Relationship Between Cognitive Function and Self-Rated Health.

Background And Objectives: Proxy respondents are an important tool in survey research, especially among people with cognitive impairment. However, proxy respondents may be unable to accurately answer subjective survey instruments for cognitively impaired persons. This study investigates the mediating effect of proxy status on the relationship between cognitive impairment and subjectively rated health.

A Bayesian noisy logic model for inference of transcription factor activity from single cell and bulk transcriptomic data.

The advent of high-throughput sequencing has made it possible to measure the expression of genes at relatively low cost. However, direct measurement of regulatory mechanisms, such as transcription factor (TF) activity is still not readily feasible in a high-throughput manner. Consequently, there is a need for computational approaches that can reliably estimate regulator activity from observable gene expression data.

Ethics and Medical Aid in Dying: Physicians' Perspectives on Disclosure, Presence, and Eligibility.

Medical aid in dying (MAiD), despite being legal in many jurisdictions, remains controversial ethically. Existing surveys of physicians' perceptions of MAiD tend to focus on the legal or moral permissibility of MAiD in general. Using a novel sampling strategy, we surveyed physicians likely to have engaged in MAiD-related activities in Colorado to assess their attitudes toward contemporary ethical issues in MAiD.

Frailty, cognitive impairment, and depressive symptoms in Chinese older adults: an eight-year multi-trajectory analysis.

Background: Frailty, cognitive impairment, and depressive symptoms are closely interrelated conditions in the aging population. However, limited research has longitudinally analyzed the concurrent trajectories of these three prominent conditions in older adults in China. This study aimed to explore the eight-year trajectories of frailty, cognitive impairment, and depressive symptoms, and to identify individual-level and structural-level factors associated with the trajectories.

Linking microbiome and stress hormone responses in wild tropical treefrogs across continuous and fragmented forests.

The amphibian skin microbiome is an important component of anti-pathogen defense, but the impact of environmental change on the link between microbiome composition and host stress remains unclear. In this study, we used radiotelemetry and host translocation to track microbiome composition and function, pathogen infection, and host stress over time across natural movement paths for the forest-associated treefrog, Boana faber. We found a negative correlation between cortisol levels and putative microbiome function for frogs translocated to forest fragments, indicating strong integration of host stress response and anti-pathogen potential of the microbiome.