Basic Science and Pathogenesis.

Background: In tauopathies, the protein tau misfolds into a b-sheet conformation that self-templates and spreads throughout the brain causing progressive degeneration. Biological and structural data have shown that the shape, or strain, that tau adopts when it misfolds determines which disease a patient will develop. We previously used HEK293T cells expressing TauRD-YFP to show that tau strain formation is isoform-specific.

Basic Science and Pathogenesis.

Background: Tauopathies are a class of neurodegenerative diseases marked by tau protein spread and aggregation. Recently, our group described the cellular receptor Low-density lipoprotein Receptor-related Protein 1 (LRP1) as a regulator of tau spread. Knockdown of LRP1 halts tau spread in human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons and the mouse brain, indicating potential therapeutic implications.

Scalable fabrication of an array-type fixed-target device for automated room temperature X-ray protein crystallography.

X-ray crystallography is one of the leading tools to analyze the 3-D structure, and therefore, function of proteins and other biological macromolecules. Traditional methods of mounting individual crystals for X-ray diffraction analysis can be tedious and result in damage to fragile protein crystals. Furthermore, the advent of multi-crystal and serial crystallography methods explicitly require the mounting of larger numbers of crystals.

Influence of pre-processing criteria on analysis of accelerometry-based physical activity.

Background: Accelerometers are widely adopted for physical activity (PA) measurement. Accelerometry data require pre-processing before entering formal statistical analyses. Many pre-processing criteria may influence PA outcomes and the processed sample, impacting results in subsequent statistical analyses.

Racial and ethnic disparities in young adult mental health: Exploring the individual and conjoint effects of ACEs and campus climate.

Objectives: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been linked to posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), but the role of contextual factors remains underexplored. Therefore, this study examined the moderating effect of campus climate on associations between ACEs and PTSS and whether effects differ based on racial/ethnic identity.

Participants: University students taking Psychology courses at a large public university in the Northeastern United States ( = 419).

Development of Primal World Beliefs.

Primal world beliefs ("primals") capture individuals' basic understanding of what sort of world this is. How do children develop beliefs about the nature of the world? Is the world a good place? Safe or dangerous? Enticing or dull? Primals were initially introduced in social and personality psychology to understand beliefs about the world as a whole that may influence well-being and personality. This article introduces the concept of primals to developmental scientists and reviews preliminary research examining how primals relate to sociodemographic and well-being indicators.

Robot-Assisted Laparoscopic Application of Fibrin Sealant Patch for Repair of Inferior Vena Cava.

Introduction: There is a risk of iatrogenic vascular injuries during robotic-assisted laparoscopic excision of diaphragmatic endometriosis. Although studies are limited, the first reported case of a suprahepatic inferior vena cava (IVC) injury during robotic diaphragmatic endometriosis excision was successfully treated using a fibrin sealant patch, preventing exsanguination and conversion to laparotomy.

Case Description: A 36-year-old female with a history of recurrent catamenial pneumothorax and two prior video-assisted thoracoscopic surgeries to treat diaphragmatic endometriosis presented to our clinic with right-sided shoulder pain and a chest tube in place.

Armodafinil as Monotherapy in Treating Narcolepsy with Cataplexy.

In narcolepsy with cataplexy, sodium oxybate and the recently FDA-approved drug pitolisant are preferred medications. Armodafinil, a longer-acting, non-amphetamine stimulant, is often used in patients who have narcolepsy without cataplexy. It enhances alertness by increasing presynaptic dopamine transmission presynaptically, amplifying serotonin in the cerebral cortex, activating glutamatergic circuits, which may contribute to its vigilance-enhancing properties, and stimulating orexin activity.

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Long-Term Outcomes among Individuals with Opioid Use Disorder at Opioid Treatment Programs.

Objectives: Racial and ethnic differences in long-term outcomes associated with medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) are poorly understood.

Methods: The present analyses were based on 751 participants with opioid use disorder (OUD) who were initially recruited from opioid treatment programs located in California, Connecticut, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington and participated in a randomized controlled trial and at least one follow-up interview. 9.

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.

Polymer-siRNA nanovectors for treating lung inflammation.

Uncontrolled inflammation is the driver of numerous lung diseases. Current treatments, including corticosteroids and bronchodilators, can be effective. However, they often come with notable side effects.

Nitrogen Deposition Weakens Soil Carbon Control of Nitrogen Dynamics Across the Contiguous United States.

Anthropogenic nitrogen (N) deposition is unequally distributed across space and time, with inputs to terrestrial ecosystems impacted by industry regulations and variations in human activity. Soil carbon (C) content normally controls the fraction of mineralized N that is nitrified (ƒ), affecting N bioavailability for plants and microbes. However, it is unknown whether N deposition has modified the relationships among soil C, net N mineralization, and net nitrification.

Oral administration of ethinyl estradiol and the brain-selective estrogen prodrug DHED in a female common marmoset model of menopause: Effects on cognition, thermoregulation, and sleep.

Menopausal symptoms of sleep disturbances, cognitive deficits, and hot flashes are understudied, in part due to the lack of animal models in which they co-occur. Common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) are valuable nonhuman primates for studying these symptoms, and we examined changes in cognition (reversal learning), sleep (48 h/wk of sleep recorded by telemetry), and thermoregulation (nose temperature in response to mild external warming) in middle-aged, surgically-induced menopausal marmosets studied at baseline, during 3-week phases of ethinyl estradiol (EE, 4 μg/kg/day, p.o.

Force-Responsive Delivery of Anticancer Drugs via a DNA Mechanical Nanovehicle.

Cellular mechanical dysregulation can lead to diseases and conditions like tumorigenesis. Drug delivery systems that recognize and respond to specific cellular mechanical characteristics are potentially useful for targeted therapy. We report here the creation of a DNA mechanical nanovehicle that is responsive to cell surface receptor-mediated tensile forces, which can then correspondingly deliver an anticancer drug in situ.

A Working Memory Model of Sentence Processing as Binding Morphemes to Syntactic Positions.

As they process complex linguistic input, language comprehenders must maintain a mapping between lexical items (e.g., morphemes) and their syntactic position in the sentence.

Effect of Transforming Growth Factor-β Inhibition on Ureteral and Renal Scarring in a Rat Model of Upper Urinary Tract Ablation with Irreversible Electroporation.

Objective: To determine whether adjuvant transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) inhibition with pirfenidone (PFD) can mitigate ureteral wall scarring and related complications in a rat model of upper urinary tract ablation with irreversible electroporation (IRE).

Methods: Transmural ablation of the ureter was performed with IRE in 24 rats. Post-IRE, animals were randomly assigned to receive PFD or no drug, followed by euthanasia at 2-, 5-, or 10-days.

State-Level Structural Racism and Children's Dental Care Access and Oral Health.

Introduction: Black children in the United States have lower rates of dental visits and higher rates of poor oral health. However, few studies have examined the role of structural racism as a contributor to racial gaps in children's oral health. This study assessed associations between state-level structural racism and oral health outcomes of children and the related Black-White disparities.

Cationic conjugated polymers with tunable hydrophobicity for efficient treatment of multidrug-resistant wound biofilm infections.

Biofilm-associated infections arising from antibiotic-resistant bacteria pose a critical challenge to global health. We report the generation of a library of cationic conjugated poly(phenylene ethynylene) (PPE) polymers featuring trimethylammonium terminated sidechains with tunable hydrophobicity. Screening of the library identified an amphiphilic polymer with a C hydrophobic spacer as the polymer with the highest antimicrobial efficacy against biofilms in the dark with excellent selectivity.

Skeletal Muscle Inosine Monophosphate Formation Preserves ∆G During Incremental Step Contractions .

The cause and consequences of inosine monophosphate (IMP) formation when ATP declines during muscular contractions are not fully understood. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of IMP formation in the maintenance of the Gibbs free energy for ATP hydrolysis (∆G) during dynamic contractions of increasing workload, and the implications of ATP loss . Eight males (27.

Chilean brush tailed mouse (): a diurnal precocial rodent as a new model to study visual receptive field properties of superior colliculus neurons.

Lab rodent species commonly used to study the visual system and its development (hamsters, rats, and mice) are crepuscular/nocturnal, altricial, and possess simpler visual systems than carnivores and primates. To widen the spectra of studied species, here we introduce an alternative model, the Chilean degu (). This diurnal, precocial Caviomorph rodent has a cone enriched, well-structured retina, and well-developed central visual projections.

DNA damage causes ATM-dependent heterochromatin loss leading to nuclear softening, blebbing, and rupture.

The nucleus must maintain stiffness to preserve its shape and integrity to ensure proper function. Defects in nuclear stiffness caused from chromatin and lamin perturbations produce abnormal nuclear shapes common in aging, heart disease, and cancer. Loss of nuclear shape via protrusions called blebs lead to nuclear rupture that is well-established to cause nuclear dysfunction, including DNA damage.

What Can we Learn About Human Nature from Interacting with Strangers? Relationship Type Determines Behavior in the Dictator Game.

Behavioral decision-making research has been exceptionally useful in the quest of the social sciences to understand human nature. A frequent assumption of this research is that using strangers as anonymous interaction partners allows for the clearest demonstration of human nature. But a diverse array of literature - from social and clinical psychology to ethology - suggests that a stranger is far from a "baseline partner.

Exploring Black Birthing Experiences: A Systematic Review and Social-Ecological Analysis of Disparities in the United States.

Background: Black birthing people in the United States face disproportionately high risks and adverse experiences during childbirth compared to their White counterparts. These challenges are shaped by a complex interplay of factors across individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and policy levels.

Objective: This systematic review explores the lived experiences of Black birthing people in the United States, using the Social Ecological Model to identify and analyze factors contributing to disparities in Black birthing health experiences.