Hepatitis B virus (HBV) viremia despite tenofovir disoproxil fumarate-containing antiretroviral therapy in persons with HBV/HIV coinfection.

Background: The goal of treatment of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) coinfection is suppression of both viruses; yet incomplete HBV suppression on tenofovir (TFV) disoproxil fumarate (TDF)-based antiretroviral therapy (ART) is common. This study investigated TFV resistance-associated mutations (RAMs) in individuals with HBV/HIV coinfection with viremia on TDF/lamivudine (3TC)-containing ART.

Methods: Samples from individuals with HBV DNA levels ≥20 IU/mL in a cross-sectional study of 138 persons with HBV/HIV coinfection in Ghana were analyzed in the present study.

Two riboswitch classes that share a common ligand-binding fold show major differences in the ability to accommodate mutations.

Riboswitches are structured RNAs that sense small molecules to control expression. Prequeuosine1 (preQ1)-sensing riboswitches comprise three classes (I, II and III) that adopt distinct folds. Despite this difference, class II and III riboswitches each use 10 identical nucleotides to bind the preQ1 metabolite.

Association between hospital type and length of stay and readmissions for young adults with complex chronic diseases.

Background: There is a paucity of information around whether hospital length of stay and readmission rates differ based upon hospital type for adolescents and young adults (AYA) with complex chronic diseases (CCDs).

Objective: To measure the association between hospital type and readmission rates and index admission LOS among AYA with CCDs.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cross-sectional study of 2017 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Databases, including patients 12-25 years old with cystic fibrosis (CF), sickle cell disease (SCD), spina bifida (SB), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and diabetes mellitus (DM).

Health care disparities in complication and mortality rates following surgical management of cauda equina syndrome in New York State.

Context: While healthcare disparities related to race and ethnicity are well reported for non-emergent conditions, the literature on disparities in outcomes of emergent spinal conditions such as cauda equina syndrome (CES) remains sparse.

Objective: To evaluate racial disparities in complication, mortality, and readmission rates following surgical intervention for CES.

Methods: This retrospective analysis of The Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS) database demonstrates that among patients surgically treated for CES in New York between 2015 and 2020.

Loss-of-function of RNA-binding protein PRRC2B causes translational defects and congenital cardiovascular malformation.

Alternative splicing generates variant forms of proteins for a given gene and accounts for functional redundancy or diversification. A novel RNA-binding protein, Pro-rich Coiled-coil Containing Protein 2B (PRRC2B), has been reported by multiple laboratories to mediate uORF-dependent and independent regulation of translation initiation required for cell cycle progression and proliferation. We identified two alternative spliced isoforms in human and mouse hearts and HEK293T cells, full-length (FL) and exon 16-excluded isoform ΔE16.

Accidental Physical Trauma in Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs: A Scoping Review.

Background: Children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) may be at greater risk for accidental physical trauma. Interventions should be informed by the literature indicating incident characteristics and at-risk subpopulations.

Objective: To conduct a scoping review of accidental physical trauma in CYSHCN to characterize published literature and identify gaps.

Differences in biological motion perception associated with hearing status and age of signed language exposure.

This study investigates how American Sign Language (ASL) fluency and hearing status influence the perception of biological motion, using three point-light display (PLD) tasks. Prior research indicates that early exposure to ASL among deaf signers results in more rapid and effortless recognition of biological motion than hearing nonsigners, potentially due to the expertise in deciphering complex human movements or possibly due to neuroplasticity in deaf brains. However, it remains uncertain whether this advantage stems from signed language proficiency or the experience of being deaf.

Recurrent Neurodevelopmentally Associated Variants of the Pre-mRNA Splicing Factor U2AF2 Alter RNA Binding Affinities and Interactions.

mutations affecting the pre-mRNA splicing factor U2AF2 are associated with developmental delays and intellectual disabilities, yet the molecular basis is unknown. Here, we demonstrated by fluorescence anisotropy RNA binding assays that recurrent missense mutants (Arg149Trp, Arg150His, or Arg150Cys) decreased the binding affinity of U2AF2 for a consensus splice site RNA. Crystal structures at 1.

ASGR1 Deficiency Inhibits Atherosclerosis in Western Diet-Fed Mice by Regulating Lipoprotein Metabolism and Promoting Cholesterol Efflux.

Background: Atherosclerosis is the most common cause of cardiovascular diseases. Clinical studies indicate that loss-of-function ASGR1 (asialoglycoprotein receptor 1) is significantly associated with lower plasma cholesterol levels and reduces cardiovascular disease risk. However, the effect of ASGR1 on atherosclerosis remains incompletely understood; whether inhibition of ASGR1 causes liver injury remains controversial.

Combinatorial responsiveness of single chemosensory neurons to external stimulation of mouse explants revealed by DynamicNeuronTracker.

Calcium fluorescence imaging enables us to investigate how individual neurons of live animals encode sensory input or drive specific behaviors. Extracting and interpreting large-scale neuronal activity from imaging data are crucial steps in harnessing this information. A significant challenge arises from uncorrectable tissue deformation, which disrupts the effectiveness of existing neuron segmentation methods.