Human iPSC-derived motor neuron innervation enhances the differentiation of muscle bundles engineered with benchtop fabrication techniques.

Engineered skeletal muscle tissues are critical tools for disease modeling, drug screening, and regenerative medicine, but are limited by insufficient maturation. Because innervation is a critical regulator of skeletal muscle development and regeneration in vivo, motor neurons are hypothesized to improve the maturity of engineered skeletal muscle tissues. Although motor neurons have been added to pre-engineered muscle constructs, the impact of motor neurons added prior to the onset of muscle differentiation has not been evaluated.

Alzheimer's Disease Sequencing Project Release 4 Whole Genome Sequencing Dataset.

The Alzheimer's Disease Sequencing Project (ADSP) is a national initiative to understand the genetic architecture of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) by sequencing whole genomes of affected participants and age-matched cognitive controls from diverse populations. The Genome Center for Alzheimer's Disease (GCAD) processed whole-genome sequencing data from 36,361 ADSP participants, including 35,014 genetically unique participants of which 45% are from non-European ancestry, across 17 cohorts in 14 countries in this fourth release (R4). This sequencing effort identified 387 million bi-allelic variants, 42 million short insertions/deletions, and 2.

Nth Slice Eraser: An Automated Algorithm to Ease Editing Workflow of Organ Contours Generated by Artificial Intelligence.

The time-consuming process of manual contouring of healthy tissue and organs in radiation therapy has prompted the development of computational systems to aid and automate this process, such as artificial intelligence (AI) segmentation and interpolation algorithms. These algorithms are useful in saving time, however, they are not always accurate. Fixing such inaccuracies by editing contours is a manual, time-consuming process as no 'undo' feature currently exists in the most commonly used treatment planning system (TPS).

LIV selection in 'tweener' patients treated with magnetically controlled growing rods vs. posterior spinal fusion.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the LIV selection in 'tweener' patients treated with MCGR or PSF.

Methods: A multicenter pediatric spine database was queried for ambulatory patients ages 8-11 years treated by MCGR or PSF with at least 2-year follow-up. The relationship between the LIV and preoperative spinal height, curve magnitude, and implant type were assessed.

Pioneering Computational Culture Within Pharmacy Schools by Empowering Students With Data Science and Bioinformatics Skills.

As advancements in digital health lead to the generation of increasingly diverse and voluminous pharmaceutical data, it is increasingly critical that we teach trainee pharmaceutical scientists how to leverage this data to lead future innovations in health care and pharmaceutical research. To address this need, the University of Southern California Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is incorporating data science and bioinformatics into the graduate and undergraduate curricula through introductory courses tailored for students without prior programming experience.

High-Risk Infant Developmental Outcome Is Associated with Medical Complexity and Neighborhood Opportunity.

Objective: To assess how medical complexity and neighborhood opportunity jointly affect cognitive, motor, and language Bayley's Scales of Infant Development. Secondary objectives involved identifying the factors contributing to developmental disparities across diverse racial and ethnic groups.

Study Design: Electronic health records from a Southern California high-risk infant follow-up clinic were analyzed for 440 infants from 2014 through 2023 who had either had neonatal intensive care unit stays, prematurity, very low birthweight, or developmental delay risk.

Prospective Associations of Exposure to Discrimination and Alcohol Use: A National Longitudinal Study.

Introduction: This study examined prospective associations of perceived discrimination experience and past-week alcohol use among U.S. adults.

Diagnostic performance of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in traumatic solid organ injuries in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Blunt abdominal trauma (BAT) is a significant contributor to pediatric mortality, often causing liver and spleen injuries. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT), the gold standard for diagnosing solid organ injury, poses radiation risks to children. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) may be a promising alternative imaging modality.

Factors Influencing Fronto-Orbital Relapse in Patients With Syndromic Craniosynostosis: A 2 Decade Review.

Fronto-orbital retrusion may occur after primary surgical correction of craniosynostosis, particularly in patients with syndromic craniosynostosis. This study investigated reoperation rates and factors contributing to FO relapse among this cohort. A retrospective review evaluated reoperation for FO relapse in patients with syndromic multisuture craniosynostosis who underwent primary fronto-orbital advancement (FOA) + calvarial vault remodeling (CVR) at our institution between 2004 and 2024.

Amyloid, Tau, and APOE in Alzheimer's Disease: Impact on White Matter Tracts.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by cognitive decline and memory loss due to the abnormal accumulation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques and tau tangles in the brain; its onset and progression also depend on genetic factors such as the apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype. Understanding how these factors affect the brain's neural pathways is important for early diagnostics and interventions. Tractometry is an advanced technique for 3D quantitative assessment of white matter tracts, localizing microstructural abnormalities in diseased populations in vivo.

Real-world healthcare resource utilization of Alzheimer's disease in the early and advanced stages: a retrospective cohort study.

Aims: To compare all-cause and Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) by cognitive stage.

Methods And Materials: This retrospective study analyzed insurance claims data linked to electronic health records (01/01/2015-12/31/2021). Patients with ≥1 cognitive assessment (Mini-Mental State Examination or Montreal Cognitive Assessment) and ≥1 medical or pharmacy claim for an AD diagnosis or AD medications were included.

The Impact of Presurgical Nasoalveolar Molding on Midface Growth in Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective: Nasoalveolar molding (NAM) can optimize aesthetic outcomes in patients with cleft lip and palate (CLP), particularly in those with wider clefts. However, its impact on long-term postoperative sequelae such as midface hypoplasia (MFH) remains unclear. This study analyzed cephalometric data to evaluate NAM's effect on MFH in patients with complete unilateral CLP (UCLP).

Achieving Inclusion in Pharmacological Clinical Trials for Alzheimer's Disease.

Participant recruitment and retention into randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is a growing and evolving science. It varies dramatically by discipline given the important and key choices that must be made based on the unique trial design considerations. In the field of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) therapeutics, recruitment goals, approaches, and strategies vary based on the disease stage of the target population which can range from asymptomatic adults with biomarker evidence of the disease to end-stage symptom management.

Modelling human brain development and disease with organoids.

Organoids are systems derived from pluripotent stem cells at the interface between traditional monolayer cultures and in vivo animal models. The structural and functional characteristics of organoids enable the modelling of early stages of brain development in a physiologically relevant 3D environment. Moreover, organoids constitute a tool with which to analyse how individual genetic variation contributes to the susceptibility and progression of neurodevelopmental disorders.

Beyond pluripotency: Yamanaka factors drive brain growth and regeneration.

The Yamanaka factors (YFs), a set of four transcription factors, are widely studied for their ability to dedifferentiate somatic cells into a pluripotent state. In a recent study, Shen and colleagues show that transient expression of YFs in the mouse brain expands the developing cortex and prevents cognitive decline in an Alzheimer's disease (AD) model.

Profiling paracrine interactions between hypoxic and normoxic skeletal muscle tissue in a microphysiological system fabricated from 3D printed components.

Disrupted blood flow in conditions such as peripheral artery disease and critical limb ischemia leads to variations in oxygen supply within skeletal muscle tissue, creating regions of poorly perfused, hypoxic skeletal muscle surrounded by regions of adequately perfused, normoxic muscle tissue. These oxygen gradients may have significant implications for muscle injury or disease, as mediated by the exchange of paracrine factors between differentially oxygenated tissue. However, creating and maintaining heterogeneous oxygen landscapes within a controlled experimental setup to ensure continuous paracrine signaling is a technological challenge.

Fasting-mimicking diet potentiates anti-tumor effects of CDK4/6 inhibitors against breast cancer by suppressing NRAS- and IGF1-mediated mTORC1 signaling.

Fasting-mimicking diet (FMD) cycles, defined as 3-5 day periods of a calorie-restricted, low-protein, low-carbohydrate, and high-fat diet, have emerged as a dietary approach to delay cancer initiation and progression in both autograft and xenograft mouse models and as a safe and feasible approach to decrease risk factors for cancer and other age-related pathologies in humans. A substantial number of pre-clinical studies focused on various tumor types have shown that fasting/FMDs can potentiate the efficacy of various standard-of-care cancer therapies but also modulate the immune system to promote a T cell-dependent attack of tumor cells. Importantly, combining drug treatment with fasting/FMDs can overcome acquired drug resistance which frequently emerges and reduces long-term treatment benefits.

Sexual Dysfunction in Chronic Urticaria: A Systematic Review.

Introduction: Chronic urticaria (CU) is frequently a debilitating skin condition characterized by recurrent and spontaneous wheal and flares with significant impact on quality of life. This systematic review examines the impact of CU on sexual health.

Methods: A systematic review using PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane library databases was conducted for articles on sexual health in chronic urticaria.

Lidocaine infusion for the treatment of complex regional pain syndrome: Case series and literature review.

Introduction: Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a chronic pain condition most often triggered by direct injury to an extremity that is characterized by disproportionate pain, sensory abnormalities, and autonomic dysfunction. Early research into intravenous lidocaine therapy for CRPS has demonstrated promise, but clinical evidence remains scarce. We report on 12 patients with chronic CRPS who underwent intravenous lidocaine therapy and discuss our findings in the context of the existing literature.