Brain receptor dynamics in early and adult life stress: Gateways to maladaptive coping strategies.

Stress plays a significant role in the onset of numerous psychiatric disorders. Depending on individual resilience or stressor's nature, long-term changes to stress in the brain can lead to a wide range of behavioral symptoms, including social withdrawal, feelings of helplessness, and emotional overeating. The brain receptor molecules are key mediators of these processes, translating neuromodulatory signals into neuronal responses or circuit activity changes that ultimately shape behavioral outcomes.

Hybrid additive manufacturing for Zn-Mg casting for biomedical application.

Zinc (Zn) and its alloys have been the focus of recent materials and manufacturing research for orthopaedic implants due to their favorable characteristics including desirable mechanical strength, biodegradability, and biocompatibility. In this research, a novel process involving additive manufacturing (AM) augmented casting was employed to fabricate zinc-magnesium (Zn-0.8 Mg) artifacts with surface lattices composed of triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS), specifically gyroid.

SPIRIT-DEFINE explanation and elaboration: recommendations for enhancing quality and impact of early phase dose-finding clinical trials protocols.

Unlabelled: Transparent and accurate reporting in early phase dose-finding (EPDF) clinical trials is crucial for informing subsequent larger trials. The SPIRIT statement, designed for trial protocol content, does not adequately cover the distinctive features of EPDF trials. Recent findings indicate that the protocol contents in past EPDF trials frequently lacked completeness and clarity.

CONSORT-DEFINE explanation and elaboration: recommendations for enhancing reporting quality and impact of early phase dose-finding clinical trials.

Unlabelled: Early phase dose-finding (EPDF) trials are key in the development of novel therapies, with their findings directly informing subsequent clinical development phases and providing valuable insights for reverse translation. Comprehensive and transparent reporting of these studies is critical for their accurate and critical interpretation, which may improve and expedite therapeutic development. However, quality of reporting of design characteristics and results from EPDF trials is often variable and incomplete.

Examining the reach of a diabetes screening program in an urban emergency department.

Background: Screening for diabetes in non-traditional settings like emergency departments (ED) can enhance early detection among patients at higher risk for diabetes. This study aims to assess the reach of an ED-based screening program by examining the characteristics of patients screen-detected for diabetes or prediabetes.

Study Design: Retrospective cross-sectional study.

Clustering Sequence Data with Mixture Markov Chains with Covariates Using Multiple Simplex Constrained Optimization Routine (MSiCOR).

Mixture Markov Model (MMM) is a widely used tool to cluster sequences of events coming from a finite state-space. However, the MMM likelihood being multi-modal, the challenge remains in its maximization. Although Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm remains one of the most popular ways to estimate the MMM parameters, however, convergence of EM algorithm is not always guaranteed.

Tissue-specific responses to oxidative fuel source preference during heat stress in lactating dairy cows.

Prolonged exposure to high environmental temperatures results in an accumulated heat load that induces a heat stress (HS) response in dairy cattle. Heat stress compromises dairy farm profitability by reducing milk yield, altering milk composition, and hindering reproductive performance. The ability to alternate between carbohydrate and lipid sources for energy production is termed metabolic flexibility (Met Flex).

Elevated serum CA 19-9 level mimicking pancreaticobiliary carcinoma from a hepatic abscess: case report and literature review.

Serum levels of the tumor marker CA 19-9 are widely utilized in the diagnosis and monitoring pancreatic and biliary malignancies. However, serum levels of CA 19-9 have also been reportedly elevated in non-malignant conditions. Here, we present the rare case of a 65-year-old woman with a history of gallbladder malignancy who was found to have a new hepatic lesion on surveillance CT with an associated elevation in CA 19-9 to 5,866 U/mL.

Meta-analysis of retinal transcriptome profiling studies in animal models of myopia.

Objective: Myopia prevalence is increasing at alarming rates, yet the underlying mechanistic causes are not understood. Several studies have employed experimental animal models of myopia and transcriptome profiling to identify genes and pathways contributing to myopia. In this study, we determined the retinal transcriptome changes in response to form deprivation in mouse retinas.

Molecular and functional profiling unravels targetable vulnerabilities in colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) patients with microsatellite-stable (MSS) tumors are mostly treated with chemotherapy. Clinical benefits of targeted therapies depend on mutational states and tumor location. Many tumors carry mutations in KRAS proto-oncogene, GTPase (KRAS) or B-Raf proto-oncogene, serine/threonine kinase (BRAF), rendering them more resistant to therapies.

Perspectives and experiences regarding pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in a community sample of Veterans with unhealthy alcohol use: overall and across sexual orientation and gender identity.

Background: Unhealthy alcohol use is an independent, modifiable risk factor for HIV, but limited research addresses alcohol use and HIV prevention synergistically. Groups that experience chronic stigma, discrimination, and/or other marginalization, such as sexual and gender minoritized groups, may have enhanced HIV risk related to unhealthy alcohol use. We described awareness of and experiences with pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among a community sample of Veterans reporting unhealthy alcohol use (relative to those without), overall and across self-reported sexual orientation and gender identity.

Screening high-risk Veterans for cirrhosis: taking a stepwise population health approach.

Background: Because cirrhosis is often unrecognized, we aimed to develop a stepwise screening algorithm for cirrhosis in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and assess this approach's feasibility and acceptability.

Methods: VHA hepatology clinicians ("champions") were invited to participate in a pilot program from June 2020 to October 2022. The VHA Corporate Data Warehouse was queried to identify Veterans with possible undiagnosed cirrhosis using Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) ≥ 3.

Addressing racial and ethnic disparities in premature exits from permanent supportive housing among residents with substance use disorders.

Background: Permanent supportive housing (PSH) is an evidence-based practice for reducing homelessness that subsidizes permanent, independent housing and provides case management-including linkages to health services. Substance use disorders (SUDs) are common contributing factors towards premature, unwanted ("negative") PSH exits; little is known about racial/ethnic differences in negative PSH exits among residents with SUDs. Within the nation's largest PSH program at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), we examined relationships among SUDs and negative PSH exits (for up to five years post-PSH move-in) across racial/ethnic subgroups.

Using capacity assessments and tailored technical assistance to advance trauma informed care integration at the organizational level.

Background: The prevalence of trauma among individuals with HIV has prompted efforts to integrate trauma-informed care (TIC) into HIV care and treatment to improve health outcomes. A TIC Implementation Model, developed by a US capacity-building organization focuses on organizational changes, aligning cultural and physical environments, emphasizing values like safety and trustworthiness, engaging leadership, and training staff in skills-based TIC services. Despite growing research, gaps remain in understanding the relationship between organizational capacity, provider knowledge, and the dosage of technical assistance (TA) required to sustain TIC integration.

Cardiovascular disease, bone fracture, and all-cause mortality risks among postmenopausal women by arthritis and veteran status: A multistate Markov transition analysis.

Arthritis, a chronic inflammatory condition linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD) and bone fracture, is more frequent among military veterans and postmenopausal women. This study examined correlates of arthritis and relationships of arthritis with risks of developing CVD, bone fractures, and mortality among postmenopausal veteran and non-veteran women. We analyzed longitudinal data on 135,790 (3,436 veteran and 132,354 non-veteran) postmenopausal women from the Women's Health Initiative who were followed-up for an average of 16 years between enrollment (1993-1998) and February 17, 2024.

Associations between common genetic variants and income provide insights about the socio-economic health gradient.

We conducted a genome-wide association study on income among individuals of European descent (N = 668,288) to investigate the relationship between socio-economic status and health disparities. We identified 162 genomic loci associated with a common genetic factor underlying various income measures, all with small effect sizes (the Income Factor). Our polygenic index captures 1-5% of income variance, with only one fourth due to direct genetic effects.

Assessment of retinal pigment epithelium tears in eyes with submacular hemorrhage secondary to age-related macular degeneration.

To assess retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) tears in eyes which underwent pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for submacular hemorrhage (SMH) secondary to age-related macular degeneration and to investigate the prognostic factors of visual outcomes. This study was a retrospective, observational case series that included 24 eyes of 24 patients who underwent PPV with subretinal tissue plasminogen activator and air for SMH. RPE tears were investigated using spectral-domain or swept-source optical coherence tomography images with raster scan, combined confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscope near-infrared images and color fundus photographs.

SARS-CoV-2 S-protein expression drives syncytia formation in endothelial cells.

SARS-CoV-2 is a viral infection, best studied in the context of epithelial cell infection. Epithelial cells, when infected with SARS-CoV-2 express the viral S-protein, which causes host cells to fuse together into large multi-nucleated cells known as syncytia. Because SARS-CoV-2 infections also frequently present with cardiovascular phenotypes, we sought to understand if S-protein expression would also result in syncytia formation in endothelial cells.

A mutation in LXRα uncovers a role for cholesterol sensing in limiting metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis.

Liver x receptor alpha (LXRα) functions as an intracellular cholesterol sensor that regulates lipid metabolism at the transcriptional level in response to the direct binding of cholesterol derivatives. We have generated mice with a mutation in LXRα that reduces activity in response to endogenous cholesterol derived LXR ligands while still allowing transcriptional activation by synthetic agonists. The mutant LXRα functions as a dominant negative that shuts down cholesterol sensing.

Deepening water scarcity in breadbasket nations.

Water is crucial for meeting sustainability targets, but its unsustainable use threatens human wellbeing and the environment. Past assessments of water scarcity (i.e.