Unravelling the Biophysical Properties of Chromatin Proteins and DNA Using Acoustic Force Spectroscopy.

Acoustic force spectroscopy (AFS) is a single-molecule micromanipulation technique that uses sound waves to exert force on surface-tethered DNA molecules in a microfluidic chamber. As large numbers of individual protein-DNA complexes are tracked in parallel, AFS provides insight into the individual properties of such complexes as well as their population averages. In this chapter, we describe in detail how to perform AFS experiments specifically on bare DNA, protein-DNA complexes, and how to extract their (effective) persistence length and contour length from force-extension relations.

Substantial discrepancies exist between registered protocol and published manuscript in trials on exercise interventions for chronic low back pain: a metaresearch study.

Objectives: Reporting bias, prevalent in biomedical fields, can undermine evidence credibility. Our objective was to evaluate the proportion of discrepancies between registered protocols and published manuscripts in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on exercise interventions for patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP).

Study Design And Setting: We conducted a cross-sectional meta-research study, starting from the 2021 "Exercise therapy for CLBP" Cochrane Review.

Bridging School and Practice? Barriers to the Integration of 'Boundary Objects' for Learning and Assessment in Clinical Nursing Education.

Introduction: In clinical health professions education, portfolios, assignments and assessment standards are used to enhance learning. When these tools fulfill a bridging function between school and practice, they can be considered 'boundary objects'. In the clinical setting, these tools may be experienced as time-consuming and lacking value.

Mapping lock-ins and enabling environments for agri-food sustainability transitions in Europe.

Unlabelled: European agri-food systems must overcome structural lock-ins to achieve more sustainable modes of production and consumption. Yet European regions are highly diverse, and we lack understanding of how different regional characteristics may enable or inhibit sustainability transitions. This hinders the development of context-tailored governance strategies.

High resolution imaging of human development: shedding light on contrast agents.

Background: Visualizing (micro)vascular structures remains challenging for researchers and clinicians due to limitations in traditional radiological imaging methods. Exploring the role of vascular development in craniofacial malformations in experimental settings can enhance understanding of these processes, with the effectiveness of high-resolution imaging techniques being crucial for successful research in this field. Micro-CT imaging offers 3D microstructural insights, but requires contrast-enhancing staining agents (CESAs) for visualizing (micro)-vascular tissues, known as contrast-enhanced micro-CT (CECT).

Clustered synapses develop in distinct dendritic domains in visual cortex before eye opening.

Synaptic inputs to cortical neurons are highly structured in adult sensory systems, such that neighboring synapses along dendrites are activated by similar stimuli. This organization of synaptic inputs, called synaptic clustering, is required for high-fidelity signal processing, and clustered synapses can already be observed before eye opening. However, how clustered inputs emerge during development is unknown.

Patient-Led Research to Develop a Training Programme for Restoring Musical Joy in Cochlear Implant Recipients: A Reflexive Process Evaluation.

Background: The role of patients in healthcare research is slowly evolving, although patient roles in the research process are limited. This paper reports on a patient-led research project aiming to develop a musical hearing training programme for patients with a cochlear implant (CI): the Musi-CI programme. A CI is an inner ear prosthesis that allows people with severe hearing loss to hear.

Identification of an H-Ras nanocluster disrupting peptide.

Hyperactive Ras signalling is found in most cancers. Ras proteins are only active in membrane nanoclusters, which are therefore potential drug targets. We previously showed that the nanocluster scaffold galectin-1 (Gal1) enhances H-Ras nanoclustering via direct interaction with the Ras binding domain (RBD) of Raf.

Methotrexate accumulation in target intestinal mucosa and white blood cells differs from non-target red blood cells of patients with Crohn's disease.

Background: Intracellular methotrexate polyglutamates (MTX-PGs) concentrations are measurable in red blood cells (RBCs) during MTX treatment. MTX-PG concentrations correlate with efficacy in patients with Crohn's disease (CD). Since RBCs are not involved in pathogenesis of CD and lack extended MTX metabolism, we determined MTX-PGs accumulation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs: effector cells) and intestinal mucosa (target cells) and compared those with RBCs as a potential more precise biomarker.

Supportive periodontal care with or without subgingival instrumentation: Microbiological results of a 2-year randomized clinical trial.

Aim: To compare the subgingival microbiota of patients receiving supportive periodontal care (SPC) with and without subgingival instrumentation, over 2 years.

Materials And Methods: This study was a randomized clinical trial that included 62 participants (50.97 ± 9.

Intercurrent infection as a risk factor for disease flares in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objective: To determine whether intercurrent infections are a risk factor for subsequent disease flares in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods: Demographic and clinical characteristics of 203 patients with SLE participating in the Amsterdam SLE cohort were collected at baseline and during follow-up. Collection of data on infections and SLE flares was registry-based and infections and flares were categorised as minor or major, based on predefined criteria.

Modification of χ_{c1}(3872) and ψ(2S) Production in pPb Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=8.16 TeV.

The LHCb Collaboration measures production of the exotic hadron χ_{c1}(3872) in proton-nucleus collisions for the first time. Comparison with the charmonium state ψ(2S) suggests that the exotic χ_{c1}(3872) experiences different dynamics in the nuclear medium than conventional hadrons, and comparison with data from proton-proton collisions indicates that the presence of the nucleus may modify χ_{c1}(3872) production rates. This is the first measurement of the nuclear modification factor of an exotic hadron.

Interventions to reduce adult state anxiety, dental trait anxiety, and dental phobia: A systematic review and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials.

This review evaluates randomized controlled trials (RCTs) intervening on adult state anxiety (fear and emotional distress during dental treatment), chronic dental (trait) anxiety or dental phobia (disproportionately high trait anxiety; meeting diagnostic criteria for specific phobia). Seven online databases were systematically searched. 173 RCTs met inclusion criteria, of which 67 qualified for 14 pooled analyses.

"I Did Not Want to Make a Bigger Deal Out of It than It Was": A Mixed-Method Study on the Help-Seeking Behavior of Victims of Image-Based Sexual Harassment and Abuse.

Experiencing image-based sexual harassment and abuse (IBSHA), or the sending of unsolicited nude or sexual images and the nonconsensual taking, sharing, or threats to share nude or sexual images, may have severe consequences for victims' well-being. While seeking help may be beneficial, not every victim seeks help. Little research has been conducted on IBSHA victims' help-seeking behavior.

Same-Sex Relationships and Criminal Behavior: A Total Population Study in The Netherlands.

Sexual minority groups experience elevated risk across a range of adverse outcomes. Previous studies from the USA showed that these risks include contact with the criminal justice system for sexual minority females but not for males. This study examined whether this relationship between sexual minority status and criminal behavior was also found in a more secular country like the Netherlands with more progressive attitudes toward sexual minorities.

Faecal microbiota of schoolchildren is associated with nutritional status and markers of inflammation: a double-blinded cluster-randomized controlled trial using multi-micronutrient fortified rice.

Faecal microbiota plays a critical role in human health, but its relationship with nutritional status among schoolchildren remains under-explored. Here, in a double-blinded cluster-randomized controlled trial on 380 Cambodian schoolchildren, we characterize the impact of six months consumption of two types of rice fortified with different levels of vitamins and minerals on pre-specified outcomes. We investigate the association between the faecal microbiota (16SrRNA sequencing) and age, sex, nutritional status (underweight, stunting), micronutrient status (iron, zinc and vitamin A deficiencies, anaemia, iron deficient anaemia, hemoglobinopathy), inflammation (systemic, gut), and parasitic infection.

Exposome-Wide Association Study of Body Mass Index Using a Novel Meta-Analytical Approach for Random Forest Models.

Background: Overweight and obesity impose a considerable individual and social burden, and the urban environments might encompass factors that contribute to obesity. Nevertheless, there is a scarcity of research that takes into account the simultaneous interaction of multiple environmental factors.

Objectives: Our objective was to perform an exposome-wide association study of body mass index (BMI) in a multicohort setting of 15 studies.

When I say inclusion.

There is no unified understanding of the concept of inclusion in the literature. Since inclusion is a hot topic in the current debates on equity diversity and inclusion, it is important to move towards creating a common understanding of this term. In this article I explore the concept of inclusion based on the current literature.

A contextual integrity approach to genomic information: what bioethics can learn from big data ethics.

Genomic data is generated, processed and analysed at an increasingly rapid pace. This data is not limited to the medical context, but plays an important role in other contexts in society, such as commercial DNA testing, the forensic setting, archaeological research, and genetic surveillance. Genomic information also crosses the borders of these domains, e.

The Maxillary Nerve Block in Cleft Palate Care: A Review of the Literature and Expert's Opinion on the Preferred Technique of Administration.

Introduction: Although the maxillary nerve block (MNB) provides adequate pain relief in cleft palate surgery, it is not routinely used globally, and reported techniques are heterogeneous. This study aims to describe relevant anatomy and to present the preferred technique of MNB administration based on the current literature and the expert opinion of the authors.

Method And Materials: First, a survey was sent to 432 registrants of the International Cleft Palate Master Course Amsterdam 2023.

Food fraud threats in UK post-harvest seafood supply chains; an assessment of current vulnerabilities.

Seafood fraud is commonly reported on food fraud databases and deceptive practices are highlighted by numerous studies, with impacts on the economy, health and marine conservation. Food fraud assessments are a widely accepted fraud mitigation and prevention activity undertaken to identify possible points of deception within a supply chain. This study aims to understand the food fraud vulnerability of post-harvest seafood supply chains in the UK and determine if there are differences according to commodity, supply chain node, business size and certification status.

The role of psychological distress in the relationship of financial strain with oral health and dental attendance in Dutch adults: A mediation analysis based on cross-sectional data.

Objectives: The study aimed to assess whether psychological distress mediates the association between financial strain and oral health and dental attendance in the Dutch adult population.

Methods: The study followed a cross-sectional design based on 2812 participants from the 2014 wave of the Dutch population-based GLOBE study. Financial strain was considered the exposure, while psychological distress measured with the Mental Health Inventory-5 (MHI-5) was the mediator.