Astrocyte regulation of critical period plasticity across neural circuits.

Critical periods are brief windows of heightened neural circuit plasticity that allow circuits to permanently reset their structure and function to facilitate robust organismal behavior. Understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms that instruct critical period timing is of broad clinical interest, as altered developmental plasticity is linked to multiple neurodevelopmental disorders. While intrinsic, neuronal mechanisms shape both neural circuit remodeling and critical period timing, recent data indicate that signaling from astrocytes and surrounding glia can both promote and limit critical period plasticity.

ALSUntangled #77: Psilocybin.

ALSUntangled reviews alternate and off-label treatments prompted by patient interest. Here, we review psilocybin, a chemical derived from mushrooms and belonging in the category of drugs known as psychedelics. Psilocybin has plausible mechanisms for slowing ALS progression because of its ability to cross the blood brain barrier and effect neurogenesis and inflammation.

Epidermal spongiotic Langerhans cell collections, but not eosinophils, are a clue to the diagnosis of allergic contact dermatitis: A series of 170 clinically- and patch test-confirmed cases.

Background: Allergic contact dermatitis cannot be reliably differentiated from other forms of spongiotic/eczematous dermatitis by histology alone. Textbooks and recent studies have variably supported the specificity of dermal eosinophils, eosinophilic spongiosis, and Langerhans cell collections, among other features.

Objective: To assess which histopathologic features favor a diagnosis of allergic contact dermatitis.

Development of a high-throughput platform for quantitation of histone modifications on a new QTOF instrument.

Histone post-translational modifications (PTMs) regulate gene expression patterns through epigenetic mechanisms. The 5 histone proteins (H1, H2A, H2B, H3, and H4) are extensively modified, with over 75 distinct modification types spanning more than 200 sites. Despite strong advances in mass spectrometry-based approaches, identification and quantification of modified histone peptides remains challenging due to factors such as isobaric peptides, pseudo-isobaric PTMs, and low stoichiometry of certain marks.

Advancing mitochondrial therapeutics: Synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of pyrazole-based inhibitors targeting the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier.

Inhibition of mitochondrial pyruvate transport via the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier (MPC) has shown beneficial effects in treating metabolic diseases, certain cancers, various forms of neurodegeneration, and hair loss. These benefits arise either from the direct inhibition of mitochondrial pyruvate metabolism or from the metabolic rewiring when pyruvate entry is inhibited. However, current MPC inhibitors are either nonspecific or possess poor pharmacokinetic properties.

Adaptive fusion of dual-view for grading prostate cancer.

Accurate preoperative grading of prostate cancer is crucial for assisted diagnosis. Multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a commonly used non-invasive approach, however, the interpretation of MRI images is still subject to significant subjectivity due to variations in physicians' expertise and experience. To achieve accurate, non-invasive, and efficient grading of prostate cancer, this paper proposes a deep learning method that adaptively fuses dual-view MRI images.

Neonatal Seizures and Associated Neurobehavioral Profiles in Preschool Age Children.

Background: Neonatal seizures are common with acute brain injury. Up to 25% of survivors develop postneonatal epilepsy. We hypothesized postneonatal epilepsy diagnosed by age 24 months would increase risk for early markers of neurobehavioral disorders than acute provoked neonatal seizures alone.

Nurses communication competencies in social media: A bibliometric review.

Objective: To analyse the characteristics of articles published on the competencies, abilities, knowledge and education that nurses should have to be able to communicate, inform, disseminate and/or be an informative source in mass media and social media.

Design: This bibliometric study involved a comprehensive search of two databases, PubMed and Scopus. The search terms included 'nursing', 'communication', and 'mass media', along with their synonyms.

Effectiveness and tolerability of cenobamate: A single center experience.

Introduction: Medication-resistant epilepsy (MRE) is characterized by the failure of adequate trials of two antiseizure medications (ASMs). Numerous studies have shown that once two ASMs fail to control seizures, the likelihood of subsequent ASM regimens providing seizure control diminishes significantly. Recent clinical data on cenobamate (CNB) suggest it may offer higher rates of seizure freedom in MRE patients.

Exploring the role of pomalidomide in androgen-dependent prostate cancer: a computational analysis.

Prostate cancer (PC) is among the most prevalent cancers in males. It is the leading cause of death in men, in around 48 out of 185 countries. Increased androgen receptor (AR) activity is the key factor contributing to the development or progression of newly diagnosed cases of prostate cancer.

Fabrication of Oro-Dispersible Sodium Valproate-Loaded Nanofibrous Patches for Immediate Epileptic Innervation.

Epilepsy is one of the oldest neurological disorders discovered by mankind. This condition is firmly coupled with unprovoked seizures stimulated by irrepressible neuroelectrical blasts. Orally taken valproate family has been employed for prophylactic management; however, oral administration is not applicable for critical scenarios, thus calling for medication routes fulfilling necessities of immediate innervation.

Flying Blind: How Thorough are IRBs when Assessing Scientific Value?

Background: Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) in the United States play a crucial role in ensuring the ethical conduct of clinical trials, including assessing the scientific merit of studies to justify the risks to participants. However, prior research suggests that many IRBs do not systematically evaluate scientific merit, raising concerns about the approval of low-quality trials.

Objective: To investigate whether IRBs provide adequate guidance on assessing scientific merit in their Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and other relevant materials.

SS18-SSX drives TYK2 expression to activate STAT3/Bcl2 axis, facilitating apoptosis evasion and advancing synovial sarcoma progression.

Synovial sarcoma (SS) is a rare soft tissue sarcoma characterized by high-grade malignancy and poor prognosis. Preliminary research indicates that apoptosis evasion is a key factor in SS progression, primarily attributed to the overexpression of anti-apoptotic genes. However, the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are still not fully understood.

Insulin clearance at randomisation and in response to treatment in youth with type 2 diabetes: a secondary analysis of the TODAY randomised clinical trial.

Aims/hypothesis: Insulin resistance and compensatory hyperinsulinaemia are core features leading to beta cell failure in youth-onset type 2 diabetes. Insulin clearance (IC) is also a key regulator of insulin concentrations, but few data exist on IC in youth-onset type 2 diabetes. In a secondary analysis of our Treatment Options for Type 2 Diabetes in Adolescents and Youth (TODAY) randomised clinical trial, we investigated potential sex-, race-, ethnicity- and treatment-related differences in IC in youth-onset type 2 diabetes and aimed to identify metabolic phenotypes associated with IC at baseline and in response to metformin, metformin plus a lifestyle intervention, and metformin plus rosiglitazone.

Retrospective derivation of a causal pathway for diabetic ketoacidosis in adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Background: Type 2 ketone-prone diabetes mellitus (T2KPDM) is thought to occur in men of African descent, with obesity who experienced prolonged hyperglycemia; the role of medication non-adherence as a contributing cause remains unstudied.

Research Design And Methods: This was a retrospective study of unique adults (>18 years) who sought emergency care one of four hospitals in the greater Detroit area. Patients were identified on the basis of a laboratory order for a ß-hydroxybutyrate concentration.

Vagus nerve stimulation in treatment-resistant depression: A one-year, randomized, sham-controlled trial.

Background: Few treatments are available for individuals with marked treatment-resistant depression (TRD).

Objective: Evaluate the safety and effectiveness of FDA-approved adjunctive vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) in patients with marked TRD.

Methods: This 12-month, multicenter, double-blind, sham-controlled trial included 493 adults with marked treatment-resistant major depression who were randomized to active or no-stimulation sham VNS for 12 months.

Person-specific characteristics of people with low back pain moderate the movement pattern within motor skill training and strength and flexibility exercise: Secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial.

People with low back pain (LBP) display an altered movement pattern during functional activities. Exercise-based treatments improve the altered pattern, but there is individual variability in the response to treatment. This study investigates the moderating effect of person-specific characteristics on a movement pattern at baseline and change over time in the pattern in people with chronic LBP who received motor skill training (MST) or strength and flexibility exercise (SFE).