Covalent chemical probes.

is pleased to introduce a Collection of research works focused on recent developments within the interdisciplinary field of Covalent chemical probes. Here, the Guest Editors highlight key themes and look towards the future of this research field.

Locally Reprogramming Tumor-Associated Macrophages with Cytokine-Loaded Injectable Cryogels for Breast Cancer.

Purpose: Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are the most abundant immune cells in primary solid tumors, including breast cancer, and typically exhibit an M2-like, immunosuppressive phenotype that promotes tumor growth. Given that TAMs can be repolarized through cytokine signaling, we propose a localized cytokine delivery depot using an injectable alginate cryogel to reprogram TAMs and create an inflammatory, anti-tumor TME.

Methods: The cryogels were fabricated using cryogelation to generate a macroporous structure, followed by ionic crosslinking to enhance mechanical integrity while preserving pore size distribution.

Feasibility and clinical utility of daytime polysomnography performed in NICU to diagnose sleep disordered breathing in infants.

Objective: To assess the feasibility and clinical utility of daytime polysomnography (PSG) in infants <3 months of age.

Methods: A prospective observational study of a convenience cohort analysing PSGs that were conducted for clinical purposes in infants less <3 months of age, between 1 May 2021 and 31 May 2024. A comparison was made between results for daytime PSG in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and overnight PSG in the sleep laboratory.

Analysis of Modified BIG Scores and Platelet Inhibition in Patients with Traumatic Brain Injuries.

Unlabelled: Platelet inhibition is known to occur after traumatic brain injury (TBI) and is predictive of bleed progression. The relationship between platelet inhibition and modified brain injury guideline (mBIG) score, however, is unknown. We hypothesize that patients with higher mBIG scores are more likely to have platelet inhibition and bleed progression.

Can Respiratory Hospital Admissions in Children with Cerebral Palsy Be Reduced? A Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial (RESP-ACT).

Objective: To investigate the feasibility of implementing recommendations of the consensus statement for the Prevention and Management of Respiratory Disease in children with severe cerebral palsy (CP) via RESPiratory hospital Admissions in children with cerebral palsy: a feasibility randomized Controlled Trial (RESP-ACT).

Study Design: Twenty-two children with CP aged 0-12 years at risk of respiratory disease and receiving care through Perth Children's Hospital in Western Australia were randomized into parallel groups. The control group (n = 10) continued with their usual teams, while the intervention group (n = 12) received a comprehensive assessment followed by individualized investigations and appointments as needed.

Adolescent and young adult patients with 'Philadelphia negative' myeloproliferative neoplasms: a real world, UK tertiary-centre study.

Increasing numbers of adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients are diagnosed with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). Management strategies are often extrapolated from older MPN cohorts and frequently fail to address specific needs. Through retrospective description of 107 AYA patients registered at a UK specialist centre, we identify unique clinicopathological features compared with older patients, including lower incidence of JAK2 V617F and additional non-driver mutations, and a reduced rate of transformation.

A nearby dark molecular cloud in the Local Bubble revealed via H fluorescence.

A longstanding prediction in interstellar theory posits that significant quantities of molecular gas, crucial for star formation, may be undetected due to being 'dark' in commonly used molecular gas tracers, such as carbon monoxide. We report the discovery of Eos, a dark molecular cloud located just 94 pc from the Sun. This cloud is identified using H far-ultraviolet fluorescent line emission, which traces molecular gas at the boundary layers of star-forming and supernova remnant regions.

Myco-Ed: Mycological curriculum for education and discovery.

Fungi are important and hyperdiverse organisms, yet chronically understudied. Most fungal clades have no reference genomes, impeding our understanding of their ecosystem functions and use as solutions in health and biotechnology. Also, opportunities for training in fungal biology and genomics are lacking, creating a bottleneck that hinders the recruitment and cultivation of a talented future mycological workforce.

Jurkat T-cell lines exhibit marked genomic instability affecting karyotype, mutational profile, gene expression, immunophenotype and function.

The Jurkat cell line, derived from a case of T-cell lymphoblastic leukaemia, is widely employed as a model T-cell for biomedical research, including for the preclinical characterisation of cellular therapies such as chimeric antigen receptor T-cells. Here, we characterised genomic, transcriptomic, and functional features of Jurkat clone E6-1 cells from three different laboratories and compared these with Jurkat E6-1 cells from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC). We identified marked karyotypic heterogeneity both between and within Jurkat E6-1 populations, confirmed through chromosomal microarray.

Grafted Coiled-Coil Peptides as Multivalent Scaffolds for Protein Recognition.

Self-assembled peptides are promising templates for the design of inhibitors of protein-protein interactions (PPIs) because they can be endowed with affinity- and selectivity-defining amino acids alongside favorable physicochemical properties such as solubility and stability. Here, we describe a tunable coiled-coil scaffold and its interaction with MCL-1, an α-helix-binding antiapoptotic protein and important target in oncology. We explore the role of oligomerization, multivalency, and cooperativity in PPI inhibition.

Fungal diversity in the Neotropics: update on the diversity and taxonomy of Hydnaceae in Costa Rica.

Much progress documenting the diversity and relationships within the Hydnaceae has been made over the past decades. Nevertheless, the diversity of the family is far from completely known, especially in neotropical regions, which remain underexplored. Concentrated fieldwork to document the diversity and distribution of macrofungi in Costa Rica began in the late 1980s and continued through early 2000s.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion in asthma clinical trials: A cross-sectional analysis.

Background: Health inequity exists across the scientific and medical community, specifically in the development and design of clinical trials. There is a lack of diversity and representation of historically marginalized groups in the current landscape of clinical research, and our primary objective for this study was to evaluate recruitment and retention strategies for patients historically marginalized in asthma clinical trials.

Objective: To evaluate the extent to which asthma clinical trials use recruitment and retention strategies that promote diversity and to identify persistent gaps in the representation of historically marginalized populations.

Lung volumes, gas transfer and oscillometry after preterm birth: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Small airway and lung parenchymal abnormalities frequently occur following preterm birth but are commonly missed by spirometry. Static lung volumes, diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide ( ) and oscillometry provide a more precise characterisation of these conditions. We hypothesised that differences in these measures exist between individuals born preterm and at term and we aimed to systematically review the literature to identify and quantify these differences in lung function.

Characterizing local antibody responses in the muscle of inclusion body myositis patients.

Objective: Sporadic inclusion body myositis (IBM) is the most common adult idiopathic inflammatory myopathy. IBM etiology has been elusive, due to both degenerative and autoimmune disease features found on muscle biopsy, and significant disease heterogeneity. Investigating the role of antibodies in the muscle of IBM patients may improve our understanding of disease pathogenesis.

Organ Donation for Research Biobanking Among Historically Marginalized Racial and Ethnic Groups: A Systematic Review.

Importance: Research biobanks of human cells and tissues, particularly tissues accessible only after death, are crucial for advancing the understanding of human pathophysiological function. Research biobanks are bereft of tissues from individuals of diverse races and ethnicities, thus limiting the generalizability of biobank findings.

Objective: To evaluate the barriers and facilitators to participation in postmortem brain donation for research among individuals from historically marginalized races and ethnicities.

Factors influencing participation in home, school, and community settings by 6- to 9-year-old children born preterm: a qualitative descriptive study.

Purpose: There is no published information on preterm children's activities and participation during middle childhood, a time when growth and development are characterised by increasing motor, reasoning, self-regulation, social and executive functioning skills. This study explored the health, activities and participation of children born very preterm during middle childhood (6-9 years) from the perspectives of their parents.

Methods: This was a qualitative descriptive design.

Multistate Model of Chronic Wounds, Amputations, and Mortality: Cohort Study of a State-wide Registry.

Objective: Use a new patient registry to characterize and predict progression of lower-extremity chronic wounds to amputation and/or death, while considering infection history.

Background: Chronic wounds are a common health issue causing amputation and death. The Regenstrief Chronic Wound Registry, created from one of the U.

Stakeholder Attitudes, Experiences and Perceptions of the New South Wales Primary School Mobile Dental Program.

Objectives: Tooth decay is a leading cause of total disease burden among Australian children. In 2019, the state government of New South Wales, Australia implemented the Primary School Mobile Dental Program (PSMDP) across five local health districts. Understanding stakeholder satisfaction of the PSMDP is an important measure of quality, to determine appropriateness as relevant to the needs of populations.

Bisoprolol for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at high risk of exacerbation: the BICS RCT.

Background: Observational studies of people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease using beta-blockers for cardiovascular disease indicate that beta-blocker use is associated with reduced risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation. However, at the time this study was initiated, there had been no randomised controlled trials confirming or refuting this.

Objective(s): To determine the clinical and cost-effectiveness of adding bisoprolol (maximal dose 5 mg once daily) to usual chronic obstructive pulmonary disease therapies in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at high risk of exacerbation.

Soft Tissue Complications Following Temporary External Fixation vs Splinting of Trimalleolar Ankle Fractures.

Background: Temporary management of closed trimalleolar ankle fractures may involve closed reduction and splint application vs external fixation (ex-fix). One of the primary concerns of using splinting is loss of reduction and soft tissue compromise. The objective of this study was to determine if there is a clinically significant difference in short-term soft tissue complications (STCs) in patients with trimalleolar or trimalleolar-equivalent ankle fractures treated with temporary closed reduction and splinting vs ex-fix.

Autologous HIV-specific T cell therapy targeting conserved epitopes is well-tolerated in six adults with HIV: an open-label, single-arm phase 1 study.

Novel cellular therapies may enable HIV control or cure. HIV-specific T cells targeting conserved immunogenic protein regions of HIV Gag/Pol and the entirety of HIV Nef, termed HST-NEETs, eliminate HIV infected cells in vitro. Here we enroll seven participants in an open-label, single-arm phase 1 study (NCT03485963) to evaluate the safety (primary endpoint) of two autologous administrations of HST-NEET products without prescribed lymphodepletion.