Stent-Assisted Coil Embolization Versus Flow Diversion in Intracranial Vertebral Artery Dissecting Aneurysms: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Introduction: Intracranial vertebral artery dissecting aneurysms (IVADAs) represent a rare but challenging condition associated with high morbidity and mortality. In the therapeutic landscape, endovascular interventions such as Flow Diversion (FD) and Stent-Assisted Coiling (SAC) are widely used for the management of IVADAs. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to compare the clinical outcomes and complications associated with FD and SAC techniques in the endovascular management of IVADAs.

Community Composition of Microbial Eukaryotes Transported by Stemflow from Fagus grandifolia Ehrh. (American Beech) Trees in Northeastern Ohio (USA).

Stemflow, the concentrated fraction of rainfall that drains down tree trunks, can translocate canopy biota to the forest floor, but its eukaryotic composition remains uncharacterized via eDNA methods. We collected stemflow from 18 Fagus grandifolia (American beech) trees during ten storms in northeastern Ohio (USA) and analyzed 18S rRNA eDNA to resolve transported microbial-eukaryote communities. Over 12 million reads (83 samples) revealed 920 zero-radius OTUs spanning fungi, algae, protists, and metazoans.

Crisis, Confidence, and Conserving Resources: Examining How Adult Education Students Navigate Stressors and Marginalization.

Social and systemic barriers contribute to students' attrition from K-12 education and enrollment in adult basic education (ABE) via the reduction of available resources. Informed by Conservation of Resources Theory, the current study assessed the impact of stress-related risk factors, including trauma and COVID-19-related stress, on ABE students' ( = 227) vocational confidence. Understanding these factors can inform ABE program development and retention efforts.

Identification and Characterization of a TGF-β-Independent SMAD4-NFATc1-STAT3 Regulatory Axis.

SMAD4, a central mediator of the TGF-β signaling pathway, plays a critical role in regulating cellular processes such as proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. While SMAD4's canonical functions within TGF-β signaling are well-established, its non-canonical, TGF-β-independent roles remain poorly understood, particularly in the context of disease biology. Here, we investigate SMAD4's TGF-β-independent functions by identifying and characterizing its protein-protein interaction network.

MRD4U: A path to development for personalized liquid biopsy for children with central nervous system tumors.

Background: Liquid biopsy assays using cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) can revolutionize care for children with central nervous system (CNS) tumors by enabling precise monitoring of therapeutic responses and detecting recurrence or measurable residual disease (MRD). These assays can detect cell-free, circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) via somatic alterations, though accurately measuring low-abundance ctDNA in CSF is challenging.

Methods: Our research focused on the optimization of next-generation sequencing library preparation from cell-free DNA (cfDNA), evaluating four commercial kits to address the low nucleic acid yield in CSF-derived cfDNA.