Quantifying the impact of hair and skin characteristics on fNIRS signal quality for enhanced inclusivity.

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a promising neuroimaging method owing to its non-invasive nature and adaptability to real-world settings. However, fNIRS signal quality is sensitive to individual differences in biophysical factors such as hair and skin characteristics, which can considerably impact the absorption and scattering of near-infrared light. If not properly addressed, these factors risk biasing fNIRS research by disproportionately affecting signal quality across diverse populations.

Safety, tolerability, and preliminary effects of cricket chitin for adults with IBS: a double-blind randomized crossover pilot trial.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a gastrointestinal disorder affecting around 11% of the global population. Increased production of inflammatory mediators and altered gut microbiota are common with IBS, and evidence suggests these factors are integral to IBS pathophysiology. Prebiotic dietary fiber interventions are being investigated to improve functional gastrointestinal symptoms by remediating gut microbiota and reducing intestinal inflammation.

Development of an In-Situ Multifrequency Electromagnetic Sensor for Real-Time Microstructure Monitoring in a Continuous Annealing Furnace.

The continuous annealing process is widely used in the production of advanced high-strength steels. However, to tightly regulate the mechanical properties of the steel, precise control of processing parameters is needed. Although some techniques are available to monitor the mechanical properties of the steel on entry and exit to the furnace, monitoring the evolving microstructure of the steel through installation of sensors in the annealing line is extremely challenging due to the high temperature, high speed of the steel strip and limited space in the furnace.

Nanoparticle Delivery of Alu RNA Adjuvants Enhances Vaccine Immunogenicity.

Vaccine adjuvants stimulate innate immunity to enhance and shape adaptive immune responses. However, approved adjuvants typically elicit weak CD8 T cell responses to protein- and peptide-based vaccines, motivating an investigation into the discovery and testing of new adjuvants. Unedited forms of endogenous Alu RNAs are sensed by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) to trigger sterile inflammation, and therefore we hypothesized that synthetic Alu RNA molecules could be harnessed as vaccine adjuvants.

Ornamental horticulture in Southern Africa: strategic actions to address biological invasions.

Southern Africa has a well-documented history of intentional plant introductions for ornamental purposes, but some of these plants have become widespread damaging invaders. Conflicts can arise when stakeholders' attitudes differ towards ornamental invasive plants and their management. We examined the views of stakeholders involved in the ornamental sector and environmental management across Southern Africa in light of the strategic actions proposed by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services' thematic assessment on 'Invasive Alien Species and their Control.

Presence of Micro- and Nanoplastics Affects Degradation of Chlorinated Solvents.

Microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) can affect microbial abundance and activity, likely by damaging cell membrane components. While their effects on anaerobic digestion are known, less is understood about their impact on microbes involved in contaminant bioremediation. Chlorinated volatile organic contaminants (CVOCs) such as tetrachloroethene (PCE) and explosives like hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) are common in the environment, and their bioremediation is a promising cleanup strategy.

A research agenda for GIScience in a time of disruptions.

Social issues, AI, and climate change are just a few of the disruptive focuses impacting science. The field of GIScience is well positioned to respond to accelerating disruptions due to the interdisciplinary nature of the field and the ability of GIScience approaches to be used in support of decision-making. This manuscript aims to start a conversation that will establish a research agenda for GIScience in an age of disruptions.

A Case of Pneumococcal Periaortitis: Periaortitis is not Always Autoimmune.

Introduction: Periaortitis is a rare inflammatory condition with both infectious and non-infectious aetiologies, often presenting a diagnostic challenge. A comprehensive evaluation-including history, physical examination, imaging, and a broad infectious work-up-is essential, as negative blood cultures do not rule out infection, and premature use of glucocorticoids may be harmful in cases of infectious periaortitis.

Case Description: We report the case of a 70-year-old man presenting with flank pain and periaortitis, in whom positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scan revealed moderate-to-severe F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake.

Transportation Access in the Transition to Adulthood: Navigating a Neurotypical World on the Autism Spectrum.

Despite documented transportation access challenges among autistic adolescents and young adults (AYAs), little is known about the processes through which transportation inaccessibility affects AYAs during the transition to adulthood. This qualitative analysis explores what underlies challenges for AYAs who have trouble accessing transportation in the transition to adulthood, how this inaccessibility affects their transition process, and suggestions for supporting AYAs in accessing transportation in the future. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 27 culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse parents/caregivers of AYAs and five service providers.

Single-position prone lateral transpsoas interbody fusion with Mazor robotic guidance.

Lumbar spondylolisthesis can lead to symptoms of mechanical back pain and radiculopathy. Surgical treatment aims to address dynamic instability and foraminal stenoses. While various alternatives exist to treat this clinical presentation, the single-position prone lateral interbody fusion has recently emerged as a popular technique.

Shear wave elastography to assess healing in lateral epicondylosis: randomized controlled trial with platelet-rich plasma.

Objective: To compare ultrasound and shear wave elastography (SWE) changes in the common extensor tendon over time after platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or corticosteroid (CS) treatment, and to assess for correlations between patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and US/SWE changes of the common extensor tendon.

Materials And Methods: A secondary analysis of a prospective double-blinded, randomized controlled trial comparing US and SWE changes after a single treatment of PRP or CS for the treatment of lateral epicondylosis was conducted. Subjects 18-65 years with recalcitrant lateral elbow pain were enrolled between 3/1/2017 and 4/1/2019 and randomized to a treatment group.

Fabrication of RIG-I-Activating Nanoparticles for Intratumoral Immunotherapy via Flash Nanoprecipitation.

Intratumoral immunotherapy is a promising strategy for stimulating local and systemic antitumor immunity while eliminating or reducing immune-related adverse events often attendant to systemic administration. Activation of the cytosolic pattern recognition receptor retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I) at tumor sites stimulates innate immunity that can potentiate a T cell-dependent adaptive antitumor immune response. However, the activity and efficacy of 5'-triphosphate RNA (3pRNA) agonists of RIG-I are hindered by poor in vivo stability, rapid degradation, limited cellular uptake, and inefficient cytosolic delivery.

Operational considerations of select new treatment recommendations for drug-susceptible and drug-resistant tuberculosis.

A number of management updates recently have been published for both drug-susceptible and drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB), TB in children, and contacts of patients with drug-resistant TB. The operationalization and application of these recommendations, which reflect favorable clinical trial outcomes, may vary significantly for different patient groups and in different settings. Defining the best treatment approach for each patient requires the integration of multiple data points including organism culture growth and corresponding drug susceptibility profiles, specific TB syndrome, concurrent patient co-morbidities and available public health resources.

Potentiating cancer immunotherapies with modular albumin-hitchhiking nanobody-STING agonist conjugates.

The enhancement of antitumour immunity via agonists of the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway is limited by pharmacological barriers. Here we show that the covalent conjugation of a STING agonist to anti-albumin nanobodies via site-selective bioconjugation chemistries prolongs the circulation of the agonist in the blood and increases its accumulation in tumour tissue, stimulating innate immune programmes that increased the infiltration of activated natural killer cells and T cells, which potently inhibited the growth of mouse tumours. The technology is modular, as demonstrated by the recombinant integration of a second nanobody domain targeting programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), which further increased the accumulation of the agonist in tumours while blocking immunosuppressive PD-1/PD-L1 interactions.

Insulin facilitates entry of calcium ions into human and murine erythrocytes via Piezo1: a newly identified mechanism with implications for type 2 diabetes.

Circulatory deficits are common and pathophysiologically relevant in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Perturbed red blood cell (RBC) homeostasis and diminished nitric oxide (NO) availability contribute to endothelial dysfunction, a hallmark of cardiometabolic disorders; however, underlying pathophysiological mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we investigated RBC signaling pathways in a murine model of metabolic disease, focused on NO.

Arctic bird nesting traces back to the Cretaceous.

Polar ecosystems are structured and enriched by birds, which nest there seasonally and serve as keystone ecosystem members. Despite the ecological importance of polar birds, the origins of high-latitude nesting strategies remain obscured by a sparse fossil record. We report an extreme-latitude Arctic avialan assemblage from the Prince Creek Formation of Alaska-the northernmost Late Cretaceous terrestrial ecosystem.

Reprogramming the neuroblastoma tumor immune microenvironment to enhance GPC2 CAR T cells.

Poor tumor trafficking and the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) limit chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell efficacy in solid tumors, such as neuroblastoma. We previously optimized GPC2 CARs in human neuroblastoma xenografts leading to clinical translation; however, there have not been preclinical studies using immunocompetent models. Thus, here we generated murine GPC2 CAR T cells using the D3-GPC2-targeting single-chain variable fragment being utilized clinically (NCT05650749) and tested them in neuroblastoma syngeneic allografts.

A Deeper Dive into the Anatomy of the Frontal Branch of the Facial Nerve.

The frontal branch of the facial nerve innervates several muscles in the upper face and is essential for facial expression and eye closure. Injury to the frontal branch can result in functional and aesthetic issues; therefore, a thorough understanding of the anatomy and course of the frontal branch is essential for safe surgery in the lateral face and temporal region. The course of the frontal branch is variable, but certain anatomic landmarks can be used to locate the nerve.

Orticochea Flaps Step by Step.

Local flaps are commonly utilized for the reconstruction of scalp defects, given the desire to maintain hair-bearing tissue in the reconstructed area. Orticochea flaps are a series of rotation advancement flaps that maintain a laterally based pedicle, are widely elevated off the top of the head, and the limbs advanced and rotated to close a large defect. Here, we describe the indications, operative steps, and limitations to this reconstructive technique, which is a valuable but often overlooked tool in the reconstructive surgeon's arsenal.

Extension to the Jiles-Atherton Hysteresis Model Using Gaussian Distributed Parameters for Quenched and Tempered Engineering Steels.

The Jiles-Atherton (J-A) model has seen extensive use for modelling the hysteresis behaviour of ferromagnetic materials due to its computational efficiency, simplicity of use, and small number of physically related parameters. However, in this work, the application of the J-A model to hysteresis curves obtained from experimental measurements for as-quenched and quenched-and-tempered engineering steels is considered. It has been demonstrated that the current form of the J-A model is not capable of representing certain observed features in the obtained hysteresis curves of these steels, in particular, the rapid narrowing of the loops seen for as-quenched steels and the sharp corners seen for quenched-and-tempered steels.

IQGAP2 regulates blood-brain barrier immune dynamics.

Brain endothelial cells (BECs) play an important role in maintaining central nervous system (CNS) homeostasis through blood-brain barrier (BBB) functions. BECs express low baseline levels of adhesion receptors, which limits entry of leukocytes. However, the molecular mediators governing this phenotype remain mostly unclear.

Optimizing Single-Position Prone Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion with Exoscopic Technology: A Review of Key Innovations.

Minimally invasive spine surgery has advanced significantly over the past decade, integrating technologies such as intraoperative navigation, robotics, and artificial intelligence with innovative techniques such as single-position prone lateral transpsoas lumbar interbody fusion (proLIF). While proLIF offers excellent clinical outcomes for a wide range of lumbar pathologies, the lateral approach to lumbar spine presents technical and ergonomic challenges, including an increased need for soft-tissue dissection and unfavorable ergonomics for surgeons. This review details how the combination of emerging technologies has been applied in minimally invasive lumbar spine surgery.

Optimal Bone Preparation for Triple-Tapered Stems: Does the Sagittal Taper Affect Optimal Femoral Sizing?

Background: Conventional single-tapered, total hip arthroplasty stems achieve fixation namely through coronal, metaphyseal fit. Triple taper stems have a sagittal taper to optimize fixation in the antero-posterior (AP) plane as well; however, limited guidance exists on appropriate bone preparation. Often, similar preparation techniques are used despite geometric differences which may lead to underpreparation.