Bayesian estimation of HIV acquisition dates for prevention trials.

Accurate timing estimates of when participants acquire HIV in HIV prevention trials are necessary for determining antibody levels at acquisition. The Antibody-Mediated Prevention (AMP) Studies showed that a passively administered broadly neutralizing antibody can prevent the acquisition of HIV from a neutralization-sensitive virus. We developed a pipeline for estimating the date of detectable HIV acquisition (DDA) in AMP Study participants using diagnostic and viral sequence data.

Biophysical study of calcium-containing DPPC liposomes prepared in water and a glycerol aqueous solution.

In this study, both pure and calcium-containing complex liposomes made from DPPC phospholipids were investigated using calorimetric and spectrophotometric methods. Liposomes were prepared using a new technology in both water and a 20% glycerol aqueous solution. Glycerol allows drug-containing DPPC liposomes to penetrate the dermis of the skin through the epidermis.

Community-based research supports more just and equitable industrial decarbonization.

Industrial decarbonization refers to the removal or reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, process emissions, or embodied carbon from industry. Building from our experiences working with communities contemplating industrial decarbonization projects, we argue that community-based research can move nebulous calls for "community engagement" to processes that emphasize just and equitable governance. We first summarize the co-benefits and risks of industrial decarbonization for historically marginalized communities.

RNA-binding proteins mediate the maturation of chromatin topology during differentiation.

Topologically associating domains (TADs) and chromatin architectural loops impact promoter-enhancer interactions, with CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) defining TAD borders and loop anchors. TAD boundaries and loops progressively strengthen upon embryonic stem (ES) cell differentiation, underscoring the importance of chromatin topology in ontogeny. However, the mechanisms driving this process remain unclear.

3D Structural Phenotype of the Optic Nerve Head in Glaucoma and Myopia - A Key to Improving Glaucoma Diagnosis in Myopic Populations.

Purpose: To characterize the 3D structural phenotypes of the optic nerve head (ONH) in patients with glaucoma, high myopia, and concurrent high myopia and glaucoma, and to evaluate their variations across these conditions.

Design: Retrospective cross-sectional study.

Participants: A total of 685 optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans from 754 subjects of Singapore-Chinese ethnicity, including 256 healthy (H), 94 highly myopic (HM), 227 glaucomatous (G), and 108 highly myopic with glaucoma (HMG) cases METHODS: We segmented the retinal and connective tissue layers from OCT volumes and their boundary edges were converted into 3D point clouds.

Ubiquitous Chiral Symmetry Breaking of Conjugated Polymers via Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation.

Spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking remains a fascination in chemistry, biology, materials science, and even astronomy. Chiral symmetry breaking usually requires intrinsic molecular chirality or extrinsic chiral sources but remains rare in nonchiral systems. Here, we reveal a ubiquitous, entropy-driven chiral symmetry breaking mechanism observed in 22 out of 35 conjugated polymers in the absence of any chiral source─a phenomenon overlooked for decades.

SAMCell: Generalized label-free biological cell segmentation with segment anything.

Background: When analyzing cells in culture, assessing cell morphology (shape), confluency (density), and growth patterns are necessary for understanding cell health. These parameters are generally obtained by a skilled biologist inspecting light microscope images, but this can become very laborious for high-throughput applications. One way to speed up this process is by automating cell segmentation.

A generalized theoretical framework to investigate multicomponent actin dynamics.

The length of actin filaments is regulated by the combined action of hundreds of actin-binding proteins. While the roles of individual proteins are well understood, how they combine to regulate actin dynamics in vivo remains unclear. Recent advances in microscopy have enabled precise, high-throughput measurements of filament lengths over time.

Evaluating the predictive accuracy of cognitive screeners BAMCOG and MoCA in identifying postoperative delirium risk in aortic valve replacement patients: A cohort study.

Postoperative delirium (POD) and postoperative encephalopathy (POE) are common complications in older adults undergoing aortic valve replacement (AVR), yet the predictive accuracy of cognitive screening tools remains uncertain. In this prospective cohort study, 50 patients aged 65 years and older scheduled for AVR between January and October 2022 underwent preoperative assessment with the Brain Aging Monitor Cognitive Assessment (BAMCOG) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Postoperatively, POD was evaluated with the Delirium Observation Screening (DOS) scale and POE with electroencephalography (EEG).

A causal inference framework to compare the effectiveness of life-sustaining ICU therapies-using the example of cancer patients with sepsis.

The rise in cancer patients could lead to an increase in intensive care units (ICUs) admissions. We explored differences in treatment practices and outcomes of invasive therapies between patients with sepsis with and without cancer. Adults from 2008 to 2019 admitted to the ICU for sepsis were extracted from the databases MIMIC-IV and eICU-CRD.

24R,25(OH)D regulates tumorigenesis in estrogen sensitive laryngeal cancer cells via membrane-associated receptor complexes in ER+ and ER- cells.

This study examined the effects of 24R,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (24R,25(OH)D) in estrogen-responsive laryngeal cancer tumorigenesis in vivo, the mechanisms involved, and whether the ability of the tumor cells to produce 24R,25(OH)D locally is estrogen-dependent. Estrogen receptor alpha-66 positive (ER+) UM-SCC-12 cells and ER- UM-SCC-11A cells responded differently to 24R,25(OH)D in vivo; 24R,25(OH)D enhanced tumorigenesis in ER+ tumors but inhibited tumorigenesis in ER- tumors. Treatment with 17β-estradiol (E) for 24 h reduced levels of CYP24A1 protein but increased 24R,25(OH)D production in ER+ cells; treatment with E for 9 min reduced CYP24A1 at 24 h and reduced 24R,25(OH)D production in ER- cells.

Engineering a Coiled-Coil Protein for DARPin Presentation as a Potent SARS-CoV-2 Therapeutic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the need for rapid, flexible, and readily adaptable treatment options for future pandemic preparedness. Due to the speed at which viruses like SARS-CoV-2 mutate, the customary approach of using highly specific monoclonal antibodies as neutralization therapies is challenging, given their size, production complexity, and cost. Here, we leveraged rational protein design to create fusion proteins from small, antibody-mimetic proteins, Designed Ankyrin Repeat Proteins (DARPins) and a self-assembling hexameric coiled coil (CC-HEX).

Polypyrrole functionalized (TiCT -SnO NPs) nanocomposite-based hybrid capacitive electrode for electrochemical detection of .

Bacterial detection is crucial for accurate clinical diagnostics and effective environmental monitoring. Particularly, , a pathogenic bacterium, can cause a wide range of infections, including meningitis, bloodstream infections, pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and wound or surgical site infections. Herein, a polypyrrole (PPy) functionalized TiCT -tin dioxide nanoparticle (SnO NPs) nanocomposite-based hybrid capacitive electrode for the electrochemical detection of ATCC 700603 is developed.

Oral-Anatomical Knowledge-Informed Semi-Supervised Learning for 3D Dental CBCT Segmentation and Lesion Detection.

Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) is a widely-used imaging modality in dental healthcare. It is an important task to segment each 3D CBCT image, which involves labeling lesions, bone, teeth, and restorative material on a voxel-by-voxel basis, as it aids in lesion detection, diagnosis, and treatment planning. The current clinical practice relies on manual segmentation, which is labor-intensive and demands considerable expertise.

Model-based Parameter Selection for a Steerable Continuum Robot - Applications to Bronchoalveolar Lavage (BAL).

Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is a minimally invasive procedure for diagnosing lung infections and diseases. However, navigating tortuous lung anatomy to the distal branches of the bronchoalveolar tree for adequate sampling using BAL remains challenging. Continuum robots have been used to improve the navigation of guidewires, catheters, and endoscopes and could be applied to the BAL procedure as well.

A dynamic spatiotemporal representation framework for deciphering personal brain function.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) opens a window on observing spontaneous activities of the human brain in vivo. However, the high complexity of fMRI signals makes brain functional representations intractable. Here, we introduce a state decomposition method to reduce this complexity and decipher individual brain functions at multiple levels.

Interferon-γ receptor signaling is critical for balanced immune activation and protection against influenza after vaccination.

To better understand the contribution of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) receptor signaling to vaccine-induced immunity, we employed A129 (IFN-α/β receptor-deficient) and AG129 (IFN-α/β/γ receptor-deficient) mouse models. AG129 mice induced comparable levels of virus-specific IgG after vaccination with influenza virus H5 hemagglutinin (HA) virus-like particles (VLPs). Vaccinated AG129 mice with HA VLPs exhibited impaired Th1-immune responses, lower hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) titers, increased susceptibility to virus infection, and lower survival rates following influenza virus (H5N1) challenge than vaccinated A129 mice.

Associations between PM from prescribed burning and emergency department visits in 11 Southeastern US states.

Longer, more severe wildfire seasons are becoming the norm in fire-prone areas. Prescribed burning is a tool used to mitigate wildfire spread. However, prescribed burning also contributes to air pollution, including PM (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter <= 2.

---Pars plana vitrectomy in congenital X-linked retinoschisis: a scoping review.

Purpose: Congenital X-linked retinoschisis (XLRS) has limited treatment options. Gene augmentation via pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) and subretinal RS1 gene delivery is promising, yet it is unclear how PPV may impact outcomes. We explored literature to better understand PPV outcomes in XLRS.

Solid-State Quantum Coherence From a High-Spin Donor-Acceptor Conjugated Polymer.

Molecular spin systems that can be chemically tuned, coherently controlled, and readily integrated within devices remain central to the realization of emerging quantum technologies. Organic high-spin materials are prime candidates owing to their similarity in electronic structure to leading solid-state defect-based systems, light element composition, and the potential for entanglement and qubit operations mediated through spin-spin exchange. However, the inherent instability of these species precludes their rational design, development, and application.

Effectiveness of silver dihydrogen citrate (SDC) and chlorine dioxide gas (ClO) as sanitation strategies for picking bags and storage bins at tree fruit production facilities.

Foodborne outbreaks and recalls within the tree fruit industry are making producers re-evaluate appropriate cleaning and sanitation practices during harvesting. Without effective sanitation, bacteria can create niches and form biofilms. This study evaluated the efficacy of silver dihydrogen citrate (SDC) and chlorine dioxide (ClO) gas to control Escherichia coli and Listeria innocua on experimentally inoculated harvesting equipment at commercial apple packinghouses within the Midwest and Pacific Northwest regions.

The smell of Panulirus argus virus 1 (PaV1) infection: Disease-induced changes in metabolites in urine and hemolymph of Caribbean spiny lobsters Panulirus argus.

The Caribbean spiny lobster Panulirus argus is a social species in which individuals aggregate for protection during the day using chemicals in their urine as guiding cues. This behavior changes when animals are infected by Panulirus argus virus 1 (PaV1), such that healthy animals avoid the urine of diseased conspecifics. The aim of this study was to identify the molecules responsible for this switch in aggregation behavior.

Barriers and boosters of adolescent mental health recovery: The dual roles of positive and adverse childhood experiences.

Background: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) play critical roles in adolescent mental health, influencing onset and recovery. Informed by the Social-Ecological Risk and Protective Factors framework, the current study examines ACEs as barriers and PCEs as facilitators in recovery from anxiety and depression. We used continuous score and categorical subgroup models to capture both linear and potential threshold effects.

Inverse Relationship Between Halophilic Growth and Cell Integrity Under Extremely Chaotropic Conditions.

Concentrated magnesium chloride brines are extreme environments that are inhospitable to life on Earth. The ionic strength of these brines significantly depresses water activity and concomitantly exerts significant chaotropic stress. Although these brines are largely considered sterile, the well-known preservative effects of magnesium chloride on certain biomolecules, such as DNA, confound life detection approaches and efforts to constrain precisely the habitable window of life on Earth.

Leveraging Influencers to Reach and Engage Vulnerable Individuals With a Digital Health Intervention: Quasi-Experimental Field Study.

Background: Noncommunicable diseases are the leading cause of death, present economic challenges to health care systems worldwide, and disproportionally affect vulnerable individuals with low socioeconomic status (SES). While digital health interventions (DHIs) offer scalable and cost-effective solutions to promote health literacy and encourage behavior change, key challenges concern how to effectively reach and engage vulnerable individuals. To this end, social media influencers provide a unique opportunity to reach millions, and lasting engagement can be ensured through the design of DHIs in a manner that specifically appeals to low-SES individuals through alignment with their social background.