Thor: a platform for cell-level investigation of spatial transcriptomics and histology.

Spatial transcriptomics links gene expression with tissue morphology, however, current tools often prioritize genomic analysis, lacking integrated image interpretation. To address this, we present Thor, a comprehensive platform for cell-level analysis of spatial transcriptomics and histological images. Thor employs an anti-shrinking Markov diffusion method to infer single-cell spatial transcriptome from spot-level data, effectively combining gene expression and cell morphology.

Accelerated free-breathing abdominal T2 mapping with deep learning reconstruction of radial turbo spin-echo data.

Purpose: To accelerate respiratory triggered free-breathing T2 mapping of the abdomen while maintaining high-quality anatomical images, accurate T2 maps, and fast reconstruction times.

Methods: We developed a flexible deep learning framework that can be trained in a fully supervised manner to improve T2-weighted images or in a self-supervised manner to reconstruct T2 maps.

Results: For retrospectively undersampled data, anatomical images and T2 maps reconstructed by the proposed deep learning method demonstrated reduced voxel-wise error compared to existing traditional and compressed sensing techniques.

T17 cells regulate chemokine expression in epithelial cells through C/EBPβ and dictate host sensitivity to colitis and cancer immunity.

T17 cells play a critical role in inflammation, cancer development, and antitumor immunity in a context-dependent manner, but detailed mechanisms and their downstream signaling events remain poorly understood. Here, we describe that T17 cytokines strongly inhibit expression of critical chemokines in epithelial tissues, which leads to blocking infiltration of proinflammatory immune cells into the colon, rendering resistance to DSS-induced colitis and colon cancer. We show that key chemokine expression dictates the sensitivity of WT mice to DSS treatment.

Platelets and mortality in bloodstream infection: a multicenter cohort study.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine whether thrombocytopenia is independently associated with mortality in patients with bloodstream infections (BSIs) and compare the impact of platelets on mortality with that of white blood cells and neutrophils.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study used the following two U.S.

DCrownFormer: Morphology-aware mesh generation and refinement transformer for dental crown prosthesis from 3D scan data of preparation and antagonist teeth.

Dental prostheses are important in designing artificial replacements to restore the function and appearance of teeth. However, designing a patient-specific dental prosthesis is still labor-intensive and depends on dental professionals with knowledge of oral anatomy and their experience. Also, this procedure is time-consuming because the initial tooth template for designing dental crowns is not personalized.

Translocator protein (TSPO) positron emission tomography imaging and expression in patients with brain metastases.

Purpose: 18 kDa translocator protein (TSPO) is a biomarker for inflammatory conditions. However, full kinetic positron emission tomography (PET) modeling has rarely been used to quantify brain tumors, and it has never been used in brain metastases (BMs). This proof-of-principle study quantified TSPO expression using full kinetic modeling in patients with BMs from various types of peripheral primary tumors.

Tear Film and Keratitis in Space: Fluid Dynamics and Nanomedicine Strategies for Ocular Protection in Microgravity.

Spaceflight-associated dry eye syndrome (SADES) has been reported among astronauts during both International Space Station (ISS) and Space Transportation System (STS) missions. As future missions extend beyond low Earth orbit, the physiological challenges of spaceflight include microgravity, radiation, and environmental stressors, which may further exacerbate the development of ocular surface disease. A deeper understanding of the underlying pathophysiology, along with the exploration of innovative countermeasures, is critical.

A network analysis of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae among healthcare facilities.

With limited treatments for carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKp), curtailing transmission is critical. We applied a network analysis using epidemiological admission data and bacterial genetics to characterize CRKp spread among patients in 16 acute care hospitals linked to 217 other healthcare facilities in the United States. Patients with diagnosed CRKp infection were selected from the Consortium on Resistance Against Carbapenems in Klebsiella and other Enterobacteriaceae (CRACKLE-1), a prospective, observational study conducted from 12/2011 to 6/2016.

Promotion of HIV clearance by sensitization of HIV reservoirs to cell death.

Introduction: HIV integrates its proviral DNA into the host genome to establish persistent infection. To promote HIV clearance, we have designed an approach for selective elimination of host cells harboring replication-competent HIV (SECH), through inhibition of autophagy and anti-apoptotic molecules during viral reactivation. SECH approach can clear HIV-infected cells in approximately 50% humanized mice.

Inhibition of FOXM1 Leads to Suppression of Cell Proliferation, Migration, and Invasion Through AXL/eEF2 Kinase Signaling and Induces Apoptosis and Ferroptosis in GBM Cells.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is an aggressive and molecularly heterogeneous brain cancer with a poor prognosis. Despite advancements in standard-of-care therapies, including surgery, radiotherapy, and temozolomide (TMZ), the median survival remains approximately 15 months, with a 5-year survival rate of less than 10%. We and others have demonstrated that FOXM1 is a critical oncogenic driver of GBM cell proliferation.

Targeted Overexpression of Mitochondrial ALDH2 in Coronary Endothelial Cells Mitigates HFpEF in a Diabetic Mouse Model.

Heart failure (HF) has become an epidemic, with a prevalence of ~7 million cases in the USA. Despite accounting for nearly 50% of all HF cases, heart failure with a preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) remains challenging to treat. Common pathophysiological mechanisms in HFpEF include oxidative stress, microvascular dysfunction, and chronic unresolved inflammation.

Impact of Long-Term Plasma Storage on Cell-Free DNA Epigenetic Biomarker Studies.

Impact of long-term plasma storage on biomarker analysis is critical for ensuring data reliability. Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) epigenetic markers, including 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), have emerged for disease detection, prognosis, and treatment response. However, the effects of prolonged storage on 5hmC analysis remain unclear.

Comparative transcriptomic analysis of mouse macrophages infected with live attenuated vaccine strains of .

The BCG vaccine has been used against tuberculosis (TB) for over a hundred years; however, it does not protect adults from pulmonary TB. To develop alternative vaccines against TB, we generated H37Rv (Mtb)-derived vaccine strains by rationally deleting key virulent genes, resulting in single (), double (DKO; ), triple (TKO-D; and TKO-Z; ), and quadruple (QKO; ) strains. To understand how macrophages, the host cells that defend against infection and process antigens for presentation to immune cells, respond to these vaccine strains, we performed transcriptomic analyses of mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) infected with these strains.

Impact of Left Ventricular Assist Devices on the Quality of Life and Functional Outcomes in Advanced Heart Failure: A Comprehensive Review.

Managing advanced heart failure (HF) remains a major clinical challenge, especially for patients who no longer respond to conventional treatment options, or are not candidates for heart transplantation. In such cases, left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) have become an important option, offering mechanical support that has the potential to extend life and improve daily functioning. With ongoing advancements in technology, there is growing interest in understanding how LVADs impact not just survival, but also patients' quality of life (QoL) and overall recovery.

Correction: Impact of Left Ventricular Assist Devices on the Quality of Life and Functional Outcomes in Advanced Heart Failure: A Comprehensive Review.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.7759/cureus.88527.

Analysis of subspecies gene transcripts during experimental primate necrotizing myositis.

subspecies (SDSE) is a gram-positive bacterial pathogen capable of causing various infections in humans. Recently, isolates of SDSE type have emerged as a cause of severe invasive infections, including necrotizing myositis. However, the molecular processes underlying these infections remain poorly understood.

Divergent sex-specific effects on a ketogenic diet: Male, but not female, mice exhibit oxidative stress and cellular senescence.

While a ketogenic diet (KD) can improve certain health parameters, evidence from murine and clinical studies suggests that these effects may be dependent on multiple variables. One understudied variable is the role of sex in the response to a KD. Here, we show that a KD-induced increase in p53, p21, and cellular senescence is only observed in male mice, except when they are given estrogen, and in female mice administered tamoxifen.

Plant-based diet index and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma: Findings from a prospective cohort study.

The plant-based dietary indices (PDIs), which include the healthy and unhealthy plant-based dietary indices, have recently been developed by taking into account the quantity of plant versus animal foods and the quality of plant foods. Data on the association between PDI and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk are sparse. We, therefore, prospectively evaluated the associations for PDI, healthy PDI (hPDI) and unhealthy PDI (uPDI) with HCC risk.

The Natural History Study and Biomarker Collection of the Clinical Research Consortium for the Study of Cerebellar Ataxia (CRC-SCA).

Hereditary ataxias are progressive neurodegenerative disorders primarily affecting the cerebellum. Since 2009, the Clinical Research Consortium for the Study of Cerebellar Ataxias (CRC-SCA) has studied the natural history of common types of spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs). The CRC-SCA is a 17-site academic collaboration supported by the National Ataxia Foundation.

Cefepime-zidebactam therapy for extensively drug-resistant and infection as a bridge to liver transplantation.

Background: Infections due to antimicrobial-resistant Gram-negative organisms present increasingly difficult therapeutic challenges, especially in the presence of metallo-β-lactamases. We present the case of a patient with cholangitis due to and isolates that developed cefiderocol resistance on therapy treated successfully with cefepime-zidebactam.

Methods: Serial clinical isolates recovered from biliary fluid and ascitic fluid were tested for susceptibility to cefiderocol, aztreonam-avibactam, cefepime-taniborbactam, cefepime-zidebactam, and cefiderocol-xeruborbactam by broth microdilution.

Integrative spatial omics reveals distinct tumor-promoting multicellular niches and immunosuppressive mechanisms in Black American and White American patients with TNBC.

Racial disparities in the clinical outcomes of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) have been well-documented, but the underlying biological mechanisms remain poorly understood. To investigate these disparities, we employed a multi-omic approach integrating imaging mass cytometry and spatial transcriptomics to characterize the tumor microenvironment (TME) in self-identified Black American (BA) and White American (WA) TNBC patients. Our analysis revealed that the TME in BA patients is marked by a network of endothelial cells, macrophages, and mesenchymal-like cells, which correlates with reduced patient survival.

Ocular trauma in microgravity: In-flight diagnostics and extraterrestrial strategies for management.

Long-duration spaceflight missions (including the International Space Station [ISS]) are in one of the most remote and harsh environments humans live and work in. Medical emergencies in space are even more complicated in an already high-risk environment. Despite training, ISS crewmembers face many challenges in diagnosing and managing disease with limited diagnostic capability and equipment on the ISS, restricted medication availability, delayed access to medical professionals; and the latency of space missions.