Multicellular tumor-stromal interactions recapitulate aspects of therapeutic response and human oncogenic signaling in a 3D disease model for H3K27M-altered DIPG.

It has become evident from decades of clinical trials that multimodal therapeutic approaches with focus on cell intrinsic and microenvironmental cues are needed to improve understanding and treat the rare, inoperable, and ultimately fatal diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), now categorized as a diffuse midline glioma. In this study we report the development and characterization of an in vitro system utilizing 3D Tumor Tissue Analogs (TTA), designed to replicate the intricate DIPG microenvironment. The innate ability of fluorescently labeled human brain endothelial cells, microglia, and patient-derived DIPG cell lines to self-assemble has been exploited to generate multicellular 3D TTAs that mimic tissue-like microstructures, enabling an in- depth exploration of the spatio-temporal dynamics between neoplastic and stromal cells.

Exploring the relationship between orthostatic hypotension and gait in people with Parkinson's disease.

Purpose: Orthostatic hypotension (OH) is a non-motor feature in people with Parkinson's disease that can lead to falls from syncope. Current knowledge is lacking on the effects of OH on gait function.

Methods: Participants enrolled in a prospectively monitored longitudinal cohort who had OH on vitals at one of two consecutive visits approximately 6 months apart were analyzed.

Controlling the Organization and Differentiation of Human Neural Stem Cells on Hilbert Microcapillary Scaffolds Fabricated via Two-Photon Lithography.

3D scaffold architecture is critical for directing human neural stem cell (hNSC) fate and spatial organization. In this study, two-photon lithography (TPL) is used to fabricate microcapillary scaffolds based on the Hilbert space-filling curve as biomimetic basement membrane structures for guiding hippocampal-derived hNSC differentiation. The scaffolds feature 80 µm lumens with porous ellipsoidal membranes suspended above the substrate to provide topographical cues and permit nutrient diffusion while maintaining mechanical stability.

Exercise with overdressing for heat acclimation: a multilayered approach using biophysical modeling and two randomized crossover trials.

Individuals who work in the heat, such as military personnel and athletes, are often required to rapidly transition from temperate or cooler climates to hot environments. Thus, acclimation strategies are needed for individuals lacking access to hot weather. We sought to develop and validate a practical exercise with overdressing protocol for heat acclimation.

Dislodged Right Ventricular Pacemaker Lead Detected Incidentally Two Years Post-implantation via Echocardiography: A Case Report.

Dislodgement of cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) leads following implantation ideally should not be missed. However, more often than not, patients do not undergo post-operative imaging following these procedures due to a lack of evidence behind the role of imaging following uncomplicated pacemaker (PPM) implantation procedures, based on the most recent guidelines This is a case report of a dual-chamber pacemaker (DC-PPM) right ventricular (RV) lead that was found dislodged and coiled in the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) as an incidental finding via a routine transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) study two years after implantation. We intend to shed light on the significance of timely detection of lead-related complications, as they can result in poor outcomes for patients.

Current Approach and Predictors of Clinical Outcomes in Adults With Spinal Ependymomas.

Background Spinal ependymomas are the most common intradural tumors in adults and frequently lead to progressive neurological decline due to spinal cord compression. They typically present with subacute symptoms. The 2016 WHO classification stratifies them by histological grade, with recent updates incorporating molecular features.

Improving the Screening and Treatment of Hepatitis C in a Rural Primary Care Clinic.

Background And Objectives: With the potential to lead to liver failure, cirrhosis, and death and the availability of hepatitis C Virus (HCV) treatment with direct-acting antiviral medications, primary care clinicians need to take action to improve screening and treatment of HCV. Current literature demonstrates gaps in knowledge contribute to low HCV screening and treatment rates. The project's purpose is to use a multidisciplinary approach to patient and clinician education to improve HCV care in a rural primary care clinic.

Anxiolytic effects of diazepam in Trinidadian guppies exposed to chemical cues indicating predation risk.

The fear of predation is pervasive among vertebrate prey species, being characterized by neurobiological and behavioral changes induced by risk exposure. To understand the acquisition and attenuation of fearful phenotypes, such as dimensions of posttraumatic stress, researchers often use animal models, with prey fishes recently emerging as a nontraditional but promising model. Much is known about fear acquisition in prey fishes such as the Trinidadian guppy, Poecilia reticulata, which inhabit high and low predation sites.

The invisible divide: the impact of racial and geographic disparities on multiple myeloma outcomes - insights from a single-site study.

Not available.

Optic Nerve Head Structural Changes After Intravitreal Injection.

Purpose: To evaluate the acute anatomical changes of Bruch's membrane opening (BMO) and optic nerve head (ONH) pit depth in patients receiving 0.05cc of anti-VEGF intravitreal injections (IVIs).

Methods: We prospectively enrolled patients receiving IVIs and collected data including age, sex, race, phakic status, presence or absence of glaucoma, injection agent utilized, axial length, and cup-to-disc ratio (C/D).

The multifaceted effects of semaglutide: exploring its broad therapeutic applications.

Semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist, is FDA-approved for managing type 2 diabetes (T2D) and reducing cardiovascular risk. Its off-label use in weight management and other conditions has grown, prompting a review of its benefits and risks. This review evaluates evidence on semaglutide's effects, highlighting its therapeutic potential beyond approved indications.

Beyond respiratory syncytial virus and rhinovirus: The other viral respiratory bandits.

Asthma affects approximately 25 million people in the United States, with respiratory viruses playing a significant role in both the onset and exacerbations of the condition. Although rhinovirus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are the most well-known triggers, other iratory viruses playing a significant role in both the on, human parainfluenza virus, human bocavirus, enterovirus D68, influenza, and SARS-CoV-2 are increasingly recognized for their significant impact on asthma. These viruses contribute to both the development of asthma and exacerbations by inducing airway inflammation, disrupting epithelial barriers, and skewing immune responses-particularly toward type 2 inflammation.

Sex-Dependent Relationships Between PFAS and Placental Transcriptomics Identified by Weighted Gene Co-Expression Analysis.

Background: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are environmental toxicants associated with adverse neonatal outcomes. The exact mechanisms by which PFAS impairs neonatal health are undefined, but the placenta is a likely target.

Objective: We applied a systems biology approach to identify placental RNA co-expression modules (gene sets) associated with PFAS exposure and birth weight.

An evaluation of graduate student stress levels, stressors experienced, and resource awareness at a university for medical sciences.

Health-science-related graduate students face many responsibilities, have to balance multiple conflicting factors to succeed and are often adversely impacted by university expectations that graduate students require fewer resources to handle the demands of higher education. The purpose of this study is to survey graduate student stress levels, significant stressors experienced, and utilization of institutional resources at a southern university. An explanatory mixed-methods study was conducted with 431 students.

Satellite cells choreograph an immune cell-fibrogenic cell circuit during mechanical loading in geriatric skeletal muscle.

Muscle stem cells, or satellite cells (SCs), decline in number throughout the lifespan and may become senescent in very old age. Whether and how remaining SCs contribute to muscle adaptation in the oldest-old is unclear. Using acute mechanical overload in geriatric SC replete and depleted mice (28-month-old) combined with single-cell RNA-sequencing, we show: (i) subsets of geriatric SCs display signs of senescence as well as normal fate progression during overload, (ii) SCs express markers that may contribute to the regulation of innervation, (iii) the presence of SCs during overload enhances global intercellular communication and increases mRNA levels of the cell surface receptor in immune cells, (iv) macrophage migration inhibitory factor (), the primary ligand for CD74, is enriched in fibrogenic cells and is more pronounced in the absence of SCs-perhaps to normalize dysregulated fibrotic signaling and migration in macrophages, and (v) SCs influence cell fate dynamics to promote the canonical macrophage response to hypertrophic loading.

Risks and uncertainty associated with prices set by equine boarding facility owners.

Equine boarding facilities provide critical care for a large portion of the U.S. equine population, yet rising input costs challenge facility owners' ability to maintain services without adjusting fees.

Human protein synthesis requires aminoacyl-tRNA pivoting during proofreading.

Rigorous studies have characterized the aa-tRNA selection mechanism in bacteria, which is essential for maintaining translational fidelity. Recent investigations have identified critical distinctions in humans, such as the requirement of subunit rolling and a tenfold slower proofreading step. Although these studies captured key intermediates involved in tRNA selection, they did not elucidate the transitions of aa-tRNA between intermediates.

Problem Identification and Needs Assessment for a Universal Surgical Simulation Educational Fellowship Curriculum.

Objective: Simulation-based training is a critical adjunct to clinical medicine, and it has grown exponentially in academic and community healthcare settings in recent decades. The expansion is multifactorial, and the proliferation has resulted in the need for well-informed, well-trained simulation educators and leaders. The increased demand has driven the growth of accredited surgical simulation fellowships and formal surgical education qualifications.

Incidentally Detected Pulmonary Carcinoid Tumorlet With Coexisting Carcinoid Tumorlet in the Mediastinal Lymph Node in a Patient With Lung Cancer.

Pulmonary carcinoid tumorlets are a cluster of neuroendocrine cells in the lung, which invade the basement membrane and are less than 5 mm in size. While similar to carcinoid tumors in all regards, they are differentiated from carcinoid tumors purely based on their size. They are generally considered benign, but lymph nodal involvement has been described in the past.

A functional surface display system in for protein absorption in simulated intestinal fluids.

There is untapped potential for medical breakthroughs using engineered microbes to treat conditions such as those of the gastrointestinal tract. In this report, we explore the feasibility of established protein surface display methods to be used in the probiotic yeast to display antibodies within a simulated gastrointestinal environment. We demonstrate that an auxotrophic strain of this yeast derived directly from a commercial probiotic can express functional antibodies tethered to the cell surface.

A Motivational Framework to Connect Traditional Feminine Gender Roles to Alcohol Use and Consequences Among Latina Young Adults in the United States.

Traditional feminine gender roles (TFGRs) may be important sociocultural predictors of drinking among U.S. Latinas; however, examining the explanatory role of drinking motives will improve current understanding of the connection between TFGRs and alcohol use.

Incidence of Strabismus in Childhood Glaucoma.

Purpose: To evaluate the cumulative incidence of strabismus in childhood glaucoma and compare its risk to that in healthy controls.

Design: A retrospective clinical cohort study.

Participants: Childhood glaucoma patients aged ≤18 years from the TriNetX US Collaborative Network.

Fabrication of Antibacterial and Functional Films from Starch-Polyvinylpyrrolidone Composite Using Plasma Treatment and Silver Nanoparticles.

Biopolymers and water-soluble nontoxic synthetic polymer composites using silver nanoparticles are astute approaches for antibacterial film fabrication. Moreover, surface treatment of the biopolymeric composite film by cold plasma can enhance the biocidal activity. Silver nanoparticles were synthesized by using the reduction method.

Health service needs, use, and barriers among formerly incarcerated women survivors of sexual violence.

Incarcerated women commonly report lifetime sexual violence victimization, have high rates of many physical and mental illnesses, and ultimately return to their communities with significant healthcare needs. This study qualitatively examined formerly incarcerated women sexual violence survivors' health service utilization and perceived barriers to accessing health care - including primary care, mental health care, and substance use treatment services - three-to-five years post-release. We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews and administered self-report surveys with 65 women.