Research RSS

CONCLUSIONS: Multiclade and sequential regimens before SOSIP-stabilized Env immunization elicited B-cells that converge on shared epitopes. A change in immunogen format results in a divergent B-cell response that vastly fails to engage prior responses. Critically, B-cell priming with non-stabilized Env cannot modify the effect of the epitope immunodominance hierarchy in a SOSIP trimer. These resul...

CONCLUSIONS: Nearly 11 million people in the Southeast US do not have timely access to PCI. This disparity may contribute to increased morbidity and mortality.

We investigate the magnitude, specificity, and functional properties of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA-1)-specific antibodies in young adults over the course of primary infection. EBNA-1-specific binding antibodies, as well as antibodies capable of antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP) and antibody-dependent complement deposition (ADCD), are detected. These antibodies p...

The process of domestication is commonly perceived as a human achievement, and domestic species are typically assumed to be those under human control. Domestic species have emerged from a greater diversity of interactions than this perspective allows, and none of the many definitions proposed for domestication can readily, reliably, and consistently distinguish domestic and nondomestic populations...

CONCLUSIONS: Our study findings underscore the dynamic nature of SCD management in children, and highlight the need for continuous evaluation of treatment guideline adherence, as well as treatment effectiveness and safety with the newer SCD medications and treatment guidelines, to optimize clinical outcomes among this vulnerable patient population.

CONCLUSIONS: Our study is the first, to the best of our knowledge, to merge administrative datasets to characterize VA-enrolled veterans of Asian or NHPI race with a corresponding Asian or NHPI ethnicity. Despite incomplete ethnicity data, the merging of CDW race and DaVINCI ethnicity variables (over the use of one or the other) may inform research and quality improvement studies, e.g., by enablin...

Harmonized neuropsychological assessment for neurocognitive disorders (NCDs) is an urgent priority in clinics. Neuropsychology assessments in NCDs seldom include tests exploring social cognitive skills. In 2022, we launched the SIGNATURE initiative to optimize socio-cognitive assessment in NCDs. Here, we report findings from the first initiative phase, including consortium creation and evaluation ...

The mass rearing of anopheline mosquitoes under laboratory conditions is essential for advancing malaria research. It facilitates in-depth studies on mosquito biology, behavior, and genetics and their role in Plasmodium transmission. However, the colonization of Neotropical anophelines such as Anopheles darlingi-a primary malaria vector in the Amazon region-has proven particularly challenging due ...

Background: Percutaneous vertebral augmentation techniques, including vertebroplasty, kyphoplasty, and bone tumor radiofrequency ablation (BT-RFA), are commonly used to treat painful vertebral compression fractures (VCFs). While generally safe and effective, they carry risks, including cement extravasation, which can lead to pulmonary embolism or spinal cord compression. This study aims to compare...

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) affects ~1% of children and adults and is partly caused by genetic factors. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis combining 53,660 OCD cases and 2,044,417 controls and identified 30 independent genome-wide significant loci. Gene-based approaches identified 249 potential effector genes for OCD, with 25 of these classified as the most l...

CONCLUSION: Although female orthopaedic surgery residents were more likely to be affiliated with higher-ranking educational institutions, this had no clear influence on research productivity, as suggested by comparable median interquartile ranges and H-indices. Future studies should explore whether research productivity has evolved over time and, if so, how.

CONCLUSIONS: Children with lower birth weight and with mothers overweight/obese before pregnancy presented a higher risk of RWG in the first six months and rs 9939,609 was not associated with RWG.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative condition, with 20% of familial and 2-3% of sporadic cases linked to mutations in the cytosolic superoxide dismutase (SOD1) gene. Mutant SOD1 protein is toxic to motor neurons, making SOD1 gene suppression a promising approach, supported by preclinical data and the 2023 FDA approval of the GapmeR ASO targeting SOD1, tofersen. Despite...

Hepatic insulin resistance is an important pathophysiology in type 2 diabetes, and the mechanisms by which high-caloric diets induce insulin resistance are unclear. Among vertebrate animals, mammals have retained a unique molecular change that allows an intracellular arrestin domain-containing protein called Thioredoxin-Interacting Protein (TXNIP) to bind covalently to thioredoxin, allowing TXNIP ...

No abstract

Recurrent waves of viral infection necessitate vaccines and therapeutics that remain effective against emerging viruses. Our ability to evaluate interventions is currently limited to assessments against past or circulating variants, which likely differ in their immune escape potential compared with future variants. To address this, we developed EVE-Vax, a computational method for designing antigen...

CONCLUSIONS: Sleep quantity and sex were found to be significantly associated with specific neurocognitive ImPACT composite scores. The results of this study underscore the need for further investigation into these variables in the context of SRC management to provide optimal and personalized treatment for young athletes.

BackgroundDespite overwhelming evidence for work-related stress and burnout, health care clinicians receive little training in self-care.ObjectivesWe explored training and current self-care satisfaction of psychosocial and palliative care clinicians.DesignForty-one psychosocial and palliative care clinicians (18 physicians, 16 social workers, and 7 others [nurse practitioners, psychologists, pharm...

CONCLUSION: A novel, evidence-based approach to precision medicine in RA, which involves tailoring treatment based on cytokine profiles and synovial tissue signatures, shows promise for improving patient care. However, more research is needed to identify biomarkers that predict drug response.

CONCLUSIONS: Through several case studies, we demonstrate how Exo-C's multifaceted application can effectively uncover diverse causative variants and elucidate disease mechanisms in patients with rare disorders.

CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that WMHs may play a vital mediating role in the relationship between inflammation, oxidative stress, and cognitive impairments in SCH. Future studies exploring the potential clinical utility of WMHs as biomarkers for early detection and intervention of SCH are warranted.

No abstract

Persistent HIV reservoirs in CD4^(+) T cells pose a barrier to curing HIV infection. We identify overexpression of enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) in HIV-infected CD4^(+) T cells that survive cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) exposure, suggesting a mechanism of CTL resistance. Inhibition of EZH2 with the US Food and Drug Administration-approved drug tazemetostat increases surface expression of major...

CONCLUSION: Patients with darker skin, particularly skin types V and VI, were more impacted in their daily lives, emotional well-being, and mental health than those with fairer skin, suggesting that a disproportionate need for strategies to improve QoL and mental health burden exists among patients with vitiligo who have skin of color.

Despite the general detriment of aneuploidy to cellular fitness, 90% of solid tumors carry an imbalanced karyotype. This existing paradox and the molecular responses to aneuploidy remain poorly understood. Here, we explore these cellular stresses and unique vulnerabilities of aneuploidy in human mammary epithelial cells (HMECs) enriched for breast cancer-associated copy number alterations (CNAs). ...

CONCLUSIONS: OCT imaging using LRS as a flushing medium is safe and effective and can reduce the amount of contrast agent required while maintaining comparable lesion assessment quality to contrast-based OCT imaging.

CONCLUSION: Our study reveals unforeseen biochemical features of RNAs from clustered transcription units within the 4q35 subtelomere. Specifically, the FRG2, DBE-T and D4Z4-derived transcripts are chromatin-associated and are stabilized posttranscriptionally after induction by genotoxic stress. Remarkably, the extent of this response is modulated by the copy number of the D4Z4 repeats, raising new...

Amygdala hyperreactivity early-post trauma has been a demonstrable neurobiological correlate of future posttraumautic stress disorder (PTSD). The basolateral amygdala (BLA) particularly is vital for fear memory and threat processing, but BLA functional dynamics following a traumatic event are unexplored. BLA reactivity to threat may be a trait that can predict PTSD and persist over time. Alternati...

Recently, we took care of a teenage boy in our PICU who had been struggling with a lifelong chronic illness and accompanied him and his parents during the last few days of his life. We had the privilege of getting to know him and his parents quite well during the last few years, as he required hospitalization several times during this time. We saw how extremely dedicated his parents had been to hi...

Cancer is among the leading causes of death in the USA and worldwide. Solid tumors require the formation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) for their growth. The endothelium plays a crucial role in angiogenesis and tumor progression. Hypoxic stress generated by tumors can activate stress kinases such as mixed lineage kinases (MLKs). Publicly available datasets on lung adenocarcinoma, along with o...