Research RSS

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion-weighted imaging (IVIM-DWI) and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) parameters in soft tissue tumors (STTs). Methods: This retrospective study included patients with histopathologically confirmed STTs who underwent both DCE-MRI and IVIM-DWI between March 2022 and February 2...

In the original publication [...].

Reprogramming of Müller glial (MG) cells into retinal neurons has the potential to treat vision loss by regenerating the retina. Development of efficient gene delivery systems to target the MG cells is critical for this approach. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) serotypes and promoter specificity are important factors that influence AAV transduction profile in the retina. However, studies optimizing t...

Peripheral opioids are safer than systemic opioids by avoiding central side effects. However, peripheral tolerance hampers their clinical use. We highlight an epithelial-neuronal communication mechanism for peripheral opioid tolerance. We discovered that both repeated intraplantar (i.pl.) morphine injections or repeated keratinocyte photostimulation in mice cause peripheral tolerance in a platelet...

The sweeping progress in the nuclear organization-function field over the past two decades constitutes a major advance, to be sure. This work significantly impacts molecular, cell and developmental biology and has uncovered numerous clinical implications. Here I offer perspectives around the epistemological axis in this field of ours, viz. what we knew and when, and what we know (or think we know)...

Purulent pericardial effusion (PPE) is a life-threatening infection of the pericardial space. While rare in the modern antimicrobial era, its rapidly progressive course, diagnostic challenges, and lack of management guidance make it a source of significant morbidity and mortality. Gram-positive bacteria are the most common causative organisms; however, polymicrobial and fungal infections are being...

CONCLUSION: Absorbable staple augmentation was associated with significantly fewer complications compared to barbed sutures alone, though obese patients remained at higher risk. Potential mechanisms for improved outcomes may include its longer time to dissolve, precise edge apposition, and clearance of the epidermis, contributing to uniform tension distribution and robust wound healing. Absorbable...

BACKGROUND: Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a critical manifestation of cardiovascular disease, which necessitates rigorous secondary prevention to reduce recurrent events and mortality. While lipid-lowering therapy (LLT) is integral to post-ACS secondary prevention, long-term adherence remains a significant clinical challenge. This study evaluated psychological, socioeconomic, and clinical facto...

Physicians who are underrepresented in medicine (URiMs), defined by the Association of American Medical Colleges as Black, Hispanic, and Native American, are significantly underrepresented in pediatric cardiology. This project, to identify improvement opportunities in recruitment and retention, examined the impact of mentorship, subspecialty exposure, specialty culture, and financial constraints o...

PURPOSE OF THE REVIEW: Improving survival rates for extremely preterm infants have shifted the threshold for postnatal intervention earlier, although outcomes remain uncertain. Counseling for families facing periviable birth is complex, requiring integration of evolving data, ethical considerations, and patient values. Obstetricians play a key role in this counseling. This review synthesizes recen...

Gene essentiality can differ among genetically distinct individuals. In this protocol, we describe a systematic approach for identifying genes that are essential in a laboratory strain of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae but vary in essentiality across other yeast isolates. This approach relies on a collection of inducible essential gene deletion mutants in the laboratory background. We ...

Most genetic variants associated with complex traits are hypothesized to regulate gene expression. To understand the genetics underlying gene expression variability, we characterized 14,324 RNA-sequencing samples from the Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine program and performed expression and splicing quantitative trait locus (e/sQTL) analyses in six tissues and cell types, including whole blood (...

LMNA-associated congenital muscular dystrophy is a currently incurable rare genetic disorder characterized by early-onset muscle weakness, dilated cardiomyopathy, and respiratory failure, resulting from mutations in the LMNA gene. In this study, we assessed the potential of a CRISPR-mediated strategy to eliminate the mutant allele Lmna c.745CT, p.R249W using a mutation-specific guide (sg745T). Res...

CASE PRESENTATION: A 28-year-old woman with a history of cocaine and opioid use disorder presented to the emergency department with abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting for two days. She'd had irregular bowel movements with constipation for quite some time. Physical exam was notable for diffuse peritonitis and melena on digital rectal exam. Patient had a witnessed episode of hematochezia. Computed...

CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: The accessible nature of the PREP program makes it a promising intervention to reduce perinatal maternal mental health inequities. Findings contribute to the field of family science by developing and testing one of the first prevention programs to take a family systems approach to promoting mental health during early pregnancy.

Background/Objectives: Many individuals facing food insecurity make tradeoff decisions between spending money on food or other basic needs. In addition, many engage in coping strategies to stretch food budgets or make food last longer. There is limited data on how participation in food assistance programs is associated with use of tradeoffs or coping strategies among households experiencing food i...

The cyclic GMP-AMP synthase-stimulator of interferon genes (cGAS-STING) pathway is a central regulator of innate immunity, sensing cytosolic DNA and initiating inflammatory signaling. Aberrant activation of this pathway drives autoimmune and inflammatory pathologies, positioning STING as a compelling therapeutic target. Here, we describe the structure-activity relationship (SAR)-guided optimizatio...

The biogenesis of multipass membrane proteins challenges the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) quality control, particularly when transmembrane segments contain polar or charged residues required for function. Fks1, the catalytic subunit of yeast β-(1,3)-glucan synthase, exemplifies this challenge because its large multipass transmembrane architecture must support glucan synthesis at the plasma membrane ...

INTRODUCTION: Mitochondrial dysfunction is recognised as a key driver of heart failure (HF) pathophysiology, contributing to oxidative stress, apoptosis, and impaired energy production in cardiomyocytes. Although therapeutic agents aimed at restoring mitochondrial function have demonstrated promise in animal models and early-phase clinical trials, their efficacy in clinical practice remains uncert...

INTRODUCTION: As Emergency Medicine (EM) training expands in Africa, integration of comprehensive and sustainable point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) curricula and building expertise are important considerations. The objectives were to describe and assess the efficacy of a novel ultrasound curriculum for EM residents in Tanzania and POCUS quality assurance training for local faculty. Novel aspects in...

CONCLUSION: The unadjusted and age-adjusted z-score for disease activity developed using a synthetic reference population improves both the statistical and clinical usefulness of the disease activity metric. This new composite metric improves comparability across studies, clinical interpretability, and statistical modeling utility.

CONCLUSION: Zoning is a policy lever that can promote neighborhood social connectedness.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between prenatal exposure to low-level air pollution and child autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is unclear.

CONCLUSION: Type B DMCs often feature focal hyperkeratosis at the PNF. A review of type B DMC images revealed that this hyperkeratosis was mostly due to cuticle thickening, suggesting a reaction of the eponychium in response to the mass effect within the PNF. Bringing this characteristic to the attention of practicing physicians may aid in clinical diagnosis.

Rhodoquinone (RQ) is a recently discovered component of the mammalian electron transport chain (ETC) with a high degree of tissue-specificity. Currently, a lack of pure analytical standards limits efforts to precisely quantify its levels using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and interrogate its biochemical functions within mammalian ETC complexes. Here, rhodoquinone-9 (RQ...

CONCLUSIONS: The medium and distal mechanical thrombectomy score is a pragmatic tool that identifies patients with distal and medium vessel occlusion most likely to benefit from EVT while minimizing risk, supporting patient-centered decisions and future trial design.

Next-generation allogeneic islet cell products-including stem cell (SC)-derived, gene-edited, and encapsulated islets-offer scalable and curative solutions to restore physiological glucose control in type 1 diabetes. The critical path to success for these complex therapies hinges on robust nonclinical pharmacology and toxicology evidence and rigorous, scalable, and well-controlled manufacturing. W...

CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that SNM has equal efficacy in patients with CNS pathology with OAB or urinary retention, similar to the nonneurogenic population, except in patients with dementia, who have lower rates of IPG implantation for OAB.

CONCLUSION: Specific meteorologic conditions, not just seasons, were meaningfully associated with fracture incidence, with effects differing by age and fracture type. Age-stratified weather models may improve orthopedic preparedness, resource allocation, and fall-prevention strategies. As climate change increases precipitation variability and freeze-thaw cycles, weather-fracture associations becom...

CONCLUSIONS: ACA anatomical variants do not adversely affect the safety or efficacy of endovascular treatment for DACA. With appropriate anatomical assessment and treatment selection, endovascular therapy remains effective even in the presence of complex ACA configurations.