Determination

Phage therapy is a therapeutic approach to treat multidrug-resistant (MDR) infections that employs lytic bacteriophages (phages) to eliminate bacteria. Despite the abundant evidence for its success as an antimicrobial in Eastern Europe, there is scarce data regarding its effects on the human host. Here, we aimed to understand how lytic phages interact with cells of the airway epithelium, the tissue site that is colonized by bacterial biofilms in numerous chronic respiratory disorders. Using a panel of Pseudomonas aeruginosa phages and human airway epithelial cells (AECs) derived from a person with cystic fibrosis (CF), we determined that interactions between phages and epithelial cells depend on specific phage properties as well as physiochemical features of the microenvironment...

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) treatment failure remains a major public health concern, with multidimensional consequences, including an increased risk of drug resistance, compromised quality of life, and high healthcare costs. However, little is known about the outcomes of second-line ART in Ethiopia. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the incidence and determinants of second-line ART treatment failure. Articles published in PubMed, Google Scholar, Science Direct, and Scopus databases were systematically searched...

Universal and early recognition of pathogens occurs through recognition of evolutionarily conserved pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) by innate immune receptors and the consequent secretion of cytokines and chemokines. The intrinsic complexity of innate immune signaling and associated signal transduction challenges our ability to obtain physiologically relevant, reproducible and accurate data from experimental systems. One of the reasons for the discrepancy in observed data is the choice of measurement strategy...

Increasing evidence indicates that terminally differentiated neurons in the brain may recommit to a cell cycle-like process during neuronal aging and under disease conditions. Because of the rare existence and random localization of these cells in the brain, their molecular profiles and disease-specific heterogeneities remain unclear. Through a bioinformatics approach that allows integrated analyses of multiple single-nucleus transcriptome datasets from human brain samples, these rare cell populations were identified and selected for further characterization...

BACKGROUND: Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) are diagnosed based on poor motor skills that impact their daily activities. However, this may also lead to lower predilection and participation in physical activities and a higher risk to develop health problems. OBJECTIVE: To determine motor skill related levels in children with moderate and severe DCD and compare that to typically developing children (TD). The study also aimed to determine the level of activities of daily living (ADL) as reported by their parent and self-efficacy as reported by the children...

The Mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) pathway plays a key role in determining immune cells function through modulation of their metabolic status. By specific deletion of Rictor in CD11c+ myeloid cells (referred to here as CD11cRicΔ/Δ), this study investigated the role of mTOR complex 2 (mTORC2) signalling in dendritic cells (DCs) function in mice. We showed that upon DSS-induced colitis, lack of mTORC2 signalling CD11c+ cells diminishes colitis score, and abrogates dendritic cell (DC) migration to the mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN), thereby diminishing the infiltration of T helper (Th) 17 cells in the lamina propria (LP) and subsequent inflammation...

Cyanobacteria, red algae, and cryptophytes produce two classes of proteins for light-harvesting: water-soluble phycobiliproteins and membrane-intrinsic proteins that bind chlorophylls and carotenoids. In cyanobacteria, red algae, and glaucophytes, phycobilisomes (PBS) are complexes of brightly colored phycobiliproteins and linker (assembly) proteins. To date, six structural classes of phycobilisomes have been described: hemiellipsoidal, block-shaped, hemidiscoidal, bundle-shaped, paddle-shaped, and far-red-light bicylindrical...

The major product of DNA-methylating agents, N7-methyl-2'-deoxyguanosine (MdG), is a persistent lesion in vivo , but it is not believed to have a large direct physiological impact. However, MdG reacts with histone proteins to form reversible DNA-protein cross-links (DPCMdG ), a family of DNA lesions that can significantly threaten cell survival. In this paper, we developed a tandem mass spectrometry method for quantifying the amounts of MdG and DPCMdG in nuclear DNA by taking advantage of their chemical lability and the concurrent release of N7-methylguanine...

BACKGROUND: Youth who experience homelessness engage in behaviors that place them at high risk for disease and injury. Despite their health risk behaviors, these youth display psychological capital, positive attributes of hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism that motivate them to engage in health-promoting behaviors such as safer sex. However, this array of positive psychological attributes has not been studied in this vulnerable population. OBJECTIVES: The specific aim of this analysis was to determine whether factors of psychological capital mediated the relationship between background risk factors (e...

This study explored the association between diabetes, cognitive imFpairment (CI), and mortality in a cohort of 2931 individuals aged 60 and above from the 2011 to 2014 NHANES. Mortality data was gathered through 2019, and multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine the association between diabetes, CI, and mortality adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, and comorbidity conditions. The study spanned up to 9.17 years, observing 579 deaths, with individuals having both diabetes and CI showing the highest all-cause mortality (23...

OBJECTIVE: To identify neurobehavioral symptom profiles among persons with chronic traumatic brain injury (TBI) using the Behavioral Assessment Screening Tool (BAST) and to consider participant characteristics that differ between profile groups. SETTING: Community. PARTICIPANTS: Participants (n = 615) were English-speaking adults (≥18) and had a self-reported history of at least one TBI of any severity. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of cross-sectional data...

OBJECTIVE: To assess the cost-effectiveness of alternative approaches to diagnose and treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) during inpatient rehabilitation. SETTING: Data collected during the Comparison of Sleep Apnea Assessment Strategies to Maximize TBI Rehabilitation Participation and Outcome (C-SAS) clinical trial (NCT03033901) on an inpatient rehabilitation TBI cohort were used in this study. STUDY DESIGN: Decision tree analysis was used to determine the cost-effectiveness of approaches to diagnosing and treating sleep apnea...

OBJECTIVE: Determine the proportion of contemporary US academic general surgery residency program graduates who pursue academic careers and identify factors associated with pursuing academic careers. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Many academic residency programs aim to cultivate academic surgeons, yet the proportion of contemporary graduates who choose academic careers is unclear. The potential determinants that affect graduates' decisions to pursue academic careers remain underexplored...

PURPOSE: Individuals with amblyopia experience central vision deficits, including loss of visual acuity, binocular vision, and stereopsis. In this study, we examine the differences in peripheral binocular imbalance in children with anisometropic amblyopia, strabismic amblyopia, and typical binocular vision to determine if there are systematic patterns of deficits across the visual field. METHODS: This prospective cohort study recruited 12 participants with anisometropic amblyopia, 10 with strabismic amblyopia, and 10 typically sighted controls (age range, 5-18 years)...

OBJECTIVE: To determine if using the Snackability app improves snack intake among college students. PARTICIPANTS: US college students with overweight/obesity were recruited in June 2020-April 2021. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted to test the Snackability app use for 12 wk on snack scores (calculated from the app) compared to controls. We also explored the effect on diet quality (Healthy Eating Index-2015) and weight. Outcomes were compared between the intervention and the control groups at 4, 8, and 12 wk using repeated measures ANOVA...

In industrial production processes, the mechanical properties of materials will directly determine the stability and consistency of product quality. However, detecting the current mechanical property is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and the material quality cannot be controlled in time. To achieve high-quality steel materials, developing a novel intelligent manufacturing technology that can satisfy multitask predictions for material properties has become a new research trend. This article proposes a multiobjective evolutionary learning method based on a two-stage model with topological sparse autoencoder (TSAE) and ensemble learning...

CONTEXT: Reliable estradiol (E2) reference intervals (RIs) are crucial in Pediatric Endocrinology. OBJECTIVES: To develop a sensitive ultra-performance liquid chromatographic tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method for E2 in serum, to establish graphically represented RI percentiles and annual RIs for both sexes and to perform a systematic literature comparison. METHODS: First, an UPLC-MS/MS method for E2 was developed. Second, graphically represented RI percentiles and annual RIs covering 0-18 years were computed (cohort of healthy children (1181 girls, 543 boys))...

BACKGROUND: Tulathromycin (TUL) is a triamilide antibacterial drug which has been approved for use in the European Union and the United States for the treatment and prevention of bovine respiratory diseases. The existing methods for determination of TUL in its pharmaceutical bulk form are very limited and suffer from major drawbacks. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was the development of two innovative microwell spectrophotometric methods (MW-SPMs) for determination of TUL in its pharmaceutical bulk form...

The accumulation of manganese ions is crucial for scavenging reactive oxygen species and protecting the proteome of Deinococcus radiodurans (Dr). However, metal homeostasis still needs to be tightly regulated to avoid toxicity. DR2539, a dimeric transcription regulator, plays a key role in Dr manganese homeostasis. Despite comprising three well-conserved domains - a DNA-binding domain, a dimerisation domain, and an ancillary domain - the mechanisms underlying both, metal ion activation and DNA recognition remain elusive...

OBJECTIVE: To determine the association of cardiovascular atherosclerotic plaque monosodium urate deposits with the occurrence of major cardiovascular events in gout and hyperuricemia patients. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included patients with clinically suspicion of gout, who performed a dual energy computed tomography of the affected limb and thorax between June 1st, 2012 and December 5th, 2019. Clinical and laboratory parameters were retrieved from patientś charts...