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Paul George and colleagues developed a conductive polymer system to enable stem cell delivery and electrical modulation in vivo. Employing this system improved functional stroke recovery in rodents and identified important repair pathways.

Introduction: Medical providers may not be familiar with the genitourinary and sexual symptoms of transgender and non-binary (TGNB) individuals. This lack of familiarity may hinder a provider's ability to address these issues as patients may hesitate to report symptoms due to fear of stigma, misgendering, and being treated disrespectfully. Aim: To describe the array of genitourinary and sexual symptoms in transfeminine individuals. Methods: Upon institutional review board approval, researchers used semi-structured interviews with 25 transfeminine individuals assigned male at birth to explore urinary and sexual symptoms on a sample of convenience. Participants were recruited and interviews were conducted until saturation was achieved. Two research assistants independently coded all de-identified transcripts and resolved discrepancies. Outcomes: Thematic codes pertaining to genitourinary and sexual symptoms were defined and assessed in this study. Results: Some genitourinary symptoms unrelated to hormone therapy or genital gender-affirming surgery (GGAS) included frequency, urgency, nocturia, and incontinence, while those attributed to GGAS included slow stream, spraying, and retention. Sexual symptoms unrelated to hormone therapy or GGAS included sexually transmitted infections, erectile dysfunction, and low libido. Sexual symptoms related to GGAS included delayed ejaculation, penile pain, scar tissue pain, and pain with receptive vaginal penetration. Clinical Implications: Increased provider awareness of and accountability for the treatment of genital and sexual symptoms of transfeminine individuals. Strengths and Limitations: Open-ended questions were used to generate a range of responses and perspectives through conversation instead of quantifiable data. Findings are not applicable to all TGNB people since participants were limited to transfeminine adults assigned male at birth only. Recruitment was limited by the sensitive nature of the topic and hard-to-reach populations and relied on convenience through flyers and a chain-referral sampling approach. Conclusion: Transfeminine individuals experience a wide array of genitourinary and sexual symptoms both similar and different to their cis gender counterparts.Chung PH, Swaminathan V, Spigner S, et al. Genitourinary and Sexual Symptoms and Treatments in Transfeminine Individuals: A Qualitative Exploration of Patients’ Needs. Sex Med 2022;10:100566.

Lysosomal storage diseases like mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS I) cause pathology before birth and result in early morbidity and mortality. Here, the authors show that in utero base editing mediates multi-organ phenotypic and survival benefits in a mouse model recapitulating a common human MPSI mutation.

Abstract The application of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in disease modeling and regenerative medicine can be limited by the prolonged times required for functional human neuronal differentiation and traditional 2D culture techniques. Here, a conductive graphene scaffold (CGS) to modulate mechanical and electrical signals to promote human iPSC‐derived neurons is presented. The soft CGS with cortex‐like stiffness (≈3 kPa) and electrical stimulation (±800 mV/100 Hz for 1 h) incurs a fivefold improvement in the rate (14d) of generating iPSC‐derived neurons over some traditional protocols, with an increase in mature cellular markers and electrophysiological characteristics. Consistent with other culture conditions, it is found that the pro‐neurogenic effects of mechanical and electrical stimuli rely on RhoA/ROCK signaling and de novo ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) production respectively. Thus, the CGS system creates a combined physical and continuously modifiable, electrical niche to efficiently and quickly generate iPSC‐derived neurons.

Injuries in the central nervous system (CNS) often causes neuronal loss and glial scar formation. We have recently demonstrated NeuroD1-mediated direct conversion of reactive glial cells into functional neurons in adult mouse brains. Here, we further investigate whether such direct glia-to-neuron conversion technology can reverse glial scar back to neural tissue in a severe stab injury model of the mouse cortex. Using an adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based gene therapy approach, we ectopically expressed a single neural transcription factor NeuroD1 in reactive astrocytes in the injured areas. We discovered that the reactive astrocytes were efficiently converted into neurons both before and after glial scar formation, and the remaining astrocytes proliferated to repopulate themselves. The astrocyte-converted neurons were highly functional, capable of firing action potentials and establishing synaptic connections with other neurons. Unexpectedly, the expression of NeuroD1 in reactive astrocytes resulted in a significant reduction of toxic A1 astrocytes, together with a significant decrease of reactive microglia and neuroinflammation. Furthermore, accompanying the regeneration of new neurons and repopulation of new astrocytes, new blood vessels emerged and blood-brain-barrier (BBB) was restored. These results demonstrate an innovative neuroregenerative gene therapy that can directly reverse glial scar back to neural tissue, opening a new avenue for brain repair after injury.

Objective The aim of this study is to assess the diagnostic yield and economic cost of radiologic imaging for urgent and emergent ophthalmic conditions in an emergency room (ER) setting Design Retrospective, consecutive case series. Methods Charts of all patients who underwent radiologic imaging in a dedicated eye ER over a single year were reviewed. Data collected included age, patient reported chief complaint, visual acuity, principal examination finding, indication for imaging, imaging modalities performed, and the current procedural terminology (CPT) codes billed for the imaging performed. Imaging results were classified into three groups with binary outcomes: normal or abnormal; significant if it led to a change in patient management, and relevant if the imaging findings were related to the chief complaint or principal examination finding. Imaging costs were calculated using the billed CPT codes. Results A total of 14,961 patients were evaluated during the 1-year study and 1,371 (9.2%) patients underwent imaging. Of these, 521 patients (38.0%) had significant findings. A majority of this group had significant and relevant findings (469, 34.2% of total). Subgroup analysis was performed based upon patient chief complaint, principal examination finding, and indication for imaging. Overall, the total cost of imaging was $656,078.34 with an average cost of $478.54 per patient. Conclusion Imaging for urgent and emergent ophthalmic conditions in an eye ER resulted in significant management changes in 38.0% of patients. Radiographic imaging contributes to healthcare expenditures; however, these costs must be weighed against the substantial costs of delayed and misdiagnoses, especially when patients present with acute ophthalmological symptoms.

Abstract Extracellular matrix (ECM) properties affect multiple cellular processes such as cell survival, proliferation, and protein synthesis. Thus, a polymeric‐cell delivery system with the ability to manipulate the extracellular environment can act as a fundamental regulator of cell function. Given the promise of stem cell therapeutics, a method to uniformly enhance stem cell function, in particular trophic factor release, can prove transformative in improving efficacy and increasing feasibility by reducing the total number of cells required. Herein, a click‐chemistry powered 3D, single‐cell encapsulation method aimed at synthesizing a polymeric coating with the optimal thickness around neural progenitor cells is introduced. Polymer encapsulation of neural stem cells significantly increases the release of neurotrophic factors such as VEGF and CNTF. Cell encapsulation with a soft extracellular polymer upregulates the ADCY8‐cAMP pathway, suggesting a mechanism for the increase in paracrine factors. Hence, the described single‐cell encapsulation technique can emerge as a translatable, nonviral cell modulation method and has the potential to improve stem cells' therapeutic effect.