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The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 75% of reported cases of traumatic brain injury (TBI) are mild, where chronic pain and depression are 2 of the most common symptoms. In this study, we used a murine model of repeated mild TBI to characterize the associated pain hypersensitivity and affective-like behavior and to what extent microglial reactivity contributes to these behavioral phenotypes. Male and female C57BL/6J mice underwent sham or repeated mild traumatic brain injury (rmTBI) and were tested for up to 9 weeks postinjury, where an anti-inflammatory/neuroprotective drug (minocycline) was introduced at 5 weeks postinjury in the drinking water. Repeated mild traumatic brain injury mice developed cold nociceptive hypersensitivity and negative affective states, as well as increased locomotor activity and risk-taking behavior. Minocycline reversed negative affect and pain hypersensitivities in male but not female mice. Repeated mild traumatic brain injury also produced an increase in microglial and brain-derived neurotropic factor mRNA transcripts in limbic structures known to be involved in nociception and affect, but many of these changes were sex dependent. Finally, we show that the antiepileptic drug, gabapentin, produced negative reinforcement in male rmTBI mice that was prevented by minocycline treatment, whereas rmTBI female mice showed a place aversion to gabapentin. Collectively, pain hypersensitivity, increased tonic-aversive pain components, and negative affective states were evident in both male and female rmTBI mice, but suppression of microglial reactivity was only sufficient to reverse behavioral changes in male mice. Neuroinflammation in limbic structures seems to be a contributing factor in behavioral changes resulting from rmTBI.

There is a need to define regions of gene activation or repression that control human kidney cells in states of health, injury, and repair to understand the molecular pathogenesis of kidney disease and design therapeutic strategies. Comprehensive integration of gene expression with epigenetic features that define regulatory elements remains a significant challenge. We measure dual single nucleus RNA expression and chromatin accessibility, DNA methylation, and H3K27ac, H3K4me1, H3K4me3, and H3K27me3 histone modifications to decipher the chromatin landscape and gene regulation of the kidney in reference and adaptive injury states. We establish a spatially-anchored epigenomic atlas to define the kidneys active, silent, and regulatory accessible chromatin regions across the genome. Using this atlas, we note distinct control of adaptive injury in different epithelial cell types. A proximal tubule cell transcription factor network of ELF3, KLF6, and KLF10 regulates the transition between health and injury, while in thick ascending limb cells this transition is regulated by NR2F1. Further, combined perturbation of ELF3, KLF6, and KLF10 distinguishes two adaptive proximal tubular cell subtypes, one of which manifested a repair trajectory after knockout. This atlas will serve as a foundation to facilitate targeted cell-specific therapeutics by reprogramming gene regulatory networks.

The limitation of conventional visual acuity assessment, which primarily focuses on individual eye performance (monocular visual acuity tests). This study addresses this limitation by emphasizing the importance of binocular vision, where both eyes work together. Binocular vision provides numerous advantages, such as improved depth perception, a wider field of view, reduced visual fatigue, and binocular summation. The article introduces a new mathematical model based on the physics of constructive interference in light waves and the anatomy of visual nerves. This model yields an equation that quantifies how weakness in one eye affects the visual acuity of the other. By analyzing the correlation between the rates of visual weakness in each eye and the corresponding distances, utilizing the Snellen 6-meter test, valuable insights are gained into the complex interplay between eye deficiencies and their collective impact on overall visual acuity. The equations derived from this study can have significant implications for eye care professionals, clinicians, and patients, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of visual impairments and enriching the field of optics and vision science.

In 2020, the Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC) Task Group on Identity Management in NACO sponsored a 14-month PCC Wikidata Pilot, complete with learning objectives, for participants to experiment with Wikidata, an open linked data platform. UCLA Library joined the Pilot to create and edit Wikidata items related to UCLA Library’s collections and UCLA Library entities. With the Pilot’s conclusion, the UCLA Library Pilot team reflected on lessons learned. By assessing UCLA Library’s experience against the Pilot’s learning objectives, the authors hope to contribute on-the-ground insights that may be relevant to PCC’s progress toward identity management, and the role Wikidata may play in this transition.

Abstract Background The Nightmare Distress Questionnaire (NDQ), known and commonly used for its adequate psychometric properties, is the most widely used instrument for the measurement of nightmare distress. This study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of a newly translated Arabic version of the Nightmare Distress Questionnaire (NDQ-AV). Methods A total of 546 Lebanese adolescents was recruited for this study and completed the NDQ-AV, the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and the eight-item Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-8). Results The results of the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supported both a one-factor model and a two-factor model of the NDQ-AV, with the latter consisting of seven items within both factors. The first factor was referred to as the “general nightmare distress and coping” while the second was named “nightmare impact and perception”. The reliability of the scale was excellent (α = 0.930 and ω = 0.915). Moreover, measurement invariance was shown across gender, demonstrating that this measure performs consistently for both men and women. Additionally, the NDQ-AV scores exhibited excellent reliability alongside factorial and concurrent validity. Conclusion In conclusion, these results support the psychometric validity of the Arabic version of the NDQ. The availability of the NDQ-AV is expected to facilitate the understanding of nightmare distress within the Lebanese context.

Nine years after reconceptualizing the nature of science for science education using the family resemblance approach (FRA) (Erduran & Dagher, 2014a), the time is ripe for taking stock of what this approach has accomplished, and what future research it can facilitate. This reflective paper aims to accomplish three goals. The first addresses several questions related to the FRA for the purpose of ensuring that the applications of FRA in science education are based on robust understanding of the framework. The second discusses the significance of the FRA by highlighting its capacity to support science educators with the exploration of a wide range of contemporary issues that are relevant to how teachers and learners perceive and experience science. The third goal of the paper offers recommendations for future directions in FRA research in the areas of science identity development and multicultural education as well as curriculum, instruction, and assessment in science education.

Understanding kidney disease relies on defining the complexity of cell types and states, their associated molecular profiles and interactions within tissue neighbourhoods1. Here we applied multiple single-cell and single-nucleus assays (>400,000 nuclei or cells) and spatial imaging technologies to a broad spectrum of healthy reference kidneys (45 donors) and diseased kidneys (48 patients). This has provided a high-resolution cellular atlas of 51 main cell types, which include rare and previously undescribed cell populations. The multi-omic approach provides detailed transcriptomic profiles, regulatory factors and spatial localizations spanning the entire kidney. We also define 28 cellular states across nephron segments and interstitium that were altered in kidney injury, encompassing cycling, adaptive (successful or maladaptive repair), transitioning and degenerative states. Molecular signatures permitted the localization of these states within injury neighbourhoods using spatial transcriptomics, while large-scale 3D imaging analysis (around 1.2 million neighbourhoods) provided corresponding linkages to active immune responses. These analyses defined biological pathways that are relevant to injury time-course and niches, including signatures underlying epithelial repair that predicted maladaptive states associated with a decline in kidney function. This integrated multimodal spatial cell atlas of healthy and diseased human kidneys represents a comprehensive benchmark of cellular states, neighbourhoods, outcome-associated signatures and publicly available interactive visualizations.

Abstract Associations between brain and obesity are bidirectional: changes in brain structure and function underpin over-eating, while chronic adiposity leads to brain atrophy. Investigating brain-obesity interactions across the lifespan can help better understand these relationships. This study explores the interaction between obesity and cortical morphometry in children, young adults, adults, and older adults. We also investigate the genetic, neurochemical, and cognitive correlates of the brain-obesity associations. Our findings reveal a pattern of lower cortical thickness in fronto-temporal brain regions associated with obesity across all age cohorts and varying age-dependent patterns in the remaining brain regions. In adults and older adults, obesity correlates with neurochemical changes and expression of inflammatory and mitochondrial genes. In children and older adults, adiposity is associated with modifications in brain regions involved in emotional and attentional processes. Thus, obesity might originate from cognitive changes during early adolescence, leading to neurodegeneration in later life through mitochondrial and inflammatory mechanisms.

Abstract Background Individuals experiencing homelessness face unique physical and mental health challenges, increased morbidity, and premature mortality. COVID -19 creates a significant heightened risk for those living in congregate sheltering spaces. In March 2020, the COVID-19 Community Response Team formed at Women’s College Hospital, to support Toronto shelters and congregate living sites to manage and prevent outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2 using a collaborative model of onsite mobile testing and infection prevention. From this, the Women’s College COVID-19 vaccine program emerged, where 14 shelters were identified to co-design and support the administration of vaccine clinics within each shelter. This research seeks to evaluate the impact of this partnership model and its future potential in community-centered integrated care through three areas of inquiry: (1) vaccine program evaluation and lessons learned; (2) perceptions on hospital/community partnership; (3) opportunities to advance hospital-community partnerships. Methods Constructivist grounded theory was used to explore perceptions and experiences of this partnership from the voices of shelter administrators. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with administrators from 10 shelters using maximum variation purposive sampling. A constructivist-interpretive paradigm was used to determine coding and formation of themes: initial, focused, and theoretical. Results Data analysis revealed five main categories, 16 subcategories, and one core category. The core category “access to healthcare is a human right; understand our communities” emphasizes access to healthcare is a consistent barrier for the homeless population. The main categories revealed during a time of confusion, the hospital was seen as credible and trustworthy. However, the primary focus of many shelters lies in housing, and attention is often not placed on health resourcing, solidifying partnerships, accountability, and governance structures therein. Health advocacy, information sharing tables, formalized partnerships and educating health professionals were identified by shelter administrators as avenues to advance intersectoral relationship building. Conclusion Hospital-community programs can alleviate some of the ongoing health concerns faced by shelters – during a time of COVID-19 or not. In preparation for future pandemics, access to care and cohesion within the health system requires the continuous engagement in relationship-building between hospitals and communities to support co-creation of innovative models of care, to promote health for all.

BackgroundDiabetic retinopathy (DR) affects about 25% of people with diabetes in Canada. Early detection of DR is essential for preventing vision loss. ObjectiveWe evaluated the real-world performance of an artificial intelligence (AI) system that analyzes fundus images for DR screening in a Quebec tertiary care center. MethodsWe prospectively recruited adult patients with diabetes at the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM) in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Patients underwent dual-pathway screening: first by the Computer Assisted Retinal Analysis (CARA) AI system (index test), then by standard ophthalmological examination (reference standard). We measured the AI system's sensitivity and specificity for detecting referable disease at the patient level, along with its performance for detecting any retinopathy and diabetic macular edema (DME) at the eye level, and potential cost savings. ResultsThis study included 115 patients. CARA demonstrated a sensitivity of 87.5% (95% CI 71.9-95.0) and specificity of 66.2% (95% CI 54.3-76.3) for detecting referable disease at the patient level. For any retinopathy detection at the eye level, CARA showed 88.2% sensitivity (95% CI 76.6-94.5) and 71.4% specificity (95% CI 63.7-78.1). For DME detection, CARA had 100% sensitivity (95% CI 64.6-100) and 81.9% specificity (95% CI 75.6-86.8). Potential yearly savings from implementing CARA at the CHUM were estimated at CAD $245,635 (US $177,643.23, as of July 26, 2024) considering 5000 patients with diabetes. ConclusionsOur study indicates that integrating a semiautomated AI system for DR screening demonstrates high sensitivity for detecting referable disease in a real-world setting. This system has the potential to improve screening efficiency and reduce costs at the CHUM, but more work is needed to validate it.

Summary: Background: Research in healthy young adults shows that characteristic patterns of brain activity define individual “brain-fingerprints” that are unique to each person. However, variability in these brain-fingerprints increases in individuals with neurological conditions, challenging the clinical relevance and potential impact of the approach. Our study shows that brain-fingerprints derived from neurophysiological brain activity are associated with pathophysiological and clinical traits of individual patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Methods: We created brain-fingerprints from task-free brain activity recorded through magnetoencephalography in 79 PD patients and compared them with those from two independent samples of age-matched healthy controls (N = 424 total). We decomposed brain activity into arrhythmic and rhythmic components, defining distinct brain-fingerprints for each type from recording durations of up to 4 min and as short as 30 s. Findings: The arrhythmic spectral components of cortical activity in patients with Parkinson’s disease are more variable over short periods, challenging the definition of a reliable brain-fingerprint. However, by isolating the rhythmic components of cortical activity, we derived brain-fingerprints that distinguished between patients and healthy controls with about 90% accuracy. The most prominent cortical features of the resulting Parkinson’s brain-fingerprint are mapped to polyrhythmic activity in unimodal sensorimotor regions. Leveraging these features, we also demonstrate that Parkinson’s symptom laterality can be decoded directly from cortical neurophysiological activity. Furthermore, our study reveals that the cortical topography of the Parkinson’s brain-fingerprint aligns with that of neurotransmitter systems affected by the disease’s pathophysiology. Interpretation: The increased moment-to-moment variability of arrhythmic brain-fingerprints challenges patient differentiation and explains previously published results. We outline patient-specific rhythmic brain signaling features that provide insights into both the neurophysiological signature and symptom laterality of Parkinson’s disease. Thus, the proposed definition of a rhythmic brain-fingerprint of Parkinson’s disease may contribute to novel, refined approaches to patient stratification. Symmetrically, we discuss how rhythmic brain-fingerprints may contribute to the improved identification and testing of therapeutic neurostimulation targets. Funding: Data collection and sharing for this project was provided by the Quebec Parkinson Network (QPN), the Pre-symptomatic Evaluation of Novel or Experimental Treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease (PREVENT-AD; release 6.0) program, the Cambridge Centre for Aging Neuroscience (Cam-CAN), and the Open MEG Archives (OMEGA). The QPN is funded by a grant from Fonds de Recherche du Québec - Santé (FRQS). PREVENT-AD was launched in 2011 as a $13.5 million, 7-year public-private partnership using funds provided by McGill University, the FRQS, an unrestricted research grant from Pfizer Canada, the Levesque Foundation, the Douglas Hospital Research Centre and Foundation, the Government of Canada, and the Canada Fund for Innovation. The Brainstorm project is supported by funding to SB from the NIH (R01-EB026299-05). Further funding to SB for this study included a Discovery grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada of Canada (436355-13), and the CIHR Canada research Chair in Neural Dynamics of Brain Systems (CRC-2017-00311).

Connections among brain regions allow pathological perturbations to spread from a single source region to multiple regions. Patterns of neurodegeneration in multiple diseases, including behavioural variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), resemble the large-scale functional systems, but how bvFTD-related atrophy patterns relate to structural network organization remains unknown. Here we investigate whether neurodegeneration patterns in sporadic and genetic bvFTD are conditioned by connectome architecture. Regional atrophy patterns were estimated in both genetic bvFTD (75 patients, 247 controls) and sporadic bvFTD (70 patients, 123 controls). First, we identified distributed atrophy patterns in bvFTD, mainly targeting areas associated with the limbic intrinsic network and insular cytoarchitectonic class. Regional atrophy was significantly correlated with atrophy of structurally- and functionally-connected neighbours, demonstrating that network structure shapes atrophy patterns. The anterior insula was identified as the predominant group epicentre of brain atrophy using data-driven and simulation-based methods, with some secondary regions in frontal ventromedial and antero-medial temporal areas. We found that FTD-related genes, namely C9orf72 and TARDBP, confer local transcriptomic vulnerability to the disease, modulating the propagation of pathology through the connectome. Collectively, our results demonstrate that atrophy patterns in sporadic and genetic bvFTD are jointly shaped by global connectome architecture and local transcriptomic vulnerability, providing an explanation as to how heterogenous pathological entities can lead to the same clinical syndrome.

INTRODUCTION: There are growing concerns about commonly inflated effect sizes in small neuroimaging studies, yet no study has addressed recalibrating effect size estimates for small samples. To tackle this issue, we propose a hierarchical Bayesian model to adjust the magnitude of single-study effect sizes while incorporating a tailored estimation of sampling variance. METHODS: We estimated the effect sizes of case-control differences on brain structural features between individuals who were dependent on alcohol, nicotine, cocaine, methamphetamine, or cannabis and non-dependent participants for 21 individual studies (Total cases: 903; Total controls: 996). Then, the study-specific effect sizes were modeled using a hierarchical Bayesian approach in which the parameters of the study-specific effect size distributions were sampled from a higher-order overarching distribution. The posterior distribution of the overarching and study-specific parameters was approximated using the Gibbs sampling method. RESULTS: The results showed shrinkage of the posterior distribution of the study-specific estimates toward the overarching estimates given the original effect sizes observed in individual studies. Differences between the original effect sizes (i.e., Cohens d) and the point estimate of the posterior distribution ranged from 0 to 0.97. The magnitude of adjustment was negatively correlated with the sample size (r = -0.27, p < 0.001) and positively correlated with empirically estimated sampling variance (r = 0.40, p < 0.001), suggesting studies with smaller samples and larger sampling variance tended to have greater adjustments. DISCUSSION: Our findings demonstrate the utility of the hierarchical Bayesian model in recalibrating single-study effect sizes using information from similar studies. This suggests that Bayesian utilization of existing knowledge can be an effective alternative approach to improve the effect size estimation in individual studies, particularly for those with smaller samples.

Relevance. Many patients suffer from anxiety when planning a surgical procedure, which leads them to either postpone it or go through it with all those negative feelings that may affect the course of the surgical work or even its outcomes. Modern medicine aims to find non-pharmaceutical ways, such as music, to put these emotions under control so that the patient feels a sense of calm and tranquility throughout the surgical operation and comes out with less negative feelings and good memories, which prevents the formation of any psychological trauma. Our investigation aims to study the effect of three types of music, on the psychological state of the patient during surgery, by evaluating the data of systolic and diastolic pressure, pulse, and oxygen level in the blood. Materials and Methods . 36 patients who visited the Medical Center of the RUDN University on a daily basis for dental implants and wisdom tooth extractions were randomly selected to undergo the experiment. They were divided into four groups, the first was the control group which was not exposed to music, the second was exposed to classical music, the third was exposed to Buddhism music, and the fourth was exposed to music generated by Artificial Intelligence. Pressure, pulse, and oxygen level were recorded in three phases and changes assessed using Student’s t-test and Mann-Whitney U analyses. Results and Discussion. The final results obtained did not show any significant changes in the values of pressure, pulse, and blood oxygenation during the period of exposure to music when compared with control group. Conclusion. Exposing to music didn’t show any positive effect on stress levels during dental implantation and extraction.

Abstract There is a need to define regions of gene activation or repression that control human kidney cells in states of health, injury, and repair to understand the molecular pathogenesis of kidney disease and design therapeutic strategies. Comprehensive integration of gene expression with epigenetic features that define regulatory elements remains a significant challenge. We measure dual single nucleus RNA expression and chromatin accessibility, DNA methylation, and H3K27ac, H3K4me1, H3K4me3, and H3K27me3 histone modifications to decipher the chromatin landscape and gene regulation of the kidney in reference and adaptive injury states. We establish a spatially-anchored epigenomic atlas to define the kidney’s active, silent, and regulatory accessible chromatin regions across the genome. Using this atlas, we note distinct control of adaptive injury in different epithelial cell types. A proximal tubule cell transcription factor network of ELF3, KLF6, and KLF10 regulates the transition between health and injury, while in thick ascending limb cells this transition is regulated by NR2F1. Further, combined perturbation of ELF3, KLF6, and KLF10 distinguishes two adaptive proximal tubular cell subtypes, one of which manifested a repair trajectory after knockout. This atlas will serve as a foundation to facilitate targeted cell-specific therapeutics by reprogramming gene regulatory networks.

This paper used the flexible and efficient least squares residual power series method (LSRPSM) to solve the time-fractional derivative Cahn-Hilliard and Gardener equations. The LSRPSM combines the residual power series method (RPSM) and the least squares method. These calculations were found based on Caputo's sense and the fractional Wronskian concept. Approximate solutions are found more accurately, faster, and with fewer expansion terms than the classical (RPS) method.