Search

A Best Professional Judgment (BPJ) exercise was performed to determine the level of agreement among experts in evaluating the ecological states of western North American rocky intertidal communities. Species-abundance and environmental data from 12 central and 11 southern California sites were provided to 14 experts who independently ranked communities from best to worst and assigned each to one of five categories based on the degree of deviation from an expected natural biological state. Experts achieved Spearman correlations of 0.49 (central California) and 0.30 (southern California) in their rankings and averaged 75.4% and 70.0% Euclidean Similarity (ES) in their community evaluations. These ES values compare favorably with agreement levels found for similar exercises with soft bottom macroinvertebrate assemblages. The experts emphasized macrophytes with functional characteristics related to morphology and sessile macroinvertebrates in their assessments. Several challenges were noted in interpreting rocky intertidal data sets, the most prominent of which are high spatial and temporal variation and site-to-site differences in natural disturbance regimes, features that lead to multiple, expected community states. Experts required detailed, physical habitat descriptions to develop community composition expectations that differed for different shore types, and expressed concern about evaluating rocky intertidal communities based on only a single sampling event. Distinguishing natural from anthropogenic disturbance without information on the sources and magnitudes of anthropogenic perturbation was also found to be challenging because the biological responses to these stressors are often similar. This study underscores the need for long-term data sets that describe the dynamics of populations and communities and rigorous testing of expert judgments to firmly establish broadly applicable and consistent links between community states and anthropogenic stressors on rocky shores.

One of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease is a significant increase in ventricular volume. To date we and others have shown that a cholesterol-fed rabbit model of Alzheimer's disease displays as many as fourteen different pathological markers of Alzheimer's disease including amyloid-β accumulation, thioflavin-S staining, blood brain barrier breach, microglia activation, cerebrovasculature changes, and alterations in learning and memory. Using structural magnetic resonance imaging at 3T, we now report that cholesterol-fed rabbits also show a significant increase in ventricular volume following 10 weeks on a diet of 2% cholesterol. The increase in volume is attributable in large part to increases in the size of the third ventricle. These changes are accompanied by significant increases in the number of amyloid-β immuno-positive cells in the cortex and hippocampus. Increases in the number of amyloid-β neurons in the cortex also occurred with the addition of 0.24 ppm copper to the drinking water. Together with a list of other pathological markers, the current results add further validity to the value of the cholesterol-fed rabbit as a non-transgenic animal model of Alzheimer's disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To test the hypothesis that narrowing of cranial blood vessels in cholesterol-fed rabbits is a function of the duration of the high cholesterol diet. Such neurovascular changes, caused by elevated serum cholesterol, are linked to stroke and Alzheimer's disease risk.Materials and Methods: Four groups of New Zealand White rabbits were studied. Six were fed a normal diet, 19 were fed a 2% cholesterol diet with 0.12 ppm copper in the drinking water for 8 weeks, 10 weeks, or 12 weeks. Time-of-flight (TOF) MR angiography (MRA) at 3 Tesla was used to measure arterial diameters in 11 vessels. Previously published data for amyloid beta-peptide (Abeta) accumulation in the brains measured postmortem were correlated to vessel diameters. Ventricular volumes of rabbits were measured on group-averaged data.Results: Several vessel diameters decreased with cholesterol diet duration. The posterior communicating arteries showed the largest significant effect. Abeta accumulation was inversely correlated with arterial diameter. Ventricular volumes between the normal diet and 12 weeks cholesterol-fed groups were not significantly different.Conclusion: Reduction in vessel diameter of medium-sized vessels but not large vessels was measured in these hypercholesterolemic rabbits. The vessel diameter narrowing and cortical Abeta deposition occurred before measurable ventricular enlargement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background The transition from veterinary student to member of the veterinary profession is known to be challenging. This study aimed to determine and compare the opinions of final year veterinary students and recent graduates on graduate attributes that ease this transition. Methods The study was carried out across 3 veterinary schools in the United Kingdom. Paper based or electronic surveys were used. Final year students in the 3 schools were surveyed either electronically (school A) or on paper (schools B and C). Student cohort sizes were 112, 227 and 102 respectively. Recent graduates were contacted either at a reunion event (school A) or electronically from database records (school B and school C). Cohort sizes of contacted graduates were 80, 175 and 91 respectively. Respondents were asked to rate 42 individual attributes on a 5 point Likert scale. Focus groups with final year students and recent graduates and telephone interviews with recent graduates were carried out. Data were analysed by two researchers through a combination of manual coding and thematic analysis. Data were grouped into broad themes then sorted into narrower themes. Data were then searched for counter examples. Results Response rates for final year students were 34% (school A), 36% (school B) and 40% (school C). Response rates for recent graduates were 56% (school A), 20% (school B) and 11% (school C). There was a high level of agreement between the cohorts with respect to communication skills, problem solving and decision making skills, recognition of own limitations and the ability to cope with pressure all rated unanimously important or very important. Business acumen, knowledge of veterinary practice management and research skills were the 3 attributes ranked at the bottom of the list. Nine attributes were identified with a significantly different (p < 0.05) ranking between the cohorts. Final year students ranked veterinary clinical knowledge, knowledge of veterinary public health and zoonotic issues, veterinary legislation and veterinary practice management, commitment to continuing professional development and ability to evaluate information higher than recent graduates. Recent graduates ranked the attributes of integrity, friendliness and compassion higher than final year students. Conclusions Recent graduates and final year students rate highly the attributes which help foster the client/veterinarian relationship. Recent graduates reflect that a focus on knowledge based attributes is less important once in practice when compared to final year. The study confirms the importance to recent graduates and final year students of attributes considered as non-technical in the transition to working in the veterinary profession.

Background and Objectives: We determined inter-modality (in-person vs telemedicine examination) and inter-rater agreement for telemedicine assessments (2 different examiners) using the Telemedicine Buffalo Concussion Physical Examination (Tele-BCPE), a standardized concussion examination designed for remote use., Methods: Patients referred for an initial evaluation for concussion were invited to participate. Participants had a brief initial assessment by the treating neurologist. After a patient granted informed consent to participate in the study, the treating neurologist obtained a concussion-related history before leaving the examination room. Using the Tele-BCPE, 2 virtual examinations in no specific sequence were then performed from nearby rooms by the treating neurologist and another neurologist. After the 2 telemedicine examinations, the treating physician returned to the examination room to perform the in-person examination. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) determined inter-modality validity (in-person vs remote examination by the same examiner) and inter-rater reliability (between remote examinations done by 2 examiners) of overall scores of the Tele-BCPE within the comparison datasets. Cohen's kappa, κ, measured levels of agreement of dichotomous ratings (abnormality present vs absent) on individual components of the Tele-BCPE to determine inter-modality and inter-rater agreement., Results: For total scores of the Tele-BCPE, both inter-modality agreement (ICC = 0.95 [95% CI 0.86-0.98, p < 0.001]) and inter-rater agreement (ICC = 0.88 [95% CI 0.71-0.95, p < 0.001]) were reliable (ICC >0.70). There was at least substantial inter-modality agreement (κ ≥ 0.61) for 25 of 29 examination elements. For inter-rater agreement (2 telemedicine examinations), there was at least substantial agreement for 8 of 29 examination elements., Discussion: Our study demonstrates that the Tele-BCPE yielded consistent clinical results, whether conducted in-person or virtually by the same examiner, or when performed virtually by 2 different examiners. The Tele-BCPE is a valid indicator of neurologic examination findings as determined by an in-person concussion assessment. The Tele-BCPE may also be performed with excellent levels of reliability by neurologists with different training and backgrounds in the virtual setting. These findings suggest that a combination of in-person and telemedicine modalities, or involvement of 2 telemedicine examiners for the same patient, can provide consistent concussion assessments across the continuum of care., Competing Interests: M.N. Haider received personal compensation in the range of $5,000-$9,999 for serving on a Scientific Advisory or Data Safety Monitoring board for BlinkTBI and personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a statistician with Oculogica; the institution of M.N. Haider received research support from NIH; J.J. Leddy received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Scientific Advisory or Data Safety Monitoring board for Neuronasal, received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Scientific Advisory or Data Safety Monitoring board for Quadrant Biosciences, and received stock or an ownership interest from Highmark Innovations, 360 Concussion Care, and Noggin Health; the institution of J.J. Leddy has received research support from NIH, research support from DoD, and research support from AMSSM; L.J. Balcer is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Neuro-Ophthalmology; N.A. Busis has received personal compensation for serving as an editorial advisory board member for Neurology Today and for serving as a speaker for the American Academy of Neurology and as the AAN's primary advisor to the American Medical Association's CPT Editorial Panel. The other authors report no disclosures relevant to the manuscript. Full disclosure form information provided by the authors is available with the full text of this article at Neurology.org/cp., (© 2024 American Academy of Neurology.)

The focus of nanoparticles in vivo trafficking has been mostly on their tissue-level biodistribution and clearance. Recent progress in the nanomedicine field suggests that the targeting of nanoparticles to immune cells can be used to modulate the immune response and enhance therapeutic delivery to the diseased tissue. In the presence of tumor lesions, monocytic-myeloid-derived suppressor cells (M-MDSCs) expand significantly in the bone marrow, egress into peripheral blood, and traffic to the solid tumor, where they help maintain an immuno-suppressive tumor microenvironment. In this study, we investigated the interaction between PAMAM dendrimers and M-MDSCs in two murine models of glioblastoma, by examining the cell-level biodistribution kinetics of the systemically injected dendrimers. We found that M-MDSCs in the tumor and lymphoid organs can efficiently endocytose hydroxyl dendrimers. Interestingly, the trafficking of M-MDSCs from the bone marrow to the tumor contributed to the deposition of hydroxyl dendrimers in the tumor. M-MDSCs showed different capacities of endocytosing dendrimers of different functionalities in vivo. This differential uptake was mediated by the unique serum proteins associated with each dendrimer surface functionality. The results of this study set up the framework for developing dendrimer-based immunotherapy to target M-MDSCs for cancer treatment., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Aim: To examine nurse workplace bullying relative to diverse sexual orientation and gender identity groups., Design: Observational cross-sectional study., Methods: Using an annual organisational satisfaction survey from 2022, we identified free-text comments provided by nurses (N = 25,337). We identified and themed comments for specific bullying content among unique respondents (n = 1432). We also examined close-ended questions that captured organisational constructs, such as job satisfaction and burnout. We looked at differences by comparing diverse sexual orientation and gender identity groups to the majority using both qualitative and quantitative data., Results: For the free-text comments, themed categories reflected the type of bullying, the perpetrator and perceived impact. Disrespect was the most frequent theme with supervisors being the primary perpetrator. The reported bullying themes and workplace perceptions differed between nurses in the diverse gender identity and sexual orientation group compared to other groups. Nurses who reported bullying also reported higher turnover intent, burnout, lower workplace civility, more dissatisfaction and lower self-authenticity., Conclusion: Diverse sexual orientation and gender identity groups are understudied in the nurse bullying research, likely because of sensitivities around identification. Our design enabled anonymous assessment of these groups. We suggest practices to help alleviate and mitigate the prevalence of bullying in nursing., Patient or Public Contribution: No Patient or Public Contribution., Impact: We examined differences in perceptions of nurse bullying between diverse sexual orientation and gender identity groups compared to majority groups. Group differences were found both for thematic qualitative content and workplace experience ratings with members of minority groups reporting less favourable workplace experiences. Nurse leaders and staff can benefit from learning about best practices to eliminate bullying among this population., Reporting Method: STROBE guidelines for cross-sectional observational studies., (Published 2024. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.)

Nematoda is a diverse phylum that is estimated to contain more than a million species. More than 4,100 of these species have the ability to parasitize plants and cause agricultural losses estimated at US $173 billion annually. This has led to considerable research into their biology to minimize crop losses via control methods. At the infancy of plant-parasitic nematode molecular biology, researchers compared nematode genomes, genes, and biological processes to the model nematode species Caenorhabditis elegans , which is a free-living bacterial feeder . This well-annotated and researched model nematode assisted the molecular biology research, e.g., with genome assemblies, of plant-parasitic nematodes. However, as research into these plant parasites progressed, the necessity of relying on the free-living relative as a reference has reduced. This is partly driven by revealing the considerable divergence between the two types of nematodes both genomically and anatomically, forcing comparisons to be redundant as well as the increased quality of molecular plant nematology proposing more suitable model organisms for this clade of nematode. The major irregularity between the two types of nematodes is the unique anatomical structure and effector repertoire that plant nematodes utilize to establish parasitism, which C. elegans lacks, therefore reducing its value as a heterologous system to investigate parasitic processes. Despite this, C. elegans remains useful for investigating conserved genes via its utility as an expression system because of the current inability to transform plant-parasitic nematodes. Unfortunately, owing to the expertise that this requires, it is not a common and/or accessible tool. Furthermore, we believe that the application of C. elegans as an expression system for plant nematodes will be redundant once tools are established for stable reverse-genetics in these plant parasites. This will remove the restraints on molecular plant nematology and allow it to excel on par with the capabilities of C. elegans research.

Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) is a hydrophilic polymer ubiquitously used in both medical and nonmedical goods. Recent debate surrounding the observed stimulation of immune responses against PEG has spurred the development of materials that may be suitable replacements for this common polymeric component. The underlying view is that these alternative materials with comparable physicochemical properties can overcome the unfavorable and unpredictable effects of antibody-mediated clearance by being chemically, and therefore antigenically, distinct from PEG. However, this hypothesis has not been thoroughly tested in any defined manner, and the immune response observed against PEG has not been rigorously investigated within the context of these emerging materials. Consequently, it remains unclear whether immunity-mediated discrimination between polymeric entities even occurs in vivo and, if this is the case, how it may be exploited. In this study, we utilize positron emission tomography-computed tomography molecular imaging in mice immunized to develop specific antibody responses to PEG and an alternative polymer in order to visualize and quantify the influence of antipolymer antibodies on the biodistribution of synthetic polymers in vivo as a function of immunization status. Under the conditions of this experiment, mice could be primed to exhibit both innate and adaptive immunity to all of the polymer systems to which they were exposed. We demonstrate that alternating between chemically disparate polymers is a viable approach to extend their efficacy when antipolymer humoral immune responses arise.

Background: Visual symptoms are common after concussion. Rapid automatized naming (RAN) tasks are simple performance measures that demonstrate worse time scores in the setting of acute or more remote injury., Methods: We evaluated the capacity for the Mobile Universal Lexicon Evaluation System (MULES) and Staggered Uneven Number (SUN) testing to be feasibly administered during preseason testing in a cohort of youth ice hockey athletes using a novel computerized app, the Mobile Integrated Cognitive Kit (MICK). Participants from a youth hockey league underwent preseason testing., Results: Among 60 participants, the median age was 13 years (range 6-17). The median best time for the MULES was 49.8 seconds (range = 34.2-141.0) and the median best time for the SUN was 70.1 (range = 36.6-200.0). As is characteristic of timed performance measures, there were learning effects between the first and second trials for both the MULES (median improvement = 10.6 seconds, range = -32.3 to 92.0, P < 0.001, Wilcoxon signed-rank test) and SUN (median improvement = 2.4 seconds, range= -8.0 to 15.1, P = 0.001, Wilcoxon signed-rank test). Age was a predictor of best baseline times, with longer (worse) times for younger participants for MULES (P < 0.001, rs = -0.67) and SUN (P < 0.001, rs = -0.54 Spearman rank correlation). Degrees of learning effect did not vary with age (P > 0.05, rs = -0.2)., Conclusions: Vision-based RAN tasks, such as the MULES and SUN, can be feasibly administered using the MICK app during preseason baseline testing in youth sports teams. The results suggest that more frequent baseline tests are necessary for preadolescent athletes because of the relation of RAN task performance to age., Competing Interests: M. J. Balcer is the chief architect for Model Compilers. L. J. Balcer is editor-in-chief of the Journal of Neuro-Ophthalmology. The remaining authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 by North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society.)

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi associate with the roots of many plant species, enhancing their hosts access to soil nutrients whilst obtaining their carbon supply directly as photosynthates. AM fungi often face competition for plant carbon from other organisms. The mechanisms by which plants prioritise carbon allocation to mutualistic AM fungi over parasitic symbionts remain poorly understood. Here, we show that host potato plants (Solanum tuberosum cv. Désirée) selectively allocate carbon resources to tissues interacting with AM fungi rather than those interacting with phytophagous parasites (the nematode Globodera pallida). We found that plants reduce the supply of hexoses but maintain the flow of plant-derived fatty acids to AM fungi when concurrently interacting with parasites. Transcriptomic analysis suggest that plants prioritise carbon transfer to AM fungi by maintaining expression of fatty acid biosynthesis and transportation pathways, whilst decreasing the expression of mycorrhizal-induced hexose transporters. We also report similar findings from a different plant host species (Medicago truncatula) and phytophagous pest (the aphid Myzus persicae). These findings suggest a general mechanism of plant-driven resource allocation in scenarios involving multiple symbionts., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Hereditary optic neuropathies comprise a group of clinically and genetically heterogeneous disorders. Optic neuropathy has been previously reported in families with spastic paraplegia type 7 (SPG7) gene mutations. However, the typical time course and clinical presentation of SPG7-associated optic neuropathy is poorly understood. We report a series of 5 patients harboring pathogenic SPG7 mutations who originally presented to a neuro-ophthalmology clinic with symptoms of optic neuropathy., Methods: Retrospective case series of 5 patients with pathogenic SPG7 mutations and optic atrophy from 3 neuro-ophthalmology clinics. Demographic, clinical, diagnostic, and treatment data were collected and reported by the clinician authors., Results: Five patients ranging in age from 8 to 48 years were evaluated in the neuro-ophthalmology clinic. Although there were variable clinical presentations for each subject, all noted progressive vision loss, typically bilateral, and several also had previous diagnoses of peripheral neuropathy (e.g., Guillain-Barré Syndrome). Patients underwent neuro-ophthalmic examinations and testing with visual fields and optic coherence tomography of the retinal nerve fiber layer. Genetic testing revealed pathogenic variants in the SPG7 gene., Conclusions: Five patients presented to the neuro-ophthalmology clinic with progressive vision loss and were diagnosed with optic atrophy. Although each patient harbored an SPG7 mutation, this cohort was phenotypically and genotypically heterogeneous. Three patients carried the Ala510Val variant. The patients demonstrated varying degrees of visual acuity and visual field loss, although evaluations were completed during different stages of disease progression. Four patients had a previous diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy. This raises the prospect that a single pathogenic variant of SPG7 may be associated with peripheral neuropathy in addition to optic neuropathy. These results support the consideration of SPG7 testing in patients with high suspicion for genetic optic neuropathy, as manifested by symmetric papillomacular bundle damage without clear etiology on initial workup. Applied judiciously, genetic testing, including for SPG7, may help clarify the cause of unexplained progressive optic neuropathies., Competing Interests: M. W. Ko reports that she serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Neuro-Ophthalmology and is the Editor-in-Chief of AAN news. The other authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 by North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society.)

Nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems (DDS) have shown promising results in reversing hepatic fibrosis, a common pathological basis of chronic liver diseases (CLDs), in preclinical animal models. However, none of these nanoparticle formulations has transitioned to clinical usage and there are currently no FDA-approved drugs available for liver fibrosis. This highlights the need for a better understanding of the challenges faced by nanoparticles in this complex disease setting. Here, we have systematically studied the impact of targeting strategy, the degree of macrophage infiltration during fibrosis, and the severity of fibrosis, on the liver uptake and intrahepatic distribution of nanocarriers. When tested in mice with advanced liver fibrosis, we demonstrated that the targeting ligand density plays a significant role in determining the uptake and retention of the nanoparticles in the fibrotic liver whilst the type of targeting ligand modulates the trafficking of these nanoparticles into the cell population of interest - activated hepatic stellate cells (aHSCs). Engineering the targeting strategy indeed reduced the uptake of nanoparticles in typical mononuclear phagocyte (MPS) cell populations, but not the infiltrated macrophages. Meanwhile, additional functionalization may be required to enhance the efficacy of DDS in end-stage fibrosis/cirrhosis compared to early stages., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Kristofer Thurecht reports financial support was provided by Australian Research Council. Craig Bell reports financial support was provided by Queensland GovernmentAdvance Queensland., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Mitigating the substantial public health impact of concussion is a particularly difficult challenge. This is partly because concussion is a highly prevalent condition, and diagnosis is predominantly symptom-based. Much of contemporary concussion management relies on symptom interpretation and accurate reporting by patients. These types of reports may be influenced by a variety of factors for each individual, such as preexisting mental health conditions, headache disorders, and sleep conditions, among other factors. This can all be contributory to non-specific and potentially misleading clinical manifestations in the aftermath of a concussion. This review aimed to conduct an examination of the existing literature on emerging approaches for objectively evaluating potential concussion, as well as to highlight current gaps in understanding where further research is necessary. Objective assessments of visual and ocular motor concussion symptoms, specialized imaging techniques, and tissue-based concentrations of specific biomarkers have all shown promise for specifically characterizing diffuse brain injuries, and will be important to the future of concussion diagnosis and management. The consolidation of these approaches into a comprehensive examination progression will be the next horizon for increased precision in concussion diagnosis and treatment.

Approximately half of the brain's circuits are involved in vision and control of eye movements. Therefore, visual dysfunction is a common symptom of concussion, the mildest form of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Photosensitivity, vergence dysfunction, saccadic abnormalities, and distortions in visual perception have been reported as vision-related symptoms following concussion. Impaired visual function has also been reported in populations with a lifetime history of TBI. Consequently, vision-based tools have been developed to detect and diagnose concussion in the acute setting, and characterize visual and cognitive function in those with a lifetime history of TBI. Rapid automatized naming (RAN) tasks have provided widely accessible and quantitative measures of visual-cognitive function. Laboratory-based eye tracking approaches demonstrate promise in measuring visual function and validating results from RAN tasks in patients with concussion. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has detected neurodegeneration in patients with Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis and may provide critical insight into chronic conditions related to TBI, such as traumatic encephalopathy syndrome. Here, we review the literature and discuss the future directions of vision-based assessments of concussion and conditions related to TBI., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to The Royal College of Ophthalmologists.)

Most plants form mycorrhizal associations with mutualistic soil fungi. Through these partnerships, resources are exchanged including photosynthetically fixed carbon for fungal-acquired nutrients. Recently, it was shown that the diversity of associated fungi is greater than previously assumed, extending to Mucoromycotina fungi. These Mucoromycotina 'fine root endophytes' (MFRE) are widespread and generally co-colonise plant roots together with Glomeromycotina 'coarse' arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Until now, this co-occurrence has hindered the determination of the direct function of MFRE symbiosis. To overcome this major barrier, we developed new techniques for fungal isolation and culture and established the first monoxenic in vitro cultures of MFRE colonising a flowering plant, clover. Using radio- and stable-isotope tracers in these in vitro systems, we measured the transfer of 33 P, 15 N and 14 C between MFRE hyphae and the host plant. Our results provide the first unequivocal evidence that MFRE fungi are nutritional mutualists with a flowering plant by showing that clover gained both 15 N and 33 P tracers directly from fungus in exchange for plant-fixed C in the absence of other micro-organisms. Our findings and methods pave the way for a new era in mycorrhizal research, firmly establishing MFRE as both mycorrhizal and functionally important in terrestrial ecosystems., (© 2022 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2022 New Phytologist Foundation.)

Objectives: In the current study, we examined the relationship between differentiation of self (DoS) and key relationship functioning variables among couples. This is the first study to test such relationships using a cross-cultural longitudinal approach (i.e., samples from Spain and the U.S.) while controlling for stressful life events-a key theoretical construct in Bowen Family Systems Theory., Methods: A sample of 958 individuals (n = 137 couples from Spain, and n = 342 couples from U.S.) was used in cross sectional and longitudinal models to analyze the effects of a shared reality construct of DoS on anxious attachment, avoidant attachment, relationship stability, and relationship quality while considering gender and culture., Results: Our cross-sectional results indicated that men and women from both cultures experienced an increase in DoS over time. DoS predicted increased relationship quality and stability and decreased anxious and avoidant attachment in U.S. participants. Longitudinally, DoS predicted increased relationship quality and decreased anxious attachment for Spanish women and men, while it predicted greater relationship quality and stability and decreased anxious and avoidant attachment of U.S. couples. Implications of these mixed findings are discussed., Conclusions: Higher levels of DoS are linked with a better couple relationship across time, despite varying levels of stressful life events. Although some cultural differences regarding the links between relationship stability and avoidant attachment exist, this positive link between differentiation and the couple relationship is mostly consistent across the U.S. and Spain. The implications and relevance for integration into research and practice are discussed., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Rodríguez-González et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Poly(2-oxazoline)s (POx) have received substantial attention as poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) alternatives in the biomedical field due to their biocompatibility, high functionality, and ease of synthesis. While POx have demonstrated strong potential as biomaterial constituents, the larger family of poly(cyclic imino ether)s (PCIE) to which POx belongs remains widely underexplored. One highly interesting sub-class of PCIE is poly(2,4-disubstituted-2-oxazoline)s (PdOx), which bear an additional substituent on the backbone of the polymers' repeating units. This allows fine-tuning of the hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance and renders the PdOx chiral when enantiopure 2-oxazoline monomers are used. Herein, we synthesize new water-soluble ( R -/ S -/ RS -) poly(oligo(2-ethyl-4-methyl-2-oxazoline) methacrylate) (P(OEtMeOxMA)) bottlebrushes and compare them to well-established PEtOx- and PEG-based bottlebrush controls in terms of their physical properties, hydrophilicity, and biological behavior. We reveal that the P(OEtMeOxMA) bottlebrushes show a lower critical solution temperature behavior at a physiologically relevant temperature (∼44 °C) and that the enantiopure ( R -/ S -) variants display a chiral secondary structure. Importantly, we demonstrate the biocompatibility of the chiral P(OEtMeOxMA) bottlebrushes through cellular association and mouse biodistribution studies and show that these systems display higher immune cell association and organ accumulation than the two control polymers. These novel materials possess properties that hold promise for applications in the field of nanomedicine and may be beneficial carriers for therapeutics that require enhanced cellular association and immune cell interaction.

Although visual symptoms are common following concussion, quantitative measures of visual function are missing from concussion evaluation protocols on the athletic sideline. For the past half century, rapid automatized naming (RAN) tasks have demonstrated promise as quantitative neuro-visual assessment tools in the setting of head trauma and other disorders but have been previously limited in accessibility and scalability. The Mobile Interactive Cognitive Kit (MICK) App is a digital RAN test that can be downloaded on most mobile devices and can therefore provide a quantitative measure of visual function anywhere, including the athletic sideline. This investigation examined the feasibility of MICK App administration in a cohort of Division 1 college football players. Participants (n = 82) from a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 football team underwent baseline testing on the MICK app. Total completion times of RAN tests on the MICK app were recorded; magnitudes of best time scores and between-trial learning effects were determined by paired t-test. Consistent with most timed performance measures, there were significant learning effects between the two baseline trials for both RAN tasks on the MICK app: Mobile Universal Lexicon Evaluation System (MULES) (p < 0.001, paired t-test, mean improvement 13.3 s) and the Staggered Uneven Number (SUN) (p < 0.001, mean improvement 3.3 s). This study demonstrated that the MICK App can be feasibly administered in the setting of pre-season baseline testing in a Division I environment. These data provide a foundation for post-injury sideline testing that will include comparison to baseline in the setting of concussion., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Neuroinvasive herpes simplex-1 (HSV-1) isolates including H129 and McIntyre cross at or near synapses labeling higher-order neurons directly connected to infected cells. H129 spreads predominately in the anterograde direction while McIntyre strains spread only in the retrograde direction. However, it is unknown if neurons are functional once infected with derivatives of H129 or McIntyre., New Method: We describe a previously unpublished HSV-1 recombinant derived from H129 (HSV-373) expressing mCherry fluorescent reporters and one new McIntyre recombinant (HSV-780) expressing the mCherry fluorophore and demonstrate how infections affect neuron viability., Results and Comparison With Existing Methods: Each recombinant virus behaved similarly and spread to the target 4 days post-infection. We tested H129 recombinant infected neurons for neurodegeneration using Fluoro-jade C and found them to be necrotic as a result of viral infection. We performed dual inoculations with both HSV-772 and HSV-780 to identify cells comprising both the anterograde pathway and the retrograde pathway, respectively, of our circuit of study. We examined the presence of postsynaptic marker PSD-95, which plays a role in synaptic plasticity, in HSV-772 infected and in dual-infected rats (HSV-772 and HSV-780). PSD-95 reactivity decreased in HSV-772-infected neurons and dual-infected tissue had no PSD-95 reactivity., Conclusions: Infection by these new recombinant viruses traced the circuit of interest but functional studies of the cells comprising the pathway were not possible because viral-infected neurons died as a result of necrosis or were stripped of PSD-95 by the time the viral labels reached the target., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Pre-targeting of bispecific antibodies is probed to enhance tumour retention while limiting clearance of administered multifunctional branched PEGylated nanomedicines. The temporal influence of pre-targeting on polymer interaction with tumour cells and tissue is explored using in vitro assays through to preclinical validation.

Personalised nanomedicine is an advancing field which has developed significant improvements for targeting therapeutics to aggressive cancer and with fewer side effects. The treatment of gliomas such as glioblastoma (or other brain tumours), with nanomedicine is complicated by a commonly poor accumulation of drugs in tumour tissue owing to the partially intact blood-brain barrier (BBB). Nonetheless, the BBB becomes compromised following surgical intervention, and gradually with disease progression. Increased vasculature permeability generated by a tumour, combined with decreased BBB integrity, offers a mechanism to enhance therapeutic outcomes. We monitored a spontaneous glioma tumour model in immunocompetent mice with ongoing T2-weighted and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging gradient echo and spin echo sequences to predict an optimal "leakiness" stage for nanomedicine injections. To ascertain the effectiveness of targeted nanomedicines in treating brain tumours, subsequent systemic administration of targeted hyperbranched polymers was then utislised, to deliver the therapeutic payload when both the tumour and brain vascularity had become sufficiently susceptible to allow drug accumulation. Treatment with either doxorubicin-loaded hyperbranched polymer, or the same nanomedicine targeted to an ephrin receptor (EphA2) using a bispecific antibody, resulted in uptake of chemotherapeutic doxorubicin in the tumour and in reduced tumour growth. Compared to vehicle and doxorubicin only, nanoparticle delivered doxorubicin resulted in increased tumour apoptosis, while averting cardiotoxicity. This suggests that polyethylene based (PEGylated)-nanoparticle delivered doxorubicin could provide a more efficient treatment in tumours with a disrupted BBB, and that treatment should commence immediately following detection of gadolinium permeability, with early detection and ongoing 'leakiness' monitoring in susceptible patients being a key factor., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Plants simultaneously interact with a range of biotrophic symbionts, ranging from mutualists such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), to parasites such as the potato cyst nematode (PCN). The exchange of mycorrhizal-acquired nutrients for plant-fixed carbon (C) is well studied; however, the impact of competing symbionts remains underexplored. In this study, we examined mycorrhizal nutrient and host resource allocation in potato with and without AMF and PCN using radioisotope tracing, whilst determining the consequences of such allocation. The presence of PCN disrupted C for nutrient exchange between plants and AMF, with plant C overwhelmingly obtained by the nematodes. Despite this, AMF maintained transfer of nutrients on PCN-infected potato, ultimately losing out in their C for nutrient exchange with the host. Whilst PCN exploited the greater nutrient reserves to drive population growth on AMF-potato, the fungus imparted tolerance to allow the host to bear the parasitic burden. Our findings provide important insights into the belowground dynamics of plant-AMF symbioses, where simultaneous nutritional and nonnutritional benefits conferred by AMF to hosts and their parasites are seldom considered in plant community dynamics. Our findings suggest this may be a critical oversight, particularly in the consideration of C and nutrient flows in plant and soil communities., (© 2022 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2022 New Phytologist Foundation.)

Nurse-led research and innovation is key to improving health experiences and outcomes and reducing health inequalities. Clinical academic training programmes for nurses to develop research and innovation skills alongside continued development of their clinical practice are becoming increasingly established at national, regional and local levels. Though widely supported, geographical variation in the range and scope of opportunities available remains. It is imperative that clinical academic opportunities for nurses continue to grow to ensure equity of access and opportunity so that the potential of nurse-led clinical academic research to improve quality of care, health experience and health outcomes can be realised. In this paper, we describe and report on clinical academic internship opportunities available to nurses to share internationally, a range of innovative programmes currently in operation across the UK. Examples of some of the tangible benefits for patients, professional development, clinical teams and NHS organisations resulting from these clinical academic internships are illustrated. Information from local evaluations of internship programmes was collated to report what has worked well alongside 'real-world' set-up and sustainability challenges faced in practice. Clinical academic internship schemes are often opportunistically developed, making use of hybrid models of delivery and funding responsive to local needs and available resources. Key enablers of successful clinical academic internship programmes for nurses were support from senior clinical leaders and established relationships with local universities and wider organisations committed to research capacity building., (© 2020 The Authors. Journal of Clinical Nursing published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Purpose: Routine preoperative urinalysis has been the standard of care for the orthopedic population for decades, regardless of symptoms. Studies have demonstrated antibiotic overuse and low concordance between bacteria cultured from the surgical wound and the urine. Testing and treatment of asymptomatic urinary tract colonization before total joint arthroplasty (TJA) is unnecessary and increases patient risk. We investigated reducing antibiotic use by (1) modifying testing algorithms to target patients at risk, (2) modifying reflex to culture criteria, and (3) providing treatment guidelines., Materials and Methods: A pre-post study was conducted to determine identify the impact of eliminating universal urinalysis prior to TJA on surgical site infection (SSI) and catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) rates and number of antibiotic prescriptions. Patients who underwent primary hip or knee TJA or spinal fusions from February 2016 to March 2018 were included. Patient data was collected for pre- and post-practice change period (February 2016-October 2016 and August 2017-March 2018). Patient demographics, urinalysis results, cultures, and prescriptions were analyzed retrospectively from every tenth chart in the pre-period and prospectively on all patients in the post-period., Results: A total of 4,663 patients were studied. There was a 96% decrease in urinalyses performed ( P <0.0001), and a 93% reduction rate in antibiotic utilization ( P <0.001). No significant difference in SSI and CAUTI rates was observed ( P >0.05)., Conclusion: The elimination of routine urinalysis before orthopedic surgery resulted in a reduction in antibiotic utilization with no significant change in the SSI or CAUTI rates. Cost savings resulted from reduced antibiotic usage., Competing Interests: CONFLICT OF INTEREST: The authors declare that there is no potential conflict of interest relevant to this article., (Copyright © 2021 by Korean Hip Society.)

Background: Colorectal cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide and approximately 20% of cases can be attributed to a mutation in the BRAF oncogene. Curcumin is a promising chemopreventive agent with various anti-cancer benefits. Although curcumin has been reported to have poor bioavailability, this limitation has been overcome by the formulation of nano-carriers. In this preclinical study, we investigated the ability of an improved formulation of curcumin to reduce the incidence of Braf mutant carcinoma., Aim: To investigate curcumin as a chemopreventive for Braf mutant colorectal cancer in a preclinical study utilizing a murine model of serrated neoplasia., Methods: An intestine-specific Braf mutant murine model (Braf V637E/+ /Villin-Cre ERT2/+ ) was administered curcumin micelles (240 mg/kg, n = 69) in normal drinking water. Mice in the control group consumed normal drinking water (n = 83). Mice were euthanized at 14 months and the incidence of murine serrated lesions and carcinoma in each cohort were determined by histologic examination., Results: At completion of the study (14 months), it was found that curcumin did not reduce the incidence or multiplicity of murine serrated lesions but did significantly reduce the number of invasive carcinomas (RR 0.83, 95% CI 0.69-0.9985, P = 0.0360) compared to control., Conclusions: We have performed the first long-term study assessing curcumin's effect on the development of serrated neoplasia. We found that curcumin significantly reduces the risk of developing Braf mutant colorectal cancer. Our data supports further investigation of curcumin as a chemopreventive to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer arising via the serrated pathway., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC part of Springer Nature.)

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of prostate cancer have identified >250 significant risk loci, but the causal variants and mechanisms for these loci remain largely unknown. Here, we sought to identify and characterize risk-harboring regulatory elements by integrating epigenomes from primary prostate tumor and normal tissues of 27 individuals across the H3K27ac, H3K4me3, and H3K4me2 histone marks and FOXA1 and HOXB13 transcription factors. We identified 7,371 peaks with significant allele specificity (allele-specific quantitative trait locus [asQTL] peaks). Showcasing their relevance to prostate cancer risk, H3K27ac T-asQTL peaks were the single annotation most enriched for prostate cancer GWAS heritability (40×), significantly higher than corresponding non-asQTL H3K27ac peaks (14×) or coding regions (14×). Surprisingly, fine-mapped GWAS risk variants were most significantly enriched for asQTL peaks observed in tumors, including asQTL peaks that were differentially imbalanced with respect to tumor-normal states. These data pinpointed putative causal regulatory elements at 20 GWAS loci, of which 11 were detected only in the tumor samples. More broadly, tumor-specific asQTLs were enriched for expression QTLs in benign tissues as well as accessible regions found in stem cells, supporting a hypothesis where some germline variants become reactivated during or after transformation and can be captured by epigenomic profiling of the tumor. Our study demonstrates the power of allele specificity in chromatin signals to uncover GWAS mechanisms, highlights the relevance of tumor-specific regulation in the context of cancer risk, and prioritizes multiple loci for experimental follow-up., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2021 American Society of Human Genetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Uganda faces a considerable challenge to match its food production to an annual population growth rate of 3%. Cooking bananas are the country's most produced staple crop but the annual national harvest is not increasing. The crop grows on infertile soils that are normally fertilised organically and often susceptible to erosion. Soil nematodes are well-established as bioindicators of soil quality that can support environmental monitoring and assessment of the sustainability of agricultural systems. These invertebrates are a highly ranked indicator of biodiversity with molecular approaches available. Consequently, we have applied next-generation DNA sequencing of soil nematodes to evaluate soil quality of Ugandan banana plantations. The aim is to establish a method for constructing an aspect of an environmental biosafety dossier with the future aim of assessing the impact of transgenic crops and improving current cropping systems. The soil samples did not differ significantly in any of the measured soil chemistry factors, soil texture or percentage of organic matter. Thirty taxons of soil nematodes other than the plant parasites were recovered from soil supporting nine banana plantations plus three each from coffee and banana-coffee interplants from East and West Uganda. Cluster analysis correctly allocated each plantation to the crop/intercrop being grown when based on the abundance of taxa rather than taxa presence or absence. This indicates that the host has considerable effects on the abundance of specific nematode species within the soil. Overall, nematodes were more abundant in soil from coffee plantations than from banana-coffee interplants with the lowest values being from fields supporting just banana. Only the basal and trophic diversity indices and the percentage of nematodes that are rapid colonisers varied between the three plantation types. The soil of all fifteen plantations can be classified as having a mature soil web condition with low physical disturbance, limited chemical stressors, moderately high nutrient enrichment and balanced decomposition channels., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2021 The Authors.)

The ability to predict the behaviour of polymeric nanomedicines can often be obfuscated by subtle modifications to the corona structure, such as incorporation of fluorophores or other entities. However, these interactions provide an intriguing insight into how selection of molecular components in multifunctional nanomedicines contributes to the overall biological fate of such materials. Here, we detail the internalisation behaviours of polymeric nanomedicines across a suite of cell types and extrapolate data for distinguishing the underlying mechanics of cyanine-5-driven interactions as they pertain to uptake and endosomal escape. By correlating the variance of rate kinetics with endosomal escape efficiency and endogenous lipid polarity, we identify that observed cell-type dependencies correspond with an underlying susceptibility to dye-mediated effects and nanomedicine accumulation within polar vesicles. Further, our results infer that the ability to translocate endosomal membranes may be improved in certain cell types, suggesting a potential role for diagnostic moieties in trafficking of drug-loaded nanocarriers.

Background: Pertussis remains poorly controlled relative to other diseases targeted by childhood vaccination programs. We combined estimates from four population-based studies of pertussis vaccine effectiveness (VE) in three Canadian provinces using a meta-analytic approach to improve precision and explore regional variation in VE and durability of protection., Methods: Studies were conducted in Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario over periods ranging from 1996 to 2015. Adjusted log odds ratios (OR; VE = 100*[1-OR]) of the effect of vaccination on pertussis risk were estimated by time since last vaccination in each study and pooled using DerSimonian and Laird random-effects models. We used the I 2 statistic to estimate between-study heterogeneity and assessed methodological and clinical heterogeneity through subgroup analyses of study design and age., Results: Data on 3,270 pertussis cases and 23,863 controls were available. Pertussis VE declined from 86% (95% CI 79%-90%, I 2  = 81.5%) at < 1 year since last vaccination to 51% (11%-74%, I 2  = 80.9%) by ≥ 8 years. Effect estimates were the most heterogeneous in the least and most elapsed time periods since last vaccine dose. This was attributable mostly to variation between provinces in the distribution of age groups and number of vaccine doses received within time periods, as well as study design and small numbers in the most elapsed time period., Interpretation: Consistent trends of decreasing pertussis VE with increasing time since last vaccination across three Canadian provinces indicate the need for immunization schedules and vaccine development to optimize protection for all individuals, especially for adolescents and young adults at greatest risk of infection., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: CHR has received an unrestricted research grant from Pfizer for an unrelated study. SMM has received unrestricted research grants from Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi Pasteur, Pfizer and Roche-Assurex for unrelated studies, as well as fees as an advisory board member for Sanofi Pasteur., (Crown Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in COVID-19 is associated with high mortality. Mesenchymal stem cells are known to exert immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects and could yield beneficial effects in COVID-19 ARDS. The objective of this study was to determine safety and explore efficacy of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell (UC-MSC) infusions in subjects with COVID-19 ARDS. A double-blind, phase 1/2a, randomized, controlled trial was performed. Randomization and stratification by ARDS severity was used to foster balance among groups. All subjects were analyzed under intention to treat design. Twenty-four subjects were randomized 1:1 to either UC-MSC treatment (n = 12) or the control group (n = 12). Subjects in the UC-MSC treatment group received two intravenous infusions (at day 0 and 3) of 100 ± 20 × 10 6 UC-MSCs; controls received two infusions of vehicle solution. Both groups received best standard of care. Primary endpoint was safety (adverse events [AEs]) within 6 hours; cardiac arrest or death within 24 hours postinfusion). Secondary endpoints included patient survival at 31 days after the first infusion and time to recovery. No difference was observed between groups in infusion-associated AEs. No serious adverse events (SAEs) were observed related to UC-MSC infusions. UC-MSC infusions in COVID-19 ARDS were found to be safe. Inflammatory cytokines were significantly decreased in UC-MSC-treated subjects at day 6. Treatment was associated with significantly improved patient survival (91% vs 42%, P = .015), SAE-free survival (P = .008), and time to recovery (P = .03). UC-MSC infusions are safe and could be beneficial in treating subjects with COVID-19 ARDS., (© 2021 The Authors. STEM CELLS TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of AlphaMed Press.)

Hyperbranched, biodegradable PCL-based polymers are obtained through a random but invasive migration of an in situ generated carbene end group which is unmasked via the thermolysis of its precursor diazirine moiety. These hyperbranched cores are used as macroinitiators for 'grafting-from' polymerisation using controlled radical polymerisation to achieve amphiphilic copolymers which can subsequently be self-assembled into spherical core-shell micelles.

Improving our understanding of how design choices in materials synthesis impact biological outcomes is of critical importance in the development of nanomedicines. Here, we show that fluorophore labeling of polymer nanomedicine candidates significantly alters their transport and cell association in multi-cellular tumor spheroids and their penetration in breast cancer xenografts, dependent on the type of the fluorophore and their positioning within the macromolecular structure. These data show the critical importance of the biomaterials structure and architecture in their tissue distribution and intracellular trafficking, which in turn govern their potential therapeutic efficacy. The broader implication of these findings suggests that when developing materials for medical applications, great care should be taken early on in the design process as relatively simple choices may have downstream impacts that could potentially skew preclinical biology data.

Plants typically interact with multiple above- and below-ground organisms simultaneously, with their symbiotic relationships spanning a continuum ranging from mutualism, such as with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), to parasitism, including symbioses with plant-parasitic nematodes (PPN).Although research is revealing the patterns of plant resource allocation to mutualistic AMF partners under different host and environmental constraints, the root ecosystem, with multiple competing symbionts, is often ignored. Such competition is likely to heavily influence resource allocation to symbionts.Here, we outline and discuss the competition between AMF and PPN for the finite supply of host plant resources, highlighting the need for a more holistic understanding of the influence of below-ground interactions on plant resource allocation. Based on recent developments in our understanding of other symbiotic systems such as legume-rhizobia and AMF-aphid-plant, we propose hypotheses for the distribution of plant resources between contrasting below-ground symbionts and how such competition may affect the host.We identify relevant knowledge gaps at the physiological and molecular scales which, if resolved, will improve our understanding of the true ecological significance and potential future exploitation of AMF-PPN-plant interactions in order to optimize plant growth. To resolve these outstanding knowledge gaps, we propose the application of well-established methods in isotope tracing and nutrient budgeting to monitor the movement of nutrients between symbionts. By combining these approaches with novel time of arrival experiments and experimental systems involving multiple plant hosts interlinked by common mycelial networks, it may be possible to reveal the impact of multiple, simultaneous colonizations by competing symbionts on carbon and nutrient flows across ecologically important scales., Competing Interests: None declared., (© 2021 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The COVID-19 pandemic brings to light many areas the field of counselling and psychotherapy may need to address in future research. We outline several issues stemming from or exacerbated by the pandemic and offer suggestions for future research to address the mental health needs of those impacted. Our suggestions focus on five domains: (a) the health and well-being of helping professionals, (b) the infodemic, (c) discrimination and minority stress, (d) spiritual and existential dynamics in mental health and (e) couple and family stress and resilience. We aim to provide a multi-systemic perspective of mental health and well-being in the time of COVID-19, as well as encourage current and future studies to incorporate these suggestions to advance the health and well-being of our communities through evidence-based treatment approaches., (© 2020 British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy.)

Complex biological tissues are highly viscoelastic and dynamic. Efforts to repair or replace cartilage, tendon, muscle, and vasculature using materials that facilitate repair and regeneration have been ongoing for decades. However, materials that possess the mechanical, chemical, and resorption characteristics necessary to recapitulate these tissues have been difficult to mimic using synthetic resorbable biomaterials. Herein, we report a series of resorbable elastomer-like materials that are compositionally identical and possess varying ratios of cis:trans double bonds in the backbone. These features afford concomitant control over the mechanical and surface eroding degradation properties of these materials. We show the materials can be functionalized post-polymerization with bioactive species and enhance cell adhesion. Furthermore, an in vivo rat model demonstrates that degradation and resorption are dependent on succinate stoichiometry in the elastomers and the results show limited inflammation highlighting their potential for use in soft tissue regeneration and drug delivery.

Danielson's Framework for Teaching (FFT) is currently used in more than 20 states to inform teacher evaluation and professional learning. To investigate whether FFT promotes instruction that appropriately responds to the needs of students with learning disabilities, we conduct a systematic content analysis of the instructional approach emphasized in the FFT's Instructional Domain (Domain 3) of Danielson's FFT. We frame our study using cognitive load theory and research regarding effective instruction for students with disabilities. We end by discussing implications regarding the evaluation and development of effective teaching for students with learning disabilities.