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Recent events have reaffirmed that racism is a pervasive disease plaguing the United States and infiltrating the fabric of this nation. As health care professionals dedicated to understanding and alleviating disease, many radiation oncologists have failed to acknowledge how structural racism affects the health and well-being of the patients we aim to serve. The literature is full of descriptive statistics showing the higher incidence and mortality experienced by the Black population for health conditions ranging from infant mortality to infectious disease, including coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Acknowledgment that the root of health disparities experienced by Black people in this country are based in racism is essential to moving the nation and the field of radiation oncology forward. With this lens, a brief overview of structural and institutional racism shapes a discussion of what radiation oncologists and the organizations that represent them can do to address this scourge. As members of a technological field, we often harness the power of data to advance human health and approach challenging diseases with optimism that multidisciplinary effort can produce cure. A few principles to mitigate the longstanding issues of Black marginalization within the field have been recommended via the ATIP (Acknowledgment, Transparency, Intentionality, and rePresentation) and LEADS (Learn, Engage, Advocate, Defend, Support) approaches. However, additional introspection is encouraged. Just as individuals, practices, and organizations rallied to determine how best to address the issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the same investigational fervor must be applied to the issue of racism to combat this sinister and often deadly disease.

We introduce a computational approach to build three-dimensional (3D) surface mesh models of the early-stage zebrafish brain primordia from time-series microscopy images. The complexity of the early-stage brain primordia and lack of recognizable landmarks pose a distinct challenge for feature segmentation and 3D modeling. Additional difficulty arises because of noise and variations in pixel intensity. We overcome these by using a hierarchical approach in which simple geometric elements, such as “beads” and “bonds,” are assigned to represent local features and their connectivity is used to smoothen the surface while retaining high-curvature regions. We apply our method to build models of two zebrafish embryo phenotypes at discrete time points between 19 and 28 h post-fertilization and collect measurements to quantify development. Our approach is fast and applicable to building models of other biological systems, as demonstrated by models from magnetic resonance images of the human fetal brain. The source code, input scripts, sample image files, and generated outputs are publicly available on GitHub.

Summary: A reproducible imaging protocol should include four main detailed sections. The first should describe the sample preparation and include details about the tissue and/or cell culture preparation, the staining procedure, the optical grade of the coverslip, and the type of mounting media used to mount the sample. The second section should describe the configuration and components of the microscope and include the type of stand, stage, illumination, and detector, as well as the emission (EM) and excitation (EX) filters, objective, and immersion medium specifications. Specialized microscopes may have other important components in the optical path to include. The third section should describe the settings used to acquire an image like the exposure and/or dwell time, final magnification and optical resolution, the pixel and field of view (FOV) sizes, time intervals for any time lapse, total power at the objective (i.e., directed at your sample) and number of planes and step size used to collect a 3-dimensional image, and order of operations used in multi-dimensional image acquisitions. The final section should include details about the image analysis workflow such as the image processing steps, segmentation and measurement methods used to extract information from the image, data size, and necessary computing hardware and networking requirements if data sets are >1 GB, as well as citations and versions for the software and code used to perform any of these steps. Every effort should be made to make an example dataset with accurate metadata available online. Finally, specifics about the type of replicates included in the experiment and details about the statistical analysis conducted are also necessary.

Summary: Precisely measuring the number and somatic volume of neurons in the central nervous system at single-cell resolution is technically challenging. Here, we combine multiple techniques to address this challenge in optically cleared mouse spinal cords. We describe in vivo neuron labeling approaches, tissue-clearing technology, light sheet fluorescence microscopy, and machine learning-guided imaging analysis. This combination provides a precise determination of the cell number and somatic volume of any neuron population in the spinal cords. : Publisher’s note: Undertaking any experimental protocol requires adherence to local institutional guidelines for laboratory safety and ethics.

We introduce the open-source software MUedit and we describe its use for identifying the discharge timing of motor units from all types of electromyographic (EMG) signals recorded with multi-channel systems. MUedit performs EMG decomposition using a blind-source separation approach. Following this, users can display the estimated motor unit pulse trains and inspect the accuracy of the automatic detection of discharge times. When necessary, users can correct the automatic detection of discharge times and recalculate the motor unit pulse train with an updated separation vector. Here, we provide an open-source software and a tutorial that guides the user through (i) the parameters and steps of the decomposition algorithm, and (ii) the manual editing of motor unit pulse trains. Further, we provide simulated and experimental EMG signals recorded with grids of surface electrodes and intramuscular electrode arrays to benchmark the performance of MUedit. Finally, we discuss advantages and limitations of the blind-source separation approach for the study of motor unit behaviour during tonic muscle contractions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest 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., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: South Asians are disproportionately affected by type 2 diabetes (DMII) and comorbid hypertension (HTN). Community health worker (CHW) interventions have been shown to improve chronic disease outcomes, yet few have been tailored for South Asians. This paper describes the study protocol and baseline characteristics of an evidence-based CHW intervention to improve blood pressure (BP) control among South Asian adults with diabetes and comorbid HTN in Atlanta, GA., Methods: A total of 195 South Asian adults were randomized to treatment and control groups, and of these 190 completed baseline surveys (97 treatment group and 93 control group). The treatment group receives five group education sessions on DMII and HTN management and two one-on-one goal setting sessions., Measures: Primary outcomes include feasibility, acceptability, and BP control (systolic blood pressure [SBP] <130 and diastolic blood pressure [DBP] <80). Secondary outcomes included changes in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), weight, diabetes self-efficacy, diet, and physical activity., Baseline Results: Of the enrolled sample, 56% are female and mean age is 56.0 (±11.7). All participants are foreign-born. Mean SBP was 139.2 ± 4.3 and mean DBP was 84.7 ± 9.5. Intervention outcomes are measured at baseline and 6-month endpoint for both study groups., Conclusions: To our knowledge, this study is the first to document the efficacy of a HTN and DMII management intervention among South Asian adults in Atlanta, GA. Future findings of the submitted protocol will fill an important gap on the translation and adaption of evidence-based interventions that have relevance to immigrant and minority populations., Clinical Trials Registration: NCT04263311., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest 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., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This study tested the relationship of neighborhood crime as a driver of pediatric asthma diagnoses via the mechanism of toxic stress utilizing data from a police department, and pediatric clinic in a large urban city in the southwestern United States. Using structural equation modeling, a full mediation model of neighborhood crime as a driver of toxic stress resulting in increased asthma diagnoses fit the data well (Χ 2  = 14.0, p =.371; df = 13; RMSEA = .028 [90% CI: 0.00, 0.102]; CFI: 0.995; SRMR = .053). Advocates should explore ways to reduce neighborhood crime to address toxic stress and asthma., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This paper reports on a multi-component evaluation of Australia's Mental Health Professionals Network (MHPN). MHPN aims to improve consumer outcomes by fostering a collaborative clinical approach to primary mental health care. MHPN has promoted interdisciplinary communication and networking through activity in three inter-related areas: interdisciplinary workshops supported by education and training materials; fostering ongoing, self-sustained interdisciplinary clinical networks; and a website, web portal (MHPN Online) and a toll-free telephone information line. The evaluation showed that MHPN's workshops were highly successful; almost 1200 workshops were attended by 11,930 individuals from a range of mental health professions. Participants from 81% of these workshops have gone on to join ongoing, interdisciplinary networks of local providers, and MHPN is now supporting these networks in a range of innovative ways to encourage them to become self-sustaining and to improve collaborative care practices., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The integral membrane proteins of neurons and other excitable cells are generally resistant to high resolution structural tools. Structure-function studies, especially those enhanced by the nonsense suppression methodology for unnatural amino acid incorporation, constitute one of the most powerful probes of ion channels and related structures. The nonsense suppression methodology can also be used to incorporate functional side chains designed to deliver novel structural probes to membrane proteins. In this vein, we sought to generalize a potentially powerful tool - the tethered agonist approach - for mapping the agonist binding site of ligand-gated ion channels., Results: Using the in vivo nonsense suppression method for unnatural amino acid incorporation, a series of tethered quaternary ammonium derivatives of tyrosine have been incorporated into the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. At three sites a constitutively active receptor results, but the pattern of activation as a function of chain length is different. At position alpha149, there is a clear preference for a three-carbon tether, while at position alpha93 tethers of 2-5 carbons are comparably effective. At position gamma55/delta57 all tethers except the shortest one can activate the receptor. Based on these and other data, a model for the receptor binding site can be developed by analogy to the acetylcholine esterase crystal structure., Conclusion: Through the use of nonsense suppression techniques, the tethered agonist approach has been made into a general tool for probing receptor structures. When applied to the nicotinic receptor, the method places new restrictions on developing models for the agonist binding site.

Partly obstructing, proliferative mucosal masses in the small intestine of two dogs were shown histologically to be hamartomatous polyps. They were characterized by an extension of smooth muscle from the muscularis mucosae into the lamina propria of the lesion. This is the first report of such lesions in domestic animals. In one of the dogs the lesion had become malignant.

Because of its apparent success in relieving symptoms, especially pain, anterior mandibular repositioning therapy is a popular mode of nonsurgical treatment for patients with painful, clicking internal derangement of the temporomandibular joint. Posterior open bites are a frequent consequence of such therapy and may necessitate either continued appliance wear or closure by equilibration, prosthetics, or orthodontics. The anatomic and functional changes that occur subsequent to mandibular repositioning during orthodontic closure of the posterior open bite are not well understood. A case of a patient with a Class II, deep bite malocclusion and painful internal derangement of the TMJ is presented. Transcranial and cephalometric radiographs, arthrograms, and mandibular movement recordings were obtained before treatment and after both repositioning therapy and orthodontic treatment. Regarding occlusal improvement and pain relief, the treatment was successful. However, not all of the changes that occurred during repositioning therapy were maintained after orthodontic treatment. The strategy used in this case (mandibular repositioning/orthodontic finishing) was evaluated by an examination of these anatomic and functional changes with a discussion centered on the possible mechanisms involved.