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Rheological and Structural Analysis of Hyaluronic Acid Fillers Used for Chin Augmentation
No full textChin contouring and projection represent some of the most frequently requested procedures in aesthetic practice using hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers. Variations in the physicochemical and viscoelastic properties of HA fillers may directly influence clinical performance. This study aimed to compare four commercially available HA gels specifically indicated for chin projection: JUVÉDERM
VOLUX, RESTYLANE
LYFT, PERFECTHA
SUBSKIN, and RESTYLANE
SHAYPE.
The samples were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, zeta potential, and swelling factor (SF). Rheological assessments included frequency sweep, amplitude sweep, and cohesivity modulus (MOC). All tests were performed in triplicate.
JUVÉDERM
VOLUX exhibited the highest SF values (3.28-3.37), indicating greater swelling capacity, whereas RESTYLANE
LYFT showed the lowest (1.53-1.66), reflecting a denser and less expansive profile. Rheological analysis revealed that RESTYLANE
LYFT and RESTYLANE
SHAYPE had higher storage modulus (G') values at elevated frequencies. MOC was significantly higher for RESTYLANE
SHAYPE and PERFECTHA
SUBSKIN compared with JUVÉDERM
VOLUX, suggesting greater resistance to deformation.
Overall, RESTYLANE
SHAYPE demonstrated the most favorable balance, combining moderate SF, high G' values, and elevated MOC. However, patient-specific anatomy, aesthetic goals, and injector expertise remain critical in determining the most appropriate product for chin contouring
Spatial hearing adaptation in congenital and acquired single-sided deafness
Get PDFIntroduction: Spatial hearing depends on binaural integration of interaural time and level differences and monaural spectral cues. Single-sided deafness (SSD) disrupts this process, impairing localization and speech perception. Congenital (SSDc) and acquired (SSDa) SSD provide unique models for studying cortical adaptation, while cochlear implantation (CI) offers partial restoration of binaural hearing. This study examined differences in localization performance and response promptness across SSDc, SSDa, and SSD-CI listeners.Methods: Thirty-one SSD listeners (9 SSDc, 11 SSDa, and 11 SSD-CI) and 16 normal-hearing (NH) controls completed broadband noise localization tasks in azimuth (90°) and elevation (30°). Azimuth and elevation localization, bias, mean absolute error (MAE), and response promptness were analyzed using linear regression and mixed-effects models.Results: SSD-CI listeners with CI on demonstrated significantly improved azimuth localization compared to CI off (gain = 0.97 vs. 0.26, MAE = 27°, vs. 47°, p < 0.001). SSDc listeners performed more accurately than SSDa (gain = 0.57 vs. 0.17, p < 0.001), consistent with enhanced adaptation to monaural cues following early deprivation. All SSD groups showed poor vertical localization on the deaf side (gain = 0.15) and slower responses (mean = 2.17 s−1), compared to NH (4.02 s−1, p < 0.037). CI was associated with faster responses, suggesting improved processing efficiency.Discussion: Early deprivation in SSDc promotes compensatory strategies for spatial hearing, while SSDa shows more limited adaptation. CI can partially reintroduce binaural cues, improving horizontal localization and processing efficiency, though vertical localization deficits persist.Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that auditory experience and hearing restoration jointly influence spatial hearing behavior. Understanding these adaptive patterns can guide individualized rehabilitation strategies and optimize outcomes for individuals with unilateral hearing loss
Segregation and School Funding How States Reinforce Inequality and What to Do about It
No full textAn expert examination of district-level segregation and wealth gaps shapes an original, ambitious policy agenda to end K-12 funding inequity and create a truly fair public school system
BPS2026 – Molecular dynamics of synaptotagmin isoforms: Isoform-specific mechanisms of Ca2+-triggered exocytosis
No full textChemokines CXCL9 and CCL2 in Relation to Cerebral White Matter Disease, Cognitive Decline, and Dementia: The Northern Manhattan Study
No full textChemokines C-X-C Motif Chemokine Ligand 9 (CXCL9) and C-C Motif Chemokine Ligand 2 (CCL2) were previously linked to incident cognitive impairment and dementia in the Northern Manhattan Study (NOMAS). We investigated whether circulating CXCL9 and CCL2 are independently associated with the cerebral white matter disease (WMD) burden and whether WMD mediates their association with prospective cognitive outcomes.
In the stroke-free, prospective, community-dwelling NOMAS cohort (age≥50) we examined white matter hyperintensity volume (WMHV) on brain MRI and serum chemokine levels. WMHV was normalized, log-transformed, and standardized. Cognitive status was assessed at MRI and again 12.2±1.3 years later to adjudicate incident cognitive decline and dementia. Multivariable linear regression models with either CXCL9 or CCL2 (in quartiles) as exposures and WMHV as the outcome were adjusted for socio-demographics and key contributors to WMD, including vascular risk factors (Model 1), kidney function (2), and APOE ε4 status (3). Mediation of the CXCL9-cognitive outcome association by WMHV was tested using Monte Carlo integration.
Among 1,179 participants (mean age 70±9 years; 60% female), elevated CXCL9 (Q4 vs. Q1) was associated with greater WMHV (Model 1: β=0.20, 95%CI 0.06-0.34). This association persisted even after adjusting for kidney function (Model 2: β=0.17, 95%CI 0.03-0.34) and APOE ε4 status (Model 3: β=0.19, 95%CI 0.04-0.33). CXCL9 (Q4 vs. Q1) effect magnitude in Model 3 approximated ~4 years of aging (β=0.05/year, 95%CI 0.04-0.06), exceeding that of hypertension (β=0.16, 95%CI 0.05-0.27), with a stepwise trend present across quartiles (β/quartile increase=0.07, 95%CI 0.02-0.12, p=0.003). Among 1,166 participants (dementia-free at MRI), the indirect, WMHV-mediated pathway was statistically significant for the association of CXCL9 with incident cognitive decline (ACME 0.009, 95%CI 0.002-0.018, p=0.016) and with dementia (ACME 0.008, 95%CI 0.003-0.016, p=0.004). CCL2 showed no association with WMHV.
Greater CXCL9 levels were associated with greater white matter lesion load, independent of vascular, renal, and genetic factors, suggesting a role in WMD pathogenesis. WMHV mediated CXCL9's association with cognitive decline and dementia risk. This IFN-γ-induced monokine (MIG) warrants further evaluation as a biomarker of white matter and cognitive health as well as a potentially modifiable therapeutic target
Detection of fragmentation while dusting during retrograde intrarenal laser lithotripsy: a novel computer vision and perception pipeline
No full textDusting during ureteroscopy with laser lithotripsy is popular because it minimizes the need for basketing of fragments. However, one of the challenges with dusting is adjusting power settings to be efficient and to limit the inadvertent generation of fragments. Detection of fragment production in real time using computer vision could help facilitate energy adjustments to optimize dusting. With IRB approval, we recorded eight consecutive ureteroscopy with laser lithotripsy procedures performed for intrarenal stones with a single-use flexible ureteroscope. We used a Dornier Thulio laser to dust the stones, with power settings at the discretion of the surgeon. We included all patients with stones between 7 mm and 15 mm. Time and duration of clips showing fragmentation were labeled. We then developed a fragmentation during dusting detection pipeline based on contemporary AI technologies, including semantic segmentation and video point tracking, and qualitatively demonstrated the detection performance on paradigmatic video segments. Successful extraction was performed in all 8 surgical videos, but only 5 had sufficient fragmentation events and adequate visualization for inclusion. We evaluated our pipeline’s performance on frame-level fragmentation detection, achieving an F1 score of 0.568, driven by a recall (sensitivity) of 0.516 and a precision (positive predictive value) of 0.632. Segment-level fragmentation detection performance was substantially lower, with an F1 score of 0.124 due to low precision (0.072) despite a recall of 0.438. We also qualitatively analyzed our pipeline on representative segments and provide insight into the task-specific challenges. Recent advancements in video point tracking enable more accurate capture of object motion patterns, which could be used to track the fracture of fragments from the kidney stone. With refinement, the proposed pipeline for the detection of fragmentation may be utilized to provide feedback to the surgeon and/or laser to adjust power settings in real time
MRD as an early endpoint in myeloma and other hematologic malignancies: Implication for ongoing and future study designs
No full textAdvances in therapy have substantially improved survival across hematologic malignancies. Therefore, traditional clinical trial endpoints such as overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) require long follow-up times delaying continued therapeutic advancement. Minimal (or measurable) residual disease (MRD) has emerged as a highly sensitive biomarker of treatment response particularly in multiple myeloma (MM). In 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recognized MRD-negative complete responses in patients with MM as an early endpoint reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit, enabling its use to support accelerated approval for MM therapies—marking the first such acceptance in a hematologic malignancy. This review examines the scientific and regulatory pathway that led to this milestone. We summarize the extensive collaborative efforts, including large meta-analyses and regulatory engagement, that established MRD’s prognostic validity. The article further explores the evolving role of MRD across other hematologic malignancies, using acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) as examples, highlighting disease-specific challenges to broader regulatory adoption. Finally, we discuss innovative clinical trial designs utilizing MRD that may accelerate drug development and personalize therapy. The experience in MM provides a roadmap for integrating MRD into future regulatory and clinical trial paradigms across hematologic oncology
Retraction for Atractylenolide I enhances responsiveness to immune checkpoint blockade therapy by activating tumor antigen presentation
Get PDFBlocking RAN translation without altering repeat RNAs rescues C9ORF72-related ALS and FTD phenotypes
No full textGGGGCC (G4C2) repeat expansion in C9ORF72 is the most common genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (aLS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Toxicity is thought to result from the accumulation of either repeat rNas and/or dipeptide repeat proteins (DPrs) translated from repeat-containing transcripts through repeat-associated non-auG (raN) translation. To disentangle rNa from DPr toxicity, we mutated a CuG codon predominantly used to initiate DPr translation from all three reading frames. This mutation disrupted DPr synthesis while preserving the expression of repeat-containing rNas. Despite the accumulation of rNa foci, behavioral deficits and pathological abnormalities, including p-TDP-43 inclusions, STING activation, motor neuron loss, neuroinflammation, and increased plasma neurofilament concentration, were alleviated in C9ORF72 mice. base editing of the CuG codon also improved molecular phenotypes and survival in patient induced pluripotent stem cell–derived neurons, which highlights the potential of therapeutically targeting DPr production rather than repeat rNas. Copyright © 2026 the authors, some rights reserved
Enlarged Perivascular Spaces Among Hispanic and Latino Adults in SOL-INCA-MRI
No full textTo examine preliminary associations between enlarged perivascular spaces (ePVS) and cerebrovascular small-vessel disease, cortical atrophy, and cognitive impairment among a select cohort of Hispanic and Latino adults. The Hispanic and Latino population has a higher prevalence of dementia and vascular disease but is underrepresented in dementia research. This study addresses this gap by investigating ePVS in a large convenience cohort of Hispanic and Latino individuals.
Brain magnetic resonance images from a convenience sample of 2161 participants, including 28.8% of individuals aged >50 years with cognitive impairment from the SOL-INCA-MRI (Study of Latinos-Investigation of Neurocognitive Aging Magnetic Resonance Imaging) study were analyzed. ePVS volume in the cerebral white matter was quantified using an automated method and then residualized with total cerebral volume. Associations between residualized mean ePVS volumes and demographic factors, magnetic resonance imaging measures, and cognitive impairment were assessed using regression models.
Residualized mean ePVS volume was significantly associated with age (
<0.001) and varied significantly by Hispanic and Latino heritage. After adjusting for age, sex, education, and heritage, ePVS volume was associated with infarction on magnetic resonance imaging (
=0.03), white matter hyperintensity volume (
<0.001), presence of cerebral microbleeds (
=0.009), cortical gray matter (
<0.001), and hippocampal (
<0.001) atrophy. Participants who are cognitively impaired also had significantly larger ePVS volumes (
=0.004). No significant sex differences in ePVS volume were observed when adjusting for head size.
This convenience sample of Hispanic and Latino individuals demonstrates significant associations between ePVS volume and established markers of cerebrovascular small-vessel disease, cortical atrophy, and cognitive impairment. These findings suggest that ePVS may be useful as an additional marker of vascular brain injury within this cohort