Objective: To distinguish measurements of inflammasome-associated biomarkers from assessments of immune cells’ functional capacity to activate the NLRP3 inflamm
Objective: To describe a patient with late-onset ataxia and heterozygous variants in SPG7 and AFG3L2, and relate the case to previously reported patients with t
Objective: Assess the association between self-reported visual difficulty and civic engagement among U.S. adults. Approach: Design and data: Serial cross-sectio
Objective: To develop a method for mapping local pH changes in 3D breast cancer models after different forms of cellular stress. Approach: Sensor and model: Res
Researchers integrated pH-responsive surface-enhanced Raman scattering nanotags into breast cancer cells on a 3D-printed hydrogel scaffold.
The nanotags used polymer-coated gold nanostars functionalized with 4-mercaptobenzoic acid to measure local pH through changes in Raman spectral bands.
After chemotherapy, surfactant exposure, or plasmonic heating, the sensors detected pH increases, with timing varying from minutes to days.
Independent cytotoxicity testing linked the pH increases to cell membrane damage, and Raman maps captured changes at subcellular resolution across millimeter-scale regions.
The authors identified calibration stability, sensor variation, nanotag effects, and performance in more complex tissue models as areas for future assessment.
Objective: Assess whether Raman spectroscopy combined with machine learning can estimate multiple maple syrup quality attributes from one analytical workflow. A
Researchers analyzed 721 untreated maple syrup samples with 785-nm Raman spectroscopy, collecting 21,630 spectra for machine-learning analysis.
Convolutional neural networks classified golden and very dark syrups with 91% and 92% accuracy, respectively, but accuracy was lower for amber and dark grades.
Flavor-classification accuracy was 83% for syrups without detectable defects and 78% for syrups with the late-season “buddy” defect.
Raman fluorescence background intensity increased as syrup darkened and supported color-grade estimates with 81% to 94% accuracy.
A sucrose-standard model yielded an R² of 0.87 and a 2.2% root mean squared error, but syrup estimates were sucrose equivalents, not validated sugar concentrations.
Objective: The article examines the objective, findings, and clinical context described in FDA Updates Potency Rules for Cell and Gene Therapies. Approach: Life
The FDA’s final guidance, published November 2, replaces its 2011 guidance on potency testing for cell and gene therapies.
The guidance recommends a science- and risk-based Potency Assurance Strategy spanning raw materials, manufacturing processes, and laboratory testing.
The framework integrates potency assurance throughout development, production, commercialization, and postapproval monitoring rather than relying primarily on finished-product testing.
The guidance addresses potency assessment challenges involving short shelf lives, viral vector therapies, and patient-specific treatments.
The recommendations allow manufacturers to select controls and analytical methods based on product characteristics and risks; they do not establish a new approval pathway.
Objective: To examine whether out-of-pocket medical costs affect anticipated physical pain and willingness to schedule procedures, and whether financial discomf
Three randomized online experiments involving 1,028 US adults tested responses to hypothetical procedures with full out-of-pocket costs or no cost.
Participants facing higher costs reported greater financial discomfort and procedure-related financial anxiety across the three experiments.
Higher costs were associated with lower willingness to schedule hypothetical endoscopy and nerve conduction procedures.
Higher costs did not significantly increase anticipated physical pain in the overall comparisons, although mediation analyses identified indirect associations through financial discomfort and anxiety.
The studies measured self-reported responses to hypothetical scenarios and did not assess actual appointment attendance, treatment adherence, or clinical outcomes.
Objective: Introduce Caitlin Houghton, MD, her surgical practice, career path, and perspectives on robotic surgery and Keck Medicine of USC. Approach: Specialty
Caitlin Houghton, MD, is a gastrointestinal surgeon with Keck Medicine of USC who specializes in minimally invasive foregut and general surgery.
Her clinical focus includes complex esophageal and gastric disorders such as GERD, hiatal hernias, achalasia, Barrett’s esophagus, esophageal cancer and gastroparesis.
After working in physical therapy, Houghton applied to medical school and said she found her calling when she first scrubbed into an operating room.
Houghton says robotic technology enables surgeons to perform more precise procedures and that she teaches other surgeons about robotic surgery.
She describes Keck Medicine as a leader in upper gastrointestinal and foregut surgery, where new technology often arrives first.
Objective: The article examines the objective, findings, and clinical context described in What Are the Latest Advances in Cholangiocarcinoma Treatment?. Approa
Objective: The article examines the objective, findings, and clinical context described in Minimally Invasive Procedure Restores Achalasia Patient’s Ability to
A 31-year-old man developed frequent regurgitation, heartburn, and difficulty keeping food and drinks down, losing 40 pounds over several months.
John C. Lipham, MD, diagnosed achalasia, a disorder in which esophageal muscles fail to move food into the stomach and the lower esophageal sphincter remains closed.
High-resolution esophageal manometry and an endoluminal functional lumen imaging probe were used to assess the patient’s esophageal function.
Lipham performed a robot-assisted laparoscopic Heller myotomy to loosen the lower esophageal sphincter and a partial fundoplication to help prevent reflux.
After surgery, the patient reported that food was passing into his stomach, resumed eating solid foods, and regained the weight he had lost.
Objective: To assess the effects and safety of once-weekly retatrutide on weight, knee osteoarthritis pain, and obstructive sleep apnea severity in adults with
Objective: To develop an interpretable machine-learning model for predicting severe influenza in hospitalized children and compare its performance with other al
The retrospective study included 436 children hospitalized with influenza at one Chinese hospital from January 2022 to May 2023; 114 (26%) had severe disease.
A random forest model using 8 laboratory markers had the highest testing-cohort AUROC among 6 algorithms, at 0.88.
The random forest model had 84% accuracy, 50% sensitivity, 97% specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of 84% each.
Blood glucose was the most influential predictor; higher glucose, aspartate aminotransferase, and procalcitonin contributed to predictions of severe influenza.
The study was limited by its retrospective, single-center design, small testing cohort, lack of external validation, and inability to establish prospective prediction or improved outcomes.
Objective: Announce Dr. Jonathan Miller’s appointment to leadership roles at Marcus Neuroscience Institute and describe his clinical and research background. Ap
Jonathan P. Miller, MD, joined Marcus Neuroscience Institute as director of clinical research and director of peripheral nerve and functional neurorestoration.
Miller is a board-certified neurosurgeon specializing in functional and restorative neurosurgery, including surgical treatment of peripheral nerve disorders, epilepsy, movement disorders, and facial p
His research focuses on brain-computer interfaces, neuromodulation, and electrical stimulation to restore function after neurological injury and disease.
Before joining Baptist Health, Miller chaired neurosurgery at SUNY Upstate Medical University and held leadership roles at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center.
Miller earned his medical degree from Case Western Reserve University, completed neurosurgery residency at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, and completed a functional neurosurgery fellow
Objective: Identify seasonal chemical patterns in Scottish honey using phenolic-focused, untargeted ion mobility liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. Approa
Untargeted ion mobility liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry distinguished seasonal chemical profiles in 39 Scottish and commercial honey samples.
Paired spring and summer samples from approximately nine Aberdeenshire apiaries enabled a more direct assessment of seasonal variation.
Spring and summer markers included galangin, quercetin, sebacic acid, tricoumaroyl spermidine, suberic acid, and luteolin-7-glucuronide.
Heather honey markers included 3-phenyllactic acid, abscisic acid, 4-hydroxycinnamaldehyde, and kaempferol-related compounds.
The exploratory models were intended for marker discovery, and independent validation and broader sampling are needed before routine authentication use.
Guinevere Lageveen-Kammeijer studies glycosylation and its changes in diseases such as cancer, using CE-MS-based glyco(proteo)omics.
Her group aims to reveal previously hidden molecular details and extend glycomic analysis toward individual cells.
She expects single-cell glycomics to reveal cellular heterogeneity and sees separation science, including CE-MS, as important for resolving molecular complexity.
She emphasizes that greater sensitivity and more data do not automatically produce better science; measurements and computational patterns require validation and biological interpretation.
A CE experiment using prostate-specific antigen as a model glycoprotein revealed CE's ability to separate glycoforms with differently linked sialic acids and redirected her PhD toward prostate cancer
Rising cancer incidence, expanding biomarker menus, and staffing shortages are increasing IHC workload and straining pathology laboratories.
David Newell identifies order intake, instrument loading, and unloading as key IHC workflow failure points.
Batch-based ordering, batching habits, and inconsistent instrument use can delay starts and create avoidable instrument idle time.
Newell reports that extending daily IHC staining-area coverage from 8 to 9.5 hours and changing workflows increased capacity from 120 to 180 slides per day without new equipment.
The article recommends end-to-end workflow review and cross-functional collaboration to identify bottlenecks and plan for future laboratory needs.