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A five-year retrospective analysis of Tuberculosis risk factors and their variability in the United States

Kini et al. | Mar 14, 2026

A five-year retrospective analysis of Tuberculosis risk factors and their variability in the United States
Image credit: Kini, Diaz Gaviria, Diaz, and Kini

The main goal of this study is to determine what demographics are related to tuberculosis incidence in the United States populations, particularly if changing demographics are related to differences in tuberculosis risk over two discrete time periods. The major finding is that in the two studied time periods, tuberculosis risk factors were somewhat consistent and may be influenced by things such as immigration, healthcare access, and race or ethnicity, although the top predictor did change.

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Modular mimics of neuroactive alkaloids - design, synthesis, and cholinesterase inhibitory activity of rivastigmine analogs

Yu et al. | Sep 12, 2022

Modular mimics of neuroactive alkaloids - design, synthesis, and cholinesterase inhibitory activity of rivastigmine analogs

Naturally occurring neuroactive alkaloids are often studied for their potential to treat Neurological diseases. This team of students study Rivastigmine, a potent cholinesterase inhibitor that is a synthetic analog of physostigmine, which comes from the Calabar bean plant Physostigma venenosum. By comparing the effects of optimized synthetic analogs to the naturally occurring alkaloid, they determine the most favorable analog for inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), the enzyme that breaks down the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) to terminate neuronal transmission and signaling between synapses.

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Characterizing Quorum Sensing-Induced Bioluminescence in Variable Volumes With Vibrio fischeri Using Computer Processing Methods

Abdel-Azim et al. | Jun 22, 2020

Characterizing Quorum Sensing-Induced Bioluminescence in Variable Volumes With <em>Vibrio fischeri</em> Using Computer Processing Methods

Understanding how bacteria respond to other bacteria could facilitate their ability to initiate and maintain their infectiousness. The phenomenon by which bacteria signal to each other via chemical signals is called quorum sensing, which could be targeted to deter bacterial infection in some cases if better understood. In this article, the authors study how a bacterium called V. fischeri uses quorum sensing to change bioluminescence, an easy readout that facilitates studying quorum sensing in this strain.

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Integrated expression, mutation, and survival analysis of 17 key genes in breast cancer using TCGA-BRCA data

Wang et al. | Aug 06, 2026

Integrated expression, mutation, and survival analysis of 17 key genes in breast cancer using TCGA-BRCA data

This study combines gene expression, mutation profiling, and survival analysis of 17 clinically important genes in breast cancer, utilizing the TCGA-BRCA dataset. Our results show that there are different patterns of oncogene upregulation, different levels of tumor suppressor activity, and complicated survival associations. TP53 was the most frequently mutated gene in this cohort. The results underscore the significance of multidimensional genomic analyses for a comprehensive understanding of breast cancer biology and its therapeutic ramifications.

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Modeling the heart’s reaction to narrow blood vessels

Athulathmudali et al. | May 22, 2023

Modeling the heart’s reaction to narrow blood vessels

Cardiovascular diseases are the largest cause of death globally, making it a critical area of focus. The circulatory system is required to make the heart function. One component of this system is blood vessels, which is the focus of our study. Our work aims to demonstrate the numeric relationship between a blood vessel's diameter and the number of pumps needed to transport blood.

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