University of California, Los Angeles

Exposure route, not dose, is the primary driver of infection patterns for a respiratory virus

Infectious disease severity, shedding, and within-host kinetics can vary substantially with exposure dose, inoculation route, and host factors. However, the relative contributions of these variables to infection heterogeneity remain poorly quantified because small sample sizes in...

Development of insulin resistance in women over the menopause transition

BACKGROUND. Body weight and insulin resistance in women increase in midlife. It is not known whether this is driven by the menopause transition or solely by chronological aging. We aimed to determine the role of the menopause transition and menopause-related BMI changes in the de...

Anticoagulation Treatment Response Among Phenotypic ESUS Clusters: Evidence From CASPR

ABSTRACT Objective To evaluate treatment effect heterogeneity across phenotypic clusters of patients with cryptogenic embolic stroke using causal inference methods. Methods From a retrospective, multicenter cohort of patients with cryptogenic embolic stroke, we estimated the trea...

Effect of a comic book-based educational intervention on human papillomavirus vaccine knowledge and safety perception among girls aged 9–14 in Nigeria

Background Cervical cancer is a leading cause of death for women and is preventable with the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and regular screening. However, awareness of vaccines and screenings is poor in many low- and middle-income countries. In 2023, Nigeria sought to delive...

Identification and characterization of factors that govern apicoplast segregation in Toxoplasma gondii

Abstract The apicoplast is an essential plastid organelle of apicomplexan parasites that supports indispensable metabolic pathways, and its successful inheritance during cell division is critical for parasite survival. Here, we identify two previously uncharacterized proteins, AP...

Comparison of oral and gut microbiome highlights the role of oral bacteria in systemic inflammation in HIV

ABSTRACT Background Chronic HIV-1 infection is associated with increased inflammation-related comorbidities, despite effective viral suppression with antiretroviral therapy. While the role of the gut microbiome in inflammation is well-studied, the contribution of the oral microbi...

Validation of pure and total movement dispersion variables as measures of the distribution of daily activity using accelerometers: a secondary analysis of a prospective cohort

Abstract Aim Physical activity (PA) positively impacts health, but the optimal way to achieve PA remains unclear. Pure and total movement dispersion are novel metrics that quantify the spread of movement across the day, with (total) or without (pure) intensity. The purpose of thi...

Polymer-residue accessibility shapes sequence dependence of critical temperatures for phase separation

Biological polymers, such as intrinsically disordered proteins, play a central role in cellular biology, including mediating phase separation and controlling activity of biological condensates. The physical properties and functions of biopolymers are determined by their residue s...

Non‐Rigid Motion‐Compensated MR Multitasking for Free‐Breathing Low‐Dose Dynamic Contrast‐Enhanced MRI in the Abdomen

ABSTRACT Purpose To improve free‐breathing low‐dose quantitative dynamic contrast‐enhanced (DCE) MRI for imaging pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Methods We introduced non‐rigid (NR) motion compensation (MoCo) into MR Multitasking using a novel “in‐subspace” formulation that dir...

Thermal history, collisional history, and structure of the CK ‐chondrite parent body

Abstract Major chondrite groups (H, L, LL, R, EH, EL, CK) with some members of petrologic type 5 and 6 also have some members of types 3 and 4; they do not have members of type 1 or 2. Their parent bodies had onion‐shell structures and were internally heated by the decay of 26 Al...

A CCL21 gene-modified dendritic cell vaccine combined with pembrolizumab in advanced non-small cell lung cancer: a phase I trial

Abstract Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have transformed treatment for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but resistance to these therapies is common. We report here results from a phase I trial combining intratumoral injection of a CCL21-expressing dendritic cell (CCL21-DC...

Associations between substance use by type and HIV viral suppression across multiple cohorts in the US

Substance use among people with HIV (PWH) represents an important obstacle to further reductions in HIV transmission. Using data from a diverse collection of five studies including people with HIV in care and those in community cohorts, we report results for analyses of the assoc...

Engineering neurovascular thrombosis: Light-based bioprinting for patient-specific modeling and women’s cerebrovascular health

Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) and carotid web (CW) are distinct cerebrovascular disorders where vascular geometry, disturbed hemodynamics, and endothelial activation interact to drive thrombosis. Both conditions disproportionately affect women, yet remain understudied b...

Seasonal influence on post-fire debris flow likelihood after the 2020 Lake Fire

The increasing severity of wildfires in Western North America is widely hypothesized to lead to an increase in the likelihood of post-fire debris flows (PFDF), specifically those triggered by high-intensity rain. PFDF likelihoods are highest in the first year and tend to decrease...

Conditional Process Analysis in Within-subjects designs: new opportunities with the memore macro

Conditional process analysis is a statistical method which allows researchers to explore whether the mechanisms by which one variable affects another depend on moderator variables. These methods provide opportunities for deeper theory building in social psychology. However, these...

Is “Good Enough” Good Enough?—Bringing Freud to Kant Without Anachronism

Abstract Attempts have been made to naturalize Kant’s account of the rational will and good willing by way of Freud’s account of the superego. This paper argues that such efforts ignore the infantile legacy of the superego, although its origin story is nonetheless congenial to Ka...

Mechanistic Study of CO2 Reduction in a Metal Nanoparticle/Ligand-Based Nanoconfined Pocket

Abstract Electrochemically reducing CO2 holds promise for producing value-added chemicals. Achieving this requires electrocatalysts with high selectivity and energy efficiency. Nanopocket engineering enhances catalytic activity by modulating interfacial reactivity and stabilizing...

Mucinous Adenocarcinoma Arising in a Mature Ovarian Teratoma.

Malignant transformation of a mature cystic teratoma (MCT) is rare, with mucinous adenocarcinoma being an even more uncommon subtype. Accurate diagnosis requires distinction from metastatic gastrointestinal tumors. A woman in her 30s presented with a 19 cm right ovarian mass. She...

Congenital Arboviruses: A Review

Congenital arboviruses represent a significant public health concern because of their ability to cross the placental barrier and adversely affect fetal development. In this review, we delineate the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, and diagnostic challenges ass...

Misinformation and Junk Science in Obstetrics Medical Malpractice: Newborn Brain Injury.

Medical-legal liability remains a constant concern to obstetricians because the majority of physicians are sued at least once in their career. The emotional and psychologic stress may disrupt both clinical practice and personal lives. A physician defendant may be able to address...