Wake Forest University

Diversification and coexistence amid widespread and persistent gene flow in Andean trees

Hybridization and introgression are increasingly recognized as important in plant evolution, yet their prevalence and consequences remain poorly understood in tropical Andean trees, where species coexist at low densities and turn over rapidly across elevation gradients. Here, we...

LAI-PrEP willingness among people who inject drugs in Appalachian Ohio: applying the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills Model

HIV remains a critical public health challenge in rural areas of the United States. Yet pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV (PrEP) access is limited. Long-acting injectable PrEP (LAI-PrEP) could overcome barriers among people who inject drugs (PWID), but PWID’s willingness to engage...

Preparation for bias conversations among Black/African American, Latinx, and Asian parent‐adolescent dyads: A qualitative content analysis of observational data

Abstract Preparation for bias conversations may be critical in raising youth awareness of racial‐ethnic discrimination, fostering a strong racial‐ethnic identity, and teaching them how to cope or respond to racialized stressors. However, the literature relies almost exclusively o...

Differential Susceptibility to Heavy-Metal–Induced Injury in a Human Testis Tissue Equivalent (hTTE): Implications for Oxidative Stress

Oxidative stress driven by environmental and occupational exposure to heavy metals is increasingly recognized as a central, modifiable contributor to male infertility. Yet, the lack of physiologically relevant human models has limited mechanistic insight. We have previously descr...

The Power of Two: Harnessing Dual Glucagon and Incretin Signaling for Treatment of Obesity and Metabolic Dysfunction–Associated Steatohepatitis—A Narrative Review with a Translational Focus

ABSTRACT A resurgence in glucagon research has repositioned this pancreatic hormone as a promising target in the treatment of obesity and related metabolic disorders. Glucagon is classically known for contributing to glucose homeostasis, but emerging evidence points to a much wid...

Creating Novel Affordances

Adaptive behavior involves the perception of affordances, or opportunities for action. Since the term’s introduction by psychologist James J. Gibson in the 1960s, affordances have been the subject matter of those disciplines within psychology predominantly concerned with the stud...

Effects of Fibrinogen and Thrombin Concentrations on Clot Structure and Internal Clot Lysis Time

Background: In the final steps of the coagulation cascade, thrombin converts fibrinogen to fibrin, which polymerizes into a fibrin network that stabilizes blood clots. The concentration of these two proteins can affect network structure. The fibrin network is dissolved by plasmin...

Single-nucleus multi-omics reveals reversible molecular signatures in skeletal muscle of patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a complex systemic syndrome characterized by severe exercise intolerance. In addition to cardiac dysfunction, abnormalities in peripheral skeletal muscle are key contributors to reduced exercise capacity in HFpEF. Multiple...

HIV transmission behaviors, detectable HIV-RNA and curable STI prevalence among Ugandan men with HIV with reproductive goals, with and without infertility experiences

Many men with HIV (MWH) want children. MWH with unmet reproductive goals may prioritize conception over preventing HIV/STI transmission. Therefore, we evaluated whether MWH with unmet versus met reproductive goals were more likely to have detectable HIV-RNA or STIs, and explored...

Prehistoric global migration of vanishing gut microbes with humans

The gut microbiome is crucial for health and is affected strongly by lifestyle1. Many microorganisms commonly found in non-industrialized populations are disappearing or have become extinct in industrialized populations2–6. Studying which microorganisms have been long-term reside...

Compositional Data Analysis of Relative Body Mass and Physical Function Using the Relative Shift Approach

ABSTRACT Objective The purpose of this study was to present the novel relative shift approach for compositional data analysis of body composition as a predictor for gait speed and to compare it to existing methods. Methods Body composition was quantified from dual‐energy x‐ray ab...

Approach to pediatric patients with elbow injuries in the emergency department.

Pediatric elbow injuries are a common complaint presenting to emergency departments. The unique anatomy and skeletal immaturity in children can make the elbow particularly difficult to evaluate and manage. Additionally, many healthcare institutions have limited or no access to pe...

Mediating effect of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the association between depression, anxiety, and cardiometabolic disorders in a multiethnic US population

Abstract Neuroinflammation is associated with depression and anxiety risk, both of which demonstrate a bilateral relationship with cardiometabolic disorders. Systemic inflammation was also commonly described in patients with cardiometabolic disorders. It is, thus, unclear whether...

Patient Risk Factors for Incidental Pathology After Uterovaginal Surgery for Apical Prolapse: Systematic Review and Global Expert Consensus Statements

Abstract Introduction and Hypothesis Uterus preservation is increasingly used for uterovaginal prolapse (U-POP) repair despite ongoing concerns regarding future uterine, cervical, and adnexal pathology. We evaluated incidental pathology rates, associated risk factors, and created...

Clinical Practice Guideline for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Urinary Tract Infection in Children From 8 Days to 5 Years of Age

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common bacterial infections in infants and young children, with a prevalence of 7% in infants with fever. This clinical practice guideline (CPG) provides an update of the literature and clinical recommendations of the 2011 American...

Plasma and cerebrospinal fluid proteomics reveal distinct patterns of senescence and neuropathology in aging rhesus macaques

Aging is the primary risk factor for neurodegenerative disease, yet the protein signatures that distinguish physiological brain aging from pathological decline remain incompletely defined in translational models. Using the targeted NULISAseq proteomic platform, we profiled cerebr...

Research support networks for substance use translational research: a qualitative evaluation of the HEAL data to action (HD2A) program

Abstract Background NIH-funded research has been increasingly conducted in collaborative consortia of investigators with the support of coordinating centers. However, the extent to which such initiatives help to accomplish NIH goals and objectives with respect to the translation...

Lewis Acid Integrated Bifunctional Covalent Organic Framework for Photocatalytic Regioselective C3-Carbonylation of Indoles

Abstract The regioselective carbonylation of indoles have attracted significant recent attention owing to the ubiquitous presence of indole derivatives in pharmaceuticals and natural products. Aldehydes are very appealing as effective carbonylation sources; however, methods to ac...

Disability Representation in Social and Personality Psychology Research: A State-of-the-Art Review

We conducted a systematic state-of-the-art review examining disability representation of three flagship social and personality psychology journals between 2017 and 2022. First, we examined the 2,343 articles published in that time frame and found that 192 (8.19%) of them used at...

Safety and Efficacy of Left Atrial Ablation After Percutaneous Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion in High-Bleeding-Risk Patients with Atrial Fibrillation: A Multicenter Analysis from the PROCEED-AF Ablation Registry

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Patients with left atrial appendage (LAAO) devices are increasingly referred for AF ablation, yet anticoagulation strategies remain uncertain. The goal of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) in...