Using Large Language Models to Address Health Literacy in mHealth: Case Report.

The innate complexity of medical topics often makes it challenging to produce educational content for the public. Although there are resources available to help authors appraise the complexity of their content, there are woefully few resources available to help authors reduce that complexity after it occurs. In this case study, we evaluate using ChatGPT to reduce the complex language used in health-related educational materials. ChatGPT adapted content from the SmartSHOTS mobile application, which is geared toward caregivers of children aged 0 to 24 months. SmartSHOTS helps reduce barriers and improve adherence to vaccination schedules. ChatGPT reduced complex sentence structure and rewrote content to align with a third-grade reading level. Furthermore, using ChatGPT to edit content already written removes the potential for unnoticed, artificial intelligence-produced inaccuracies. As an editorial tool, ChatGPT was effective, efficient, and free to use. This article discusses the potential of ChatGPT as an effective, time-efficient, and open-source method for editing health-related educational materials to reflect a comprehendible reading level.

Distribution Patterns of Astrocyte Populations in the Human Cortex.

Astrocytes are a major class of glial cell in the central nervous system that have a diverse range of types and functions thought to be based on their anatomical location, morphology and cellular properties. Recent studies highlight that astrocyte dysfunction contributes to the pathogenesis of neurological conditions. However, few studies have described the pattern, distribution and density of astrocytes in the adult human cortex. This study mapped the distribution and density of astrocytes immunolabelled with a range of cytoskeletal and membrane markers in the human frontal cortex. Distinct and overlapping astrocyte populations were determined. The frontal cortex from ten normal control cases (75 ± 9 years) was immunostained with glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), aldehyde dehydrogenase-1 L1 (ALDH1L1), connexin-43 (Cx43), aquaporin-4 (AQP4), and glutamate transporter 1 (GLT-1). All markers labelled populations of astrocytes in the grey and white matter, separate cortical layers, subpial and perivascular regions. All markers were informative for labelling different cellular properties and cellular compartments of astrocytes. ALDH1L1 labelled the largest population of astrocytes, and Cx43-immunopositive astrocytes were found in all cortical layers. AQP4 and GLT-1 labelled distal astrocytic process and end-feet in the same population of astrocytes (98% of GLT-1-immunopositive astrocytes contained AQP4). In contrast, GFAP, the most widely used marker, predominantly labelled astrocytes in superficial cortical layers. This study highlights the diversity of astrocytes in the human cortex, providing a reference map of the distribution of distinct and overlapping astrocyte populations which can be used for comparative purposes in various disease, inflammatory and injury states involving astrocytes.

The first DEP domain of the RhoGEF P-Rex1 autoinhibits activity and contributes to membrane binding.

Phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-trisphosphate (PIP3)-dependent Rac exchanger 1 (P-Rex1) catalyzes the exchange of GDP for GTP on Rac GTPases, thereby triggering changes in the actin cytoskeleton and in transcription. Its overexpression is highly correlated with the metastasis of certain cancers. P-Rex1 recruitment to the plasma membrane and its activity are regulated via interactions with heterotrimeric Gßγ subunits, PIP3, and protein kinase A (PKA). Deletion analysis has further shown that domains C-terminal to its catalytic Dbl homology (DH) domain confer autoinhibition. Among these, the first dishevelled, Egl-10, and pleckstrin domain (DEP1) remains to be structurally characterized. DEP1 also harbors the primary PKA phosphorylation site, suggesting that an improved understanding of this region could substantially increase our knowledge of P-Rex1 signaling and open the door to new selective chemotherapeutics. Here we show that the DEP1 domain alone can autoinhibit activity in context of the DH/PH-DEP1 fragment of P-Rex1 and interacts with the DH/PH domains in solution. The 3.1 Å crystal structure of DEP1 features a domain swap, similar to that observed previously in the Dvl2 DEP domain, involving an exposed basic loop that contains the PKA site. Using purified proteins, we show that although DEP1 phosphorylation has no effect on the activity or solution conformation of the DH/PH-DEP1 fragment, it inhibits binding of the DEP1 domain to liposomes containing phosphatidic acid. Thus, we propose that PKA phosphorylation of the DEP1 domain hampers P-Rex1 binding to negatively charged membranes in cells, freeing the DEP1 domain to associate with and inhibit the DH/PH module.