SOX2 sustentacular cells are stem cells of the postnatal adrenal medulla.

Renewal of the catecholamine-secreting chromaffin cell population of the adrenal medulla is necessary for physiological homeostasis throughout life. Definitive evidence for the presence or absence of an adrenomedullary stem cell has been enigmatic. In this work, we demonstrate that a subset of sustentacular cells endowed with a support role, are in fact adrenomedullary stem cells.

Enteral Feeding in Patients With Open Abdomen and Negative Pressure Therapy: A Propensity Score Analysis.

Introduction: In critically ill surgical patients treated with open abdomen and negative pressure therapy (OA/NPT), the association between nutritional support and clinical outcome is still controversial. The main objective of this study was to assess the effect of enteral nutritional support during the acute phase (i.e.

Impact of post-traumatic stress disorder on epileptogenic networks: a functional connectivity study.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is more common in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. Some of these patients experience PTSD due to early psychotraumatic events. This study aims to assess the influence of PTSD on interictal functional connectivity using stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) recordings in patients with temporal lobe DRE (TDRE).

Economic efficiency of nature-based solutions: Theoretical framework and application to semi-natural habitat implementation.

The application of nature-based solutions to agriculture is promising because it allows the sustainable management of ecosystems and the reconciling of human well-being with the benefits of biodiversity. However, scientists lack robust economic arguments and concepts in the area of nature-based solutions that are well aligned with the expectations of the agricultural sector. This study addresses this gap by developing an interdisciplinary economic framework that integrates nature-based solutions and allows for an assessment of their efficient use.

Analysis of alkyl-anthraquinone derivatives from hydrogen peroxide industrial process, using LC × LC-HRMS with shifting gradients.

The characterization of industrial working solutions containing numerous structurally related compounds and isomers requires the use of two-dimensional liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC × LC-HRMS). The separation of alkyl-anthraquinone derivatives produced during hydrogen peroxide production was achieved by coupling a biphenyl and a C18 in the first and second dimensions, combined with the use of continuous shifting gradients in the second dimension (D). The use of shifting gradients offers a significant advantage over regular gradients, with a 20% increase in occupancy and better separation of isomers eluted within the same modulation.

Effect of a patient education program focused on weight stigma on quality of life and self-efficacy in patients living with obesity: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: After a literature review and interviews with patients living with obesity, key psychosocial determinants such as coping strategies, weight bias internalization, body dissatisfaction and self-efficacy were identified as critical to address obesity-related stigma. The intervention was tailored using evidence-based techniques and input from health professionals to ensure relevance and avoid redundancy. This randomized controlled trial (RCT) aims to evaluate the effect of an intervention specifically designed to address weight stigma among individuals living with obesity.

On the Reactivity of (S)-Indoline-2-Carboxylic Acid.

(S)-Indoline-2-carboxylic acid (H-(2S)-Ind-OH) possesses the ability to influence the conformation of peptide bonds towards the cis amide isomer in polar solvents. However, its potential utilization as a conformational switch within long peptide sequences poses challenges due to its low reactivity and strong inclination to form diketopiperazines. The present study explores its reactivity under various conditions and proposes synthetic strategies to overcome these limitations.

Real-world multicentre study of cefiderocol treatment of immunocompromised patients with infections caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria: CEFI-ID.

Introduction: The increase in the population of immunocompromised patients due to advances in management of end-stage diseases and transplants poses challenges in treating infections caused by multi-drug resistant (MDR) pathogens. Cefiderocol (FDC), a siderophore cephalosporin, has shown efficacy against carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria.

Methods: This retrospective multicentre study investigated the real-world use of FDC in 114 immunocompromised adults treated for MDR infections in 12 French hospitals (June 2020-November 2023).

Effectiveness of adductor canal block combined with posterior capsular infiltration on pain and return to walking after total knee arthroplasty: comparative analysis with femoral and popliteal sciatic nerves blocks.

Introduction: Perioperative analgesia after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) reduces morphine consumption and speeds up rehabilitation. The primary objective of this study was to compare the pain experienced by patients with an adductor canal and posterior capsule block with those with a continuous femoral nerve block combined with a popliteal sciatic nerve block. The secondary objectives were to analyze the time to recovery from early walking, length of hospital stay, and block-related complications between the two groups.

Cognitive impairments after maximal repeated breath-holding in elite breath-hold divers.

Background: Breath-hold (BH) training over several years may result in mild but persistent neurocognitive impairment. Paradoxically, the acute effects of repeated BH generating intermittent hypoxia on neurocognitive functions are still poorly understood. Therefore, we decided to examine the impact of five-repeated maximal BH on attention, processing speed, and reasoning abilities.

MoCHI: neural networks to fit interpretable models and quantify energies, energetic couplings, epistasis, and allostery from deep mutational scanning data.

We present MoCHI, a tool to fit interpretable models using deep mutational scanning data. MoCHI infers free energy changes, as well as interaction terms (energetic couplings) for specified biophysical models, including from multimodal phenotypic data. When a user-specified model is unavailable, global nonlinearities (epistasis) can be estimated from the data.

Is pre-operative block-test with lidocaine injection efficient in predicting the functional result of revision total hip arthroplasty?

Background: While performing a hip joint aspiration for culture, a lidocaine diagnostic injection called block test can be performed during the investigation of painful total hip arthroplasties (THA). This test was formerly applied to limited series in pre-operative and without assessing the predictive value on the results of THA revision. Therefore we investigated a consecutive series of THA revisions who underwent pre-operative aspiration-block test to determine if patients with pre-operative positive block test (disappearance of symptoms) have a better clinical improvement after revision.

Roles of Lysyl oxidases (LOX(L)) in pathologic calcification.

Calcification of tissues involves the formation and deposition of calcium-containing crystals in the extracellular matrix (ECM). While this process is normal in bones, it becomes pathological when it occurs in cardiovascular and musculoskeletal soft tissues. Pathological calcification (PC) triggers detrimental pathways such as inflammation and oxidative stress, contributing to tissue damage and dysregulated tissue biomechanics, ultimately leading to severe complications and even death.

Search for Soft Unclustered Energy Patterns in Proton-Proton Collisions at 13 TeV.

The first search for soft unclustered energy patterns (SUEPs) is performed using an integrated luminosity of 138  fb^{-1} of proton-proton collision data at sqrt[s]=13  TeV, collected in 2016-2018 by the CMS detector at the LHC. Such SUEPs are predicted by hidden valley models with a new, confining force with a large 't Hooft coupling. In events with boosted topologies, selected by high-threshold hadronic triggers, the multiplicity and sphericity of clustered tracks are used to reject the background from standard model quantum chromodynamics.

Synthesis of β-lactam-zidovudine pronucleosides as potential selective narrow-spectrum antibacterial agents.

Since the discovery of penicillin, the forerunner of the most widely used class of antibiotics ( β-lactams), natural compounds and their derivatives represented a major source of antibacterial therapeutic products whose availability enabled modern medical practices (invasive surgery, organ transplant, .). However, the relentless emergence of resistant bacteria is challenging the long-term efficacy of antibiotics, also decreasing their economic attractiveness for big pharma, leading to a significant decay in antibacterial development in the 21 century and an increased use of last-resort drugs such as carbapenems or colistin.

[From gene to cell: Functional validation of RYR1 variants].

Genetic screening of rare diseases allows identification of the responsible gene(s) in about 50% of patients. The remaining cases are in a diagnostic deadlock as current knowledge fails to identify the correct gene or determine if the detected variant on the gene is pathogenic. These are named "variants of unknown significance" (VUS).

Exposure to air pollutants and breast cancer risk: mediating effects of metabolic health biomarkers in a nested case-control study within the E3N-Generations cohort.

Background: Growing epidemiological evidence suggests an association between exposure to air pollutants and breast cancer. Yet, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study explored the mediating role of thirteen metabolic health biomarkers in the relationship between exposure to three air pollutants, i.

Formation of Sodium Chloride on the Surface of Sulfate-Rich Gobi Desert Salt in Response to Water Adsorption.

Dust storms in arid regions transport desert salts and dust, affecting geochemical processes, atmospheric chemistry, climate, and human health. This study examines how the gas-salt interface composition of desert salt changes with varying relative humidity (RH), using ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (APXPS), near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Ion chromatography analysis of desert salt indicates it is predominantly composed of sulfate, sodium, and magnesium ions, with traces of calcium, chloride, nitrate, and potassium ions.

Dopamine builds and reveals reward-associated latent behavioral attractors.

Phasic variations in dopamine levels are interpreted as a teaching signal reinforcing rewarded behaviors. However, behavior also depends on the motivational, neuromodulatory effect of phasic dopamine. In this study, we reveal a neurodynamical principle that unifies these roles in a recurrent network-based decision architecture embodied through an action-perception loop with the task space, the MAGNet model.

Comparative performance analysis of Synovasure™ and Leukocyte Esterase assays for the diagnosis of periprosthetic infections in complex microbiological situations.

Introduction: Osteoarticular infections (OAI) after prosthetic surgery have serious functional and economic consequences. Rapid tests for alpha-defensin (TAD) and leukocyte esterase (TLE) are two intra-articular markers involved in the diagnosis of OAIs. TLE cannot be applied in the presence of blood unless centrifugation is used, but the rate of "non-application" of the test for this reason is unknown in complex microbiological situations (discordant or negative puncture, ongoing antibiotic treatment).

Enhanced CRISPR-Cas9 RNA system delivery using cell penetrating peptides-based nanoparticles for efficient in vitro and in vivo applications.

CRISPR-Cas9 system has emerged as a revolutionary gene-editing tool with huge therapeutic potential for addressing the underlying genetic causes of various diseases, including cancer. However, there are challenges such as the delivery method that must be overcome for its clinical application. In addition to the risk of nuclease degradation and rapid clearance of the CRISPR-Cas9 system by macrophages, the large size of Cas9, the high anionic charge density and hydrophilic nature of the RNA hinder their intracellular delivery and overall gene transfection efficiency.