Plasma Cardiac Troponin-I Concentration in Normal Horses and in Horses with Cardiac Abnormalities.

Cardiac troponin-I (cTnI) is a highly sensitive and specific marker of myocardial injury detectable in plasma by immunoassay techniques. Inclusion criteria over a 3-year period required a diagnosis of cardiac disease accompanied by electrocardiographic (ECG) and cardiac ultrasound examinations (n = 23) in adult horses (≥2 years of age). A second group of normal adult ponies (n = 12) was studied as a reference group.

Statistical Testing of Random Number Generators and Their Improvement Using Randomness Extraction.

Random number generators (RNGs) are notoriously challenging to build and test, especially for cryptographic applications. While statistical tests cannot definitively guarantee an RNG's output quality, they are a powerful verification tool and the only universally applicable testing method. In this work, we design, implement, and present various post-processing methods, using randomness extractors, to improve the RNG output quality and compare them through statistical testing.

The effectiveness of unimodality organ preservation surgical vs organ preservation radiotherapy for early hypopharyngeal cancer: a systematic review protocol.

Objective: Our aim is to determine the comparative effectiveness of unimodality organ preservation surgery versus radiotherapy on oncological and functional outcomes in patients with early hypopharyngeal cancer.

Introduction: Early hypopharyngeal cancer is difficult to detect and therefore rarely diagnosed, as patients are often asymptomatic. Radiotherapy is considered the main treatment, although this modality has been compared to the previously used open surgical approach, which may not reflect current surgical options.

Role of mouse adenovirus type 1 E4orf6-induced degradation of protein kinase R in pathogenesis.

Protein kinase R (PKR) is an interferon-induced antiviral protein activated by autophosphorylation in response to double strand DNA (dsRNA) and other stimuli. Activated PKR causes translation inhibition and apoptosis, and it contributes to proinflammatory responses, cell growth, and differentiation. Mouse adenovirus type 1 (MAV-1) counteracts PKR by causing its degradation via a viral protein, early region 4 open reading frame 6 (E4orf6).

Is transoral robotic surgery useful as a salvage technique in head and neck cancers: a systematic review and meta analysis.

Background: Residual, recurrent, and second primary head and neck cancers are on the rise. This is largely driven by a younger age at diagnosis and increasingly targeted chemoradiotherapy options. Salvage surgery remains the only curative intent option in this cohort of patients.

Using AI to prevent the insect apocalypse: toward new environmental risk assessment procedures.

Insect populations are declining globally, with multiple potential drivers identified. However, experimental data are needed to understand their relative contributions. We highlight the sublethal effects of pesticides at field-relevant concentrations, often overlooked in standard environmental risk assessments (ERA), as significant contributors to these declines.

Accuracy of a Rapid-Response EEG's Automated Seizure-Burden Estimator: AccuRASE Study.

Background And Objectives: The use of rapid response EEG (rr-EEG) has recently expanded in limited-resource settings and as a supplement to conventional EEG to rapidly detect and treat nonconvulsive status epilepticus. The study objective was to test the accuracy of an rr-EEG's automated seizure burden estimator (ASBE).

Methods: This is a retrospective observational study using multiple blinded reviewers.

Empowering Primary Care Nurse Practitioners: A Multilevel Approach to Combating the Opioid Crisis.

Aims: We offer a literature-driven, empirically informed, and highly warranted recommendation for a multilevel approach tailored to nurse practitioners. This approach aimed to drive change at the individual level (nurse practitioner), dyadic level (nurse-patient therapeutic relationship), and systems level (organisational culture, education, and policy) to strengthen nurse practitioners' capacity to deliver optimal opioid use disorder care.

Background: The opioid overdose epidemic is a global public health crisis, with the United States facing the most severe impact.

Intracranial multimodal monitoring in neurocritical care (Neurocore-iMMM): an open, decentralized consensus.

Background: Intracranial multimodal monitoring (iMMM) is increasingly used in neurocritical care, but a lack of standardization hinders its evidence-based development. Here, we devised core outcome sets (COS) and reporting guidelines to harmonize iMMM practices and research.

Methods: An open, decentralized, three-round Delphi consensus study involved experts between December 2023 and June 2024.

Adolescent urinary concentrations of phthalate metabolites and indices of overweight and cardiovascular risk in Dutch adolescents.

Phthalates have been linked to cardiovascular risk factors. Exposure to chemicals with endocrine disrupting properties during the pubertal period can interfere with normal endocrine processes. This study aims to determine whether adolescent urinary concentrations of phthalate metabolites are associated with indices of overweight and cardiovascular risk in 13-15-year-old children.

EMBL's European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) in 2024.

The European Molecular Biology Laboratory's European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) is one of the world's leading sources of public biomolecular data. Based at the Wellcome Genome Campus in Hinxton, UK, EMBL-EBI is one of six sites of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Europe's only intergovernmental life sciences organization. This overview summarizes the latest developments in services that EMBL-EBI data resources provide to scientific communities globally (https://www.

Cross-education effects of balance training in individuals with chronic ankle instability.

Background: Individuals with chronic ankle instability (CAI) often experience deficits in balance, hip strength, and lumbopelvic stability. Unilateral balance training can lead to improved balance in the contralateral limb, but it is unknown if similar cross-education effects occur for hip strength and lumbopelvic stability. Our purpose was to determine if unilateral balance training improved balance, hip strength, and lumbopelvic stability of the contralateral limbs in individuals with CAI.

Molecular Identification of Etiological Agents in Fungal and Bacterial Skin Infections: United States, 2020-2024.

: Cutaneous infections of fungal and bacterial origins are common. An accurate diagnosis-especially concerning pathogens that are difficult to isolate on culture-can be achieved using molecular methods (PCR) with a short turnaround time. : We reviewed records of skin specimens (superficial scrapings) submitted by dermatologists across the United States with a clinically suspected dermatitis.

A Novel Machine Learning-based Predictive Model of Clinically Significant Prostate Cancer and Online Risk Calculator.

Objective: To create a machine-learning predictive model combining prostate imaging-reporting and data system (PI-RADS) score, PSA density, and clinical variables to predict clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa).

Methods: We evaluated a cohort of patients who underwent prostate biopsy for suspected prostate cancer (PCa) in New Zealand, Australia, and Switzerland. We collected data on age, body mass index (BMI), PSA level, prostate volume, PSA density (PSAD), PI-RADS scores, previous biopsy, and corresponding histology results.

The NHGRI-EBI GWAS Catalog: standards for reusability, sustainability and diversity.

The NHGRI-EBI GWAS Catalog serves as a vital resource for the genetic research community, providing access to the most comprehensive database of human GWAS results. Currently, it contains close to 7 000 publications for >15 000 traits, from which more than 625 000 lead associations have been curated. Additionally, 85 000 full genome-wide summary statistics datasets-containing association data for all variants in the analysis-are available for downstream analyses such as meta-analysis, fine-mapping, Mendelian randomisation or development of polygenic risk scores.

A Novel Methodology for Intracranial Pressure Subpeak Identification Enabling Morphological Feature Analysis.

Objective: The objective of this study is to propose a novel methodology for intracranial pressure (ICP) waveform subpeak identification by incorporating arterial blood pressure (ABP) and electrocardiogram (ECG) signals from patients who have undergone traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Methods: This approach consisted of 1) multimodal signal pre-processing and initial manual ICP waveform morphology labeling, 2) semi-supervised training of a support vector machine (SVM) ICP waveform morphological classifier, and 3) a dynamic time warping barycenter averaging (DBA) based ICP waveform template generation and derivative dynamic time warping (DDTW)-driven ICP waveform subpeak mapping from template to incoming processed waveforms.

Results: This proposed framework was evaluated on 30,000 ICP waveforms and resulted in an overall subpeak identification accuracy score of 98.

ReNeu: A Pivotal, Phase IIb Trial of Mirdametinib in Adults and Children With Symptomatic Neurofibromatosis Type 1-Associated Plexiform Neurofibroma.

Purpose: Pharmacologic therapies for neurofibromatosis type 1-associated plexiform neurofibromas (NF1-PNs) are limited; currently, none are US Food and Drug Administration-approved for adults.

Methods: ReNeu is an open-label, multicenter, pivotal, phase IIb trial of mirdametinib in 58 adults (≥18 years of age) and 56 children (2 to 17 years of age) with NF1-PN causing significant morbidities. Patients received mirdametinib capsules or tablets for oral suspension (2 mg/m twice daily, maximum 4 mg twice daily), regardless of food intake, in 3 weeks on/1 week off 28-day cycles.

Cross-Sectional Survey of Student and Faculty Experiences with Feedback and Assessment of Clinical Competency on Final Year Rotations at American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) Member Institutions.

The clinical experiences, feedback, and assessment that veterinary students receive during final year rotations have a significant impact on whether they will achieve entry-level competency at the time of graduation. In this study, a cross-sectional survey was administered to American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) member institutions to collect baseline data about current feedback and assessment practices to identify key target areas for future research and educational interventions. Responses were received from 89 faculty and 155 students distributed across 25 universities.