Belonging: a meta-theme analysis of women's community-making in group antenatal and postnatal care.

Health care systems are social institutions simulating microcosms of wider societies where unequal distribution of power and resources translate into inequities in health outcomes, experiences and access to services. Growing research on participatory women's groups positively highlights the influence of group-based care on health and wellbeing for women, their infants, families and wider communities across different countries. With similarities in ethos and philosophies, group care combines relational, group-based facilitation and clinical care, uniquely offering an opportunity to examine the intersections of health and social care.

Functional Interactions Between Recombinant Serum Amyloid A1 (SAA1) and Chemokines in Leukocyte Recruitment.

The acute phase response is a hallmark of all inflammatory reactions and acute phase reactants, such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid A (SAA) proteins, are among the most useful plasma and serum markers of inflammation in clinical medicine. Although it is well established that inflammatory cytokines, mainly interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) induce SAA in the liver, the biological functions of elicited SAA remain an enigma. By the classical multi-step protein purification studies of chemotactic factors present in plasma or serum, we discovered novel chemokines and SAA1 fragments, which are induced during inflammatory reactions.

Long-Term Experiences of Health Care Providers Using Iris Scanning as an Identification Tool in a Vaccine Trial in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Qualitative Study.

Background: Iris scanning has increasingly been used for biometric identification over the past decade, with continuous advancements and expanding applications. To better understand the acceptability of this technology, we report the long-term experiences of health care providers and frontline worker participants with iris scanning as an identification tool in the EBL2007 Ebola vaccine trial conducted in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Objective: This study aims to document the long-term experiences of using iris scanning for identity verification throughout the vaccine trial.

Neural correlates of memory deficits in premanifest -repeat expansions.

Background: The premanifest stage in carriers of hexanucleotide repeat expansions in the gene (C9RE) is associated with memory impairment. The present study examines whether the impairment is general across domains or disproportionately affects specific stimulus categories such as socioemotional events, and its underlying functional neuroanatomy.

Methods: This task-based fMRI-study included 21 premanifest C9RE (preC9RE) carriers and 24 controls.

Respiratory measurements, respiratory symptoms, and quality of life in ALS: results from the REVEALS study.

: Progressing respiratory weakness throughout the course of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is clinically associated with distressing symptoms, including dyspnea, orthopnea, and difficulty clearing secretions. Fatigue, poor sleep, and reduced quality of life are also considered to be associated with declining respiratory function. Respiratory measurements guide prescription of interventions, which aim to alleviate symptoms.

How to improve pertussis vaccination in pregnancy: a European expert review.

Introduction: Pertussis vaccination in pregnancy is a safe and highly effective strategy to protect young infants against severe pertussis, but cases continue to occur. In November 2023, the authors of this paper met to discuss difficulties faced by pertussis vaccination programs in pregnant women in Europe, and the need and potential for new vaccines.

Areas Covered: We summarize current pertussis epidemiology, the status of pertussis vaccination in pregnancy in Europe, followed by a summary of the meeting on benefits of pertussis-only vaccines and pertussis vaccines with improved immunogenicity, including a review of available vaccines.

Trametinib as a targeted treatment in cardiac and lymphatic presentations of Noonan syndrome.

Introduction: Rare pathogenic variants in the and genes are the main molecular causes of Noonan syndrome (NS). Most are dominant gain-of-function variants that cause an overactivation of the RAS/MAPK signaling pathway leading to uncontrolled cell proliferation in many organs and systems. Albeit phenotypically heterogeneous, NS can be associated with severe cardiovascular and lymphatic anomalies, potentially lethal during infancy, neonatal and fetal periods.

Clinical and Analytical Evaluation of the Abbott Alinity m HR HPV Assay in a New Generation First-Void Urine Collector.

Urine-based self-sampling approaches can simplify cervical screening programs whilst increasing response. This study reports on the performance of Abbott Alinity m HR HPV on urine, self-collected at home using a new generation first-void urination device that is suitable for postal delivery (Novosanis Colli-Pee Small Volumes). First-void urine and paired cervical samples from 297 females attending colposcopy (age 25-65, NCT04530201) were analysed for the presence of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) DNA.

Proximal partners of the organellar N-terminal acetyltransferase NAA60: insights into Golgi structure and transmembrane protein topology.

Biotin identification (BioID) is an interactomics approach that utilizes proximity labelling to map the local interactome or proxeome of proteins within a cell. This study applies BioID to investigate proteins proximal to NAA60 (N-alpha-acetyltransferase 60), an N-terminal acetyltransferase (NAT) of pathological significance in human disease, characterized by its unique Golgi localization. NAA60 is known to N-terminally acetylate transmembrane proteins that present their N-terminus on the cytosolic face of the membrane, and its involvement in maintaining Golgi structure has previously been established.

The future of plant lectinology: Advanced technologies and computational tools.

Lectins play crucial roles in many biological processes and serve as tools in fields ranging from agriculture to biomedicine. While classical methods for lectin discovery and characterization were foundational for the field, they often lack sensitivity and throughput, limiting the detection of less abundant or weakly binding lectins, such as the stress-inducible or monovalent lectins. This review focuses on recent advancements in plant lectin research, particularly novel technologies that complement traditional approaches.

An observational study of pleiotropy and penetrance of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis associated with CAG-repeat expansion of ATXN2.

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 (SCA2) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are both associated with a CAG-repeat expansion in ATXN2 and with TDP-43-positive neuronal cytoplasmic inclusions. The two disorders have been viewed as distinct entities, where an intermediate length expansion of 31-33 CAG-repeats is associated with sporadic ALS and a full length expansion of ≥34 CAG-repeats is associated with SCA2. We report the clinical phenotype of ATXN2-positive patients and their relatives, identified in three specialist ALS clinics, which force a reconsideration of this dichotomy.

Association of exposure to the temporary abstinence campaign 'Tournée Minérale' with alcohol consumption among male and female participants: The mediating role of psychosocial determinants.

Background And Objective: Temporary Abstinence Campaigns [TAC] are an effective strategy to reduce alcohol consumption. However, it remains unclear whether the degree of exposure to TAC components is associated with changes in alcohol consumption among TAC participants and whether these are mediated through psychosocial determinants of alcohol consumption. Sex disparities in these associations should also be considered.

Vaccine Confidence During Pregnancy and the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Wide Variety of Views Across the European Union.

Background: There is a wide variety of vaccination programs during pregnancy implemented in different European Union (EU) countries. The recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic emphasized the need for efficient interventions to increase vaccine confidence during pregnancy since pregnant women were less likely to accept COVID-19 vaccination compared with nonpregnant women. This survey investigated the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on vaccine confidence during pregnancy in 11 European countries.

Integrating postnatal care into the redesign of group care beyond birth.

Background: Globally, alarmingly high rates of maternal and infant mortality and morbidity persist. A constellation of health system and social factors contribute to this, including poor quality and barriers to accessing health care, including preventive services. As such, there have been calls for a redesign of maternal and child health (MCH) services.

Oligogenic structure of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis has genetic testing, counselling and therapeutic implications.

Background: Despite several studies suggesting a potential oligogenic risk model in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), case-control statistical evidence implicating oligogenicity with disease risk or clinical outcomes is limited. Considering its direct clinical and therapeutic implications, we aim to perform a large-scale robust investigation of oligogenicity in ALS risk and in the disease clinical course.

Methods: We leveraged Project MinE genome sequencing datasets (6711 cases and 2391 controls) to identify associations between oligogenicity in known ALS genes and disease risk, as well as clinical outcomes.

Scientific approaches to defining HPV vaccine-induced protective immunity.

Seventeen years after the licensure of prophylactic human papillomavirus (HPV) L1 virus-like-particle vaccines, a defined antibody level that correlates with vaccine-induced protection against HPV infections and associated neoplasia is missing. In contrast, correlates of protection have been defined for many viral vaccines, including for the hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine. This review includes lessons learned from vaccination against HBV and the use of an established protective HBV surface antigen antibody level: 10 mIU/mL, an overview of HPV infection-induced and HPV vaccine-induced antibody responses, successful efforts to establish international standardization of serological reagents and associated tools, and 15-year vigilance of HPV vaccine-induced antibody levels in a vaccination cohort against breakthrough infections.

Changes in alcohol consumption among Belgian adults participating in the internet-based one-month-abstinence campaign 'Tournée Minérale'.

Background And Objective: Temporary abstinence campaigns (TAC) are a promising approach to reduce alcohol consumption. This study examined changes in (at-risk) alcohol consumption and determinants of alcohol consumption among Belgian adults participating in the Tournée Minérale Campaign (TMC, Belgian TAC). In addition, moderating effects of age, sex, education level, successfully refraining from alcohol during TMC, risk drinking, drinking levels and binge drinking were investigated.

The influence of habitat complexity on otolith morphology and sensory capacities in Nile tilapia: a controlled experimental approach.

The inner ear of teleost fishes is known to serve both auditory and vestibular functions. Many studies have compared otoliths from different species and attempted to understand the observed differences in the light of environmental factors. However, experimental data on how otoliths could adapt are scarce.

Sporadic ALS hiPSC-derived motor neurons show axonal defects linked to altered axon guidance pathways.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the selective and progressive loss of motor neurons, leading to gradual paralysis and death within 2 to 5 years after diagnosis. The exact underlying pathogenic mechanism(s) remain elusive. This is particularly the case for sporadic ALS (sALS), representing 90 % of cases, as modelling a sporadic disease is extremely difficult.

Definition of a European pre-vasectomy scoring system to identify patients at risk of vasectomy regret.

Introduction: Vasectomy is a widely used, safe, effective method of permanent contraception and contributes to healthy sexuality.

Aims: We have conducted a 3-step observational clinical study to develop a vasectomy regret risk score and guide patients and clinicians when discussing a vasectomy.

Methods: A 3-step approach has been followed.

WT1-mRNA dendritic cell vaccination of patients with glioblastoma multiforme, malignant pleural mesothelioma, metastatic breast cancer, and other solid tumors: type 1 T-lymphocyte responses are associated with clinical outcome.

Cell therapies, including tumor antigen-loaded dendritic cells used as therapeutic cancer vaccines, offer treatment options for patients with malignancies. We evaluated the feasibility, safety, immunogenicity, and clinical activity of adjuvant vaccination with Wilms' tumor protein (WT1) mRNA-electroporated autologous dendritic cells (WT1-mRNA/DC) in a single-arm phase I/II clinical study of patients with advanced solid tumors receiving standard therapy. Disease status and immune reactivity were evaluated after 8 weeks and 6 months.

Immunogenicity of the 9-valent human papillomavirus vaccine: Post hoc analysis from five phase 3 studies.

Post hoc analyses of 9-valent human papillomavirus (9vHPV) vaccine immunogenicity were conducted in five Phase 3 studies that enrolled males. Month 7 antibody geometric mean titers (GMTs) after three 9vHPV vaccine doses were analyzed in 10,024 males/females aged 16-26 years from studies 001 (NCT00543543), 002 (NCT00943722), 003 (NCT01651949), and 020 (NCT02114385). Covariates considered were age, gender, sexual orientation, region of residence, and race.

Understanding recurrent groin pain following periacetabular osteotomy: assessment of psoas tendon mechanics using discrete element analysis.

Recurrent groin pain following periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) is a challenging problem. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the position and dynamics of the psoas tendon as a potential cause for recurrent groin pain following PAO. A total of 386 PAO procedures, performed between January 2013 and January 2020, were identified from a single surgeon series.

Navigating vaccine confidence: A mixed methods study investigating healthcare providers' perspectives across four non-EU European regions.

Background: Vaccine confidence remains a global public health challenge, especially highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Public trust in vaccines is crucial, with healthcare providers (HCPs) playing a pivotal role in navigating this sensitive topic. This requires an understanding of HCPs' perceptions of vaccines.