Psychological factors associated with Long COVID: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Despite the immense impact of Long COVID on public health and those affected, its aetiology remains poorly understood. Findings suggest that psychological factors such as depression contribute to symptom persistence alongside pathophysiological mechanisms, but knowledge of their relative importance is limited. This study aimed to synthesise the current evidence on psychological factors potentially associated with Long COVID and condition-relevant outcomes like quality of life.

Targeted delivery of rhodopsin's assembled core is required for outer segment extension in mouse rod photoreceptors.

Vertebrate vision in dim-light environments is initiated by rod photoreceptor cells that express the photopigment rhodopsin, a G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR). To ensure efficient light capture, rhodopsin is densely packed into hundreds of membrane discs that are tightly stacked within the rod-shaped outer segment compartment. Along with its role in eliciting the visual response, rhodopsin serves as both a building block necessary for proper outer segment formation as well as a trafficking guide for a few outer segment resident membrane proteins.

Tissue sodium in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a novel potential driver of hypertension in autoimmunity.

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have increased hypertension. Tissue sodium may contribute to development and progression of hypertension through immune cell activation. This study aimed to determine if skin sodium content is: 1) higher in RA versus control participants, and 2) associated with blood pressure and disease activity.

Effectiveness of the primary Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine against the risk of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and tuberculosis disease: a meta-analysis of individual participant data.

Background: Tuberculosis vaccine trials using disease as the primary endpoint are large, time consuming, and expensive. An earlier immunological measure of the protection against disease would accelerate tuberculosis vaccine development. We aimed to assess whether the effectiveness of the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine for prevention of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection was consistent with that for prevention of tuberculosis disease.