Towards routine high-throughput analysis of fecal bile acids: validation of an enzymatic cycling method for the quantification of total bile acids in human stool samples on fully automated clinical chemistry analyzers.

Objectives: Bile acid diarrhea is a common but underdiagnosed condition. Because the gold standard test (SeHCAT) is time-consuming and not widely available, fecal bile acid excretion is typically assessed by chromatography and mass spectrometry. Although enzymatic cycling assays are well established for the rapid and cost-effective analysis of total bile acids (TBA) in serum or plasma, their full potential has yet not been extended to stool samples in clinical routine.

Temporal changes and implications of diffusion tensor imaging metrics and cerebral white matter volume in patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy - a prospective study.

Aims: To test utility of diffusion MRI-derived indices in carotid endarterectomy (CEA), change of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) metrics, cerebral white matter (WM) volumes were evaluated and predictors of overall mortality determined.

Methods: Prospectively enrolled participants had preoperative, immediate and late postoperative DTI after CEA. WM volumes, DTI metrics (fractional anisotropy, FA; axial, radial, mean diffusivities; AD, RD, MD, respectively) were calculated for the index/contralateral hemispheres at all time points.

A test of the Grant-Stebbins pollinator-shift model of floral evolution.

Pollinators are thought to play a key role in driving incipient speciation within the angiosperms. However, the mechanisms underlying floral divergence in plants with generalist pollination systems, remains understudied. Brunsvigia gregaria displays significant geographical variation in floral traits and are visited by diverse pollinator communities.

Systematic review of parenteral ketamine for managing acute agitation in emergency settings.

Introduction: Agitation, a significant psychiatric issue often linked to conditions like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression, invariably pose challenges in emergency settings. Acute agitation occurs in 2.6 % of emergency cases and up to 12.