Extracellular acyl-CoA-binding protein as an independent biomarker of COVID-19 disease severity.

Background: Factors leading to severe COVID-19 remain partially known. New biomarkers predicting COVID-19 severity that are also causally involved in disease pathogenesis could improve patient management and contribute to the development of innovative therapies. Autophagy, a cytosolic structure degradation pathway is involved in the maintenance of cellular homeostasis, degradation of intracellular pathogens and generation of energy for immune responses.

Assessment of the effects of cadmium, samarium and gadolinium on the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis): A biochemical, transcriptomic and metabolomic approach.

Improving the understanding of how chemicals affect on organisms and assessing the associated environmental risks is of major interest in environmental studies. This can be achieved by using complementary approaches based on the study of the molecular responses of organisms. Because of the known chemical pressures on the environment, regulations on the content of some chemicals, such as cadmium, have been mostly completed.

Predicting Discharge Destination from Inpatient Rehabilitation Using Machine Learning.

Predicting discharge destination for patients at inpatient rehabilitation facilities is important as it facilitates transitions of care and can improve healthcare resource utilization. This study aims to build on previous studies investigating discharges from inpatient rehabilitation by employing machine learning models to predict discharge disposition to home versus non-home and explore related factors. Fifteen machine learning models were tested.

Colorectal cancer screening based on predicted risk: a randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening relies primarily on colonoscopy and fecal immunochemical testing (FIT). Aligning utilization of these options with individual CRC risk may optimize benefit with lower risks, individual burden, and societal costs. We studied the effect of communicating personalized CRC risk and corresponding screening recommendations on risk-appropriate screening uptake in an organized screening setting.

Citizen Worry and Adherence in Response to Government Restrictions in Switzerland During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Repeated Cross-Sectional Online Surveys.

Background: Good communication between health authorities and citizens is crucial for adherence to preventive measures during a pandemic. Crisis communication often appeals to worries about negative consequences for oneself or others. While worry can motivate protective behavior, it can also be overwhelming and lead to irrational choices or become a mental health problem.

β3-Adrenergic receptor antagonism improves cardiac and vascular functions but did not modulate survival in a murine resuscitated septic shock model.

Background: Recent findings suggest that β3-adrenergic receptors (β3-AR) could play a role in the hemodynamic regulation, but their function in septic shock remains unclear. This study investigates the modulation of β3-AR in an experimental murine model of resuscitated septic shock on in vivo hemodynamic, ex vivo vasoreactivity, inflammation and survival.

Method: Wild-type mice were used, undergoing cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) to induce septic shock, with SHAM as controls.

Widespread gene-environment interactions shape the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Genome-wide association studies performed in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have uncovered various loci significantly associated with susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 disease severity. However, the underlying -regulatory genetic factors that contribute to heterogeneity in the response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and their impact on clinical phenotypes remain enigmatic. Here, we used single-cell RNA-sequencing to quantify genetic contributions to -regulatory variation in 361,119 peripheral blood mononuclear cells across 63 COVID-19 patients during acute infection, 39 samples collected in the convalescent phase, and 106 healthy controls.

Acceptability and exploratory effects of an occupational therapy intervention to improve recovery and return to work of workers with mental health disorders in primary care: a mixed methods study protocol.

Background: People with common mental disorders (CMD) are prone to experience work disabilities, which can lead to sick leave. To support their recovery and return to work, evidence recommends providing a combination of primary care services including psychological and work rehabilitation interventions. Furthermore, interventions to coordinate return to work are required to ensure timely access to services and concerted action among stakeholders.

Patient reactions to proactive tobacco cessation counseling using a decision aid in primary care: A qualitative study.

Medications for smoking cessation can double quit rates but are underused in primary care. This qualitative study aimed to explore: (1) patients' perspectives regarding having their general practitioner (GP) use a proactive approach to smoking cessation treatment using an encounter decision aid (DA), and (2) their expectations regarding their GP's role. We conducted qualitative semi-structured interviews with participants of the FIRST randomized trial (adults who smoke daily with any level of motivation for tobacco quitting).

Harnessing the spatial and transcriptional regulation of monoterpenoid indole alkaloid metabolism in Alstonia scholaris leads to the identification of broad geissoschizine cyclase activities.

Monoterpene indole alkaloids (MIAs) are valuable metabolites produced in numerous medicinal plants from the Apocynaceae family such as Alstonia scholaris, which synthesizes strictamine, a MIA displaying neuropharmacological properties of a potential importance. To get insights into the MIA metabolism in A. scholaris, we studied here both the spatial and transcriptional regulations of MIA genes by performing a robust transcriptomics analysis of the main plant organs, leaf epidermis but also by sequencing RNA from leaves transiently overexpressing the master transcriptional regulator MYC2.

Novel Immunological Markers of Intestinal Impairment Indicative of HIV-1 Status and/or Subclinical Atherosclerosis.

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) controls HIV-1 replication in people with HIV-1 (PWH), but immunological restauration at mucosal barrier surfaces is not achieved. This fuels microbial translocation, chronic immune activation, and increased comorbidities, including cardiovascular disease (CVD). Here, we sought to identify novel markers of mucosal barrier impairment in the blood to predict the HIV and/or CVD status.

Safety and immunogenicity of CD40.HIVRI.Env, a dendritic cell-based HIV vaccine, in healthy HIV-uninfected adults: a first-in-human randomized, placebo-controlled, dose-escalation study (ANRS VRI06).

Background: Current HIV prophylactic vaccines evaluate HIV Env as purified proteins. CD40.HIVRI.

Evaluating toxic impact on marine microbial community using combined genetic and phenotypic approaches.

Preserving the oceans is a major challenge for the twenty-first century. In 2000, the Water Framework Directive harmonized European regulations on water management to protect and restore the good ecological status of aquatic ecosystems, including the marine environment. This study aims to address the need to understand how pollutants affect marine ecosystems, particularly microbial communities, which are vital for ecosystem balance and biogeochemical cycling.

The Use of Peer Teaching in the Online Clinical PBL: The Medical Students' Perspectives.

Purpose: To evaluate medical students' perceptions about using peer teaching (PT) in the online Clinical PBL (C-PBL).

Materials And Methods: The C-PBL used in the Primary care Unit (PCU) of the medical course of the Ribeirao Preto University was adapted to the virtual environment. A PT session was included to enhance students' intrinsic motivation.

Bouncing Beyond Adversity in Oncology: An Exploratory Study of the Association Between Professional Team Resilience at Work and Work-Related Sense of Coherence.

Team resilience at work (TR@W) is an important resource for bouncing beyond adverse situations. Adopting a health-promoting salutogenic approach, this cross-sectional study explores whether oncology team resilience, which is significantly associated with work-related sense of coherence (Work-SoC), and examines the roles of team member characteristics, quality of work life, and perceived impact of COVID-19. Team members ( = 189) from four oncology settings in Québec (Canada) completed self-administered e-questionnaires.

State-of-the-Art Review: Ocular Infections.

Collaborations between ophthalmologists and infectious disease specialists are critical for optimizing care of many patients with eye infections. We review challenges in common and uncommon eye infections to promote better understanding of these infections and prioritize areas for further research.

Landscape heterogeneity buffers the impact of an extreme weather event on wildlife.

Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent, with poorly known consequences for wildlife. In December 2021, an atmospheric river brought record-shattering amounts of rain and snow to interior Alaska, creating conditions expected to cause mass mortality in grazing ungulate populations that need to access ground forage. We characterized snowpack conditions following the storm and used a 36-year monitoring dataset to quantify impacts on caribou (Rangifer tarandus) and their primary predator, wolves (Canis lupus).

[Prostate cancer screening : to be recommended in 2024?].

The Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test is still the only screening tool for prostate cancer. It is recommended between the ages of 50 and 69 as part of a shared decision making process between a patient and his or her doctor using a decision aid, as the test carries a significant risk of overdiagnosis. If a patient wishes to be screened, either because he is at higher risk, or because he places greater importance on a modest reduction in cancer-related mortality, the frequency of screening depends on his age, family history, and whether he is part of a high-risk group.