Effects of CPAP on Central and Peripheral Blood Pressure in Patients with Uncontrolled Hypertension and OSA: The MORPHEOS Trial.

Rationale: Previous studies evaluating the effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on blood pressure (BP) showed variable results. Moreover, several studies recruited patients with normal or controlled BP, and compliance to antihypertensive drugs was not monitored. In addition, very few studies investigated central BP in this scenario.

Deep learning uncovers histological patterns of YAP1/TEAD activity related to disease aggressiveness in cancer patients.

Over the last decade, Hippo signaling has emerged as a major tumor-suppressing pathway. Its dysregulation is associated with abnormal expression of and -family genes. Recent works have highlighted the role of YAP1/TEAD activity in several cancers and its potential therapeutic implications.

Concomitant myocardial infarction and systemic embolism associated with thrombosis of the right coronary ostium: a case report.

Background: Sequential occurrences of acute ischaemic stroke in patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) and vice versa have been reported, but not the simultaneous occurrence of both conditions. We report a case of simultaneous occurrence of MI and systemic embolism caused by a mechanism not reported to date.

Case Summary: A 52-year-old female patient presented with concurrent chest pain, right arm weakness, and dysphasia.

Effect of powder air polishing and ultrasonic scaling on the marginal and internal interface (tooth-veneer) of ceramic veneers: an in vitro study.

Objectives: This study investigated the influence of prophylactic treatments and thermocycling on the marginal and internal veneering interface (tooth-veneer) as well as on the surface texture of ceramic veneers.

Materials And Methods: A total of 32 extracted human premolars were restored with veneers made of lithium disilicate (LDS) or zirconia-reinforced lithium silicate (ZLS). An artificial aging of the specimens was conducted via five cycles of both thermocycling (5/55°C) and prophylactic treatment (powder air polishing or ultrasonic scaling).

CD19-targeting CAR T-cell therapy in patients with diffuse systemic sclerosis: a case series.

Background: CD19-targeting chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has shown remarkable outcomes in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. The effects of CD19-targeting CAR T cells on organ manifestations in patients with systemic sclerosis have yet to be characterised. B cells have a central role in the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis.

Management of neonates exposed prenatally to opioids: Impact of a developmental care program implementation.

Background: Traditional approaches to management of neonates prenatally exposed to opioids are based on the use of pharmacotherapy (PT), adjusted to evolution of infant symptoms. Newer approaches focused on non-pharmacological care (NPC) are emerging, but there is little evidence on the active policies to implement to ensure their widespread practice. The primary objective of the study was to assess whether the implementation of a developmental care program in our neonatal medicine department had an impact on the management of these infants during hospitalization, notably exposure to NPC.

Registry of Percutaneous Closure of Patent Foramen Ovale in the Secondary Prevention of Stroke.

Background: The foramen ovale remains patent in about 25% of the adult population. In adult life, thrombi form in the venous circulation and can cross the interatrial septum and trigger an ischemic stroke - called paradoxical embolism. The treatment can be performed through percutaneous closure of the patent foramen ovale (PFO), but still rarely performed in Brazil because it is not available in the public health care.

Effect of CPAP therapy on blood pressure in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea: a worldwide individual patient data meta-analysis.

Background: Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is associated with hypertension, and OSA treatment can reduce systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), but with a modest mean effect size and vast heterogeneity among studies. The aim of this individual patient data (IPD) meta-analysis was to understand which OSA phenotypes could benefit the most in terms of BP reduction.

Methods: A systematic review of randomised controlled trials that compared continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) with either passive or active treatment was conducted.

Portable polygraphic device (Somnocheck micro CARDIO) provides accurate diagnostic information in psychiatric patients at risk for obstructive sleep apnoea: an observational cohort study.

Background: Symptoms of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) overlap significantly with those of psychiatric disorders, making accurate diagnosis of OSA challenging within psychiatric settings. Diagnosing OSA in psychiatric patients is crucial because untreated OSA can exacerbate psychiatric symptoms, reduce treatment efficacy, and impair overall quality of life. This study aimed to determine the diagnostic accuracy of a readily accessible procedure for psychiatric patients in a real-world clinical setting by comparing the Somnocheck micro CARDIO (SCm) portable cardiorespiratory polygraphy device with the gold standard polysomnography (PSG).

A Case of Blood Stream Infection in an Elderly Woman with Cellulitis.

Here, we report the simultaneous isolation of from blood cultures and from a skin ulcer in an elderly woman who suffered from atopic dermatitis and psoriasis and developed acute cellulitis of both arms requiring hospital treatment. To the best of our knowledge, has not been previously reported to cause invasive infections in humans. This case highlights how chronic diseases and older age increase the susceptibility to bacterial infections with environmental bacteria of low virulence.

Laccase-Treated Polystyrene Surfaces with Caffeic Acid, Dopamine, and L-3,4-Dihydroxyphenylalanine Substrates Facilitate the Proliferation of Melanocytes and Embryonal Carcinoma Cells NTERA-2.

This study presents the effects of treating polystyrene (PS) cell culture plastic with oxidoreductase enzyme laccase and the catechol substrates caffeic acid (CA), L-DOPA, and dopamine on the culturing of normal human epidermal melanocytes (NHEMs) and human embryonal carcinoma cells (NTERA-2). The laccase-substrate treatment improved PS hydrophilicity and roughness, increasing NHEM and NTERA-2 adherence, proliferation, and NHEM melanogenesis to a level comparable with conventional plasma treatment. Cell adherence dynamics and proliferation were evaluated.

Bone Regenerative Effect of Injectable Hypoxia Preconditioned Serum-Fibrin (HPS-F) in an Ex Vivo Bone Defect Model.

Biofunctionalized hydrogels are widely used in tissue engineering for bone repair. This study examines the bone regenerative effect of the blood-derived growth factor preparation of Hypoxia Preconditioned Serum (HPS) and its fibrin-hydrogel formulation (HPS-F) on drilled defects in embryonic day 19 chick femurs. Measurements of bone-related growth factors in HPS reveal significant elevations of Osteopontin, Osteoprotegerin, and soluble-RANKL compared with normal serum (NS) but no detection of BMP-2/7 or Osteocalcin.

Effect of antihypertensive agents on sleep apnea and ambulatory blood pressure in patients with hypertension: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and hypertension are common conditions that may be linked through sympathetic activation and water retention. We hypothesized that diuretics, which reduce the body water content, may be more effective than amlodipine, a blood pressure (BP)-lowering agent implicated with edema, in controlling OSA in patients with hypertension. We also aimed to compare the effects of these treatments on ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM).

Accurate structure prediction of biomolecular interactions with AlphaFold 3.

The introduction of AlphaFold 2 has spurred a revolution in modelling the structure of proteins and their interactions, enabling a huge range of applications in protein modelling and design. Here we describe our AlphaFold 3 model with a substantially updated diffusion-based architecture that is capable of predicting the joint structure of complexes including proteins, nucleic acids, small molecules, ions and modified residues. The new AlphaFold model demonstrates substantially improved accuracy over many previous specialized tools: far greater accuracy for protein-ligand interactions compared with state-of-the-art docking tools, much higher accuracy for protein-nucleic acid interactions compared with nucleic-acid-specific predictors and substantially higher antibody-antigen prediction accuracy compared with AlphaFold-Multimer v.

Clinical outcomes with biodegradable versus durable polymer drug-eluting stents in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

Background: Coronary drug-eluting stents (DES) built with either durable (DP) or biodegradable (BP) polymeric coatings have been largely tested and are extensively available for routine use. However, their comparative performance remains an open question, particularly in more complex subsets of patients.

Aims: We evaluated the outcomes of patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) using DP-DES versus BP-DES in a large multicenter real-world registry.

Stereotactic body radiotherapy for pancreatic cancer - A systematic review of prospective data.

Purpose: This systematic review aims to comprehensively summarize the current prospective evidence regarding Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT) in various clinical contexts for pancreatic cancer including its use as neoadjuvant therapy for borderline resectable pancreatic cancer (BRPC), induction therapy for locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC), salvage therapy for isolated local recurrence (ILR), adjuvant therapy after radical resection, and as a palliative treatment. Special attention is given to the application of magnetic resonance-guided radiotherapy (MRgRT).

Methods: Following PRISMA guidelines, a systematic review of the Medline database via PubMed was conducted focusing on prospective studies published within the past decade.

Aging Processes and Their Influence on the Mechanical Properties of Printable Occlusal Splint Materials.

Three-dimensional (3D)-printed occlusal splints are becoming more prevalent in the treatment of tooth substance loss due to their fast and cost-effective production. The purpose of this in vitro study was to investigate whether the mechanical properties (tensile strength-TS, modulus of elasticity in tension-ME, and Vickers hardness-HV) vary between the materials (printed dimethacrylate-based resins: Keyprint KeySplint soft-KEY, Luxaprint Ortho Plus-LUX, V-Print splint-VPR, printed methacrylate-based resins Freeprint splint 2.0-FRE, and milled methacrylate-based material, CLEAR splint-CLE), and the influence of aging processes (extraoral storage conditions and nightly or daily use) was examined.