Evaluating the prognostic value of radiomics and clinical features in metastatic prostate cancer using [Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT.

Prostate cancer is a significant global health issue due to its high incidence and poor outcomes in metastatic disease. This study aims to develop models predicting overall survival for patients with metastatic biochemically recurrent prostate cancer, potentially helping to identify high-risk patients and enabling more tailored treatment options. A multi-centre cohort of 180 such patients underwent [Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT scans, with lesions semi-automatically segmented and radiomic features extracted from lesions.

Corneal Confocal Microscopy Identifies and Differentiates Patients With Multiple Sclerosis and Epilepsy.

Purpose: To assess whether corneal nerve analysis can identify and differentiate patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) from those with epilepsy.

Methods: Participants with MS (n = 83), participants with epilepsy (n = 50), and healthy controls (HCs) (n = 20) underwent corneal confocal microscopy (CCM) and quantification of automated corneal nerve fiber length (ACNFL), automated corneal nerve fractal dimension (ACNFrD), and ACNFrD/ACNFL ratio of the subbasal nerve plexus.

Results: ACNFL (MS: P < 0.

Variant of uncertain significance (VUS) patterns among patients with early-onset colorectal cancer.

The increasing burden of colorectal cancer among adults age<50 (early-onset CRC) and new National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines recommending universal genetic testing in early-onset CRC emphasize the need for accurate/timely variant classification in clinical care. Here, we investigated germline variant of uncertain significance (VUS) patterns among diverse individuals with early-onset CRC. A total of 3,980 individuals age 15-49 when diagnosed with a first primary CRC-including 1,001 cases identifying as non-White, who underwent genetic testing for 14 CRC susceptibility genes performed by a clinical testing laboratory were included.

Advancing the application of pXRF for animal samples.

Portable x-ray fluorescent (pXRF) technology provides significant opportunities for rapid, non-destructive data collection in a range of fields of study. However, there are sources of variation and sample assumptions that may influence the data obtained, particularly in animal samples. We used representative species for four taxa (fish, mammals, birds, reptiles) to test the precision of replicate scans, and the impact of sample thickness, sample state, scan location and scan time on data obtained from a pXRF.

Compassionate access to virus-specific T cells for adoptive immunotherapy over 15 years.

Adoptive T-cell immunotherapy holds great promise for the treatment of viral complications in immunocompromised patients resistant to standard anti-viral strategies. We present a retrospective analysis of 78 patients from 19 hospitals across Australia and New Zealand, treated over the last 15 years with "off-the-shelf" allogeneic T cells directed to a combination of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), BK polyomavirus (BKV), John Cunningham virus (JCV) and/or adenovirus (AdV) under the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration's Special Access Scheme. Most patients had severe post-transplant viral complications, including drug-resistant end-organ CMV disease, BKV-associated haemorrhagic cystitis and EBV-driven post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder.

Baseline Nodal Status on Ga-PSMA-11 Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography in Men with Intermediate- to High-risk Prostate Cancer Is Prognostic for Treatment Failure: Follow-up of the proPSMA Trial.

Background And Objective: There is uncertainty regarding the clinical significance of Ga-PSMA-11 positron emission tomography (PET) computed tomography (CT) findings in men with prostate cancer. In this prespecified objective of the proPSMA study, we report the prognostic value of PET-defined nodal involvement.

Methods: Men with intermediate- to high-risk prostate cancer (grade group 3-5, prostate-specific antigen [PSA] ≥20 ng/ml, or clinical stage ≥T3) underwent Ga-PSMA-11 PET-CT or CT and bone scanning as first- or second-line imaging.

Aberrant zonal recycling of germinal center B cells impairs appropriate selection in lupus.

Autoimmune diseases such as lupus are characterized by polyclonal B cell activation, leading to the production of autoantibodies. The mechanism leading to B cell dysregulation is unclear; however, the defect may lie in selection within germinal centers (GCs). GC B cells cycle between proliferation and mutation in the dark zone and selection in the light zone (LZ).

Kidney hyperfiltration and mitochondrial changes are associated with eGFR decline in young people with type 1 diabetes.

Objectives: To examine the relationship between kidney hyperfiltration during adolescence and subsequent changes in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and urinary albumin creatinine ratio (UACR) in a young cohort of participants with type 1 diabetes. Additionally, to explore urinary mitochondrial DNA:nuclear DNA ratio (mtDNA:nDNA) as a marker of metabolic stress and its association with early changes in kidney function.

Methods: Eighty adolescents were studied at baseline [mean (SD) age 14.

Piperine's potential in treating polycystic ovarian syndrome explored through in-silico docking.

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a multifaceted metabolic and hormonal condition that impacts women in their procreative ages, identified by ovarian dysfunction, hyperandrogenaemia overweight and insulin insensitivity. The piperine, an important alkaloid compound of black pepper has shown promise in modulating various physiological processes. In this work, employed computational docking studies to explore the potential of piperine as a treatment for PCOS.

Identifying biochemical changes in the kidney using proton nuclear magnetic resonance in an adenine diet chronic kidney disease mouse model.

This study aimed to investigate the metabolic changes in the kidneys in a murine adenine-diet model of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Kidney fibrosis is the common pathological manifestation across CKD aetiologies. Sustained inflammation and fibrosis cause changes in preferred energy metabolic pathways in the cells of the kidney.

Kupffer cells dictate hepatic responses to the atherogenic dyslipidemic insult.

Apolipoprotein-B (APOB)-containing lipoproteins cause atherosclerosis. Whether the vasculature is the initially responding site or if atherogenic dyslipidemia affects other organs simultaneously is unknown. Here we show that the liver responds to a dyslipidemic insult based on inducible models of familial hypercholesterolemia and APOB tracing.

Differentially expressed miRNA profiles of serum derived extracellular vesicles from patients with acute ischemic stroke.

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) participate in diverse cellular changes following acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Circulating miRNAs, stabilized and delivered to target cells via extracellular vesicles (EVs), are potential biomarkers to facilitate diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic modulation. We aimed to identify distinctive expression patterns of circulating EV-miRNAs in AIS patients.

Outcome prediction based on [18F]FDG PET/CT in patients with pleural mesothelioma treated with ipilimumab and nivolumab +/- UV1 telomerase vaccine.

Purpose: The introduction of immunotherapy in pleural mesothelioma (PM) has highlighted the need for effective outcome predictors. This study explores the role of [18F]FDG PET/CT in predicting outcomes in PM treated with immunotherapy.

Methods: Patients from the NIPU trial, receiving ipilimumab and nivolumab +/- telomerase vaccine in second-line, were included.

Assessing the Heterogeneity of Response of [Ga] Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT Lesions in Patients With Biochemical Recurrence of Prostate Cancer.

Introduction: Treatment of men with metastatic prostate cancer can be difficult due to the heterogeneity of response of lesions. [Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 (PSMA) PET/CT assists with monitoring and directing clinical intervention; however, the impact of response heterogeneity has yet to be related to outcome measures. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of quantitative imaging information on the value of PSMA PET/CT to assess patient outcomes in response evaluation.

Sensory Changes Related to Swallowing in Motor Neurone Disease.

Dysphagia is common in motor neurone disease (MND) and associated with negative health and psychosocial outcomes. Although largely considered a motor disease, a growing body of evidence suggests that MND can also affect the sensory system. As intact sensation is vital for safe swallowing, and sensory changes can influence the clinical management of dysphagia in people living with MND, this review evaluated and summarised the current evidence for sensory changes related to swallowing in MND.

Drug repurposing for glomerular diseases: an underutilized resource.

Drug repurposing in glomerular disease can deliver opportunities for steroid-free regimens, enable personalized multi-target options for resistant or relapsing disease and enhance treatment options for understudied populations (for example, children) and in resource-limited settings. Identification of drug-repurposing candidates can be data driven, which utilizes existing data on disease pathobiology, drug features and clinical outcomes, or experimental, which involves high-throughput drug screens. Information from databases of approved drugs, clinical trials and PubMed registries suggests that at least 96 drugs on the market cover 49 targets with immunosuppressive potential that could be candidates for drug repurposing in glomerular disease.

4D Biochemical Photocustomization of Hydrogel Scaffolds for Biomimetic Tissue Engineering.

Programmable engineered tissues and the materials that support them are instrumental to the development of next-generation therapeutics and gaining new understanding of human biology. Toward these ends, recent years have brought a growing emphasis on the creation of "4D" hydrogel culture platforms-those that can be customized in 3D space and on demand over time. Many of the most powerful 4D-tunable biomaterials are photochemically regulated, affording users unmatched spatiotemporal modulation through high-yielding, synthetically tractable, and cytocompatible reactions.

Training and assessing convolutional neural network performance in automatic vascular segmentation using Ga-68 DOTATATE PET/CT.

To evaluate a convolutional neural network's performance (nnU-Net) in the assessment of vascular contours, calcification and PET tracer activity using Ga-68 DOTATATE PET/CT. Patients who underwent Ga-68 DOTATATE PET/CT imaging over a 12-month period for neuroendocrine investigation were included. Manual cardiac and aortic segmentations were performed by an experienced observer.

Admission Viscoelastic Hemostatic Assay Parameters Predict Poor Long-Term Intracerebral Hemorrhage Outcomes.

Background: Viscoelastic hemostatic assays (VHAs) provide more comprehensive assessments of coagulation compared with conventional coagulation assays. Although VHAs have enabled guided hemorrhage control therapies, improving clinical outcomes in life-threatening hemorrhage, the role of VHAs in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is unclear. If VHAs can identify coagulation abnormalities relevant for ICH outcomes, this would support the need to investigate the role of VHAs in ICH treatment paradigms.

The global role of G6PD in infection and immunity.

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is the most common enzymopathy in humans. G6PD is an essential enzyme in the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), generating NADPH needed for cellular biosynthesis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis, the latter especially key in red blood cells (RBCs). Beyond the RBC, there is emerging evidence that G6PD exerts an immunologic role by virtue of its functions in leukocyte oxidative metabolism and anabolic synthesis necessary for immune effector function.

The Role of Ergothioneine in Red Blood Cell Biology: A Review and Perspective.

Oxidative stress can damage tissues and cells, and their resilience or susceptibility depends on the robustness of their antioxidant mechanisms. The latter include small molecules, proteins, and enzymes, which are linked together in metabolic pathways. Red blood cells are particularly susceptible to oxidative stress due to their large number of hemoglobin molecules, which can undergo auto-oxidation.

Peritoneal dialysis versus haemodialysis for people commencing dialysis.

Background: Peritoneal dialysis (PD) and haemodialysis (HD) are two possible modalities for people with kidney failure commencing dialysis. Only a few randomised controlled trials (RCTs) have evaluated PD versus HD. The benefits and harms of the two modalities remain uncertain.