Combined endurance and resistance exercise training in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: a randomized controlled trial.

Endurance exercise training (ET) is an effective treatment in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), but the efficacy of resistance training in this patient population has been only scarcely evaluated. In this multicenter, randomized trial, we evaluated the effects of combined endurance and resistance training over 12 months in patients with HFpEF. The primary endpoint was a modified Packer score, including all-cause mortality, hospitalizations classified as potentially related to heart failure or exercise and changes in peak oxygen consumption ( ), diastolic function (E/e'), New York Heart Association (NYHA) class and global self-assessment (GSA).

Considerations for building and using integrated single-cell atlases.

The rapid adoption of single-cell technologies has created an opportunity to build single-cell 'atlases' integrating diverse datasets across many laboratories. Such atlases can serve as a reference for analyzing and interpreting current and future data. However, it has become apparent that atlasing approaches differ, and the impact of these differences are often unclear.

Heterogeneity-driven phenotypic plasticity and treatment response in branched-organoid models of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

In patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), intratumoural and intertumoural heterogeneity increases chemoresistance and mortality rates. However, such morphological and phenotypic diversities are not typically captured by organoid models of PDAC. Here we show that branched organoids embedded in collagen gels can recapitulate the phenotypic landscape seen in murine and human PDAC, that the pronounced molecular and morphological intratumoural and intertumoural heterogeneity of organoids is governed by defined transcriptional programmes (notably, epithelial-to-mesenchymal plasticity), and that different organoid phenotypes represent distinct tumour-cell states with unique biological features in vivo.

The perspective during gestural executions alters hemispherical specialization.

Introduction: The left hemisphere may be particularly specialized for gestures from an egocentric movement perspective, i.e., when executing tool-use pantomime (TUP) gestures.

Ontogeny shapes individual dietary specialization in female European brown bears (Ursus arctos).

Individual dietary specialization, where individuals occupy a subset of a population's wider dietary niche, is a key factor determining a species resilience against environmental change. However, the ontogeny of individual specialization, as well as associated underlying social learning, genetic, and environmental drivers, remain poorly understood. Using a multigenerational dataset of female European brown bears (Ursus arctos) followed since birth, we discerned the relative contributions of environmental similarity, genetic heritability, maternal effects, and offspring social learning from the mother to individual specialization.

Real-world therapy and persistence of patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy or diabetic macular edema: a German claims data analysis.

Purpose: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibition is the current and high-volume standard-of-care for patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) with diabetic macular edema (DME). This study assessed the impact of non-persistence in anti-VEGF treatment using claims data from two German states.

Methods: This study identified adults with nAMD or DR/DME and incident anti-VEGF treatment (= index) in January 2015-June 2019 using the German AOK PLUS claims database (January 2014-June 2021, ~ 3.

Using UK Biobank data to establish population-specific atlases from whole body MRI.

Background: Reliable reference data in medical imaging is largely unavailable. Developing tools that allow for the comparison of individual patient data to reference data has a high potential to improve diagnostic imaging. Population atlases are a commonly used tool in medical imaging to facilitate this.

Longitudinal evaluation of hemodynamic blood and echocardiographic biomarkers for the prediction of BPD and BPD-related pulmonary hypertension in very-low-birth-weight preterm infants.

Unlabelled: Very-low-birth-weight infants (VLBW, < 1500 g) are at risk of developing bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and are at risk for BPD-related pulmonary hypertension (PH). The longitudinal measurement of innovative blood and echocardiographic biomarkers might allow for a risk stratification of these infants. A prospective single-center cohort study was conducted between 01/2021 and 06/2023.

Involvement of family caregivers in dementia care research: a scoping review protocol.

Background: Family caregivers of people with dementia are a distinct group due to the particularly stressful and time-intensive care situation at home. Despite these challenges, involving them in research is crucial to better understand and address their specific needs. However, little evidence exists regarding a tailored approach for researchers for this group considering their situation at home.

Impact of point-of-care birth test-and-treat on clinical outcomes among infants with HIV: A cluster randomized trial in Mozambique and Tanzania.

Background: We assessed the impact of point-of-care (PoC) test-and-treat at birth on clinical outcomes and viral suppression among HIV-positive infants in Mozambique and Tanzania.

Methods: This cluster-randomized trial allocated health facilities to intervention, providing PoC-testing and antiretroviral treatment (ART) at birth and week 4-8, or control, starting these at week 4-8. The primary outcome was proportions of clinical events (mortality, morbidity, retention, virological failure, toxicity) among HIV-positive infants at month-18.

3D in-system calibration method for PET detectors.

Background: Light-sharing detector designs for positron emission tomography (PET) systems have sparked interest in the scientific community. Particularly, (semi-)monoliths show generally good performance characteristics regarding 2D positioning, energy-, and timing resolution, as well as readout area. This is combined with intrinsic depth-of-interaction (DOI) capability to ensure a homogeneous spatial resolution across the entire field of view (FoV).

Comparison of exercise training modalities and change in peak oxygen consumption in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: a secondary analysis of the OptimEx-Clin trial.

Aims: Exercise training (ET) is an effective therapy in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), but the influence of different ET characteristics is unclear. We aimed to evaluate the associations between ET frequency, duration, intensity [% heart rate reserve (%HRR)] and estimated energy expenditure (EEE) with the change in peak oxygen consumption (V̇O2) over 3 months of moderate continuous training (MCT, 5×/week) or high-intensity interval training (HIIT, 3×/week) in HFpEF.

Methods And Results: ET duration and heart rate (HR) were recorded with a smartphone application.

Comparative Efficacy and Safety of Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy with Nivolumab vs. Pembrolizumab in Resectable Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Systematic Review.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Immunotherapy has emerged as a promising treatment option due to its favorable toxicity profile. However, selecting the most appropriate immunotherapeutic agent for neoadjuvant use-aimed at curative intent in early-stage NSCLC-based on efficacy and safety remains a critical question.

A (sub)field guide to quality control in hippocampal subfield segmentation on high-resolution T-weighted MRI.

Inquiries into properties of brain structure and function have progressed due to developments in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). To sustain progress in investigating and quantifying neuroanatomical details in vivo, the reliability and validity of brain measurements are paramount. Quality control (QC) is a set of procedures for mitigating errors and ensuring the validity and reliability of brain measurements.

Procoagulant platelet activation promotes venous thrombosis.

Platelets are key players in cardiovascular disease, and platelet aggregation represents a central pharmacologic target, particularly in secondary prevention. However, inhibition of adenosine diphosphate and thromboxane signaling has low efficacy in preventing venous thromboembolism, necessitating the inhibition of the plasmatic coagulation cascade in this disease entity. Anticoagulation carries a significantly higher risk of bleeding complications, highlighting the need of alternative therapeutic approaches.

New admissions and asymptomatic TB cases seem to fuel TB epidemic in prisons, a cross sectional survey in Tanzania.

There is an increased risk for tuberculosis (TB) infection and disease progression in prison settings. TB prevalence in prisons in low- and middle-income countries have been measured to be up to 50 -times higher than in the general population. The aim of the study was to perform active TB screening and estimate the burden of TB in central prisons in Tanzania mainland.