Role of serum fibroblast growth factor-23 and Klotho level in COVID-19 infection-related mortality: a prospective study.

Introduction: This study investigated the role of fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23)/Klotho in the mortality of patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), excluding those with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Methodology: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted from April 2021 to May 2022. Patients who tested positive for COVID-19 via polymerase chain reaction and were hospitalized, were classified into two groups (survivors and non-survivors) at the end of their hospital follow-up.

Exploring the motivations and dynamics of older French-speaking men settled in Thailand.

This paper examines the motivations and experiences of older French-speaking men who relocate to Thailand driven by the desire for a more fulfilling and liberated lifestyle that contrasts with their experiences in their home countries. Through an analysis of video interviews with 31 expatriates available online, the study reveals a prevalent trend among these men to initially engage in short-term sexual relationships, enjoying the freedoms of Thailand's vibrant social scene. However, as they acclimate to their new environment, a significant shift towards long-term partnerships is observed, marking a transition from transient interactions to more meaningful connections.

Systemic Mastocytosis: Current Status and Challenges in 2024.

Systemic mastocytosis (SM) is a rare disease and has had significant discoveries in its biology, prognostication, and management in the past two decades. The latest update of the WHO classification and the new ICC classification are current standards in the diagnosis and prognostication of SM. In clinical practice, SM can be divided into two main categories: non-advanced SM (nonAdvSM) and advanced SM (AdvSM).

Dual-Stage AI Model for Enhanced CT Imaging: Precision Segmentation of Kidney and Tumors.

Objectives: Accurate kidney and tumor segmentation of computed tomography (CT) scans is vital for diagnosis and treatment, but manual methods are time-consuming and inconsistent, highlighting the value of AI automation. This study develops a fully automated AI model using vision transformers (ViTs) and convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to detect and segment kidneys and kidney tumors in Contrast-Enhanced (CECT) scans, with a focus on improving sensitivity for small, indistinct tumors.

Methods: The segmentation framework employs a ViT-based model for the kidney organ, followed by a 3D UNet model with enhanced connections and attention mechanisms for tumor detection and segmentation.

Circumstances in a young German cohort with sudden cardiac arrest: systematic insights and implications.

Introduction: Data on circumstances of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in Germany are limited. The present study aimed to investigate systematically the current pre- and in-hospital circumstances of a SCA cohort at young age (65 years or younger) in Germany.

Methods: In the period from 2010 to 2021, we enrolled 191 consecutive patients with SCA at a university hospital in the Ruhr area, Germany.

Timing of acute decompensated heart failure in patients with heart failure and mildly reduced ejection fraction.

This study investigates the prognosis of acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) on admission (i.e., primary ADHF) as compared to ADHF onset during course of hospitalization (i.

Dual Interface Modification for Reduced Nonradiative Recombination in n-i-p Methylammonium-Free Perovskite Solar Cells.

High defect concentrations at the interfaces are the basis of charge extraction losses and instability in perovskite solar cells. Surface engineering with organic cations is a common practice to solve this issue. However, the full implications of the counteranions of these cations for device functioning are often neglected.

Simulating 500 million years of evolution with a language model.

More than three billion years of evolution have produced an image of biology encoded into the space of natural proteins. Here we show that language models trained at scale on evolutionary data can generate functional proteins that are far away from known proteins. We present ESM3, a frontier multimodal generative language model that reasons over the sequence, structure, and function of proteins.

Prognostic Implications of Sex in Patients With Heart Failure With Mildly Reduced Ejection Fraction: Results From a Large-Scaled Registry.

Background: The study investigates the prognostic impact of sex and sex-related differences in patients hospitalized with heart failure with mildly reduced ejection fraction (HFmrEF). More data regarding the characterization of patients and their outcomes in the presence of HFmrEF are needed.

Methods And Results: Consecutive patients hospitalized with HFmrEF (ie, left ventricular ejection fraction 41%-49% and signs or symptoms of HF) were retrospectively included at one institution from 2016 to 2022.

Deployment of a transportable Yb optical lattice clock.

We report on the first deployment of a ytterbium (Yb) transportable optical lattice clock (TOLC), commercially shipping the clock 3000 km from Boulder, Colorado, to Washington DC. The system, composed of a rigidly mounted optical reference cavity, an atomic physics package, and an optical frequency comb, fully realizes an independent frequency standard for comparisons in the optical and microwave domains. The shipped Yb TOLC was fully operational within 2 days of arrival, enabling frequency comparison with a rubidium (Rb) fountain at the United States Naval Observatory (USNO).

Dynamically reconfigurable acoustofluidic metasurface for subwavelength particle manipulation and assembly.

Particle manipulation plays a pivotal role in scientific and technological domains such as materials science, physics, and the life sciences. Here, we present a dynamically reconfigurable acoustofluidic metasurface that enables precise trapping and positioning of microscale particles in fluidic environments. By harnessing acoustic-structure interaction in a passive membrane resonator array, we generate localized standing acoustic waves that can be reconfigured in real-time.

Lateral center-edge angle in femoroacetabular impingement: from the sourcil or the rim of the acetabulum?

The correlation between clinical outcomes and preoperative/postoperative measures of the lateral center-edge angle (LCEA) will help establish the cutoff values for this measurement and determine whether to obtain it from the lateral acetabular rim (LCEAR) or the lateral end of the sourcil (LCEAS). The hypothesis was that the LCEAS would be more sensitive than the LCEAR. An upper cutoff value of LCEA could predict better functional outcomes in FAI patients.

Assessing quality of health care in the context of patient satisfaction from patients' perspective among a physical therapy and rehabilitation unit.

Health service policies are evolving into qualified health care providing best possible outcomes as well as focused on patient satisfaction. Hence the qualification valued health care includes patient satisfaction measurements, it is suggested to get feedbacks during the assessment of outcomes from the patient's perspective. Aging of the world population accelerates demand on rehabilitation medicine which means recovering impairments so is directly related with quality of life.

Increased cardiovascular risk despite unchanged body composition in non functional adrenal incidentaloma.

Background: Non-functional adrenal incidentaloma (NFAI) is associated with an increased risk of adverse cardiometabolic outcome. Identifying predictors of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) may enable more appropriate management strategies in patients with NFAI. We aimed to investigate the body composition parameters and ASCVD risk in patients with NFAI.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Insertion/Deletion Gene Polymorphism in Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyps.

Objective: Inflammatory processes play a role in the etiopathogenesis of chronic rhinosinusitis. Many gene polymorphisms have been associated with inflammation. In this study, we aimed to examine the relationship between angiotensin-converting enzyme insertion/deletion gene polymorphism and chronic rhinosinusitis.

Sex-Based Differences and Outcomes in Unselected Patients Undergoing Coronary Angiography.

: The study investigates sex-related differences and outcomes in unselected patients undergoing invasive coronary angiography (CA). Sex-based differences with regard to baseline characteristics and management of patients with cardiovascular disease have yet been demonstrated. However, their impact on long-term outcomes in unselected patients undergoing CA remains unknown.

Level of completion of maternity continuum of care among ever-married women: An analysis of Somalia's health and demographic survey 2020.

Introduction: Somalia is continuing to recover from three decades of underdevelopment, political instability, civil unrest, and protracted humanitarian crises. However, Somalia has one of the lowest maternal health indicators in the world. For instance, the maternal mortality ratio is 621 per 100,000 live births.

Towards a long-term stable MAPbBr single crystal-based photoconductor with a high on/off ratio and detectivity.

Photodetectors based on lead halide perovskites often show excellent performance but poor stability. Herein, we demonstrate a photodetector based on MAPbBr single crystals passivated with an ultrathin layer of PbSO, which shows superior detectivity and on/off ratios compared to the control device due to the combined effect of lower surface traps, reduced recombination and low dark current. In addition, the device retained ∼56% of its initial * with an impressive on/off ratio of ∼801 after one year compared to ∼22% of * and an on/off ratio of ∼6 of the control device.

C-Reactive Protein Levels and Outcomes in Infarct-Related Cardiogenic Shock: Data from the ECLS-SHOCK Trial.

Background: The impact of systemic inflammation in acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock (AMI-CS) is still a matter of debate. The present ECLS-SHOCK sub-study investigates the association of C-reactive protein (CRP) levels with short-term outcomes in patients with AMI-CS.

Methods: Patients with AMI-CS enrolled in the multicenter, randomized ECLS-SHOCK trial between 2019 and 2022 were included.

The Role of Diaphragmatic Ultrasound in Identifying Sarcopenia in COPD Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background/aim: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is often complicated by sarcopenia, a condition of reduced muscle mass and function that adversely affects quality of life, lung function, and exacerbation rates. Ultrasonography could be an effective tool for detecting sarcopenia, notably by assessing diaphragmatic function, which may indicate muscle health in COPD patients. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of diaphragmatic ultrasound in detecting sarcopenia among COPD patients.

Age Variation in Patients with Troponin Level Elevation Without Obstructive Culprit Lesion or Suspected Myocardial Infarction with Non-Obstructive Coronary Arteries-Long-Term Data Covering over Decade.

Troponin level elevation without an obstructive culprit lesion is caused by heterogenous entities. The effect of aging on this condition has been poorly investigated. After screening 24,775 patients between 2010 and 2021, this study included a total of 373 patients with elevated troponin levels without an obstructive culprit lesion or suspected myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCAs) categorized into four age groups containing 78 patients (<51 years), 72 patients (51-60 years), 81 patients (61-70 years), and 142 patients (>70 years).

Effect of propolis supplementation on cadmium toxicity associated with renal and hepatic dysfunction in rats.

Cadmium (Cd), one of the toxic heavy metals, is of great importance for public health due to its use in many industrial areas. Propolis is a natural product with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties collected from plants by honey bees. The aim of this study was to investigate the protective role of propolis against the potential toxic effects of cadmium chloride in blood, liver and kidney tissues.

Impact of Posterior Tibial Nerve Stimulation on Early Continence Following Extraperitoneal Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy With Three Trocars.

Aim: Posterior tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) might stimulate the sacral nerves and lead to work pelvic floor muscles. We evaluated to effects of PTNS on continence results after extraperitoneal laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (eLRP) with three trocars during early post operative period.

Methods: Prospectively recorded data of eLRP with three trocars was retrospectively reviewed for continence results between January 2017 and April 2024.