Effective Inhibitor Removal from Wastewater Samples Increases Sensitivity of RT-dPCR and Sequencing Analyses and Enhances the Stability of Wastewater-Based Surveillance.

Wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) is a proven tool for monitoring population-level infection events. Wastewater contains high concentrations of inhibitors, which contaminate the total nucleic acids (TNA) extracted from these samples. We found that TNA extracts from raw influent of Berlin wastewater treatment plants contained highly variable amounts of inhibitors that impaired molecular analyses like dPCR and next-generation sequencing (NGS).

Characterizing Protracted Febrile Myalgia: Fasciitis and Vasculitis of the Fascia and Muscle as Novel Histopathological Features.

: Protracted febrile myalgia (PFM) is a rare but severe form of myalgia mainly occurring in pediatric patients with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF). PFM imaging and histopathological data remain scarce. : A comprehensive clinical, imaging, and histopathological characterization of PFM was performed by retrospectively analyzing a reference center cohort of adult patients with FMF and myalgia, and by a PubMed search of well-described cases with PFM.

Perspectives on Codebook: sequence specificity of uncharacterized human transcription factors.

We describe an effort ("Codebook") to determine the sequence specificity of 332 putative and largely uncharacterized human transcription factors (TFs), as well as 61 control TFs. Nearly 5,000 independent experiments across multiple and assays produced motifs for just over half of the putative TFs analyzed (177, or 53%), of which most are unique to a single TF. The data highlight the extensive contribution of transposable elements to TF evolution, both in and , and identify tens of thousands of conserved, base-level binding sites in the human genome.

Cross-platform DNA motif discovery and benchmarking to explore binding specificities of poorly studied human transcription factors.

A DNA sequence pattern, or "motif", is an essential representation of DNA-binding specificity of a transcription factor (TF). Any particular motif model has potential flaws due to shortcomings of the underlying experimental data and computational motif discovery algorithm. As a part of the Codebook/GRECO-BIT initiative, here we evaluated at large scale the cross-platform recognition performance of positional weight matrices (PWMs), which remain popular motif models in many practical applications.

Antisense transcription is associated with expression of metal resistance determinants in Cupriavidus metallidurans CH34.

Cupriavidus metallidurans is able to thrive in metal-rich environments but also survives metal starvation. Expression of metal resistance determinants in C. metallidurans was investigated on a global scale.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: When Reparation Goes Beyond Punishment: Victims of LGBTQphobic Violence and Retributive and Restorative Justice in Spain.

Statement of RetractionWe, the editor and publisher of , in agreement with the author, have retracted the following article:Grau, J. M. (2024).

CE-UV method for the determination of catecholamine metabolites from baby pee-covered diapers.

A method has been developed for the analysis of vanillylmandelic acid, homovanillic acid, and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid from baby urine as biomarkers of neuroblastoma in infants. Disposable diapers were employed as sampling devices in order to guarantee a low invasiveness during this step. The proposed method consists on a simple extraction step with water from the used diaper followed by the measurement using capillary electrophoresis with UV detection.

Microparticle dynamics in upper-ocean turbulence: Dataset for analysis, modeling & prediction.

Plastic particle pollution has threatened the well-being of seawater ecosystems over the past decades. Therefore, understanding, modeling and (potentially) predicting the dynamics of microplastics and biogenic particles in ocean turbulence is of utmost importance to help develop mitigation strategies and propose technological solutions ultimately aimed at safeguarding global water systems. This is particularly significant for microplastics in the upper-ocean layer.

Walking one hour per day and the derived neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio are associated with outcome in palliative second-line immunotherapy for patients with recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck.

Objectives: To determine whether routinary walking activity and the derived neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio are associated with outcomes in patients with recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck.

Methods: This multicenter retrospective cohort study included 64 patients diagnosed with recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck and treated with immunotherapy (Programmed Death-1 and Programmed Death-ligand-1 proteins inhibitors) at two tertiary centers. We compared a group that performed uninterrupted physical activity for 1 h per day and controls who performed no activity.

Hamstrings on focus: Are 72 hours sufficient for recovery after a football (soccer) match? A multidisciplinary approach based on hamstring injury risk factors and histology.

This study aimed to assess acute and residual changes in sprint-related hamstring injury (HSI) risk factors after a football (soccer) match, focusing on recovery within the commonly observed 72-h timeframe between elite football matches. We used a multifactorial approach within a football context, incorporating optical and ultrastructural microscopic analysis of BFlh (biceps femoris long head) muscle fibres, along with an examination of BFlh fibre composition. Changes in sprint performance-related factors and HSI modifiable risk factors were examined until 3 days after the match (MD ) in 20 football players.

Patient Characteristics and Outcomes Associated with Sentinel Protection Device Use in Patients with Aortic Valve Disease Undergoing TAVR in a "Real-World" Setting.

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has become the dominant treatment for aortic valve disease. While TAVR safety has improved over time, concern remains over the occurrence of cerebrovascular accidents (CVA) secondary to device placement, which is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The Sentinel Cerebral Protection System (CPS) was developed to reduce the risk of embolic strokes associated with debris produced during TAVR.

Adenoma detection rate and tolerability of 2 ultra-low-volume bowel preparations in screening: a noninferiority randomized controlled trial.

Background And Aims: The adenoma detection rate (ADR), recognized as a surrogate marker for colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality reduction, is closely linked to the efficacy of bowel cleansing. However, there is a dearth of evidence examining the impact on ADR when using 2 distinct very-low-dose bowel cleansing products. This study sought to compare ADR in an immunochemical fecal occult blood test (iFOBT)-based organized screening program by using 1 L of polyethylene glycol plus ascorbate (1L-PEGA) versus sodium picosulfate with magnesium citrate (SPMC), both administered in a split-dose regimen.

Pathological autoantibody internalisation in myositis.

Objectives: Autoantibodies targeting intracellular proteins are common in various autoimmune diseases. In the context of myositis, the pathologic significance of these autoantibodies has been questioned due to the assumption that autoantibodies cannot enter living muscle cells. This study aims to investigate the validity of this assumption.

Impact of nondiameter aortic indices on surgical eligibility: Results from the Treatment in Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm: Surgery Versus Surveillance (TITAN: SvS) randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: Traditional criterion for intervention on an asymptomatic ascending aortic aneurysm has been a maximal aortic diameter of 5.5 cm or more. The 2022 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association aortic guidelines adopted cross-sectional aortic area/height ratio, aortic size index, and aortic height index as alternate parameters for surgical intervention.

Colonial-driven extinction of the blue antelope despite genomic adaptation to low population size.

Low genomic diversity is generally indicative of small population size and is considered detrimental by decreasing long-term adaptability. Moreover, small population size may promote gene flow with congeners and outbreeding depression. Here, we examine the connection between habitat availability, effective population size (N), and extinction by generating a 40× nuclear genome from the extinct blue antelope (Hippotragus leucophaeus).

Significance of clinical-immunological patterns and diagnostic yield of biopsies in microscopic polyangiitis and granulomatosis with polyangiitis.

Background: Microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) and granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) are the two major antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV).

Objectives: To characterize a homogenous AAV cohort and to assess the impact of clinicopathological profiles and ANCA serotypes on clinical presentation and prognosis. Clinical differences in GPA patients according to ANCA serotype and the diagnostic yield for vasculitis of biopsies in different territories were also investigated.

Updating perspectives on spinal cord function: motor coordination, timing, relational processing, and memory below the brain.

Those studying neural systems within the brain have historically assumed that lower-level processes in the spinal cord act in a mechanical manner, to relay afferent signals and execute motor commands. From this view, abstracting temporal and environmental relations is the province of the brain. Here we review work conducted over the last 50 years that challenges this perspective, demonstrating that mechanisms within the spinal cord can organize coordinated behavior (stepping), induce a lasting change in how pain (nociceptive) signals are processed, abstract stimulus-stimulus (Pavlovian) and response-outcome (instrumental) relations, and infer whether stimuli occur in a random or regular manner.

Timely Monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 RNA Fragments in Wastewater Shows the Emergence of JN.1 (BA.2.86.1.1, Clade 23I) in Berlin, Germany.

The importance of COVID-19 surveillance from wastewater continues to grow since case-based surveillance in the general population has been scaled back world-wide. In Berlin, Germany, quantitative and genomic wastewater monitoring for SARS-CoV-2 is performed in three wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) covering 84% of the population since December 2021. The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron sublineage JN.

Description of clinical and genetic features of 122 patients included in the Spanish Pompe registry.

Pompe disease is a rare genetic disorder with an estimated prevalence of 1:60.000. The two main phenotypes are Infantile Onset Pompe Disease (IOPD) and Late Onset Pompe Disease (LOPD).

Invasive Management of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy With Clinically Important Obstruction: Surgical Myectomy Is Superior, but Only When Accessible.

For patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a thickened intraventricular septum and systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve (SAM) can contribute to significant left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO), mitral regurgitation, and debilitating symptoms. Current guidelines recommend septal reduction therapy through alcohol septal ablation or surgical septal myectomy for patients whose symptoms persist despite medical therapy. Although alcohol septal ablation is a less invasive treatment option, it is not suitable for patients with septal perforator branch anatomy that is not compatible with the procedure, those with midcavitary obstruction, and patients in whom the mechanism of LVOTO is primarily related to SAM.

Deep eutectic solvents with solid supports used in microextraction processes applied for endocrine-disrupting chemicals.

The determination of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) has become one of the biggest challenges in Analytical Chemistry. Due to the low concentration of these compounds in different kinds of samples, it becomes necessary to employ efficient sample preparation methods and sensitive measurement techniques to achieve low limits of detection. This issue becomes even more struggling when the principles of the Green Analytical Chemistry are added to the equation, since finding an efficient sample preparation method with low damaging properties for health and environment may become laborious.