Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation improves emotional processing.

Background: Invasive vagus nerve stimulation (iVNS) is approved for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). The limited understanding of its underlying mechanisms, however, hinders stratification and the prediction of treatment response. Given the strong projections of the afferent vagal nucleus to brain regions involved in emotional processing, we tested whether acute transauricular VNS (taVNS) can improve emotional processing that is a core deficit in MDD.

Feeding difficulties, food intake, and growth in children with esophageal atresia.

Objectives: Challenges regarding feeding difficulties and nutrition in children with esophageal atresia (EA) have been sparsely studied. The aim of this study was to explore parent-reported feeding difficulties in children with EA by applying Montreal Children's Hospital-Feeding Scale (MCH-FS), and to further explore associations between feeding difficulties and clinical factors, growth and nutritional intake.

Methods: Parents of EA children born between 2012 and 2017 were invited.

Liraglutide restores impaired associative learning in individuals with obesity.

Survival under selective pressure is driven by the ability of our brain to use sensory information to our advantage to control physiological needs. To that end, neural circuits receive and integrate external environmental cues and internal metabolic signals to form learned sensory associations, consequently motivating and adapting our behaviour. The dopaminergic midbrain plays a crucial role in learning adaptive behaviour and is particularly sensitive to peripheral metabolic signals, including intestinal peptides, such as glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1).

Increased meso-striatal connectivity mediates trait impulsivity in variant carriers.

Objective: While variations in the first intron of the (, rs9939609 T/A variant) have long been identified as a major contributor to polygenic obesity, the mechanisms underlying weight gain in risk allele carriers still remain elusive. On a behavioral level, variants have been robustly linked to trait impulsivity. The regulation of dopaminergic signaling in the meso-striatal neurocircuitry by these variants might represent one mechanism for this behavioral alteration.

CINOVA: a phase II study of CPC634 (nanoparticulate docetaxel) in patients with platinum resistant recurrent ovarian cancer.

Objective: Recurrent platinum-resistant ovarian cancer has a poor prognosis with limited therapeutic options. Sub-therapeutic intra-tumoral drug concentrations may add to therapy resistance. CPC634 (docetaxel entrapped in CriPec nanoparticles) was designed to enhance tumor accumulation of drug with localized drug release at the target site to increase therapeutic efficacy.

Impact of insulin and insulin resistance on brain dopamine signalling and reward processing - An underexplored mechanism in the pathophysiology of depression?

Type 2 diabetes and major depressive disorder (MDD) are the leading causes of disability worldwide and have a high comorbidity rate with fatal outcomes. Despite the long-established association between these conditions, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unknown. Since the discovery of insulin receptors in the brain and the brain's reward system, evidence has accumulated indicating that insulin modulates dopaminergic (DA) signalling and reward behaviour.

Habitual daily intake of a sweet and fatty snack modulates reward processing in humans.

Western diets rich in fat and sugar promote excess calorie intake and weight gain; however, the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Despite a well-documented association between obesity and altered brain dopamine function, it remains elusive whether these alterations are (1) pre-existing, increasing the individual susceptibility to weight gain, (2) secondary to obesity, or (3) directly attributable to repeated exposure to western diet. To close this gap, we performed a randomized, controlled study (NCT05574660) with normal-weight participants exposed to a high-fat/high-sugar snack or a low-fat/low-sugar snack for 8 weeks in addition to their regular diet.

Circulating uridine dynamically and adaptively regulates food intake in humans.

Feeding behavior must be continuously adjusted to match energy needs. Recent discoveries in murine models identified uridine as a regulator of energy balance. Here, we explore its contribution to the complex control of food intake in humans by administering a single dose of uridine monophosphate (UMP; 0.

Design, development and clinical translation of CriPec®-based core-crosslinked polymeric micelles.

Nanomedicines are used to improve the efficacy and safety of pharmacotherapeutic interventions. Unraveling the biological behavior of nanomedicines, including their biodistribution and target site accumulation, is essential to establish design criteria that contribute to superior performance. CriPec® technology is based on amphiphilic methoxy-poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly[N-(2-hydroxypropyl) methacrylamide lactate] (mPEG-b-pHPMAmLac) block copolymers, which are designed to upon self-assembly covalently entrap active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) in core-crosslinked polymeric micelles (CCPM).

Obesity - A Matter of Motivation?

Excessive food intake and reduced physical activity have long been established as primary causes of obesity. However, the underlying mechanisms causing this unhealthy behavior characterized by heightened motivation for food but not for physical effort are unclear. Despite the common unjustified stigmatization that obesity is a result of laziness and lack of discipline, it is becoming increasingly clear that high-fat diet feeding and obesity cause alterations in brain circuits that are critical for the control of motivational behavior.

3D CAT Scan and Gastric Volumetry in the Planning of Revisional Bariatric Surgery.

The planning of revisional bariatric surgery is a complex process. The availability of accurate anatomical information is especially important for the planning of such challenging surgical procedures, we present our initial experience using three-dimensional-computed tomography (3D-CT) images to preoperatively assess the anatomy of patients before bariatric revisional surgery. We used 3D reconstructed images of CT scans to assess the anatomy and plan revisional surgery in 144 patients 98 of them had a previous sleeve gastrectomy 41 had a previous gastric by-pass and 4 Vertical banded gastroplasties.

Docetaxel Skin Exposure and Micronucleation Contributes to Skin Toxicity Caused by CPC634.

Docetaxel entrapped nanoparticle CPC634 is associated with dose-related skin toxicity that resembles conventional docetaxel (Cd)-related skin toxicity. This study compared the cutaneous pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of docetaxel and CPC634. In this randomised cross-over study, patients with solid tumours received one cycle of CPC634 and Cd (both at 75 mg/m).

Modulation of Endocannabinoids by Caloric Restriction Is Conserved in Mice but Is Not Required for Protection from Acute Kidney Injury.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a frequent and critical complication in the clinical setting. In rodents, AKI can be effectively prevented through caloric restriction (CR), which has also been shown to increase lifespan in many species. In (), longevity studies revealed that a marked CR-induced reduction of endocannabinoids may be a key mechanism.

GLP-1 and hunger modulate incentive motivation depending on insulin sensitivity in humans.

Objective: To regulate food intake, our brain constantly integrates external cues, such as the incentive value of a potential food reward, with internal state signals, such as hunger feelings. Incentive motivation refers to the processes that translate an expected reward into the effort spent to obtain the reward; the magnitude and probability of a reward involved in prompting motivated behaviour are encoded by the dopaminergic (DA) midbrain and its mesoaccumbens DA projections. This type of reward circuity is particularly sensitive to the metabolic state signalled by peripheral mediators, such as insulin or glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1).

Vasomotor changes in abdominal skin after endoscopic subcutaneous/Preaponeurotic Repair of Diastasis Recti (REPA).

Introduction: Diastasis recti is a common condition with functional and cosmetic effects that can occur in both female and male patients. However, it is more prevalent in females after pregnancies and can be associated with midline hernias. The preaponeurotic endoscopic repair (REPA) has become an emerging procedure for the surgical treatment of this condition.

A phase I dose-escalation and pharmacokinetic study of a micellar nanoparticle with entrapped docetaxel (CPC634) in patients with advanced solid tumours.

Background: CPC634 is docetaxel entrapped in core-cross linked polymeric micelles. In preclinical studies, CPC634 demonstrated enhanced pharmacokinetics and improved therapeutic index. This phase I dose escalation study is the first-in-human study with CPC634.

Author Correction: Ground reference data for sugarcane biomass estimation in São Paulo state, Brazil.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Intratumoral Comparison of Nanoparticle Entrapped Docetaxel (CPC634) with Conventional Docetaxel in Patients with Solid Tumors.

Purpose: CPC634 is a novel nanoparticle entrapping docetaxel, developed to enhance the intratumoral chemotherapy exposure. This randomized cross-over study compared the intratumoral and plasma pharmacokinetics of CPC634 with conventional docetaxel.

Patients And Methods: Adult patients with solid tumors were randomized to receive CPC634 (75 mg/m) in cycle 1, and conventional docetaxel (75 mg/m) in cycle 2 or .

Author Correction: Ground reference data for sugarcane biomass estimation in São Paulo state, Brazil.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

The role of insulin sensitivity and intranasally applied insulin on olfactory perception.

Olfactory perception determines food selection behavior depending on energy homeostasis and nutritional status. The mechanisms, however, by which metabolic signals in turn regulate olfactory perception remain largely unclear. Given the evidence for direct insulin action on olfactory neurons, we tested olfactory performance (olfactory threshold, olfactory discrimination) in 36 subjects of normal- and overweight after administration of three different insulin doses (40 I.

Sub-seasonal Levee Deformation Observed Using Satellite Radar Interferometry to Enhance Flood Protection.

Levees are critical in providing protection against catastrophic flood events, and thus require continuous monitoring. Current levee inspection methods rely on limited information obtained by visual inspection, resulting in infrequent, localized, mostly qualitative and subjective assessments. This hampers the timely detection of problematic locations and the assessment of levee safety in general.

Food Intake Recruits Orosensory and Post-ingestive Dopaminergic Circuits to Affect Eating Desire in Humans.

Pleasant taste and nutritional value guide food selection behavior. Here, orosensory features of food may be secondary to its nutritional value in underlying reinforcement, but it is unclear how the brain encodes the reward value of food. Orosensory and peripheral physiological signals may act together on dopaminergic circuits to drive food intake.