Integrative taxonomy reveals two new species of karst-dwelling Hemiphyllodactylus Bleeker, 1860 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the border region of Laos and Vietnam.

An integrative taxonomic analysis of the gekkonid lizard genus Hemiphyllodactylus was conducted using molecular, morphological, color pattern, and ecological data on a clade of 19 species, including two new species from karst landscapes in northern Laos and Vietnam. Hemiphyllodactylus houaphanensis sp. nov.

Workplace violence against medical students during clinical practice and its relevant factors: a mixed methods study.

Our study aims to describe the status of workplace violence against medical students during clinical practice, which consists of its prevalence, types, perpetrators, students' responses and influences on them, reasons for workplace violence and to determine some relevant factors of this issue through both quantitative questionnaire and qualitative interview. A descriptive cross-sectional study with mixed methods was conducted on 320 students from the second-year to the sixth-year classes at Hanoi Medical University from August 2022 to February 2023. The questionnaire was based on the WHO questionnaire survey 'Workplace violence in the health sector - country case studies research instruments - Geneva 2003'.

Impact of diabetes mellitus and hypertension on renal function during first-line targeted therapy for metastatic renal cell carcinoma: a retrospective multicenter study.

Background: Renal function deterioration during systemic therapy in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) is a long-term concern in treatment planning. Although hypertension (HTN) and diabetes mellitus (DM) are the most common factors that affect chronic kidney disease (CKD) development and progression, their impact on renal function during targeted therapy is unclear. This study investigated whether DM and HTN were associated with a decline in renal function during first-line targeted therapy for mRCC.

A Family of Cyclic Lipopeptides Found in Human Isolates of Bacillus Ameliorates Acute Colitis via Direct Agonism of Toll-Like Receptor 2 in a Murine Model of Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Background: The Bacillus-derived cyclic lipopeptides (surfactin, iturin, and fengycin) form potent Heterogeneous Lipopeptide Micelle (HeLM) complexes. HeLM is a small molecule that has been shown to have immunomodulatory effects. However, how HeLM regulates inflammation is not clear, moreover its application to Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), specifically Ulcerative Colitis (UC), has not been tested before.

Intranasal administration of DSM 32444 spores: safety and tolerability.

Administered nasally, spores of the Gram-positive bacterium have been shown to be able to induce innate immunity sufficient to confer protection to influenza and respiratory syncytial virus. Although members of the aerobiome, intranasal delivery of high numbers of live spores carries potential safety issues. To address the potential safety risk of using live spores, we assessed the safety of spores that had been completely inactivated using heat sterilization.

Phospholipase C-β3 is dispensable for vascular constriction but indispensable for vascular hyperplasia.

Angiotensin II (AngII) induces the contraction and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). AngII activates phospholipase C-β (PLC-β), thereby inducing Ca mobilization as well as the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Since contraction is a unique property of contractile VSMCs, signaling cascades related to the proliferation of VSMCs may differ.

Femoral osteoporosis prediction model using autosegmentation and machine learning analysis with PyRadiomics on abdomen-pelvic computed tomography (CT).

Background: With the advancement of artificial intelligence technology and radiomics analysis, opportunistic prediction of osteoporosis with computed tomography (CT) is a new paradigm in osteoporosis screening. This study aimed to assess the diagnostic performance of osteoporosis prediction by the combination of autosegmentation of the proximal femur and machine learning analysis with a reference standard of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA).

Methods: Abdomen-pelvic CT scans were retrospectively analyzed from 1,122 patients who received both DXA and abdomen-pelvic computed tomography (APCT) scan from January 2018 to December 2020.

Alix-normalized exosomal programmed death-ligand 1 analysis in urine enables precision monitoring of urothelial cancer.

Anti-programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) Ab-based therapies have demonstrated potential for treating metastatic urothelial cancer with high PD-L1 expression. Urinary exosomes are promising biomarkers for liquid biopsy, but urine's high variability requires normalization for accurate analysis. This study proposes using the PD-L1/Alix ratio to normalize exosomal PD-L1 signal intensity with Alix, an internal exosomal protein less susceptible to heterogeneity concerns than surface protein markers.

Rate of benign histology after resection of suspected renal cell carcinoma: multicenter comparison between Korea and the United States.

Background: In the United States, the rate of benign histology among resected renal tumors suspected to be malignant is increasing. We evaluated the rates in the Republic of Korea and assessed the racial effect using recent multi-institutional Korean-United States data.

Methods: We conducted a multi-institutional retrospective study of 11,529 patients (8,812 from The Republic of Korea and 2,717 from the United States) and compared the rates of benign histology between the two countries.

Isofagomine Inhibits Multiple TcdB Variants and Protects Mice from -Induced Mortality.

causes life-threatening diarrhea and is one of the leading causes of nosocomial infections. During infection, releases two gut-damaging toxins, TcdA and TcdB, which are the primary determinants of disease pathogenesis and are important therapeutic targets. Once in the cytosol of mammalian cells, TcdA and TcdB use UDP-glucose to glucosylate host Rho GTPases, which leads to cytoskeletal changes that result in a loss of intestinal integrity.

Network analysis of multimorbidity and health outcomes among persons with spinal cord injury in Canada.

Introduction: Multimorbidity, defined as the coexistence of two or more health conditions, is common in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI). Network analysis is a powerful tool to visualize and examine the relationship within complex systems. We utilized network analysis to explore the relationship between 30 secondary health conditions (SHCs) and health outcomes in persons with traumatic (TSCI) and non-traumatic SCI (NTSCI).

Genomic and vaccine preclinical studies reveal a novel mouse-adapted model for the hpEastAsia genotype in Southeast Asia.

infection is a major global health concern, linked to the development of various gastrointestinal diseases, including gastric cancer. To study the pathogenesis of and develop effective intervention strategies, appropriate animal pathogen models that closely mimic human infection are essential. This study focuses on the understudied hpEastAsia genotype in Southeast Asia, a region marked by a high infection rate.

Enabling knowledge translation: implementation of a web-based tool for independent walking prediction after traumatic spinal cord injury.

Introduction: Several clinical prediction rules (CPRs) have been published, but few are easily accessible or convenient for clinicians to use in practice. We aimed to develop, implement, and describe the process of building a web-based CPR for predicting independent walking 1-year after a traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI).

Methods: Using the published and validated CPR, a front-end web application called "Ambulation" was built using HyperText Markup Language (HTML), Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), and JavaScript.

Pancreas CT assessment for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma resectability: effect of tube voltage and slice thickness on image quality and diagnostic performance.

Objectives: To assess the resectability of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), the evaluation of tumor vascular contact holds paramount significance. This study aimed to compare the image quality and diagnostic performance of high-resolution (HR) pancreas computed tomography (CT) using an 80 kVp tube voltage and a thin slice (1 mm) for assessing PDAC resectability, in comparison with the standard protocol CT using 120 kVp.

Methods: This research constitutes a secondary analysis originating from a multicenter prospective study.

Essential Oils of the Leaves of Epaltes australis Less. and Lindera myrrha (Lour.) Merr.: Chemical Composition, Antimicrobial, Anti-inflammatory, Tyrosinase Inhibitory, and Molecular Docking Studies.

Epaltes australis Less. has been traditionally used to treat fever and snake bites, whereas Lindera myrrha (Lour.) Merr.

Isofagomine inhibits multiple TcdB variants and protects mice from induced mortality.

causes life-threatening diarrhea and is the leading cause of healthcare associated bacterial infections in the United States. During infection, releases the gut-damaging toxins, TcdA and TcdB, the primary determinants of disease pathogenesis and are therefore therapeutic targets. TcdA and TcdB contain a glycosyltransferase domain that uses UDP-glucose to glycosylate host Rho GTPases, causing cytoskeletal changes that result in a loss of intestinal integrity.

Deep Learning for Cardiovascular Imaging: A Review.

Importance: Artificial intelligence (AI), driven by advances in deep learning (DL), has the potential to reshape the field of cardiovascular imaging (CVI). While DL for CVI is still in its infancy, research is accelerating to aid in the acquisition, processing, and/or interpretation of CVI across various modalities, with several commercial products already in clinical use. It is imperative that cardiovascular imagers are familiar with DL systems, including a basic understanding of how they work, their relative strengths compared with other automated systems, and possible pitfalls in their implementation.

Multimorbidity in persons with non-traumatic spinal cord injury and its impact on healthcare utilization and health outcomes.

Study Design: Cross-sectional survey in Canada.

Objectives: To explore multimorbidity (the coexistence of two/more health conditions) in persons with non-traumatic spinal cord injury (NTSCI) and evaluate its impact on healthcare utilization (HCU) and health outcomes.

Setting: Community-dwelling persons.

Using the Standing and Walking Assessment Tool at Discharge Predicts Community Outdoor Walking Capacity in Persons With Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury.

Objective: The Standing and Walking Assessment Tool (SWAT) standardizes the timing and content of walking assessments during inpatient rehabilitation by combining 12 stages ranging from lowest to highest function (0, 0.5, 1A, 1B, 1C, 2A, 2B, 2C, 3A, 3B, 3C, and 4) with 5 standard measures: the Berg Balance Scale, the modified Timed "Up & Go" test, the Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale, the modified 6-Minute Walk Test, and the 10-Meter Walk Test (10MWT). This study aimed to determine if the SWAT at rehabilitation discharge could predict outdoor walking capacity 1-year after discharge in people with traumatic spinal cord injury.

Perioperative systemic therapy in muscle invasive bladder cancer: Current standard method, biomarkers and emerging strategies.

Bladder cancer ranks as the 10th most common cancer type globally, and muscle-invasive disease accounts for approximately 25% of newly diagnosed bladder cancers. Despite definitive treatment, 50% of patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) develop metastasis within 2 years, leading to death. Perioperative systemic therapy is generally recommended to control local relapse or distant metastasis after surgical resection for patients with MIBC.

Reducing contrast-agent volume and radiation dose in CT with 90-kVp tube voltage, high tube current modulation, and advanced iteration algorithm.

Increasing utilization of computed tomography (CT) has raised concerns regarding CT radiation dose and technology has been developed to achieve an appropriate balance between image quality, radiation dose, and the amount of contrast material. This study was planned to evaluate the image quality and radiation dose in pancreatic dynamic computed tomography (PDCT) with 90-kVp tube voltage and reduction of the standard amount of contrast agent, compared with 100-kVp PDCT of the research hospital's convention. Total of 51 patients with both CT protocols were included.

Prophylactic immunization to Helicobacter pylori infection using spore vectored vaccines.

Background: Helicobacter pylori infection remains a major public health threat leading to gastrointestinal illness and increased risk of gastric cancer. Mostly affecting populations in developing countries no vaccines are yet available and the disease is controlled by antimicrobials which, in turn, are driving the emergence of AMR.

Materials And Methods: We have engineered spores of Bacillus subtilis to display putative H.