Upright versus recumbent lumbar spine MRI: Do findings differ systematically, and which correlates better with pain? A systematic review.

Background Context: Recumbent MRI is the most widely used image modality in people with low back pain (LBP), however, it has been proposed that upright (standing) MRI has advantages over recumbent MRI because of its ability to assess the effects of being weight-bearing. It has been suggested that this produces systematic differences in MRI parameters and differences in the correlation between MRI parameters and pain or disability in patients thus, potentially adding clinically helpful information.

Purpose: This paper aims to review and summarize the available empirical evidence for or against these two hypotheses.

Precision of in vivo pressure gradient estimations using synthetic aperture ultrasound.

Non-invasive estimation of pressure differences using 2D synthetic aperture ultrasound imaging offers a precise, low-cost, and risk-free diagnostic tool. Unlike invasive techniques, this preserves natural blood flow and avoids the limitations of devices that occupy lumen space. This paper evaluates a previously published estimator, modified to incorporate Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) echo-cancellation, using data from ten healthy volunteers and one patient.

Dysbiosis-NK Cell Crosstalk in Pancreatic Cancer: Toward a Unified Biomarker Signature for Improved Clinical Outcomes.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive cancer with poor prognosis, primarily due to its immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME), which contributes to treatment resistance. Recent research shows that the microbiome, including microbial communities in the oral cavity, gut, bile duct, and intratumoral environments, plays a key role in PDAC development, with microbial imbalances (dysbiosis) promoting inflammation, cancer progression, therapy resistance, and treatment side effects. Microbial metabolites can also affect immune cells, especially natural killer (NK) cells, which are vital for tumor surveillance, therapy response and treatment-related side effects.

Targeting Triple NK Cell Suppression Mechanisms: A Comprehensive Review of Biomarkers in Pancreatic Cancer Therapy.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive cancer with poor outcomes due to frequent recurrence, metastasis, and resistance to treatment. A major contributor to this resistance is the tumor's ability to suppress natural killer (NK) cells, which are key players in the immune system's fight against cancer. In PDAC, the tumor microenvironment (TME) creates conditions that impair NK cell function, including reduced proliferation, weakened cytotoxicity, and limited tumor infiltration.

Barriers and new opportunities in developing effective therapies for diabetic neuropathy: International expert consensus recommendations.

Background: Diabetic neuropathy (DN) affects up to half of individuals with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Despite evidence that improving metabolic and cardiovascular health can slow its progression, DN remains a significant clinical challenge due to the lack of disease-modifying therapies and effective pain management strategies. This consensus aimed to identify gaps and recommend strategies to address these challenges.

Paediatric strategy forum for medicinal product development in diffuse midline gliomas in children and adolescents ACCELERATE in collaboration with the European Medicines Agency with participation of the Food and Drug Administration.

Fewer than 10 % of children with diffuse midline glioma (DMG) survive 2 years from diagnosis. Radiation therapy remains the cornerstone of treatment and there are no medicinal products with regulatory approval. Although the biology of DMG is better characterized, this has not yet translated into effective treatments.

Controlled Oxidation of Metallic Molybdenum Patterns via Joule Heating for Localized MoS Growth.

High-quality two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (2D TMDs), such as molybdenum disulfide (MoS), have significant potential for advanced electrical and optoelectronic applications. This study introduces a novel approach to control the localized growth of MoS through the selective oxidation of bulk molybdenum patterns using Joule heating, followed by sulfurization. By passing an electric current through molybdenum patterns under ambient conditions, localized heating induced the formation of a molybdenum oxide layer, primarily MoO and MoO, depending on the applied power and heating duration.

Pharmacological Postoperative Pain Management for Paediatric Dental Extractions Under General Anaesthesia: A Systematic Review.

General anaesthesia (GA) as a pharmacological behaviour management strategy may be indicated for dental extractions in children unable to cooperate in the dental chair. Pain is the most common postoperative complication in children following dental GA. There is conflicting evidence available on the efficacy of local anaesthetic (LA) agents for postoperative pain management following dental extraction.

Assessing the effect of On-site supportive communication training (On-site SCT) on doctor burnout: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Burnout is a critical factor that can influence the quality of care that doctors provide to their patients. Previous research suggests a link between inadequate communication skills training and burnout, and various approaches to enhance communication skills have been explored as a means to address this issue. However, evidence of the effect of these approaches is lacking.

Cryo-EM analysis of complement C3 reveals a reversible major opening of the macroglobulin ring.

The C3 protein is the central molecule within the complement system and undergoes proteolytic activation to C3b in the presence of pathogens. Pattern-independent activation of C3 also occurs via hydrolysis, resulting in C3(HO), but the structural details of C3 hydrolysis remain elusive. Here we show that the conformation of the C3(HO) analog, C3MA, is indistinguishable from C3b.

A prospective study of methylated ctDNA in patients undergoing treatment for liver metastases from colorectal cancer.

Background: Decision regarding local treatment of colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) is a multidisciplinary assessment, and liver intervention should be performed when the metastases are deemed resectable. There is no standard biomarker to aid neither this decision nor the postoperative treatment decisions. The present prospective, observational study aimed to investigate the potential clinical utility of a combined tumor-specific and organ-specific methylated circulating DNA assay in the perioperative setting of CRLM.

Orismilast, a PDE4B/D inhibitor, in moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis: Efficacy and safety from a multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled, phase 2b dose-ranging study (ADESOS).

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease, characterized by eczematous skin lesions and pruritus. There is an unmet need for effective first-line systemic therapies with good safety profiles, particularly oral medications. Orismilast is a novel first-in-class oral phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4) B/D inhibitor under investigation for the treatment of moderate-to-severe AD.

Treatment with Autologous Adipose-derived Regenerative Cells for Peyronie's Disease in Men: The Straight @head Pilot Study.

Background And Objective: We evaluated the effectiveness of injecting autologous adipose-derived regenerative cells (ADRCs) into plaque in men with chronic Peyronie's disease (PD).

Methods: This pilot safety study recruited 22 Danish men with chronic PD from an outpatient clinic. Patients received one bolus of ADRCs injected into plaque, with follow-ups at 1, 3, 6, and 12 mo.

Resident level is associated with operative time in laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Background: While previous literature has shown that resident involvement increases operative time, the influence of resident involvement on operative time is generally not considered in current methods of case time predictions or operating room planning. Furthermore, evidence of prolonged case times based on the level of the assisting resident is yet scarce. We hypothesized that operative time would increase with the post-graduate year of assisting residents as they gain more autonomy in the operating room.

Second primary non-myeloid malignancies following intensive treatment for adult acute myeloid leukaemia: a Danish population-based cohort study.

Background: Second primary malignancies (SPMs) are a well-known, long-term complication of antineoplastic treatment. This nationwide cohort study examined the risk of non-myeloid SPMs in survivors of adult acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) treated with intensive chemotherapy and, in some cases, allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT), compared to a matched general population.

Methods: Patients with incident AML between 2000 and 2018, alive and aged 18-70 years two years after start of intensive chemotherapy, were included and matched 1:10 to comparators from the general Danish population on sex, age, and the Nordic Multimorbidity Index.

Stochastic demethylation and redundant epigenetic suppressive mechanisms generate highly heterogeneous responses to pharmacological DNA methyltransferase inhibition.

Background: Despite promising preclinical studies, the application of DNA methyltransferase inhibitors in treating patients with solid cancers has thus far produced only modest outcomes. The presence of intratumoral heterogeneity in response to DNA methyltransferase inhibitors could significantly influence clinical efficacy, yet our understanding of the single-cell response to these drugs in solid tumors remains very limited.

Methods: In this study, we used cancer/testis antigen genes as a model for methylation-dependent gene expression to examine the activity of DNA methyltransferase inhibitors and their potential synergistic effect with histone deacetylase inhibitors at the single-cancer cell level.

Patterns of psychiatric healthcare use during pandemic times among boys and girls with pre-existing diagnoses: a Norwegian nationwide primary and specialist healthcare registry study.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic introduced complexities that were likely more demanding for some groups, such as children and adolescents, and especially those with pre-existing mental health diagnoses. This study examines long-term patterns of psychiatric healthcare use among this vulnerable group, providing insights into shifts in psychiatric healthcare use during a global health crisis.

Methods: We use data from the primary and specialist healthcare registries available from the Norwegian emergency preparedness register for COVID-19 (Beredt C19) to estimate patterns of psychiatric healthcare use.

Effect of empagliflozin on plasma lipids and lipoproteins in type 2 diabetes and heart failure - Empire HF and SIMPLE.

Objective: Beyond glucose-lowering, sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors have cardioprotective effects with unclear mechanisms. We examined changes in an extensive panel of plasma lipids, lipoproteins, and apolipoproteins and whether these changes were independent of weight loss, hemoglobin A1c, and hematocrit in patients treated with empagliflozin versus placebo to better understand the observed cardioprotective effects.

Methods: Post-hoc analyses of two double-blind, placebo-controlled trials, the Empire HF trial including 190 patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction and the SIMPLE trial including 90 patients with type 2 diabetes randomized to, respectively, 10 mg and 25 mg empagliflozin daily or placebo for 12 weeks.

Temporal order of atrial fibrillation and acute myocardial infarction and associated prognosis in the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health cohort.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) share risk factors and are bidirectionally associated. Several studies found higher risks of outcomes in individuals with both conditions. Whether the risks of outcomes differ according to temporal order of AF and AMI is unclear.

Comparing Self-Perceived Awareness to Actual Awareness of the Podiatric Profession Among High School and College Students.

Background: Over the past few years there has been a decrease in the number of applicants applying to podiatric medical school. It has been suggested that this may be due to unfamiliarity with the profession of podiatric medicine. The goal of this study is to shed light on the misconceptions and lack of awareness of podiatric medicine so that the profession can better bridge the gap in knowledge with a resultant strategy to better increase recruiting efforts.

Domesticated chickens interact more with humans and are more explorative than Red Junglefowl.

Domesticated species are adapted to thrive in an environment with regular human interaction, and these interactions influence the development of a human-animal relationship. Chickens are the most abundant domesticated species, but their relationship with humans is poorly understood. A more comprehensive analysis of this relationship would provide valuable insight into their welfare needs.

Co-methylation networks associated with cognition and structural brain development during adolescence.

Introduction: Typical adolescent neurodevelopment is marked by decreases in grey matter (GM) volume, increases in myelination, measured by fractional anisotropy (FA), and improvement in cognitive performance.

Methods: To understand how epigenetic changes, methylation (DNAm) in particular, may be involved during this phase of development, we studied cognitive assessments, DNAm from saliva, and neuroimaging data from a longitudinal cohort of normally developing adolescents, aged nine to fourteen. We extracted networks of methylation with patterns of correlated change using a weighted gene correlation network analysis (WCGNA).

Initial clinical experience with [Lu]Lu-PNT2002 radioligand therapy in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: dosimetry, safety, and efficacy from the lead-in cohort of the SPLASH trial.

Introduction: SPLASH (NCT04647526) is a multicenter phase III trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of [Lu]Lu-PNT2002 radioligand therapy in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). This study leveraged a lead-in phase to assess tissue dosimetry and evaluate preliminary safety and efficacy, prior to expansion into a randomized phase. Here we report those results.