Predictive value of 68[Ga]Ga-DOTA-TATE PET/CT volumetric parameters in assessing treatment response to long-acting somatostatin analogues in patients with well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumours.

Background: Over the past decade, numerous treatment options have emerged for patients with locally advanced and metastatic neuroendocrine tumours (NETs). Nevertheless, the optimal timing of treatment interventions remains uncertain, given the highly variable disease course observed in these patients, even when patients have the same tumour stage and grade. The aim of the study was to evaluate the predictive role of standardized uptake values (SUVs) and volumetric parameters obtained from pretreatment [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-TATE for response to SSA therapy in patients with NET.

Enhancement of Glutamate Uptake as Novel Antiseizure Approach: Preclinical Proof of Concept.

Objective: Excitotoxicity is a common hallmark of epilepsy and other neurological diseases associated with elevated extracellular glutamate levels. Thus, here, we studied the protective effects of (R)-AS-1, a positive allosteric modulator (PAM) of glutamate uptake in epilepsy models.

Methods: (R)-AS-1 was evaluated in a range of acute and chronic seizure models, while its adverse effect profile was assessed in a panel of standard tests in rodents.

Host trees partially explain the complex bacterial communities of two threatened saproxylic beetles.

Microorganisms are integral to ecosystem functioning and host adaptation, yet the understanding of microbiomes in diverse beetle taxa remains limited. We conducted a comprehensive study to investigate the microbial composition of two red flat bark beetle species, Cucujus haematodes and C. cinnaberinus, and assessed the influence of host taxonomic relatedness and host tree species on their microbiomes.

Correlation of cerebral small vessel disease burden with outcome after lower extremity amputation.

Aims: This study assessed whether changes associated with cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) evaluated from head computed tomography (CT) images captured for non-related clinical purposes predict overall survival (OS), leg salvage (LS), and amputation-free survival (AFS) after lower extremity amputation (LEA).

Methods: We retrospectively included a cohort of 240 patients who had undergone a lower extremity amputation in Tampere University Hospital between the years 2007 and 2020 and had a head CT scan (within one year before amputation). A neuroradiologist graded the white matter lesions (WMLs) and reported infarcts, and the latter's effects on OS, LS, and AFS were evaluated.

Unraveling psilocybin's therapeutic potential: behavioral and neuroplasticity insights in Wistar-Kyoto and Wistar male rat models of treatment-resistant depression.

Rationale: Our study aimed to unravel the unknown mechanisms behind the exceptional efficacy of Psilocybin (PSI) in treating treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Focusing on Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats with a TRD phenotype and Wistar (WIS) rats as a normative comparison, we investigated behavioral and neuroplasticity-related responses to PSI, striving to shed light on the distinctive features of its antidepressant effects.

Objectives: We set out to assess the behavioral impact of acute and prolonged PSI administration on WKY and WIS rats, employing Novel Object Recognition (NORT), Social Interaction (SI), and Forced Swimming Test (FST).

Limited variation in microbial communities across populations of Macrosteles leafhoppers (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae).

Microbial symbionts play crucial roles in insect biology, yet their diversity, distribution, and temporal dynamics across host populations remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the spatio-temporal distribution of bacterial symbionts within the widely distributed and economically significant leafhopper genus Macrosteles, with a focus on Macrosteles laevis. Using host and symbiont marker gene amplicon sequencing, we explored the intricate relationships between these insects and their microbial partners.

Progress Toward Tuberculosis Elimination and Tuberculosis Program Performance - National Tuberculosis Indicators Project, 2016-2022.

Problem/condition: Elimination of tuberculosis (TB) is defined as reducing TB disease incidence in the United States to less than 1 case per million persons per year. In 2022, TB incidence in the United States was 2.5 TB cases per 100,000 persons.

LV-predominant arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy related to pathogenic DSP-variant.

Key Clinical Message: In contrast to previously thought, arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy can occur exclusively in the left ventricle in association with autosomal dominant mutation, even without any skin manifestations.

Abstract: We present a case of a 43-year-old male with left ventricle (LV)-predominant arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) caused by a novel p.Q1830 mutation in the desmoplakin (DSP) gene.

Implementing high-throughput insect barcoding in microbiome studies: impact of non-destructive DNA extraction on microbiome reconstruction.

Background: Symbiotic relationships with diverse microorganisms are crucial for many aspects of insect biology. However, while our understanding of insect taxonomic diversity and the distribution of insect species in natural communities is limited, we know much less about their microbiota. In the era of rapid biodiversity declines, as researchers increasingly turn towards DNA-based monitoring, developing and broadly implementing approaches for high-throughput and cost-effective characterization of both insect and insect-associated microbial diversity is essential.

With a little help from my friends: the roles of microbial symbionts in insect populations and communities.

To understand insect abundance, distribution and dynamics, we need to understand the relevant drivers of their populations and communities. While microbial symbionts are known to strongly affect many aspects of insect biology, we lack data on their effects on populations or community processes, or on insects' evolutionary responses at different timescales. How these effects change as the anthropogenic effects on ecosystems intensify is an area of intense research.

Prediction of disease recurrence in patients after complete pancreatic NET (PanNET) G2 resection.

Introduction: The number of detected pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (PanNETs) has been increasing over the last decades. Surgical resection remains the only potentially curative treatment, but the management is still controversial. This study aimed to compare patients after radical PanNET G2 resection to determine the most important predictive factors for relapse.

Modulating Stress Susceptibility and Resilience: Insights from miRNA Manipulation and Neural Mechanisms in Mice.

This study explored the impact of microRNAs, specifically mmu-miR-1a-3p and mmu-miR-155-5p, on stress susceptibility and resilience in mice of different strains. Previous research had established that C57BL/6J mice were stress-susceptible, while NET-KO and SWR/J mice displayed stress resilience. These strains also exhibited variations in the serum levels of mmu-miR-1a-3p and mmu-miR-155-5p.

24-hour urine metanephrine excretion in patients diagnosed with adrenal incidentaloma: impact of commonly used drugs on a clinical decision.

Introduction: Incidentaloma is an adrenal tumor detected during diagnostic imaging performed for extra‑adrenal causes. Evaluation of metanephrine concentrations in a 24‑hour urine collection can be a significant challenge in patients with multiple medications and comorbidities.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of commonly used groups of drugs on metanephrine levels in the 24‑hour urine collection.

Preclinical models of treatment-resistant depression: challenges and perspectives.

Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is a subgroup of major depressive disorder in which the use of classical antidepressant treatments fails to achieve satisfactory treatment results. Although there are various definitions and grading models for TRD, common criteria for assessing TRD have still not been established. However, a common feature of any TRD model is the lack of response to at least two attempts at antidepressant pharmacotherapy.

Till evolution do us part: The diversity of symbiotic associations across populations of Philaenus spittlebugs.

Symbiotic bacteria have played crucial roles in the evolution of sap-feeding insects and can strongly affect host function. However, their diversity and distribution within species are not well understood; we do not know to what extent environmental factors or associations with other species may affect microbial community profiles. We addressed this question in Philaenus spittlebugs by surveying both insect and bacterial marker gene amplicons across multiple host populations.

Altered Intracellular Signaling Associated with Dopamine D2 Receptor in the Prefrontal Cortex in Wistar Kyoto Rats.

Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY), compared to Wistar rats, are a well-validated animal model for drug-resistant depression. Thanks to this, they can provide information on the potential mechanisms of treatment-resistant depression. Since deep brain stimulation in the prefrontal cortex has been shown to produce rapid antidepressant effects in WKY rats, we focused our study on the prefrontal cortex.

The Involvement of Prolactin in Stress-Related Disorders.

The most important and widely studied role of prolactin (PRL) is its modulation of stress responses during pregnancy and lactation. PRL acts as a neuropeptide to support physiological reproductive responses. The effects of PRL on the nervous system contribute to a wide range of changes in the female brain during pregnancy and the inhibition of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis.

Atherosclerosis: risk assessment and the role of aiming for optimal glycaemic control in young patients with type 1 diabetes.

Compared with healthy children, peers with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM1) have an increased risk of developing advanced atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Glycaemic control is the most important modifiable risk factor for CVD in DM1. Currently, monitoring of glycaemic control relies on glycosylated haemoglobin levels (HbA1c), self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG), and the use of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems.

Deletion of Tbc1d4/As160 abrogates cardiac glucose uptake and increases myocardial damage after ischemia/reperfusion.

Background: Type 2 Diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and associated with poor outcome after myocardial infarction (MI). In T2DM, cardiac metabolic flexibility, i.e.

Habenula as a Possible Target for Treatment-Resistant Depression Phenotype in Wistar Kyoto Rats.

The mechanisms of treatment-resistant depression (TRD) are not clear and are difficult to study. An animal model resembling human TRD is the Wistar Kyoto rat strain. In the present study, we focused on selecting miRNAs that differentiate rats of the WKY strain from Wistar Han (WIS) rats in two divisions of the habenula, the lateral and medial (LHb and MHb, respectively).

Evaluation of Polysaccharide-Peptide Conjugates Containing the RGD Motif for Potential Use in Muscle Tissue Regeneration.

New scaffold materials composed of biodegradable components are of great interest in regenerative medicine. These materials should be: stable, nontoxic, and biodegrade slowly and steadily, allowing the stable release of biodegradable and biologically active substances. We analyzed peptide-polysaccharide conjugates derived from peptides containing RGD motif (H-RGDS-OH (), H-GRGDS-NH (), and cyclo(RGDfC) ()) and polysaccharides as scaffolds to select the most appropriate biomaterials for application in regenerative medicine.

Pro-cognitive effect of acute imipramine administration correlates with direct interaction of BDNF with its receptor, Trkβ.

Given the important role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)-mediated Trkβ signalling in the mechanism of action of antidepressants (ADs), we examined ligand-receptor interactions in the rat cingulate cortex using a proximity ligation assay (PLA) in response to acute and repeated administration of imipramine (IMI), followed by various drug-free periods. Both the acute and chronic administration of IMI increased the BDNF-Trkβ interaction observed 3 h after drug administration. Withdrawal of IMI for 72 h or 7 days did not alter BDNF-Trkβ interaction.