Tuberculosis in adult migrants in Europe: a TBnet consensus statement.

Introduction: Global migration has increased in recent decades due to war, conflict, persecutions, and natural disasters, but also secondary to increased opportunities related to work or study. Migrants' risk of tuberculosis (TB) differs by reasons for migration, socioeconomic status, mode of travel and TB risk in transit, TB incidence and healthcare provision in country of origin. Despite advances in TB care for migrants and new treatment strategies, decisions for the management of migrants at risk of TB often rely on expert opinions, rather than clinical evidence.

A quantitative framework for structural interpretation of DMS reactivity.

Dimethyl sulfate (DMS) chemical mapping is widely used for probing RNA structure, with low reactivity interpreted as Watson-Crick (WC) base pairs and high reactivity as unpaired nucleotides. Despite its widespread use, a quantitative understanding of how DMS reactivity relates to specific RNA 3D structural features remains incomplete. To address this gap, we systematically analyzed DMS reactivity patterns with a massive library of 7,500 RNA constructs containing two-way junctions with known 3D structures.

Multiplexed perturbation of yew reveals cryptic proteins that enable a total biosynthesis of baccatin III and Taxol precursors.

Plants make complex and potent therapeutic molecules, but difficulties in sourcing from natural producers or chemical synthesis can challenge their use in the clinic. A prominent example is the anti-cancer therapeutic paclitaxel (Taxol). Identification of the full paclitaxel biosynthetic pathway would enable heterologous drug production, but it has eluded discovery despite a half century of intensive research.

A first look at the genome structure of hexaploid "Mitcham" peppermint (Mentha × piperita L.).

Peppermint, Mentha × piperita L., is a hexaploid (2n = 6x = 72) and the predominant cultivar of commercial mint oil production in the US. This cultivar is threatened because of high susceptibility to the fungal disease verticillium wilt, caused by Verticillium dahliae.

The RESIST Senior Individuals Cohort: Design, participant characteristics and aims.

The number of older adults worldwide is growing exponentially. However, while living longer, older individuals are more susceptible to both non-infectious and infectious diseases, at least in part due to alterations of the immune system. Here, we report on a prospective cohort study investigating the influence of age on immune responses and susceptibility to infection.

High-throughput determination of RNA tertiary contact thermodynamics by quantitative DMS chemical mapping.

Structured RNAs often contain long-range tertiary contacts that are critical to their function. Despite the importance of tertiary contacts, methods to measure their thermodynamics are low throughput or require specialized instruments. Here, we introduce a new quantitative chemical mapping method (qMaPseq) to measure Mg2+-induced formation of tertiary contact thermodynamics in a high-throughput manner using standard biochemistry equipment.

Moral parenthood: not gestational.

Parenting our biological children is a centrally important matter, but how, if it all, can it be justified? According to a contemporary influential line of thinking, the acquisition by parents of a moral right to parent their biological children should be grounded by appeal to the value of the intimate emotional relationship that gestation facilitates between a newborn and a gestational procreator. I evaluate two arguments in defence of this proposal and argue that both are unconvincing.

Estimating the relative importance of epidemiological and behavioural parameters for epidemic mpox transmission: a modelling study.

Background: Many European countries experienced outbreaks of mpox in 2022, and there was an mpox outbreak in 2023 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. There were many apparent differences between these outbreaks and previous outbreaks of mpox; the recent outbreaks were observed in men who have sex with men after sexual encounters at common events, whereas earlier outbreaks were observed in a wider population with no identifiable link to sexual contacts. These apparent differences meant that data from previous outbreaks could not reliably be used to parametrise infectious disease models during the 2022 and 2023 mpox outbreaks, and modelling efforts were hampered by uncertainty around key transmission and immunity parameters.

Availability of published evidence on coverage, cost components, and funding support for digitalisation of infectious disease surveillance in Africa, 2003-2022: a systematic review.

Background: The implementation of digital disease surveillance systems at national levels in Africa have been challenged by many factors. These include user applicability, utility of IT features but also stable financial support. Funding closely intertwines with implementations in terms of geographical reach, disease focus, and sustainability.

Non-Syndromic and Syndromic Defects in Children with Extracranial Germ Cell Tumors: Data of 2610 Children Registered with the German MAKEI 96/MAHO 98 Registry Compared to the General Population.

GCTs are developmental tumors and are likely to reflect ontogenetic and teratogenetic determinants. The objective of this study was to identify syndromes with or without congenital anomalies and non-syndromic defects as potential risk factors. Patients with extracranial GCTs (eGCTs) registered in MAKEI 96/MAHO 98 between 1996 and 2017 were included.

Architectural interventions to mitigate the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in emergency departments.

Introduction: Emergency departments (EDs) are a critical entry gate for infectious agents into hospitals. In this interdisciplinary study, we explore how infection prevention and control (IPC) architectural interventions mitigate the spread of emerging respiratory pathogens using the example of SARS-CoV-2 in a prototypical ED.

Methods: Using an agent-based approach, we integrated data on patients' and healthcare workers' (HCWs) routines and the architectural characteristics of key ED areas.

Assessing effects of Cannabis on various neuropathologies: A systematic review.

Natural bioactives possess a wide range of chemical structures that can exert a plethora of pharmacological and toxicological actions, resulting in neuroprotection or neurotoxicity. These pharmacodynamic properties can positively or negatively impact human and animal global healthcare. Remarkably, Ayurvedic botanical Cannabis has been used worldwide by different ethnicities and religions for spiritual, commercial, recreational, nutraceutical, cosmeceutical, and medicinal purposes for centuries.

AI-driven discovery of blood xenobiotic biomarkers in neovascular age-related macular degeneration using iterative random forests.

Purpose: To investigate the xenobiotic profiles of patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) undergoing anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) intravitreal therapy (IVT) to identify biomarkers indicative of clinical phenotypes through advanced AI methodologies.

Methods: In this cross-sectional observational study, we analyzed 156 peripheral blood xenobiotic features in a cohort of 46 nAMD patients stratified by choroidal neovascularization (CNV) control under anti-VEGF IVT. We employed Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for measurement and leveraged an AI-driven iterative Random Forests (iRF) approach for robust pattern recognition and feature selection, aligning molecular profiles with clinical phenotypes.

Physiotherapy assessment of people with neurological conditions in Australia: A national survey.

Background And Purpose: Currently there are approximately one billion people worldwide affected by a neurological condition. These conditions may result in a variety of impairments that require assessment and management from a physiotherapist. However, there is a lack of consensus in the literature as to what domains physiotherapists working in clinical settings include in their assessment of this population, with only five domains identified in a recent systematic review.

Virtual Reality Action Observation and Motor Imagery to Enhance Neuroplastic Capacity in the Human Motor Cortex: A Pilot Double-blind, Randomized Cross-over Trial.

Neuroplasticity is important for learning, development and recovery from injury. Therapies that can upregulate neuroplasticity are therefore of interest across a range of fields. We developed a novel virtual reality action observation and motor imagery (VR-AOMI) intervention and evaluated whether it could enhance the efficacy of mechanisms of neuroplasticity in the human motor cortex of healthy adults.

Microscope-integrated optical coherence tomography for in vivo human brain tumor detection with artificial intelligence.

Objective: It has been shown that optical coherence tomography (OCT) can identify brain tumor tissue and potentially be used for intraoperative margin diagnostics. However, there is limited evidence on its use in human in vivo settings, particularly in terms of its applicability and accuracy of residual brain tumor detection (RTD). For this reason, a microscope-integrated OCT system was examined to determine in vivo feasibility of RTD after resection with automated scan analysis.

Health care utilisation of asylum seekers and refugees in the South-West of Germany.

Background: Limited evidence on utilisation of health care by recently arrived asylum seekers and refugees in high-income countries is available. This study aims to describe the implementation of an integrated care facility (ICF) in an initial reception centre and measure the utilisation of care and the influence of operational parameters.

Methods: In a retrospective cohort study design, using medical records, we followed inhabitants of a reception centre in Germany between 11.

Signal Enhancement of a Differential Photoacoustic Cell by Connecting the Microphones via Capillaries.

Differential photoacoustic spectroscopy (DPAS) cells are usually excited on the first longitudinal ring mode, with a microphone situated in the middle of each of the two resonator tubes. However, it is known from other photoacoustic spectroscopy cell designs that connecting the microphones via a capillary can lead to signal enhancement. By means of finite element method (FEM) simulations, we compared such a photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) cell with a capillary to a DPAS cell with a capillary attached to each of the two resonators and showed that the behavior of both systems is qualitatively the same: In both the PAS and the DPAS cell, in-phase and anti-phase oscillations of the coupled system (resonator-capillary) can be excited.

Chemical diversity in angiosperms - monoterpene synthases control complex reactions that provide the precursors for ecologically and commercially important monoterpenoids.

Monoterpene synthases (MTSs) catalyze the first committed step in the biosynthesis of monoterpenoids, a class of specialized metabolites with particularly high chemical diversity in angiosperms. In addition to accomplishing a rate enhancement, these enzymes manage the formation and turnover of highly reactive carbocation intermediates formed from a prenyl diphosphate substrate. At each step along the reaction path, a cationic intermediate can be subject to cyclization, migration of a proton, hydride, or alkyl group, or quenching to terminate the sequence.

Exploring the Impact of Saccharin on Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Comprehensive Study in Patients and Mice.

Purpose: We aimed to determine the impact of artificial sweeteners (AS), especially saccharin, on the progression and treatment efficacy of patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) under anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF-A) treatment.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study involving 46 patients with nAMD undergoing intravitreal anti-VEGF therapy, 6 AS metabolites were detected in peripheral blood using liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Disease features were statistically tested against these metabolite levels.

Bone support of a custom triflange acetabular component over time.

Aims: To investigate the extent of bone development around the scaffold of custom triflange acetabular components (CTACs) over time.

Methods: We performed a single-centre historical prospective cohort study, including all patients with revision THA using the aMace CTAC between January 2017 and March 2021. A total of 18 patients (18 CTACs) were included.

Tuberculosis case fatality is higher in male than female patients in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: Epidemiological TB data indicate differences in infection prevalence, progression rates, and clinical disease incidence between sexes. In contrast, evidence on sex-specific differential (post) TB case fatality in Europe has not been synthesized systematically.

Methods: We searched electronic databases and grey literature up to December 2020 for studies reporting sex-stratified TB death data for Europe.