A Bioprinted Hydrogel Patch With Bioactive Glass: A New Frontier in Chronic Wound Healing.

A wound, defined as a disruption in the continuity of the skin, is among the most common issues in the population and poses a significant burden on healthcare systems and economies worldwide. Despite the countless medical devices currently available to promote wound repair and skin regeneration, there is a growing demand for new skin devices that incorporate innovative biomaterials and advanced technologies. Bioglasses are biocompatible and bioactive materials capable of interacting with biological tissues.

Exploring Reverse Sural Flap Necrosis in Lupus-like Syndrome: Challenges and Strategies in Lower Limb Reconstruction-A Case Presentation.

Soft tissue reconstruction in the lower limbs presents a significant challenge, particularly when addressing defects in the distal third of the leg, ankle, and foot. The reverse sural flap reliant on the perforating branches of the peroneal artery has emerged as a versatile option, offering a solution for patients for whom microsurgical techniques are not feasible. Despite its advantages, the procedure carries inherent risks, especially in populations with underlying conditions, such as venous insufficiency, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, as well as in elderly patients, where the likelihood of flap necrosis is elevated.

Structural and functional alterations of neurons derived from sporadic Alzheimer's disease hiPSCs are associated with downregulation of the LIMK1-cofilin axis.

Background: Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the accumulation of pathological proteins and synaptic dysfunction. This study aims to investigate the molecular and functional differences between human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) derived from patients with sporadic AD (sAD) and age-matched controls (healthy subjects, HS), focusing on their neuronal differentiation and synaptic properties in order to better understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying AD pathology.

Methods: Skin fibroblasts from sAD patients (n = 5) and HS subjects (n = 5) were reprogrammed into hiPSCs using non-integrating Sendai virus vectors.

The Prognostic Role of Pulmonary Arterial Elastance in Patients Undergoing Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation: A Pilot Study.

: Pulmonary arterial elastance (Ea) is a helpful parameter to predict the risk of acute postoperative right ventricular failure (RVF) after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation. A new method for calculating Ea, obtained by the ratio between transpulmonary gradient and stroke volume (Ea), has been proposed as a more accurate measure than the Ea obtained as the ratio between pulmonary artery systolic pressure and stroke volume (Ea). However, the role of Ea in predicting acute RVF post-LVAD implantation remains unclear.

Addressing the challenges of integrating digital health technologies to measure patient-centred outcomes in clinical registries.

Longitudinal patient registries generate important evidence for advancing clinical care and the regulatory evaluation of health-care products. Most national registries rely on data collected as part of routine clinical encounters, an approach that does not capture real-world, patient-centred outcomes, such as physical activity, fatigue, ability to do daily tasks, and other indicators of quality of life. Digital health technologies that obtain such real-world data could greatly enhance patient registries but unresolved challenges have so far prevented their broad adoption.

Technical and Analytical Approach for Breast Reconstruction With IMAP Propeller Flap.

Background: The breast-sharing technique uses the lower quadrants discarded from a contralateral symmetrizing reduction mammoplasty to reconstruct the breast after mastectomy. The aim of our study was to revisit this old technique and to improve its vascular predictability by preoperative computed tomography angiography (angio-CT) and intraoperative indocyanine green (ICG) imaging.

Methods: Twenty-six patients were enrolled and assessed by a preoperative angio-CT to localize and evaluate the internal mammary artery perforator (IMAP).

Does the type of pharmacy used influence medication adherence? A retrospective observational study in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Background: Community pharmacies in New Zealand have varying ownership and operational structures. Unlike independent pharmacies, corporate and hybrid pharmacies do not charge prescription copayments.

Objectives: This research aimed to determine whether people receiving free prescriptions from corporate and hybrid pharmacies (via copayment waiver) have greater medication adherence than the users of independent pharmacies.

Preferences for Tapering Biologic Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs Among People With Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Discrete Choice Experiment.

Objective: Little is known about the preferences of people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) regarding tapering of biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs). The aim of this study was to assess the preferences of people with RA in relation to potential treatment-related benefits and risks of bDMARD tapering and the health care service-related attributes that affect tapering.

Methods: Participants with RA who had experience taking a bDMARD completed an online discrete choice experiment.

Nucleoporin 153 deficiency in adult neural stem cells defines a pathological protein-network signature and defective neurogenesis in a mouse model of AD.

Background: Reduction of adult hippocampal neurogenesis is an early critical event in Alzheimer's disease (AD), contributing to progressive memory loss and cognitive decline. Reduced levels of the nucleoporin 153 (Nup153), a key epigenetic regulator of NSC stemness, characterize the neural stem cells isolated from a mouse model of AD (3×Tg) (AD-NSCs) and determine their altered plasticity and gene expression.

Methods: Nup153-regulated mechanisms contributing to NSC function were investigated: (1) in cultured NSCs isolated from AD and wild type (WT) mice by proteomics; (2) in vivo by lentiviral-mediated delivery of Nup153 or GFP in the hippocampus of AD and control mice analyzing neurogenesis and cognitive function; (3) in human iPSC-derived brain organoids obtained from AD patients and control subjects as a model of neurodevelopment.

The effects of free prescriptions on community pharmacy selection: A discrete choice experiment.

Background: Little is known about preferences for community pharmacies, particularly the influence of prescription co-payments, and for New Zealand's priority populations, Māori and Pacific Peoples. Improving understanding of community pharmacy preferences will enable tailoring services to meet community needs.

Objectives: This study aims to investigate New Zealanders' preferences for community pharmacies when collecting prescriptions.

Medical Information Extraction With NLP-Powered QABots: A Real-World Scenario.

The advent of computerized medical recording systems in healthcare facilities has made data retrieval tasks easier, compared to manual recording. Nevertheless, the potential of the information contained within medical records remains largely untapped, mostly due to the time and effort required to extract data from unstructured documents. Natural Language Processing (NLP) represents a promising solution to this challenge, as it enables the use of automated text-mining tools for clinical practitioners.

Combining gemcitabine and MSC delivering soluble TRAIL to target pancreatic adenocarcinoma and its stroma.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) still has a poor response to therapies, partly due to their cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). Here, we investigate the synergistic impact of a combinatory approach between a known chemotherapy agent, such as gemcitabine (GEM), and gene-modified human mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) secreting the pro-apoptotic soluble (s)TRAIL (sTRAIL MSCs) on both PDAC cells and CAFs. The combo significantly impacts on PDAC survival in 2D and 3D models.

Medical comorbidities and lower myelin content are associated with poor cognition in young adults with perinatally acquired HIV.

Objective: Approximately 40% of adults living with HIV experience cognitive deficits. Little is known about the risk factors for cognitive impairment and its association with myelin content in young adults living with perinatally acquired HIV (YApHIV), which is assessed in our cross-sectional study.

Design: A prospective, observational cohort study.

Sex Differences in the Risk of Stroke Associated With Traditional and Non-Traditional Factors in a US Cohort of People With HIV Infection.

Background And Objectives: Although stroke risk associated with HIV may be greater for women than men, little is known about whether the impact of different factors on cerebrovascular risk varies by sex in people with HIV (PWH) and contributes to stroke risk disparities in this population. The primary objective of this study was to examine whether sex modifies the effect of demographics, cardiometabolic factors, health-related behaviors, and HIV-specific variables on stroke risk in PWH from the Centers for AIDS Research Network of Integrated Clinical Systems (CNICS) cohort.

Methods: In this observational cohort study, we analyzed data from clinical encounters for PWH followed at 5 CNICS sites from approximately 2005 to 2020.

Development of a prediction model of conversion to Alzheimer's disease in people with mild cognitive impairment: the statistical analysis plan of the INTERCEPTOR project.

Background: In recent years, significant efforts have been directed towards the research and development of disease-modifying therapies for dementia. These drugs focus on prodromal (mild cognitive impairment, MCI) and/or early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Literature evidence indicates that a considerable proportion of individuals with MCI do not progress to dementia.