Noninvasive blood-brain barrier integrity mapping in patients with high-grade glioma and metastasis by multi-echo time-encoded arterial spin labeling.

Purpose: In brain tumors, disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) indicates malignancy. Clinical assessment is qualitative; quantitative evaluation is feasible using the K leakage parameter from dynamic susceptibility contrast MRI. However, contrast agent-based techniques are limited in patients with renal dysfunction and insensitive to subtle impairments.

[The exploratory meeting: Action research on the perspective of care recipients].

Background: Mental health care (MHC) is under pressure due to increased demands and limited capacity, resulting in long waiting lists. To improve accessibility, Mental Health Centers (MCs) were established in Central and West-Brabant starting in 2021, with the exploratory meeting (EM) as the first step.

Aim: To gain insight into citizens’ experiences with the EM, the flow to appropriate care, and contribution of action research to this process.

Mortality in adult patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria: A real-world cohort study.

Background: Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), a common and debilitating disease, is widely held not to be life limiting, but the mortality of CSU has not been investigated.

Objective: We sought to assess all-cause mortality in patients with CSU, risk for comorbidities that are leading causes of death, and impact of guideline-recommended urticaria treatments on mortality rates.

Methods: This was a retrospective population-based cohort study of electronic health records of 272,190 adult patients with CSU and 12,728,913 controls without urticaria from the US collaborative network TriNetX.

Testing of Retail Cheese, Butter, Ice Cream, and Other Dairy Products for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in the US.

The recent outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in dairy cows has created public health concerns about the potential of consumers being exposed to live virus from commercial dairy products. Previous studies support that pasteurization effectively inactivates avian influenza in milk and an earlier retail milk survey showed viral RNA, but no live virus could be detected in the dairy products tested. Because of the variety of products and processing methods in which milk is used, additional product testing was conducted to determine if HPAI viral RNA could be detected in retail dairy samples, and for positive samples by quantitative real-time RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) further testing for the presence of live virus.

The Mastocytosis Control Test: A Patient-Reported Outcome Measure Assessing Disease Control.

Background: Mastocytosis is characterized by expanding neoplastic mast cells in organs such as the skin, bone marrow, and gastrointestinal tract. The release of mast cell mediators triggers cutaneous, gastrointestinal, and other symptoms. Currently, no validated mastocytosis-specific patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) exists to assess disease control.

Efficacy and Safety of Nemolizumab in Patients With Moderate to Severe Prurigo Nodularis: The OLYMPIA 1 Randomized Clinical Phase 3 Trial.

Importance: Prurigo nodularis (PN) is a chronic and debilitating skin condition, characterized by intense itch with multiple nodular lesions. Nemolizumab demonstrated significant improvements in itch and skin nodules in adults with moderate to severe PN in a previous 16-week phase 3 study (OLYMPIA 2).

Objective: To assess the efficacy and occurrence of adverse events in adults with moderate to severe PN treated with nemolizumab vs those receiving placebo.

A Learnable Prior Improves Inverse Tumor Growth Modeling.

Biophysical modeling, particularly involving partial differential equations (PDEs), offers significant potential for tailoring disease treatment protocols to individual patients. However, the inverse problem-solving aspect of these models presents a substantial challenge, either due to the high computational requirements of model-based approaches or the limited robustness of deep learning (DL) methods. We propose a novel framework that leverages the unique strengths of both approaches in a synergistic manner.

[Recovery measure Individual Recovery Outcomes Counter (I.ROC): scoring on common metrics].

Background: In this article we provide norm scores for the I.ROC, an instrument for measuring recovery. Normative data from the general population are presented in the form of two common metrics: percentile rank (PR-)scores and T-scores.

Advanced imaging reveals enhanced malignancy in glioblastomas involving the subventricular zone: evidence of increased infiltrative growth and perfusion.

Background: Glioblastoma's infiltrative growth and heterogeneity are influenced by neural, molecular, genetic, and immunological factors, with the precise origin of these tumors remaining elusive. Neurogenic zones might serve as the tumor stem cells' nest, with tumors in contact with these zones exhibiting worse outcomes and more aggressive growth patterns. This study aimed to determine if these characteristics are reflected in advanced imaging, specifically diffusion and perfusion data.

Shared decision-making in the treatment of bipolar disorder: findings from a nationwide naturalistic cohort study in everyday clinical practice.

Background: Shared decision-making (SDM) is of increasing importance in mental health care, however, large studies on the effects of SDM in bipolar disorder (BD) are scarce.

Aim: To gain insight into the relationships between SDM, guideline concordance of treatments in everyday practice, satisfaction with care, and medication adherence in BD.

Method: In a nationwide observational study on the treatment of BD, patients were asked questions about their involvement in treatment.

Ultra-High- Ferroelectric BaTiO Perovskite in the Gate Stack for Two-Dimensional WSe p-Type High-Performance Transistors.

The experimental demonstration of a p-type 2D WSe transistor with a ferroelectric perovskite BaTiO gate oxide is presented. The 30 nm thick BaTiO gate stack shows a robust ferroelectric hysteresis with a remanent polarization of 20 μC/cm and further enables a capacitance equivalent thickness of 0.5 nm in the hybrid WSe/BaTiO stack due to its high dielectric constant of 323.

People Who Self-Reported Testing HIV-Positive but Tested HIV-Negative: A Multi-Country Puzzle of Data, Serology, and Ethics, 2015-2021.

During population-based HIV impact assessments (PHIAs), some participants who self-reported testing HIV-positive (PSRP) tested negative in one or more subsequent survey HIV tests. These unexpected discrepancies between their self-reported results and the survey results draw into question the validity of either the self-reported status or the test results. We analyzed PSRP with negative test results aged 15-59 years old using data collected from 2015 to 2021 in 13 countries, assessing prevalence, self-report status, survey HIV status, viral load, rapid tests and confirmatory tests, and answers to follow-up questions (such as years on treatment).

Research priorities for medically not yet explained symptoms expressed by patients, carers, and healthcare professionals in the Netherlands following the James Lind Alliance priority setting partnership approach.

Objective: Experiencing physical symptoms that are medically not yet explained (MNYES) is associated with considerable burden in daily life. Research priorities in this area have been primarily investigator-driven. The present study identifies the top 10 research priorities, incorporating the views of patients, carers and healthcare professionals.

A toolbox of strategies to improve test-taking skills: a comparison of student perceptions.

Changes in the national examination structures have renewed interest in the development of test-taking strategies for professional students in the health sciences. It is often assumed that these high-achieving students have developed proficient test-taking skills and abilities before admittance. However, the assessments in these programs and for national licensure require an elevated level of reasoning and integration with clinical concepts.

Characterization of cells and mediators associated with pruritus in primary cutaneous T-cell lymphomas.

Patients with primary cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) often experience severe and difficult-to-treat pruritus that negatively affects their quality of life (QoL). However, the mechanisms of pruritus in CTCL, including mycosis fungoides (MF), remain largely unknown, and detailed characteristics of CTCL-associated pruritus is not fully elucidated. To characterize pruritus in CTCL, cutaneous B-cell lymphoma (CBCL), and large plaque parapsoriasis (LPP), and to identify potential itch mediators involved in the pathogenesis of pruritus in CTCL patients.

Disease modification in chronic spontaneous urticaria.

Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is a debilitating, inflammatory skin condition characterized by infiltrating immune cells. Available treatments are limited to improving the signs and symptoms. There is an unmet need to develop therapies that target disease-driving pathways upstream of mast cell activation to inhibit or delay the progression of CSU and associated comorbidities.

Detection of a Mitochondrial Fragmentation and Integrated Stress Response Using the Cell Painting Assay.

Mitochondria are cellular powerhouses and are crucial for cell function. However, they are vulnerable to internal and external perturbagens that may impair mitochondrial function and eventually lead to cell death. In particular, small molecules may impact mitochondrial function, and therefore, their influence on mitochondrial homeostasis is at best assessed early on in the characterization of biologically active small molecules and drug discovery.

Inhibition of mast cell degranulation by novel small molecule MRGPRX2 antagonists.

Background: Mas-related G protein-coupled receptor X2 (MRGPRX2) is a promiscuous receptor on mast cells that mediates IgE-independent degranulation and has been implicated in multiple mast cell-mediated disorders, including chronic urticaria, atopic dermatitis, and pain disorders. Although it is a promising therapeutic target, few potent, selective, small molecule antagonists have been identified, and functional effects of human MRGPRX2 inhibition have not been evaluated in vivo.

Objective: We sought to identify and characterize novel, potent, and selective orally active small molecule MRGPRX2 antagonists for potential treatment of mast cell-mediated disease.