Transgenic augmentation of erythroferrone in mice ameliorates anemia in adenine-induced chronic kidney disease.

Anemia is a common and disabling complication of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Current therapies can be burdensome, and full correction of anemia is limited by cardiovascular side effects. New approaches that may offer additional therapeutic options are needed.

The Representation of Women Moderators at The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Annual Meeting.

Background: Recently, there has been an increase in the representation of women within the cardiothoracic surgery workforce, with discussions about gender equity garnering interest. We sought to identify whether this increase is accompanied by commensurate selection for representation at national meetings.

Methods: Online archives of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Annual Meetings were reviewed from 2015 to 2024.

Congenital Anomalies in American Crocodile (, Cuvier, 1807) Embryos from a Farm Breeder in Colombia.

The American crocodile (, Cuvier, 1807) (Class Reptilia, Family Crocodylidae) is a crocodile species inhabiting the Neotropics. Congenital defects have been described in almost every vertebrate group. In crocodiles, teratology alterations have been described in captive animals (pets, zoos, farms) such as or .

A randomised trial of short- vs long-term androgen deprivation with salvage radiotherapy for biochemical failure following radical prostatectomy: URONCOR 06-24.

Background: Salvage radiotherapy (SRT) and androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) are widely used in routine clinical practice to treat patients with prostate cancer who develop biochemical recurrence (BCR) after radical prostatectomy (RP). However, there is no standard-of-care consensus on optimal duration ADT. Investigators propose three distinct risk groups in patients with prostate cancer treated with SRT in order to better define the indications and duration of ADT combined with SRT.

Physiotherapy-led telehealth and exercise intervention to improve mobility in older people receiving aged care services (TOP UP): protocol for a randomised controlled type 1 hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial.

Introduction: Deteriorating mobility and falls reduce independence and quality of life for older people receiving aged care services. This trial aims to establish effectiveness on the mobility of older people, and explore cost-effectiveness and implementation of a telehealth physiotherapy programme.

Method And Analysis: This type 1 hybrid effectiveness-implementation randomised controlled trial will involve 240 people aged 65+ years receiving aged care services in community or residential settings.

Quantal Properties of Voltage-Dependent Ca Release in Frog Skeletal Muscle Persist After Reduction of [Ca] in the Sarcoplasmic Reticulum.

In skeletal muscle, the Ca release flux elicited by a voltage clamp pulse rises to an early peak that inactivates rapidly to a much lower steady level. Using a double pulse protocol the fast inactivation follows an arithmetic rule: if the conditioning depolarization is less than or equal to the test depolarization, then decay (peak minus steady level) in the conditioning release is approximately equal to suppression (unconditioned minus conditioned peak) of the test release. This is due to quantal activation by voltage, analogous to the quantal activation of IP3 receptor channels.

Sociodemographic factors and research experience impact MD-PhD program acceptance.

The 2014 NIH Physician-Scientist Workforce Working Group predicted a future shortage of physician-scientists. Subsequent studies have highlighted disparities in MD-PhD admissions based on race, income, and education. Our analysis of data from the Association of American Medical Colleges covering 2014-2021 (15,156 applicants and 6,840 acceptees) revealed that acceptance into US MD-PhD programs correlates with research experience, family income, and research publications.

The effects of social pensions on nutrition-related health outcomes of the poor: Quasi-experimental evidence from Peru.

This paper exploits the discontinuity around a welfare index of eligibility to assess the impact of Peru's social pension program Pension 65 on nutrition-related health outcomes among elderly poor individuals. Overall, we find evidence of how a relatively inexpensive program can produce improvements in anemia and nutrition-related mortality risk markers. The effects appear to be driven by plausible underlying mechanisms, including via improved nutritional quality as well as greater food expenditures and healthcare utilization.

Novel Uses of Indocyanine Green in Thoracic Surgery: A Review and Case Series.

Indocyanine green (ICG) is a water-soluble molecule that emits fluorescence in the near-infrared light spectrum. Due to its fluorescence properties, safety profile, and cost-effectiveness, ICG is used in minimally invasive surgery, enabling real-time visualization of structures during the operation. Until recently, its use was mainly limited to robotic surgery, which required specific technological setups to visualize the fluorescence.

Erythroferrone exacerbates iron overload and ineffective extramedullary erythropoiesis in a mouse model of β-thalassemia.

β-thalassemia is characterized by chronic hepcidin suppression and iron overload, even in patients who have not undergone transfusion. The HbbTh3/+ (Th3/+) mouse model of nontransfusion-dependent β-thalassemia (NTDBT) partially recapitulates the human phenotype but lacks chronic hepcidin suppression, progressive iron accumulation into adulthood, or the interindividual variation of the rate of iron loading observed in patients. Erythroferrone (ERFE) is an erythroid regulator that suppresses hepcidin during increased erythropoiesis.

Neonatal Transport Ventilation: Simulation to Improve Knowledge and Skills.

Introduction: Neonatal transport is a frequent activity in most tertiary and regional perinatal centers. Neonatal transport teams serve as mobile intensive care units and are equipped with specialized incubators that have built-in ventilators that can provide several levels of support. In our institution, we aim to educate all neonatal transport providers, including neonatal-perinatal fellows, neonatal intensive care unit-dedicated advanced practice providers, and neonatal intensive care unit-dedicated registered respiratory therapists, on transport ventilation management and troubleshooting, utilizing simulation to optimize patient care during transport.

Public support for tax policies in COVID-19 times: evidence from Luxembourg.

Unlabelled: We study attitudes towards the introduction of hypothetical new taxes to finance the cost of the COVID-19 pandemic. We rely on survey data collected in Luxembourg in 2020. The survey asks for the agreement of respondents over: a one-time net wealth tax, an inheritance tax, a temporary solidarity income tax, and a temporary increase in VAT.

Conceptualisation of health inequalities by local healthcare systems: A document analysis.

In 2019, local healthcare systems in England were asked to develop formal plans to reduce health inequalities. Here, we explore plans to understand how local healthcare systems conceptualise health inequalities and why. A broad Internet search and targeted search of NHS websites were conducted to identify all publicly accessible healthcare planning documents (National Health Service (NHS) Long-Term Plan (LTP) response documents) produced by local health partnerships in England.

Erythroid overproduction of erythroferrone causes iron overload and developmental abnormalities in mice.

The hormone erythroferrone (ERFE) is produced by erythroid cells in response to hemorrhage, hypoxia, or other erythropoietic stimuli, and it suppresses the hepatic production of the iron-regulatory hormone hepcidin, thereby mobilizing iron for erythropoiesis. Suppression of hepcidin by ERFE is believed to be mediated by interference with paracrine bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling that regulates hepcidin transcription in hepatocytes. In anemias with ineffective erythropoiesis, ERFE is pathologically overproduced, but its contribution to the clinical manifestations of these anemias is not well understood.

Transforming health systems to reduce health inequalities.

Never before in history have we had the data to track such a rapid increase in inequalities. With changes imminent in healthcare and public health organisational landscape in England and health inequalities high on the policy agenda, we have an opportunity to redouble efforts to reduce inequalities. In this article, we argue that health inequalities need re-framing to encompass the breadth of disadvantage and difference between healthcare and health outcome inequalities.

A Semivolatile Floral Scent Marks the Shift to a Novel Pollination System in Bromeliads.

Perfume flowers (sensu Vogel) produce intense scents that function both as attractants and as the sole rewards for pollinators. The scent is collected exclusively by male euglossine bees and used during pre-mating behavior. Perfume flowers have evolved independently in 15 angiosperm families, with over 1,000 reported species across the Neotropical region.

Review of Domain Wall Dynamics Engineering in Magnetic Microwires.

The influence of magnetic anisotropy, post-processing conditions, and defects on the domain wall (DW) dynamics of amorphous and nanocrystalline Fe-, Ni-, and Co-rich microwires with spontaneous and annealing-induced magnetic bistability has been thoroughly analyzed, with an emphasis placed on the influence of magnetoelastic, induced and magnetocrystalline anisotropies. Minimizing magnetoelastic anisotropy, either by the selection of a chemical composition with a low magnetostriction coefficient or by heat treatment, is an appropriate route for DW dynamics optimization in magnetic microwires. Stress-annealing allows further improvement of DW velocity and hence is a promising method for optimization of DW dynamics in magnetic microwires.

The dynamics of Ca within the sarcoplasmic reticulum of frog skeletal muscle. A simulation study.

In skeletal muscle, Ca release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) triggers contraction. In this study we develop a two compartment model to account for the Ca dynamics in frog skeletal muscle fibers. The two compartments in the model correspond to the SR and the cytoplasm, where the myofibrils are placed.