Prefrontal 5α-reductase 2 mediates male-specific acute stress response.

A key response to acute stress is the increased brain synthesis of the neurosteroid allopregnanolone (AP). Although the rate-limiting step of this reaction is catalyzed by 5α-reductase (5αR), the role of its two primary isoenzymes, 5αR1 and 5αR2, in stress reactivity remains unclear. Here, we found that acute stress led to increased levels of 5αR2, but not 5αR1, in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of male, but not female, rats.

Exercise-induced anxiety impairs local and systemic inflammatory response and glucose metabolism in C57BL/6J mice.

Introduction: The complex physiological and psychological responses to regular exercise are yet to be fully elucidated. Exercise strongly modulates the immune system, inducing a plethora of dynamic responses involving the innate immune cell function and inflammatory processes that contribute to both potential health benefits and harmful side effects. Indeed, the relationship between physical exercise, stress, immunity, and metabolism serves as a paramount model of neuroimmunoendocrine interaction.

Impact of Dietary Niacin on Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease in Mediterranean Subjects: A Population-Based Study.

Background: The impact of dietary niacin on metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is elusive. This sub-study aimed to investigate the relationship between dietary niacin intake and the presence of MASLD in participants from two Catalonian cohorts.

Methods: A total of 222 subjects with MASLD were age- and sex-matched to 222 non-MASLD subjects.

Polygenic risk and subclinical atherosclerosis in asymptomatic middle-aged individuals. The ILERVAS study.

Introduction And Objectives: More than 50% of first cardiovascular events (CVE) occur in populations identified as at low or intermediate risk by the risk equations, so the inclusion of additional variables, such as polygenic risk scores (PRS), has been proposed to improve the predictive capacity of these equations. The aim of this study was to assess whether a PRS, independently or with clinical risk equations, is associated with the presence, severity and extent of subclinical atherosclerosis.

Methods: 109 subjects with atherosclerosis were selected from the ILERVAS cohort (primary prevention) and matched with 109 participants without atherosclerosis of the same age, sex and SCORE2 risk level.

Type II Pleuropulmonary Blastoma in a Two-Year-Old Girl: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Pleuropulmonary blastoma (PPB) is an extremely rare and highly malignant intrathoracic tumor in children, representing a unique form of aggressive primary lung carcinoma with a strong tendency for local recurrence. In this case report, we present a two-year-old girl who has had recurrent respiratory infections since birth. A chest X-ray revealed an abnormality, prompting a referral to a surgical team, where the lesion was identified as type II PPB based on histological analysis.

Reparametrized generalized gamma partially linear regression with application to breast cancer data.

We construct a new partially linear regression based on a reparametrized generalized gamma distribution with two systematic components that can be easily interpreted. Its parameters are estimated by penalized maximum likelihood. For different parameter settings, sample sizes, and censoring percentages, some simulations are performed to examine the accuracy of the maximum likelihood estimators, and the empirical distribution of the residuals compared with the standard normal distribution.

Notes from the Field: Mpox Cluster Caused by Tecovirimat-Resistant Monkeypox Virus - Five States, October 2023-February 2024.

The antiviral drug tecovirimat* has been used extensively to treat U.S. mpox cases since the start of a global outbreak in 2022.

A novel peptide-based tau aggregation inhibitor as a potential therapeutic for Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies.

Introduction: As aggregation underpins Tau toxicity, aggregation inhibitor peptides may have disease-modifying potential. They are therefore currently being designed and target either the VQIVYK aggregation-promoting hotspot found in all Tau isoforms or the VQIINK aggregation-promoting hotspot found in 4R isoforms. However, for any Tau aggregation inhibitor to potentially be clinically relevant for other tauopathies, it should target both hotspots to suppress aggregation of Tau isoforms, be stable, cross the blood-brain barrier, and rescue aggregation-dependent Tau phenotypes in vivo.

First manifestation of cardiovascular disease according to age and sex in a Mediterranean country.

Background: Cardiovascular (CV) diseases are the most common cause of death worldwide. This study aimed to investigate the incidence and type of first CV event in a broad cohort of Spaniards, focusing on age and sex differences.

Methods: This was a retrospective study using the SIDIAP database.

Immunoneuroendocrine, Stress, Metabolic, and Behavioural Responses in High-Fat Diet-Induced Obesity.

Obesity has reached global epidemic proportions, and even though its effects are well-documented, studying the interactions among all influencing factors is crucial for a better understanding of its physiopathology. In a high-fat-diet-induced obesity animal model using C57BL/6J mice, behavioural responses were assessed through a battery of tests, while stress biomarkers and systemic inflammatory cytokines were measured using an Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay and a Bio-Plex Multiplex System. The peritoneal macrophage microbicide capacity was analysed via flow cytometry, and crown-like structures (CLSs) in white adipose tissue (WAT) were evaluated through staining techniques.

Reversible metal cluster formation on Nitrogen-doped carbon controlling electrocatalyst particle size with subnanometer accuracy.

Copper and nitrogen co-doped carbon catalysts exhibit a remarkable behavior during the electrocatalytic CO reduction (CORR), namely, the formation of metal nanoparticles from Cu single atoms, and their subsequent reversible redispersion. Here we show that the switchable nature of these species holds the key for the on-demand control over the distribution of CORR products, a lack of which has thus far hindered the wide-spread practical adoption of CORR. By intermitting pulses of a working cathodic potential with pulses of anodic potential, we were able to achieve a controlled fragmentation of the Cu particles and partial regeneration of single atom sites.

TLR Agonists Modify NK Cell Activation and Increase Its Cytotoxicity in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Natural killer (NK) cells play a crucial role in innate immunity, particularly in combating infections and tumors. However, in hematological cancers, NK cells often exhibit impaired functions. Therefore, it is very important to activate its endosomal Toll-like receptors (TLRs) as a potential strategy to restore its antitumor activity.

The generalized odd log-logistic-G regression with interval-censored survival data.

The article proposes a new regression based on the generalized odd log-logistic family for interval-censored data. The survival times are not observed for this type of data, and the event of interest occurs at some random interval. This family can be used in interval modeling since it generalizes some popular lifetime distributions in addition to its ability to present various forms of the risk function.

[Artificial Intelligence: accuracy for the diagnosis of precancerous lesions of the cervix].

Introduction: To compare the diagnostic sensitivity of artificial intelligence (AI) assisted videocolposcopy with standard videocolposcopy performed by specialist colposcopists.

Methods: A descriptive retrospective cross-sectional study, 782 anonymized medical records from the Computerized System for Screening (SITAM) of women who underwent videocolposcopy with AI and colposcopy with common videocolposcopy performed by specialists, with their corresponding biopsies (gold standard) were analyzed. The relationship between the results of IA videocolposcopy and regular videocolposcopy and the results of biopsies was evaluated.

Expansion of a bacterial operon during cancer treatment ameliorates drug toxicity.

Dose-limiting toxicities remain a major barrier to drug development and therapy, revealing the limited predictive power of human genetics. Herein, we demonstrate the utility of a more comprehensive approach to studying drug toxicity through longitudinal study of the human gut microbiome during colorectal cancer (CRC) treatment (NCT04054908) coupled to cell culture and mouse experiments. 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed significant shifts in gut microbial community structure during oral fluoropyrimidine treatment across multiple patient cohorts, in mouse small and large intestinal contents, and in patient-derived communities.

Sex and age significantly modulate cardiovascular disease presentation in type 2 diabetes: a large population-based cohort study.

Aims: We aimed to describe and compare the incidence of the first cardiovascular event and its major subtypes, coronary heart disease (CHD), cerebrovascular disease, heart failure (HF), or peripheral artery disease (PAD), according to age and sex in a population-based cohort of individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) from a Mediterranean region.

Material And Methods: We used linked primary care electronic medical reports, pharmacy-invoicing data, and hospital admission disease registry records from the SIDIAP database, which contains linked data for 74% of the Catalonian population. We selected individuals with T2D aged 30 to 89 years free of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Effects of walnut consumption for 2 years on older adults' bone health in the Walnuts and Healthy Aging (WAHA) trial.

Background: Nutritional strategies to maintain bone health in aging individuals are of great interest. Given the beneficial nutrient composition of walnuts, rich in alpha-linolenic (the vegetable n-3 fatty acid) and polyphenols, their regular consumption might be a dietary option to reduce age-related bone loss. We determined whether daily walnut consumption improves bone mineral density (BMD) and circulating biomarkers of bone turnover.

The Prevalence of Antibiotic Resistance Phenotypes and Genotypes in Multidrug-Resistant Bacterial Isolates from the Academic Hospital of Jaén, Spain.

The heterogenicity of antimicrobial resistance genes described in clinically significant bacterial isolates and their potential role in reducing the efficacy of classically effective antibiotics pose a major challenge for global healthcare, especially in infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria. We analyzed 112 multidrug-resistant (MDR) isolates from clinical samples in order to detect high resistance profiles, both phenotypically and genotypically, among four Gram-negative genera (, , and ). We found that 9.

Transverse colon volvulus: A case report of an uncommon cause of acute abdomen in pediatrics.

Transverse colonic volvulus (TCV) is a serious condition with a mortality rate of up to 33%. It is very rare, especially in children. Despite its rarity, surgeons should have a high index of suspicion and include it in the list of differential diagnoses, especially in patients with developmental delays and associated uncommon syndromes.

Hypothalamic Inflammation Improves Through Bariatric Surgery, and Hypothalamic Volume Predicts Short-Term Weight Loss Response in Adults With or Without Type 2 Diabetes.

Objective: Preclinical research implicates hypothalamic inflammation (HI) in obesity and type 2 diabetes pathophysiology. However, their pathophysiological relevance and potential reversibility need to be better defined. We sought to evaluate the effect of bariatric surgery (BS) on radiological biomarkers of HI and the association between the severity of such radiological alterations and post-BS weight loss (WL) trajectories.

CACS, CCTA and mCAD-LT score in the pre-transplant assessment of coronary artery disease and the prediction of post-transplant cardiovascular events.

Background: The optimal cardiovascular assessment of liver transplant (LT) candidates is unclear. We aimed to evaluate the performance of CT-based coronary tests (coronary artery calcium score [CACS] and coronary CT angiography [CCTA]) and a modification of the CAD-LT score (mCAD-LT, excluding family history of CAD) to diagnose significant coronary artery disease (CAD) before LT and predict the incidence of post-LT cardiovascular events (CVE).

Methods: We retrospectively analysed a single-centre cohort of LT candidates who underwent non-invasive tests; invasive coronary angiography (ICA) was performed depending on the results of non-invasive tests.

Alternative statistical modeling for radical prostatectomy data.

Several statistical models have been proposed in recent years, among them is the semiparametric regression. In medicine, there are several situations in which it is impracticable to consider a linear regression for statistical modeling, especially when the data contain explanatory variables that present a nonlinear relationship with the response variable. Another common situation is when the response variable does not have a unimodal shape, and it is not possible to adopt distributions belonging to the symmetric or asymmetric classes.