Small fetuses, with estimated fetal weight (EFW) below the tenth percentile, are classified as fetal growth restriction (FGR) or small for gestational age (SGA) based on prenatal ultrasound. FGR fetuses have a greater risk of stillbirth and perinatal complications and may benefit from serial ultrasound scans to guide early delivery. Abnormal serum angiogenic factors, such as the soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1):placental growth factor (PlGF) ratio, have shown potential to more accurately distinguish FGR from SGA, with fewer false positives.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDespite advancements in mechanical circulatory support (MCS) technology, persistent critical complications related to blood contact remain unresolved. To provide a safer alternative therapy, CorInnova is developing a non-blood contacting direct cardiac compression (DCC) device for MCS. To support product development toward clinical trials, a simulation platform has been developed to predict clinical outcomes under patient-specific conditions, guiding patient selection for clinical trials.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: Hypoalbuminemia is frequently found in patients with heart failure (HF), associated with higher morbimortality in acute HF (AHF). Moreover, Carbohydrate Antigen 125 (CA125) is elevated in most of the AHF patients. In this cohort of patients admitted for AHF, our objective was to evaluate the association between hypoalbuminemia and long-term outcomes, including mortality and HF readmissions, stratified by CA125 concentration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPeople have known that El Niño events are associated with low rainfall in Southern Africa for a century, and seasonal rainfall forecasts are now available in agricultural advisories for farmers. While there is abundant theory as to how farmers might (or should) use seasonal rainfall information on their farms, little is known about whether this information has been widely used or has had widespread benefit. In this study, we use subnational data on cropping area and yield to see if we can detect any macro-level patterns in agricultural choices or outcomes that are related to knowledge of the El Niño Southern Oscillation or seasonal forecast information in Southern Africa.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The phase III RxPONDER trial has impacted treatment for node-positive(1-3), hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer with 21-gene recurrence score (RS) ≤ 25. We investigated how these findings apply to different racial and ethnic groups within the trial.
Methods: The trial randomized women to endocrine therapy (ET) or to chemotherapy plus ET.
Purpose: Timely access to clinical genetics consultations remains a barrier to timely genomic medicine services, which new service delivery models might help address.
Methods: We implemented a genetics electronic consultation (eConsult) service staffed by a primary care physician (PCP) champion, supervised by genetics specialists. Chart reviews from July 2018 to January 2022 examined categories of questions received, e-consultant's recommendations, and outcomes of any conventional genetics referrals.
The burgeoning field of 2D heterostructures targets the combination of 2D materials with 3D, 1D, or 0D nanomaterials. Among the most popular 2D materials, the 2H polytype of molybdenum disulfide (MoS) features a well-defined bandgap that becomes direct at the monolayer level, which can be exploited for photodetection. A notable limitation of 2H-MoS is its curtailed absorbance beyond the visible range.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS I), a lysosomal disorder caused by variants in IDUA, was added to the Recommended Uniform Screening Panel for newborn screening in 2016. Positive screening results for MPS I are commonly due to variants known as "pseudodeficiency alleles," which decrease in vitro alpha-L-iduronidase enzyme activity but are thought to provide sufficient in vivo activity. Despite the historic assumption that these variants are biologically benign, the possibility that they could give rise to complex, multigenic, or attenuated phenotypes has not been systemically evaluated in adults.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCandida albicans, a common fungal organism, often lives harmlessly in the human body. However, under certain conditions, it can turn into a dangerous pathogen, causing infections that range from mild to life-threatening. With rising resistance to antifungal treatments, understanding and controlling this opportunistic fungus has never been more crucial.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: We have recently constructed a DNA methylation classifier that can discriminate between pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PAAD) liver metastasis and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) with high accuracy (PAAD-iCCA-Classifier). PAAD is one of the leading causes of cancer of unknown primary and diagnosis is based on exclusion of other malignancies. Therefore, our focus was to investigate whether the PAAD-iCCA-Classifier can be used to diagnose PAAD metastases from other sites.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCholedochal cysts (CCs), a congenital anomaly resulting in the abnormal dilation of the biliary ductal system, are most often identified in patients younger than 10 years of age. Regardless of clinical presentation, the cornerstone of therapy for CCs is complete surgical excision with reconstruction with either hepaticoduodenostomy or hepaticojejunostomy. Although both procedures are used by surgeons for the correction of CCs, evidence on clinical outcomes following both approaches is inconclusive as to which may offer superior reconstruction.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Anti-PD-(L)1 agent are approved as first- and second-line treatment options in advanced urothelial cancer (UC), but information about long-term survival is scarce. There is a need for prognostic factors, as these may help in the decision-making concerning anti-PD-(L)1 in patients with UC. Here, we examined long-term survival following anti-PD-(L)1 in advanced UC and assessed clinical factors for their correlation with survival.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMetalated intact and deprotonated histidyl glycine and glycyl histidine dipeptides were investigated in the gas phase by using infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) spectroscopy with light from a free-electron laser (FEL). The dipeptides M(GlyHis), M(HisGly), [M(GlyHis-H)], and [M(HisGly-H)], where M = Zn and Cd, were probed to elucidate how the His position along the peptide chain and ligand charge state might influence the structures observed in the gas phase. Simulated annealing calculations were performed to determine energetically low-lying conformers and isomers of these structures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRising global pediatric obesity rates, increase non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) prevalence, with MetS being a NAFLD risk factor. NAFLD can be asymptomatic, with liver function tests insensitive to mild disease, and liver biopsy, risking complications. Thus, we investigated multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) metrics of liver fat (proton density fat fraction, PDFF) and disease activity (fibro-inflammation; iron-corrected T1, cT1), in a Hispanic pre-pubertal pediatric cohort, with increased risk of NAFLD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDeveloping bio-based and biodegradable materials has become important to meet current market demands, government regulations, and environmental concerns. The packaging industry, particularly for food and beverages, is known to be the world's largest consumer of plastics. Therefore, the demand for sustainable alternatives in this area is needed to meet the industry's requirements.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCarbon nanotubes constitute an excellent option to connect molecular nanomagnets (MNMs) to solid-state devices, allowing the electrical control of the molecule spin state. The main challenge in this area is to obtain stable nanohybrid structures that preserve the magnetic properties and functionality of the molecule. One of the strategies developed to build these structures combining MNMs and carbon nanotubes involves the encapsulation of the nanotube within magnetic organic macrocycle(s), leading to magnetic mechanically interlocked derivatives of carbon nanotubes (mMINTs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Pectus excavatum is the most prevalent chest wall deformity. Repair may be offered via Nuss or Ravitch technique. This study aims to investigate the outcomes of these repairs using a national cohort.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: DNA methylation profiling, recently endorsed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a pivotal diagnostic tool for brain tumours, most commonly relies on bead arrays. Despite its widespread use, limited data exist on the technical reproducibility and potential cross-institutional differences. The LOGGIC Core BioClinical Data Bank registry conducted a prospective laboratory comparison trial with 12 international laboratories to enhance diagnostic accuracy for paediatric low-grade gliomas, focusing on technical aspects of DNA methylation data generation and profile interpretation under clinical real-time conditions.
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