Maternal autoimmune systemic connective tissue disease and vasculitis and electrocardiographic findings in the offspring.

Introduction: Maternal autoimmune systemic connective tissue diseases (CTDs) and their related antibodies have been associated with adverse fetal outcomes, including complete heart block. In this study, we assessed the association between maternal CTD or vasculitis and neonatal electrocardiographic (ECG) parameters.

Methods: Our study population was drawn from the Copenhagen Baby Heart Study (CBHS), a prospective, population-based cohort study open to all neonates born in the Copenhagen area.

Ultrasound pupillometry for the detection of a relative afferent pupillary defect (RAPD): Systematic evaluation in patients with optic neuritis and comparison with infrared video pupillometry.

Purpose: A relative afferent pupillary defect (RAPD) is a characteristic clinical sign of optic neuritis (ON). Here, we systematically evaluated ultrasound pupillometry (UP) for the detection of an RAPD in patients with ON, including a comparison with infrared video pupillometry (IVP), the gold standard for objective pupillometry.

Materials And Methods: We enrolled 40 patients with acute (n = 9) or past (n = 31) ON (ON+), 31 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) without prior ON, and 50 healthy controls (HC) in a cross-sectional observational study.

The inability to predict futility in hemorrhaging trauma patients using 4-hour transfusion volumes and rates.

Background: Blood shortages and utilization stewardship have motivated the trauma community to evaluate futility cutoffs during massive transfusions (MTs). Recent single-center studies have confirmed meaningful survival in ultra-MT (≥20 U) and super-MT (≥50 U), while others advocate for earlier futility cut points. We sought to evaluate whether transfusion volume and intensity cut points could predict 100% mortality in a multicenter analysis.

Development of an FKBP12-recruiting chemical-induced proximity DNA-encoded library and its application to discover an autophagy potentiator.

Chemical inducers of proximity (CIPs) are molecules that recruit one protein to another and introduce new functionalities toward modulating protein states and activities. While CIP-mediated recruitment of E3 ligases is widely exploited for the development of degraders, other therapeutic modalities remain underexplored. We describe a non-degrader CIP-DNA-encoded library (CIP-DEL) that recruits FKBP12 to target proteins using non-traditional acyclic structures, with an emphasis on introducing stereochemically diverse and rigid connectors to attach the combinatorial library.

Pericytes and Extracellular Vesicle Interactions in Neurovascular Adaptation to Chronic Arterial Hypertension.

Background: Chronic arterial hypertension restructures the vascular architecture of the brain, leading to a series of pathological responses that culminate in cerebral small-vessel disease. Pericytes respond dynamically to vascular challenges; however, how they manifest under the continuous strain of hypertension has not been elucidated.

Methods And Results: In this study, we characterized pericyte behavior alongside hypertensive states in the spontaneously hypertensive stroke-prone rat model, focusing on their phenotypic and metabolic transformation.

Pancreaticoduodenectomy in trauma patients with grade IV-V duodenal or pancreatic injuries: a post hoc analysis of an EAST multicenter trial.

Introduction: The utility of pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) for high-grade traumatic injuries remains unclear and data surrounding its use are limited. We hypothesized that PD does not result in improved outcomes when compared with non-PD surgical management of grade IV-V pancreaticoduodenal injuries.

Methods: This is a retrospective, multicenter analysis from 35 level 1 trauma centers from January 2010 to December 2020.

The dual GLP-1/glucagon receptor agonist G49 mimics bariatric surgery effects by inducing metabolic rewiring and inter-organ crosstalk.

Bariatric surgery is effective for the treatment and remission of obesity and type 2 diabetes, but pharmacological approaches which exert similar metabolic adaptations are needed to avoid post-surgical complications. Here we show how G49, an oxyntomodulin (OXM) analog and dual glucagon/glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GCGR/GLP-1R) agonist, triggers an inter-organ crosstalk between adipose tissue, pancreas, and liver which is initiated by a rapid release of free fatty acids (FFAs) by white adipose tissue (WAT) in a GCGR-dependent manner. This interactome leads to elevations in adiponectin and fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), causing WAT beiging, brown adipose tissue (BAT) activation, increased energy expenditure (EE) and weight loss.

Prediction of vertebral failure under general loadings of compression, flexion, extension, and side-bending.

Bone pathologies such as osteoporosis and metastasis can significantly compromise the load-bearing capacity of the spinal column, increasing the risk of vertebral fractures, some of which may occur during routine physical activities. Currently, there is no clinical tool that accurately assesses the risk of vertebral fractures associated with these activities in osteoporotic and metastatic spines. In this paper, we develop and validate a quantitative computed tomography-based finite element analysis (QCT/FEA) method to predict vertebral fractures under general load conditions that simulate flexion, extension, and side-bending movements, reflecting the body's activities under various scenarios.

Structural variation in the pangenome of wild and domesticated barley.

Pangenomes are collections of annotated genome sequences of multiple individuals of a species. The structural variants uncovered by these datasets are a major asset to genetic analysis in crop plants. Here we report a pangenome of barley comprising long-read sequence assemblies of 76 wild and domesticated genomes and short-read sequence data of 1,315 genotypes.

Expert opinion on use of vagus nerve stimulation therapy in the management of pediatric epilepsy: A Delphi consensus study.

Purpose: To provide consensus-based recommendations for use of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy in the management of pediatric epilepsy.

Methods: Delphi methodology with two rounds of online survey was used to build consensus. A steering committee developed 43 statements related to pediatric epilepsy and the use of VNS therapy, which were evaluated by a panel of 12 neurologists/neurosurgeons with expertise in pediatric epilepsy, who graded their agreement with each statement on a scale of 1 ("I do not agree at all") to 5 ("I strongly agree").

Effectiveness, safety, and patient-reported outcomes of emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide-based regimens for the treatment of HIV-1 infection: Final 24-month results from the prospective German TAFNES cohort study.

Background: Tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) was introduced in the European Union in 2015 as a novel prodrug of tenofovir showing similar efficacy in clinical trials and a more favorable safety profile than tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF). The German TAFNES cohort study (2016-2019) was conducted to generate real-world evidence.

Methods: Treatment-naïve (TN) and treatment-experienced (TE) people with HIV (PWH) receiving elvitegravir/cobicistat/emtricitabine/TAF (E/C/F/TAF), rilpivirine/F/TAF (R/F/TAF) or F/TAF + 3rd agent were included.

Prospective Study of Preoperative Negative Affect and Postoperative Pain in Patients Undergoing Thoracic Surgery: The Moderating Role of Sex.

Preoperative negative affect is a risk factor for worse postoperative pain, but research investigating this association among patients undergoing thoracic surgery is inconsistent. Additionally, female patients often report greater negative affect and postoperative pain than males. This prospective observational study investigated the association between preoperative negative affect and postoperative pain after thoracic surgery and whether this association differed by sex.

[Cardiovascular prevention in Saxony-Anhalt : Necessity and new perspectives].

Cardiovascular risk factors (high blood pressure, smoking, overweight, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, physical inactivity) substantially rise with increasing age, particularly after middle age, whereby women are affected to a much greater extent. In the population of Saxony-Anhalt the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors is clearly increased and the population structure in Saxony-Anhalt is particularly characterized by a high average age as well as high morbidity and mortality rates due to cardiovascular diseases. Saxony-Anhalt therefore provides a model character for the demographic development in Europe.

PhageGE: an interactive web platform for exploratory analysis and visualization of bacteriophage genomes.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance is a serious threat to global health. Due to the stagnant antibiotic discovery pipeline, bacteriophages (phages) have been proposed as an alternative therapy for the treatment of infections caused by multidrug-resistant pathogens. Genomic features play an important role in phage pharmacology.

DiADEM-Dance against Dementia-Effect of a Six-Month Dance Intervention on Physical Fitness in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized, Controlled Trial.

: Preserving health and physical fitness is critical to ensure independent living across the lifespan. Lower levels of physical fitness are associated with age-related cognitive decline and a higher prevalence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Thus, this study investigates the influence of a six-month dance intervention on selected measures of physical fitness in older adults with MCI.

Balanced anesthesia in pigeons (): a protocol that ensures stable vital parameters and feasibility during long surgeries in cognitive neuroscience.

In neuroscience, numerous experimental procedures in animal models require surgical interventions, such as the implantation of recording electrodes or cannulas before main experiments. These surgeries can take several hours and should rely on principles that are common in the field of research and medicine. Considering the characteristics of the avian respiratory physiology, the development of a safe and replicable protocol for birds is necessary to minimize side effects of anesthetic agents, circumvent technical limitations due to the insufficient availability of patient monitoring, and to maintain stable intraoperative anesthesia.

Variant-proof high affinity ACE2 antagonist limits SARS-CoV-2 replication in upper and lower airways.

SARS-CoV-2 has the capacity to evolve mutations that escape vaccine- and infection-acquired immunity and antiviral drugs. A variant-agnostic therapeutic agent that protects against severe disease without putting selective pressure on the virus would thus be a valuable biomedical tool that would maintain its efficacy despite the ongoing emergence of new variants. Here, we challenge male rhesus macaques with SARS-CoV-2 Delta-the most pathogenic variant in a highly susceptible animal model.

Circadian rhythm of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in serum and plasma.

The neurotrophic growth factor brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays a crucial role in various neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia and depression. BDNF has been proposed as a potential biomarker for diagnosis, prognosis and monitoring therapy. Understanding the factors influencing BDNF levels and whether they follow a circadian rhythm is essential for interpreting fluctuations in BDNF measurements.

Controlled Hypoxia Acutely Prevents Physical Inactivity-Induced Peripheral BDNF Decline.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a crucial mediator of neuronal plasticity. Here, we investigated the effects of controlled normobaric hypoxia (NH) combined with physical inactivity on BDNF blood levels and executive functions. A total of 25 healthy adults (25.

Neoantigen-specific cytotoxic Tr1 CD4 T cells suppress cancer immunotherapy.

CD4 T cells can either enhance or inhibit tumour immunity. Although regulatory T cells have long been known to impede antitumour responses, other CD4 T cells have recently been implicated in inhibiting this response. Yet, the nature and function of the latter remain unclear.