Health check-up of a freshwater bivalve exposed to lithium.

Lithium (Li) has become essential for energy and digital transitions, especially as a component of rechargeable batteries. Its growing uses worldwide lead to increasing anthropogenic releases of Li into the environment, which is making Li as an emerging contaminant. It is thus critical to evaluate the ecotoxicological impact of Li, which has been poorly studied unlike its human toxicology.

Vitamin D Dependent Rickets 2A With Alopecia: Three Cases With Novel Genetic Variants.

Vitamin D-dependent rickets type 2A (VDDR2A) is a rare cause of infantile-onset alopecia, characterized by severe hypotrichosis, small cutaneous cysts, early-onset treatment-resistant rickets, and hypocalcemia. Alopecia, often starting a few weeks to months after birth, may be the presenting feature. We present three cases of VDDR2A with genetic variants in the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene, their clinical features and biochemical parameters.

Intergenerational risk of preterm birth in First Nations Australians: a population-based cohort study from the Northern Territory, Australia.

Background: PTB increases the risk of health problems such as chronic renal disease and diabetes in later life and adverse impacts are inversely correlated with gestational age at birth. Rates of PTB in the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia are amongst the highest nationally and globally, with First Nations babies most affected. This study assessed the magnitude and potential drivers of intergenerational PTB recurrence in the NT.

Restrictive versus Liberal Transfusion in Myocardial Infarction - A Patient-Level Meta-Analysis.

Background: Clinical guidelines have concluded that there are insufficient data to provide recommendations for the hemoglobin threshold for the use of red cell transfusion in patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) and anemia. After the recent publication of the Myocardial Infarction and Transfusion (MINT) trial, we performed an individual patient-level data meta-analysis to evaluate the effect of restrictive versus liberal blood transfusion strategies.

Methods: We conducted searches in major databases.

[Multidisciplinary and multiprofessional care to multimorbid chronic patients with cardiovascular disease: the experience of the Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Giuliano Isontina].

The world of chronic non-communicable diseases is progressively growing epidemiologically, requiring a significant commitment of resources, continuity of care, and strong integration between healthcare professionals and care settings. The National Recovery and Resilience Plan, in the Ministerial Decree 77 of 23/5/2022, identifies Community Homes as the privileged location for providing integrated, multidisciplinary and multiprofessional interventions, involving specialists and nursing clinics, general practitioners and district structures, utilizing all the necessary technological equipment, including digital platforms for telemedicine. In this context, cardiology is facing a complicated challenge: cardiologists must take care of patients with cardiovascular diseases who have also complex comorbidities and are required to extend their knowledge beyond the specific, sometimes super-specialistic, cardiovascular field, to avoid fragmentation, redundancy, and potential conflicts in the diagnostic-therapeutic care pathways.

VGLL-fusions define a new class of intraparenchymal CNS schwannoma.

Background: Intracerebral schwannomas are rare tumors resembling their peripheral nerve sheath counterparts but localized in the CNS. They are not classified as a separate tumor type in the 2021 WHO classification. This study aimed to compile and characterize these rare neoplasms morphologically and molecularly.

Tailoring the Mechanical Properties of Fungal Mycelium Mats with Material Extrusion Additive Manufacturing of PHBH and PLA Biopolymers.

To advance the concept of a circular economy, fungal mycelium-based materials are drawing increased attention as substitutes for nonsustainable materials, such as petroleum-based and animal-derived products, due to their biodegradability, low carbon footprint, and cruelty-free nature. Addressing the challenge of mechanical properties in fungal mycelium products, this study presents a straightforward approach for reinforcing fungal mycelium mats. This is achieved by using two bio-based and biodegradable polymers, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate--3-hydroxyhexanoate) (PHBH) and polylactic acid (PLA), via material extrusion additive manufacturing (MEX AM), commonly known as 3D printing, to produce fungal mycelium-biopolymer composites.

Adult-onset status epilepticus in patients with COQ8A coenzyme Q10 deficiency: A case series.

This case series describes the clinical features, diagnostic challenges, treatment approaches, and outcomes of three adult patients with COQ8A-related CoQ10 deficiency presenting with focal status epilepticus, who were effectively treated at the Department of Neurology, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany. The patients, all from consanguineous families with the first two being siblings, presented with a late onset of the disease, characterized by progressive cerebellar ataxia and epilepsy, with clinical deterioration and focal status epilepticus occurring in adulthood. The first patient exhibited myoclonic status, while the second and third patients presented with bilateral tonic-clonic seizures followed by focal status epilepticus manifesting with cortical blindness.

Examining the relationship between emotion regulation, sleep quality, and anxiety disorder diagnosis.

Anxiety disorders are highly comorbid with sleep disturbance and have also been associated with deficits in emotion regulation, the ability to control and express emotions. However, the extent to which specific dimensions of sleep disturbance and emotion regulation are associated with anxiety diagnosis is not well-explored. This study examined dimensions of emotion regulation and sleep disturbance that may predict greater likelihood of anxiety diagnosis using novel machine learning techniques.

Greater recalled pain and movement-evoked pain are associated with longer 400-meter walk and repeat stair climb time: the Study of Muscle, Mobility and Aging.

Background: Musculoskeletal pain frequently accompanies the development of mobility disability and falls in old age. To better understand this, we aimed to quantify the impact of different pain measures-recalled pain and movement-evoked pain-on 400-meter walk and stair climb time in older adults participating in the Study of Muscle, Mobility and Aging (SOMMA).

Methods: In SOMMA (N=879, age=76.

Depression is Associated with Treatment Response Trajectories in Adults with Prolonged Grief Disorder: A Machine Learning Analysis.

Although evidence-based treatments for Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) exist, pretreatment characteristics associated with differential improvement trajectories have not been identified. To identify clinical factors relevant to optimizing PGD treatment outcomes, we used unsupervised and supervised machine learning to study treatment effects from a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial. Participants were randomized into four treatment groups for 20 weeks: citalopram with grief-informed clinical management, citalopram with prolonged grief disorder therapy (PGDT), pill placebo with PGDT, or pill placebo with clinical management.

Multifunctional dietary approach reduces intestinal inflammation in relation with changes in gut microbiota composition in subjects at cardiometabolic risk: the SINFONI project.

The development of cardiometabolic (CM) diseases is associated with chronic low-grade inflammation, partly linked to alterations of the gut microbiota (GM) and reduced intestinal integrity. The SINFONI project investigates a multifunctional (MF) nutritional strategy's impact combining different bioactive compounds on inflammation, GM modulation and CM profile. In this randomized crossover-controlled study, 30 subjects at CM-risk consumed MF cereal-products, enriched with polyphenols, fibers, slowly-digestible starch, omega-3 fatty acids or Control cereal-products (without bioactive compounds) for 2 months.

Effects of maternal separation on punishment-driven risky decision making in adolescence and adulthood.

Early life adversity (ELA) is associated with a multitude of neural and behavioral aberrations. To develop treatments to mitigate the effects of ELA, it is critical to determine which aspects of cognition are affected and when these disturbances manifest across the lifespan. Here, we tested the effects of maternal separation, an established rodent model of ELA, on punishment-driven risky decision-making longitudinally in both adolescence (25-55 days old) and adulthood (80-100 days old).

Exploration of histone protein γ-H2AX as a prognostic factor in soft tissue sarcomas and its association with biological behavior, immune cell environment and survival in leiomyosarcoma.

This study evaluates the H2AX/γ-H2AX expression in soft tissue sarcomas (STS), its implications for biological behavior and immune environment, and its potential as a prognostic biomarker. RNA-Seq data from 237 STS were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas project. Patients were stratified by H2AX mRNA expression using a survival-associated cutoff.

Family Caregiver Knowledge in the Outpatient Management of Pediatric Tracheostomy-Related Emergencies.

Tracheostomy-related emergencies (TREs) contribute significantly to preventable mortality. The retention of caregiver knowledge and skills acquired through simulation-based training (SBT) is unknown. This study aimed to assess the management of TREs by caregivers who did and did not receive SBT.

Stroke-induced neuroplasticity in spiny mice in the absence of tissue regeneration.

Stroke is a major cause of disability for adults over 40 years of age. While research into animal models has prioritized treatments aimed at diminishing post-stroke damage, no studies have investigated the response to a severe stroke injury in a highly regenerative adult mammal. Here we investigate the effects of transient ischemia on adult spiny mice, Acomys cahirinus, due to their ability to regenerate multiple tissues without scarring.

Estimating the number and incidence of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales infections in France in 2020: A capture-recapture study.

Objectives: Even though France faces few severe infections due to carbapenem-producing Enterobacterales (CPE), inter-regional epidemic stages render their dissemination a cause for considerable concern. CPE reporting relies in France on three non-exhaustive monitoring systems (MS): an early-alert system, a nationwide passive surveillance system and the National Reference Centre. We aim to estimate the number and incidence of CPE-related infections in France in 2020 and to identify any overlap between the three systems to determine whether their continued use still serves a purpose.

Prognostic Value and Safety of Serial Exercise Echocardiography in Asymptomatic Severe Aortic Stenosis.

Background: The prognostic value of serial exercise echocardiography (EEC) in asymptomatic severe aortic stenosis is unknown. We sought to evaluate the safety and utility of monitoring patients with asymptomatic severe aortic stenosis by annual EECs to refer them to aortic valve replacement (AVR) or to keep them under follow-up.

Methods And Results: The cohort comprised 196 patients, with a normal screening EEC and a minimal follow-up of 18 months.

The financial impact of MD-PhD training compared with MD training for academic physicians.

To reduce debt burden and encourage the pursuit of research-focused careers, most MD-PhD programs provide medical school tuition remission and an annual stipend. However, prolonged training compared with MD physicians postpones the time until MD-PhD physicians earn a full salary. We compared lifetime earning potential for MD-PhD physicians in academia with their MD colleagues in the same clinical specialty.

Association between time to antibiotic and mortality in patients with suspected sepsis in the Emergency Department: post hoc analysis of the 1-BED randomized clinical trial.

Importance: The impact of early antibiotics on mortality in patients with suspected sepsis in the emergency department (ED) remains debated, particularly in patients with less severe presentations or before infection confirmation.

Objective: To evaluate the association between time to antibiotic administration and 28-day in-hospital mortality among patients with suspected sepsis in the ED.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Post hoc analysis of the 1-bundle emergency department trial, a multicenter, stepped-wedge cluster-randomized controlled trial conducted in 23 EDs in France and Spain.

Transcorneal electrical stimulation restores DNA methylation changes in retinal degeneration.

Background: Retinal degeneration is a major cause of irreversible blindness. Stimulation with controlled low-level electrical fields, such as transcorneal electrical stimulation (TES), has recently been postulated as a therapeutic strategy. With promising results, there is a need for detailed molecular characterization of the therapeutic effects of TES.

Biomechanical Comparison of Surgical Steel Wiring and Suture Tape Tension Band Techniques for Arthrodesis of the Metacarpophalangeal and Proximal Interphalangeal Joint.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the biomechanical properties of SutureTape as an alternative technique for arthrodesis of the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) and proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint arthrodesis when compared with surgical steel wire.

Methods: A total of 32 fingers (index, long, ring, and small) from two matched pair cadaveric hands were used. K-wire and surgical steel wire were used for MCP and PIP joint arthrodesis of the control group (group I), whereas K-wire and SutureTape were used for the experimental group (group II).

Single polyoxometalate-based nanoclusters characterized by infrared absorption nanospectroscopy.

Bottom-up engineering is a very attractive field. However, the periodic organization of molecules on a solid substrate is challenging, particularly in the selection of the appropriate characterization technique which is suitable for both large area and accurate analysis at the nanoscale. Here, this study demonstrates the unambiguous identification of complex molecular layers by infrared absorption microscopy at the nanometric scale.

Does what we find depend on how we sample? Measured streambed microplastic concentrations can be affected by the choice of sampling method.

Microplastics (MPs) are prevalent in rivers worldwide and can adversely impact riverine ecosystems. To sample for MPs in streambeds, a variety of different sampling techniques is applied, including (i) scooping, (ii) coring, (iii) freeze coring, (iv) resuspension method, and (v) piezometer sampling. These common sampling techniques capture different parts of the streambed and different sampling volumes.