Effect of plasma free fatty acids on lung function in male COPD patients.

Inflammation and oxidative stress play a pivotal role in COPD pathogenesis. Free fatty acids (FFA) as signaling molecules through a series of G-proteins coupled receptors, play an important role in regulation of the immune system and oxidative stress. For this reason, we decided to investigate the profile of FFA in the plasma in the COPD patients.

Changes in doxylamine-pyridoxine dispensation in Ontario following media attention: Time-series analysis.

Objective: To understand the possible association between media coverage and changes in the dispensation of doxylamine-pyridoxine in Canada.

Design: Cross-sectional time-series analysis using data from the IQVIA CompuScript database.

Setting: Ten Canadian provinces.

Efficacy and safety of Matricaria chamomilla intervention in managing menopausal symptoms: a triple-blind clinical trial.

Objective: Menopausal symptoms can significantly impact women's quality of life. Herbal interventions like Matricaria chamomilla (chamomile) have been suggested as potential remedies. However, their efficacy and safety remain underexplored.

Utility of word embeddings from large language models in medical diagnosis.

Objective: This study evaluates the utility of word embeddings, generated by large language models (LLMs), for medical diagnosis by comparing the semantic proximity of symptoms to their eponymic disease embedding ("eponymic condition") and the mean of all symptom embeddings associated with a disease ("ensemble mean").

Materials And Methods: Symptom data for 5 diagnostically challenging pediatric diseases-CHARGE syndrome, Cowden disease, POEMS syndrome, Rheumatic fever, and Tuberous sclerosis-were collected from PubMed. Using the Ada-002 embedding model, disease names and symptoms were translated into vector representations in a high-dimensional space.

Inhibition of growth and lung metastasis of breast cancer by pH-responsive methotrexate/curcumin-loaded chitosan-stabilized nanoemulsions.

Chemotherapeutic agents are widely used to combat breast cancer. However, due to their non-selective biodistribution, their usage is associated with severe adverse effects on healthy tissues. In this study, a chitosan-stabilized nanoemulsion (CSNE) was prepared for the codelivery of curcumin (CUR) and methotrexate (MTX).

Crafting dental specialities in Iran: insights from a qualitative study.

Background: Different countries have varying dental specialities, shaped by diverse factors. The determinants influencing the development of these specialities differ between developed and developing countries. This study aimed to explore the factors contributing to the establishment of dental specialities in Iran, a developing country with a wide range of recognised dental specialities.

AMPK Activates Cellulase Secretion in Penicillium funiculosum by Downregulating P-HOG1 MAPK Levels.

Cellulase production for hydrolyzing plant cell walls is energy-intensive in filamentous fungi during nutrient scarcity. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), encoded by snf1, is known to be the nutrient and energy sensor in eukaryotes. Previous studies on AMPK identified its role in alternate carbon utilization in pathogenic fungi.

Acquired amphotericin B resistance leads to fitness trade-offs that can be mitigated by compensatory evolution in Candida auris.

Candida auris is a growing concern due to its resistance to antifungal drugs, particularly amphotericin B (AMB), detected in 30 to 60% of clinical isolates. However, the mechanisms of AMB resistance remain poorly understood. Here we investigated 441 in vitro- and in vivo-evolved C.

From Chaos to Rationality: A Contingent Meta-Model for Evidence-Informed Health Policymaking in Diverse Contexts.

Background: Evidence-informed policymaking is a complex process that requires adapting to diverse contexts characterized by varying degrees of certainty and agreement. Existing models and frameworks often lack clear guidance for dealing with such contexts. This study aimed to develop a novel contingency model to guide the context-specific use of evidence in health policymaking.

Conductance fluctuations in cobalt valence tautomer molecular thin films.

The conductivity changes associated with optical excitations and changing temperature in cobalt valence tautomer molecular thin films were investigated. Conductance switching in the presence of illumination is observed, with occasional locking in a higher conductance state, depending on the temperature, the photon energy of the illumination, and the bias voltage. Light of sufficiently short wavelengths is needed to ensure the light enhanced conductance switching, consistent with the optical absorption, but bias voltage clearly plays a role as well.

Levonorgestrel 52 mg intrauterine device placement without uterine sounding: A feasibility study.

Objectives: To evaluate feasibility of levonorgestrel 52 mg intrauterine device (IUD) placement without uterine sounding.

Study Design: We performed a three-phase feasibility study from February 2023-May 2024. In phase one, participants had levonorgestrel 52 mg IUD placement with sounding.

5-Year Outcomes of Anterior Mitral Leaflet Laceration to Prevent Outflow Obstruction.

Background: Left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction is a common, often fatal complication of transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR). Laceration of the anterior mitral leaflet to prevent outflow obstruction (LAMPOON) was safe and effective at preventing LVOT obstruction at 30 days in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute LAMPOON trial.

Objectives: The authors report the 5-year outcomes of intentional anterior mitral leaflet laceration before SAPIEN 3 TMVR, in patients at risk of LVOT obstruction.

A Novel Suture-Based Vascular Closure Device to Achieve Hemostasis after Venous or Arterial Access While Leaving Nothing behind: A Review of the Technological Assessment and Early Clinical Outcomes.

Vascular hemostasis after venous and arterial access in cardiovascular procedures remains a challenge. As sheath size gets larger for structural heart and vascular procedures, no dedicated closure devices exist that can overcome all the challenges of achieving vascular hemostasis, in particular on the venous side. Efficiently and reliably ensuring hemostasis at the access point is crucial for enhancing the safety of a procedure.

Failed Ahmed glaucoma valves: trabeculectomy versus repeat shunt surgery.

Introduction: To investigate the outcomes of trabeculectomy (TRAB) versus repeat Ahmed glaucoma valve (re-AGV) implantation in eyes with Ahmed glaucoma valve (AGV) failure.

Methods: This quasi-experimental study includes patients with failed AGV implants requiring additional surgical intervention between 2018 and 2022. Patients in the TRAB group underwent a fornix-based procedure with mitomycin C 0.

Expanded Polytetrafluoroethylene Spacer for Nonpenetrating Deep Sclerectomy Combined with Cataract Surgery.

Purpose: To compare the outcomes of nonpenetrating deep sclerectomy (NPDS) with and without an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (e-PTFE) implant combined with phacoemulsification (PE).

Design: Interventional case series with concurrent control group.

Materials And Methods: Patients with medically uncontrolled glaucoma underwent PE nonpenetrating deep sclerectomy (NPDS) and were consecutively divided into a study group receiving an e-PTFE implant and a control group undergoing PE-NPDS.

Comparison of the effect of dydrogesterone and natural micronized progesterone for luteal-phase support in assisted reproductive technology cycles: A single-blind randomized clinical trial study.

Background And Aims: One of the causes of preterm labor and recurrent abortion is progesterone deficiency in the luteal phase. The aim of the study was a comparison of the effect of oral dydrogesterone and vaginal progesterone for luteal-phase support (LPS) in assisted reproductive technology cycles (ART).

Methods: This randomized clinical control trial study was conducted on 207 infertile women.

Inactivated herpes simplex virus-1 vaccine formulated in aqueous and alcoholic extracts of propolis boosts cellular and IgG responses.

Objectives: In this study, the adjuvant activity of aqueous and alcoholic extracts of propolis was examined on the inactivated herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1.

Materials And Methods: BALB/C mice were administered with inactivated (HSV-1; the KOS strain) plus alcoholic and aqueous extracts, followed by assessment of the cellular and humoral immune responses.

Results: Alcoholic and aqueous extracts, as an adjuvant, revealed a significant increase in lymphocyte proliferation and cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses versus the HSV-1 group.

Comparative efficacy of combined oral contraceptives and the levonorgestrel 52 mg IUD.

The relative risk of pregnancy with the levonorgestrel 52 mg IUD is 3 times lower than with optimal combined oral contraceptive use.

PIKfyve, expressed by CD11c-positive cells, controls tumor immunity.

Cancer treatment continues to shift from utilizing traditional therapies to targeted ones, such as protein kinase inhibitors and immunotherapy. Mobilizing dendritic cells (DC) and other myeloid cells with antigen presenting and cancer cell killing capacities is an attractive but not fully exploited approach. Here, we show that PIKFYVE is a shared gene target of clinically relevant protein kinase inhibitors and high expression of this gene in DCs is associated with poor patient response to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy.

Calculating transmembrane voltage on the electric pulse-affected cancerous cell membrane: using molecular dynamics and finite element simulations.

Context: Electroporation is a technique that creates electrically generated pores in the cell membrane by modifying transmembrane potential. In this work, the finite element method (FEM) was used to examine the induced transmembrane voltage (ITV) of a spherical-shaped MCF-7 cell, allowing researchers to determine the stationary ITV. A greater ITV than the critical value causes permeabilization of the membrane.

Little associations exist between the three commonly used functional screening tests in collegiate athletes.

Although an abundant number of studies have investigated the predictability of the commonly used functional screening tests and despite their popularity and applicability, the relationships between these tests have rarely been studied and have not been well established. This study aimed to examine the potential association between the Functional Movement Screen (FMS), Y Balance Test (YBT), and Landing Error Scoring System (LESS). Six hundred twenty-seven Iranian collegiate athletes (347 males, age = 22.

Repeated cognitive assessments show stable function over time in patients with ALS.

Background: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a multisystem disorder with not only motor symptoms but also extra-motor features including cognitive impairment. The most common cognitive profile observed in patients with ALS includes deficits in executive function, language, and social cognition. However, longitudinal studies on cognitive changes over time in ALS are sparse.