Dynamics of affect modulation in neurodevelopmental disorders (DynAMoND) - study design of a prospective cohort study.

Background: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neuro-developmental disorder that often persists into adulthood. Moreover, it is frequently accompanied by bipolar disorder (BD) as well as borderline personality disorder (BPD). It is unclear whether these disorders share underlying pathomechanisms, given that all three are characterized by alterations in affective states, either long or short-term.

Monitoring low-value care in medical patients from Swiss university hospitals using a Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable (FAIR) national data stream and patient and public involvement: LUCID study protocol.

Introduction: Healthcare practices providing minimal or no benefit to recipients have been estimated to represent 20% of healthcare costs. However, defining, measuring and monitoring low-value care (LVC) and its downstream consequences remain a major challenge. The purpose of the National Data Stream (LUCID NDS) is to identify and monitor LVC in medical inpatients using routinely collected hospital data.

Early detection of bacterial pneumonia by characteristic induced odor signatures.

Introduction: The ability to detect pathogenic bacteria before the onsets of severe respiratory symptoms and to differentiate bacterial infection allows to improve patient-tailored treatment leading to a significant reduction in illness severity, comorbidity as well as antibiotic resistance. As such, this study refines the application of the non-invasive Secondary Electrospray Ionization-High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (SESI-HRMS) methodology for real-time and early detection of human respiratory bacterial pathogens in the respiratory tract of a mouse infection model.

Methods: A real-time analysis of changes in volatile metabolites excreted by mice undergoing a lung infection by Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus pneumoniae were evaluated using a SESI-HRMS instrument.

Decoding the physicochemical basis of resurrection: the journey of lichen Flavoparmelia caperata through prolonged water scarcity to full rehydration.

Desiccation tolerance is a complex phenomenon observed in the lichen Flavoparmelia ceparata. To understand the reactivation process of desiccated thalli, completely dried samples were rehydrated. The rehydration process of this lichen occurs in two phases.

Clinical, Ethical, and Legal Considerations Raised by Self-Reported Genital Mutilation Following Voluntary Cosmetic Labiaplasty.

An increasing number of women are undergoing female genital cosmetic surgery (FGCS). Labiaplasty, the most commonly performed FGCS, consists of a surgical procedure to decrease the inner labia size so that no or less tissue protrudes beyond the outer labia. Anatomically, it is similar to female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) Type 2a.

Fully Navigated Single-Position Prone Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion: A Detailed Technical Report and Description of 15 Cases.

Background: Navigation increases the precision and safety of pedicle screw placement and has been used to place interbody cages for lateral lumbar interbody fusion. Single-position surgery shortens its duration and that of anesthesia. The aim of this study was the feasibility of simultaneous cage and screw placement in a single prone position using intraoperative navigation without the need for additional fluoroscopy and a detailed technical description of this procedure.

Pearls & Oy-sters: Increased Visibility of Focal Cortical Dysplasia in Cerebral MRI During the First Year of Life.

Early detection of focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) using brain MRI in young children presenting with drug-resistant epilepsy may facilitate prompt surgical treatment, resulting in better control of seizures and decreased associated cognitive difficulties. Characteristics of FCD described in the literature are predominantly based on MRI findings in a fully myelinated brain; therefore, changes occurring during early brain maturation are not well known. In this case report, we describe distinct MRI features of a FCD visualized best before completion of myelination of the cortex and subcortical white matter.

Improved phosphorus MRSI acquisition through compressed sensing acceleration combined with low-rank reconstruction.

Objectives: Phosphorus-31 magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (P-MRSI) is a non-invasive tool for assessing cellular high-energy metabolism in-vivo. However, its acquisition suffers from a low sensitivity, which necessitates large voxel sizes or multiple averages to achieve an acceptable signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), resulting in long scan times.

Materials And Methods: To overcome these limitations, we propose an acquisition and reconstruction scheme for FID-MRSI sequences.

Enhanced Sampling with Suboptimal Collective Variables: Reconciling Accuracy and Convergence Speed.

We introduce an enhanced sampling algorithm to obtain converged free energy landscapes of molecular rare events, even when the collective variable (CV) used for biasing is not optimal. Our approach samples a time-dependent target distribution by combining the on-the-fly probability enhanced sampling and its exploratory variant, OPES Explore. This promotes more transitions between the relevant metastable states and accelerates the convergence speed of the free energy estimate.

Masseter muscle thickness before and after the correction of unilateral functional posterior crossbite in growing individuals: a prospective controlled clinical trial.

Objectives: To evaluate whether unilateral functional posterior crossbite in growing children creates an asymmetry in masseter muscle thickness and whether this asymmetry is normalized after crossbite correction.

Materials And Methods: Two groups of growing individuals were studied prospectively: (i) a treatment group: children with unilateral functional posterior crossbite, undergoing crossbite correction with maxillary expansion; and (ii) a control group: children without transversal malocclusions and orthodontic treatment. The thickness of the masseter muscles was measured bilaterally using ultrasonographic recordings at three time points: pre-treatment (T0); 9 months after (T1); and 30 months after posterior crossbite correction (T2); and at equivalent time points in the control group.

Analyzing Parental Involvement in Youth Basketball.

Parental involvement in youth sports is increasingly relevant in scientific research since parents have gradually developed awareness regarding youngsters' sports experiences. This study aimed to (1) examine potential differences in athletes' and parents' perceptions of parental involvement practices in youth basketball, (2) verify whether these perceptions differ by sex, and (3) analyze the relationship between the different perceptions dimensions recorded. The analysis included a large sample of 423 Portuguese participants (151 youth basketball athletes and 272 parents) who completed the Parental Behaviors in Sports (PBSP) questionnaire.

Impact of Endocrine Disruptors on the Genitourinary Tract.

Over the last decades, the human species has seen an increase in the incidence of pathologies linked to the genitourinary tract. Observations in animals have allowed us to link these increases, at least in part, to changes in the environment and, in particular, to an increasing presence of endocrine disruptors. These can be physical agents, such as light or heat; natural products, such as phytoestrogens; or chemicals produced by humans.

Epicardial Fat Volume Assessed by MRI in Adolescents: Associations with Obesity and Cardiovascular Risk Factors.

: In adults, epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is associated with metabolic syndrome (MS) and coronary artery disease. EAT thickness is increased in obese youth, but total EAT volume and its correlation with cardiovascular risk factors have not been studied. : To determine EAT volume in adolescents and its association with obesity and cardiovascular risk factors.

The Vsr-like protein FASTKD4 regulates the stability and polyadenylation of the MT-ND3 mRNA.

Expression of the compact mitochondrial genome is regulated by nuclear encoded, mitochondrially localized RNA-binding proteins (RBPs). RBPs regulate the lifecycles of mitochondrial RNAs from transcription to degradation by mediating RNA processing, maturation, stability and translation. The Fas-activated serine/threonine kinase (FASTK) family of RBPs has been shown to regulate and fine-tune discrete aspects of mitochondrial gene expression.

Analysis of eligibility criteria clusters based on large language models for clinical trial design.

Objectives: Clinical trials (CTs) are essential for improving patient care by evaluating new treatments' safety and efficacy. A key component in CT protocols is the study population defined by the eligibility criteria. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of large language models (LLMs) in encoding eligibility criterion information to support CT-protocol design.

Mobile health teleconsultation and telemedicine in operating outpatient departments during COVID-19 pandemic at a hospital in Eastern Nepal.

Background: Telemedicine provides a means to deliver healthcare across distances, enhancing efficiency and accessibility, especially in low- and middle-income countries. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted its importance by reducing the risk of virus transmission while maintaining healthcare delivery. This study evaluates the telemedicine program implemented at B.

Gender and geographical bias in the editorial decision-making process of biomedical journals: a case-control study.

Objectives: To assess whether the gender (primary) and geographical affiliation (post-hoc) of the first and/or last authors are associated with publication decisions after peer review.

Design: Case-control study.

Setting: Biomedical journals.

Highly sensitive ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry method for the multiplex analysis of levosimendan and its metabolites OR-1855 and OR-1896 in human plasma.

Levosimendan is a positive inotrope and vasodilator used in patients with acute and chronic decompensated heart failure. It is metabolized into OR-1855 (inactive metabolite), which is further acetylated into OR-1896 (active metabolite having a prolonged half-life, hence a sustained effect). Levosimendan represents a valuable alternative to traditional inotropes with broad clinical applications in critically ill patients with cardiogenic shock, advanced heart failure and post-cardiac surgery.

Durable lymphocyte subset elimination upon a single dose of AAV-delivered depletion antibody dissects immune control of chronic viral infection.

To interrogate the role of specific immune cells in infection, cancer, and autoimmunity, immunologists commonly use monoclonal depletion antibodies (depletion-mAbs) or genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs). To generate a tool that combines specific advantages and avoids select drawbacks of the two methods, we engineered adeno-associated viral vectors expressing depletion mAbs (depletion-AAVs). Single-dose depletion-AAV administration durably eliminated lymphocyte subsets in mice and avoided accessory deficiencies of GEMMs, such as marginal zone defects in B cell-deficient animals.

Context counts: a qualitative study on how adolescents activate social resources to develop and practice health literacy.

Background: Recently, the importance of social networks and other contextual factors in shaping health literacy of adolescents has gained recognition. However, research often simply refers to context without explicitly describing it. In this qualitative study, we aimed to explore how adolescents activate their (social) resources to develop and practice health literacy within a Swiss cantonal school health service program and in their everyday lives.

Neuroblastoma response to RAS-MAPK inhibitors and APR-246 (eprenetapopt) co-treatment is dependent on SLC7A11.

Background: We previously demonstrated that APR-246 (eprenetapopt) could be an efficient treatment option against neuroblastoma (NB), the most common pediatric extracranial solid tumor. APR-246's mechanism of action is not completely understood and can differ between cell types. Here we investigate the involvement of well-known oncogenic pathways in NB's response to APR-246.