Exposure to titanium dioxide nanoparticles disrupts the BTB by interfering with the assembly of stress granules in germ cells.

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO NPs) are among the most prevalent nanomaterials utilized in industrial and medical fields. However, their impact on spermatogenesis and male fertility remains insufficiently characterized. This study addresses the reproductive toxicity of TiO NPs and elucidates the underlying molecular mechanisms involved.

Efficacy and safety of antibody-drug conjugates in pretreated HER2-low metastatic breast cancer: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Introduction: Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) trastuzumab-deruxtecan (T-DXd) and sacituzumab-govitecan (SG) provided significant progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) improvements over chemotherapy (CT) in pretreated hormone receptor-positive (HR+) and triple-negative (TN)/HER2-low metastatic breast cancer (MBC). However, no direct comparison between the two exists, nor with the more recent datopotamab-deruxtecan (Dato-DXd).

Methods: We conducted a network meta-analysis (NMA) to compare efficacy and safety of T-DXd and SG in CT-pretreated HR+ and TN/HER2-low MBC and assess their benefit over standard CT, exploring also a comparison with Dato-DXd.

Association of trimethylamine N-oxide and metabolites with kidney function decline in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Background: Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) is a gut microbial metabolite derived from dietary l-carnitine and choline. High plasma TMAO levels are associated with cardiovascular disease and overall mortality, but little is known about the associations of TMAO and related metabolites with the risk of kidney function decline among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Methods: We prospectively followed 152 nondialysis patients with CKD stages 3-5 and measured plasma TMAO and related metabolites (trimethylamine [TMA], choline, carnitine, and γ-butyrobetaine) via liquid chromatography‒mass spectrometry.

Astrocyte regulation of critical period plasticity across neural circuits.

Critical periods are brief windows of heightened neural circuit plasticity that allow circuits to permanently reset their structure and function to facilitate robust organismal behavior. Understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms that instruct critical period timing is of broad clinical interest, as altered developmental plasticity is linked to multiple neurodevelopmental disorders. While intrinsic, neuronal mechanisms shape both neural circuit remodeling and critical period timing, recent data indicate that signaling from astrocytes and surrounding glia can both promote and limit critical period plasticity.

Corticospinal and Clinical Effects of Muscle Tendon Vibration in Neurologically Impaired Individuals. A Scoping Review.

This review verified the extent, variety, quality and main findings of studies that have tested the neurophysiological and clinical effects of muscle tendon vibration (VIB) in individuals with sensorimotor impairments. The search was conducted on PubMed, CINAHL, and SportDiscuss up to April 2024. Studies were selected if they included humans with neurological impairments, applied VIB and used at least one measure of corticospinal excitability using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).

Just the Tip of the Iceberg: a Brief Report of the Tip-of-the-Tongue Score as an Embedded Validity Indicator for the Children's Auditory and Visual Naming Tests.

Objective: Explore the tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) scores from the Children's Auditory and Visual Naming Tests (cANT, cVNT) as embedded validity indicators (EVIs).

Method: A retrospective design of 98 consecutively referred youth aged 6-15 years (M = 11.28, SD = 2.

Pathology discovered in the "first patient" can be the silent teacher of self-directed learning.

Pathology found during cadaveric dissection has been used to model integrative teaching methods for medical students at several institutions. Recent evidence has shown that pathology found during dissection can be used in the design of self-directed learning (SDL) activities with standards that are difficult to meet. This study presents a novel method for providing formative feedback, one of the most challenging aspects for LCME accreditation of SDL activities.

Disordered eating attitudes and behaviours among older adults with type 1 diabetes: An exploratory study.

Aims: We explored the prevalence of disordered eating behaviours (DEBs) and attitudes among older adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and associations with demographic and clinical variables.

Methods: Adults aged ≥65 years with T1D from a university-affiliated hospital system completed an electronic survey (September to November 2023) including the Diabetes Eating Problem Survey-Revised (DEPS-R). Clinical data were extracted from medical records.

The N-degron pathway mediates the autophagic degradation of cytosolic mitochondrial DNA during sterile innate immune responses.

The human body reacts to tissue damage by generating damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) that activate sterile immune responses. To date, little is known about how DAMPs are removed to avoid excessive immune responses. Here, we show that proteasomal dysfunction induces the release of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) as a DAMP that activates the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)-stimulator of interferon gene (STING) pathway and is subsequently degraded through the N-degron pathway.

Increased nuclear factor I-mediated chromatin access drives transition to androgen receptor splice variant dependence in prostate cancer.

Androgen receptor (AR) splice variants, of which ARv7 is the most common, are increased in castration-resistant prostate cancer, but the extent to which they drive AR activity is unclear. We generated a subline of VCaP cells (VCaP16) that is resistant to the AR inhibitor enzalutamide (ENZ). AR activity in VCaP16 is driven by ARv7, independently of full-length AR (ARfl), and its cistrome and transcriptome mirror those of ARfl in VCaP cells.

Contextual modulation emerges by integrating feedforward and feedback processing in mouse visual cortex.

Sensory systems use context to infer meaning. Accordingly, context profoundly influences neural responses to sensory stimuli. However, a cohesive understanding of the circuit mechanisms governing contextual effects across different stimulus conditions is still lacking.

Comparisons of echocardiographic findings of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units before and after the omicron variant propagation.

Purpose: Few investigational reports have evaluated the status of cardiovascular manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during the Omicron dominance period. In this study, we aimed to investigate the cardiac function parameters and clinical outcomes of patients with COVID-19 before and after the Omicron variant (OV) propagation.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the data of 88 adult patients with COVID-19 who underwent clinically indicated standard transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in intensive care wards.

Effect of maternal exposure to antibiotics during pregnancy on the neonatal intestinal microbiome and health.

Antibiotics are widely used during pregnancy. Recent epidemiological studies suggest that maternal exposure to antibiotics during pregnancy is associated with increased risks of various diseases in offspring; host-microbiome interactions are considered to be involved in pathogenesis, as antibiotic-induced perturbations (dysbiosis) of the maternal microbiome can be transmitted to offspring. We reviewed the current status of antibiotic usage during pregnancy, transmission of maternal antibiotic-induced dysbiosis to offspring, and several diseases in offspring reported to be associated with maternal antibiotic exposure.

Clinical impact of a subtype of urothelial carcinoma in nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the oncological outcomes of the subtype of urothelial carcinoma (SUC), including divergent differentiation and histologic subtype, in comparison with those of pure urothelial carcinoma (PUC) in nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated patients who were initially treated with transurethral resection of the bladder tumor (TURBT) between March 2005 and August 2020 at a single institution. Patients with PUC and SUC were compared in terms of recurrence-free survival (RFS), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS).

Executive function in young children with and without global developmental delays: Association with mastery motivation and developmental abilities.

Executive functions (EF) affect child competencies across domains in early childhood. Thus, this study examined: 1) the EF differences between young children with global developmental delays (GDD) and those with typical development (TD); 2) the relationship between mastery motivation (MM) and EF; 3) the association between developmental abilities and EF in both groups. Participants included 26 mother-child dyads of preschoolers with GDD (age 24-55 months) and 26 sex- and mental-age-matched dyads of TD preschoolers (age 15-29 months).

Radiological Sublingual Space Invasion in Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Clinicopathological Associations and Impact on Survival.

Objectives: We investigate if sublingual space invasion (SLI) determined on magnetic resonance imaging confers differences in clinicopathological manifestations and treatment outcomes of oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC).

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Tertiary Academic Medical Center.

Time-Drive Activity-Based Costing (TDABC) in Otolaryngology: A Scoping Review.

Objective: Accurately measuring the cost of a clinical process is critical to identifying ways to increase the value of a healthcare process. The objective of this study was to review time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) in otolaryngology and to illustrate areas where value may be increased.

Data Sources: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, CINAHL Complete, and Business Source Complete from database inception to August 2024.

Non-ionotropic NMDAR signalling activates Panx1 to induce P2X4R-dependent long-term depression in the hippocampus.

In recent years, evidence supporting non-ionotropic signalling by the NMDA receptor (niNMDAR) has emerged, including roles in long-term depression (LTD). Here, we investigated whether niNMDAR-pannexin-1 (Panx1) contributes to LTD at the CA3-CA1 hippocampal synapse. Using whole-cell, patch clamp electrophysiology in rat hippocampal slices, we show that a low-frequency stimulation (3 Hz) of the Schaffer collaterals produces LTD that is blocked by continuous but not transient application of the NMDAR competitive antagonist, MK-801.

Recentering the humeral head does not necessarily improve glenohumeral abduction: A cadaveric biomechanical study.

Purpose: To explore if recentering the humeral head could improve shoulder abduction in shoulders with irreparable massive rotator cuff tears (IMRCTs).

Methods: Nine fresh-frozen cadaveric shoulders were used to simulate the intact condition and IMRCTs as controls. Four 'recenter' interventions were then sequentially applied: subacromial interposition (SI) using 4- and 8-mm spacers and superior capsule reconstruction (SCR) using two- and four-layer fascia lata grafts.

A practical guide to the diagnosis and management of suspected Non-tuberculous Mycobacterial Pulmonary Disease (NTM-PD) in the United Kingdom.

Non-tuberculous Mycobacterial Pulmonary Disease (NTM-PD) is a chronic disease characterised by progressive inflammatory lung damage due to infection by non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). Global prevalence of NTM-PD is generally low but is rising, likely due to a combination of increased surveillance, increasing multimorbidity and improved diagnostic techniques. Most disease is caused by Mycobacterium avium complex species.