Outcomes in stage IIA versus stage IIB/III in the PALLAS trial [ABCSG-42/AFT-05/PrE0109/BIG-14-13]).

Background: The PALLAS trial investigated the addition of palbociclib to standard adjuvant endocrine therapy to reduce breast cancer recurrence. This pre-specified analysis was conducted to determine whether adjuvant palbociclib benefited patients diagnosed with lower risk stage IIA disease compared to those with higher stage disease.

Methods: PALLAS was an international, multicenter, randomized, open-label, phase III trial, representing a public-private partnership between Pfizer, the Austrian Breast Cancer Study Group, and the U.

Association between white blood cell count and coronary artery bypass graft failure: an individual patient data analysis of clinical trials.

Background: Baseline systemic inflammation is associated with worse long-term outcomes after coronary artery bypass grafting [CABG], but the mechanisms of this association are unclear. This study aims to explore the association between pre-operative white blood cell [WBC] count and CABG graft failure.

Methods: We pooled individual patient data from two randomized clinical trials with systematic CABG graft imaging.

In vitro long-term exposure to chlorhexidine or triclosan induces cross-resistance against azoles in Nakaseomyces glabratus.

Background: Topical antiseptics are crucial for preventing infections and reducing transmission of pathogens. However, commonly used antiseptic agents have been reported to cause cross-resistance to other antimicrobials in bacteria, which has not yet been described in yeasts. This study aims to assess the in vitro efficacy of antiseptics against clinical and reference isolates of Candida albicans and Nakaseomyces glabratus, and whether prolonged exposure to antiseptics promotes the development of antifungal (cross)resistance.

Plant cross-fertilization for production of dual-specific antibodies targeting both Ebola virus-like particles and HER2 protein in F plants.

Background: This study explores the cross-fertilization of transgenic tobacco plants to produce dual-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting Ebola virus-like particles and HER2 proteins. We generated F plants by hybridizing individual transgenic lines expressing the anti-HER2 breast cancer VHH mAb (HV) and the H-13F6 human anti-Ebola large single chain mAb (EL).

Objective: Hybridizing transgenic plants to express dual-antibodies between different structures VHH and LSCK indicate the potential of transgenic plants as a cost-effective and scalable production system for dual targeting mAbs.

Unleashing creativity in people with Parkinson's disease: a pilot study of a co-designed creative arts therapy.

Background: Conventional medical management, while essential, cannot address all multifaceted consequences of Parkinson's disease (PD). This pilot study explores the potential of a co-designed creative arts therapy on health-related quality of life, well-being, and pertinent non-motor symptoms.

Methods: We conducted an exploratory pilot study with a pre-post design using validated questionnaires.

LLMs, Truth, and Democracy: An Overview of Risks.

While there are many public concerns about the impact of AI on truth and knowledge, especially when it comes to the widespread use of LLMs, there is not much systematic philosophical analysis of these problems and their political implications. This paper aims to assist this effort by providing an overview of some truth-related risks in which LLMs may play a role, including risks concerning hallucination and misinformation, epistemic agency and epistemic bubbles, bullshit and relativism, and epistemic anachronism and epistemic incest, and by offering arguments for why these problems are not only epistemic issues but also raise problems for democracy since they undermine its epistemic basis- especially if we assume democracy theories that go beyond minimalist views. I end with a short reflection on what can be done about these political-epistemic risks, pointing to education as one of the sites for change.

Systemic IFN-I combined with topical TLR7/8 agonists promotes distant tumor suppression by c-Jun-dependent IL-12 expression in dendritic cells.

Dendritic cell (DC) activation by pattern recognition receptors like Toll-like-receptors (TLRs) is crucial for cancer immunotherapies. Here, we demonstrate the effectiveness of the TLR7/8 agonist imiquimod (IMQ) in treating both local tumors and distant metastases. Administered orally, IMQ activates plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) to produce systemic type I interferons (IFN-I) required for TLR7/8 upregulation in DCs and macrophages, sensitizing them to topical IMQ treatment, which is essential for therapeutic efficacy.

Tick-borne encephalitis vaccine uptake, effectiveness, and impact in Sweden from 2018 to 2022.

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is an increasing health threat in Sweden and elsewhere in Europe. TBE vaccination is commonly recommended in Sweden, but limited data are available on uptake, effectiveness, and impact of TBE vaccination. General population surveys conducted in 2019-2022 were used to estimated TBE vaccine uptake.

Exploration of transfer learning techniques for the prediction of PM.

Modelling of pollutants provides valuable insights into air quality dynamics, aiding exposure assessment where direct measurements are not viable. Machine learning (ML) models can be employed to explore such dynamics, including the prediction of air pollution concentrations, yet demanding extensive training data. To address this, techniques like transfer learning (TL) leverage knowledge from a model trained on a rich dataset to enhance one trained on a sparse dataset, provided there are similarities in data distribution.

Incidence and Outcomes of Secondary Bladder Cancer Following Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background And Objective: There is an established association between secondary bladder cancers (SBCs) and radiotherapy (RT) for prostate cancer (PC), which remains a significant concern. Our aim was to update the evidence on SBC incidence across different RT modalities and to compare oncological outcomes for patients diagnosed with SBC to those diagnosed with primary bladder cancer (PBC).

Methods: We searched MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science for studies on SBC following PC.

Metformin intake and risk of metabolic acidosis after radical cystectomy with urinary diversion: A comparative study using data from the TriNetX research network.

Purpose: To investigate the association of diabetes mellitus and metformin use with metabolic acidosis risk after radical cystectomy (RC) and urinary diversion for bladder cancer.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective cohort study used TriNetX Research Network data. Patients undergoing RC with continent diversion or ileal conduit for bladder cancer were identified using International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) and ICD-10 Procedure Coding System (ICD-10-PCS) codes.

Magnetic and reusable FeO/PPE-2 functional material for efficient photodegradation of organic dye.

Composite photocatalysts based on metal nanoparticles and functional polymers attract much attention compared to inorganic photocatalysts. In this study, a reusable magnetite/anion exchanger (FeO/PPE-2) functional material is synthesized by a hydrothermal method, and its photocatalytic activity is evaluated for the photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB). The results from materials characterization confirm a well-defined morphology of magnetic FeO/PPE-2 functional material and the formation of FeO nanocrystals with different shapes and sizes on the surface of anion exchange material (PPE-2).

Philanthropic drug development: understanding its importance, mechanisms, and future prospects.

Philanthropic drug development (PDD) addresses gaps in traditional pharmaceutical innovation, particularly for rare and underserved diseases. Cost and timeline challenges discourage new investments, especially in niche therapeutic areas. Patient organizations (POs) are uniquely positioned to help to reduce development challenges by providing expertise, supporting early research, fostering collaborations, and driving patient-centered clinical trials.

Alpha6-containing GABA receptors - Novel targets for the treatment of schizophrenia.

α6-containing GABA receptors (α6GABARs) are strongly expressed in cerebellar granule cells and are of central importance for cerebellar functions. The cerebellum not only is involved in regulation of motor activity, but also in regulation of thought, cognition, emotion, language, and social behavior. Activation of α6GABARs enhances the precision of sensory inputs, enables rapid and coordinated movement and adequate responses to the environment, and protects the brain from information overflow.

Semaglutide in obesity-related heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and type 2 diabetes across baseline HbA levels (STEP-HFpEF DM): a prespecified analysis of heart failure and metabolic outcomes from a randomised, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: About half of patients with heart failure with mildly reduced or preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) have type 2 diabetes. In the STEP-HFpEF DM trial of adults with obesity-related HFpEF and type 2 diabetes, subcutaneous once weekly semaglutide 2·4 mg conferred improvements in heart failure-related symptoms and physical limitations, bodyweight, and other heart failure outcomes. We aimed to determine whether these effects of semaglutide differ according to baseline HbA.

The clinical phenomenology of skin-picking disorder - Are there any obsessive-compulsive components?

Background: Skin-picking disorder (SPD) is currently conceptualized as a condition related to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The present study investigated whether the emotional, cognitive, and somatic components of skin-picking episodes align with this conceptual framework.

Method: A total of 134 patients diagnosed with SPD (mean age = 32 years; 84 % female; average symptom duration: 16 years) underwent in-person clinical assessment.

The ReAct project: Analysis of data from 23 different laboratories to characterise DNA recovery given two sets of activity level propositions.

The ReAct (Recovery, Activity) project is an ENFSI (European Network of Forensic Science Institutes) supported initiative comprising a large consortium of laboratories. Here, the results from more than 23 laboratories are presented. The primary purpose was to design experiments simulating typical casework circumstances; collect data and to implement Bayesian networks to assess the value (i.

Reduced monocytic IL10 expression in PD1 inhibitor-treated patients is a harbinger of severe immune-related adverse events.

Background: Despite remarkable clinical efficacy, little is known about the system-wide immunological alterations provoked by PD1 blockade. Dynamics of quantitative immune composition and functional repertoire during PD1 blockade could delineate cohort-specific patterns of treatment response and therapy-induced toxicity.

Methods: We longitudinally assessed therapy-induced effects on the immune system in fresh whole blood using flow cytometry-based cell quantifications, accompanied by analyses of effector properties of all major immune populations upon cell-type specific stimulations.

Editorial: 21st meeting of the international council for near infrared spectroscopy - NIR 2023.

NIR 2023, or the 21st meeting of The International Council for Near Infrared Spectroscopy (ICNIRS), held in Innsbruck, Austria, in August 2023, was a significant event for the NIR spectroscopy community, bringing together 386 participants from 37 countries. This editorial introduces the Special Issue of Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy, featuring nearly 30 articles that represent the topics from the conference. Like the NIR 2023 event itself, this collection highlights advancements in NIR spectroscopy, including fundamental research, instrumentation, and applications.

Loneliness is positively associated with populist radical right support.

Objectives: The mental and physical health consequences of loneliness are well documented. However, loneliness's socio-political ramifications have been largely unexplored. We theorize that loneliness, due to its physiologically dysregulating impact on the nervous system, facilitates greater susceptibility towards populist radical right parties.

Evaluating the Acceptance and Usability of an Independent, Noncommercial Search Engine for Medical Information: Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Study and User Behavior Tracking Analysis.

Background: The internet is a key source of health information, but the quality of content from popular search engines varies, posing challenges for users-especially those with low health or digital health literacy. To address this, the "tala-med" search engine was developed in 2020 to provide access to high-quality, evidence-based content. It prioritizes German health websites based on trustworthiness, recency, user-friendliness, and comprehensibility, offering category-based filters while ensuring privacy by avoiding data collection and advertisements.