New thoughts on the gut-immune axis of arthritis.

Arthritis is associated with varying degrees of intestinal inflammation and microbiota dysbiosis, leading to the 'gut-joint axis hypothesis' in which intestinal and joint inflammation are suggested to be interconnected through immune-microbiota interactions. While clinical observations support this, causality remains uncertain. Rodent models have provided insights into potential mechanisms by uncovering microbial influences and immune pathways that either connect or uncouple gut and joint inflammation.

Saliva Samples as a Potential Tool for the Diagnosis and Monitoring of Cytomegalovirus Reactivation in Children Undergoing Transplantation.

Background: Regular monitoring of cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation in children who undergo transplantation is performed by molecular testing on blood samples. This highlights the need to explore noninvasive alternatives, such as saliva. The present study evaluated the usefulness of saliva samples for detecting and monitoring CMV reactivation in children undergoing transplantation at a referral center in Lima, Peru.

Dysbiosis Patterns in Glottic and Laryngeal Cancers: A Systematic Review of Microbiome Alterations.

Background: This systematic review summarized current evidence regarding the role of upper aerodigestive tract microbiomes (UAM) in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) development, progression, clinical, and oncological outcomes.

Methods: Two investigators systematically search PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases for studies investigating microbiome characteristics, mechanistic roles, and associations with clinical and oncological outcomes in LSCC according to the Preferred Reporting Items For A Systematic Review And Meta-analysis statements. The bias analysis was conducted with the methodological index for nonrandomized studies.

A survey on measurement and reporting of total testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin and free testosterone in clinical laboratories in Europe.

Objectives: To compare clinical laboratory workflows for the assessment of androgens in men, focusing on total testosterone (T), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and free T, in clinical laboratories throughout Europe.

Methods: An internet-based survey that included questions related to pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical phases of androgen measurements was distributed between December 2022 and December 2023 by clinical laboratory/chemistry and endocrine societies. A total of 124 unique records from clinical laboratories in 27 European countries were analyzed.

Phylogenomic conflict analyses of plastid and mitochondrial genomes of Impatiens (Balsaminaceae) reveal its complex evolutionary history.

Impatiens is among the most diverse angiosperm genera, comprising more than 1000 species. The phylogenetic relationship among sections of Impatiens remains unclear. Plastomes and mitogenomes are useful for resolving problematic relationships in plant phylogenetics; however, conflicts between the organellar genomes have been reported.

Does total hip arthroplasty benefit patients with minimal radiological osteoarthritis?

Aims: The effectiveness of total hip arthroplasty (THA) for patients with no or minimal radiological signs of osteoarthritis (OA) is unclear. In this study, we aimed to: 1) assess the outcome of such patients; 2) identify patient comorbidities and CT or MRI findings which predicted outcome; and 3) compare their outcome to the expected outcome of THA for hip OA.

Methods: Adult patients undergoing THA for hip pain, with no or minimal radiological features of OA (Tönnis grading scale ≤ 1), were identified from a consecutive series of 1,925 THAs.

Polarity-guided uneven mitotic divisions control brassinosteroid activity in proliferating plant root cells.

Brassinosteroid hormones are positive regulators of plant organ growth, yet their function in proliferating tissues remains unclear. Here, through integrating single-cell RNA sequencing with long-term live-cell imaging of the Arabidopsis root, we reveal that brassinosteroid activity fluctuates throughout the cell cycle, decreasing during mitotic divisions and increasing during the G1 phase. The post-mitotic recovery of brassinosteroid activity is driven by the intrinsic polarity of the mother cell, resulting in one daughter cell with enhanced brassinosteroid signaling, while the other supports brassinosteroid biosynthesis.

The superior colliculus.

The superior colliculus ('colliculus'), or optic tectum, is a highly conserved area of the brain that is critical for the organization and control of attention and orienting behaviors. It lies at the top of the midbrain and our understanding of its structure and function is based on work from many vertebrate species including: lampreys, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, rodents and primates. In each of these species, its well defined set of visual inputs and strong links to motor functions have provided much insight into how the circuits of the brain link sensory inputs with behavior to help animals interact with the world.

Modeling the growth and volatile metabolite production of spoilage-causing Brochothrix thermosphacta on solid meat substrates under modified atmospheres.

Spoilage microorganisms including Brochothrix thermosphacta are associated with various volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and off-odors in meat. Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) limits microbial growth and affects metabolic activities. However, the exact impact of gas compositions on B.

Reinforcement learning for automated method development in liquid chromatography: insights in the reward scheme and experimental budget selection.

Chromatographic problem solving, commonly referred to as method development (MD), is hugely complex, given the many operational parameters that must be optimized and their large effect on the elution times of individual sample compounds. Recently, the use of reinforcement learning has been proposed to automate and expedite this process for liquid chromatography (LC). This study further explores deep reinforcement learning (RL) for LC method development.

Age-related differences in task-related modulation of cerebellar brain inhibition.

Age-related reductions in cerebellar integrity predict motor impairments in older adults (OA), but the contribution of cerebro-cerebellar interactions to these impairments remains unclear. Understanding these interactions could reveal underlying mechanisms associated with age-related deficits in motor control. To explore this, twenty younger adults (YA) and twenty OA, all right-handed, participated in a dual-site transcranial magnetic stimulation protocol.

Underestimation of Follow-Up Infarct Volume by Acute CT Perfusion Imaging.

Background And Objectives: It is unknown whether acute CT perfusion (CTP) core imaging may underestimate the follow-up infarct. We hypothesize that infarct underestimation occurs especially in late-presenting patients and that underestimated infarct can partially be detected on baseline noncontrast CT (NCCT).

Methods: We included patients with acute anterior circulation ischemic stroke who underwent baseline NCCT and CTP imaging, complete endovascular reperfusion, and follow-up MRI from the Endovascular Therapy Following Imaging Evaluation for Ischemic Stroke (DEFUSE 3) trial and a consecutive, monocenter cohort.

The validation of the Needs Examination, Evaluation, and Dissemination assessment framework within the European Union: a modified Delphi study.

The NEED (Needs Examination, Evaluation, and Dissemination) assessment framework was designed to identify and measure unmet health-related needs of patients and society across various health conditions, aiding the development of needs-driven healthcare policy and innovation. The framework consists of 25 needs criteria and 46 associated indicators that assess whether these needs are met or not. This study aims to validate the framework at the European Union (EU) level using a modified Delphi approach.

Indium-111-Labeled Single-Domain Antibody for CXCR4 Imaging Using Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography.

C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) is highly expressed in a range of pathologies, including cancers like multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, and viral infections like HIV. Currently, the most advanced radiotracer for CXCR4 imaging in clinics is [Ga]PentixaFor. However, its structure is prone to modifications, complicating the development of a specific CXCR4 fluorine-18-labeled tracer with good pharmacokinetic properties.

Numerical design and analysis of customized fixation plate for treating middle one-third clavicle fracture.

Plate fixation is the primary treatment for clavicle fractures, but standard plates often fail, requiring reoperation due to irritation, bending, or fracture. These issues are linked to poor geometric fit suboptimal plate thickness, and material performance. This study proposes a personalized clavicle plate design methodology for middle one-third fractures.

Medicine Optimisation and Deprescribing Intervention Outcomes for Older People with Dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Systematic Review.

Background: Polypharmacy is common amongst older people with dementia or mild cognitive impairment (MCI), increasing the risk of medication-related harm. Medicine optimisation and deprescribing to reduce polypharmacy is considered feasible, safe and can lead to improved health. However, for those living with dementia or MCI, this can be challenging.

History of the Thymus: From a Vestigial Organ to the Programming of Immunological Self-Tolerance.

This introductive chapter presents the most important disruptions of concepts concerning the thymus since its discovery in Antique Greece. For centuries, the thymus was considered as a vestigial organ, and its role in T-cell differentiation was proposed only in the 1960s. Most recent studies attribute to the thymus an essential and unique role in programming central immunological self-tolerance.

Measuring and estimating the GFR in children: state of the art in 2025.

Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) can be measured directly, or estimated from biomarkers like serum creatinine and cystatin C, or both. Measuring GFR in children is cumbersome, as it requires the intravenous injection of an exogenous filtration marker like iohexol, and several blood samples to determine the concentration-time decay curve. Serum creatinine (SCr) measurement is inexpensive and is part of the routine biochemical blood tests that are commonly requested in daily clinical practice.

Adjuvant Aspirin Treatment in PIK3CA Mutated Colon Cancer Patients: The SAKK 41/13 - Prospective Randomized Placebo-Controlled Double-Blind Trial.

Purpose: We assessed the benefit of adjuvant aspirin in resected PIK3CA-mutated colon cancer patients.

Patients & Methods: This was a phase III, prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, multicenter, and multinational trial. Patients with resected colon cancer stage II and III harbouring an activating PIK3CA mutation were included.

Regularly updated benchmark sets for statistically correct evaluations of AlphaFold applications.

AlphaFold2 changed structural biology by providing high-quality structure predictions for all possible proteins. Since its inception, a plethora of applications were built on AlphaFold2, expediting discoveries in virtually all areas related to protein science. In many cases, however, optimism seems to have made scientists forget about data leakage, a serious issue that needs to be addressed when evaluating machine learning methods.

BioArchLinux: community-driven fresh reproducible software repository for life sciences.

Motivation: The BioArchLinux project was initiated to address challenges in bioinformatics software reproducibility and freshness. Relying on Arch Linux's user-driven ecosystem, we aim to create a comprehensive and continuously updated repository for life sciences research.

Results: BioArchLinux provides a PKGBUILD-based system for seamless software packaging and maintenance, enabling users to access the latest bioinformatics tools across multiple programming languages.

Neural correlates of the sense of agency in free and coerced moral decision-making among civilians and military personnel.

The sense of agency, the feeling of being the author of one's actions and outcomes, is critical for decision-making. While prior research has explored its neural correlates, most studies have focused on neutral tasks, overlooking moral decision-making. In addition, previous studies mainly used convenience samples, ignoring that some social environments may influence how authorship in moral decision-making is processed.

Amikacin dosing in neonates: evaluation of target attainment using a simplified and complex pharmacokinetic model-derived dosing regimen in clinical practice.

Amikacin is frequently used for the treatment of neonatal sepsis. The Dutch Pediatric Formulary recommends a complex pharmacokinetic (PK) model-derived dosing regimen, which consists of dosing categories based on postnatal age and weight that results in adequate PK/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) target attainment. However, a simplified dosing regimen may be easier to apply in clinical practice.