The role of microRNA in the regulation of hepatic metabolism and energy-expensive processes in the hibernating dormouse.

The garden dormouse (Eliomys quercinus) is a fat-storing mammal that undergoes annual periods of hibernation to mitigate the effects of food scarcity, low ambient temperatures, and reduced photoperiod that characterize winter. Like other hibernating species, this animal suppresses its metabolic rate by downregulating nonessential genes and processes in order to prolong available energy stores and limit waste accumulation throughout the season. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short, single-stranded, noncoding RNAs that bind to mRNA and mediate post-transcriptional suppression, making miRNA ideal for modulating widespread changes in gene expression, including global downregulation typified by metabolic rate depression.

A Remote Management-Centric Post-Discharge Pathway for Patients Admitted to GIM with Heart Failure.

Background: Few GIM-specific heart failure transition of care (TOC) programs exist. We thus piloted a TOC program for heart failure patients discharged from GIM that incorporates a remote patient management program, Medly.

Methods: This single-centre, prospective proof-of-concept study described sociodemographic and medical characteristics of included patients, and computed summary statistics to describe clinical and workload outcomes.

Promises and perils of using Transformer-based models for SE research.

Many Transformer-based pre-trained models for code have been developed and applied to code-related tasks. In this paper, we analyze 519 papers published on this topic during 2017-2023, examine the suitability of model architectures for different tasks, summarize their resource consumption, and look at the generalization ability of models on different datasets. We examine three representative pre-trained models for code: CodeBERT, CodeGPT, and CodeT5, and conduct experiments on the four topmost targeted software engineering tasks from the literature: Bug Fixing, Bug Detection, Code Summarization, and Code Search.

Implementing a collaborative care model for child and adolescent mental health in Qatar: Addressing workforce and access challenges.

Child and adolescent mental health disorders in Qatar remain significantly underserved due to a critical shortage of specialists, stigma, and logistical barriers. This paper proposes implementing a Collaborative Care Model (CoCM) within Qatar's primary care settings, leveraging existing infrastructure, such as the CERNER electronic health record system, and innovations like telepsychiatry and AI-driven tools. The model integrates task-sharing among interdisciplinary teams to enhance accessibility and continuity of care.

#Skin-Lightening: A content analysis of the most popular videos promoting skin-lightening products on TikTok.

Highly visual and appearance-focused social media often exhibit appearance ideals that center around fairness and whiteness, resulting in the promotion of dangerous over-the-counter skin-lightening products to consumers to achieve such ideals. Our study aims to better understand the skin-lightening claims and products that TikTok users are exposed to on the platform. We conducted a cross-sectional content analysis to examine the top 100 most-viewed videos across the most popular skin-lightening hashtag (#skinlightening) through the TikTok website interface (N = 79) and generated descriptive statistics.

Splenic fibroblasts control marginal zone B cell movement and function via two distinct Notch2-dependent regulatory programs.

Innate-like splenic marginal zone (MZ) B (MZB) cells play unique roles in immunity due to their rapid responsiveness to blood-borne microbes. How MZB cells integrate cell-extrinsic and -intrinsic processes to achieve accelerated responsiveness is unclear. We found that Delta-like1 (Dll1) Notch ligands in splenic fibroblasts regulated MZB cell pool size, migration, and function.

Factor analysis and clustering of motor and psychiatric dimensions in idiopathic blepharospasm.

Introduction: Idiopathic blepharospasm is a clinically heterogeneous form of focal dystonia, also associated with psychiatric symptoms. The identification of the most relevant sets of motor and psychiatric manifestations may help better understand the specific phenomenology of the condition and delineate blepharospasm subtypes more accurately.

Methods: Patients with idiopathic blepharospasm were from the Dystonia Coalition project.

Genetic profiling of Plasmodium falciparum antigenic biomarkers among asymptomatic pregnant women on intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine from southwest Nigeria.

Introduction: The genetic complexity of Plasmodium falciparum is contributory to the emergence of drug resistant-parasites. Intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) in malaria endemic settings is recommended by WHO. This study evaluated the prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum multidrug resistance-1 gene (Pfmdr-1), genetic diversity of merozoite surface proteins (msp-1, msp-2) and glutamate-rich protein (glurp) among pregnant women with sub-patent parasitaemia from southwest Nigeria.

A comprehensive profiling of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activities of 24 varieties of red raspberry cultivated in Northeast China.

Red raspberries, valued for their nutrients and bioactive compounds, have broad uses in processing and healthy products. However, limited comprehensive research focused on the comparison of phenolic compounds of red raspberry, especially species cultivated in Northeast China, has been reported. This study aimed to conduct a thorough investigation of 24 red raspberry varieties in Northeast China for the first time, evaluating their phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacities.

Simplified Approach to Managing Newly Diagnosed Patients with Mild-to-Moderate Hypertension in Routine Clinical Practice.

Introduction: The aim of the observational SIMPLE study was to assess real-life effectiveness and safety of a single-pill combination (SPC) of perindopril arginine/amlodipine in a broad range of subjects with newly diagnosed mild-to-moderate hypertension treated in Canadian general practice.

Methods: Treatment-naïve participants aged 18-65 years with mild-to-moderate hypertension, whose physicians decided to initiate the perindopril/amlodipine SPC, were recruited from Canadian clinical practice from October 2017 to February 2019. Participants were followed at 3- (M3) and 6-month (M6) visits after treatment initiation.

Comparative Effectiveness of Fluticasone Furoate/Umeclidinium/Vilanterol and Budesonide/Glycopyrrolate/Formoterol Fumarate among US Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with exacerbations which can reduce quality of life and increase mortality. Single-inhaler triple therapy (SITT) is recommended for maintenance treatment of COPD among patients experiencing exacerbations despite dual-therapy use. This real-world comparative effectiveness study compared the impact of SITTs, fluticasone furoate/umeclidinium/vilanterol (FF/UMEC/VI), and budesonide/glycopyrrolate/formoterol fumarate (BUD/GLY/FORM), on COPD exacerbations and mortality.

Diagnostic and prognostic potential of left atrial strain in cardiovascular disease: a narrative review.

Left atrial strain (LAS) was recently introduced as a parameter that reflects on left atrial function. Consequently, changes in LAS can inform the development of cardiovascular diseases, hence providing a window for non-invasive and cost-effective testing of these diseases and their complications at early stages of development, potentially offering a segway towards preventive interventions. LAS has yet to be implemented into standard practice.

Year in Review: Novel Insights in the Pathogenesis of Spondyloarthritis - SPARTAN 2024 Annual Meeting Proceedings.

Purpose Of Review: The canonical pathogenesis of spondyloarthritis (SpA) involves inflammation driven by HLA-B27, type 3 immunity, and gut microbial dysregulation. This review based on information presented at the SPARTAN meeting highlights studies on the pathogenesis of SpA from the past year, focusing on emerging mechanisms such as the roles of microbe-derived metabolites, microRNAs (miRNAs) and cytokines in plasma exosomes, specific T cell subsets, and neutrophils.

Recent Findings: The induction of arthritis in a preclinical model through microbiota-driven alterations in tryptophan catabolism provides new insights as to how intestinal dysbiosis may activate disease via the gut-joint axis.

De-essentializing racial pain: Stories of Filipino health care workers.

This article focuses on findings of a qualitative research study that looked at experiences of Filipino healthcare workers in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose is to contribute to the growing body of literature on mental health among racialized frontline healthcare workers in Canada by investigating factors that affect mental health and barriers associated with accessing services and supports among Filipino healthcare workers in Ontario, Canada. The study employed a cross-sectional qualitative descriptive design to identify strategies that Filipino frontline healthcare workers use to effectively cope with mental health issues, work stress, and structural and economic barriers to their well-being.

Weather and Marine Aquaculture Workers' Safety in Atlantic Canada.

Objective: Marine aquaculture workers are at high risk of injury and fatalities. Understanding the role of weather in occupational safety and health (OSH) in marine aquaculture is important for work design, planning, and for safety management and hazard reduction, but there is limited research on this subject.

Methods: Using findings from a review of research and grey literature and from key informant interviews and roundtable discussions in Atlantic Canada, this paper explores the impact of weather-driven hazards on marine aquaculture in Northern and temperate regions, along with the strategies employed to mitigate these impacts.

Acoustic Exaggeration Enhances Speech Discrimination in Young Autistic Children.

Child-directed speech (CDS), which amplifies acoustic and social features of speech during interactions with young children, promotes typical phonetic and language development. In autism, both behavioral and brain data indicate reduced sensitivity to human speech, which predicts absent, decreased, or atypical benefits of exaggerated speech signals such as CDS. This study investigates the impact of exaggerated fundamental frequency (F0) and voice-onset time on the neural processing of speech sounds in 22 Chinese-speaking autistic children aged 2-7 years old with a history of speech delays, compared with 25 typically developing (TD) peers.

From spastic paraplegia to infantile neurodegenerative disorder: Expanding the phenotypic spectrum associated with biallelic SPAST variants.

Purpose: Heterozygous pathogenic variants in SPAST are known to cause Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia 4 (SPG4), the most common form of HSP, characterized by progressive bilateral lower limbs spasticity with frequent sphincter disorders. However, there are very few descriptions in the literature of patients carrying biallelic variants in SPAST.

Methods: Targeted Sanger sequencing, panel sequencing and exome sequencing were used to identify the genetic causes in 9 patients from 6 unrelated families with symptoms of HSP or infantile neurodegenerative disorder.

Complications that arise with nasogastric tubes after hospitalization in the pediatric population: A mixed methods systematic review.

Children use nasogastric tubes (NGTs) to ensure optimum nutrition and medication delivery when oral feeding fails or when they experience faltering growth. Although this method is less invasive, children may experience complications associated with NGTs. There is a gap in the literature regarding the types and prevention of complications of NGTs in the pediatric population at home.

Allergic rhinitis.

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common disorder that is strongly linked to asthma and conjunctivitis. Classic symptoms include nasal congestion, nasal itch, rhinorrhea and sneezing. A thorough history, physical examination and assessment of allergen sensitization are important for establishing the diagnosis of AR.

Ca signaling in vascular smooth muscle and endothelial cells in blood vessel remodeling: a review.

Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and endothelial cells (ECs) act together to regulate blood pressure and systemic blood flow by appropriately adjusting blood vessel diameter in response to biochemical or biomechanical stimuli. Ion channels that are expressed in these cells regulate membrane potential and cytosolic Ca concentration ([Ca]) in response to such stimuli. The subsets of these ion channels involved in Ca signaling often form molecular complexes with intracellular molecules via scaffolding proteins.

Fully-automated segmentation of muscle and inter-/intra-muscular fat from magnetic resonance images of calves and thighs: an open-source workflow in Python.

Background: INTER- and INTRAmuscular fat (IMF) is elevated in high metabolic states and can promote inflammation. While magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) excels in depicting IMF, the lack of reproducible tools prevents the ability to measure change and track intervention success.

Methods: We detail an open-source fully-automated iterative threshold-seeking algorithm (ITSA) for segmenting IMF from T1-weighted MRI of the calf and thigh within three cohorts (CaMos Hamilton (N = 54), AMBERS (N = 280), OAI (N = 105)) selecting adults 45-85 years of age.

Engaging older adults in the process of aging research: a multimethod study evaluating the experience and efficacy of a citizen advisory group for a dementia risk reduction program.

Background: Collaborative research with end-users is an effective way to generate meaningful research applications and support greater impact on practice and knowledge exchange. To address these needs, a Citizen Advisory Group (CAG) of nine older adults (ages 64-80, 67% women) was formed to advise scientists on the development of Brain Health PRO (BHPro), a web-based platform designed to increase dementia prevention literacy and awareness. The current study evaluated if the CAG met its objectives, how inclusion of the CAG aligned with collaborative research approaches, and the CAG's experience and satisfaction throughout the development process.