Comparison between the Outcomes of Pentamidine and Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole for Pneumocystis Pneumonia in Non-HIV Patients: A Nationwide Japanese Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background Data on the first-line treatment options for patients with Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) without human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are limited. Therefore, we evaluated the outcome of pentamidine compared to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) in non-HIV patients with PCP. Methods We used data from the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination Inpatient Database.

Early detection of subjective cognitive decline from self-reported symptoms: An interpretable attention-cost fusion approach.

Background And Objective: Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) refers to self-reported difficulties in concentration, memory, and decision-making. Since SCD is based on subjective experiences, no specific medical test can definitively confirm its presence, making early detection challenging. Thus, it is advantageous to develop an AI model to capitalize on self-reported health complications, personality traits, and sociodemographic factors for early detection of SCD.

Advances and challenges in precision imaging.

Technological innovations in genomics and related fields have facilitated large sequencing efforts, supported new biological discoveries in cancer, and spawned an era of liquid biopsy biomarkers. Despite these advances, precision oncology has practical constraints, partly related to cancer's biological diversity and spatial and temporal complexity. Advanced imaging technologies are being developed to address some of the current limitations in early detection, treatment selection and planning, drug delivery, and therapeutic response, as well as difficulties posed by drug resistance, drug toxicity, disease monitoring, and metastatic evolution.

Long-term efficacy and safety of avatrombopag in Chinese children with primary immune thrombocytopenia: A real-world observational study.

Avatrombopag is a newly approved thrombopoietin receptor agonist for second-line treatment of chronic immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) in adults. Our previous study showed its efficacy and safety in a small sample of paediatric ITP patients. However, large samples and long-term data are still lacking.

Unveiling Schizophrenia: a study with generalized functional linear mixed model via the investigation of functional random effects.

Previous studies have identified attenuated pre-speech activity and speech sound suppression in individuals with Schizophrenia, with similar patterns observed in basic tasks entailing button-pressing to perceive a tone. However, it remains unclear whether these patterns are uniform across individuals or vary from person to person. Motivated by electroencephalographic (EEG) data from a Schizophrenia study, we develop a generalized functional linear mixed model (GFLMM) for repeated measurements by incorporating subject-specific functional random effects associated with multiple functional predictors.

Evidence Supports the Validity and Reliability of Response Times from a Brief Survey as a Digital Biomarker for Processing Speed in a Large Panel Study.

Survey response times (RTs) have hitherto untapped potential to allow researchers to gain more detailed insights into the cognitive performance of participants in online panel studies. We examined if RTs recorded from a brief online survey could serve as a digital biomarker for processing speed. Data from 9,893 adults enrolled in the nationally representative Understanding America Study were used in the analyses.

Association between underlying conditions, multimorbidity, and COVID-19 vaccination status of adults aged ≥80 years old in Beijing, China.

Background: Promoting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination is crucial among older adults, particularly those geriatric. This study aimed to analyze the association between chronic conditions, multimorbidity, and vaccination status in adults aged ≥80 years old to provide recommendations for vaccine-preventable diseases.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Beijing from April 5, 2023, to May 5, 2023, including participants aged ≥80 years old who did not receive the booster COVID-19 vaccination.

Development of dual polymerase spiral reaction for detection of Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus simultaneously.

Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus are prevalent foodborne pathogens responsible for poisoning humans with food. The present study was devoted to the establishment of a method based on dual polymerase spiral reaction (dual-PSR) and melting curve analysis for concurrent identification L. monocytogenes and S.

Impacts of City Life on Nutrition: Evidence From Resettlement Lotteries in China.

Urban environments are thought to improve food security, by offering enhanced access to markets and income opportunities. Yet this idea is hard to test empirically due to an abundance of confounding factors and selection issues. This study leverages a resettlement program in China to provide the first quasi-experimental estimate of city life on food consumption and nutrition among low-income households.

The Stockholm early detection of cancer study (STEADY-CAN): rationale, design, data collection, and baseline characteristics for 2.7 million participants.

The Stockholm Early Detection of Cancer Study (STEADY-CAN) cohort was established to investigate strategies for early cancer detection in a population-based context within Stockholm County, the capital region of Sweden. Utilising real-world data to explore cancer-related healthcare patterns and outcomes, the cohort links extensive clinical and laboratory data from both inpatient and outpatient care in the region. The dataset includes demographic information, detailed diagnostic codes, laboratory results, prescribed medications, and healthcare utilisation data.

Cyclin E1/CDK2 activation defines a key vulnerability to WEE1 kinase inhibition in gynecological cancers.

Upregulation of Cyclin E1 and subsequent activation of CDK2 accelerates cell cycle progression from G1 to S phase and is a common oncogenic driver in gynecological malignancies. WEE1 kinase counteracts the effects of Cyclin E1/CDK2 activation by regulating multiple cell cycle checkpoints. Here we characterized the relationship between Cyclin E1/CDK2 activation and sensitivity to the selective WEE1 inhibitor azenosertib.

Exploring the therapeutic potential of PACAP in Hunner-type Interstitial Cystitis.

Purpose: This study aims to elucidate the role of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) in Hunner-type Interstitial Cystitis (HIC) and evaluate its potential as a therapeutic target.

Methods: Bladder tissue samples were obtained from HIC patients and normal bladder tissue from bladder cancer patients. PACAP expression was assessed through immunohistochemistry.

Gain-of-function ANXA11 mutation cause late-onset ALS with aberrant protein aggregation, neuroinflammation and autophagy impairment.

Mutations in the ANXA11 gene, encoding an RNA-binding protein, have been implicated in the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), but the underlying in vivo mechanisms remain unclear. This study examines the clinical features of ALS patients harboring the ANXA11 hotspot mutation p.P36R, characterized by late-onset motor neuron disease and occasional multi-system involvement.

The dynamics of higher-order novelties.

Studying how we explore the world in search of novelties is key to understand the mechanisms that can lead to new discoveries. Previous studies analyzed novelties in various exploration processes, defining them as the first appearance of an element. However, novelties can also be generated by combining what is already known.

Gastrointestinal lesions of eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis: a prediction model and clinical patterns.

Objective: Severe gastrointestinal lesions are associated with a poor prognosis in eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA). The goal of this study was to develop an effective predictive model for gastrointestinal lesions and to examine clinical patterns, associated factors, treatment, and outcomes of gastrointestinal lesions in EGPA.

Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 165 EGPA patients.

Therapeutic reduction of neurocan in murine intracerebral hemorrhage lesions promotes oligodendrogenesis and functional recovery.

Background: Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) causes prominent deposition of extracellular matrix molecules, particularly the chondroitin sulphate proteoglycan (CSPG) member neurocan. In tissue culture, neurocan impedes the properties of oligodendrocytes. Whether therapeutic reduction of neurocan promotes oligodendrogenesis and functional recovery in ICH is unknown.

Economic burden of Type 2 diabetes in Iran in 2022.

Background: Diabetes mellitus, particularly Type 2 diabetes (T2D), represents a significant global health challenge, with its prevalence steadily rising over the past few decades. This study was conducted with the aim of estimating the economic burden of T2D in Iran.

Methods: This study employed a prevalence-based approach to estimate the economic burden of T2D and its attributable complications in adults above 20 years old in Iran for 2022.

Proximity of maxillary molar palatal roots to adjacent structures for endodontic microsurgery: a cone-beam computed tomography study.

Background: The surgical complexity associated with the palatal roots of maxillary molars was considerably elevated. Previous studies on the relationships between maxillary molar roots and the maxillary sinus or cortical plates have focused on individual root observation without considering the positional relationship between buccal and palatal roots or analysing the surgical pathway of maxillary molar palatal roots. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between maxillary molar palatal roots and adjacent anatomical structures to provide a reference for performing palatal roots endodontic microsurgery.

Exploring policy processes against microbial threats in Iran: a qualitative policy analysis.

Objectives: Microbial threats pose a growing concern worldwide. This paper reports the analysis of Iran's policy process against microbial threats.

Design: This is a qualitative study.

Alternative healthcare delivery arrangements in Nepal: a systematic review of comparative effectiveness, safety and cost-effectiveness studies.

Background: The way that healthcare services are organised and delivered (termed 'healthcare delivery arrangements') is a key aspect of a health system. Changing the way health care is delivered, for example, task shifting that delivers the same care at lower cost, may be one way of improving healthcare system sustainability. We synthesised the existing randomised trial evidence to compare the effects of alternative healthcare delivery arrangements versus usual care in Nepal.

Single-nucleus transcriptome profiling provides insights into the pathophysiology of adhesive arachnoiditis.

Adhesive arachnoiditis (AA) is a rare form of chronic degenerative pathology associated with persistent inflammation in the arachnoid matter of the spinal cord. Despite the existing knowledge, the detailed pathological mechanisms underlying AA are not fully understood. This study aimed to elucidate through comprehensive single nuclei RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) to delineate the transcriptomic landscape of AA.

Efficacy and Safety of SHR8554 on Postoperative Pain in Subjects with Moderate to Severe Acute Pain Following Orthopedic Surgery: A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-blind, Dose-explored, Active-controlled, Phase II/III Clinical Trial.

Biased µ-opioid receptor (MOR) agonists enhance pain relief by selectively activating G protein-coupled receptor signaling and minimizing β-arrestin-2 activation, resulting in fewer side effects. This multicenter Phase II/III trial evaluated the optimal dosage, efficacy, and safety of SHR8554, a biased MOR agonist, for postoperative pain management following orthopedic surgery. In Phase II, 121 patients were divided into four groups to receive varying patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) doses of SHR8554 or morphine.

Lower limb joint reaction forces during sit-to-stand and stand-to-sit movements in stroke patients with spastic hemiplegia.

Objective: We investigated the characteristics of hip, knee, and ankle joint reaction forces (JRFs) in stroke patients with spastic hemiplegia during sit-to-stand (Si-St) and stand-to-sit (St-Si) movements and explored the relationship between JRFs and joint moments.

Methods: Thirteen stroke patients with spastic hemiplegia and thirteen age-matched healthy subjects were recruited in this study. Three-dimensional motion capture system and force plates were employed to collect kinematic data and ground reaction forces during Si-St and St-Si tasks.

Son of a beach: Coastal development and the loss of natural beaches over time (1919 to 2018) on Okinawa Island, southern Japan.

The coastline of Okinawa Island, Japan, has been affected by human-made alterations for decades, often from land reclamation and coastal defense construction. Here, we use an Imperial Japanese Army map made between 1919 and 1921 to describe the composition of the Okinawan coastline approximately 100 years ago, and by overlapping this old map with a modern-day map of Okinawa (2018), we identified 131 sites where coastlines showed clear human-made alterations. For these sites, we examined what kinds of ecosystems were lost and what has replaced them.