Thyroid Autoimmunity During Universal Salt Iodisation-Possible Short-Term Modulation with Longer-Term Stability.

Universal salt iodisation (USI) plays an essential role in the provision of iodine (I) to populations worldwide. Countries adopting USI programmes, adhering to strict criteria laid down by expert organisations such as the Iodine Global Network, are estimated to have reduced the prevalence of I deficiency by 75% (protecting 720 million individuals worldwide). Despite this success, doubts have been raised as to the desirability of continuing such programmes because of (a) the need to reduce salt intake for cardiovascular prevention and (b) the induction of thyroid autoimmunity.

α-Synuclein Deletion Impairs Platelet Function: A Role for SNARE Complex Assembly.

Granule secretion is an essential platelet function that contributes not only to haemostasis but also to wound healing, inflammation, and atherosclerosis. Granule secretion from platelets is facilitated, at least in part, by Soluble N-ethylmaleimide-Sensitive Factor (NSF) Attachment Protein Receptor (SNARE) complex-mediated granule fusion. Although α-synuclein is a protein known to modulate the assembly of the SNARE complex in other cells, its role in platelet function remains poorly understood.

Age- and Sex-Based Developmental Biomarkers in Eye Movements.

Background: Eye movement research serves as a critical tool for assessing brain function, diagnosing neurological and psychiatric disorders, and understanding cognition and behavior. Sex differences have largely been under reported or ignored in neurological research. However, eye movement features provide biomarkers that are useful for disease classification with superior accuracy and robustness compared to previous classifiers for neurological diseases.

Benchmarking Alzheimer's disease prediction: personalised risk assessment using polygenic risk scores across various methodologies and genome-wide studies.

Background: The success of selecting high risk or early-stage Alzheimer's disease individuals for the delivery of clinical trials depends on the design and the appropriate recruitment of participants. Polygenic risk scores (PRS) show potential for identifying individuals at risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Our study comprehensively examines AD PRS utility using various methods and models.

How do early weight trajectories explain social inequalities in lung function in children with cystic fibrosis? A longitudinal interventional disparity effects analysis with time-varying mediators and intermediate confounders.

Background: Children with cystic fibrosis (CF) from socioeconomically deprived areas have poorer growth, worse lung function, and shorter life expectancy than their less-deprived peers. While early growth is associated with lung function around age 6, it is unclear whether improving early growth in the most deprived children reduces inequalities in lung function.

Methods: We used data from the UK CF Registry, tracking children born 2000-2010 up to 2016.

Validation of the International Trauma Interview (ITI) among treatment-seeking people with adverse childhood experiences in South Korea.

The International Trauma Interview (ITI) is a clinician-administered assessment that has been newly developed for the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) diagnoses of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD (CPTSD). The current study evaluated the psychometric properties of the ITI for treatment-seeking people with adverse childhood experiences (ACE) in South Korea, with the aims of verifying the validity and reliability of ITI as well as examining the differentiation of ICD-11 CPTSD and borderline personality disorder (BPD). In total, data of 103 people were analysed.

Refractory fungal infection: Three case reports highlighting good practice.

Refractory invasive fungal disease is a significant clinical problem, with high morbidity, mortality and costs. The complex causes of refractory infection include breakthrough infection due to antifungal resistance (both innate and acquired), suboptimal therapy and impaired immune responses in critically ill or immunocompromised patients. This case series details three reports on the identification and management of refractory fungal infections, two cases of azole resistance and one case of resistant candidiasis, highlighting the importance of accurate diagnosis, monitoring, implementation of biomarkers (serological markers, PCR), antifungal susceptibility testing and antifungal stewardship to optimise management and minimise risks of emergence of drug resistance.

A qualitative exploration of the prospective acceptability of the MiDerm app; a complex digital intervention for adults living with skin conditions.

Objectives: Skin conditions carry a substantial psychological burden but support for patients is limited. Digital technology could support patient self-management; we found preliminary evidence for the effectiveness and acceptability of digital psychological interventions for adults living with skin conditions. We have, therefore, developed a complex digital intervention called MiDerm with patients.

Floral morphological and chemical analyses of Dienia flowers (Orchidaceae, Malaxidinae) relative to pollination processes.

Dienia is a small, pantropical genus of epidendroid Malaxideae orchids. The floral lip is upwardly directed and does not serve as a landing platform for pollinators. This role has been assumed by sepals and/or gynostemium or whole inflorescence.

Synthesis and crystal structure of piperidinyl propanenitrile towards the preparation of piperidine based bioactive films for drug delivery applications.

Compounds containing the piperidine group are highly attractive as building blocks for designing new drugs. Functionalized piperidines are of significant interest due to their prevalence in the pharmaceutical field. Herein, 3-oxo-3-(piperidin-1-yl) propanenitrile has been synthesized, and piperidine-based sodium alginate/poly(vinyl alcohol) films have been prepared.

Design and synthesis of antiproliferative 2-oxoindolin-3-ylidenes incorporating urea function with potential VEGFR-2 inhibitory properties.

Targeted therapy is preferable over other therapeutics due to its limitation of drawbacks and better pharmaceutical outcomes. VEGF and its receptors have been observed to be hyper-activated in many cancer types and are considered promising targets for assigning anticancer agents. The current study is directed towards synthesis of novel antiproliferative 2-oxoindolin-3-ylidenes incorporating urea function with VEGFR-2 properties.

Being "resilient" and achieving "resilience": From governmental discourses to the national research agenda in the contexts of food insecurity and cost of living.

The concept of 'resilience' is pervasive, permeating academic disciplines and political discourses. This paper considers (i) the construal of 'resilience' in the contexts of food insecurity and cost-of-living in governmental discourses in the United Kingdom (UK); (ii) to what extent the political representations are reflected in research funding calls of UK national funding bodies, thus showing possibility of shaping research agendas; and (iii) to what extent official uses of 'resilience' reflect lay understandings. We are combining a corpus-based discourse analysis of UK governmental discourses and research funding calls with a study of focus group discussions.

Using DNA metabarcoding and direct behavioural observations to identify the diet of proboscis monkeys (Nasalis larvatus) in the Kinabatangan Floodplain, Sabah.

Characterizing the feeding ecology of threatened species is essential to establish appropriate conservation strategies. We focused our study on the proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus), an endangered primate species which is endemic to the island of Borneo. Our survey was conducted in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary (LKWS), a riverine protected area that is surrounded by oil palm plantations.

A Single Bioorthogonal Reaction for Multiplex Cell Surface Protein Labeling.

Small-molecule fluorophores are invaluable tools for fluorescence imaging. However, means for their covalent conjugation to the target proteins limit applications in multicolor imaging. Here, we identify 2-[(alkylhio)(ryl)ethylene]alononitrile (TAMM) molecules reacting with 1,2-aminothiol at a labeling rate over 10 M s through detailed mechanistic investigation.

The use of patient-generated health data in the management of low anterior resection syndrome: a qualitative study.

Background: The cornerstone of low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) treatment is self-management, which requires patient engagement. Colorectal surgeons and nurses may use patient-generated health data (PGHD) to help guide patients in their use of self-management strategies for LARS. However, the perspectives of LARS experts on the use of PGHD remain largely unexplored.

Regulation of meristem and hormone function revealed through analysis of directly-regulated SHOOT MERISTEMLESS target genes.

The Arabidopsis Knotted1-like homeobox (KNOX) gene SHOOT MERISTEMLESS (STM) encodes a homeodomain transcription factor that operates as a central component of the gene regulatory network (GRN) controlling shoot apical meristem formation and maintenance. It regulates the expression of target genes that include transcriptional regulators associated with meristem function, particularly those involved in pluripotency and cellular differentiation, as well as genes involved in hormone metabolism and signaling. Previous studies have identified KNOX-regulated genes and their associated cis-regulatory elements in several plant species.

Hippocampal Synaptic Plasticity: Integrating Memory and Anxiety Impairments in the Early Stages of Alzheimer's Disease.

A decline in hippocampal function has long been associated with the progression of cognitive impairments in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The disruption of hippocampal synaptic plasticity [primarily the reduction of long-term potentiation LTP] by excess production of soluble beta-amyloid (Aβ) has long been accepted as the mechanism by which AD pathology impairs memory, at least during the early stages of AD pathogenesis. However, the premise that hippocampal LTP underpins the formation of associative, long-term memories has been challenged.

Oral Food Challenge Protocols in Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome: A Systematic Review.

Background: Oral Food Challenges (OFC) are essential for the diagnosis and follow-up of acute Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome (FPIES) because no diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers are available. However, the optimal OFC procedure remains unclear.

Objectives: This systematic review aimed to assess OFC procedures' design and clinical outcomes in patients with FPIES.

Artificial Intelligence-Guided Inverse Design of Deployable Thermo-Metamaterial Implants.

Current limitations in implant design often lead to trade-offs between minimally invasive surgery and achieving the desired post-implantation functionality. Here, we present an artificial intelligence inverse design paradigm for creating deployable implants as planar and tubular thermal mechanical metamaterials (thermo-metamaterials). These thermo-metamaterial implants exhibit tunable mechanical properties and volume change in response to temperature changes, enabling minimally invasive and personalized surgery.

MHC-related protein 1-restricted recognition of cancer via a semi-invariant TCR-α chain.

The T cell antigen presentation platform MR1 consists of 6 allomorphs in humans that differ by no more than 5 amino acids. The principal function of this highly conserved molecule involves presenting microbial metabolites to the abundant mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cell subset. Recent developments suggest that the role of MR1 extends to presenting antigens from cancer cells, a function dependent on the K43 residue in the MR1 antigen binding cleft.

The joint memory effect: challenging the selfish stigma in Huntington's disease?

The prevalent belief that individuals with Huntington's disease exhibit selfish behaviour, disregarding the thoughts, feelings and actions of others, has been challenged by patient organizations and clinical experts. To further investigate this issue and study whether participants with Huntington's disease can pay attention to others, a joint memory task was carried out in patients with Huntington's disease with and without a partner. This study involved 69 participants at an early stage of Huntington's disease and 56 healthy controls from the UK, France and Germany, who participated in the international Repair-HD multicentre study (NCT03119246).

Guided intentional replantation of a mandibular premolar with type IIIIb dens invaginatus associated with peri-invagination periodontitis without root canal treatment- A case report.

Aim: This report highlights successful management of a rare case of a mandibular premolar with Oehler's Type IIIb Dens Invaginatus (DI) and peri-invagination periodontitis with guided intentional replantation (IR) without root canal treatment.

Methods: A 22-year-old female patient reported with discomfort and a sinus tract associated with tooth #21. Clinical examination and cone beam computed tomography revealed tooth #21 had an Oehler's Type IIIb DI with peri-invagination periodontitis.

Longitudinal observational digital analysis of occlusion in Hall Technique.

Objective: To evaluate volumetric changes over time in teeth treated with the Hall Technique (HT) and their opposing teeth. Secondary aims included assessing occluso-vertical dimension (OVD), temporomandibular joint (TMJ) function, and children's treatment perceptions.

Methods: Twenty-eight children (5-9 years-old) requiring HT treatment for one first primary molar were recruited.