A liberalized diet does not improve caloric intake during neutropenia in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplants: A prospective randomized controlled trial.

Background: The neutropenic diet has been a long-standing approach to preventing infection in patients with hematopoietic stem cell transplants (HSCTs), although data on its efficacy are inconclusive and its restrictive nature might contribute to harm by reducing dietary intake in this patient population who typically experiences poor oral intake. The aim was to determine if a liberalized diet (LD), in comparison with a neutropenic hospital diet (ND), would improve energy intake and lessen weight loss during neutropenia in patients with HSCTs.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted in a single-center HSCT/hematologic malignancy unit.

αFAP-specific nanobodies mediate a highly precise retargeting of modified AAV2 capsids thereby enabling specific transduction of tumor tissues.

Due to the refractiveness of tumor tissues to adeno-associated virus (AAV) transduction, AAV vectors are poorly explored for cancer therapy delivery. Here, we aimed to engineer AAVs to target tumors by enabling the specific engagement of fibroblast activation protein (FAP). FAP is a cell surface receptor distinctly upregulated in the reactive tumor stroma, but rarely expressed in healthy tissues.

The Impact of Bridging Additives on Wellbore Strengthening in Shallow Unconsolidated Formations.

Drilling wells in unconsolidated formations is commonly undertaken to extract drinking water and other applications, such as aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES). To increase the efficiency of an ATES system, the drilling campaigns are targeting greater depths and enlarging the wellbore diameter in the production section to enhance the flow rates. In these cases, wells are more susceptible to collapse.

Multimodal oculomotor assessment reveals prodromal markers of Parkinson's disease in non-manifesting LRRK2 G2019S mutation carriers.

Oculomotor behaviour changes in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) are a promising source of prodromal disease markers. Capitalizing on this phenomenon to facilitate early diagnosis requires oculomotor assessment in prodromal cohorts. We examined oculomotor behaviour in non-manifesting LRRK2 G2019S mutation carriers (LRRK2-NM), who have heightened PD risk.

Establishing an immune correlate of protection for Nipah virus in nonhuman primates.

The limited but recurrent outbreaks of the zoonotic Nipah virus (NiV) infection in humans, its high fatality rate, and the potential virus transmission from human to human make NiV a concerning threat with pandemic potential. There are no licensed vaccines to prevent infection and disease. A recombinant Hendra virus soluble G glycoprotein vaccine (HeV-sG-V) candidate was recently tested in a Phase I clinical trial.

Perfluoroalkyl chemical adsorption by granular activated carbon: Assessment of particle size impact on equilibrium parameters and associated rapid small-scale column test scaling assumptions.

Single-solute batch kinetic and isotherm experiments were conducted in Type 1 (18.2 MΩ·cm resistivity) water supplemented with 10 mM carbonate buffer (pH 7.75, 25 °C) for nine drinking water relevant perfluoroalkyl chemicals and three bituminous-coal based granular activated carbons (GACs).

Cracking the code of aldosterone synthase deficiency: bridging genetics and biochemistry: a case report.

Objective: Aldosterone synthase deficiency (ASD) is a rare autosomal recessive inherited disease with an overall clinical phenotype of failure to thrive, vomiting, severe dehydration, hyperkalemia, and hyponatremia. Mutations in the CYP11B2 gene encoding AS are responsible for the occurrence of ASD. Defects in CYP11B2 gene have only been reported in a limited number of cases worldwide.

Investigation of a novel Schiff base Catena-((μ-(E)-2-((4-methoxy-2-oxidobenzylidene)ammonio)ethane-1-sulfonato potassium as a potential antibacterial agent.

Context: Schiff bases, which have intriguing properties in many areas, have been studied extensively in recent years due to their structural properties and biological activities. In this research, a novel water-soluble Schiff base complex, Catena-((μ-(E)-2-((4-methoxy-2-oxidobenzylidene) ammonio) ethane-1-sulfonato potassium, CHKNOS (CMOAESP), was synthesized by a one-step condensation reaction of 2-hydroxy-4-methoxy benzaldehyde and taurine with the yield of 65%, 0.333 g.

Isolated Sagittal Craniosynostosis and Open or Endoscopic Cranial Vault Remodeling: An Evaluation of Developmental Outcomes.

Background: Craniosynostosis, a condition involving the premature fusion of cranial sutures, can impair brain development and potentially lead to developmental delays. This study compares open cranial vault remodeling versus endoscopic strip craniectomy treatment for isolated sagittal craniosynostosis, primarily focusing on development outcomes.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted at a tertiary pediatric surgery center, involving all 45 patients treated surgically for isolated sagittal craniosynostosis from 2013 to 2024.

Prevalence of Mitral Annular Disjunction at Cardiac MRI: Results from a Multicenter Registry.

Purpose To determine the prevalence of mitral annular disjunction (MAD) in patients undergoing cardiac MRI for various clinical indications and to assess the association of MAD with arrhythmia, mitral valve prolapse (MVP), and myocardial alteration. Materials and Methods This study analyzed data from a retrospective observational registry of consecutive patients undergoing cardiac MRI for different clinical indications. Cardiac MRI examinations were performed from January 2019 to June 2019 at 13 Italian hospitals.

Pilot Trial of Hydroxychloroquine as Add-On Therapy in Patients With Membranous Nephropathy.

Introduction: Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes guidelines indicate that glucocorticoids and immunosuppressants comprise the first therapeutic regimens after 4 to 6 months of treatment for high-risk primary membranous nephropathy (PMN). However, some patients cannot achieve complete or partial remission at 6 months. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of traditional immunotherapy combined with hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), a well-known immune regulator, in patients with PMN.

Structural variant allelic heterogeneity in MECP2 duplication syndrome provides insight into clinical severity and variability of disease expression.

Background: MECP2 Duplication Syndrome, also known as X-linked intellectual developmental disorder Lubs type (MRXSL; MIM: 300260), is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by copy number gains spanning MECP2. Despite varying genomic rearrangement structures, including duplications and triplications, and a wide range of duplication sizes, no clear correlation exists between DNA rearrangement and clinical features. We had previously demonstrated that up to 38% of MRXSL families are characterized by complex genomic rearrangements (CGRs) of intermediate complexity (2 ≤ copy number variant breakpoints < 5), yet the impact of these genomic structures on regulation of gene expression and phenotypic manifestations have not been investigated.

Development and validation of intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion weighted imaging-based model for preoperative distinguishing nuclear grade and survival of clear cell renal cell carcinoma complicated with venous tumor thrombus.

Objective: To assess the utility of multiparametric MRI and clinical indicators in distinguishing nuclear grade and survival of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) complicated with venous tumor thrombus (VTT).

Materials And Methods: This study included 105 and 27 patients in the training and test sets, respectively. Preoperative MRI, including intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion-weighted imaging (IVIM-DWI), was performed.

Targeted memory reactivation during sleep improves emotional memory modulation following imagery rescripting.

Targeted Memory Reactivation (TMR) during sleep benefits memory integration and consolidation. In this pre-registered study, we investigated the effects of TMR applied during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep following modulation and updating of aversive autobiographical memories using imagery rescripting (ImR). During 2-5 nights postImR, 80 healthy participants were repeatedly presented with either idiosyncratic words from an ImR updated memory during sleep (experimental group) or with no or neutral words (control groups) using a wearable EEG device (Mobile Health Systems Lab-Sleepband, MHSL-SB) [1] implementing a close-loop cueing procedure.

Exploring interfacial electrocatalysis for iodine redox conversion in zinc-iodine battery.

The challenges posed by the non-conductive nature of iodine, coupled with the easy formation of soluble polyiodides in water, impede its integration with zinc for the development of advanced rechargeable batteries. Here we demonstrate the in-situ loading of molybdenum carbide nanoclusters (MoC) and zinc single atoms (Zn-SA) into porous carbon fibers to invoke electrocatalytic conversion of iodine at the interface. The electronic interactions between MoC and Zn-SA lead to an upshift in the d-band center of Mo relative to the Fermi level, thus promoting the interfacial interactions with iodine species to suppress shuttle effects.

Analyzing the temporal trends of kidney transplantation surgeries and their impact on warm and cold ischemia time in a Canadian setting.

Background: The effect of weekend admission and surgery on patient morbidity and mortality has been studied in many settings and has been shown to lead to worse outcomes. Several studies have sought to determine whether there is a weekend effect in kidney transplantation specifically, but a clear effect on outcomes and graft survival has not been established.

Methods: We analyzed data from all deceased-donor organ procurements and cadaveric kidney transplants occurring during the 5-year period between Apr.

Constructing Atomic Tungsten-Based Solid Frustrated-Lewis-Pair Sites with d-p Interactions for Selective CO Photoreduction.

Solid frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) shows remarkable advantages in the activation of small molecules such as CO, owing to the strong orbital interactions between FLP sites and reactant molecules. However, most of the currently constructed FLP sites are randomly distributed and easily reunited on the surface of catalysts, resulting in a low utilization rate of FLP sites. Herein, atomic tungsten-based FLP (N···W FLP) sites are constructed for photocatalytic CO conversion through introducing W single-atoms into polymeric carbon nitride.

Impact of ECPELLA support on 1-year outcomes and myocardial damage in patients with acute myocardial infarction and refractory cardiogenic shock: A single-center retrospective observational study.

Background: Venoarterial-extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) is a vital mechanical circulatory support for treating patients with refractory cardiogenic shock (CS). VA-ECMO can improve end-organ perfusion; however, it increases left ventricular (LV) afterload, resulting in further myocardial damage. ECPELLA, a combination of VA-ECMO and Impella (Abiomed Inc.

Multicenter Analysis of the Relationship Between Operative Team Familiarity and Safety and Efficiency Outcomes in Cardiac Surgery.

Background: Safety in cardiac surgical procedures is predicated on effective team dynamics. This study associated operative team familiarity (ie, the extent of clinical collaboration among surgical team members) with procedural efficiency and Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) adjudicated patient outcomes.

Methods: Institutional STS adult cardiac surgery registry and electronic health record data from 2014 to 2021 were evaluated across 3 quaternary hospitals.

Impact of confining hydrogen molecule inside fullerenes: A glance through DFT study.

Context: In this work, we have studied different properties of a series of fullerenes, from C to C by confining hydrogen molecule inside their cavity. The compression of the hydrogen molecule upon encapsulation is evidenced by its altered bond length, while a slight expansion of the fullerene cages due to H confinement is also noted. The chemical reactivity parameters of both the empty and H confined fullerenes are computed, alongside an examination of the energy components through energy decomposition analysis.

Metastasis Detection Using True and Artificial T1-Weighted Postcontrast Images in Brain MRI.

Objectives: Small lesions are the limiting factor for reducing gadolinium-based contrast agents in brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The purpose of this study was to compare the sensitivity and precision in metastasis detection on true contrast-enhanced T1-weighted (T1w) images and artificial images synthesized by a deep learning method using low-dose images.

Materials And Methods: In this prospective, multicenter study (5 centers, 12 scanners), 917 participants underwent brain MRI between October 2021 and March 2023 including T1w low-dose (0.

Effect of Dexamethasone on Postoperative Analgesia Following the Transversus Abdominis Plane Block in Gynecological Laparotomies.

Purpose: Postoperative pain is an acute pain that begins with surgical trauma and decreases as the tissue heals. The transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block is one of the abdominal field blocks used in the treatment of acute postoperative pain after lower abdominal surgery. This study aims to investigate the effects of dexamethasone added to a local anesthetic solution on postoperative analgesia in ultrasonography-guided TAP block.

Unexpected Reaction of Dialkyl α-Hydroxy-benzylphosphonates with Dialkyl Phosphites and a Few Related Reactions.

The condensation of dialkyl α-hydroxy-benzylphosphonates with dialkyl phosphites and that of α-hydroxybenzyl-diphenylphosphine oxide with diphenylphosphine oxide unexpectedly gave the corresponding phosphorylated α-hydroxy derivatives. This new reaction proved to be general. The formation of the two products may be similar and involves the attack of the hydroxy group of the α-hydroxyphosphonate or α-hydroxyphosphine oxide on the phosphorus atom of the trivalent tautomer form (YPOH) of the YP(O)H reagent (Y= MeO, EtO, or Ph) going with the elimination of an alcohol and water molecule, respectively.