Antimicrobial Peptides Against Arboviruses: Mechanisms, Challenges, and Future Directions.

This review delves into the potential of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) as promising candidates for combating arboviruses, focusing on their mechanisms of antiviral activity, challenges, and future directions. AMPs have shown promise in preventing arbovirus attachment to host cells, inducing interferon production, and targeting multiple viral stages, illustrating their multifaceted impact on arbovirus infections. Structural elucidation of AMP-viral complexes is explored to deepen the understanding of molecular determinants governing viral neutralization, paving the way for structure-guided design.

Metabolic syndrome is associated with breast cancer mortality: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: This systematic review and meta-analysis assesses the association between metabolic syndrome and breast cancer (BC) outcomes in BC survivors.

Methods: Systematic searches were carried out in PubMed and Embase using variations of the search terms: breast neoplasms (population), metabolic syndrome (exposure), and survival (outcome). Metabolic syndrome was characterized according to the American Heart Association, which includes the presence of three out of five abnormal findings among the risk factors: high blood pressure, high triglycerides, low high-density lipoprotein, high fasting glucose, and central obesity.

Low readmission rates during neonatal homecare: Gestational age and bronchopulmonary dysplasia as key predictors.

Aim: Homecare for neonates has advanced, but combative analysis of contact methods remains unexplored. The aim was to identify predictors of readmission during homecare and to compare home visit, telemedicine or outpatient visit.

Methods: This retrospective study included infants receiving homecare from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2022.

Factors associated with therapeutic response to adalimumab in hidradenitis suppurativa: evidence from the Belgian patients of the European Registry for Hidradenitis Suppurativa (ERHS-Be).

Hidradenitis suppurativa is an inflammatory skin disease for which adalimumab is an effective treatment in just over half of cases. Few factors associated with therapeutic response, and therefore potentially predictive of response, are known to date. This real-life study retrospectively explores the existence of such factors in a Belgian cohort of 82 patients, using several response scores: the Hidradenitis Suppurativa Clinical Response (HiSCR), the International Hidradenitis Suppurativa Severity Scoring System-55 (iHS4-55), and the dynamic metascore (a combination of the Hurley score, the 2007 version of the Sartorius score, the iHS4 and the HiSCR).

Identification and characterisation of temporal abundance of microRNAs in synovial fluid from an experimental equine model of osteoarthritis.

Background: MicroRNAs, a class of small noncoding RNAs, serve as post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression and are present in a stable and quantifiable form in biological fluids. MicroRNAs may influence intra-articular responses and the course of disease, but very little is known about their temporal changes in osteoarthritis.

Objectives: To identify miRNAs and characterise the temporal changes in their abundance in SF from horses with experimentally induced osteoarthritis.

Morbidity in males with 45,X/46,XY resembles the morbidity pattern in Turner syndrome: a national population-based study.

Context: Few studies have reported on males with 45,X/46,XY mosaicism. Most studies stem from pediatric settings and knowledge of natural history and long-term health outcomes are therefore lacking.

Objective: To describe long-term health outcomes in males with 45,X/46,XY in comparison to the general population.

PCA-based spatial domain identification with state-of-the-art performance.

Motivation: The identification of biologically meaningful domains is a central step in the analysis of spatial transcriptomic data.

Results: Following Occam's razor, we show that a simple PCA-based algorithm for unsupervised spatial domain identification rivals the performance of ten competing state-of-the-art methods across six single-cell spatial transcriptomic datasets. Our reductionist approach, NichePCA, provides researchers with intuitive domain interpretation and excels in execution speed, robustness, and scalability.

Persistence of Ancestral KhoeSan Mitochondrial Patterns in Contemporary South African Populations.

Introduction: Southern Africa has been inhabited by hunter-gatherers for at least 20,000 years and has received diverse immigration flows in the last 2000 years. The original inhabitants have interacted with the pastoralist migrants from Eastern Africa (∼2000 ybp), followed by the southern Bantu migration arriving some 1000 ybp, and more recently with the European and Asian settlers after the 17th century. Many of the original Khoekhoe and San inhabitants have either become extinct or have disappeared through admixture in South Africa (SA), in a sex-biased manner involving KhoeSan women.

A Sponsor's Best Practice and Operating Principles to Manage Data Monitoring Committees.

The use of data monitoring committees (DMC) to safeguard patients' safety in clinical trials has evolved over the last decades and has become increasingly common. To ensure well-operating and high-performing DMCs, pharmaceutical companies need to establish clearly defined operational processes while continuously seeking to optimize these and adapt to the needs of drug development. Although there are health authority guidelines on establishing and managing a DMC, the perspectives and experiences of sponsors are often underrepresented.

Identification, classification, and documentation of drug related problems in community pharmacy practice in Europe: a scoping review.

Background: Drug-related problems (DRPs) are significant issues in healthcare contributing to adverse health outcomes and increased healthcare costs. While community pharmacists play a pivotal role in identifying, classifying, and documenting DRPs, there is a need to map approaches undertaken.

Aim: The aim of this scoping review was to examine the approaches to identifying, classifying, and documenting DRPs in community pharmacies in Europe, and their associated barriers and facilitators.

Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Post-Traumatic Headache: A Systematic Review.

Purpose Of Review: To evaluate the available studies on structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of post-traumatic headache (PTH).

Recent Findings: A systematic search of PubMed and Embase databases (from inception to February 1, 2024) identified nine relevant structural MRI studies. These studies included adult participants diagnosed with acute or persistent PTH in adherence with any edition of the International Classification of Headache Disorders.

Shared governance increases marine protected area effectiveness.

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are widely used to conserve and manage coastal resources. Protected areas are governed by a variety of institutional arrangements, yet little is known concerning the relative performance of different governance approaches. This research draws upon a unique dataset that combines details on the reported International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) governance categories of 217 global MPAs and their ecological outcomes to compare the performance of alternative governance arrangements.

Associations between dietary patterns and intestinal inflammation among HIV-infected and uninfected adults: A cross-sectional study in Tanzania.

The increased burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is fueled by lifestyle factors including diet. This cross-sectional study explored among Tanzanian adults whether unhealthy dietary patterns are associated with intestinal and systemic inflammation which could increase the risk of NCDs. The study included 574 participants, with both diet and inflammatory markers data.

Acceptability of improved cook stoves-a scoping review of the literature.

Improved cooking stoves (ICS) are intended to reduce indoor air pollution and the inefficient use of fuel yet there is often reticence to shift permanently to ICS. Drawing on a scoping review, this article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of factors affecting the acceptability of ICS. A scoping review was carried out using a systematic search strategy of literature.

Microscopy and spatial-metabolomics identify tissue-specific metabolic pathways uncovering salinity and drought tolerance mechanisms in Avicennia marina and Phoenix dactylifera roots.

In arid and semi-arid climates, native plants have developed unique strategies to survive challenging conditions. These adaptations often rely on molecular pathways that shape plant architecture to enhance their resilience. Date palms (Phoenix dactylifera) and mangroves (Avicennia marina) endure extreme heat and high salinity, yet the metabolic pathways underlying this resilience remain underexplored.

Developing alert thresholds and self-management advice for people receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors: a Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer modified Delphi survey.

Background: Remote monitoring using electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePROs) may help identify immune-related adverse events (irAEs) and direct self-management. There is no consensus regarding thresholds to alert providers about potentially severe irAEs or when to instigate evidence-based self-management. We aimed to develop consensus around alert thresholds and self-management advice for side-effects suggestive of an irAE which can be deployed as part of remote monitoring systems.

Improving polygenic prediction from summary data by learning patterns of effect sharing across multiple phenotypes.

Polygenic prediction of complex trait phenotypes has become important in human genetics, especially in the context of precision medicine. Recently, mr.mash, a flexible and computationally efficient method that models multiple phenotypes jointly and leverages sharing of effects across such phenotypes to improve prediction accuracy, was introduced.

Work ability following breast cancer - the MyHealth randomized controlled trial.

Background And Purpose: We previously demonstrated positive effects on quality of life and mental health following breast cancer when comparing a nurse-led follow-up program without scheduled visits (MyHealth) to regular follow-up. This study aims to examine whether MyHealth also positively impacts self-reported work ability.

Patients/material And Methods: A total of 288 patients, potentially active on the labour market, were randomized to MyHealth or control follow-up after primary treatment for early-stage breast cancer (2017-2019).

Impact of late effects after treatment for bladder cancer with radical cystectomy on Quality of life: a case-control study.

Background And Purpose: The gold standard when treating muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) is radical cystectomy (RC), a procedure that holds the potential to affect the function of several pelvic organs, causing an impact on the patient's Quality of Life (QoL). Knowledge of the late effects following bladder cancer and treatment with RC is sparse. The aim is to describe the incidence of late effects and to investigate the impact on QoL.

Adherence to guidelines for incidental pulmonary nodules: insights from a Nordic survey.

Background And Purpose: There is limited data on the real-world management of incidental pulmonary nodules (IPN). In this article, we review current practices and adherence to international guidelines in the Nordic countries.

Materials And Methods: This non-interventional, observational survey study based on an online survey consisting of 13 questions.

Fracture characteristics and functional outcomes for Schatzker V/VI bicondylar tibial plateau fractures with a separate tubercle fragment: a comparative study.

Introduction: A separate tibial tubercle fragment (TF) is found in up to half of all bicondylar tibial plateau (BTP) fractures. Adequate healing of the TF is required to reconstitute the extensor mechanism of the knee. The purpose of this study was to compare outcomes after surgical fixation of BTP fractures with and without a TF.

Newton's algorithm for discrete classical dynamics.

A recent article in J. Chem. Phys.

Importance of an N-terminal structural switch in the distinction between small RNA-bound and free ARGONAUTE.

ARGONAUTE (AGO) proteins bind to small non-coding RNAs to form RNA-induced silencing complexes. In the RNA-bound state, AGO is stable while RNA-free AGO turns over rapidly. Molecular features unique to RNA-free AGO that allow its specific recognition and degradation remain unknown.

On the rate constant for reactions between ions in solution: a simple unification of the Born and Debye-Hückel models.

The rate of reaction between ions in solution depends on solvent properties like permittivity and ionic strength. The influence of a solution's ionic strength is described by the Brønsted-Bjerrum equation. We show how this equation can be derived directly from transition-state theory without introducing the concept of activity coefficients.