Investigating the hydrolysis of complex carbohydrates with salivary α-amylase.

Currently, little is known about how complex carbohydrates (maltodextrins) with varying degrees of polymerisation (DP) and molecular branching interact with α-amylase in human saliva and the associated amounts and structures of generated reducing sugars. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate salivary α-amylase and the subsequent reducing sugars generated with complex carbohydrate stimuli. A secondary aim was to investigate reducing sugar generation and complex carbohydrate taste sensitivity.

Xanthine oxidase-lactoperoxidase system: Dose-dependent antibacterial effects and global gene expression changes in infant oral microbiota.

Xanthine oxidase (XO) and lactoperoxidase (LPO) are highly abundant enzymes in milk. Their substrates, xanthine and thiocyanate, are found in elevated amounts in infant saliva, leading to a proposed interaction between milk and saliva referred to as the XO-LPO system. This system is suggested to generate reactive oxygen and nitrogen species with potential antibacterial effects.

Involving national stakeholders in a systems approach to map drivers of childhood obesity and actions to prevent childhood obesity in Denmark: the Generation Healthy Kids Study.

Background: Childhood obesity is a preventable global public health challenge, increasingly recognized as a complex problem, stemming from complex drivers. Obesity is characterized by multiple interdependencies and diverse influences at different societal levels. Tackling childhood obesity calls for a holistic approach that engages with complexity and recognizes that there is no single "magic bullet" intervention to prevent obesity.

Colorectal carcinogenesis in the Lynch syndromes and familial adenomatous polyposis: trigger events and downstream consequences.

Carcinogenesis encompasses processes that lead to increased mutation rates, enhanced cellular division (tumour growth), and invasive growth. Colorectal cancer (CRC) carcinogenesis in carriers of pathogenic APC (path_APC) and pathogenic mismatch repair gene (path_MMR) variants is initiated by a second hit affecting the corresponding wild-type allele. In path_APC carriers, second hits result in the development of multiple adenomas, with CRC typically emerging after an additional 20 years.

Fast vocal-motor tracking of escaping prey in echolocating bats.

Background: Echolocating bats face an intense arms race with insect prey that can detect bat calls and initiate evasive maneuvers. Their high closing speeds and short biosonar ranges leave bats with only a few 100 ms between detection and capture, suggesting a reactive sensory-motor operation that might preclude tracking of escaping prey. Here we test this hypothesis using greater mouse-eared bats (Myotis myotis) as a model species.

Assessing the effect of On-site supportive communication training (On-site SCT) on doctor burnout: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Burnout is a critical factor that can influence the quality of care that doctors provide to their patients. Previous research suggests a link between inadequate communication skills training and burnout, and various approaches to enhance communication skills have been explored as a means to address this issue. However, evidence of the effect of these approaches is lacking.

Cryo-EM analysis of complement C3 reveals a reversible major opening of the macroglobulin ring.

The C3 protein is the central molecule within the complement system and undergoes proteolytic activation to C3b in the presence of pathogens. Pattern-independent activation of C3 also occurs via hydrolysis, resulting in C3(HO), but the structural details of C3 hydrolysis remain elusive. Here we show that the conformation of the C3(HO) analog, C3MA, is indistinguishable from C3b.

Association between symptom characteristics and disease severity in patients suspected of coronary artery disease.

Background: Discrepancies often exist between patient-reported symptoms and diagnostic test findings in patients with suspected obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD).

Objectives: To quantify the association between patient-reported symptoms and the diagnosis of severe stenosis in patients with suspected obstructive CAD.

Methods: Two large-scale cohorts of patients with new-onset symptoms suggestive of obstructive CAD were evaluated.

Cavity as radio telescope for galactic dark photon.

Dark photons, as a minimal extension of the Standard Model through an additional Abelian gauge group, may propagate relativistically across the galaxy, originating from dark matter decay or annihilation, thereby contributing to a galactic dark photon background. The generation of dark photons typically favors certain polarization modes, which are dependent on the interactions between dark matter and dark photons. We introduce a framework in which a resonant cavity is utilized to detect and differentiate these polarizations, leveraging the daily variation in expected signals due to the anisotropic distribution of dark photons and the rotation of the Earth.

PET Quantification in Healthy Humans of Cyclooxygenase-2, a Potential Biomarker of Neuroinflammation.

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is present in a healthy brain at low densities but can be markedly upregulated by excitatory input and by inflammogens. This study evaluated the sensitivity of the PET radioligand [C]-6-methoxy-2-(4-(methylsulfonyl)phenyl)--(thiophen-2-ylmethyl)pyrimidin-4-amine ([C]MC1) to detect COX-2 density in a healthy human brain. The specificity of [C]MC1 was confirmed using lipopolysaccharide-injected rats and transgenic mice expressing the human gene, with 120-min baseline and blocked scans using COX-1 and COX-2 selective agents.

Lactational performance effects of 3-nitrooxypropanol supplementation to dairy cows: A meta-regression.

A meta-regression was conducted to determine the production effects of 3-nitrooxypropanol (3-NOP) and investigate their associations with dose, dietary nutrient composition, and supplementation length in dairy cows. Forty treatment and control mean comparisons extracted from 21 studies conducted or published between 2014 to 2024 were used in the meta-regression. Response variables were DMI, milk yield (MY), ECM yield, ECM feed efficiency, BW, BW change, and concentrations of milk fat, true protein, lactose, and MUN.

Working years lost in people with epilepsy: a population-based cohort study.

Background: We quantify the loss of working years for people with epilepsy compared with the general population and consider variation by aetiology, psychiatric comorbidity, sex and age.

Methods: This population-based cohort study included all individuals aged 18-65 years living in Denmark from 1995 to 2018. Using nationwide registers since 1977, we identified people with epilepsy and obtained information on the main source of income or employment for each year during follow-up from 1995 to 2020.

Towards a common terminology of ventilation during cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Manual and mechanical ventilation during cardiopulmonary resuscitation are critical yet poorly understood components of resuscitation care. In recent years, intra-arrest ventilation has been the subject of a growing number of laboratory and clinical investigations. Essential components to accurately interpret or reproduce original investigations are the exact measurement and transparent reporting of key ventilation parameters, such as volumes and airway pressures obtained during ongoing cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Transcriptomic Signatures of Cold Acclimated Adipocytes Reveal CXCL12 as a Brown Autocrine and Paracrine Chemokine.

Besides its thermogenic capacity, brown adipose tissue (BAT) performs important secretory functions that regulate metabolism. However, the BAT microenvironment and factors involved in BAT homeostasis and adaptation to cold remain poorly characterized. We therefore aimed to study brown adipocyte-derived secreted factors that may be involved in adipocyte function and/or may orchestrate intercellular communications.

Ovarian sex cord-stromal cell tumors and the risk of sex hormone-sensitive cancers.

Background: Sex cord-stromal cell tumors (SCST) are rare tumors of the ovary. Some of the SCSTs secrete hormone originating from the sex or stromal cell of the ovaries. Previous studies have indicated an increased risk of breast and endometrial cancers.

Semaglutide in obesity-related heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and type 2 diabetes across baseline HbA levels (STEP-HFpEF DM): a prespecified analysis of heart failure and metabolic outcomes from a randomised, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: About half of patients with heart failure with mildly reduced or preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) have type 2 diabetes. In the STEP-HFpEF DM trial of adults with obesity-related HFpEF and type 2 diabetes, subcutaneous once weekly semaglutide 2·4 mg conferred improvements in heart failure-related symptoms and physical limitations, bodyweight, and other heart failure outcomes. We aimed to determine whether these effects of semaglutide differ according to baseline HbA.

The ReAct project: Analysis of data from 23 different laboratories to characterise DNA recovery given two sets of activity level propositions.

The ReAct (Recovery, Activity) project is an ENFSI (European Network of Forensic Science Institutes) supported initiative comprising a large consortium of laboratories. Here, the results from more than 23 laboratories are presented. The primary purpose was to design experiments simulating typical casework circumstances; collect data and to implement Bayesian networks to assess the value (i.

Nanoplastic in aqueous environments: The role of chemo-electric properties for nanoplastic-mineral interaction.

Due to increasing plastic production, the continuous release of primary and secondary nanoplastic particles (NPs, <1 μm) has become an emerging contaminant in terrestrial environments. The fate and transport of NPs in subsurface environments remain poorly understood, largely due to the complex interplay of mineralogical, chemical, biological, and morphological heterogeneity. This study examines interactions between abundant subsurface minerals and NPs under controlled water chemistry (1 mM KCl, pH 5.

Loneliness is positively associated with populist radical right support.

Objectives: The mental and physical health consequences of loneliness are well documented. However, loneliness's socio-political ramifications have been largely unexplored. We theorize that loneliness, due to its physiologically dysregulating impact on the nervous system, facilitates greater susceptibility towards populist radical right parties.

A prospective study of methylated ctDNA in patients undergoing treatment for liver metastases from colorectal cancer.

Background: Decision regarding local treatment of colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) is a multidisciplinary assessment, and liver intervention should be performed when the metastases are deemed resectable. There is no standard biomarker to aid neither this decision nor the postoperative treatment decisions. The present prospective, observational study aimed to investigate the potential clinical utility of a combined tumor-specific and organ-specific methylated circulating DNA assay in the perioperative setting of CRLM.

Exploring the decisional needs of patients living with subacromial pain syndrome: A qualitative needs assessment study.

Background: There are a variety of different treatments for patients living with subacromial pain syndrome (SAPS). All treatments have small to moderate effect sizes, and it is challenging when healthcare practitioners and patients need to decide on which treatment options to choose. The aim of this study was to explore and understand the decisional needs of patients with SAPS, to inform and support the decision-making process.