Effects of population-based screening for atrial fibrillation on quality of life.

Background: Screening for atrial fibrillation is rising and may worsen or improve quality of life.

Methods: We assessed quality of life (EQ-5D-5L) data in 6,004 participants with stroke risk factors randomised to usual care (n=4,503) or implantable loop recorder with anticoagulation upon detection of atrial fibrillation (n=1,501). Five domains (mobility, selfcare, usual activities, pain/discomfort, anxiety/depression) each scored from one to five were calculated into individual index scores (worst=-0.

Point of view: Challenges in implementation of new immunotherapies for Alzheimer's disease.

The advancement of disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) for Alzheimer's disease (AD), along with the approval of three amyloid-targeting therapies in the US and several other countries, represents a significant development in the treatment landscape, offering new hope for addressing this once untreatable chronic progressive disease. However, significant challenges persist that could impede the successful integration of this class of drugs into clinical practice. These challenges include determining patient eligibility, appropriate use of diagnostic tools and genetic testing in patient care pathways, effective detection and monitoring of side effects, and improving the healthcare system's readiness by engaging both primary care and dementia specialists.

Estimating the environmental burden of disease resulting from exposure to chemicals in European countries - potentials and challenges revealed in selected case studies.

Background: The increased use of chemicals leads to a continuous deposition of chemicals in the environment and to a continuous increase in exposure of the global and the European population. Comprehensive burden of disease analyses are however still missing for many countries.

Methods: Using the World Health Organization's Environmental Burden of Disease (EBD) approach and combining data from the European Human Biomonitoring (HBM) dashboard with disease and population data, we estimated the comprehensive attributable burden (AB) for the year 2021, in the best-case quantified by disability-adjusted life years (DALY).

Peripherally administered TNF inhibitor is not protective against α-synuclein-induced dopaminergic neuronal death in rats.

The underlying cause of neuronal loss in Parkinson's disease (PD) remains unknown, but evidence implicates neuroinflammation in PD pathobiology. The pro-inflammatory cytokine soluble tumor necrosis factor (TNF) seems to play an important role and thus has been proposed as a therapeutic target for modulation of the neuroinflammatory processes in PD. In this regard, dominant-negative TNF (DN-TNF) agents are promising antagonists that selectively inhibit soluble TNF signaling, while preserving the beneficial effects of transmembrane TNF.

Phase 3, Randomized, Comparison Study of Intracameral Bimatoprost Implant 10 µg and Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty.

Purpose: To evaluate the intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering effect and safety of up to two bimatoprost implant administrations versus selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT).

Design: Phase 3 (Stage 2), randomized, 24-month, multicenter, patient- and efficacy evaluator-masked, paired-eye clinical trial (NCT02507687).

Participants: Patients (n=183) with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension inadequately managed with topical IOP-lowering medication for reasons other than efficacy.

Tattoo ink products and pigments 2018-19 upfront the new EUREACH regulation: Danish golden benchmark Study of 108 studios and 39687 clients tattooed with inks from 109720 ink bottles.

Background: The new EU regulation on tattoo inks in force January 2022 in a hitherto unregulated market marks a historical change.

Objective: Mapping of the thousands of tattoo inks de facto used in studios before the new EU regulation and establish a historical reference to tattoo customer exposure, ink toxicology assessment, clinical complications, and the impact on tattooing businesses.

Method: A tattooist-operated electronic system (InkBase) for ink registration required by law is used in Denmark since 2018.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of adverse events following measles-containing vaccines in infants less than 12 months of age.

Background: Lowering the age for receiving the first dose of a measles-containing vaccine (MCV1) has been suggested to close the emerging immunity gap in infants. However, tolerability remains one of the main concerns for vaccine-hesitant parents. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of reactogenicity following MCV1 in infants under 12 months of age.

Fatty acid carbon isotopes as tracers of trophic structure and contaminant biomagnification in Arctic marine food webs.

Mercury (Hg) and persistent organic pollutant (POP) accumulation among species and biomagnification through food webs is typically assessed using stable isotopes of nitrogen (δN) and carbon (δC) in bulk (whole) tissues. Yet, bulk isotopic approaches have limitations, notably from the potential overlap of isotope values from different dietary sources and from spatial variation in source (baseline) signals. Here, we explore the potential of fatty acid carbon isotopes (FA δC) to (1) evaluate the trophic structure of a marine food web, (2) distinguish feeding patterns among four marine mammal consumers, (3) trace contaminant biomagnification through a food web, and (4) explain interspecific variation in contaminants among high-trophic position predators.

miR-449a/miR-340 reprogram cell identity and metabolism in fusion-negative rhabdomyosarcoma.

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), the most common pediatric soft tissue sarcoma, arises in skeletal muscle and remains in an undifferentiated state due to transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulators. Among its subtypes, fusion-negative RMS (FN-RMS) accounts for the majority of diagnoses in the pediatric population. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding RNAs that modulate cell identity via post-transcriptional regulation of messenger RNAs (mRNAs).

Low impact of Zostera marina meadows on sediment and water microbiota under brackish conditions.

Background: Zostera marina is an important ecosystem engineer influencing shallow water environments and possibly shaping the microbiota in surrounding sediments and water. Z. marina is typically found in marine systems, but it can also proliferate under brackish conditions.

Japi 2.0, a gaming platform to stimulate cognitive and non-cognitive skills in early childhood: protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial.

Background: Mental health disorders are one of the leading causes of illness globally. The importance of psychosocial skills acquired in early childhood, such as executive functions, inhibitory control, emotional regulation, and social problem-solving, in preventing mental disorders has been reported. Furthermore, mental health care delivery is evolving, and mobile technology is becoming the medium for assessment and intervention.

Prediction of oral diseases in care dependent older people.

Background: A large number of older people depend on others for help with their daily personal care, including oral health care. Nursing home and elder-care staff often face challenges identifying older people, who are exposed to or at an increased risk of oral diseases. Thus, the aim of this study was to identify risk factors that non-dental care staff can use to identify older people at risk of oral diseases and poor oral hygiene.

Aarskog-Scott syndrome: a clinical study based on a large series of 111 male patients with a pathogenic variant in and management recommendations.

Background: Aarskog-Scott syndrome (AAS) is a rare condition with multiple congenital anomalies, caused by hemizygote variants in the gene. Its description was based mostly on old case reports, in whom a molecular diagnosis was not always available, or on small series. The aim of this study was to better delineate the phenotype and the natural history of AAS and to provide clues for the diagnosis and the management of the patients.

The role of accidental hypothermia in drowning patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: A nationwide registry-based cohort study.

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the associations between hypothermia and mortality or poor neurological outcome in a nationwide cohort of drowning patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).

Methods: This nationwide, registry-based cohort study reported in-hospital data on drowning patients with OHCA following the Utstein Style For Drowning. Drowning patients with OHCA were identified in the Danish Cardiac Arrest Registry from 2016 to 2021.

Double trouble? Quantifying the risk from co-exposure to multiple pathogens in Tenebrio molitor at different CO concentrations.

The insect mass-rearing industry to produce feed and food is expanding rapidly. Insects in production frequently encounter multiple pathogens and environmental stressors simultaneously, which can lead to significant economic losses. Our understanding of the interactions between different stressors remains limited, and existing methods primarily focus on determining overall patterns of additivity, synergism, or antagonism.

Associations of early life body size and pubertal timing with breast density and postmenopausal breast cancer risk: a mediation analysis.

Purpose: Whether breast density mediates associations between early life body size and pubertal timing with postmenopausal breast cancer is underexplored.

Methods: We studied 33,939 Danish women attending the Capital Mammography Screening Program at ages 50-69 years. Early life anthropometry and pubertal timing information came from the Copenhagen School Health Records Register.

Understanding the complexity of near-infrared quantification of highly porous patient-tailored drug products by utilizing chemometrics and stimulated Raman imaging.

Additively manufactured drug products, typically produced using small-scale, on-demand batch mode, require rapid and non-destructive quantification methods. A tunable modular design (TMD) approach combining porous polymeric freeze-dried modules and an additive manufacturing method, inkjet printing, was proposed in an earlier study to fabricate accurate and patient-tailored doses of an antidepressant citalopram hydrobromide. This approach addresses the unmet medical needs associated with antidepressant tapering.

Joint Associations of Sedentary Time and Intensity-Specific Physical Activity With Cancer Mortality: A Device-Based Cohort Study of 72,458 UK Adults.

Background: There are no studies examining the prospective joint association of device-based measures of sedentary time and physical activity (PA) with cancer mortality. We examined the joint associations of sedentary time and intensity-specific PA with cancer mortality in 72,458 adults from UK Biobank.

Methods: Participants wore an Axivity AX3 accelerometer on their dominant wrist for at least 3 days (with at least 1 weekend day).

Classification of α-thalassemia data using machine learning models.

Background: Around 7% of the global population has congenital hemoglobin disorders, with over 300,000 new cases of α-thalassemia annually. Diagnosis is costly and inaccurate in low-income regions, often relying on complete blood count (CBC) tests. This study employs machine learning (ML) to classify α-thalassemia traits based on gender and CBC, exploring the effects of grouping silent- and non-carriers.

A Phase 2b, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of intravenous prasinezumab in early-stage Parkinson's disease (PADOVA): Rationale, design, and baseline data.

Introduction: Prasinezumab was shown to potentially delay motor progression in individuals with early-stage Parkinson's disease (PD) who were either treatment-naïve or on monoamine oxidase type B inhibitor (MAO-Bi) therapy in the PASADENA study. We report the rationale, design, and baseline patient characteristics of the PADOVA study, designed to evaluate prasinezumab in an early-stage PD population receiving standard-of-care (SOC) symptomatic medications.

Methods: PADOVA (NCT04777331) is a Phase 2b, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study, in which individuals with early-stage PD on SOC stable symptomatic monotherapy (levodopa or MAO-Bi) receive intravenous prasinezumab 1500 mg every 4 weeks.

Meat intake in relation to composition and function of gut microbiota.

Objective: Meat intake is suggested to affect gut microbiome composition and the risk of chronic diseases. We aimed to identify meat-associated gut microbiome features and their association with host factors.

Design: Gut microbiota species were profiled by deep shotgun metagenomics sequencing in 9669 individuals.

Association between endometriosis and working life among Danish women.

Study Question: What is the association between endometriosis and working life (lost), workforce participation, and productivity?

Summary Answer: Women with endometriosis experienced more working years lost due to disability pension and to a smaller degree sick leave, they were less frequently working or enrolled in education, had more sick days, were less productive, and had lower work ability.

What Is Known Already: Endometriosis is associated with negative consequences on working life; however, previous studies are based on self-reported data or smaller samples of women. To the best of our knowledge, no previous studies have quantified the average reduction in working hours during the entire span of working life using population-based registers.

Ecology of prophage-like elements in Bacillus subtilis at global and local geographical scales.

Prophages constitute a substantial portion of bacterial genomes, yet their effects on hosts remain poorly understood. We examine the abundance, distribution, and activity of prophages in Bacillus subtilis using computational and laboratory analyses. Genome sequences from the NCBI database and riverbank soil isolates reveal prophages primarily related to mobile genetic elements in laboratory strains.