Hypoparathyroidism: Similarities and differences between Western and Eastern countries.

Backgroud: Hypoparathyroidism (hypoPT) is characterized by acute and chronic complications due to insufficient parathyroid hormone (PTH) production or action. Several management guidelines have been developed, but mostly based on evidence from Western countries. Data from Eastern countries have not been systematically compared with those from Western countries.

Design and in vitro anticancer assessment of a click chemistry-derived dinuclear copper artificial metallo-nuclease.

Copper compounds with artificial metallo-nuclease (AMN) activity are mechanistically unique compared to established metallodrugs. Here, we describe the development of a new dinuclear copper AMN, Cu2-BPL-C6 (BPL-C6 = bis-1,10-phenanthroline-carbon-6), prepared using click chemistry that demonstrates site-specific DNA recognition with low micromolar cleavage activity. The BPL-C6 ligand was designed to force two redox-active copper centres-central for enhancing AMN activity-to bind DNA, via two phenanthroline ligands separated by an aliphatic linker.

Diminished DNA binding affinity of DMRT1 caused by heterozygous DM domain mutations is a cause of male infertility.

The most severe form of male infertility is idiopathic non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA), a complete sperm absence in the ejaculate. We performed exome sequencing in the Croatian infertile brothers with NOA and found a variant in DMRT1 (Doublesex and mab-3 related transcription factor 1) gene that was further assessed by the EMSA assay and molecular dynamic simulations. We additionally screened for DMRT1 mutations in 1940 infertile men diagnosed with spermatogenic failure, 644 normozoospermic controls, and 105 females with primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) recruited to the GEnetics of Male INfertility Initiative (GEMINI) or Estonian Andrology (ESTAND) cohorts.

Cancer drug applications to the EMA and the FDA: A comparison of new drugs and extension of indication in terms of approval decisions and time in review.

Aims: The aim of this study was to compare the final approval decision and time from submission to final decision for new drug applications and applications for extension of indications to the EMA and the FDA within cancer drugs.

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis on antineoplastic drug applications with a final decision in both the EMA and the FDA from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2022. For each included drug application, we collected data from the EMA website and the Drugs@FDA database.

Improving future agricultural sustainability by optimizing crop distributions in China.

Improving agricultural sustainability is a global challenge, particularly for China's high-input and low-efficiency cropping systems with environmental tradeoffs. Although national strategies have been implemented to achieve Sustainable Development Goals in agriculture, the potential contributions of crop switching as a promising solution under varying future climate change are still under-explored. Here, we optimize cropping patterns spatially with the targets of enhancing agriculture production, reducing environmental burdens, and achieving sustainable fertilization across different climate scenarios.

Combining a guided self-help and brief alcohol intervention to improve mental health and reduce substance use among refugee men in Uganda: a cluster-randomized feasibility trial.

Evidence on the effectiveness and implementation of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) interventions for men in humanitarian settings is limited. Moreover, engagement and retention of men in such interventions has been challenging. Adaptations may therefore be required to improve the appropriateness and acceptability of these interventions for men.

Critical Evaluation of the 2016 SOSORT Clinical Guidelines on the Detection and Clinical Management of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Using the AGREE II Tool: A Chiropractic Perspective.

Objective: The objective of this study is to assess the methodological quality of the 2016 Society on Scoliosis Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Treatment (SOSORT) guidelines for the detection and management of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

Methods: A diverse group of experts, including practicing chiropractors, chiropractors with a Diplomate by the American Chiropractic Board of Radiology, chiropractors with PhD degrees, and chiropractors involved in teaching within chiropractic programs was invited to participate in the study. Experts independently evaluated the guidelines using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II tool.

Diagnosing Acute Graft-Versus-Host Disease in Children Undergoing Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation-Comparison of the Modified Glucksberg Criteria Versus the MAGIC Criteria.

Diagnosing acute graft-versus-host disease (aGvHD) following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is challenging due to heterogeneity in interpreting current clinical criteria. Recently, the Mount Sinai Acute GvHD International Consortium (MAGIC) criteria were introduced to improve diagnostic consistency. In a study of 117 pediatric patients undergoing HSCT, the modified Glucksberg and the MAGIC criteria were retrospectively compared.

Helminth infection induces innate immune priming in plasmacytoid dendritic cells.

Heligmosomoides polygyrus co-infection is reported to have protective antiviral effects against pulmonary viral infections. To investigate a potential underlying mechanism, we infected C57BL/6 mice with H. polygyrus larvae for two weeks.

An Exploration of Adults Transitioning Into Retirements' Perspectives on Vigorous Intermittent Lifestyle Physical Activity.

Issue Addressed: Australian adults transitioning into retirement aged 55-75 years (> 50%) do not meet the World Health Organization recommendation of physical activity (PA). One potential strategy to promote PA is through vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity (VILPA). This study aimed to investigate barriers and facilitators from adults transitioning to retirement about participation in VILPA and to identify strategies to promote and implement VILPA.

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.