The fruit fly as a screening model for antiseizure medications.

Objective: Resistance to antiseizure medications (ASMs) is a major challenge in the treatment of patients with epilepsy. Despite numerous newly marketed ASMs, the proportion of drug-resistant people with epilepsy has not significantly decreased over the years. Therefore, novel and innovative seizure models for preclinical drug screening are highly desirable.

Electroacupuncture ameliorates inflammatory pain through CB2 receptor-dependent activation of the AMPK signaling pathway.

Background: Chronic inflammatory pain is a pervasive condition, and electroacupuncture (EA) is an effective treatment, but its mechanisms are not fully understood. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a key energy sensor, is involved in pain relief and EA's effects. EA may work by increasing endocannabinoids, upregulating CB2 receptors (CB2R), and stimulating β-endorphin (β-END).

Episiotomy and innervation zones of the external anal Sphincter: A case series investigating the impact on neurological patterns.

Objective: To investigate the impact of mediolateral episiotomy on the innervation zones of the External Anal Sphincter (EAS) in the absence and presence of direct muscular injury.

Methods: This case series examined four primiparous women, including three who underwent vaginal deliveries with mediolateral episiotomy and one cesarean section case for reference. Pre- and post-delivery assessments utilized surface electromyography (sEMG) and endoanal ultrasound to evaluate changes in the EAS's innervation zones and obstetrical EAS injuries, alongside the Wexner score for fecal incontinence.

Clinical characterization of a novel episodic ataxia in young working Cocker Spaniels.

Background: Episodic ataxias (EAs) are a rare group of paroxysmal movement disorders (PMD) described in human medicine with only one suspected case described in veterinary literature.

Hypothesis/objectives: This study aimed to provide clinical description of a suspected primary EA in working Cocker Spaniel (WCS) dogs.

Animals: Seven WCS dogs with suspected primary EA.

Knowledge and Performance of Iranian Internists Regarding Dyslipidemia According to Lipid Guidelines and Their Relationships with Personal and Occupational Characteristics.

Background: Lipid metabolism disorders are among the most common metabolic diseases that are increasing globally and are associated with chronic metabolic disturbances. The present study aimed to determine the knowledge and practice of internal medicine physicians concerning lipid disorders according to the AHA, AACE, ESC-EAS, and NCEP-ATP-III guidelines.

Methods: This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study selected a convenience sample of 220 internal medicine specialists from January through September 2021 in Tehran and some other Iranian cities.

Desmopressin is a safe and effective secretagogue to replace corticotropin-releasing hormone in petrosal sinus sampling.

Purpose: Bilateral inferior petrosal sinus sampling (BIPSS) with corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) was the gold standard for distinguishing Cushing disease (CD) from ectopic ACTH secretion (EAS). CRH, however, is no longer available.

Objective: To assess the reliability of BIPSS with desmopressin to differentiate CD from EAS.

Ellagic acid prevents ovariectomy-induced bone loss and attenuates oxidative damage of osteoblasts by activating SIRT1.

Oxidative stress has been implicated as a causative factor for the development and progression of osteoporosis(OP). Ellagic acid (EA), a natural polyphenol, presents anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties. However, EA's role and molecular mechanism in osteoblasts have not yet been elucidated.

Integrating artificial intelligence in renal cell carcinoma: evaluating ChatGPT's performance in educating patients and trainees.

Background: OpenAI's ChatGPT is a large language model-based artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot that can be used to answer unique, user-generated questions without direct training on specific content. Large language models have significant potential in urologic education. We reviewed the primary data surrounding the use of large language models in urology.

Perioperative systemic therapy in high-risk renal cell carcinoma following nephrectomy: a narrative review.

Background And Objective: For patients with resectable renal cell carcinoma (RCC), extirpative surgery with curative intent remains the standard of care. Despite surgical resection, most patients with high-risk features experience disease recurrence. The role of perioperative systemic therapy in the management of these patients' disease remains unclear.

The Epilepsy-Aphasia Syndrome gene, Cnksr2, Plays a Critical Role in the Anterior Cingulate Cortex Mediating Vocal Communication.

Epilepsy Aphasia Syndrome (EAS) is a spectrum of childhood disorders that exhibit complex co-morbidities that include epilepsy and the emergence of cognitive and language disorders. CNKSR2 is an X-linked gene in which mutations are linked to EAS. We previously demonstrated Cnksr2 knockout (KO) mice model key phenotypes of EAS analogous to those present in clinical patients with mutations in the gene.

Case report: A rare case of renal epithelioid angiosarcoma.

Primary renal epithelioid angiosarcoma (EAS) is extremely rare and carries a poor prognosis. Herein, we present a case of renal EAS in an 81-year-old male patient who complained of hematuria for 1 year. A computerized tomography (CT) scan revealed an occupying lesion at the upper pole of the left kidney, with scattered calcifications, along with retroperitoneal lymph node metastasis and possible lung metastasis.

Preclinical efficacy and safety of adeno-associated virus 5 alpha-galactosidase: A gene therapy for Fabry disease.

We developed a novel adeno-associated virus 5 gene therapy (AAV5-GLA) expressing human alpha-galactosidase A (GLA) under the control of a novel, small and strong, liver-restricted promoter. We assessed the preclinical potential of AAV5-GLA for treating Fabry disease, an X-linked hereditary metabolic disorder resulting from mutations in the gene encoding GLA that lead to accumulation of the substrates globotriaosylceramide and globotriaosylsphingosine, causing heart, kidney, and central nervous system dysfunction. Effects of intravenously administered AAV5-GLA were evaluated in (1) GLA-knockout mice aged 7-8 weeks (early in disease) and 20 weeks (nociception phenotype manifestation) and (2) cynomolgus macaques during an 8-week period.

Pelvic floor muscle activation in response to pressure stimuli applied to the vulvar vestibule: an observational study comparing women with and without provoked vestibulodynia.

Background: The nature of pelvic floor muscle (PFM) involvement in provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is poorly understood.

Aim: We aimed to determine if PFM electromyographic (EMG) activity in anticipation of or response to pressure applied to the posterior vaginal fourchette differs between those with and without PVD, and if the magnitude of PFM response is associated with pressure pain sensitivity, psychological or psychosexual function.

Methods: This was an observational case-control study.

Reliability of clinical examination for the assessment of obstetric anal sphincter injuries. A comparative study with 3D endoanal ultrasonography.

Objective: Anal incontinence (AI) affects up to 40% of women who sustained obstetric anal sphincter injuries (OASIs) due to persistent defects after primary repair or undiagnosed lesions. Aim of our research was to assess the reliability of clinical assessment of OASIs at the delivery as compared to three-dimensional endoanal ultrasonography (3D-EAUS).

Methods: An observational prospective study was conducted between December 2015 and December 2022.

Constructing a multi-ancestry polygenic risk score for uterine fibroids using publicly available data highlights need for inclusive genetic research.

Uterine leiomyomata, or fibroids, are common gynecological tumors causing pelvic and menstrual symptoms that can negatively affect quality of life and child-bearing desires. As fibroids grow, symptoms can intensify and lead to invasive treatments that are less likely to preserve fertility. Identifying individuals at highest risk for fibroids can aid in access to earlier diagnoses.

Prevalence of Transcription Factor 4 Gene Triplet Repeat Expansion Associated with Fuchs' Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy in the United States and Global Populations.

Objective: An intronic cytosine-thymine-guanine (CTG) triplet repeat expansion in the transcription factor 4 gene () gene (CTG18.1) confers significant risk for the development of Fuchs' endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD). The objective of this study was to conduct an unbiased survey of the CTG18.

Genomic profiling of NSCLC tumors with the TruSight oncology 500 assay provides broad coverage of clinically actionable genomic alterations and detection of known and novel associations between genomic alterations, TMB, and PD-L1.

Introduction: Matching patients to an effective targeted therapy or immunotherapy is a challenge for advanced and metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), especially when relying on assays that test one marker at a time. Unlike traditional single marker tests, comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) can simultaneously assess NSCLC tumors for hundreds of genomic biomarkers and markers for immunotherapy response, leading to quicker and more precise matches to therapeutics.

Methods: In this study, we performed CGP on 7,606 patients with advanced or metastatic NSCLC using the Illumina TruSight Oncology 500 (TSO 500) CGP assay to show its coverage and utility in detecting known and novel features of NSCLC.

Psychometric Properties of the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale-II Self-Report.

The Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) is one of the most commonly used instruments for assessing and quantifying the presence and severity of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms. Both the interview and self-report (SR) versions of the original Y-BOCS have demonstrated good psychometrics. However, areas for revision were noted regarding the measure's severity ceiling and a "resistance to obsessions" item that did not perform adequately in psychometric testing and was not consistent with theoretical models of OCD.

Introduction of a LAT gel and low-dose midazolam sedo-analgesia protocol for pediatric skin suture in the emergency department: simpler is better.

Background: skin lacerations are one of the main causes of children's referral to the emergency department (ED). We introduced in our general ED a pediatric sedo-analgesia protocol (SAP) for suturing skin wounds using LAT gel, a local anesthetic solution of lidocaine, adrenaline and tetracaine, with or without low-dose oral midazolam according to patient's age, to improve the experience of laceration repair.

Methods: Primary outcomes were improvement of suturing experience for ED operators (as a reduction in the desire to avoid the procedure) and of the adequacy of sedo-analgesia provided, investigated through two different surveys administered to the ED staff before and after the introduction of the SAP.

Detection of Regulated Ergot Alkaloids in Food Matrices by Liquid Chromatography-Trapped Ion Mobility Spectrometry-Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry.

Ion mobility mass spectrometry (IMS) acts as an additional separation dimension when integrated into liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) workflows. LC-IMS-MS methods provide higher peak resolution, enhanced separation of isobaric and isomeric compounds, and improved signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) compared to traditional LC-MS methods. IMS provides another molecular characteristic for the identification of analytes, namely the collision cross section (CCS) parameter, reducing false positive results.

New mechanisms of PM induced atherosclerosis: Source dependent toxicity and pathogenesis.

Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) is recognized to induce atherosclerosis, but the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. This study used ambient PM samples collected in one of the highly polluted regions of Guanzhong Plain in China (2017-2020) and an ApoE mouse model to investigate the association between exposure to PM and atherosclerosis. Despite a substantial decrease in the ambient concentration of PM from 266.

Food and nutrient intake among non-pregnant, non-lactating women of reproductive age of Mbeya in Tanzania: A repeated 24-hour dietary recall.

Micronutrient deficiencies can hurt the health of women of reproductive age (WRA), their pregnancy outcomes, and the growth and development of their offspring in sub-Saharan African countries. The present study aimed to estimate the dietary intake of non-pregnant and non-lactating (NPNL) WRA, residing in seven districts of the Mbeya region in Tanzania using a 24-hour dietary recall. A cross sectional study was conducted among 500 NPNL WRA.

Corticostriatal glutamate-mediated dynamic therapeutic efficacy of electroacupuncture in a parkinsonian rat model.

Background: Motor impairments are the defining cardinal features of Parkinson's disease (PD), resulting from malfunction of the cortico-basal ganglia circuit. Clinical data have demonstrated that electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation may benefit motor symptoms in PD without adverse effects. However, the specific effects of EA on PD and the underlying mechanisms remain largely unclear.

The 330 risk loci known for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE): a review.

An in-depth literature review of up to 2023 reveals 330 risk loci found by genetic association at ≤ 5 × 10, with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in at least one study of 160 pertinent publications. There are 225 loci found in East Asian (EAS), 106 in European (EU), 11 in African-American (AA), 18 Mixed American (MA), and 1 in Egyptian ancestries. Unexpectedly, most of these associations are found to date at ≤ 5 × 10 in a single ancestry.