Carbonyl Reductase 1: a novel regulator of blood pressure in Down Syndrome.

Approximately one in every 800 children is born with the severe aneuploid condition of Down Syndrome, a trisomy of chromosome 21. Low blood pressure (hypotension) is a common condition associated with DS and can have a significant impact on exercise tolerance and quality of life. Little is known about the factors driving this hypotensive phenotype and therefore therapeutic interventions are limited.

Linking higher amyloid beta 1-38 (Aβ(1-38)) levels to reduced Alzheimer's disease progression risk.

Introduction: The beneficial effects of amyloid beta 1-38, or Aβ(1-38), on Alzheimer's disease (AD) progression in humans in vivo remain controversial. We investigated AD patients' cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Aβ(1-38) and AD progression.

Methods: Cognitive function and diagnostic change were assessed annually for 3 years in 177 Aβ-positive participants with subjective cognitive decline (SCD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and dementia from the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) longitudinal cognitive impairment and dementia study (DELCODE) cohort using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Preclinical Alzheimer's Cognitive Composite (PACC), Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), and National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke-Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association (NINCDS-ADRDA) criteria.

Predicting risk of maternal critical care admission in Scotland: Development of a risk prediction model.

Background: Identifying women at highest or lowest risk of perinatal intensive care unit (ICU) admission may enable clinicians to risk stratify women antenatally so that enhanced care or elective admission to ICU may be considered or excluded in birthing plans. We aimed to develop a statistical model to predict the risk of maternal ICU admission.

Methods: We studied 762,918 pregnancies between 2005 and 2018.

Effect of labor analgesia using programmed intermittent epidural boluses on postpartum depression symptoms: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) is a serious concern with multifactorial etiology. Association between prenatal anxiety, pain, and depression has been theorized.

Aim: In this randomized controlled trial, we studied the effect of pain relief by combined spinal epidural (CSE) and other factors influencing PPD.

Research on a new process of reconstituted landess goose steak.

The primary product currently sold from is foie gras, with limited research conducted on the processing of meat, which consequently restricts its added value. Therefore, the objective of this research is to develop a processing technique for reconstituted goose cutlets using meat as the main ingredient, aiming for a compact structure and intact shape after frying. The study examined the effects of compound enzyme quantity, tumbling duration, and molding time on the quality of the reconstituted goose cutlets, utilizing bonding strength, cooking loss rate, color, chewability, adhesiveness, and sensory evaluation as key metrics.

Proposing a two-stage screening approach to distinguish between transient and enduring postnatal depressive symptoms: A prospective cohort study.

Background: Screening for perinatal depression using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) improves detection and increases health service utilization. However, previous studies with antenatal samples indicate that positive screenings might reflect transient distress that resolves without intervention, raising concerns about over-pathologizing typical postnatal responses and inefficiencies in referral practices. Therefore, distinguishing between transient and enduring depressive symptoms for appropriate referrals to secondary services is crucial, highlighting the need for a refined screening practice.

On Tractable Convex Relaxations of Standard Quadratic Optimization Problems under Sparsity Constraints.

Standard quadratic optimization problems (StQPs) provide a versatile modelling tool in various applications. In this paper, we consider StQPs with a hard sparsity constraint, referred to as sparse StQPs. We focus on various tractable convex relaxations of sparse StQPs arising from a mixed-binary quadratic formulation, namely, the linear optimization relaxation given by the reformulation-linearization technique, the Shor relaxation, and the relaxation resulting from their combination.

Late-Stage Minimal Labeling of Peptides and Proteins for Real-Time Imaging of Cellular Trafficking.

The cellular uptake routes of peptides and proteins are complex and diverse, often handicapping therapeutic success. Understanding their mechanisms of internalization requires chemical derivatization with approaches that are compatible with wash-free and real-time imaging. In this work, we developed a new late-stage labeling strategy for unprotected peptides and proteins, which retains their biological activity while enabling live-cell imaging of uptake and intracellular trafficking.

Diagnosis and management of de novo non-specific spinal infections: European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS) Spine Section Delphi consensus recommendations.

Introduction: The management of de novo non-specific spinal infections (spondylodiscitis - SD) remains inconsistent due to varying clinical practices and a lack of high-level evidence, particularly regarding the indications for surgery.

Research Question: This study aims to develop consensus recommendations for the diagnosis and management of SD, addressing diagnostic modalities, surgical indications, and treatment strategies.

Material And Methods: A Delphi process was conducted with 26 experts from the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS).

bark extract reduces the impact of infection on C57BL/6 but not on BALB/c mice ().

Plant secondary metabolites (PSMs) may improve gastrointestinal health by exerting immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory and/or antiparasitic effects. Bark extracts from coniferous tree species have previously been shown to reduce the burden of a range of parasite species in the gastrointestinal tract, with condensed tannins as the potential active compounds. In the present study, the impact of an acetone extract of pine bark () on the resistance, performance and tolerance of genetically diverse mice () was assessed.

Historical Control Data of Spontaneous Lesions of Laboratory New Zealand White and Dutch Belted Rabbits () Used in Toxicity Studies.

A retrospective study was performed to determine the incidences of spontaneous findings in control laboratory New Zealand White (NZW) and Dutch Belted (DB) rabbits. Terminal body and organ weights data were also collected. A total of 2170 NZW (526 males/1644 females), 100 DB rabbits (50 animals per sex), aged 4- to 7-month-old were obtained from 158 non-clinical studies evaluated between 2013 and 2022.

Plasmodium falciparum CyRPA glycan binding does not explain adaptation to humans.

The human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum evolved from a parasite that infects gorillas, termed Plasmodium praefalciparum. The sialic acids on glycans on the surface of erythrocytes differ between humans and other apes. It has recently been shown that the P.

Association between sleep problems during pregnancy and postpartum depressive symptoms as well as condition of newborn at delivery.

Background: Pregnancy-related anatomic, physiologic, and hormonal factors can occur at different stages of pregnancy and affect sleep disturbances. The relationship between sleep problems during pregnancy and postpartum depressive symptoms as well as neonatal condition at delivery have not been well described. This study hypothesized that sleep problems are associated with postpartum depressive symptoms and adverse neonatal outcomes at delivery.

Can fundus features tell us something about 3D eye shape?

Purpose: To determine whether imaging features derived from fundus photographs contain 3D eye shape information beyond that available from spherical equivalent refraction (SER).

Methods: We analysed 99 eyes of 68 normal adults in the UK Biobank. An ellipsoid was fitted to the entire volume of each posterior eye (vitreous chamber without the lens)-segmented from magnetic resonance imaging of the brain.

Super-resolution imaging of proteins inside live mammalian cells with mLIVE-PAINT.

Super-resolution microscopy has revolutionized biological imaging, enabling the visualization of structures at the nanometer length scale. Its application in live cells, however, has remained challenging. To address this, we adapted LIVE-PAINT, an approach we established in yeast, for application in live mammalian cells.

Consensus recommendations for measuring the impact of contraception on the menstrual cycle in contraceptive clinical trials.

Objective: We sought to develop consensus recommendations for measurement and analysis of data on contraceptive-induced menstrual changes (CIMCs) in contraceptive clinical trials. We built upon previous standardization efforts over the last 50 years and prioritized input from a variety of global experts and current regulatory authority guidance on patient-reported outcomes.

Study Design: We completed a formal consensus-building process with an interdisciplinary group of 57 experts from 30 organizations and 14 countries in five global regions who work across academia, nonprofit research organizations, the pharmaceutical industry, and funding agencies.

Neurobiology, Molecular Pathways, and Environmental Influences in Antisocial Traits and Personality Disorders.

Personality disorders (PDs) are psychiatric conditions characterized by enduring patterns of cognition, emotion, and behaviour that deviate significantly from cultural norms, causing distress or impairment. The aetiology of PDs is complex, involving both genetic and environmental factors. Genetic studies estimate the heritability of PDs at 30% to 60%, implicating genes involved in neurotransmitter regulation, such as those for serotonin transporters and dopamine receptors.

Using Laboratory Test Results for Surveillance During a New Outbreak of Acute Hepatitis in 3-Week- to 5-Year-Old Children in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Ireland, and Curaçao: Observational Cohort Study.

Background: In March 2022, a concerning rise in cases of unexplained pediatric hepatitis was reported in multiple countries. Cases were defined as acute hepatitis with serum transaminases >500 U/L (aspartate transaminase [AST] or alanine transaminase [ALT]) in children aged 16 years or younger. We explored a simple federated data analytics method to search for evidence of unreported cases using routinely held data.

MRI-based modelling of left atrial flow and coagulation to predict risk of thrombogenesis in atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation (AF), impacting nearly 50 million individuals globally, is a major contributor to ischaemic strokes, predominantly originating from the left atrial appendage (LAA). Current clinical scores like CHA₂DS₂-VASc, while useful, provide limited insight into the pro-thrombotic mechanisms of Virchow's triad-blood stasis, endothelial damage, and hypercoagulability. This study leverages biophysical computational modelling to deepen our understanding of thrombogenesis in AF patients.

Exploring brain health awareness and dementia risk in young adults: A focus group study.

Objective: The topic of brain health across the life-course is currently receiving exponential attention. Alongside this, exposure to lifestyle-related risk factors for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias accumulates across the life-course. This study aimed to explore young adults' (18-39 years) perceptions and understanding of brain health and dementia risk.

Blood-based epigenome-wide association study and prediction of alcohol consumption.

Alcohol consumption is an important risk factor for multiple diseases. It is typically assessed via self-report, which is open to measurement error through recall bias. Instead, molecular data such as blood-based DNA methylation (DNAm) could be used to derive a more objective measure of alcohol consumption by incorporating information from cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) sites known to be linked to the trait.