Theory of mind in schizophrenia through a clinical liability approach: a sib-pair study.

Background: Consistent findings indicate that Theory of Mind (ToM) is impaired in schizophrenia (SZ). To investigate whether such deficits are trait- or state-dependent, we investigated if ToM is modified by clinical liability markers (such as basic symptoms and psychotic-like experiences), focusing on the analysis of unaffected siblings of individuals diagnosed with SZ.

Methods: The study included a total of 65 participants: 38 patients diagnosed with a schizophrenia-spectrum disorder and 27 healthy siblings.

Ultrasound diagnosis of cystic cystitis with von Brunn's nest in two cats.

Case Series Summary: Two cats were initially evaluated for recurrent dysuria and haematuria, which were unresponsive to antibiotic and anti-inflammatory treatments. An abdominal ultrasound revealed focal wall thickening with a severe hypoechoic multicystic parietal lesion at the bladder apex. Surgical excision of the lesion (apical cystectomy) led to complete resolution of the clinical signs in both cases.

Survival after surgery for acute type A aortic dissection in octogenarians.

Objective: To evaluate the benefits of surgical repair acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) on survival of octogenarians.

Methods: Patients who underwent surgery for acute ATAAD from the multicenter European Registry of Type A Aortic Dissection (ERTAAD) were the subjects of the present analysis.

Results: 326 (8.

Fluid flow and amyloid transport and aggregation in the brain interstitial space.

The driving mechanisms at the base of the clearance of biological wastes in the brain interstitial space (ISS) are still poorly understood and an actively debated subject. A complete comprehension of the processes that lead to the aggregation of amyloid proteins in such environment, hallmark of the onset and progression of Alzheimer's disease, is of crucial relevance. Here we employ combined computational fluid dynamics and molecular dynamics techniques to uncover the role of fluid flow and proteins transport in the brain ISS.

Comparative analysis of creative problem solving tasks across age groups using modular cube robotics.

Creative Problem Solving (CPS) is an important competency when using digital artifacts for educational purposes. Using a dual-process approach, this study examines the divergent thinking scores (fluidity, flexibility, and originality) and problem-solving speed in CPS of different age groups. Participants engaged in CreaCube CPS tasks with educational robotics for two consecutive instances, with performance analyzed to explore the influence of prior experience and creative intentions.

An Abrupt Decline in Global Terrestrial Water Storage and Its Relationship with Sea Level Change.

Unlabelled: As observed by the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and GRACE Follow On (GRACE-FO) missions, global terrestrial water storage (TWS), excluding ice sheets and glaciers, declined rapidly between May 2014 and March 2016. By 2023, it had not yet recovered, with the upper end of its range remaining 1 cm equivalent height of water below the upper end of the earlier range. Beginning with a record-setting drought in northeastern South America, a series of droughts on five continents helped to prevent global TWS from rebounding.

Observational Assessment of Changes in Earth's Energy Imbalance Since 2000.

Satellite observations from the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System show that Earth's energy imbalance has doubled from 0.5 ± 0.2 Wm during the first 10 years of this century to 1.

North Atlantic Heat Transport Convergence Derived from a Regional Energy Budget Using Different Ocean Heat Content Estimates.

This study uses an oceanic energy budget to estimate the ocean heat transport convergence in the North Atlantic during 2005-2018. The horizontal convergence of the ocean heat transport is estimated using ocean heat content tendency primarily derived from satellite altimetry combined with space gravimetry. The net surface energy fluxes are inferred from mass-corrected divergence of atmospheric energy transport and tendency of the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis combined with top-of-the-atmosphere radiative fluxes from the clouds and the Earth's radiant energy system project.

Polygenic score distribution differences across European ancestry populations: implications for breast cancer risk prediction.

Background: The 313-variant polygenic risk score (PRS) provides a promising tool for clinical breast cancer risk prediction. However, evaluation of the PRS across different European populations which could influence risk estimation has not been performed.

Methods: We explored the distribution of PRS across European populations using genotype data from 94,072 females without breast cancer diagnosis, of European-ancestry from 21 countries participating in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC) and 223,316 females without breast cancer diagnosis from the UK Biobank.

Comparison of ELISA and IFAT for Leishmania infantum by European and Middle Eastern diagnostic laboratories.

Background: Visceral leishmaniosis (VL) is the most severe form of human leishmaniosis, with an estimated 95% case fatality if left untreated. Dogs act as peridomestic reservoir hosts for the protozoan parasite Leishmania infantum, a causative agent for human leishmaniosis, endemic throughout the Mediterranean basin. To assure consistent and accurate surveillance of canine infection and prevent transmission to people, consistent diagnosis of canine L.

Amoxicillin Blood Concentration in High-Dose Intravenous Discontinuous Amoxicillin: Look Beyond Numbers. Max-Amox Study.

Purpose: High doses of amoxicillin are recommended to treat severe infections such as endocarditis. Amoxicillin causes dose-dependent toxicities, in particular crystal nephropathy. Toxicity could be avoided by monitoring of amoxicillin trough plasma concentrations (ATPC).

Glycolipid and Lipopeptide Biosurfactants: Structural Classes and Characterization-Rhamnolipids as a Model.

In recent years, biosurfactants (BS) produced by various bacteria, fungi and yeast strains have attracted much interest because of their unique properties and potential applications in many industries ranging from bioremediation to agriculture and biomedical to cosmetics. Glycolipids are a popular group of BS that include rhamnolipids, sophorolipids, mannosylerythritol, trehalose lipids, xylolipids and cellobiose lipids. Lipopeptides e.

Enhanced antimicrobial and biofilm disruption efficacy of the encapsulated Thymus pallidus and Lavandula stoechas essential oils and their mixture: A synergistic approach.

The antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties of plant essential oils (EOs) have aroused significant interest for their potential as effective alternatives or supplements in combating microbial infections and biofilm-associated challenges. For these applications, EOs must be encapsulated to overcome some key technical limitations, including high volatility, poor stability, and low solubility. This study aimed to develop microencapsulated EOs derived from two valuable Moroccan medicinal plants, Lavandula stoechas L.

Tatton-Brown-Rahman syndrome: a new multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome with intellectual disability?

We describe for the first time the case of a woman presenting with Tatton-Brown-Rahman syndrome (TBRS) and multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN). She developed primary hyperparathyroidism at age 13, a pituitary cyst at age 14, adrenal tumor at age 21, and metastatic insulinoma at age 34. In addition, she showed intellectual disability, obesity, multiple lipomas, facial dysmorphia, hemihypertrophy and kyphoscoliosis.

Comments on the Hox timer and related issues.

2024 not only marked the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the organizer by Hilde Pröscholdt-Mangold and Hans Spemann, but also the 40th anniversary of the discovery of the homeobox, a DNA region encoding a DNA binding peptide present in several transcription factors of critical importance for the gastrulating embryo. In particular, this sequence is found in the 39 members of the amniote Hox gene family, a series of genes activated in mid-gastrulation and involved in organizing morphologies along the extending anterior to posterior (AP) body axis. Over the past 30 years, the study of their coordinated regulation in various contexts has progressively revealed their surprising regulatory strategies, based on mechanisms acting in-cis, which can translate a linear distribution of series of genes along the chromatin fiber into the proper sequences of morphologies observed along our various body axes.

Population pharmacokinetics and dosing simulations of temocillin in liver transplanted paediatric patients: a prospective, open-label, non-randomized study.

Objectives: Temocillin is a β-lactam antibiotic used for preventing or treating bacterial infections in liver-transplanted children. We characterized its pharmacokinetics in plasma and ascitic fluid and proposed dosing regimens that maximize achievement of effective drug exposures in this patient group.

Methods: Patients aged 6-36 months received 25 mg/kg/12h (n=14) or 25 mg/kg/8h (n=23).

Arthroscopic evaluation of anatomical variations of the oblique popliteal ligament and their association with popliteal cyst formation.

Introduction: The posteromedial compartment of the knee houses several important anatomical structures, including the oblique popliteal ligament (OPL), an accessory insertion tendon of the semimembranosus muscle. Popliteal cysts develop from the synovial bursa located between the medial gastrocnemius and the semimembranosus, typically secondary to intra-articular pathologies causing effusion. This study aimed to describe the normal anatomy of the postero-medial capsule of the knee and its anatomical variations, particularly in the presence of popliteal cysts.

Too many cooks in the kitchen: HPV driven carcinogenesis - the result of collaboration or competition?

Infection by Human Papillomaviruses accounts for the most widespread sexually transmitted infection worldwide. Clinical presentation of these infections can range from subclinical and asymptomatic to anogenital cancers, with the latter associated with persistent infection over a significant period of time. Of the over 200 isotypes of the human virus identified, a subset of these has been characterized as high-risk due to their ability to induce oncogenesis.

Enhancing the prediction of arsenic bioavailability in soils with the diffusive gradient in thin film technique.

The diffusive gradient in thin films technique (DGT), with a resin gel based on Lewatit® FO 36 was used for the first time to predict arsenic (As) bioavailability in soils collected in different environmental contexts. The predicted bioavailability, determined by fluxes to DGT, was compared with the bioavailability and bioaccumulation in the plants (Calendula officinalis), where a strong correlation was observed (r = 0.8857 (C/C) and r = 0.

Vibrio harveyi uses both type III secretion system and quorum sensing for the colonization of the European abalone.

The vibriosis of the European abalone, Haliotis tuberculata, is characterized by the rapidity of the infection by the pathogen Vibrio harveyi ORM4, leading to death of animals only after two days. The lethality of the pathogen is linked to the production of the type III secretion system (T3SS) and to genes regulated by quorum sensing (QS). The aim of this study was to investigate the colonization of the European abalone by both virulent and avirulent V.

A new approach for assessing the value of informal care in Alzheimer's disease.

Objectives: As most informal caregivers providing help for patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) are retired spouses or unemployed people, there is no market value for their time. Most articles that tried to estimate the cost of informal care in AD rely on the so-called "replacement" methodology, which assumes that one hour of informal care has the same value as one hour of professional care. Little attention has been dedicated to exploring the validity of this assumption.

Ultrasound-guided percutaneous release of the ulnar nerve at the elbow.

Introduction: Surgical treatment of ulnar tunnel syndrome is controversial, with no consensus on the ideal procedure. Nevertheless, in-situ decompression seems to provide faster recovery with less morbidity than neurolysis-transposition. The aim of this retrospective study was to validate a new percutaneous technique using ultrasonography.

Acute suppurative thyroiditis in a child secondary to pyriform sinus fistula: From single case to systematic review.

Acute suppurative thyroiditis (AST), a rare yet potentially life-threatening infection, comprises less than 1 % of neck pathologies and requires prompt treatment. Symptoms range from neck pain and fever to dysphagia and possible abscess formation. Broad-spectrum antibiotics are the primary treatment; however, surgical drainage may be necessary for abscesses to prevent systemic infection.