Proton therapy versus conventional radiotherapy for the treatment of cavernous sinus benign meningioma, a randomized controlled phase III study protocol (COG-PROTON-01).

Background: Proton therapy (PRT) is an innovative radiotherapeutic modality for the treatment of cancer with unique ballistic properties. The depth-dose distribution of a proton beam reduces exposure of healthy tissues to radiations, compared with photon-therapy (XRT). To date, only few indications for proton-therapy, like pediatric cancers, chordomas, or intra-ocular neoplasms, are reimbursed by Health systems.

Association between selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors use and blood transfusion risk in older adults after hip fracture: a cohort study.

Background: Hip fracture is common and associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) influence platelet hemostasis and might result in abnormal bleeding. This study aims to determine whether the use of SSRIs in older patients undergoing hip fracture surgery is associated with the risk of perioperative red blood cell (RBC) transfusion.

Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome in a methylphenidate-treated patient: a case report.

Background: Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS) is characterized by severe headaches, often thunderclap headaches, and a multifocal constriction of the cerebral arteries. Although RCVS can occur spontaneously, some cases occur after exposure to drugs. We describe the first case of RCVS in which methylphenidate, a drug with vasoconstrictive properties, is the only suspected drug.

Epidemiological and bacteriological trends from 2013 to 2021 of carbapenemase-producing enterobacterales (CPE) in a French university hospital: A permanent risk of outbreak.

Aim: The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiology and bacteriological trends of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) at Nantes University Hospital from 2013 to 2023.

Methods: Potential CPE carriers were prospectively detected, and their contacts were systematically screened for CPE digestive colonization. A retrospective study was conducted from 2013 to 2023 (on patient characteristics) and from 2016 to 2023 (on CPE characteristics).

Transverse ultrasound-guided fasciotomy in lateral epicondylitis.

Lateral epicondylitis is a very common form of tendinosis that may heal spontaneously. Diagnosis is mainly clinical. Treatment is usually non-operative.

Pyrocardan® implant interposition in the trapeziometacarpal joint: outcomes at a minimum 10 years' follow-up.

Objective: We present long-term results for the Pyrocardan®, a pyrocarbon trapeziometacarpal interposition implant used for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the thumb.

Methods: Between March 2009 and May 2013, 199 arthroplasties were performed in a single hand center, in 184 patients by 6 hand surgeons. 107 implants were followed up for a mean 137 months (range, 120 to 168 months).

Structural remodeling of the brain cortex and functional recovery following hypoglossal-facial neurorrhaphy in patients with facial paralysis.

Objective: Peripheral nerve injury results in functional alterations of the corresponding active brain areas, which are closely related to functional recovery. Whether such functional plasticity induces relative anatomical structural changes remains to be investigated.

Methods: In this study, we investigated the changes in brain cortical thickness in patients with facial paralysis following neurorrhaphy treatment at different follow-up times.

CLEC12B regulates melanocyte immunity and homeostasis in the skin through the STAT1/IRF1 axis.

CLEC12B is a C-type lectin receptor involved in the inhibition of natural killers-mediated cytotoxicity. We have previously shown that CLEC12B is predominantly expressed on melanocytes, inhibits melanin production and pigmentation as well as proliferation of melanoma. To date, the role of CLEC12B in skin immunity is unknown.

Polygenic Score: A Tool for Evaluating the Genetic Background of Sporadic Hidradenitis Suppurativa.

Sporadic Hidradenitis Suppurativa (spHS) is a multifactorial disease in which genetic predisposition is intertwined with environmental factors. Due to the still to date limited knowledge of spHS genetics, we calculated Polygenic scores (PGS) to study the genetic underpinnings that contribute to spHS within European demographic. 256 spHS patients and 1686 healthy controls were analyzed across 6 European clinical centers.

Rethinking the use of redox probes for the detection of electroactive proteins with electrochemical sensors modified with molecularly imprinted polymers.

This study aims to demonstrate that redox couples, regardless of their electrical charges, are unnecessary for detecting and quantifying electroactive proteins using an electrochemical sensor functionalized with a molecularly imprinted polymer. Our approach involved designing a polydopamine imprinted biosensor for detecting bovine serum albumin as the model protein. Electrochemical measurements were conducted in a phosphate-buffered solution (PBS) and solutions containing the negatively charged hexacyanoferrate, the neutral ferrocene, or the positively charged hexaammineruthenium (III) probes.

Toxicity assessment of titanium dioxide nanoparticles on microorganisms through topological data analysis of high dimensional single-cell nanomechanical data.

There is a growing interest in the development of methods for the detection of nanoparticle (NP) toxicity to living organisms based on the analysis of relevant multidimensional data sets. In particular the detection of preliminary signs of NPs toxicity effects would benefit from the selection of data featuring NPs-induced alterations of biological barriers. Accordingly, we present an original Topological Data Analysis (TDA) of the nanomechanical properties of Escherichia coli cell surface, evaluated by multiparametric Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) after exposure of the cells to increasing concentrations of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiONPs).

High-Affinity Lectin Ligands Enable the Detection of Pathogenic Biofilms: Implications for Diagnostics and Therapy.

is a critical priority pathogen and causes life-threatening acute and biofilm-associated chronic infections. The choice of suitable treatment for complicated infections requires lengthy culturing for species identification from swabs or an invasive biopsy. To date, no fast, pathogen-specific diagnostic tools for infections are available.

Role of NaCO as Nucleation Seeds to Accelerate the CO Uptake Kinetics of MgO-Based Sorbents.

There is an urgent need for inexpensive, functional materials that can capture and release CO under industrial conditions. In this context, MgO is a highly promising, earth-abundant CO sorbent. However, despite its favorable carbonation thermodynamics and potential for high gravimetric CO uptakes, MgO-based CO sorbents feature slow carbonation kinetics, limiting their CO uptake during typical industrial contact times.

Multifunctional Supramolecular Gels with Strong Mechanical Properties Formed by Self-Assembly of Polyoxometalate-Based Coordination Polymers.

Metallogels built in a bottom-up approach by metal coordination and supramolecular interactions have important potential for the elaboration of smart materials. In this context, we present here the formation of supramolecular coordination polymers driven by the complexation of cobalt(II) or zinc(II) ions with polyoxometalate-based hybrids displaying two terpyridine ligands in a linear arrangement. Thanks to the electrostatic interactions between the polyoxometalate cores and metal nodes, the polymer chains self-assemble into fibers that physically cross-link to form gels above a critical concentration.

Endocrine disruptor chemicals exposure and female fertility declining: from pathophysiology to epigenetic risks.

Over the last decades, human infertility has become a major concern in public health, with severe societal and health consequences. Growing evidence shows that endocrine disruptors chemicals (EDCs) have been considered as risk factors of infertility. Their presence in our everyday life has become ubiquitous because of their universal use in food and beverage containers, personal care products, cosmetics, phytosanitary products.

Advancing Regulatory Genomics With Machine Learning.

In recent years, several machine learning (ML) approaches have been proposed to predict gene expression signal and chromatin features from the DNA sequence alone. These models are often used to deduce and, to some extent, assess putative new biological insights about gene regulation, and they have led to very interesting advances in regulatory genomics. This article reviews a selection of these methods, ranging from linear models to random forests, kernel methods, and more advanced deep learning models.

Whole-genome sequencing revealed a novel structural variant in causing autosomal dominant Alport syndrome: A case report.

Next-generation sequencing has substantially transformed the genomic diagnosis of individuals affected by inherited renal disorders. Indeed, accurate and rapid diagnostic for patients with suspected genetic kidney diseases is not only important for prognosis and patient management but also for family counseling. Alport syndrome, a genetic disease primarily affecting the basement membrane, is characterized by hematuria, progressive kidney failure, hearing impairment, as well as ocular abnormalities and stems from mutations in genes encoding type IV collagen.

Ge Epitaxy at Ultralow Growth Temperatures Enabled by a Pristine Growth Environment.

Germanium (Ge), the next-in-line group-IV material, bears great potential to add functionality and performance to next-generation nanoelectronics and solid-state quantum transport based on silicon (Si) technology. Here, we investigate the direct epitaxial growth of two-dimensional high-quality crystalline Ge layers on Si deposited at ultralow growth temperatures ( = 100-350 °C) and pristine growth pressures (≲10 mbar). First, we show that a decreasing does not degrade the crystal quality of homoepitaxial Ge/Ge(001) by comparing the point defect density using positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy.

Transcranial ultrasound stimulation effect in the redundant and synergistic networks consistent across macaques.

Low-intensity transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS) is a noninvasive technique that safely alters neural activity, reaching deep brain areas with good spatial accuracy. We investigated the effects of TUS in macaques using a recent metric, the synergy minus redundancy rank gradient, which quantifies different kinds of neural information processing. We analyzed this high-order quantity on the fMRI data after TUS in two targets: the supplementary motor area (SMA-TUS) and the frontal polar cortex (FPC-TUS).

Neural mass modeling for the masses: Democratizing access to whole-brain biophysical modeling with FastDMF.

Different whole-brain computational models have been recently developed to investigate hypotheses related to brain mechanisms. Among these, the Dynamic Mean Field (DMF) model is particularly attractive, combining a biophysically realistic model that is scaled up via a mean-field approach and multimodal imaging data. However, an important barrier to the widespread usage of the DMF model is that current implementations are computationally expensive, supporting only simulations on brain parcellations that consider less than 100 brain regions.

Isolation of Viral Biofilms From HTLV-1 Chronically Infected T Cells and Integrity Analysis.

The human T-lymphotropic virus type-1 (HTLV-1) is an oncogenic retrovirus that predominantly spreads through cell-to-cell contact due to the limited infectivity of cell-free viruses. Among various modes of intercellular transmission, HTLV-1 biofilms emerge as adhesive structures, polarized at the cell surface, which encapsulate virions within a protective matrix. This biofilm is supposed to facilitate simultaneous virion delivery during infection.

Transcriptomic profiling of "brain-eating amoeba" infection in mice: the host and the protozoa perspectives.

The free-living amoeba (NF) causes a rare but lethal parasitic meningoencephalitis (PAM) in humans. Currently, this disease lacks effective treatments and the specific molecular mechanisms that govern NF pathogenesis and host brain response remain unknown. To address some of these issues, we sought to explore naturally existing virulence diversity within environmental NF isolates.

Interest of neurofeedback training for cognitive performance and risk of brain disorders in the military context.

Operational environments are characterized by a range of psycho-physiological constraints that can degrade combatants' performance and impact on their long-term health. Neurofeedback training (NFT), a non-invasive, safe and effective means of regulating brain activity, has been shown to be effective for mental disorders, as well as for cognitive and motor capacities and aiding sports performance in healthy individuals. Its value in helping soldiers in operational condition or suffering from post-traumatic stress (PTSD) is undeniable, but relatively unexplored.