Formin protein DAAM1 positively regulates PD-L1 expression via mediating the JAK1/STAT1 axis in pancreatic cancer.

Background: Dishevelled-associated activator of morphogenesis1 (DAAM1) is a member of the evolutionarily conserved Formin family and plays a significant role in the malignant progression of various human cancers. This study aims to explore the clinical and biological significance of DAAM1 in pancreatic cancer.

Methods: Multiple public datasets and an in-house cohort were utilized to assess the clinical relevance of DAAM1 in pancreatic cancer.

Assessing the disconnect between student interest and education in artificial intelligence in medicine in Saudi Arabia.

Background: Although artificial intelligence (AI) has gained increasing attention for its potential future impact on clinical practice, medical education has struggled to stay ahead of the developing technology. The question of whether medical education is fully preparing trainees to adapt to potential changes from AI technology in clinical practice remains unanswered, and the influence of AI on medical students' career preferences remains unclear. Understanding the gap between students' interest in and knowledge of AI may help inform the medical curriculum structure.

The effects of the positioning of a bolt in the femoral neck system on the short-term outcomes of middle-aged and young adults with displaced femoral neck fractures.

Background: To analyze the effects of the positioning of a bolt in the femoral neck system (FNS) on the short-term outcomes of middle-aged and young adults with displaced femoral neck fractures (FNFs).

Methods: This was a retrospective study involving 114 middle-aged and young adults with displaced FNFs who were surgically treated with internal fixation via the FNS in the Department of Orthopedics, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, from December 2019 to January 2023. The degree of deviation of the central axis of the femoral head and neck from the tip of the bolt (W), the tip‒apex distance (TAD) and the length of femoral neck shortening (LFNS) were measured on postoperative X-ray and computed tomography (CT) scan images.

Visual hermeneutics as a tool to introduce empathy and core physician attributes in doctor-patient relationship for first-year medical undergraduate students.

Background: The doctor-patient relationship is essential for effective patient care, yet medical education often neglects to nurture the quality such as empathy during the initial years of training. Doctor-patient relationship is one of the modules taught in first year as part of mandatory AETCOM (Attitude, Ethics, and Communication) course in the undergraduate Indian medical curriculum. Hermeneutics, a method of interpretation, can play a vital role in introducing observational and reflective thinking skills.

Are medical school preclinical tests biased for sex and race? A differential item functioning analysis.

Background: A common practice in assessment development, fundamental for fairness and consequently the validity of test score interpretations and uses, is to ascertain whether test items function equally across test-taker groups. Accordingly, we conducted differential item functioning (DIF) analysis, a psychometric procedure for detecting potential item bias, for three preclinical medical school foundational courses based on students' sex and race.

Methods: The sample included 520, 519, and 344 medical students for anatomy, histology, and physiology, respectively, collected from 2018 to 2020.

6-thioguanine inhibits EV71 replication by reducing BIRC3-mediated autophagy.

Background: Enterovirus 71 (EV71) is one of the major causative agents of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD), and can cause severe cerebral complications and even fatality in children younger than 5 years old. However, there is no specific medication for EV71 infection in clinical practice. Our previous studies had identified the 6-thioguanine (6-TG), an FDA-approved anticancer drug, as a potential antiviral agent, but its anti-EV71 activity is largely unknown, therefore, we aim to explore the antiviral effect of 6-TG on EV71.

State-of-the-Art Personalized Therapy Approaches for Chronic Non-Specific Low Back Pain: Understanding the Mechanisms and Drivers.

Chronic non-specific low back pain (CNSLBP) is a debilitating condition that affects millions of people worldwide, significantly impacting quality of life and imposing a substantial socioeconomic burden. Traditional treatment approaches often rely on a one-size-fits-all strategy, failing to account for individual variations in pathophysiological mechanisms, drivers, and the principles of personalized medicine. Furthermore, an overemphasis on biomechanical findings from imaging may lead to ineffective interventions and unnecessary surgical procedures, obscuring other important factors that contribute to pain perception.

SMILE for correction of myopia in patients during the incipient phase of presbyopia.

Purpose: To evaluate clinical outcomes and visual quality 12 months after small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) for correction of myopia with or without astigmatism in patients during the incipient phase of presbyopia.

Setting: Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China.

Design: Retrospective observation study.

Evaluation of the Digital Ventilated Cage® system for circadian phenotyping.

The study of circadian rhythms has been critically dependent upon analysing mouse home cage activity, typically employing wheel running activity under different lighting conditions. Here we assess a novel method, the Digital Ventilated Cage (DVC, Tecniplast SpA, Italy), for circadian phenotyping. Based upon capacitive sensors mounted under black individually ventilated cages with inbuilt LED lighting, each cage becomes an independent light-controlled chamber.

APOE4 and sedentary lifestyle synergistically impair neurovascular function in the visual cortex of awake mice.

Reduced cerebral blood flow occurs early in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD), but the factors producing this reduction are unknown. Here, we ask whether genetic and lifestyle risk factors for AD-the ε4 allele of the Apolipoprotein (APOE) gene, and physical activity-can together produce this reduction in cerebral blood flow which leads eventually to AD. Using in vivo two-photon microscopy and haemodynamic measures, we record neurovascular function from the visual cortex of physically active or sedentary mice expressing APOE3 and APOE4 in place of murine APOE.

Apolipoprotein B100 acts as a tumor suppressor in ovarian cancer via lipid/ER stress axis-induced blockade of autophagy.

Ovarian cancer presents a significant treatment challenge due to its insidious nature and high malignancy. As autophagy is a vital cellular process for maintaining homeostasis, targeting the autophagic pathway has emerged as an avenue for cancer therapy. In the present study, we identify apolipoprotein B100 (ApoB100), a key modulator of lipid metabolism, as a potential prognostic biomarker of ovarian cancer.

Genetic ancestry concordant RNA splicing in prostate cancer involves oncogenic genes and associates with recurrence.

Black men suffer disproportionately from prostate cancer (PCa) compared to men of other races and ethnicities. Comparing the molecular landscape of PCa among Black and White patients has the potential to identify targets for development of new precision medicine interventions. Herein, we conducted transcriptomic analysis of prostate tumors and paired tumor-adjacent normals from self-reported Black and White PCa patients and estimated patient genetic ancestry.

Executive functions in adults born small for gestational age at term: a prospective cohort study.

There are mixed findings regarding executive functioning in individuals born small for gestational age (SGA) at term and associations between performance-based and self-reported executive functions have yet to be examined in adults. In a prospective cohort study, 56 SGA and 68 non-SGA control participants were assessed at 32 years using the performance-based Trail Making Test (TMT) and the self-report questionnaire Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function - Adult Version (BRIEF-A). The SGA group used 1.

Fluo-Cast-Bright: a deep learning pipeline for the non-invasive prediction of chromatin structure and developmental potential in live oocytes.

In mammalian oocytes, large-scale chromatin organization regulates transcription, nuclear architecture, and maintenance of chromosome stability in preparation for meiosis onset. Pre-ovulatory oocytes with distinct chromatin configurations exhibit profound differences in metabolic and transcriptional profiles that ultimately determine meiotic competence and developmental potential. Here, we developed a deep learning pipeline for the non-invasive prediction of chromatin structure and developmental potential in live mouse oocytes.

Blood Lactate as a Metabolic Biomarker of Anaerobic Vocal Capacity: A Pilot Study.

Purpose: Blood lactate concentration is commonly used to assess metabolic demand and skeletal muscle training response. The objective of the pilot study was to investigate if a change in blood lactate was detectable in an anaerobically designed vocal demand task vocal capacity anaerobic task (VCAT) and determine if the developed vocal demand task may assess the anaerobic capacity of the voice musculature, like anaerobic power tests commonly used in applied exercise science.

Methods: A prospective repeated measures study quantified blood lactate concentration preVCAT and postVCAT in vocally healthy adults.

Haemodynamic profiling: when AI tells us what we already know.

Machine learning (ML) algorithms hold significant potential for extracting valuable clinical information from big data, surpassing the processing capabilities of the human brain. However, it would be naïve to believe that ML algorithms can consistently transform data into actionable insights. Clinical studies suggest that in some instances, they tell clinicians what they already know or can plainly see.

The Protocol for the Multi-Ethnic, multi-centre raNdomised controlled trial of a low-energy Diet for improving functional status in heart failure with Preserved ejection fraction (AMEND Preserved).

Introduction: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is characterised by severe exercise intolerance, particularly in those living with obesity. Low-energy meal-replacement plans (MRPs) have shown significant weight loss and potential cardiac remodelling benefits. This pragmatic randomised trial aims to evaluate the efficacy of MRP-directed weight loss on exercise intolerance, symptoms, quality of life and cardiovascular remodelling in a multiethnic cohort with obesity and HFpEF.

Mitral Valve Prolapse Caused by TLL1 Gain-of-Function Mutation.

Background: Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is a common cardiac valvular anomaly that can be caused by mutations in genes of various biological pathways. Individuals of three generations of a kindred presented with apparently dominant heredity of isolated MVP.

Methods: Clinical evaluation and echocardiography for all complying family members (n=13).

AP39, a novel mitochondria-targeted hydrogen sulfide donor, promotes cutaneous wound healing in an in vivo murine model of acute frostbite injury.

Frostbite injury refers to cold tissue injury which typically affects the peripheral areas of the body, and is associated with limb loss and high rates of morbidity. Historically, treatment options have been limited to supportive care, leading to suboptimal outcomes for affected patients. The pathophysiology of frostbite injury has been understood in recent years to share similarity with that of cold ischemia-reperfusion injury as seen in solid organ transplantation, of which mitochondria play an important contributing role.

Plasma phosphorylated tau217 strongly associates with memory deficits in the Alzheimer's disease spectrum.

Plasma phosphorylated tau biomarkers open unprecedented opportunities for identifying carriers of Alzheimer's disease pathophysiology in early disease stages using minimally invasive techniques. Plasma p-tau biomarkers are believed to reflect tau phosphorylation and secretion. However, it remains unclear to what extent the magnitude of plasma p-tau abnormalities reflects neuronal network disturbance in the form of cognitive impairment.

Statistical analysis plan for hemodynamic phenotype-based, capillary refill time-targeted resuscitation in early septic shock: the ANDROMEDA-SHOCK-2 randomized clinical trial.

Background: ANDROMEDA-SHOCK 2 is an international, multicenter, randomized controlled trial comparing hemodynamic phenotype-based, capillary refill time-targeted resuscitation in early septic shock to standard care resuscitation to test the hypothesis that the former is associated with lower morbidity and mortality in terms of hierarchal analysis of outcomes.

Objective: To report the statistical plan for the ANDROMEDA--SHOCK 2 randomized clinical trial.

Methods: We briefly describe the trial design, patients, methods of randomization, interventions, outcomes, and sample size.

Short-term orthokeratology effects on corneal biomechanics with a focus on SPA1 and stress-strain index (SSI) parameters in pediatric myopia.

Purpose: Although the orthokeratology effects on corneal biomechanics have been proven with clinical trials, reports of stiffness parameter change are scarce. This study investigated the short-term orthokeratology effects in pediatric myopia and compared stiffness parameter changes to those published in recent clinical investigations. This prospective study aimed to investigate corneal biomechanics changes induced by short-term overnight orthokeratology treatment, focusing on stiffness parameter at A1 and stress-strain index.

Treatment outcomes among children and adolescents with extensively drug-resistant (XDR) and pre-XDR tuberculosis: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Extensively drug-resistant (XDR) and pre-XDR- tuberculosis (TB) account for approximately a third of pediatric MDR-TB cases globally. Clinical management is challenging; recommendations are based on limited evidence. We assessed the clinical outcomes for children and adolescents treated for XDR-and pre-XDR-TB.

Standardised lung function metrics in healthy athletes.

The objective of the current review was to identify whether clinically established lung function metrics of ventilatory and diffusion capacity obtained by standardised methodology are consistent with superior lung function in athletes, and whether this is related to maximal oxygen uptake (V̇O). Three independent reviewers performed a literature search in PubMed, Scopus, and reference screening. Data was extracted and analysed according to a predefined strategy.

Benzodiazepine-Free Cardiac Anesthesia for Reduction of Postoperative Delirium: A Cluster Randomized Crossover Trial.

Importance: Delirium is common after cardiac surgery and associated with adverse outcomes. Intraoperative benzodiazepines may increase postoperative delirium but restricting intraoperative benzodiazepines has not yet been evaluated in a randomized trial.

Objective: To determine whether an institutional policy of restricted intraoperative benzodiazepine administration reduced the incidence of postoperative delirium.