Safety and Efficacy of Thrombectomy for Distal Medium Vessel Occlusions of the Middle Cerebral Artery.

Purpose: Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) for distal medium vessel occlusions (DMVOs) in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) is less established than for large vessel occlusions. This study evaluates the safety and efficacy of MT in DMVOs, comparing it with M1-segment occlusions.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study analyzed 218 patients who underwent MT for isolated M1 (n=123) or distal M2+M3 (n=35) occlusions between January 2020 and August 2023.

Predictive coding in neuropsychiatric disorders: a systematic transdiagnostic review.

The predictive coding framework postulates that the human brain continuously generates predictions about the environment, maximizing successes and minimizing failures based on prior experiences and beliefs. This PRISMA-compliant systematic review aims to comprehensively and transdiagnostically examine the differences in predictive coding between individuals with neuropsychiatric disorders and healthy controls. We included 72 case-control studies investigating predictive coding as the primary outcome and reporting behavioral, neuroimaging, or electrophysiological findings.

Could sleep be a brain/cognitive/neural reserve-builder factor? A systematic review on the cognitive effects of sleep modulation in animal models.

The brain/cognitive/neural reserve concept suggests that lifelong experiences, from early life through adulthood, make the brain more resilient to neuronal damage. Modifiable lifestyle factors, such as sleep, can support the development and enhance such a reserve, helping to counteract age- or disease-related brain changes and their impact on cognition. Sleep plays a crucial role in cognitive functioning, and disruptions or disorders may increase neurodegenerative risks.

Effect of zero-valent iron particle size on alleviating acid stress in anaerobic digestion of food waste.

This work evaluated the effect of zero-valent iron (ZVI) particle size (150 μm-100 nm) on the performance of food waste anaerobic digestion (AD) under various acid stress conditions. The results indicated that ZVI significantly improved the AD performance, ensuring successful CH production even under high acid stress. However, the extent of this promoting effect was highly dependent on the particle size.

Fabrication and characterization of in situ gelling oxidized carboxymethyl cellulose/gelatin nanofibers for wound healing applications.

Although tissue engineering science has made great progress, wound healing has remained a significant clinical challenge, especially in cases of severe injuries requiring advanced treatment strategies. This study aimed to develop patient-friendly in situ gelling nanofibers composed of oxidized carboxymethyl cellulose (OCMC) and gelatin for wound healing applications. A two-axial electrospinning technique was employed to fabricate OCMC/PVA-Gelatin hybrid nanofibers.

Decoding the MMP14 Integrin Link: Key Player in the Secretome Landscape.

Rapid progress has been made in the exciting field of secretome research in health and disease. The tumor secretome, which is a significant proportion of the tumor proteome, is secreted into the extracellular space to promote intercellular communication and thus tumor progression. Among the many molecules of the secretome, integrins and matrix metalloproteinase 14 (MMP14) stand out as the interplay of adhesion and proteolysis drives invasion.

Targeting MYCN upregulates L1CAM tumor antigen in MYCN-dysregulated neuroblastoma to increase CAR T cell efficacy.

Current treatment protocols have limited success against MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma. Adoptive T cell therapy presents an innovative strategy to improve cure rates. However, L1CAM-targeting CAR T cells achieved only limited response against refractory/relapsed neuroblastoma so far.

An engineered Palivizumab IgG2 subclass for synthetic gp130 and fas mediated signaling.

Recently, we phenocopied Interleukin (IL-)6 signaling using the dimerized single-chain variable fragment (scFv) derived from the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) IgG1-antibody Palivizumab (PLHFc) to activate a Palivizumab anti-idiotypic nanobody (AIP)-gp130 receptor fusion protein. Palivizumab was unable to activate STAT3 signaling, so we aimed to create a similar ligand capable of triggering this pathway. Here, we created three variants of the ligand called PLH0Fc, PLH4Fc and PLH8Fc by shortening the spacer region connecting PLH and Fc from 23 amino acids in PLHFc to 0 amino acids or expanding it by rigid linkers of 4 or 8 alpha helical loops, respectively.

Signs of in-vivo aging of zirconia from explanted dental implants with porous coating after several years in function.

The present study investigated the in vivo aging of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) oral implants (ZiUnite®) removed after 37 to 181 months. These implants featured a porous zirconia surface to enhance osseointegration. They were placed in prospective clinical investigations and had to be explanted due to peri-implant bone breakdown.

Effects of Centrally Acting Analgesics on Resting-State Electroencephalography Biomarker Candidates of Chronic Pain.

Resting-state electroencephalography (rsEEG) holds promise as a biomarker of chronic pain. However, the impact of centrally acting analgesics like opioids, antiepileptics, and antidepressants on rsEEG remains unclear. This confounds and limits the interpretability of previous studies and questions the specificity of some rsEEG biomarker candidates of chronic pain, especially for potential diagnostic biomarkers.

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis: The Association Between Newer Generation Antidepressants and Insomnia in Children and Adolescents With Major Depressive Disorder.

Objective: To examine the association between newer generation antidepressants and insomnia as an adverse event (AE) in the treatment of children and adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD).

Method: A systematic search was performed in major databases (inception to August 31, 2023) to retrieve double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the safety of 19 antidepressants in the acute treatment (initial 6 to 12 weeks) of children and adolescents aged ≤ 18 years with MDD (primary analyses). RCTs in anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) were retrieved from a recent meta-analysis and included in complementary analyses.

Advancing precision psychiatry and targeted treatments: Insights from immunopsychiatry.

Despite tremendous advancements in neuroscience, there has been limited impact on patient care. Current psychiatric treatments are largely non-specific, and drug development is hindered by outdated, overinclusive diagnostic categories and a "one-size-fits-all" approach. Additionally, mechanisms underlying psychiatric illnesses and their treatments with conventional medications remain poorly understood.

Brain acid sphingomyelinase controls addiction-related behaviours in a sex-specific way.

Addiction is a chronic and severe mental disorder with high gender- and sex-specificity. However, the pathogenesis of this disorder is not fully elucidated, and no targeted pharmacotherapy is available. A growing body of evidence points out the potential involvement of the ceramide system in the pathophysiology of addiction.

The Alexithymia Hypothesis of Autism Revisited: Alexithymia Modulates Social Brain Activity During Facial Affect Recognition in Autistic Adults.

Background: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and alexithymia are both linked to difficulties in facial affect recognition (FAR) alongside differences in social brain activity. According to the Alexithymia Hypothesis, difficulties in emotion processing in ASD can be attributed to increased levels of co-occurring alexithymia. Despite substantial evidence supporting the hypothesis at the behavioral level, the effects of co-occurring alexithymia on brain function during FAR remain unexplored.

The complexities of aeronautical transfer of acutely unwell neurosurgical patients.

Objective: Neurosurgical care is difficult to access in many scenarios. Aeromedical evacuation of acutely unwell neurosurgical patients from remote, isolated or poorly equipped locations can be considered. This article aims to provide a framework of logistical factors which deserve special consideration in the preparation of these patients for transfer.

Effects of a Preoperative Psychological Expectation-focused Intervention in Patients Undergoing Valvular Surgery - the Randomized Controlled ValvEx (valve patients' expectations) Study.

Background: Many patients experience a reduced quality of life for months after heart surgery. Besides medical factors, psychological factors such as preoperative expectations influence the recovery process. The ValvEx study investigated whether an expectation-focused preoperative intervention before heart valve surgery would i) increase positive realistic expectations, ii) reduce preoperative anxiety and iii) improve the postoperative recovery process.

Clinical predictors in acute optic neuritis: Analysis based on clinical trial data.

Purpose: To identify baseline clinical predictors of visual outcomes six months after acute optic neuritis using data from our completed clinical neuroprotection trial (TONE study).

Design: Secondary analysis of data from the TONE study cohort (NCT01962571).

Subjects: Total of 103 patients presenting within 10 days of a first episode of acute unilateral optic neuritis as a clinically isolated syndrome with baseline high contrast visual acuity (HCVA) < 20/40 Snellen (logMAR 0.

Skeletal muscle adiposity, coronary microvascular dysfunction, and adverse cardiovascular outcomes.

Background And Aims: Skeletal muscle (SM) fat infiltration, or intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT), reflects muscle quality and is associated with inflammation, a key determinant in cardiometabolic disease. Coronary flow reserve (CFR), a marker of coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD), is independently associated with body mass index (BMI), inflammation and risk of heart failure, myocardial infarction, and death. The relationship between SM quality, CMD, and cardiovascular outcomes is not known.

A conceptual framework to assess the health, socioeconomic and environmental burden of chronic kidney disease.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a global health challenge that affects patients, caregivers, healthcare systems, the environment and national economies. Despite its far-reaching impact, there is no framework to systematically evaluate national CKD prevention and management programmes or evaluate the societal burden of disease. This paper has two objectives: first, to introduce a comprehensive framework to assess national programmes, which recognises gaps and weaknesses and identifies feasible policy interventions to reduce overall CKD burden; second, to present some key challenges and success stories in delivering CKD services delivered in eight different country settings.

Neural specialization for 'visual' concepts emerges in the absence of vision.

The 'different-body/different-concepts hypothesis' central to some embodiment theories proposes that the sensory capacities of our bodies shape the cognitive and neural basis of our concepts. We tested this hypothesis by comparing behavioral semantic similarity judgments and neural signatures (fMRI) of 'visual' categories ('living things,' or animals, e.g.

An online group behavioral activation therapy for major depressive disorder: Adaptation, effectiveness, and trajectories of change in a lower-middle income country.

Background And Objective: Depressive disorders are common mental illnesses associated with high burden of disease. In this study, the effects of an online group behavioral activation on depressive symptoms and rumination were evaluated, and trajectories of change in patients with major depressive disorder adapted for a lower-middle income context investigated.

Methods: This study was an online single-group non-randomized trial.

Addressing data uncertainty of Caulobacter crescentus cell cycles using hybrid Petri nets with fuzzy kinetics.

Studying and analysing the various phases and key proteins of cell cycles is essential for the understanding of cell development and differentiation. To this end, mechanistic models play an important role towards a system level understanding of the interactions between cell cycle components. Many quantitative models of cell cycles have been previously constructed using either stochastic or deterministic approaches.

Frailty impacts all-cause mortality after endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair: a retrospective cohort study.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of frailty and inflammation on all-cause mortality in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) who underwent endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR), and key risk factors were also explored.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 174 patients with AAA who underwent EVAR at Beijing Hospital between 2016 and 2024. Frailty was assessed using the modified five-item Frailty Index (mFI-5).