Debate: Lipid-lowering Therapies and Diabetes Development.

Purpose Of Review: This review explores the relationship between lipid-lowering therapies, particularly statins, and the risk of new-onset diabetes (NOD). It examines the underlying mechanisms and evaluates whether other lipid-lowering agents present similar risks.

Recent Findings: Recent meta-analyses further underscore a dose-dependent increase in NOD risk with statin therapy, particularly with high-intensity statins.

AlkaPhos: a novel fluorescent probe as a potential point-of-care diagnostic tool to estimate recurrence risk of meningiomas.

Deletion of the short arm of chromosome 1 (1p) increases recurrence rates in meningiomas by up to 33%, regardless of tumor grade, correlating with absence of intracellular alkaline phosphatase enzyme activity. Current screening methods for 1p deletion like fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) analysis are resource-intensive. This study evaluated AlkaPhos, a novel fluorescent probe, for detecting alkaline phosphatase in meningioma cells and compared findings with FISH, LOH, and histochemical analysis.

A nomogram for predicting prognostic risk factors in individuals with poor grade aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: a retrospective study.

Poor-grade aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (PGASAH) is associated with high mortality and morbidity despite advanced treatments. Accurate prediction of prognosis remains a clinical challenge. This study aimed to identify independent risk factors and develop a predictive nomogram for unfavorable outcomes in PGASAH patients.

From spasms to smiles: how facial recognition and tracking can quantify hemifacial spasm severity and predict treatment outcomes.

Purpose: Currently available grading and classification systems for hemifacial spasm either rely on subjective assessments or are excessively intricate. Here, we make use of facial recognition and facial tracking technologies towards accurately grouping patients according to severity and characteristics of the spasms.

Methods: A retrospective review of our prospectively maintained preoperative videos database for hemifacial spasm was done.

Incidence of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in different membrane oxygenators: pilot in vitro experiments in commercially available coated membranes.

Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) were detected in blood samples and in cellular deposits of oxygenator membranes during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) therapy and may be responsible for thrombogenesis. The aim was to evaluate the effect of the base material of gas fiber (GF, polymethylpentene) and heat exchange (HE) membranes and different antithrombogenic coatings on isolated granulocytes from healthy volunteers under static culture conditions. Contact of granulocytes with membranes from different ECMO oxygenators (with different surface coatings) and uncoated-GFs allowed detection of adherent cells and NETotic nuclear structures (normal, swollen, ruptured) using nuclear staining.

Aggregating multiple test results to improve medical decision-making.

Gathering observational data for medical decision-making often involves uncertainties arising from both type I (false positive) and type II (false negative) errors. In this work, we develop a statistical model to study how medical decision-making can be improved by aggregating results from repeated diagnostic and screening tests. Our approach is relevant to not only clinical settings such as medical imaging, but also to public health, as highlighted by the need for rapid, cost-effective testing methods during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Microscopy and spatial-metabolomics identify tissue-specific metabolic pathways uncovering salinity and drought tolerance mechanisms in Avicennia marina and Phoenix dactylifera roots.

In arid and semi-arid climates, native plants have developed unique strategies to survive challenging conditions. These adaptations often rely on molecular pathways that shape plant architecture to enhance their resilience. Date palms (Phoenix dactylifera) and mangroves (Avicennia marina) endure extreme heat and high salinity, yet the metabolic pathways underlying this resilience remain underexplored.

The Impact of Lesion-Specific and Sampling-Related Factors on Success of Salivary Gland Fine-Needle Aspiration Cytology.

Purpose: Ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is a widely used diagnostic procedure which facilitates the differentiation of salivary gland lesions. Although the performance of salivary gland FNAC (SG-FNAC) has improved since the introduction of the Milan System for Reporting Salivary Gland Cytopathology (MSRSGC), the range of the reported performance is still wide. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine lesion- and sampling-related factors that influence the success of SG-FNAC.

The assessment of chemical composition and biological activity of faba bean pods as a potential feed additive utilized in piglets nutrition.

The study addresses the utilization of food waste by-products from faba bean (Vicia faba L.) pods (FBP) as an alternative feed supplement to promote sustainable piglet growth by reducing antimicrobial use. Objectives include evaluation of FBP in terms of nutritional components (proximate composition, fibres, minerals), phytochemical composition (total phenols, HPLC-MS profiling), and in vitro biological activities.

Worse survival of hepatocellular cancer patients with membranous insulin receptor overexpression.

Hepatocellular cancer (HCC) therapy is in need for an ideal companion diagnostic. Preclinical experimental studies have identified the insulin receptor (IR) and its synergistic counterpart, the IGF1 receptor (IGF1R), as relevant in HCC development, and the ligands IGF1 and IGF2 have been found to be elevated in HCC. This study aimed to bridge the gap to the clinical setting and explore whether the IR or the IGF1R would be of prognostic significance and would be associated with clinicopathologic parameters in HCC patients.

Analyzing temporal imaging patterns in acute ischemic stroke via DICOM-timestamps.

Acute stroke management is time-sensitive, making time data crucial for both research and quality management. However, these time data are often not reliably captured in routine clinical practice. In this proof-of-concept study we analysed image-based time data automatically captured in the DICOM format.

Agrivoltaics shading enhanced the microclimate, photosynthesis, growth and yields of vigna radiata genotypes in tropical Nigeria.

In recent years, more agricultural lands are been converted to photovoltaic (PV) power plants for better return on investment. However, prioritizing energy generation over food production poses a significant threat to the well-being of the rapidly growing global population. Agro-photovoltaics (APV) provide an opportunity to integrate crop production under PV panels.

Delayed cutaneous wound healing in young and old female mice is associated with differential growth factor release but not inflammatory cytokine secretion.

The capacity for tissue repair during wound healing declines with age. A chronic low but systemic inflammatory status, often called "inflammaging", is considered a key factor that contributes to impaired tissue regeneration. This phenomenon has been substantiated by an increased number of immune cells in wound-tissue of old mice.

Comparison of different liver fibrosis scores following sleeve gastrectomy.

Purpose: The prevalence of obesity, along with that of its associated health conditions, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, and liver diseases, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is increasing annually. Bariatric surgery is indicated for the treatment of obesity if conservative treatment fails. While various liver fibrosis scores have been proposed for assessing liver function, they are typically used prior to bariatric surgery.

Early therapy initiation is crucial in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy: prospective multimodal data from the German INHIBIT registry.

Background: Diagnosing chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) can be challenging, leading to delays in initiating therapy. As disability in CIDP is mainly dependent on axonal damage, the impact of delayed immunotherapy remains unclear. We multimodally investigated the clinical outcomes of patients with early CIDP regarding different treatment strategies and time points.

Challenges in multinational rare disease clinical studies during COVID-19: regulatory assessment of cipaglucosidase alfa plus miglustat in adults with late-onset Pompe disease.

PROPEL (ATB200-03; NCT03729362) compared the efficacy and safety of cipaglucosidase alfa plus miglustat (cipa + mig), a two-component therapy for late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD), versus alglucosidase alfa plus placebo (alg + pbo). The primary endpoint was change in 6-min walk distance (6MWD) from baseline to week 52. During PROPEL, COVID-19 interrupted some planned study visits and assessment windows, leading to delayed visits, make-up assessments for patients who missed ≥ 3 successive infusions before planned assessments at weeks 38 and 52, and some advanced visits (end-of-study/early-termination visits).

Nationwide real-world implementation of AI for cancer detection in population-based mammography screening.

Artificial intelligence (AI) in mammography screening has shown promise in retrospective evaluations, but few prospective studies exist. PRAIM is an observational, multicenter, real-world, noninferiority, implementation study comparing the performance of AI-supported double reading to standard double reading (without AI) among women (50-69 years old) undergoing organized mammography screening at 12 sites in Germany. Radiologists in this study voluntarily chose whether to use the AI system.

"Shedding the status"-a meta-analysis on the individual propensity to shed skin material in the context of forensic trace analysis.

The so-called "shedder status", which can more precisely be referred to as "individual shedding propensity" (ISP), has been the subject of forensic genetic research for more than two decades. Numerous studies have been published on this topic many of which report contradictory and/or insufficiently documented results regarding the existence, influencing factors, classifications of and test methodologies for the ISP of skin material. To date, there is no scientific consensus on the best way to register and conceptualize this variable, that is essential for the assessment of DNA transfer events.

Two types of motifs enhance human recall and generalization of long sequences.

Whether it is listening to a piece of music, learning a new language, or solving a mathematical equation, people often acquire abstract notions in the sense of motifs and variables-manifested in musical themes, grammatical categories, or mathematical symbols. How do we create abstract representations of sequences? Are these abstract representations useful for memory recall? In addition to learning transition probabilities, chunking, and tracking ordinal positions, we propose that humans also use abstractions to arrive at efficient representations of sequences. We propose and study two abstraction categories: projectional motifs and variable motifs.

Moderating factors in psilocybin-assisted treatment affecting mood and personality: A naturalistic, open-label investigation.

Rationale: Psychedelic-assisted therapy is increasingly applied within mental health treatment.

Objectives: This study focused on factors moderating changes in the acute and long-term effects of an individual psilocybin-assisted program on depression, anxiety, PTSD and personality structures by including demographic factors, subjective experience and degree of mystical type experiences during the dosing, as well as emotional breakthrough and personal growth after the program.

Methods: At baseline, 1 week and 3 months after the psilocybin program participants completed the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) and NEO Five-Factor Inventory-3 (NEO-FFI-3).

The role of carotid elongation for intervention time and outcome in mechanical thrombectomy for anterior circulation acute ischemic stroke.

Introduction: This study investigates the influence of carotid artery elongation on neurovascular intervention and outcome in acute stroke treatments proposing an easily assessable imaging marker for carotid elongation.

Methods: 118 patients who underwent mechanical thrombectomy for middle cerebral artery occlusions were included. The carotid elongation ratio (CER), center-line artery length to scan's Z-axis, was measured on the affected side in CT-angiographies.

Ten-year outcomes after DMEK, DSAEK, and PK: insights on graft survival, endothelial cell density loss, rejection and visual acuity.

Fuchs Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy (FECD) is the most frequent indication for corneal transplantation, with Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK), Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK), and penetrating keratoplasty (PK) being viable options. This retrospective study compared 10-year outcomes of these techniques in a large cohort of 2956 first-time keratoplasty eyes treated for FECD at a high-volume corneal transplant center in Germany. While DMEK and DSAEK provided faster visual recovery (median time to BSCVA ≥ 6/12 Snellen: DMEK 7.

Evolution of frontline treatment for multiple myeloma: clinical investigation of quadruplets containing carfilzomib and anti-CD38 monoclonal antibodies.

Although survival rates for patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) have improved over recent decades, multiple myeloma (MM) remains without a cure for most. There is increasing consensus that achievement of deep remissions, especially minimal residual disease negativity (MRD -), in frontline treatment is crucial and translates into improved survival. The standard of care (SOC) for NDMM consists at minimum of a triplet regimen of therapies, with or without an autologous stem cell transplant, or a doublet regimen for certain ineligible, particularly frail patients who may have specific limitations.

Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of an Innovative Psychedelic N,N-Dimethyltryptamine/Harmine Formulation in Healthy Participants: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Recent interest in the clinical use of psychedelics has highlighted plant-derived medicines like ayahuasca showing rapid-acting and sustainable therapeutic effects in various psychiatric conditions. This traditional Amazonian plant decoction contains N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and β-carboline alkaloids such as harmine. However, its use is often accompanied by distressing effects like nausea, vomiting, and intense hallucinations, possibly due to complex pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK-PD) interactions and lack of dose standardization.