Exploring Peripheral and Cardiac Immune Responses in a Pneumosepsis Mouse Model with Group A Streptococcus.

(Group A Streptococcus, GAS) is a human pathogen that causes local and systemic infections of the skin and mucous membranes. However, GAS is also found asymptomatically in the nasopharynx of infants. GAS infections, including pharyngitis and invasive pneumosepsis, pose significant public health concerns.

Unpacking Performance Factors of Innovation Systems and Studying Germany's Attempt to Foster the Role of the Patient Through a Market Access Pathway for Digital Health Applications (DiGAs): Exploratory Mixed Methods Study.

Background: Health care innovation faces significant challenges, including system inertia and diverse stakeholders, making regulated market access pathways essential for facilitating the adoption of new technologies. The German Digital Healthcare Act, introduced in 2019, offers a model by enabling digital health applications (DiGAs) to be reimbursed by statutory health insurance, improving market access and patient empowerment. However, the factors influencing the success of these pathways in driving innovation remain unclear.

Examining the Emotional and Physical Health Impact in Users of Open-Source Automated Insulin Delivery and Sources of Support: Qualitative Analysis of Patient Narratives.

Background: Although commercially developed automated insulin delivery (AID) systems have recently been approved and become available in a limited number of countries, they are not universally available, accessible, or affordable. Therefore, open-source AID systems, cocreated by an online community of people with diabetes and their families behind the hashtag #WeAreNotWaiting, have become increasingly popular.

Objective: This study focused on examining the lived experiences, physical and emotional health implications of people with diabetes following the initiation of open-source AID systems, their perceived challenges, and their sources of support, which have not been explored in the existing literature.

Digital Transformation of Rheumatology Care in Germany: Cross-Sectional National Survey.

Background: In recent years, health care has undergone a rapid and unprecedented digital transformation. In many fields of specialty care, such as rheumatology, this shift is driven by the growing number of patients and limited resources, leading to increased use of digital health technologies (DHTs) to maintain high-quality clinical care. Previous studies examined user acceptance of individual DHTs in rheumatology, such as telemedicine, video consultations, and mHealth.

Plasma pTau181 and amyloid markers predict conversion to dementia in idiopathic REM sleep behaviour disorder.

Blood-based biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology have been intensively investigated as markers for AD-related neurodegeneration. Comorbid AD pathology is common in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Accordingly, we hypothesized that plasma biomarkers associated with AD pathology might be useful to predict DLB in a cohort of idiopathic/isolated REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD), an incipient synucleinopathy.

Trends in smoking-attributable cardiovascular mortality in Germany.

We quantified the fraction of cardiovascular deaths attributable to smoking in Germany over time, accounting for population ageing. We calculated population-attributable fractions to quantify cardiovascular deaths attributable to smoking for 1992 to 2021, and compared actual with age-standardized figures. We found a significant decline in the number of cardiovascular deaths attributable to smoking: from about 71 900 cases in 1992 to around 42 000 cases in 2021, with a steeper decline in men.

Datopotamab Deruxtecan in Advanced or Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer With Actionable Genomic Alterations: Results From the Phase II TROPION-Lung05 Study.

Purpose: Datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-DXd) is a trophoblast cell-surface antigen-2-directed antibody-drug conjugate with a highly potent topoisomerase I inhibitor payload. The TROPION-Lung05 phase II trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04484142) evaluated the safety and clinical activity of Dato-DXd in patients with advanced/metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with actionable genomic alterations progressing on or after targeted therapy and platinum-based chemotherapy.

Benchmark of Density Functional Theory in the Prediction of C Chemical Shielding Anisotropies for Anisotropic Nuclear Magnetic Resonance-Based Structural Elucidation.

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations have emerged as a powerful theoretical toolbox for interpreting and analyzing the experimental nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra of chemical compounds. While DFT has been extensively used and benchmarked for isotropic NMR observables, the evaluation of the full chemical shielding tensor, which is necessary for interpreting residual chemical shift anisotropy (RCSA), has received much less attention, despite its recent applications in the structural elucidation of organic molecules. In this study, we present a comprehensive benchmark of carbon shielding anisotropies based on coupled cluster reference tensors taken from the NS372 benchmark data set.

Biodistribution and Dosimetry Evaluation of the Radiolabeled Somatostatin Receptor Antagonist 68Ga-DATA5m LM4 in Molecular Imaging of Well-Differentiated Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors Patients.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the biodistribution and radiation dosimetry of 68Ga-DATA5m LM4 in patients with gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

Patients And Methods: Eight patients (5 females and 3 males) with various gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors were included in the study. Each patient underwent 3 whole-body PET scans at 10, 60, and 120 minutes after receiving an IV injection of approximately 162.

Reactive Brownian Dynamics of Chemically Fueled Droplets: Roles of Attraction and Deactivation Modes.

The self-assembly of biological membraneless organelles can be mimicked by active droplets resulting from chemically fueled microphase separation. However, how the nonequilibrium, transient structure of these active droplets can be controlled through the physicochemical input parameters is not yet well understood. In our work, a chemically fueled two-state chemical reaction and subsequent droplet growth and decay are modeled with a reactive Brownian dynamics simulation in two spatial dimensions.

Transforming literature screening: The emerging role of large language models in systematic reviews.

Systematic reviews (SR) synthesize evidence-based medical literature, but they involve labor-intensive manual article screening. Large language models (LLMs) can select relevant literature, but their quality and efficacy are still being determined compared to humans. We evaluated the overlap between title- and abstract-based selected articles of 18 different LLMs and human-selected articles for three SR.

Organic matter and biomarkers: Why are samples required?

The search for evidence of past prebiotic or biotic activity on Mars will be enhanced by the return of samples to Earth laboratories. While impressive analytical feats have been accomplished by in situ missions on the red planet, accessing the capabilities of Earth's global laboratories will present a step change in data acquisition. Highly diagnostic markers of past life are biomarkers, organic molecules whose architecture can be attributed to once living organisms.

The value of returning a sample of the Martian atmosphere.

The elemental and isotopic abundances of major species in the Martian atmosphere have been determined, but analyses often lack sufficient precision, and those of minor and trace species are frequently not well known. Many important questions about the evolution and current state of Mars require the kind of knowledge that can be gained from analysis of a returned sample of the Martian atmosphere. Key target species include the noble gases, nitrogen, and various species containing carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, such as methane.

Olfaction with legs-Spiders use wall-pore sensilla for pheromone detection.

The sense of smell is a central sensory modality of most terrestrial species. However, our knowledge of olfaction is based on vertebrates and insects. In contrast, little is known about the chemosensory world of spiders and nothing about how they perform olfaction despite their important ecological role.

Pan-European atmospheric lead pollution, enhanced blood lead levels, and cognitive decline from Roman-era mining and smelting.

Ancient texts and archaeological evidence indicate substantial lead exposure during antiquity that potentially impacted human health. Although lead exposure routes were many and included the use of glazed tablewares, paints, cosmetics, and even intentional ingestion, the most significant for the nonelite, rural majority of the population may have been through background air pollution from mining and smelting of silver and lead ores that underpinned the Roman economy. Here, we determined potential health effects of this air pollution using Arctic ice core measurements of Roman-era lead pollution, atmospheric modeling, and modern epidemiology-based relationships between air concentrations, blood lead levels (BLLs), and cognitive decline.

Starch-rich plant foods 780,000 y ago: Evidence from Acheulian percussive stone tools.

In contrast to animal foods, wild plants often require long, multistep processing techniques that involve significant cognitive skills and advanced toolkits to perform. These costs are thought to have hindered how hominins used these foods and delayed their adoption into our diets. Through the analysis of starch grains preserved on basalt anvils and percussors, we demonstrate that a wide variety of plants were processed by Middle Pleistocene hominins at the site of Gesher Benot Ya'aqov in Israel, at least 780,000 y ago.

Effects of metformin on postprandial blood pressure, heart rate, gastric emptying, GLP-1 and the prevalence of postprandial hypotension in type 2 diabetes - a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study.

Individuals with type 2 diabetes are at high risk of postprandial falls in blood pressure (BP) (i.e., a reduction in systolic BP of ≥20mmHg, termed postprandial hypotension (PPH)), which increases the risk of falls and mortality.

The helmeted hornbill casque is reinforced by a bundle of exceptionally thick, rod-like trabeculae.

Among hornbill birds, the critically endangered helmeted hornbill (Rhinoplax vigil) is notable for its casque (a bulbous beak protrusion) being filled with trabeculae and fronted by a very thick keratin layer. Casque function is debated but appears central to aerial jousting, where birds (typically males) collide casques at high speeds in a mid-flight display that is audible for more than 100 m. We characterized the structural relationship between the skull and casque anatomy using X-ray microtomography and quantitative trabecular network analysis to examine how the casque sustains extreme impact.

Incremental Role of Cardiac CT Angiography in the Assessment of Left Ventricular Diastolic Function in Patients With Suspected Coronary Artery Disease With Normal Ejection Fraction: A Comparison With Transthoracic Echocardiography.

Objective: Diastolic dysfunction (DD) is defined as impaired left ventricular (LV) relaxation, caused by structural or functional heart diseases. We sought to assess the role of cardiac CT angiography (CCTA) as a tool to evaluate LV DD in patients with normal EF using the diastolic expansion index (DEI), as compared to transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) as the gold standard.

Methods: Patients presenting with atypical chest pain with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) and having a normal LV ejection fraction on TTE underwent CCTA using a dual source CT scanner.

Aging Oocytes: Exploring Apoptosis and Its Impact on Embryonic Development in Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio).

Ovulation, fertilization, and embryo development are orchestrated and synchronized processes essential for the optimal health of offspring. Post-ovulatory aging disrupts this synchronization and impairs oocyte quality. In addition, oocyte aging causes fertilization loss and poor embryo development.

Thickness Dependent Structural Transition in Ph-BTBT-10 Thin Films and Stabilization of the Ubiquitous Interface Bilayer.

The influence of the film/substrate interface and the role of film thickness on the structural transition temperature for thin films of the asymmetric BTBT derivative 7-decyl-2-phenyl[1]benzothieno[3,2-][1]-benzothiophene (Ph-BTBT-10) have been addressed by using Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) and synchrotron grazing incidence wide angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS). Our data strongly suggest that the structural transformation from a single-layer phase to the thermodynamically stable bilayer structure develops from the bottom of the film to its surface. Contrary to observations in other organic semiconductor films, notably, the thinner the Ph-BTBT-10 film, the lower is the transition temperature.

Functional analysis of conserved C. elegans bHLH family members uncovers lifespan control by a peptidergic hub neuron.

Throughout the animal kingdom, several members of the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) family act as proneural genes during early steps of nervous system development. Roles of bHLH genes in specifying terminal differentiation of postmitotic neurons have been less extensively studied. We analyze here the function of 5 Caenorhabditis elegans bHLH genes, falling into 3 phylogenetically conserved subfamilies, which are continuously expressed in a very small number of postmitotic neurons in the central nervous system.

Engineering the Thermal and Energy-Storage Properties in Quantum Dots Using Dominant Faceting: The Case Study of Silicon.

The storage and release of energy is an economic cornerstone. In quantum dots (QDs), energy storage is mostly governed by their surfaces, in particular by surface chemistry and faceting. The impact of surface free energy (SFE) through surface faceting has already been studied in QDs.

An E-Delphi study to facilitate animal welfare assessment in Italian zoos and aquaria.

Ensuring animal welfare is a key aspect of animal management in zoological facilities and aquaria, representing a pivotal facet of their mission. Italy currently lacks a comprehensive and valuable assessment methodology for evaluating the welfare of captive animals. To address this gap, the present study aimed to identify the most important criteria that should be considered in the welfare management and assessment of animals housed in Italian zoos and aquaria.

ETL: From the German Health Data Lab data formats to the OMOP Common Data Model.

Objective: The German Health Data Lab is going to provide access to German statutory health insurance claims data ranging from 2009 to the present for research purposes. Due to evolving data formats within the German Health Data Lab, there is a need to standardize this data into a Common Data Model to facilitate collaborative health research and minimize the need for researchers to adapt to multiple data formats. For this purpose we selected transforming the data to the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership Common Data Model.