A single gene orchestrates androgen variation underlying male mating morphs in ruffs.

Androgens are pleiotropic and play pivotal roles in the formation and variation of sexual phenotypes. We show that differences in circulating androgens between the three male mating morphs in ruff sandpipers are linked to 17-beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 2 (HSD17B2), encoded by a gene within the supergene that determines the morphs. Low-testosterone males had higher expression in blood than high-testosterone males, as well as in brain areas related to social behaviors and testosterone production.

Neurofeedback and attention modulate somatosensory alpha oscillations but not pain perception.

Pain is closely linked to alpha oscillations (8 < 13 Hz) which are thought to represent a supra-modal, top-down mediated gating mechanism that shapes sensory processing. Consequently, alpha oscillations might also shape the cerebral processing of nociceptive input and eventually the perception of pain. To test this mechanistic hypothesis, we designed a sham-controlled and double-blind electroencephalography (EEG)-based neurofeedback study.

Persistent symptoms and clinical findings in adults with post-acute sequelae of COVID-19/post-COVID-19 syndrome in the second year after acute infection: A population-based, nested case-control study.

Background: Self-reported health problems following severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection are common and often include relatively non-specific complaints such as fatigue, exertional dyspnoea, concentration or memory disturbance and sleep problems. The long-term prognosis of such post-acute sequelae of COVID-19/post-COVID-19 syndrome (PCS) is unknown, and data finding and correlating organ dysfunction and pathology with self-reported symptoms in patients with non-recovery from PCS is scarce. We wanted to describe clinical characteristics and diagnostic findings among patients with PCS persisting for >1 year and assessed risk factors for PCS persistence versus improvement.

Orismilast, a PDE4B/D inhibitor, in moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis: Efficacy and safety from a multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled, phase 2b dose-ranging study (ADESOS).

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease, characterized by eczematous skin lesions and pruritus. There is an unmet need for effective first-line systemic therapies with good safety profiles, particularly oral medications. Orismilast is a novel first-in-class oral phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4) B/D inhibitor under investigation for the treatment of moderate-to-severe AD.

Repeatome landscapes and cytogenetics of hortensias provide a framework to trace Hydrangea evolution and domestication.

Background And Aims: Ornamental hortensias are bred from a reservoir of over 200 species in the genus Hydrangea s.l. (Hydrangeaceae), and are valued in gardens, households and landscapes across the globe.

Spatially resolved transcriptomics of benign and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors.

Background: Peripheral nerve sheath tumors (PNSTs) encompass entities with different cellular differentiation and degrees of malignancy. Spatial heterogeneity complicates diagnosis and grading of PNSTs in some cases. In malignant PNST (MPNST) for example, single cell sequencing data has shown dissimilar differentiation states of tumor cells.

TIGIT-expression on natural killer cell subsets is an early indicator of alleviating liver inflammation following bulevirtide treatment in chronic hepatitis D.

Background Aims: Bulevirtide (BLV) is a novel and the only approved treatment option for patients with chronic hepatitis D (CHD). BLV alleviates liver inflammation already early during treatment when only minor HDV RNA changes are observed. We hypothesized that BLV-treatment may influence immune cells in CHD patients and performed a high-resolution analysis of natural killer (NK) cells before and during BLV-therapy.

Causal Relationship Between Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases and Iridocyclitis: A Bidirectional Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Study.

Purpose: This study aims to explore the relationship between autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs) and the risk of iridocyclitis (IC) using Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis.

Methods: Data of ankylosing spondylitis (AS), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), Behcet's disease (BD), and iridocyclitis were obtained from genome-wide association studies with large sample sizes. The instrumental variable utilized in this study for each exposure was the single nucleotide polymorphism.

From water to land-Usage of Generalized Unified Threshold models of Survival (GUTS) in an above-ground terrestrial context exemplified by honeybee survival data.

In regulatory aquatic risk assessment, toxicokinetic-toxicodynamic (TKTD) methods, such as the generalized unified threshold model of survival (GUTS), are already established and considered ready for use, whereas TKTD methods for aboveground terrestrial species, like arthropods, are less developed and currently not intended for risk assessment. This could be due to the fact that exposure in aboveground terrestrial systems is more event-based (feeding, contact, overspray, etc.), whereas exposure in aquatic systems is simply related to substance concentrations in the surrounding water.

Adjuvant Chemotherapy After Resection of Localized Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Following Preoperative FOLFIRINOX.

Importance: The effect of adjuvant chemotherapy following resection of pancreatic adenocarcinoma after preoperative (m)FOLFIRINOX (combination leucovorin calcium [folinic acid], fluorouracil, irinotecan hydrochloride, and oxaliplatin in full or modified dosing) chemotherapy on overall survival (OS) is unclear because current studies do not account for the number of cycles of preoperative chemotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy regimen.

Objective: To investigate the association of adjuvant chemotherapy following resection of pancreatic adenocarcinoma after preoperative (m)FOLFIRINOX with OS, taking into account the number of cycles of preoperative chemotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy regimen.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This retrospective cohort study included patients with localized pancreatic adenocarcinoma treated with 2 to 11 cycles of preoperative (m)FOLFIRINOX followed by resection across 48 centers in 20 countries from 2010 to 2018.

Child Maltreatment Characteristics and Adult Physical Multimorbidity in Germany.

Importance: Associations between child maltreatment (CM) and health have been studied broadly, but most studies focus on multiplicity (number of experienced subtypes of CM). Studies assessing multiple CM characteristics are scarce, partly due to methodological challenges, and were mostly conducted in patient samples.

Objective: To determine the importance of CM characteristics in association with physical multimorbidity in adulthood for women and men in a German representative sample.

The functional role of oscillatory dynamics in neocortical circuits: A computational perspective.

The dynamics of neuronal systems are characterized by hallmark features such as oscillations and synchrony. However, it has remained unclear whether these characteristics are epiphenomena or are exploited for computation. Due to the challenge of selectively interfering with oscillatory network dynamics in neuronal systems, we simulated recurrent networks of damped harmonic oscillators in which oscillatory activity is enforced in each node, a choice well supported by experimental findings.

Metabolic activity controls the emergence of coherent flows in microbial suspensions.

Photosynthetic microbes have evolved and successfully adapted to the ever-changing environmental conditions in complex microhabitats throughout almost all ecosystems on Earth. In the absence of light, they can sustain their biological functionalities through aerobic respiration, and even in anoxic conditions through anaerobic metabolic activity. For a suspension of photosynthetic microbes in an anaerobic environment, individual cellular motility is directly controlled by its photosynthetic activity, i.

Spreading dynamics of information on online social networks.

Social media is profoundly changing our society with its unprecedented spreading power. Due to the complexity of human behaviors and the diversity of massive messages, the information-spreading dynamics are complicated, and the reported mechanisms are different and even controversial. Based on data from mainstream social media platforms, including WeChat, Weibo, and Twitter, cumulatively encompassing a total of 7.

Antibacterials with Novel Chemical Scaffolds in Clinical Development.

The rise of antimicrobial resistance represents a significant global health threat, driven by the diminishing efficacy of existing antibiotics, a lack of novel antibacterials entering the market, and an over- or misuse of existing antibiotics, which accelerates the evolution of resistant bacterial strains. This review focuses on innovative therapies by highlighting 19 novel antibacterials in clinical development as of June 2024. These selected compounds are characterized by new chemical scaffolds, novel molecular targets, and/or unique mechanisms of action, which render their potential to break antimicrobial resistance particularly high.

Retrospective Analyses of Stability and Variability in Relative Age Effects of Handball Talents Over Seventeen Years.

In the last thirty years research on relative age effects (RAEs) has exploded in numbers. However, the stability and variability of these effects have hardly been investigated. The three aims of this retrospective study were first to investigate the stability and variability of RAEs over 17 years, second to compare these effects for young female and male athletes, and third to compare these effects between selected and non-selected athletes relative to variability estimates from 17 years prior to assess possible changes in athlete development trends.

Systematic review of the needs and health-related quality of life domains relevant to people surviving cancer in Europe.

Purpose: To systematically review qualitative studies on outcomes, needs, experiences, preferences, concerns and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of people surviving cancer in Europe in the last decade.

Methods: Protocol registered ( https://www.crd.

Painful diabetic neuropathy is associated with accelerated epigenetic aging.

About one out of two diabetic patients develop diabetic neuropathy (DN), of these 20% experience neuropathic pain (NP) leading to individual, social, and health-economic burden. Risk factors for NP are largely unknown; however, premature aging was recently associated with several chronic pain disorders. DNA methylation-based biological age (DNAm) is associated with disease risk, morbidity, and mortality in different clinical settings.

Continuous local infiltration analgesia is equal to femoral and sciatic nerve block for total knee arthroplasty.

Background: Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is associated with moderate to severe postoperative pain. Pain control is crucial for rapid mobilisation and reduces side effects as well as the length of hospital stay. In this context, a variety of multimodal pain control regimes show good pain relief, including several nerve blocks, iPACK and local infiltration analgesia (LIA).

Exhalation of Rn-219 by patients treated with Radium-223.

Background: Treatment with Ra-223 dichloride is approved for the therapy of castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) with symptomatic bone metastases and no known visceral metastases in Europe since 2013, and Ra-223 is under discussion for labelling other molecules and nanoparticles. The direct progeny of Ra-223 is Rn-219, also known as actinon, a radioactive noble gas with a half-life of 3.98 s.

Determination of the Time-frequency Features for Impulse Components in EEG Signals.

Accurately identifying the timing and frequency characteristics of impulse components in EEG signals is essential but limited by the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. Inspired by the visual system's ability to identify objects and their locations, we propose a new method that integrates a visual system model with wavelet analysis to calculate both time and frequency features of local impulses in EEG signals. We develop a mathematical model based on invariant pattern recognition by the visual system, combined with wavelet analysis using Krawtchouk functions as the mother wavelet.

Improving postsurgical paresis in brain tumor patients by transcranial magnetic stimulation.

Background And Objectives: Recently, reduction of transcallosal inhibition by contralateral navigated repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (nrTMS) improved neurorehabilitation of glioma patients with new postoperative paresis. This multicentric study examines the effect of postoperative nrTMS in brain tumor patients to treat surgery-related upper extremity paresis.

Methods: This is a secondary analysis of two randomized and three one-arm studies in brain tumor patients with new/progressive postoperative paresis.

Microvascular reconstruction in oral and maxillofacial surgery: a Europe-wide data collection.

Purpose: This study aims to analyze microvascular reconstruction in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) in Europe.

Methods: Based on previous studies, a dynamic online questionnaire was developed and subjected to internal and external evaluation. The questionnaire comprised multiple-choice, rating, and open-ended questions, addressing general and specific aspects and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on microvascular reconstruction in OMFS in Europe.

Centriolar cap proteins CP110 and CPAP control slow elongation of microtubule plus ends.

Centrioles are microtubule-based organelles required for the formation of centrosomes and cilia. Centriolar microtubules, unlike their cytosolic counterparts, are stable and grow very slowly, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we reconstituted in vitro the interplay between the proteins that cap distal centriole ends and control their elongation: CP110, CEP97, and CPAP/SAS-4.