Brain magnetic resonance imaging findings in Mitochondrial Neurogastrointestinal Encephalomyopathy (MNGIE): A case-based review.

Mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalopathy (MNGIE) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder, manifesting with gastrointestinal dysmotility, cachexia, ptosis and peripheral neuropathy. Diffuse leukoencephalopathy in brain MRI is a hallmark of MNGIE. We report a case of a 21-year-old female with MNGIE, presenting with cachexia and chronic diarrhea.

Impact of C-FOS/C-JUN Transcriptional Factors Co-Expression in Non-small Cell Lung Carcinoma.

Background/aim: Significant transcription factors - including c-Fos (gene locus: 14q24.3) and c-Jun (gene locus: 1p32-p31) - regulate cell homeostasis preventing abnormal signal transduction to nucleus. Their over-activation seems to be associated with an aggressive phenotype in non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLCs).

The Milan Score Predicts Objective Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease in Patients With Type 2 Esophagogastric Junction.

Introduction: High-resolution manometry (HRM) allows assessment of esophagogastric junction (EGJ) disruption. While type 3 EGJ predicts definitive gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), type 2 EGJ is less clearly implicated in GERD pathogenesis. This study aimed to characterize physiologic findings in type 2 EGJ to determine if the HRM-based Milan Score can define GERD within type 2 EGJ.

Ghrelin: An Emerging Therapy for Heart Failure.

Objective: Ghrelin is emerging as a promising therapeutic option for heart failure (HF) due to its potent inotropic, anabolic, and cardioprotective properties. This review aims to critically examine the available clinical evidence on ghrelin therapy in HF, while also incorporating key findings from preclinical studies that support its therapeutic potential.

Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed and the Cochrane Library up to September 15, 2024, using the keywords "heart failure" and "ghrelin.

Oxidative Stress Biomarkers in Hypertension.

Arterial hypertension is a silent and progressive disease with deleterious vascular implications on all target organs, including the heart, the brain, the kidneys, and the eyes. Oxidative stress, defined as the overproduction of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) over antioxidants, is capable of deteriorating not only the normal endothelial but also the cellular function with further cardiovascular implications. Xanthine oxidase activity, NADPH oxidase overexpression, and ROS production lead to hypertension and high arterial tone, culminating in end-organ damage.

Del Nido versus conventional blood cardioplegia in tetralogy of fallot repair: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Objectives: Compare outcomes of Del Nido (DN) versus conventional blood cardioplegia (BC) in the surgical repair of Tetralogy of Fallot (ToF).

Methods: Medical databases were searched to identify relevant clinical trials. Meta-analysis was conducted for primary (cardiopulmonary bypass [CPB] and aortic cross-clamp [ACC] times, hospital and intensive care unit [ICU] length of stay [LOS], mechanical ventilation time) and secondary (adverse events, lactate levels, volume of additional cardioplegia) endpoints.

21 century surface UV radiation changes deduced from CMIP6 models: part I-evolution of major influencing factors.

For a given solar elevation, the levels of solar ultraviolet radiation at the Earth's surface are determined by the amounts of ozone, aerosols, and clouds, as well as by the reflectivity of the surface. Here, we study the evolution of these factors for three selected decades in the period 1950-2100 using results from simulations with Earth-System models (ESMs) participating in the 6 phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6). The simulations for the future are based on three Shared Socioeconomic Pathways: SSP1-2.

New Developments in VHL-Associated Neuroendocrine Neoplasms.

Purpose Of Review: The purpose of this review is to outline the current knowledge on epidemiology, diagnosis and management of neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) that develop in the context of Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) syndrome.

Recent Findings: Pancreatic NENs develop in 8-17% of VHL patients (vPNENs) and are mostly multi-focal, cystic and non-functioning. Surgical resection is recommended for vPNENS > 3 cm that exhibit higher metastatic potential or in tumors with short doubling time while in the 20% of cases with metastatic disease the HIF-2 A inhibitor belzutifan is considered a promising option.

ATG8 delipidation is not universally critical for autophagy in plants.

Intracellular recycling via autophagy is governed by post-translational modifications of the autophagy-related (ATG) proteins. One notable example is ATG4-dependent delipidation of ATG8, a process that plays critical but distinct roles in autophagosome formation in yeast and mammals. Here, we aim to elucidate the specific contribution of this process to autophagosome formation in species representative of evolutionarily distant green plant lineages: unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, with a relatively simple set of ATG genes, and a vascular plant Arabidopsis thaliana, harboring expanded ATG gene families.

Pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) as a first trimester serum biomarker for preeclampsia screening: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: The aim of this study is to systematically examine the role of the pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) serum biomarker in the first trimester screening of preeclampsia (PE).

Materials And Methods: A systematic search of the literature was conducted on PubMed via Medline, and Cochrane Library up to 8 November 2022, for prospective studies evaluating PAPP-A serum levels in first trimester pregnant women as a screening biomarker for PE. Eligible were all prospectively designed case-control or cohort studies, published in English.

A new form of hazardous microparticulate contamination to the marine environment from ships using heavy fuel oil with exhaust gas scrubbers - Characterization and implications for fate, transport and ecotoxicity.

Aiming to reduce sulfur oxides emission in the atmosphere, the International Maritime Organization developed regulations on shipping that came into effect in 2020. The new rules incentivized many owners to install scrubber systems on thousands of ships. However, the overall environmental implications of scrubbers is a controversial subject, largely due to the release of acids, metals, and chemicals in the oceans and impact on marine life.

Emotional Stress in Cardiac and Vascular Diseases.

Introduction/objective: Emotional, mental, or psychological distress, defined as increased symptoms of depression, anxiety, and/or stress, is common in patients with chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular (CV) disease (CVD).

Methods: Literature was reviewed regarding data from studies and meta-analyses examining the impact of emotional stress on the occurrence and outcome of several CVDs (coronary disease, heart failure, hypertension, arrhythmias, stroke). These influences' pathophysiology and clinical spectrum are detailed, tabulated, and pictorially illustrated.

Atrial Fibrillation-Related Bradycardia and/or Bradycardia-Related Atrial Fibrillation: When and How to Intervene.

Introduction/objective: Atrial fibrillation (AF) could present with slow ventricular-response; bradycardia could facilitate the emergence of AF. The conviction that one "does not succumb" from bradycardia as an escape rhythm will emerge unless one sustains a fatal injury following syncope is in stark difference with ventricular tachyarrhythmia (VA), which may promptly cause cardiac arrest. However, this is not always the case, as a life-threatening situation may emerge during the bradycardic episode, i.

Ultrasonography in the diagnosis of pelvic vein insufficiency, a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the efficacy of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of pelvic vein insufficiency (PVI).

Results: Seven studies comprised of 802 patients were included. Of these studies, 5 utilised transvaginal ultrasound (TVU), 1 utilised transabdominal ultrasound (TAU) and 1 utilised both ultrasounds as diagnostic tool .

Detection rate for ESR1 mutations is higher in circulating-tumor-cell-derived genomic DNA than in paired plasma cell-free DNA samples as revealed by ddPCR.

Plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) analysis to track estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1) mutations is highly beneficial for the identification of tumor molecular dynamics and the improvement of personalized treatments for patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Plasma-cfDNA is, up to now, the most frequent liquid biopsy analyte used to evaluate ESR1 mutational status. Circulating tumor cell (CTC) enumeration and molecular characterization analysis provides important clinical information in patients with MBC.

Impact of number of passes and futile reperfusion in basilar artery occlusion acute ischaemic stroke.

Introduction: Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is the standard of care in anterior circulation large vessel occlusion. A vital modifiable factor is successful reperfusion. While multiple passes improve the rates of successful reperfusion, previous studies have reported progressively diminishing returns.

Unraveling the hormonal approaches for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and its complementary interventions.

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune, chronic, systemic inflammatory disease that causes redness, swelling, stiffness, and joint pain. It is a long-lasting disease that can have a widespread impact on the body, often affecting the hands, feet, and wrists. The immune cells, such as dendritic cells, T cells, B cells, macrophages, and neutrophils, play a significant role in bone degradation and inflammation.

Ultra-Processed Foods and Childhood Obesity: Current evidence and perspectives.

Purpose Of The Review: Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) represent foods that have undergone substantial industrial processing, such as the addition of preservatives and various other ingredients, thereby making them more tasty, appealing and easy to consume. UPFs are often rich in sugars, saturated fats and salt, while they are low in essential nutrients.The aim of this review is to examine the relationship between the widespread consumption of UPFs and the development of obesity among children and adolescents.

Early noninvasive ventilation in general wards for acute respiratory failure: an international, multicentre, open-label, randomised trial.

Background: The impact of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) managed outside the intensive care unit in patients with early acute respiratory failure remains unclear. We aimed to determine whether adding early NIV prevents the progression to severe respiratory failure.

Methods: In this multinational, randomised, open-label controlled trial, adults with mild acute respiratory failure (arterial oxygen partial pressure/fraction of inspiratory oxygen [Pao/FiO] ratio ≥200) were enrolled across 11 hospitals in Italy, Greece, and Kazakhstan.

Behind the scenes of EQA - characteristics, capabilities, benefits and assets of external quality assessment (EQA).

This is the first in a series of five papers that detail the role and substantial impact that external quality assessment (EQA) and their providers' services play in ensuring diagnostic (IVD) performance quality. The aim is to give readers and users of EQA services an insight into the processes in EQA, explain to them what happens before EQA samples are delivered and after examination results are submitted to the provider, how they are assessed, what benefits participants can expect, but also who are stakeholders other than participants and what significance do EQA data and assessment results have for them. This first paper presents the history of EQA, insights into legal, financing and ethical matters, information technology used in EQA, structure and lifecycle of EQA programs, frequency and intensity of challenges, and unique requirements of extra-examination and educational EQA programs.

Screening Criteria Evaluation for Expansion in Pulmonary Neoplasias (SCREEN) II.

Background: There is a need to expand eligibility criteria for lung cancer screening beyond age and smoking history. In this study, we sought to assess whether light-or-never-smokers and heavy smokers differ in molecular and immunologic markers based on conventional lung cancer screening criteria.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of lung cancer cases from 2005 to 2018 at a tertiary Canadian institution.