Effects of Sympathetic Denervation in Metabolism Regulation: A Novel Approach for the Treatment of MASLD?

Although metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), previously termed nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, has become the most common chronic liver disorder, its complex pathophysiology has not been fully elucidated up to date. A correlation between elevated sympathetic activation and MASLD has been highlighted in recent preclinical and clinical studies. Furthermore, increased sympathetic activity has been associated with the main mechanisms involved in MASLD, such as lipid accumulation in the liver, insulin resistance, and metabolic dysregulation, while it has been also correlated with the progression of MASLD, leading to liver fibrosis.

Viruses and psychiatric disorders: We have not crossed the borderline from hypothesis to proof yet (Review).

Most psychiatric disorders are heterogeneous and are attributed to the synergistic action of a multitude of factors. It is generally accepted that psychiatric disorders are the outcome of interactions between genetic predisposition and environmental perturbations, which involve psychosocial stress, or alterations in the physiological state of the organism. A number of hypotheses have been presented on such environmental influences that may include direct insults such as injury, malnutrition and hostile living conditions, or indirect sequelae following infection from viruses such as influenza, arboviruses, enteroviruses and several herpesviruses, or the differential expression of human endogenous retroviruses.

Human Footprint and Forest Disturbance Reduce Space Use of Brown Bears (Ursus arctos) Across Europe.

Three-quarters of the planet's land surface has been altered by humans, with consequences for animal ecology, movements and related ecosystem functioning. Species often occupy wide geographical ranges with contrasting human disturbance and environmental conditions, yet, limited data availability across species' ranges has constrained our understanding of how human pressure and resource availability jointly shape intraspecific variation of animal space use. Leveraging a unique dataset of 758 annual GPS movement trajectories from 375 brown bears (Ursus arctos) across the species' range in Europe, we investigated the effects of human pressure (i.

Lymphopenia is an adverse prognostic factor in rectal adenocarcinoma patients receiving long-course chemoradiotherapy.

Purpose: Neoadjuvant radiotherapy (RT) or chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is the standard treatment for locally advanced rectal adenocarcinoma. The recent emerging data on preoperative immunotherapy as an effective therapeutic modality for mismatch repair deficient rectal carcinomas suggests that the immune system plays a significant role in tumor eradication. Although RT has been shown to stimulate anti-tumor immunity, it also leads to substantial lymphopenia, hindering the effect of immune response.

Addressing the emerging threat of Oropouche virus: implications and public health responses for healthcare systems.

Oropouche fever is an increasingly significant health concern in tropical and subtropical areas of South and Central America, and is primarily spread by midge vectors. The Oropouche virus (OROV) was first identified in 1955 and has been responsible for numerous outbreaks, particularly in urban environments. Despite its prevalence, the disease is often under-reported, making it difficult to fully understand its impact.

Tripartite Symbiosis Between Legumes, Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Nitrogen Fixing Rhizobia: Interactions and Regulation.

Legume plants can interact with nitrogen-fixing rhizobia bacteria and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) simultaneously, forming a tripartite symbiotic association. Co-inoculation studies performed on a variety of legumes have shown that rhizobia and AMF influence each other when they co-occur in tripartite association and affect host plant nutrition and performance. Although single plant-microbe interactions have been extensively studied, our understanding in the field of tripartite interactions is insufficient and current knowledge cannot predict the symbiotic outcome, which appears to depend on many parameters.

Predictors of Tinnitus Symptom Relief With Hearing Aids in a European Multicenter Study.

Objectives: Hearing aids (HAs) are a widely accepted first-line treatment option for individuals suffering from both hearing loss and chronic tinnitus. Though HAs are highly effective at improving speech understanding, their effectiveness in ameliorating tinnitus symptoms is less clear. In recent years, several investigators have reported on attempts to predict HAs effectiveness on tinnitus symptoms using an array of variables.

Controlled Synthesis of Perovskite Nanocrystals at Room Temperature by Liquid Crystalline Templates.

Perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs) are promising active materials because of their outstanding optoelectronic properties, which are finely tunable via size and shape. However, previous synthetic methods such as hot-injection and ligand-assisted reprecipitation require a high synthesis temperature or provide limited access to homogeneous PNCs, leading to the present lack of commercial value and real-world applications of PNCs. Here, we report a room-temperature approach to synthesize PNCs within a liquid crystalline antisolvent, enabling access to PNCs with a precisely defined size and shape and with reduced surface defects.

Deep learning and genome-wide association meta-analyses of bone marrow adiposity in the UK Biobank.

Bone marrow adipose tissue is a distinct adipose subtype comprising more than 10% of fat mass in healthy humans. However, the functions and pathophysiological correlates of this tissue are unclear, and its genetic determinants remain unknown. Here, we use deep learning to measure bone marrow adiposity in the femoral head, total hip, femoral diaphysis, and spine from MRI scans of approximately 47,000 UK Biobank participants, including over 41,000 white and over 6300 non-white participants.

International multicenter validation of AI-driven ultrasound detection of ovarian cancer.

Ovarian lesions are common and often incidentally detected. A critical shortage of expert ultrasound examiners has raised concerns of unnecessary interventions and delayed cancer diagnoses. Deep learning has shown promising results in the detection of ovarian cancer in ultrasound images; however, external validation is lacking.

Computational and GC-MS screening of bioactive compounds from Thymus Vulgaris targeting mycolactone protein associated with Buruli ulcer.

Buruli ulcer (BU) a neglected disease induced by the bacterium Mycobacterium ulcerans, predominantly impacts tropical and subtropical areas with its pathophysiology ascribed to the Mycolactone protein. Current antibiotics frequently prove insufficient to manage advanced or chronic ulcers and the rise of drug resistance presents a considerable challenge. This work aims to address these challenges by employing computational methods to identify therapeutic candidates from organic compounds, which may be developed into more effective therapies for Buruli ulcer.

Engineering 2D spin networks by on-surface encapsulation of azafullerene radicals in nanotemplates.

We present an efficient strategy for on-surface engineering of organic metal-free supramolecular complexes with long-term spin protection. By vacuum deposition of azafullerene (CN) monomers on a pre-deposited template layer of [10]cycloparaphenylene ([10]CPP) nanohoops on Au(111) surface we exploit the molecular shape matching between the CN and [10]CPP for the azafullerene encapsulation with nanohoops in a guest-host complexation geometry. CN⊂[10]CPP supramolecular complexes self-assemble into an extended two-dimensional hexagonal lattice yielding a high density network of stable spin-1/2 radicals.

Next generation thiazolyl ketone inhibitors of cytosolic phospholipase A α for targeted cancer therapy.

Eicosanoids are key players in inflammatory diseases and cancer. Targeting their production by inhibiting Group IVA cytosolic phospholipase A (cPLAα) offers a promising approach for cancer therapy. In this study, we synthesize a second generation of thiazolyl ketone inhibitors of cPLAα starting with compound GK470 (AVX235) and test their in vitro and cellular activities.

Facial Emotion Recognition and its Associations With Psychological Well-Being Across Four Schizotypal Dimensions: a Cross-Sectional Study.

Objective: The present study aimed to examine facial emotion recognition in a sample from the general population with elevated schizotypal traits, as defined by the four-factor model of schizotypy, and the association of facial emotion recognition and the schizotypal dimensions with psychological well-being.

Method: Two hundred and thirty-eight participants were allocated into four schizotypal groups and one control group. Following a cross-sectional study design, facial emotion recognition was assessed with a computerized task that included images from the Radboud Faces Database, schizotypal traits were measured with the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire, and psychological well-being was evaluated with the Flourishing scale.

Overlap Syndrome (COPD and OSA): A Treatable Trait for Triple Treatment?

The coexistence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in the same patient is referred to as overlap syndrome (OS). Patients with OS suffer more frequently from cardiovascular disease (CVD) and carry a higher risk of COPD-related exacerbations than patients with COPD alone, especially when OSA is left untreated. Based on recent evidence, triple therapy, namely inhaled corticosteroid/long-acting muscarinic antagonist/long-acting beta-agonist (ICS-LABA-LAMA), is a treatment strategy in COPD patients with a history of exacerbations and/or CVD comorbidity.

Digital Self-Management Intervention Paths for Early Breast Cancer Patients: Results of a Pilot Study.

Background: Despite excellent prognosis of early breast cancer, the patients face problems related to decreased quality of life and mental health. There is a need for easily available interventions targeting modifiable factors related to these problems. The aim of this study was to test the use of a new digital supportive intervention platform for early breast cancer patients.

Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals for the Management of Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Postmenopausal Women.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death in women and risk of development is greatly increased following menopause. Menopause occurs over several years and is associated with hormonal changes, including a reduction in estradiol and an increase in follicle-stimulating hormone. This hormonal shift may result in an increased risk of developing abdominal adiposity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, vascular dysfunction, hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), and metabolic syndrome (MetS).