Computational biology assisted exploration of phytochemicals derived natural inhibitors to block BZLF1 gene activation of Epstein-Bar virus in host.

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is widespread and has been related to a variety of malignancies as well as infectious mononucleosis. Despite the lack of a vaccination, antiviral medications offer some therapy alternatives. The EBV BZLF1 gene significantly impacts viral replication and infection severity.

Impact of Chlorella sorokiniana feed additive on poultry growth health and oxidative stress in erythrocytes.

Microalgae, have emerged as a potentially promising feed additive option due to their beneficial nutritional profile rich in bioactive compounds. The present study examines the incorporation of Chlorella sorokiniana (at 0.1% and 1%) into chicken feed compared to control feed and its effect on growth and health parameters of poultry grown at pilot plant scale.

The genetic and observational nexus between diabetes and arthritis: a national health survey and mendelian randomization analysis.

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) and arthritis are prevalent conditions worldwide. The intricate relationship between these two conditions, especially in the context of various subtypes of arthritis, remains a topic of interest.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between diabetes and arthritis, with a focus on Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and Mendelian Randomization (MR) analysis.

Prophylactic HPV vaccination in HPV-related gynecologic cancers: European Society of Gynecological Oncology (ESGO) prevention committee opinion.

Many clinicians recommend that patients diagnosed with HPV-related gynecologic cancers receive prophylactic HPV vaccination at the time of cancer diagnosis or after cancer treatment. In view of the large use of such practice, we aimed to assess the literature evidence supporting the use of prophylactic HPV vaccines after diagnosis or treatment of HPV-related gynecologic cancers. Women who develop HPV-related cervical, vaginal, and vulvar cancers represent a subgroup of patients who may be particularly sensitive to HPV infection and re-acquire infections.

Covalent Organic Frameworks for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Peroxide Evolution.

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are considered advanced class materials due to their exotic structural and optical properties. The abundance of starting monomers with variable linkage motifs may give rise to multiple conformations in either 2D or 3D fashion. Tailoring of the abovementioned properties has facilitated the application of COFs in a wide range of applications, which are strongly correlated with energy conversion schemes.

microT-CNN: an avant-garde deep convolutional neural network unravels functional miRNA targets beyond canonical sites.

microRNAs (miRNAs) are central post-transcriptional gene expression regulators in healthy and diseased states. Despite decades of effort, deciphering miRNA targets remains challenging, leading to an incomplete miRNA interactome and partially elucidated miRNA functions. Here, we introduce microT-CNN, an avant-garde deep convolutional neural network model that moves the needle by integrating hundreds of tissue-matched (in-)direct experiments from 26 distinct cell types, corresponding to a unique training and evaluation set of >60 000 miRNA binding events and ~30 000 unique miRNA-gene target pairs.

Molecular classification of endometrial cancer: Impact on adjuvant treatment planning.

Objective: The traditional histopathological analysis of endometrial cancer (EC) is the main risk group classification tool (low, intermediate, high-intermediate, and high) for the implementation of adjuvant treatment. The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics staging system of EC has incorporated a new molecular classification that serves as a new triage tool for optimal treatment planning for these patients. Our study aimed to investigate the prognostic role of the new molecular classification in EC.

A lung cancer diagnosis and treatment dataset with geno- and phenotypical characteristics of the patient.

This dataset comprises information about 1242 lung cancer patients collected by the Medical Oncology Department of the Puerta de Hierro University Hospital of Majadahonda in Madrid, Spain. It includes information about cancer diagnosis and treatment, as well as personal and medical data recorded during anamneses. The dataset could assist in data analysis with the aim of discovering relationships between the applied treatment(s), the evolution of the disease and the associated adverse effects.

Raman scattering of water in vicinity of polar complexes: Computational insight into baseline subtraction.

Water is a greatly convenient solvent in Raman spectroscopy. However, non-additive effects sometimes make its signal difficult to subtract. To understand these effects, spectra for clusters of model ions, including transition metal complexes and water molecules, were simulated and analyzed.

Gene Polymorphisms in Greek Primary Breast Cancer Patients.

Background: Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease with distinct clinical subtypes, categorized by hormone receptor status, which exhibits different prognoses and requires personalized treatment approaches. These subtypes included luminal A and luminal B, which have different prognoses. Breast cancer development and progression involve many factors, including interferon-gamma ().

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided therapies in the treatment of gastric varices: An in-depth examination of associated adverse events.

The Baveno VII consensus, released in 2023, recommends that the endoscopic treatment of choice for managing bleeding gastric varices (GV) is endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided treatment, specifically EUS-guided cyanoacrylate (CYA) glue injection. This approach has been endorsed due to its efficacy in controlling bleeding while reducing rebleeding rates, compared to other endoscopic techniques. Despite its efficacy, CYA injection for GV has been linked to rare but serious adverse events, such as glue embolization leading to pulmonary embolism, infection/bacteremia, splenic infarction, intra-procedural and post-procedural complications.

Affective and Clinical Outcomes Related to Pain After Graded Motor Imagery in Patients With Chronic Shoulder Pain: A Pre-Post-Single-Group Study.

The aim of this study was to assess at 6-month and 1-year follow-up the effect of graded motor imagery (GMI) in addition to usual care on the affective and clinical outcomes in patients with chronic shoulder pain. A pre-post-intervention single-group study was conducted. One hundred forty-eight patients with chronic shoulder pain were included.

Gatekeeping or Provider Choice for Sustainable Health Systems? A Literature Review on Their Impact on Efficiency, Access, and Quality of Services.

As early as 1978, the World Health Organization set primary healthcare as the basis on which health systems should be built worldwide. However, the health systems of the different countries show considerable variations in terms of the implementation of gatekeeping from primary to secondary healthcare and direct access to specialists and hospital care. This literature review attempts to present the gatekeeping system with references to the UK, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Germany compared to the situation in Greece, where no gatekeeping system exists.

Managing Pharmaceutical Costs in Health Systems: A Review of Affordability, Accessibility and Sustainability Strategies.

Background: This paper reviews cost containment policies to control pharmaceutical expenditure either by regulating the pharmaceutical industry or targeting the demand side.

Methods: The method used was the narrative literature review of studies which assessed the effect of pharmaceutical cost containment policies.

Results: Governments worldwide have implemented a great variety of policy measures to manage pharmaceutical expenditure while ensuring fair access to essential medicines.

Operational Efficiency of Public Hospitals in Greece During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparative Analysis Using DEA and AHP Models.

This study evaluates the efficiency of public hospitals in Greece during the COVID-19 epidemic in 2020, using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). Faced with unprecedented pressure from increased demand for medical services, these hospitals had to adapt quickly while playing a crucial role in supporting local economies, similar to the effect of tourism on rural economies. This study reveals that, despite average efficiency scores of 83% for result-oriented models (BCC) and 65% for constant return models (CCR), inefficiencies of scale emerged under the pressures of the pandemic.

Successful Pregnancy in a Poor Responder: Natural In Vitro Fertilization, Menopause Treatment With Oral Contraceptives, and Anti-Müllerian Hormone as a Predictor.

The study focuses on spontaneous conception after menopause in a woman with primary ovarian insufficiency (POI), with an emphasis on the role of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) in fertility management. This case involves a 33-year-old woman with POI who has experienced both aided and spontaneous pregnancies. She had low AMH and high follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels, which typically indicate a limited ovarian reserve.

Paccianon the Neglected Galenic Drug for Ophthalmic Lesions.

The Greco-Roman physician Galen of Pergamon was the first to mention a drug named Paccianon. This drug was unknown in ancient Greece and most probably through the School of Alexandria entered medical literature. Oribasius and Aetius were the only two practitioners who mentioned it after Galen, administrating it in various forms, such as poultice, mixture, and collyrium, for a series of ophthalmic diseases and cutaneous lesions.

HIV Disclosure and Low HIV Stigma in a Gay Serodiscordant Couple: An Interpretative Phenomenological Case Study of the Discloser-Confidant Dynamics.

Introduction HIV stigma levels are high in Greece. HIV stigma hinders testing, healthcare access, and treatment adherence, often leading to non-disclosure. The discloser navigates challenges by balancing the confidant's potential reactions, ranging from rejection and discrimination to the benefits of increased intimacy and liking.

Optimal use of BTK inhibitors in Waldenström's macroglobulinemia: combination or single drug approach?

Waldenström macroglobulinemia is an indolent B-cell lymphoma which although remains incurable, there are a lot of treatment options. Today, Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors have a central role in the management of the disease either as monotherapy or combination with other regimens, due to their efficacy, ease of administration, and safety profile. However, there is still active clinical investigation to further increase their efficacy and improve safety profile.

Unmasking a Rare Genetic Mutation: The Importance of Genetic Testing in Refractory Hypertriglyceridemia.

Background/objective: Genetic causes of hypertriglyceridemia like familial chylomicronemia syndrome can be overlooked in everyday practice. We report a patient with a rare genetic mutation, highlighting the importance of genetic testing for timely diagnosis and prevention of complications.

Case Report: A 45-year-old Hispanic female presented with serum triglyceride levels of 749 mg/dL, refractory to rosuvastatin 10 mg daily and omega-3 ethyl esters 2 g daily.

Endovascular Management of an Isolated Common Iliac Artery Aneurysm in a Patient with an Ectopic Pelvic Kidney: A Case Report.

Isolated iliac aneurysms are rare, and their management becomes complex when accompanied by ectopic pelvic kidneys due to altered vascular anatomy. We report a 58-year-old male with an incidentally discovered 53.5 mm left common iliac artery (CIA) aneurysm and an ectopic pelvic kidney.

Injectable and 3D-Printable Semi-Interpenetrating Polymer Networks Based on Modified Sodium Alginate for Cell Spheroid Formation.

We report on 3D-printable polymer networks based on the combination of modified alginate-based polymer blends; two alginate polymers were prepared, namely, a thermoresponsive polymer grafted with P(NIPAM--NtBAM)-NH copolymer chains and a second polymer modified with diol/pH-sensitive 3-aminophenylboronic acid. The gelation properties were determined by the hydrophobic association of the thermosensitive chains and the formation of boronate esters. At a mixing ratio of 70/30 wt % of the thermo/diol-responsive polymers, the semi-interpenetrating network exhibited an optimum storage modulus ranging from ca.

Polygenic score distribution differences across European ancestry populations: implications for breast cancer risk prediction.

Background: The 313-variant polygenic risk score (PRS) provides a promising tool for clinical breast cancer risk prediction. However, evaluation of the PRS across different European populations which could influence risk estimation has not been performed.

Methods: We explored the distribution of PRS across European populations using genotype data from 94,072 females without breast cancer diagnosis, of European-ancestry from 21 countries participating in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC) and 223,316 females without breast cancer diagnosis from the UK Biobank.

Flush endovenous laser ablation (fEVLA) in the treatment of lower limb venous insufficiency a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: To assess the safety and efficacy of flush endovenous laser ablation (fEVLA) in the treatment of chronic venous insufficiency.

Materials And Methods: Following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, a systematic review aiming to identify studies published from inception to March 2024 was conducted. The investigation covered single-arm studies and studies comparing fEVLA to standard EVLA (sEVLA).