Should adrenal incidentaloma patients be evaluated for muscle mass, function, and quality? A cross-sectional study.

Purpose: Our study evaluated skeletal muscle mass, function and quality among mild autonomous cortisol secretion (MACS) patients and non-functioning adrenal incidentaloma (NFAI) patients in comparison with the control group without adrenal mass.

Methods: 63 NFAI (49 female, 14 male) and 31 MACS (24 female, 7 male) patients were included in the study. As the control group, 44 patients (31 women, 13 men) who were known to have no radiological adrenal pathology on computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging performed for other reasons were selected.

Pros and cons of surgical versus conservative management for head and neck paraganglioma: a real-world data analysis.

Purpose: To compare functional deficits associated to surgery with those caused by the growth of the head and neck paragangliomas (HNPGLs).

Methods: 72 patients with HNPGLs were included. Patients were divided in group A (49 patients undergoing surgery) and group B (23 patients following a wait and see approach).

Dihydromyricetin Protects Against Hypoxia/Reoxygenation Injury in Cardiomyocytes by Activating miR-34a-Mediated Notch1 Pathway.

Dihydromyricetin (Dih), a naturally occurring flavonoid, has been identified to exert a protective effect against ischemia/reperfusion injury. However, the detailed mechanisms remain unclear. Here we investigated the biological role of Dih in preventing hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) injury in cardiomyocytes.

Reducing postoperative morbidity by diminishing chest tube drainage utilizing tranexamic acid following vertebral body tethering for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

Purpose: Vertebral body tethering (VBT) is a non-fusion surgical option for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) that requires a postoperative (PO) chest tube. This study evaluates whether 48 h of PO TXA reduces chest tube (CT) drainage and retention compared to 24 h of TXA following VBT for AIS.

Methods: Consecutively treated patients with a diagnosis of AIS who underwent VBT were assessed.

Evaluating convalescent plasma therapy in severe COVID-19: a retrospective cohort study.

Introduction: Convalescent plasma (CP) therapy is a form of passive immunization which has been used as a treatment for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CP therapy in patients with severe COVID-19.

Methodology: In this retrospective cohort study, 50 patients with severe COVID-19 treated with CP at Shahid Beheshti Hospital, Kashan, in 2019 were evaluated.

Fluoride-induced testicular and ovarian toxicity: evidence from animal studies.

Fluoride (F), as a natural element found in a wide range of sources such as water and certain foods, has been proven to be beneficial in preventing dental caries, but concerns have been raised regarding its potential deleterious effects on overall health. Sodium fluoride (NaF), another form of F, has the ability to accumulate in reproductive organs and interfere with hormonal regulation and oxidative stress pathways, contributing to reproductive toxicity. While the exact mechanisms of F-induced reproductive toxicity are not fully understood, this review aims to elucidate the mechanisms involved in testicular and ovarian injury.

Blood-based epigenome-wide association study and prediction of alcohol consumption.

Alcohol consumption is an important risk factor for multiple diseases. It is typically assessed via self-report, which is open to measurement error through recall bias. Instead, molecular data such as blood-based DNA methylation (DNAm) could be used to derive a more objective measure of alcohol consumption by incorporating information from cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) sites known to be linked to the trait.

Identification of novel cytoskeleton protein involved in spermatogenic cells and sertoli cells of non-obstructive azoospermia based on microarray and bioinformatics analysis.

Background: During mammalian spermatogenesis, the cytoskeleton system plays a significant role in morphological changes. Male infertility such as non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) might be explained by studies of the cytoskeletal system during spermatogenesis.

Methods: The cytoskeleton, scaffold, and actin-binding genes were analyzed by microarray and bioinformatics (771 spermatogenic cellsgenes and 774 Sertoli cell genes).

A participatory needs assessment to map the system dynamics of overweight related behaviours of 10-14-year-old adolescents living in an underserved neighbourhood in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Background: Developing interventions along with the population of interest using systems thinking is a promising method to address the underlying system dynamics of overweight. The purpose of this study is twofold: to gain insight into the perspectives of adolescents regarding: (1) the system dynamics of energy balance-related behaviours (EBRBs) (physical activity, screen use, sleep behaviour and dietary behaviour); and (2) underlying mechanisms and overarching drivers of unhealthy EBRBs.

Methods: We conducted Participatory Action Research (PAR) to map the system dynamics of EBRBs together with adolescents aged 10-14 years old living in a lower socioeconomic, ethnically diverse neighbourhood in Amsterdam East, the Netherlands.

CSPG4 overexpression implicates higher risks of recurrence and tumorigenesis after surgical intervention of vocal fold Leukoplakia.

Background: Vocal fold leukoplakia (VFL), a precancerous lesion of the larynx, is characterized by white plaques on the vocal fold mucous membrane. Currently, there are no reliable biomarkers to predict the recurrence and malignant transformation of VFL. Considering chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan 4 (CSPG4) as a biomarker for malignant tumors such as laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC), we conducted this cohort study to evaluate the prognostic influence of CSPG4 expression on VFL patients.

Unveiling the relation between swallowing muscle mass and skeletal muscle mass in head and neck cancer patients.

Purpose: Sarcopenia, characterized by loss of skeletal muscle mass (SMM) and strength, often leads to dysphagia in the elderly. This condition can also worsen treatment outcomes in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients, who are susceptible to swallowing difficulties. This study aimed to establish the correlation between swallowing muscle mass (SwMM) and SMM in HNC patients.

3D nanocomposites of β-TCP-HBO-Cu with improved mechanical and biological performances for bone regeneration applications.

Recently, 3-D porous architecture of the composites play a key role in cell proliferation, bone regeneration, and anticancer activities. The osteoinductive and osteoconductive properties of β-TCP allow for the complete repair of numerous bone defects. Herein, β-TCP was synthesized by wet chemical precipitation route, and their 3-D porous composites with HBO and Cu nanoparticles were prepared by the solid-state reaction method with improved mechanical and biological performances.

Inaudible airborne ultrasound affects emotional states in the olfactory bulbectomized rat depression model.

Recently, exposure to sounds with ultrasound (US) components has been shown to modulate brain activity. However, the effects of US on emotional states remain poorly understood. We previously demonstrated that the olfactory bulbectomized (OBX) rat depression model is suitable for examining the effects of audible sounds on emotionality.

Preoperative myosteatosis and perioperative serum chloride levels predict 180 day major complications after radical cystectomy.

This study aimed to investigate the role of myosteatosis, sarcopenia, and perioperative serum biomarkers as independent predictors of major complications within 180 days following radical cystectomy (RC) for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). We retrospectively analyzed of 127 MIBC patients who underwent RC between 2013 and 2023 at a single institution. Preoperative body composition was assessed using CT scans at the L3 vertebral level to measure psoas muscle density (PMD), skeletal muscle density (SMD), axial muscle density (AMD), and muscle indices.

Optimization of metal polymer friction pair composition for hydrogen wear reduction through thermal stabilization analysis.

The composition of the metal-polymer friction pair is carefully considered for interacting with water and hydrogen, ensuring the metals electrode process potential remains below waters in a neutral medium. Simultaneously, adherence to defined chemical composition ratios for the metal-polymer materials is crucial. This analysis is conducted under conditions of thermal stabilization, characterized by a minimal temperature gradient across the rim thickness within an equivalent thermal field.

Therapeutic alternatives for sporotrichosis induced by wild-type and non-wild-type Sporothrix schenckii through in vitro and in vivo assessment of enilconazole, isavuconazole, posaconazole, and terbinafine.

This study explores the effectiveness of various antifungal drugs in treating sporotrichosis caused by Sporothrix schenckii, especially in non-wild-type (non-WT) strains. The drugs tested include enilconazole (ENIL), isavuconazole (ISA), posaconazole (POS), terbinafine (TER), and itraconazole (ITC). The study involved in vitro and in vivo tests on 10 WT isolates and eight ITC non-WT isolates.

Encorafenib, cetuximab and chemotherapy in BRAF-mutant colorectal cancer: a randomized phase 3 trial.

Encorafenib + cetuximab (EC) is approved for previously treated BRAF V600E-mutant metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) based on the BEACON phase 3 study. Historically, first-line treatment of BRAF V600E-mutant mCRC with chemotherapy regimens has had limited efficacy. The phase 3 BREAKWATER study investigated EC+mFOLFOX6 versus standard of care (SOC) in patients with previously untreated BRAF V600E mCRC.

Explainable vision transformer for automatic visual sleep staging on multimodal PSG signals.

Polysomnography (PSG) is crucial for diagnosing sleep disorders, but manual scoring of PSG is time-consuming and subjective, leading to high variability. While machine-learning models have improved PSG scoring, their clinical use is hindered by the 'black-box' nature. In this study, we present SleepXViT, an automatic sleep staging system using Vision Transformer (ViT) that provides intuitive, consistent explanations by mimicking human 'visual scoring'.

Osilodrostat improves blood pressure and glycemic control in patients with Cushing's disease: a pooled analysis of LINC 3 and LINC 4 studies.

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of osilodrostat and hypercortisolism control on blood pressure (BP) and glycemic control in patients with Cushing's disease.

Methods: Pooled analysis of two Phase III osilodrostat studies (LINC 3 and LINC 4), both comprising a 48-week core phase and an optional open-label extension. Changes from baseline in systolic and diastolic BP (SBP and DBP), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and glycated hemoglobin (HbA) were evaluated during osilodrostat treatment in patients with/without hypertension or diabetes at baseline.

Histopathology and proteomics are synergistic for high-grade serous ovarian cancer platinum response prediction.

Patients with High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer (HGSOC) exhibit varied responses to treatment, with 20-30% showing de novo resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy. While hematoxylin-eosin (H&E)-stained pathological slides are used for routine diagnosis of cancer type, they may also contain diagnostically useful information about treatment response. Our study demonstrates that combining H&E-stained whole slide images (WSIs) with proteomic signatures using a multimodal deep learning framework significantly improves the prediction of platinum response in both discovery and validation cohorts.

Effect of pocket compression device on pocket hematoma after cardiac implantable electronic device implantation.

Pocket hematoma is a common and serious complication following cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) implantation, contributing to significant morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a novel pocket compression device in reducing pocket hematoma occurrence. We enrolled 242 patients undergoing CIED implantation, randomly assigning them to receive either the novel compression vest with a pressure cuff or conventional sandbag compression.

Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 22 A-3 ameliorates leaky gut in mice through its anti-inflammatory effects.

There are limited studies on the improvement of leaky gut with minor inflammation associated with various diseases. To explore the therapeutic potential of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 22 A-3, a member of the Lactobacillus species, in addressing a leaky gut. Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 22 A-3 was administered to a leaky gut mice model with low dextran sulfate sodium concentrations.

Evaluation of transcriptomic changes after photobiomodulation in spinal cord injury.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a significant cause of lifelong disability, with no available disease-modifying treatments to promote neuroprotection and axon regeneration after injury. Photobiomodulation (PBM) is a promising therapy which has proven effective at restoring lost function after SCI in pre-clinical models. However, the precise mechanism of action is yet to be determined.

Magnetic nanoparticles of Nd2Fe14B prepared by ethanol-assisted wet ball milling technique.

The magnetic material Nd2Fe14B is one of the strongest magnetic materials found in nature. The demand for the production of these nanoparticles is significantly high due to their exceptional properties. The aim of the present study is to synthesize magnetic nanoparticles of Nd2Fe14B using ethanol in the wet ball milling technique (WBMT).

Enhanced optical properties of chitosan polymer doped with orange peel dye investigated via UV-Vis and FTIR analysis.

The current research aims to determine the impact of orange peel dye (OPD), an eco-friendly addition, on the optical properties of biodegradable polymers. This study investigates the enhancement of optical properties in solid electrolytes based on chitosan (CS) and glycerol, with varying OPD concentrations. UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy revealed significantly enhanced UV-visible light absorption in the 200-500 nm region and effective UV light blocking.