Brain microstructure alterations in subjective cognitive decline: a multi-component T2 relaxometry study.

Previous research has revealed patterns of brain atrophy in subjective cognitive decline, a potential preclinical stage of Alzheimer's disease. However, the involvement of myelin content and microstructural alterations in subjective cognitive decline has not previously been investigated. This study included three groups of participants recruited from the Compostela Aging Study project: 53 cognitively unimpaired adults, 16 individuals with subjective cognitive decline and hippocampal atrophy and 70 with subjective cognitive decline and no hippocampal atrophy.

Radon mitigation in the workplace in Spain: a cross-sectional interview-based study.

Objective: To evaluate radon mitigation frequency and possible determinants for mitigation among employers in Spain, before the new regulation came into force. We also aimed to assess the reasons for not mitigating radon.

Method: In this cross-sectional study, participants were systematically identified from all employers in Spain who had previously measured occupational radon through the Galician Radon Laboratory from 2015 until 2022.

IRF5 as a potential immunological biomarker in lung adenocarcinoma.

Background: In the clinic, the primary conventional treatments of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. In recent years, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have shown promise in optimizing therapeutic benefits when combined with other immunotherapies or standard therapies. However, effective biomarkers for distant metastasis or recurrence have yet to be identified, making it difficult to determine the best therapeutic approaches.

A rare haplotype of the GJD3 gene segregating in familial Meniere's disease interferes with connexin assembly.

Background: Familial Meniere's disease (FMD) is a rare polygenic disorder of the inner ear. Mutations in the connexin gene family, which encodes gap junction proteins, can also cause hearing loss, but their role in FMD is largely unknown.

Methods: We retrieved exome sequencing data from 94 individuals in 70 Meniere's disease (MD) families.

Absence of MCJ/DnaJC15 promotes brown adipose tissue thermogenesis.

Obesity poses a global health challenge, demanding a deeper understanding of adipose tissue (AT) and its mitochondria. This study describes the role of the mitochondrial protein Methylation-controlled J protein (MCJ/DnaJC15) in orchestrating brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis. Here we show how MCJ expression decreases during obesity, as evident in human and mouse adipose tissue samples.

Shaping current European mitochondrial haplogroup frequency in response to infection: the case of SARS-CoV-2 severity.

The frequency of mitochondrial DNA haplogroups (mtDNA-HG) in humans is known to be shaped by migration and repopulation. Mounting evidence indicates that mtDNA-HG are not phenotypically neutral, and selection may contribute to its distribution. Haplogroup H, the most abundant in Europe, improved survival in sepsis.

Influence of ABCB1 polymorphisms on aripiprazole and dehydroaripiprazole plasma concentrations.

Aripiprazole (ARI) is an atypical antipsychotic which is a substrate of P-glycoprotein (P-gp), a transmembrane glycoprotein that plays a crucial role in eliminating potentially harmful compounds from the organism. ARI once-monthly (AOM) is a long-acting injectable form which improves treatment compliance. Genetic polymorphisms in ABCB1 may lead to changes in P-gp function, leading to individual differences in drug disposition.

Foveal Avascular Zone development by OCTA: weighing the influence of Gestational Age and neonatal early growth independently of Retinopathy of Prematurity.

Purpose: Focusing the premature birth and its potential complications, this study analyzes Foveal Avascular Zone (FAZ) measured by Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography (OCTA) and its correlation with the severity of prematurity and neonatal growth.

Methods: A cross-sectional comparative study was performed, involving 71 children school-age with history of prematurity and a full-term children control group. Several variables from the neonatal period were collected, such as Gestational Age (GA), Birth Weight (BW), initial Weight Gain (WG) and Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP).

The utility of brief instruments for depression screening in dialysis patients.

Background: Depression is a frequent but often underdiagnosed comorbid disorder in dialysis patients. The Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition (BDI-II) is a reliable and valid instrument for depression screening but is relatively long for repeated use in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to compare the BDI-II with the shorter questionnaires Beck Depression Inventory-FastScreen (BDI-FS), the depression subscale of the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS-D), the Mental Health (MH) scale of the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and two items of the MH ('So down in the dumps that nothing could cheer you up' and 'Downhearted and blue') to determine the most efficient instruments for screening depressive symptoms in dialysis patients.

Combining antibacterial and wound healing features: Xanthan gum/guar gum 3D-printed scaffold tuned with hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin/thymol and Zn.

Biofilm formation on biological and material surfaces represents a heavy health and economic burden for both patient and society. To contrast this phenomenon, medical devices combining antibacterial and pro-wound healing abilities are a promising strategy. In the present work, Xanthan gum/Guar gum (XG/GG)-based scaffolds were tuned with thymol and Zn to obtain wound dressings that combine antibacterial and antibiofilm properties and favour the healing process.

Practical Recommendations for the Diagnosis and Management of Lysosomal Acid Lipase Deficiency with a Focus on Wolman Disease.

Lysosomal acid lipase deficiency (LAL-D) is an ultra-rare lysosomal storage disease with two distinct phenotypes, an infantile-onset form (formerly Wolman disease) and a later-onset form (formerly cholesteryl ester storage disease). The objective of this narrative review is to examine the most important aspects of the diagnosis and treatment of LAL-D and to provide practical expert recommendations. The infantile-onset form occurs in the first weeks of life and is characterized by malnourishment and failure to thrive due to gastrointestinal impairment (vomiting, diarrhea, malabsorption), as well as systemic inflammation, hepatosplenomegaly, and adrenal calcifications.

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Applications to Pharmacokinetic Modeling and Dose Prediction of Antibiotics: A Scoping Review.

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) and, in particular, machine learning (ML) techniques is growing rapidly in the healthcare field. Their application in pharmacokinetics is of potential interest due to the need to relate enormous amounts of data and to the more efficient development of new predictive dose models. The development of pharmacokinetic models based on these techniques simplifies the process, reduces time, and allows more factors to be considered than with classical methods, and is therefore of special interest in the pharmacokinetic monitoring of antibiotics.

Assessing the Reliability and Validity of a Questionnaire Evaluating Medical Students' Attitudes, Knowledge, and Perceptions of Antibiotic Education and Antimicrobial Resistance in University Training.

The misuse and overuse of antibiotics represent a critical global issue and one of the most pressing public health challenges of the 21st century. Training future healthcare professionals effectively is essential for ensuring responsible antibiotic use. This study aimed to validate a questionnaire designed to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of medical students regarding the education they receive on infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and antibiotic stewardship during their university studies.

Urate Levels as a Predictor of the Prevalence and Level of Cardiovascular Risk Factors: An Identificación de La PoBlación Española de Riesgo Cardiovascular y Renal Study.

(1) Background: Urate levels lower than the classical cut-off point for defining hyperuricemia can increase cardiovascular risks. The aim of this study is to determine if there is a relationship between different urate levels and classic cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs). (2) Methods: A cross-sectional study of the inclusion visits of the patients recruited to the IBERICAN study was conducted.

Conditioned Pain Modulation (CPM) Paradigms: Reliability and Relationship With Individual Characteristics.

Purpose: Conditioned Pain Modulation (CPM) is a useful tool for testing the functionality of endogenous pain modulation. However, inconsistent results have been obtained in clinical populations, possibly due to the wide variety of CPM protocols used and the influence of demographic and psychological characteristics of the individuals assessed.

Methods: We tested the sensitivity and reliability of four commonly used CPM paradigms in a sample of 58 healthy participants.

Impact of Changes to In-hospital Drug Formularies on Out-of-hospital Prescription Rates and Cost: A Systematic Review.

Purpose: One of the main goals of an in-hospital drug formulary (in-HDF) is to modulate hospitalized patients' drug utilization. Theoretically, however, in-HDFs could also have an impact on out-of-hospital prescriptions in several ways, including discharged patients taking chronic medications that were initiated during hospitalization, hospital physicians prescribing to outpatients as if in-HDFs were equally applicable to the latter ("spillover effect"), and primary care physicians subsequently not changing such prescriptions ("induced prescription"). The aim of this study was thus to conduct a systematic review of papers that studied the impact of changes to in-HDF on out-of-hospital prescriptions.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Novel Protein Biomarkers in Saliva to Detect Periodontitis Using Untargeted 'SWATH' Mass Spectrometry.

Aim: To discover new salivary biomarkers to diagnose periodontitis and evaluate the impact of age and smoking on predictive capacity.

Material And Methods: Saliva samples were collected from 44 healthy periodontal individuals and 41 with periodontitis. Samples were analysed by sequential window acquisition of all theoretical mass spectra (SWATH-MS), and proteins were identified by employing the UniProt database.

Oral epithelial dysplasia with lichenoid features shares proteomic overlap with oral epithelial dysplasia without lymphocytic immune response.

Objective: This study investigates the proteomic profiles of oral epithelial dysplasia with lichenoid features (OEDwithLF) and evaluates its relevance as a histopathological feature for lichenoid mucositis (LM) through differential proteomic characterization.

Study Design: SWATH-MS proteomic profiling was conducted on FFPE samples from 6 OEDwithLF, 5 OED cases without associated lymphocytic infiltration, and 5 LM cases. Protein expression levels were quantified and compared.

Radon exposure as an occupational risk factor for lung cancer in conventional workplaces. An overview.

Introduction: Radon gas has been a declared human carcinogen for more than 30 years and has been causally associated with lung cancer. Studies have shown a linear relationship between residential radon exposure and lung cancer risk.

Areas Covered: Initially, this risk was subjected to cohorts of underground miners and then in case-control studies in the general population.

mirSNPs as Potential Colorectal Cancer Biomarkers: A Systematic Review.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common neoplasm in the world and the second with the highest mortality rate. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in microRNA (miRNA) genes known as mirSNPs may be related to dysregulated miRNA expression in several neoplasms. This systematic review aims to investigate studies that investigate SNPs located in regions of miRNA genes that influence their expression and are associated with CRC, as well as their potential as biomarkers for the disease, based on the available literature.