Cardiac MRI in Heart Transplantation: Approaches and Clinical Insights.

Orthotopic heart transplant (OHT) is a well-established therapy for end-stage heart failure that leads to improved long-term survival rates, with careful allograft surveillance essential for optimizing clinical outcomes after OHT. Unfortunately, complications can arise after OHT that can compromise the success of the OHT. Cardiac MRI is continually evolving, with a range of advanced techniques that can be applied to evaluate allograft structure and function.

Chitosan-Functionalized Fluorescent Calcium Carbonate Nanoparticle Loaded with Methotrexate: Future Theranostics for Triple Negative Breast Cancer.

Herein, fluorescent calcium carbonate nanoclusters encapsulated with methotrexate (Mtx) and surface functionalized with chitosan (25 nm) (@Calmat) have been developed for the imaging and treatment of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). These biocompatible, pH-sensitive nanoparticles demonstrate significant potential for targeted therapy and diagnostic applications. The efficacy of nanoparticles (NPs) was evaluated in MDA-MB-231 TNBC cell lines.

Real-world application of CCTA with CT-FFR for coronary assessment pre-TAVI: the CT2TAVI study.

This study aims to evaluate the implementation of concomitant CAD assessment on pre-TAVI (transcatheter aortic valve implantation) planning CTA (CT angiography) aided by CT-FFR (CT-fractional flow reserve) [The CT2TAVI protocol] and investigates the incremental value of CT-FFR to coronary CT angiography (CCTA) alone in the evaluation of patients undergoing CT2TAVI. This is a prospective observational real-world cohort study at an academic health system on consecutive patients who underwent CTA for TAVI planning from 1/2021 to 6/2022. This represented a transition period in our health system, from not formally reporting CAD on pre-TAVI planning CTA (Group A) to routinely reporting CAD on pre-TAVI CTA (Group B; CT2TAVI protocol).

Ovarian function after COVID-19: long-term effects and vaccine safety in ART patients.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the long-term impact of mild COVID-19 infection and COVID-19 vaccination on ovarian function in patients undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART). Specifically, we assessed ovarian outcomes between 9 and 18 months post-infection and investigated the effects of COVID-19 vaccines (inactivated virus and adenovirus) on reproductive parameters.

Methods: The study included two objectives: (a) examining ovarian function in post-COVID-19 patients (9-18 months post-infection) compared to a control group and (b) comparing reproductive outcomes in vaccinated versus unvaccinated patients.

Hydrogen Sulfide (HS) Generated in the Colon Induces Neuropathic Pain by Activating Spinal NMDA Receptors in a Rodent Model of Chronic Constriction Injury.

Neuropathic pain (NP) imposes a significant burden on individuals, manifesting as nociceptive anaphylaxis, hypersensitivity, and spontaneous pain. Previous studies have shown that traumatic stress in the nervous system can lead to excessive production of hydrogen sulfide (HS) in the gut. As a toxic gas, it can damage the nervous system through the gut-brain axis.

The synergistic effects of citicoline and silymarin on liver injury and thyroid hormone disturbances in γ-irradiated rats.

Background: Exposure to ionizing radiation is inevitable due to its extensive use in industrial and medical applications. The search for effective and safe natural therapeutic agents as alternatives to chemical drugs is crucial to mitigate their side effects. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of citicoline as a standalone treatment or in combination with the anti-hepatotoxic drug silymarin in protecting against liver injury caused by γ-radiation in rats.

Early events in G-quadruplex folding captured by time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering.

Time-resolved small-angle X-ray experiments are reported here that capture and quantify a previously unknown rapid collapse of the unfolded oligonucleotide as an early step in the folding of hybrid 1 and hybrid 2 telomeric G-quadruplex structures. The rapid collapse, initiated by a pH jump, is characterized by an exponential decrease in the radius of gyration from 24.3 to 12.

Efficacy and safety of risankizumab for the treatment of patients with plaque type psoriasis.

Risankizumab (Skyrizi, Abbvie, North Chicago, IL, USA) is a humanized immunoglobulin (Ig) G1 monoclonal antibody targeting the p19 subunit of IL-23, thereby inhibiting IL-23-dependent releasing of proinflammatory cytokines in plaque psoriasis. Risankizumab is licensed is most countries for the treatment of patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, and in Japan for generalized pustular psoriasis, erythrodermic psoriasis and palmoplantar pustulosis. Risankizumab showed higher efficacy and favorable safety profiles in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, compared with adalimumab, secukinumab and ustekinumab in several randomized controlled phase 3 pivotal studies and among real-life data in large retrospective studies.

Ejtm3 experiences after ChatGPT and other AI approaches: values, risks, countermeasures.

We invariably hear that Artificial Intelligence (AI), a rapidly evolving technology, does not just creatively assemble known knowledge. We are told that AI learns, processes and creates, starting from fixed points to arrive at innovative solutions. In the case of scientific work, AI can generate data without ever having entered a laboratory, (i.

A high-resolution view of the immune and stromal cell response to infection in human volunteers.

causes the genital ulcer disease chancroid and cutaneous ulcers in children. To study its pathogenesis, we developed a human challenge model in which we infect the skin on the upper arm of human volunteers with to the pustular stage of disease. The model has been used to define lesional architecture, describe the immune infiltrate into the infected sites using flow cytometry, and explore the molecular basis of the immune response using bulk RNA-seq.

Investigating the role of IL-6 in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus: Insights from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus is a common autoimmune disease. Studies have suggested that defective stem cells could be involved in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus, which leads to changes in the function of immune cells. By observing the cell morphology, autophagy, and senescence of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) from lupus mice and normal controls, this study investigated the role of IL-6 in autophagy and senescence of BMSCs and explored relevant mechanisms.

Augmenting motion artifacts to enhance auto-contouring of complex structures in cone-beam computed tomography imaging.

. To develop an augmentation method that simulates cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) related motion artifacts, which can be used to generate training-data to increase the performance of artificial intelligence models dedicated to auto-contouring tasks.The augmentation technique generates data that simulates artifacts typically present in CBCT imaging.

Role of interleukin-4 receptor α polymorphism in patients with asthma and its correlation with asthma severity.

Asthma is a heterogeneous disease characterized by chronic airway inflammation. It is defined by the history of respiratory symptoms such as wheeze, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and cough that vary over time and intensity, together with variable expiratory airflow limitation. A personal history or a family history of allergy is the factor most strongly associated with the development of asthma.

US general population food allergy treatment preferences: a discrete choice experiment.

Objective: To quantify treatment preferences for food allergy management options (oral immunotherapy, biologic therapy, and allergen avoidance), overall and by sociodemographic strata.

Methods: A US general population (≥13 years) discrete choice experiment (DCE) conducted comprised of 12 treatment-feature focused DCE choice sets; the Intolerance of Uncertainty─12 Scale (IUS-12); and clinical/demographic questions. Conditional logistic regression analyses were conducted overall and by age, income, urbanization, educational attainment, food and other sociodemographic factors, and presented as odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Ultra-precise ruler for ammonia nitrogen quantification in electrochemical synthesis experiments.

The field of electrochemical ammonia synthesis has made rapid advancements, attracting a large number of scientists to contribute to this area of research. Accurate detection of ammonia is crucial in this process for evaluating the efficiency and selectivity of electrocatalysts. In this study, we systematically investigate the indophenol blue method for ammonia detection, examining the effects of key factors such as solution pH, nitrate concentration, and metal ion concentration on measurement accuracy.

Mentorship in Plastic Surgery: A Systematic Review of the Current Literature and Elucidation of Recurring Themes.

Background: Mentorship is an integral part of developing competent, passionate, and successful plastic surgeons and is an important element of surgeons' wellness. Although mentorship programs have been described in the literature, this study aimed to elucidate the specific qualities of an effective mentor in plastic surgery.

Methods: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses methodology was utilized to conduct a systematic review of the literature.

Career Planning and Maintaining Well-being in Academic Plastic Surgery.

Success in academic plastic surgery is based on the traditional pillars of promotion: clinical excellence, teaching, research, leadership, and service to the university and community. The time commitment and workload for career advancement are highly demanding and, therefore, well-being is essential to avoid burnout. A congruent healthy work environment that meets institutional goals and surgeons' objectives can be established through inclusive, transparent, strategic, and operational planning.

A study of Filipina migrant workers' subjective health in Hong Kong and an assessment of eight scoring methods for the 12-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12).

Objectives: The SF-12 version 2 is a survey instrument for collecting data on subjective health. The US-based scoring method is the recommended standard for measuring subjective health with data collected with this instrument. The inadequacy of the US-based scoring method of the SF-12 version 2 instrument for non-US populations is widely documented.

Tracking changes in autonomic function by coupled analysis of wavelet-based dispersion of heart rate variability and gastrointestinal symptom severity in individuals with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

Introduction: People with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) experience multisystemic dysfunction with varying severity and unpredictability of flare occurrence. Cohort studies suggest that individuals with hEDS have a higher risk for autonomic dysfunction. The gold standard for assessing autonomic function, clinically, is the heart rate variability (HRV) assessment from 24-h Holter monitor electrocardiogram data, but this is expensive and can only be performed in short durations.

Interleukin-10 exhibit dose-dependent effects on macrophage phenotypes and cardiac remodeling after myocardial infarction.

Introduction: Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is a potent immunomodulatory cytokine widely explored as a therapeutic agent for diseases, including myocardial infarction (MI). High-dose IL-10 treatment may not achieve expected outcomes, raising the question of whether IL-10 has dose-dependency, or even uncharted side-effects from overdosing. We hypothesized that IL-10 has dose-dependent effects on macrophage (Mφ) phenotypic transition and cardiac remodeling after MI.

Integrative RNA, miRNA, and 16S rRNA sequencing reveals immune-related regulation network for glycinin-induced enteritis in hybrid yellow catfish, ♀ × ♂.

Glycinin-induced foodborne enteritis is a significant obstacle that hinders the healthy development of the aquatic industry. Glycinin causes growth retardation and intestinal damage in hybrid yellow catfish ( ♀ × ♂), but its immune mechanisms are largely unknown. In the current study, five experimental diets containing 0% (CK), 1.

Caspase-1 activation, IL-1/IL-6 signature and IFNγ-induced chemokines in lungs of COVID-19 patients.

Rationale: COVID-19-associated acute-respiratory distress syndrome (C-ARDS) results from a direct viral injury associated with host excessive innate immune response mainly affecting the lungs. However, cytokine profile in the lung compartment of C-ARDS patients has not been widely studied, nor compared to non-COVID related ARDS (NC-ARDS).

Objectives: To evaluate caspase-1 activation, IL-1 signature, and other inflammatory cytokine pathways associated with tissue damage using post-mortem lung tissues, bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALF), and serum across the spectrum of COVID-19 severity.