Diagnosis and management of peripartum cardiomyopathy and recurrence risk.

Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a rare, but serious condition, with a non-negligible risk of adverse events. Several risk factors for PPCM have been individuated over the years, including Afro-American ethnicity, preeclampsia, advanced maternal age, genetic predisposition, multiparity, twin pregnancy, obesity, smoking and diabetes. However, PPCM pathophysiology is still poorly understood, thus making it challenging to develop disease specific therapies.

East London Project: a participatory mixed-method evaluation on how removing enforcement could affect sex workers' safety, health and access to services in East London.

Background: Sex workers' risk of violence and ill-health is shaped by their work environments, community and structural factors, including criminalisation.

Aim: We evaluated the impact of removing police enforcement on sex workers' safety, health and access to services.

Design: Mixed-methods participatory study comprising qualitative research, a prospective cohort study, mathematical modelling and routine data collation.

Working memory processes and the histamine-3 receptor in schizophrenia: a [C]MK-8278 PET-fMRI study.

Rationale: Working memory impairment is a prominent feature of schizophrenia which predicts clinical and functional outcomes. Preclinical data suggest histamine-3 receptor (H3R) expression in cortical pyramidal neurons may have a role in working memory, and post-mortem data has found disruptions of H3R expression in schizophrenia.

Objectives: We examined the role of H3R in vivo to elucidate its role on working memory impairment in schizophrenia.

"I Say I'm Kind of Out": An Insider Qualitative Study of Queer Medical Students.

Background: United Kingdom Queer medical students' experiences have only been explored in depth in one previous study, despite longstanding calls to address National Health Service queerphobia. The study aims to combine our participants' data with personal insights from the Queer medical student research team to both record Queer medical students' experiences and provide practical actions that can promote support, inclusivity and celebration for Queer medical students.

Methods: Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 participants across three medical schools in England and Scotland.

Student Medical Education Masterclasses: Diversifying the Academic Pipeline.

Background: There remains a lack of diversity among those pursuing clinical academic careers. Structural inequalities, discrimination and a paucity of relatable role models can disadvantage minoritised students, hindering their educational experiences and career opportunities. Innovative and effective approaches are needed at an undergraduate level to address this problem, ensuring the pipeline is representative, diverse and inclusive.

Regulation of DNA Topology in Archaea: State of the Art and Perspectives.

DNA topology is a direct consequence of the double helical nature of DNA and is defined by how the two complementary DNA strands are intertwined. Virtually every reaction involving DNA is influenced by DNA topology or has topological effects. It is therefore of fundamental importance to understand how this phenomenon is controlled in living cells.

The profound impact of COVID-19 on the control and care of diabetic patients: a comprehensive retrospective cohort study.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant shift in healthcare services, focusing on pandemic response and emergency preparedness. The Oman Ministry of Health implemented various measures to combat and control COVID-19. However, this shift disrupted routine outpatient appointments, particularly for chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HTN).

Management of Posterior Glottic Stenosis: A Systematic Review.

Objective: To review the current literature about surgical management and postoperative outcomes of posterior glottic stenosis (PGS).

Data Sources: PubMED, Scopus, and Cochrane Library.

Methods: Three investigators conducted a comprehensive review of the literature related to the epidemiology, etiologies, and management of adult patients with PGS through the PRISMA statements.

From the 100 Day Mission to 100 lines of software development: how to improve early outbreak analytics.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, considerable advances have been made to improve epidemic preparedness by accelerating diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccine development. However, we argue that it is crucial to make equivalent efforts in the field of outbreak analytics to help ensure reliable, evidence-based decision making. To explore the challenges and key priorities in the field of outbreak analytics, the Epiverse-TRACE initiative brought together a multidisciplinary group of experts, including field epidemiologists, data scientists, academics, and software engineers from public health institutions across multiple countries.

Single-cell RNA seq-derived signatures define response patterns to atezolizumab + bevacizumab in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background & Aims: The combination of atezolizumab and bevacizumab (atezo+bev) is the current standard of care for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), providing a median overall survival (OS) of 19.2 months. Here, we aim to uncover the underlying cellular processes driving clinical benefit versus resistance to atezo+bev.

International prevalence patterns of low eGFR in adults aged 18-60 without traditional risk factors from a population-based cross-sectional disadvantaged populations eGFR epidemiology (DEGREE) study.

The disadvantaged populations eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate) epidemiology (DEGREE) study was designed to gain insight into the burden of chronic kidney disease (CKD) of undetermined cause (CKDu) using standard protocols to estimate the general-population prevalence of low eGFR internationally. Therefore, we estimated the age-standardized prevalence of eGFR under 60 ml/min per 1.73m in adults aged 18-60, excluding participants with commonly known causes of CKD; an ACR (albumin/creatinine ratio) over 300 mg/g or equivalent, or self-reported or measured (HT) hypertension or (DM) diabetes mellitus, stratified by sex and location.

Redox/NIR dual-responsive glutathione extended polyurethane urea electrospun membranes for synergistic chemo-photothermal therapy.

Despite advancements in cancer treatments, therapies frequently exhibit high cytotoxicity, and surgery remains the predominant method for treating most solid tumors, often with limited success in preventing post-surgical recurrence. Implantable biomaterials, designed to release drugs at a localised site in response to specific stimuli, represent a promising approach for enhancing tumour therapy. In this study, a redox-responsive glutathione extended polyurethane urea (PolyCEGS) was used to produce paclitaxel (PTX) and gold nanorods (AuNRs) loaded electrospun membranes for combined redox/near-infrared (NIR) light-responsive release chemotherapy and hyperthermic effect.

Brain MRI volumetry and atrophy rating scales as predictors of amyloid status and eligibility for anti-amyloid treatment in a real-world memory clinic setting.

Predicting amyloid status is crucial in light of upcoming disease-modifying therapies and the need to identify treatment-eligible patients with Alzheimer's disease. In our study, we aimed to predict CSF-amyloid status and eligibility for anti-amyloid treatment in a memory clinic by (I) comparing the performance of visual/automated rating scales and MRI volumetric analysis and (II) combining MRI volumetric data with neuropsychological tests and APOE4 status. Two hundred ninety patients underwent a comprehensive assessment.

Matched pair analysis of wide versus narrow focus during shockwave lithotripsy for urolithiasis.

Purpose: To compare stone clearance and complications between a 'wide' (9 × 50 mm) and 'narrow' shockwave focus (6 × 28 mm) when undertaking shockwave lithotripsy (SWL) in patients with renal or ureteric stones.

Methods: Data from patients undergoing SWL using the dual focus Storz Modulith SLX-F2 lithotripter at a single centre were prospectively collected between February 2018 and September 2020. Patients were matched by stone size, location, and number of treatments.

Safety assessment of ezetimibe: real-world adverse event analysis from the FAERS database.

Background: Ezetimibe is known for its lipid-lowering safety and tolerability, but its real-world adverse effects have not been fully evaluated. In this study, adverse events associated with ezetimibe were investigated using the FAERS database for the period 2004 to 2023.

Research Design And Methods: Adverse events data for ezetimibe, spanning from the first quarter of 2004 to the fourth quarter of 2023, were standardized and analyzed using signal quantification methods like Reporting Odds Ratio (ROR), Proportional Reporting Ratio (PRR), Bayesian Confidence Propagation Neural Network (BCPNN), and Multi-item Gamma Poisson Shrinker (EBGM).

Cervical ripening at home or in hospital during induction of labour: the CHOICE prospective cohort study, process evaluation and economic analysis.

Background: Around one in three pregnant women undergoes induction of labour in the United Kingdom, usually preceded by in-hospital cervical ripening to soften and open the cervix.

Objectives: This study set out to determine whether cervical ripening at home is within an acceptable safety margin of cervical ripening in hospital, is effective, acceptable and cost-effective from both National Health Service and service user perspectives.

Design: The CHOICE study comprised a prospective multicentre observational cohort study using routinely collected data (CHOICE cohort), a process evaluation comprising a survey and nested case studies (qCHOICE) and a cost-effectiveness analysis.

Inorganic/Inorganic Composites Through Emulsion Templating.

Inorganic/inorganic composites are found in multiple applications crucial for the energy transition, from nuclear reactors to energy storage devices. Their microstructures dictate their properties from mass transport to fracture resistance. Consequently, there has been a multitude of processes developed to control them, from powder mixing and the use of short or long fibers, to tape casting for laminates up to recent 3D printing.

Clinical importance of patient-reported outcome measures in severe asthma: results from U-BIOPRED.

Rationale: Knowledge about the clinical importance of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in severe asthma is limited.

Objectives: To assess whether and to what extent asthma exacerbations affect changes in PROMS over time and asthma-specific PROMs can predict exacerbations in adult patients with severe asthma in usual care.

Methods: Data of 421 patients with severe asthma (62% female; mean age 51.

Pro-survival roles for p21(Cip1/Waf1) in non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Quiescence is reversible proliferative arrest. Multiple mechanisms regulate quiescence that are not fully understood. High expression of the CDK inhibitor p21 correlates with a poor prognosis in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and, in non-transformed cells, p21 promotes quiescence after replication stress.

Cardiac surgery with valve replacement temporarily disrupts the hippocampal memory network.

Background: Systemic inflammation after heart valve replacement surgery commonly results in complications including cognitive impairment. This study was designed to investigate whether valvular heart disease itself and inflammation after valve replacement surgery affects cognition and the related functional connectivity (FC) of the hippocampal memory network.

Methods: Forty-three patients with valvular heart disease were screened for recruitment and assessed with cognition function tests, blood inflammatory cytokine measurements, and functional magnetic resonance imaging scans before surgery and on postoperative day 7 and 30.

Global burden of tuberculous meningitis in children aged 0-14 years in 2019: a mathematical modelling study.

Background: Tuberculous meningitis is fatal if untreated and can lead to lifelong neurological sequelae. However, to our knowledge, there are no data on the number of children affected by this disease. We aimed to estimate the global disease burden and attributable mortality of childhood tuberculous meningitis by WHO regions, age groups, treatment status, and HIV status in 2019.

Encapsulation of fluorescent carbon dots into mesoporous SiO colloidal spheres by surface functionalization-assisted cooperative assembly for high-contrast latent fingerprint development.

Exploiting solid powder fluorescence holds significant potential in diverse domains including medicine and forensics. Conventional fingerprint detection methods often fall short due to low contrast, sensitivity, and high toxicity. To addressing these challenges, we present a novel method for latent fingerprint detection using fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) encapsulated into mesoporous SiO colloidal spheres through a surface functionalization-assisted cooperative assembly.