Extensive Inactive Neurocysticercosis: A Case Report in Mbeya, Southern Highlands of Tanzania.

Background: Neurocysticercosis (NCC) and Acquired Human Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) are both highly prevalent in Africa. Clinical presentation of NCC ranges from asymptomatic to manifestations, including epileptic seizures, severe progressive headache, and focal neurological deficits. It is influenced by the number, size, location, and stage of the cysts, as well as the parasite's potential to cause inflammation and the immunological response of the host.

Corrigendum: Lifting COVID-19-associated non-pharmaceutical interventions: potential impact on notifications of infectious diseases transmitted from person to person in 2022 in Bavaria, Germany.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.

Transcatheter management of residual mitral regurgitation after transcatheter edge-to-edge repair: a systematic review.

Background: Treatment of residual mitral regurgitation (MR) with different percutaneous devices after transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) has been reported as an alternative option to reclipping or surgery. This review aims at describing the different transcatheter strategies available and their results when managing residual MR after TEER.

Methods: A literature search was undertaken across Pubmed, ScienceDirect, SciELO, DOAJ, and Cochrane library databases, to identify article reporting patients with post-TEER residual MR managed by a transcatheter approach that did not involve only the implantation of new clips.

Preclinical assessment of splicing modulation therapy for ABCA4 variant c.768G>T in Stargardt disease.

Background: Stargardt disease type 1 (STGD1) is a progressive retinal disorder caused by bi-allelic variants in the ABCA4 gene. A recurrent variant at the exon-intron junction of exon 6, c.768G>T, causes a 35-nt elongation of exon 6 that leads to premature termination of protein synthesis.

Developing multifactorial dementia prediction models using clinical variables from cohorts in the US and Australia.

Existing dementia prediction models using non-neuroimaging clinical measures have been limited in their ability to identify disease. This study used machine learning to re-examine the diagnostic potential of clinical measures for dementia. Data was sourced from the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers, and Lifestyle Flagship Study of Ageing (AIBL) and the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI).

Serious issues with cryo-EM structures of human prothrombinase.

Thrombin is generated from prothrombin through sequential cleavage at two sites by the enzyme complex prothrombinase, composed of a serine protease, factor (f) Xa and a cofactor, fVa, on phospholipid membranes. In a recent paper published in , Ruben . (Ruben .

What's Going On With Me and How Can I Better Manage My Health? The Potential of GPT-4 to Transform Discharge Letters Into Patient-Centered Letters to Enhance Patient Safety: Prospective, Exploratory Study.

Background: For hospitalized patients, the discharge letter serves as a crucial source of medical information, outlining important discharge instructions and health management tasks. However, these letters are often written in professional jargon, making them difficult for patients with limited medical knowledge to understand. Large language models, such as GPT, have the potential to transform these discharge summaries into patient-friendly letters, improving accessibility and understanding.

Two-Photon-Driven Photoprotection Mechanism in Echinenone-Functionalized Orange Carotenoid Protein.

Orange carotenoid protein (OCP) is a photoactive protein that mediates photoprotection in cyanobacteria. OCP binds different ketocarotenoid chromophores such as echinenone (ECN), 3'- hydroxyechinenone (hECN), and canthaxanthin (CAN). In the dark, OCP is in an inactive orange form known as OCP; upon illumination, a red active state is formed, referred to as OCP, that can interact with the phycobilisome.

Impact of lesion preparation-induced calcified plaque defects in vascular intervention for atherosclerotic disease: in silico assessment.

Percutaneous coronary interventions in highly calcified atherosclerotic lesions are challenging due to the high mechanical stiffness that significantly restricts stent expansion. Intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) is a novel vessel preparation technique with the potential to improve interventional outcomes by inducing microscopic and macroscopic cracks to enhance stent expansion. However, the exact mechanism of action for IVL is poorly understood, and it remains unclear whether the improvement in-stent expansion is caused by either the macro-cracks allowing the vessel to open or the micro-cracks altering the bulk material properties.

Short Report - Birth Weight is Not Associated With Cataracts or Pseudophakia - Results from the Gutenberg Health Study.

This study investigates the association between self-reported birth weight (BW) and the frequency of cataract and pseudophakia in a large population-based cohort in Germany, as part of the Gutenberg Health Study (GHS). Slit lamp examination and Scheimpflug imaging of 8205 participants, aged 35 to 74, were assessed and signs of cataract or pseudophakia analyzed. The research aimed to explore the correlation between fetal growth restriction and/or prematurity indicated by BW and the frequency of cataract and pseudophakia.

Andexanet alfa in patients with factor Xa inhibitor associated intracranial hemorrhage: the prospective observational multicenter ASTRO-DE study.

Background: Hematoma expansion after intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) in anticoagulated patients signifi-cantly influences clinical outcomes and mortality, emphasizing the need for effective reversal agents. Andexanet alfa is a specific reversal agent for factor Xa associated major bleeding.

Aims: The ASTRO-DE study collected real-world evidence on the effect of andexanet alfa on mitigat-ing hematoma expansion and altering prognosis in rivaroxaban- or apixaban-treated patients with ICH.

Medical students' attitudes toward AI in education: perception, effectiveness, and its credibility.

Background: The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized both medical education and healthcare by delivering innovative tools that enhance learning and improve overall outcomes. The study aimed to assess students' perceptions regarding the credibility and effectiveness of AI as a learning tool and to explore the dynamics of integrating AI in medical education.

Methodology: A cross-sectional study was carried out across medical colleges in Pakistan.

Arbovirus exposure and subclinical myocardial dysfunction in an Indigenous population in Northeast Brazil: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Human activities, such as urbanization and climate change, have facilitated the spread of arbovirus-carrying vectors, disproportionately affecting vulnerable traditional Indigenous communities.

Objective: To explore the relationships between subclinical myocardial dysfunction, assessed by global longitudinal strain (GLS), and comprehensive arbovirus serology in an Indigenous population, while also describing the serological and epidemiological profile of dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses.

Methods: This ancillary study is part of the first phase (2016-2017) of the Project of Atherosclerosis among Indigenous Populations (PAI), a cross-sectional study involving participants from two Indigenous communities with different degrees of urbanization and a highly urbanized city in Northeast Brazil.

Population genomics of premature termination codons in cavefish with substantial trait loss.

Loss-of-function alleles are a pertinent source of genetic variation with the potential to contribute to adaptation. Cave-adapted organisms exhibit striking loss of ancestral traits such as eyes and pigment, suggesting that loss-of-function alleles may play an outsized role in these systems. Here, we leverage 141 whole genome sequences to evaluate the evolutionary history and adaptive potential of single nucleotide premature termination codons (PTCs) in Mexican tetra.

Variants and vaccines impact nasal immunity over three waves of SARS-CoV-2.

Viral variant and host vaccination status impact infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), yet how these factors shift cellular responses in the human nasal mucosa remains uncharacterized. We performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) on nasopharyngeal swabs from vaccinated and unvaccinated adults with acute Delta and Omicron SARS-CoV-2 infections and integrated with data from acute infections with ancestral SARS-CoV-2. Patients with Delta and Omicron exhibited greater similarity in nasal cell composition driven by myeloid, T cell and SARS-CoV-2 cell subsets, which was distinct from that of ancestral cases.

Analyses of Adverse Drug Reactions to Fluoroquinolones in Spontaneous Reports Before and After the Referral and in Clinical Routine Cases.

Introduction: In November 2018, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) restricted the use of fluoroquinolones (used by mouth, injections or inhalation) in the context of a referral due to long-lasting and potentially irreversible adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Fluoroquinolones should no longer be used to treat mild or moderate bacterial infections unless other antibacterials cannot be used.

Objectives: The first aim of our study was to analyze whether in the period before compared with after the referral the characteristics of spontaneous ADR reports related to fluoroquinolones differed and whether specific ADRs were more frequently reported for fluoroquinolones compared with cotrimoxazole.

Centromere positioning orchestrates telomere bouquet formation and the initiation of meiotic differentiation.

Accurate gametogenesis requires the establishment of the telomere bouquet, an evolutionarily conserved, 3D chromosomal arrangement. In this spatial configuration, telomeres temporarily aggregate at the nuclear envelope during meiotic prophase, which facilitates chromosome pairing and recombination. The mechanisms governing the assembly of the telomere bouquet remain largely unexplored, primarily due to the challenges in visualizing and manipulating the bouquet.

Sleeve gastrectomy reveals the plasticity of the human gastric epithelium.

Gastrin is secreted following a rise in gastric pH, leading to gastric acid secretion. Sleeve gastrectomy (SG), a bariatric surgery where 80% of the gastric corpus is excised, presents a challenge for gastric pH homeostasis. Using histology, and single-cell RNA sequencing of the gastric epithelium in 12 women, we observed that SG is associated with an increase in a sub-population of acid-secreting parietal cells that overexpress respiratory enzymes and an increase in histamine-secreting enterochromaffin-like cells (ECLs).

Family and genetic counseling in Leber hereditary optic neuropathy.

Aim: Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) predominantly manifests during adolescence or young adulthood, resulting in sudden and profound vision loss in individuals who previously had normal vision. This abrupt change significantly impacts daily life, necessitating emotional support, counseling and low-vision rehabilitative services to help affected individuals cope with the shock and adapt to their residual vision. The psychosocial burden of dealing with vision loss extends beyond the individuals directly affected by LHON, affecting matrilineal relatives who face the dual challenges of grieving for their loved one's vision loss and managing their own uncertainty about potential vision loss and its familial implications.

Spatiotemporal dynamics and prevention strategies of cervical cancer incidence in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: an ecological study.

Objective: This study analysed the spatial and temporal patterns of cervical cancer incidence in Addis Ababa from 2012 to 2021.

Design: An ecological study was conducted from 1 September to 30 November 2023 to examine the spatiotemporal trends of cervical cancer incidence.

Setting: The research was conducted in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia.

The neural activity of auditory conscious perception.

Although recent work has made headway in understanding the neural temporospatial dynamics of conscious perception, much of that work has focused on visual paradigms. To determine whether there are shared mechanisms for perceptual consciousness across sensory modalities, here we test within the auditory domain. Participants completed an auditory threshold task while undergoing intracranial electroencephalography.

A case of mucormycosis caused by Rhizopus microsporus in a renal transplant patient.

A 54-year-old man who had been on the kidney donor register for 32 years received a kidney from a 9-year-old boy who had died of fulminant myocarditis. The post-operative course was poor, and hemodialysis was still needed after surgery. A kidney biopsy one hour after surgery showed a neutrophil-predominant inflammatory cell infiltrate localized to the peritubular capillaries (PTC) and acute tubular necrosis of the proximal tubule.

The biomechanical effect of the O-A angle on the aortic valve under left ventricular assist device support: a primary fluid-structure interaction study.

Background: Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) has been widely used as an alternative treatment for heart failure, however, aortic regurgitation is a common complication in patients with LVAD support. And the O-A angle (the angle between LVAD outflow graft and the aorta) is considered as a vital factor associated with the function of aortic valve. To date, the biomechanical effect of the O-A angle on the aortic valve remains largely unknown.