Immunotherapy-Resistant Neuropathic Pain and Fatigue Predict Quality-of-Life in Contactin-Associated Protein-Like 2 Antibody Disease.

The long-term clinical outcomes and associated prognostic factors in contactin-associated protein-like 2 (CASPR2)-antibody diseases are unknown. A total of 75 participants with CASPR2 antibodies were longitudinally assessed for disability, quality-of-life, and chronic pain. Although most symptoms improved within 6 months of treatment, neuropathic pain and fatigue were the most immunotherapy refractory, and persisted for up to 6 years.

Associations between anthropogenic heat emissions and serum lipids among adults in northeastern China.

Few epidemiological studies have investigated associations between anthropogenic heat emissions (AE) and serum lipids. We recruited 15,477 adults from 33 communities in northeastern China in 2009. We estimated AE flux by using data on energy consumption and socio-economic statistics covering building, transportation, industry, and human metabolism.

Moroccan Adaptation of the 'Self-Care Behaviour Assessment Scale' for Arteriovenous Fistula in Haemodialysis.

Background: Arteriovenous fistula self-care behaviours in patients receiving haemodialysis are essential to maintain patency of vascular access and prevent its life-threatening complications. Assessing arteriovenous fistula self-care behaviours in patients receiving haemodialysis requires a reliable and valid tool.

Objective: The aim of this study was to adapt and translate the Portuguese scale for the assessment of self-care behaviours of arteriovenous fistula in patients receiving haemodialysis into the Moroccan dialect and evaluate its psychometric properties in the Moroccan context.

Response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy leads to better survival outcomes in upper tract urothelial carcinoma.

Objectives: To evaluate the benefit of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for patients with high-risk upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) using a large, well-curated multi-institutional database.

Patients And Methods: This study was a multi-institutional retrospective analysis conducted by the UTUC Collaborative Network (UCAN), combining data from 2276 patients with UTUC who underwent radical nephroureterectomy at seven high-volume tertiary care centres in the United States. The UCAN data were analysed to evaluate the impact of response to NAC on survival outcomes in patients with UTUC.

Reciprocal and non-reciprocal effects of clinically relevant SETBP1 protein dosage changes.

Many genes in the human genome encode proteins that are dosage sensitive, meaning they require protein levels within a narrow range to properly execute function. To investigate if clinically relevant variation in protein levels impacts the same downstream pathways in human disease, we generated cell models of two SETBP1 syndromes: Schinzel-Giedion Syndrome (SGS) and SETBP1 haploinsufficiency disease (SHD), where SGS is caused by too much protein, and SHD is caused by not enough SETBP1. Using patient and sex-matched healthy first-degree relatives from both SGS and SHD SETBP1 cases, we assessed how SETBP1 protein dosage affects downstream pathways in human forebrain progenitor cells.

A Novel Screening System to Characterize and Engineer Quorum Quenching Lactonases.

N-acyl l-homoserine lactones are signaling molecules used by numerous bacteria in quorum sensing. Some bacteria encode lactonases, which can inactivate these signals. Lactonases were reported to inhibit quorum sensing-dependent phenotypes, including virulence and biofilm.

Modeling of Disease Progression of Type 2 Diabetes Using Real-World Data: Quantifying Competing Risks of Morbidity and Mortality.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a progressive metabolic disorder that could be an underlying cause of long-term complications that increase mortality. The assessment of the probability of such events could be essential for mortality risk management. This work aimed to establish a framework for risk predictions of macrovascular complications (MVC) and diabetic kidney disease (DKD) in patients with T2D, using real-world data from the Swedish National Diabetes Registry (NDR), in the presence of mortality as a competing risk.

Clinical-Microbial Synergy: Mapping Microbiological Profiles to Clinical Attributes in Skin and Soft Tissue Infections.

Objective: To determine the clinical microbial synergy in skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) based on bacterial groups and explore the likelihood ratios of clinical parameters.

Study Design: Descriptive cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of the Study: The study was conducted at the Department of Microbiology, University of Karachi in collaboration with Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, and Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi, Pakistan, from June 2023 to May 2024.

CNT-anchored cellulose fluorescent nanofiber membranes as a fluorescence sensor for Cu and Cr.

1,4-Dihydroxyanthraquinone (1,4-DHAQ, a fluorophore) doped carbon nanotubes@cellulose (1,4-DHAQ-doped CNTs@CL) nanofibrous membranes have been prepared electrospinning and subsequent deacetylation in this work. They have been successfully applied for highly sensitive detection of Cu in aqueous solution. The surface area per unit mass (S/M) ratio of the nanofibrous membranes was enhanced by incorporating the CNTs into cellulose.

Non-canonical imprinting, manifesting as post-fertilization placenta-specific parent-of-origin dependent methylation, is not conserved in humans.

Genomic imprinting is the parent-of-origin dependent monoallelic expression of genes often associated with regions of germline-derived DNA methylation that are maintained as differentially methylated regions (gDMRs) in somatic tissues. This form of epigenetic regulation is highly conserved in mammals and is thought to have co-evolved with placentation. Tissue-specific gDMRs have been identified in human placenta, suggesting that species-specific imprinting dependent on unorthodox epigenetic establishment or maintenance may be more widespread than previously anticipated.

Blood biomarker profiles in young-onset neurocognitive disorders: A cohort study.

Introduction: Young-onset neurocognitive symptoms result from a heterogeneous group of neurological and psychiatric disorders which present a diagnostic challenge. To identify such factors, we analysed the Biomarkers in Younger-Onset Neurocognitive Disorders cohort, a study of individuals <65 years old presenting with neurocognitive symptoms for a diagnosis and who have undergone cognitive and biomarker analyses.

Methods: Sixty-five participants (median age at assessment of 56 years, 45% female) were recruited during their index presentation to the Royal Melbourne Hospital Neuropsychiatry Centre, a tertiary specialist service in Melbourne, Australia, and categorized as either early-onset Alzheimer's disease ( = 18), non-Alzheimer's disease neurodegeneration ( = 23) or primary psychiatric disorders ( = 24).

Costs analysis of integrating group interpersonal therapy into HIV care services in Senegal.

Introduction: Group Interpersonal Therapy (IPT), an evidence-based treatment of depression recommended by the WHO mhGAP Intervention Guide, was implemented through a task-shifting approach in Senegal, as a treatment for depressed people living with HIV (PLWH). Since a description of the resources used and the implementation costs incurred is necessary to inform policymakers better, this study aimed to estimate the costs associated with its implementation.

Methods: Intervention costs were analyzed using an "ingredients-based costing approach" from the provider's perspective.

Exploring the purpose and stages of patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) in audiology research: a case study approach.

Background: Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) has become an integral component of contemporary audiology research. It aims to capture diverse views and experiences, essential for evaluating the long-term impact of technological advancements and care models on individuals. Traditional inclusion methods, such as focus groups, may exclude individuals with additional needs or communication difficulties, necessitating the development of more inclusive approaches.

Deltacoronavirus HKU11, HKU13, PDCoV (HKU15) and HKU17 spike pseudoviruses enter avian DF-1 cells via clathrin-mediated endocytosis in a Rab5-, Rab7- and pH-dependent manner.

Porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV), also known as HKU15, is a swine enteropathogenic virus that is believed to have originated in birds. PDCoV belongs to the genus Deltacoronavirus (DCoV), the members of which have mostly been identified in diverse avian species. We recently reported that chicken or porcine aminopeptidase N (APN), the major cellular receptor for PDCoV, can mediate cellular entry via three pseudotyped retroviruses displaying spike proteins from three avian DCoVs (HKU11, HKU13, and HKU17).

Biofunctionalized patterned platform as microarray biochip to supervise delivery and expression of pDNA nanolipoplexes in stem cells via mechanotransduction.

Biochips are widely applied to manipulate the geometrical morphology of stem cells in recent years. Patterned antenna-like pseudopodia are also probed to explore the influence of pseudopodia formation on gene delivery and expression on biochips. However, how the antenna-like pseudopodia affect gene transfection is unsettled and the underlying trafficking mechanism of exogenous genes in engineered single cells is not announced.

Meta-analyses of mouse and human prostate single-cell transcriptomes reveal widespread epithelial plasticity in tissue regression, regeneration, and cancer.

Background: Despite extensive analysis, the dynamic changes in prostate epithelial cell states during tissue homeostasis as well as tumor initiation and progression have been poorly characterized. However, recent advances in single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) technology have greatly facilitated studies of cell states and plasticity in tissue maintenance and cancer, including in the prostate.

Methods: We have performed meta-analyses of new and previously published scRNA-seq datasets for mouse and human prostate tissues to identify and compare cell populations across datasets in a uniform manner.

Enriched phenotypes in rare variant carriers suggest pathogenic mechanisms in rare disease patients.

Background: The mechanistic pathways that give rise to the extreme symptoms exhibited by rare disease patients are complex, heterogeneous, and difficult to discern. Understanding these mechanisms is critical for developing treatments that address the underlying causes of diseases rather than merely the presenting symptoms. Moreover, the same dysfunctional series of interrelated symptoms implicated in rare recessive diseases may also lead to milder and potentially preventable symptoms in carriers in the general population.

Neuroscience of cancer: unraveling the complex interplay between the nervous system, the tumor and the tumor immune microenvironment.

The study of the multifaceted interactions between neuroscience and cancer is an emerging field with significant implications for understanding tumor biology and the innovation in therapeutic approaches. Increasing evidence suggests that neurological functions are connected with tumorigenesis. In particular, the peripheral and central nervous systems, synapse, neurotransmitters, and neurotrophins affect tumor progression and metastasis through various regulatory approaches and the tumor immune microenvironment.

PRDX2 induces tumor immune evasion by modulating the HDAC3-Galectin-9 axis in lung adenocarcinoma cells.

Background: PRDX2 is significantly expressed in various cancers and is associated with the proliferation of tumor cells. Nonetheless, the precise mechanism of PRDX2 in tumor immunity remains incompletely understood. This study aims to investigate the impact of PRDX2, which is highly expressed in lung adenocarcinoma, on T cells in the tumor immune microenvironment, and its immune action target to promote the immune escape of lung cancer cells, to provide a theoretical basis for lung adenocarcinoma treatment with PRDX2 as the target.

Enhancing individual task performance and productivity: an ethnographic observational study of supported employment among social services clients in Finland.

Background: The purpose of the study was to investigate the various aspects of employees' work environment, including their job characteristics; the level of support provided by supervisors, job coaches and coworkers; and their perceptions of job performance and productivity from the perspectives of both employees and supervisors in the context of sustainable employability in supported employment interventions. This study was part of the Finnish Work Ability Programme Evaluation Study (2020-2024).

Methods: This study is theoretically informed by the concepts of specific work ability and sustainable employability, as well as how health affects productivity at the task level-approach.

A contentious intervention to support the medical workforce: a case study of the policy of introducing physician associates in the United Kingdom.

Background: Health systems across Europe are facing a workforce crisis, with some experiencing severe shortages of doctors. In response, many are exploring greater task-sharing, across established professions, such as doctors, nurses, and pharmacists, with patients and carers, and with new occupational groups, in particular ones that can assist doctors and relieve their workload.

Case Presentation: In the early 2000s the United Kingdom created a new occupational role, that of physician assistant.

Aging towards walkable futures: insights from a multidisciplinary workshop held in Barcelona, Spain.

Background: The aging of the world's population and the increase in sedentary lifestyles are leading to an increase in walking impairments at older ages. Here, we aimed to comprehensively discuss walking in the context of an aging population; and identify and agree on a list of future research priorities and policy actions.

Methods: We followed a participatory approach and held a multidisciplinary two-day workshop on October, 2023 in Barcelona, Spain, with experts in the fields of aging and walking, and participants from the general public.

A case study in statistical software development for advanced evidence synthesis: the combined value of analysts and research software engineers.

Background: Since 2015, the Complex Reviews Synthesis Unit (CRSU) has developed a suite of web-based applications (apps) that conduct complex evidence synthesis meta-analyses through point-and-click interfaces. This has been achieved in the R programming language by combining existing R packages that conduct meta-analysis with the shiny web-application package. The CRSU apps have evolved from two short-term student projects into a suite of eight apps that are used for more than 3,000 h per month.

Detection of Francisellaceae and the differentiation of main European F. tularensis ssp. holarctica strains (Clades) by new designed qPCR assays.

Background: The zoonotic and highly infectious pathogen Francisella tularensis is the etiological agent of tularemia. Tularemia in humans is mainly caused by F. tularensis subspecies tularensis and holarctica, but Francisella species like F.