A special issue of Essays in Biochemistry on AMPK and AMPK-related kinases.

In eukaryotic cells, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) plays a central role in responding to nutrient limitation by switching-off ATP-consuming (anabolic) pathways and switching-on ATP generating (catabolic) pathways. Over the last 30 years or so, a considerable body of research has been carried out that has provided us with a wealth of knowledge regarding the regulation and role of AMPK. Despite this, there is still much to learn about AMPK and the field remains highly active, with many groups around the world continuing to explore new roles for AMPK, providing insight into its biological function.

Metabolic and bariatric surgery for adolescents with severe obesity: Benefits, risks, and specific considerations.

International and national guidelines recommend metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) as a treatment option for adolescents with severe obesity, but few countries offer MBS to adolescents in routine clinical care. This narrative review summarizes existing adolescent MBS guidelines and the available underpinning evidence. Two randomized trials and additional prospective studies have demonstrated efficacy and safety in adolescent MBS, and the health benefits appear to be similar or superior to outcomes in adults.

Sex Differences in Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients With Head and Neck Cancer-A Prospective Study.

Objective: To analyse sex differences in health-related quality of life (HRQL) before, during and up to 3 months posttreatment of head and neck cancer, and to examine the importance of salivary secretion rate for HRQL posttreatment.

Methods: Patients were recruited before starting curative oncologic treatment. Clinical examinations were performed including determination of the stimulated salivary secretion rate.

Development of a habit-based intervention to support healthy eating and physical activity behaviours for pregnant women with overweight or obesity: Healthy Habits in Pregnancy and Beyond (HHIPBe).

Background: The number of women entering pregnancy with overweight or obesity is increasing. This can increase the risk for excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) which is associated with health complications for mother and baby. There are limited evidence-based interventions within antenatal care settings to encourage healthy eating and physical activity behaviours and support women with managing GWG.

Implementing a colostrum-kit reduces the time to first colostrum for neonates admitted to the NICU - a retrospective observational study.

Background: The World Health Organisation states that newborns should receive colostrum as soon as possible after birth. However, among newborns needing neonatal intensive care, initiation of lactation and access to colostrum might be delayed. At the centre of this study, a tertiary care hospital in Sweden (10,000 deliveries/year), few admitted infants received colostrum within the day of birth, warranting a quality improvement.

The antimicrobial and antibiofilm effects of gentamicin, imipenem, and fucoidan combinations against dual-species biofilms of Staphylococcus aureus and Acinetobacter baumannii isolated from diabetic foot ulcers.

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by persistent hyperglycemia due to impaired insulin production or utilization, leading to severe health complications. Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) represent a major complication, often exacerbated by polymicrobial infections involving Staphylococcus aureus and Acinetobacter baumannii. These pathogens, notorious for their resistance to antibiotics, complicate treatment efforts, especially due to biofilm formation, which enhances bacterial survival and resistance.

Senescence as a therapeutic target in cancer and age-related diseases.

Cellular senescence is a stress response that restrains the growth of aged, damaged or abnormal cells. Thus, senescence has a crucial role in development, tissue maintenance and cancer prevention. However, lingering senescent cells fuel chronic inflammation through the acquisition of a senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), which contributes to cancer and age-related tissue dysfunction.

Fertility and age at childbirth in polycystic ovary syndrome: results from a longitudinal population-based cohort study.

Background: There are few studies in unselected populations describing reproductive outcomes in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) at the end of their reproductive years.

Objective: To compare parity and maternal age at deliveries and explore factors associated with advanced maternal age in a large, unselected population-based cohort, followed prospectively for 25 years.

Study Design: Women randomly selected from the general population and included in the prospective Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health were assessed approximately every third year from 1996 (age 18-23 years) to 2021 (age 43-48 years).

Neuropsychological profile in young girls at high risk of developing anorexia nervosa.

Objective: Previous research has shown anorexia nervosa (AN) to be associated with a specific neuropsychological profile, including set-shifting and central coherence deviances. A similar profile has been shown in adult unaffected relatives. The aim of this study was to examine whether poor set-shifting and central coherence abilities could be detected in children at high risk of developing AN.

Cerebral Changes Following Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Treated with Guided Plasticity: A Prospective, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study.

 Compression neuropathy, such as carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), results in changed afferent nerve signaling, which may result in changes in somatosensory brain areas. The purpose of this study was to assess cerebral changes following unilateral CTS and to assess short-term and long-term cerebral effects of guided plasticity treatment using ipsilateral cutaneous forearm deafferentation.  Twenty-four patients with mild-to-moderate unilateral CTS were randomized to treatment with anesthetic cream (EMLA) or placebo.

Patient reported experiences of health care, quality of life and preoperative information in colon cancer.

Background And Purpose: Cancer may create problems and needs associated with impaired quality of life (QoL). The first health care encounter is important to enable patients to cope and may ultimately impact QoL. The aim of this study was to describe the patients' experiences of encounters with health care professionals.

Why Do You Focus on the Acetabular Labral Tear? You Can't See the Forest for the Trees.

The advent of higher-quality imaging has brought increased attention to the understanding and implications of commonly observed hip morphology and pathology. Many patients and even physicians like to focus on the presence of an acetabular labral tear when one is present on magnetic resonance imaging, despite the limitations of magnetic resonance imaging in identifying labral tears. Furthermore, recent studies have shown normal variations of the acetabular labrum, as well as a high prevalence of labral tears in both symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals.

Parent-Reported mental health in nearest age siblings of children with Dravet Syndrome in Sweden.

Purpose: To assess parent-reported mental health in nearest age siblings of children with Dravet Syndrome (DS).

Methods: In this observational study parents of 31 children (age 3-16 years; 18 males and 13 females) of nearest age siblings of children with DS completed the SDQ (Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire). Mental health level was determined using validated norms; abnormal ≥ 90 percentile/borderline ≥80 percentile.

An in vitro bioinspired approach to enhance the bioactivity of titanium implants via electrophoretic deposition and biomimetic mineralization of type i collagen.

Objective: This study aims to explore the efficacy of Electrophoretic Deposition (EPD) for collagen type I coating on titanium implants and its subsequent mineralization to improve osseointegration and bone regeneration.

Methods: Titanium disks were prepared with a sandblasted, large grit and acid-etched (SLA) surface. EPD was employed to deposit collagen type I onto the titanium surfaces, followed by two modes of mineralization: extra-fibril mineralization (EFM) and inter-fibril mineralization (IFM).

Modified poly-L-lysine for use as a clearing agent in pretargeted radioimmunotherapy.

Background: Pretargeted radioimmunotherapy of cancer has the potential to increase tumor specific uptake of activity when compared with conventional radioimmunotherapy. This is especially true in radioimmunotherapy with nuclides that exhibit a relatively short half-life. When administering antibody-based pretargeting molecules systemically, the antibodies often show a relatively slow clearance from the blood.

Leveraging digital twins for improved orthopaedic evaluation and treatment.

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to explore the potential of digital twin technologies in orthopaedics and to evaluate how their integration with artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning (DL) can improve orthopaedic evaluation and treatment. This review addresses key applications of digital twins, including surgical planning, patient-specific outcome prediction, augmented reality-assisted surgery and simulation-based surgical training.

Methods: Existing studies on digital twins in various domains, including engineering, biomedical and orthopaedics are reviewed.

How do patients and healthcare professionals experience foot examinations in diabetes care? - A randomised controlled study of digital foot examinations versus traditional foot examinations.

Background: Digital solutions in healthcare can facilitate and improve care. However, the experiences and the usefulness of using either digital foot examinations or traditional foot examinations need to be evaluated. The aims of the study were to evaluate: 1) The differences in patient experiences, having their foot examined supported by the Clinical Decision Support System as compared with having their foot examined in traditional practice, 2) How healthcare professionals, by using the digital tool, experienced the routine compared with performing the foot examination as in traditional practice.

Prospective evaluation of MRI artefacts following breast conserving surgery and sentinel lymph node dissection with the magnetic technique.

Introduction: Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles serve as a promising tracer for sentinel lymph node (SLN) detection in breast cancer. Concerns exist regarding artefacts on postoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), especially following breast conservation (BCS).

Materials And Methods: In this prospective observational study, 97 women with DCIS or invasive breast cancer underwent BCS and SLN detection with peritumoral SPIO injection administered up to four weeks before surgery.

Staged dissection reduces blood loss in surgery for metopic synostosis.

Introduction: Fronto-orbital remodelling for metopic synostosis is an extensive operation with substantial blood loss, particularly from emissary veins in the glabellar region. One possibility to reduce blood loss may be to stage dissection and cauterise anomalous emissary veins before dissecting in the subperiostal plane.  OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to compare perioperative bleeding using a staged dissection in the glabellar region with the traditional subperiostal dissection technique during surgery for metopic synostosis.

Diagnostic performance of deep learning for leg length measurements on radiographs in leg length discrepancy: A systematic review.

Purpose: To systematically review the literature regarding machine learning in leg length discrepancy (LLD) and to provide insight into the most relevant manuscripts on this topic in order to highlight the importance and future clinical implications of machine learning in the diagnosis and treatment of LLD.

Methods: A systematic electronic search was conducted using PubMed, OVID/Medline and Cochrane libraries in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis guidelines. Two observers independently screened the abstracts and titles of potential articles.

Exploring signs of central sensitization in adolescents with hypermobility Spectrum disorder or hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

Background: Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder (HSD) and Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) are two overlapping heritable connective tissue disorders characterized by joint hypermobility, chronic pain, impaired body perception, and musculoskeletal symptoms. Central sensitization has been proposed as a plausible explanation for symptoms like widespread pain, fatigue, mood disorders, and sleep disturbances in patients with HSD/hEDS.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate signs of central sensitization, including exercise-induced hypoalgesia (EIH), and fatigue severity in adolescents with HSD/hEDS.

Cytokine and growth factor correlation networks associated with morbidities in extremely preterm infants.

Background: Cytokines and growth factors (GF) have been implicated in the development of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). We hypothesize that even small coordinated changes in inflammatory proteins or GFs may reveal changes in underlying regulating mechanisms that do not induce obvious changes in concentration of individual proteins. We therefore applied correlation network analysis of serum factors to determine early characteristics of these conditions.