Small Fibre Pathology in Fibromyalgia: A review.

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) presents a complex and challenging disorder in both the diagnosis and treatment, with emerging evidence suggesting a role of small fibre pathology (SFP) in its pathophysiology. The significance of the role of SFP in FMS remains unclear; however, recent evidence suggests degeneration and dysfunction of the peripheral nervous system, particularly small unmyelinated fibres, which may influence pathophysiology and underlying phenotype. Both skin biopsy and corneal confocal microscopy (CCM) have consistently demonstrated that ~ 50% of people with FMS have SFP.

Differentiating Choroidal Melanomas and Nevi Using a Self-Supervised Deep Learning Model Applied to Clinical Fundoscopy Images.

Purpose: Testing the validity of a self-supervised deep learning (DL) model, RETFound, for use on posterior uveal (choroidal) melanoma (UM) and nevus differentiation.

Design: Case-control study.

Subjects: Ultrawidefield fundoscopy images, both color and autofluorescence, were used for this study, obtained from 4255 patients seen at the Liverpool Ocular Oncology Center between 1995 and 2020.

Psychological impact of an intensive care admission for COVID-19 on patients in the United Kingdom.

Background: The psychological impact of surviving an admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) with COVID-19 is uncertain. The objective of the study was to assess the prevalence of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in ICU survivors treated for COVID-19 infection, and identify risk factors for psychological distress.

Methods: This observational study was conducted at 52 ICUs in the United Kingdom.

Changes in pressure distribution of the solar surface after a single trimming event are associated with external hoof measurements in the equine fore foot.

Background: Trimming is critical for a functioning equine hoof. Pressure distribution provides information on loading; however, information on the effects of trimming on pressure distribution is lacking.

Objectives: To describe the pressure changes of equine fore feet following trimming.

Inflammation and response to bacterial infection as potential drivers of equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis: A proteomics insight.

Background: Equine dental diseases significantly impact a horse's overall health, performance and quality of life. They can result in secondary infections and digestive disturbances, potentially leading to colic. A recently described disease affecting the incisors of horses is equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis (EOTRH).

Identification and characterisation of temporal abundance of microRNAs in synovial fluid from an experimental equine model of osteoarthritis.

Background: MicroRNAs, a class of small noncoding RNAs, serve as post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression and are present in a stable and quantifiable form in biological fluids. MicroRNAs may influence intra-articular responses and the course of disease, but very little is known about their temporal changes in osteoarthritis.

Objectives: To identify miRNAs and characterise the temporal changes in their abundance in SF from horses with experimentally induced osteoarthritis.

Impact of surrogates for insulin resistance on mortality and life expectancy in primary care: a nationwide cross-sectional study with registry linkage (LIPIDOGRAM2015).

Background: Insulin resistance (IR) is an important risk factor for multiple chronic diseases, increasing mortality and reducing life expectancy. The associations between emerging surrogates for IR, triglyceride-glucose index (TyG) and TyG-related indicators, with all-cause mortality and life expectancy in middle-aged and older patients in primary care are unclear.

Methods: This study originated from the Polish primary care cohort LIPIDOGRAM2015, including patients aged ≥45 years.

Prevention of Stroke in Intracerebral Haemorrhage Survivors with Atrial Fibrillation: Rationale and Design for PRESTIGE-AF Trial.

Adequate secondary prevention in survivors of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) who also have atrial fibrillation (AF) is a long-standing clinical dilemma because these patients are at increased risk of recurrent ICH as well as of ischemic stroke. The efficacy and safety of oral anticoagulation, the standard preventive medication for ischemic stroke patients with AF, in ICH patients with AF are uncertain. PRESTIGE-AF is an international, phase 3b, multi-center, randomized, open, blinded end-point assessment (PROBE) clinical trial that compared the efficacy and safety of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) with no DOAC (either no antithrombotic treatment or any antiplatelet drug).

Evidence for spinal disinhibition as a pain-generating mechanism in fibromyalgia syndrome.

Introduction: Pain phenomenology in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) shows considerable overlap with neuropathic pain. Altered neural processing leading to symptoms of neuropathic pain can occur at the level of the spinal cord, and 1 potential mechanism is spinal disinhibition. A biomarker of spinal disinhibition is impaired H-reflex rate-dependent depression (HRDD).

A qualitative exploration of women's expectations of birth and knowledge of birth interventions following antenatal education.

Background: Expectations of birth, and whether they are met, influence postnatal psychological wellbeing. Intrapartum interventions, for example induction of labour, are increasing due to a changing pregnant population and evolving evidence, which may contribute to a mismatch between expectations and birth experience. NICE recommends antenatal education (ANE) to prepare women for labour and birth, but there is no mandated UK National Health Service (NHS) ANE curriculum.

Polyneuropathy in Parkinson's Disease is Highly Prevalent and Not Related to Treatment.

Purpose: An increased prevalence of peripheral polyneuropathy (PN) in Parkinson's disease (PD) associated with greater functional impairment has previously been reported. A possible cause has been suggested as levodopa therapy. The aim of this real-world study was to assess the prevalence and the characteristics of PN in PD and to investigate the putative association between PN and oral levodopa.

Early warning systems for identifying severe maternal outcomes: findings from the WHO global maternal sepsis study.

Background: Infections and sepsis are leading causes of morbidity and mortality in women during pregnancy and the post-pregnancy period. Using data from the 2017 WHO Global Maternal Sepsis Study, we explored the use of early warning systems (EWS) in women at risk of sepsis-related severe maternal outcomes.

Methods: On April 27, 2023, we searched the literature for EWS in clinical use or research in obstetric populations.

An expert consensus statement on biomarkers of ageing for use in intervention studies.

Biomarkers of ageing serve as important outcome measures in longevity-promoting interventions. However, there is limited consensus on which specific biomarkers are most appropriate for human intervention studies. This work aimed to address this need by establishing an expert consensus on biomarkers of ageing for use in intervention studies via the Delphi method.

Association of chronic exercise with markers of cardiometabolic health: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The impact of chronic exercise on cardiometabolic risk is a crucial aspect of public health. However, limited knowledge exists regarding differences in cardiometabolic parameters between older athletes, older controls, and sedentary or active young controls.

Methods: A comprehensive search in major databases until October 2024 was conducted for studies comparing older athletes with older controls or with both sedentary and active younger adults.

Paw pressure and gait in middle-aged client-owned cats with and without naturally-occurring musculoskeletal disease.

Musculoskeletal disease (MSD) is common in ageing cats, resulting in chronic pain and mobility impairment, but diagnosis can be challenging. We hypothesised that there would be differences between cats with and without MSD in paw pressure and spatiotemporal and kinetic gait metrics. A cohort of 53 cats, aged between 7 and 10 years from the North West of the United Kingdom, underwent an orthopaedic examination and walked on a pressure sensitive walkway.

Benefits and challenges of the integration of haptics-enhanced virtual reality training within dental curricula.

Background: Haptics-enhanced virtual reality (VR-haptic) simulation in dental education has evolved considerably during the past decade, representing a promising resource of simulation-based training opportunities to support conventional practice. We aim to summarize current literature on the applications of VR-haptics in learning, practicing, and teaching dental education.

Methods: A literature search was performed using PubMed, focusing on research articles published between January 2010 and January 2024.

Acute Sarcopenia: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on Its Incidence and Muscle Parameter Shifts During Hospitalisation.

Background: Acute sarcopenia is sarcopenia lasting less than 6 months, typically following acute illness or injury. It may impact patient recovery and quality of life, advancing to chronic sarcopenia. However, its development and assessment remain poorly understood, particularly during hospitalisation.

Differential Cardiotoxicity of Ibrutinib Versus Chemoimmunotherapy in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: A Population-Based Study.

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is the most common form of leukaemia among adults, particularly in Western nations. The introduction of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors as a treatment of CLL, namely, ibrutinib, which is a first-generation BTK inhibitor, has significantly improved the treatment landscape for CLL. However, ibrutinib has been associated with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) and hypertension.

Inhibition of matrix metalloproteases by a chemical cross-linker to halt the corneal degradation in keratoconus.

The need for better and simpler alternative crosslinking strategies to treat keratoconus (KC) is becoming essential as there is only a single approved way to treat it. Recently, conventional UV-A Riboflavin crosslinking is proven to have some disadvantages such as causing damage to the corneal endothelium and inducing keratocyte apoptosis. A chemical cross-linker (CXL) using carbodiimide chemistry and an octanedioic acid spacer is found effective in stiffening the cornea and has the potential to be developed as an alternative therapy to halt KC progression.

Systematic development of a complex intervention: a theory and evidence-based physiotherapist led group intervention to increase physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour following bariatric surgery (PARIS).

Objectives: To describe the systematic development of a physiotherapist led group behaviour change intervention targeting physical activity and sedentary behaviour in individuals who have undergone bariatric surgery.

Study Design: Intervention development including evidence synthesis, qualitative research and mapping of intervention components, using the 2008 MRC framework for complex interventions.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review to identify the evidence for promising interventions and components to increase physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour following bariatric surgery.

Cleavage of Cartilage Oligomeric Matrix Protein (COMP) by ADAMTS4 generates a neoepitope associated with osteoarthritis and other forms of degenerative joint disease.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a highly prevalent joint disease, affecting millions of people worldwide and characterized by degradation of articular cartilage, subchondral bone remodeling and low-grade inflammation, leading to pain, stiffness and disability. Cartilage Oligomeric Matrix Protein (COMP) is a major structural component of cartilage and its degradation has been proposed as a marker of OA severity/progression. Several proteases cleave COMP in vitro, however, it is unclear which of these COMPase activities is prevalent in an osteoarthritic joint.

Diets, Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Nutritional Status Among Children, Adolescents and Adults in the Philippines: A Scoping Review.

Suboptimal diets contribute to the risk of malnutrition and non-communicable diseases across the life course. Globally, intakes of fruit and vegetables (F&V) fall below recommendations, including in the Philippines. To promote F&V intakes, understanding the extent of inadequate intakes across population groups and key drivers of dietary patterns is needed.