A novel appliance for Class II dentoalveolar correction.

In recent years, a segmental approach to Class II correction has gained popularity among orthodontists. This concept is best represented by the Carrière Motion 3D™ Class II Appliance (CMA), which is an efficient and effective appliance for the treatment of Class II malocclusions. Although it is original and innovative, it also has some inherent flaws that can potentially interfere with its daily use.

The canonical deep neural network as a model for human symmetry processing.

A key property of our environment is the mirror symmetry of many objects, although symmetry is an abstract global property with no definable shape template, making symmetry identification a challenge for standard template-matching algorithms. We therefore ask whether Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) trained on typical natural environmental images develop a selectivity for symmetry similar to that of the human brain. We tested a DNN trained on such typical natural images with object-free random-dot images of 1, 2, and 4 symmetry axes.

Altering the mechanical properties of self-assembled filaments through engineering of EspA bacterial protein.

Protein-based biomaterials are in high demand due to their high biocompatibility, non-toxicity, and biodegradability. In this study, we explore the bacterial secreted protein A (EspA), which self-assembles into long extracellular filaments, as a potential building block for new protein-based biomaterials. We investigated the morphological and mechanical properties of EspA filaments and how protein engineering can modify them.

Variability in disease severity among cystic fibrosis patients carrying residual-function variants: data from the European Cystic Fibrosis Society Patient Registry.

Background: People with cystic fibrosis (CF) variants that exhibit residual function (RF) of the CF transmembrane conductance regulator are considered to have a milder disease; however, the spectrum of CF phenotype within the different RF variants has not been extensively investigated. The aim of the present study was to characterise the spectrum of CF disease severity in people with CF (pwCF) carrying different RF variants, using the European Cystic Fibrosis Society Patient Registry (ECFSPR) data.

Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional and longitudinal cohort study included data from the ECFSPR during 2008-2016.

Inhaled alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) restores lower respiratory tract protease-antiprotease homoeostasis and reduces inflammation in AAT-deficient individuals: a randomised phase 2 study.

Background: Alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT)-deficient individuals have a greater risk for developing COPD than individuals with normal AAT levels.

Methods: This was a double-blind, randomised, parallel group, placebo-controlled trial to examine the safety and tolerability of "Kamada-AAT for Inhalation" (inhaled AAT) in subjects with AAT deficiency, and to explore its effect on AAT and biomarkers in the lung epithelial lining fluid (ELF). 36 patients with severe AAT deficiency were randomised 2:1 to receive 80 mg or 160 mg inhaled AAT or placebo once daily for 12 weeks.

Exploring trauma surgeons' views on trauma care in Nigeria: A qualitative study.

Background: In Nigeria, trauma care faces challenges due to high injury and death rates from road traffic accidents and violence. Improvements are underway, but gaps in service availability, training, and coordination persist, necessitating evidence-based interventions.

Purpose: To evaluate trauma care practices in Nigeria, focusing on practitioners' perceptions of training, resources, and care quality to inform policy and practice enhancements.

Real-World Outcomes in Patients with Advanced Penile Squamous Cell Carcinoma Receiving Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: A Single Institution Experience.

Introduction: Advanced penile squamous cell carcinoma (pSCC) is a rare and aggressive malignancy with a poor prognosis and an unmet need for biomarkers. We performed a retrospective evaluation of real-world efficacy, safety outcomes, and baseline inflammatory biomarkers in patients with advanced pSCC treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs).

Methods: We performed a retrospective review of patients with advanced pSCC who received ICIs from 2012 to 2023 at the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University in Atlanta, GA.

The lack of thematic continuity in dreams with scene and plot discontinuities.

A central tenet of Freudian dream theory holds that there is thematic coherence within all dreams, even those containing scene and plot discontinuities. While other models support varying degrees of dream coherence, none address the question of how, or even whether, coherence can be identified in dreams with such discontinuities. Here, we objectively test the ability of judges to evaluate the coherence of individual dream narratives.

Trochleoplasty Utilization in the Management of Patellofemoral Instability: Results From an International Survey of Surgeons.

Background: Considerable variability exists in the described clinical and radiographic indications for use, surgical techniques, postoperative management, and risk profile after trochleoplasty for the management of patellofemoral instability (PFI). In areas of clinical uncertainty, a cohesive summary of expert opinion and identification of areas of variation in current practice can be useful in guiding current practice and future research efforts.

Purpose: To assess the current indications for use, surgical techniques, postoperative rehabilitation practices, and observed complication profile for trochleoplasty in the management of PFI among surgeons who perform this procedure.

Long-term Breast Shape Analysis After Short-scar Reduction Mammaplasty: A Critical View.

Background: Over the past 2 decades, vertical scar reduction mammaplasty techniques have been gaining more acceptance. However, many surgeons are still hesitant to use it routinely because of the uncertainty of the effectiveness of vertical scar techniques in managing lower pole skin excess. We aimed to test its efficacy by using objective anthropometric measurements to evaluate long-term breast shape and lower pole stability.

Chiral Metal Coating to Enhance Water Electrolysis.

Producing hydrogen through water splitting often faces challenges of overpotential, stability, and expensive catalysts, which limit its efficiency and hinder the advancement of hydrogen production technologies. Nickel foam and nickel meshes have emerged as promising materials for electrolyzer electrodes due to their high surface area and the ability to produce electrolyzers with a very small gap between the anode and cathode. This study presents a simple method for coating Ni-based electrodes with a chiral Ni-Au film, using electroplating, thus enhancing its efficiency dramatically.

Apolipoprotein CIII correlates with lipoproteins in the fed state and is not regulated by leptin administration in states of hypoleptinemia induced by acute or chronic energy deficiency: Results from two randomised controlled trials.

Background: Medications targeting the leptin and Apolipoprotein CIII (APOC3) pathways are currently under development for the treatment of hypertriglyceridaemia. Given that both pathways are implicated in triglyceride regulation, it is unknown whether they function independently or interact under physiological conditions and under acute or long-term energy deficiency.

Methods: APOC3 levels and their association with circulating lipids and lipoproteins were evaluated in the context of two randomised controlled studies.

Unveiling Cryptic Diversity in Hylomys: A Commentary on Recent Taxonomic Revisions.

The genus Hylomys now comprises seven species instead of two; the Hylomys species in China should be classified as Hylomys peguensis.

"New Normal:" Opportunities and Challenges Faced by Syringe Service Programs Following the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Syringe services programs (SSPs) provide critical evidence-based public health services that decrease harms from drug use for people who use drugs (PWUD). Many SSPs have experienced significant and evolving COVID-19-related disruptions. We aimed to characterize the impacts of COVID-19 on SSP operations in the United States approximately two years into the pandemic.

Embracing Nature's Wisdom: Liposome-Mediated Amplification of Electrochemiluminescence for the Sensitive and Selective Immunoassay of Serum Amyloid A.

Serum amyloid A (SAA) is a key biomarker for diagnosing inflammatory responses in diseases like influenza and COVID-19. An electrochemiluminescence (ECL) biosensor has been constructed for signal enhancement in SAA detection by encapsulating 4,4',4″,4‴-(1,3,6,8-pyrenetetrayl) tetrakis-benzoic acid (TBAPy) into liposomes. Such biomimetic encapsulation shields the biologically important membrane to avoid aggregation of TBAPy and prevents quenching.

Propensity score matched cohort study on magnesium supplementation and mortality in critically ill patients with HFpEF.

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) emerges as a singular subclass of heart failure, bereft of specific therapeutic options. Magnesium, an indispensable trace element, is essential to the preservation of cardiac integrity. However, the association between magnesium supplementation and mortality in HFpEF patients remains unclear.

Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Vascular Invasion Treated with Resin Yttrium-90 Transarterial Radioembolization Using Single Compartment Dosimetry.

Purpose: To report outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with lobar and segmental vascular invasion treated with resin Yttrium-90 transarterial radioembolization (Y90-TARE) with single-compartment MIRD (Medical Internal Radiation Dose) model.

Materials And Methods: This was a retrospective IRB approved study of patients with a diagnosis of HCC with vascular invasion undergoing resin Y90-TARE from 2014 to 2022 (n = 61). Patients with Body Surface Area dosimetry (n = 20), main portal vein invasion (n = 6) and patients with an ECOG of > 2 were excluded (n = 1) with a final cohort of 34 patients.

Dynamic switching between brain networks predicts creative ability.

Creativity is hypothesized to arise from a mental state which balances spontaneous thought and cognitive control, corresponding to functional connectivity between the brain's Default Mode (DMN) and Executive Control (ECN) Networks. Here, we conduct a large-scale, multi-center examination of this hypothesis. Employing a meta-analytic network neuroscience approach, we analyze resting-state fMRI and creative task performance across 10 independent samples from Austria, Canada, China, Japan, and the United States (N = 2433)-constituting the largest and most ethnically diverse creativity neuroscience study to date.

Fedratinib for the treatment of myelofibrosis: a critical appraisal of clinical trial and "real-world" data.

Fedratinib is a predominantly JAK2 inhibitor that has shown efficacy in untreated and ruxolitinib-exposed patients with myelofibrosis (MF). Based on randomized clinical trial data, it is approved for use in patients with International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) or Dynamic International Prognostic Scoring System (DIPSS) intermediate-2 or high-risk disease and is distinguished from ruxolitinib in that it can be administered without dose reduction in patients with thrombocytopenia, to a platelet count above 50,000/µL. In these trials, fedratinib achieved significant spleen volume reduction in ~30-45% of patients and improvement in total symptom scores in 35-40% with good tolerability.

Modulation by NPY/NPF-like receptor underlies experience-dependent, sexually dimorphic learning.

The evolutionary paths taken by each sex within a given species sometimes diverge, resulting in behavioral differences. Given their distinct needs, the mechanism by which each sex learns from a shared experience is still an open question. Here, we reveal sexual dimorphism in learning: C.

Transcatheter edge-to-edge repair in severe mitral regurgitation following acute myocardial infarction - aetiology-based analysis.

Aims: To evaluate the association between transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) and outcomes in patients with significant mitral regurgitation (MR) following acute myocardial infarction (MI), focusing on the aetiology of acute post-MI MR in high-risk surgical patients.

Methods And Results: The International Registry of MitraClip in Acute Mitral Regurgitation following Acute Myocardial Infarction (IREMMI) includes 187 patients with severe MR post-MI managed with TEER. Of these, 176 were included in the analysis, 23 (13%) patients had acute papillary muscle rupture (PMR) and 153 (87%) acute secondary MR.

The impact of phenotypic heterogeneity on fungal pathogenicity and drug resistance.

Phenotypic heterogeneity in genetically clonal populations facilitates cellular adaptation to adverse environmental conditions while enabling a return to the basal physiological state. It also plays a crucial role in pathogenicity and the acquisition of drug resistance in unicellular organisms and cancer cells, yet the exact contributing factors remain elusive. In this review, we outline the current state of understanding concerning the contribution of phenotypic heterogeneity to fungal pathogenesis and antifungal drug resistance.