A method for mimicking tumour tissue in brain ex-vivo ultrasound for research application and clinical training.

Background: Intraoperative ultrasound is becoming a common tool in neurosurgery. However, effective simulation methods are limited. Current, commercial, and homemade phantoms lack replication of anatomical correctness and texture complexity of brain and tumour tissue in ultrasound images.

Hawks, Doves, and Perissodus microlepis. Undermining the selected effects theory of function.

The selected effects theory is supposed to provide a fully naturalistic basis for statements about what biological traits or processes are for without appeal to final causes or intelligent design. On the selected effects theory, biologists are allowed to say, for instance, that hindwing eyespots on butterfly wings serve to deflect predators' attacks away from vital organs because a similar fitness-enhancing effect explains why eyespots themselves were favoured by natural selection and persisted in the population. This is known as the explanatory dimension of the selected effects theory.

Altered Intracerebellar Functional Connectivity in Friedreich's Ataxia: A Graph-Theory Functional MRI Study.

Historically, Friedreich's Ataxia (FRDA) has been linked to a relatively preserved cerebellar cortex. Recent advances in neuroimaging have revealed altered cerebello-cerebral functional connectivity (FC), but the extent of intra-cerebellar FC changes and their impact on cognition remains unclear. This study investigates intra-cerebellar FC alterations and their cognitive implications in FRDA.

The predictive power of F-FDG PET/CT two-lesions radiomics and conventional models in classical Hodgkin's Lymphoma: a comparative retrospectively-validated study.

In a previous preliminary study, radiomic features from the largest and the hottest lesion in baseline F-FDG PET/CT (bPET/CT) of classical Hodgkin's Lymphoma (cHL) predicted early response-to-treatment and prognosis. Aim of this large retrospectively-validated study is to evaluate the predictive role of two-lesions radiomics in comparison with other clinical and conventional PET/CT models. cHL patients with bPET/CT between 2010 and 2020 were retrospectively included and randomized into training-validation sets.

Triage body temperature predicts outcome in cats at emergency department admission: a retrospective study of 1440 cases (January 2018 to December 2021).

Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate the association between triage body temperature (BT) and outcome in cats presenting to the emergency department (ED).

Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted on cats presented to the ED. BT, clinical diagnosis and outcome were recorded.

Relationship Between Intraocular Pressure and the True Rate of Functional and Structural Progression in the United Kingdom Glaucoma Treatment Study.

Purpose: To investigate the effect of average intraocular pressure (IOP) on the true rate of glaucoma progression (RoP) in the United Kingdom Glaucoma Treatment Study (UKGTS).

Methods: UKGTS participants were randomized to placebo or Latanoprost drops and monitored for up to two years with visual field tests (VF, 24-2 SITA standard), IOP measurements, and optic nerve imaging. We included eyes with at least three structural or functional assessments (VF with <15% false-positive errors).

Mitigating matrix effects in oil and gas wastewater analysis: LC-MS/MS method for ethanolamines.

The high salinity and organic content in oil and gas wastewaters can cause ion suppression during liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC/MS) analysis, diminishing the sensitivity and accuracy of measurements in available methods. This suppression is severe for low molecular weight organic compounds such as ethanolamines (, monoethanolamine (MEA), diethanolamine (DEA), triethanolamine (TEA), -methyldiethanolamine (MDEA), and ,-ethyldiethanolamine (EDEA)). Here, we deployed solid phase extraction (SPE), mixed-mode LC, triple quadrupole MS with positive electrospray ionization (ESI), and a suite of stable isotope standards (, one per target compound) to correct for ion suppression by salts and organic matter, SPE losses, and instrument variability.

"MINIMIZING THIGHPLASTY COMPLICATIONS: A COMBINED APPROACH OF J MEDIAL PATTERN AND HELIUM-PLASMA ASSISTED LIPOSCULPTURE".

Thighplasty is a widely performed body contouring procedure, utilizing various surgical techniques for thigh lifting, including medial scar positioning, vertical and horizontal procedures, and liposuction. Despite its popularity, thighplasty is associated with high complication rates and suboptimal postoperative outcomes.This article presents a novel technique: the J medial thighplasty combined with helium plasma radiofrequency technology (HPRF) to address moderate skin and soft-tissue laxity and ptosis in the inner thighs.

Detection and quantification of ergothioneine in human serum using surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS).

Ergothioneine (ERG) is a natural sulfur-containing amino acid found in many organisms, including humans. It accumulates at high concentrations in red blood cells and is distributed to various organs, including the brain. ERG has numerous health benefits and antioxidant capabilities, and it has been linked to various human physiological processes, such as anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and anti-aging effects.

A genome-annotated bacterial collection of the plant food system microbiota.

This study reports draft genomes of 30 bacteria representative of the plant food system microbiota and isolated from different sources in Italy and France. Individual genomes were reconstructed using PacBIO DNA sequencing: taxonomic classification and distribution of genes involved in microbe-environment interactions are reported to facilitate strains' characterization and utilization.

The endothelium at the interface between tissues and in the bloodstream.

SUMMARY is a major human pathogen. It can cause many types of infections, in particular bacteremia, which frequently leads to infective endocarditis, osteomyelitis, sepsis, and other debilitating diseases. The development of secondary infections is based on the bacterium's ability to associate with endothelial cells lining blood vessels.

Survival of Eurasian lynx in the human-dominated landscape of Europe.

Survival and cause-specific mortality rates are vital for evidence-based population forecasting and conservation, particularly for large carnivores, whose populations are often vulnerable to human-caused mortalities. It is therefore important to know the relationship between anthropogenic and natural mortality causes to evaluate whether they are additive or compensatory. Further, the relation between survival and environmental covariates could reveal whether specific landscape characteristics influence demographic performance.

Optimizing automated photo identification for population assessments.

Several legal acts mandate that management agencies regularly assess biological populations. For species with distinct markings, these assessments can be conducted noninvasively via capture-recapture and photographic identification (photo-ID), which involves processing considerable quantities of photographic data. To ease this burden, agencies increasingly rely on automated identification (ID) algorithms.

Benchmarking the Efficacy of Salvage Systemic Therapies for Recurrent Meningioma: A RANO Group Systematic Review and Meta-analysis to Guide Clinical Trial Design.

Background: Despite advances in our understanding of the molecular underpinnings of meningioma progression and innovations in systemic and local treatments, recurrent meningiomas remain a substantial therapeutic challenge. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to provide a historical baseline, contemporary analysis, and propose a "rate of probable interest" to inform future clinical trial design and development on behalf of the RANO meningioma group.

Methods: PubMed, ClinicalTrials.

Ovarian Carcinomas: Clinicopathologic and Molecular Features With Comments on 2014 FIGO Staging.

According to histopathology and molecular genetics, there are 5 major subtypes of ovarian carcinomas: high-grade serous (70%), endometrioid (10%), clear cell (10%), mucinous (3% to 4%), and low-grade serous (<5%) carcinomas. These tumors, which constitute over 95% of cases, represent distinct diseases with different prognoses and therapy. This review outlines contemporary advances in molecular pathology, which have expanded our knowledge of the biology of epithelial ovarian cancer and are also important to patient management.

Silver Nanoparticles-Functionalized Textile against SARS-CoV-2: Antiviral Activity of the Capping Oleylamine Molecule.

COVID-19 disease, triggered by SARS-CoV-2 virus infection, has led to more than 7.0 million deaths worldwide, with a significant fraction of recovered infected people reporting postviral symptoms. Smart surfaces functionalized with nanoparticles are a powerful tool to inactivate the virus and prevent the further spreading of the disease.

Regulatory T Cell Phenotype Related to Cytokine Expression Patterns in Post-COVID-19 Pulmonary Fibrosis and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.

Background: Post-coronavirus disease 19 lung fibrosis (PCLF) shares common immunological abnormalities with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), characterized by an unbalanced cytokine profile being associated with the development of lung fibrosis. The aim of the present study was to analyze and compare the different subsets of CD4- and CD8-T cells, along with specific cytokine expression patterns, in peripheral blood (PB) from patients affected by PCLF and IPF and healthy controls (HCs).

Methods: One-hundred patients followed at the Rare Lung Disease Center of Siena University Hospital were enrolled.

Advancing paleoanthropology beyond default nulls.

While we are sympathetic with Stibbard-Hawkes' approach, we disagree with the proposal to switch to a "cognitively modern" null for all species. We argue in favor of a more evidence-driven approach, inspired by recent debates in comparative cognition. Ultimately, parsing the contributions of different genetic and extra-genetic factors in human evolution is more promising than setting a priori nulls.

Exploring the Relationship Between Humoral and Cellular T Cell Responses Against SARS-CoV-2 in Exposed Individuals From Emilia Romagna Region and COVID-19 Severity.

COVID-19 remains a significant global health problem with uncertain long-term consequences for convalescents. We investigated the relationships between anti-N protein antibody levels, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-CoV-2-associated TCR repertoire parameters, HLA type and epidemiological information from three cohorts of 524 SARS-CoV-2-infected subjects subgrouped in acute phase, seronegative and seropositive convalescents from the Emilia Romagna region. Epidemiological information and anti-N antibody index were associated with TCR repertoire data.

Pre-emptive treatment for cytomegalovirus viraemia to prevent cytomegalovirus disease in solid organ transplant recipients.

Background: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a significant cause of morbidity and death in solid organ transplant recipients. Pre-emptive treatment of patients with CMV viraemia using antiviral agents has been suggested as an alternative to routine prophylaxis to prevent CMV disease. This is an update of a Cochrane review first published in 2006 and updated in 2013.

Immunohistochemical Expression of PAX8 in Central Nervous System Hemangioblastomas: A Potential Diagnostic Pitfall for Neuropathologists.

The histologic differential diagnosis between intracranial hemangioblastoma (HB) and metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma may be challenging, especially considering that both tumors exhibit clear cell morphology and can be associated with vHL mutation and/or Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome. As the execution of immunohistochemical analyses is often mandatory, the expression of PAX8 has been traditionally considered a reliable marker of metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma, being consistently negative in intracranial HB. However, as in recent years, some cases of PAX8-positive HBs have been reported in the literature; we studied the expression of this antibody on a series of 23 intracranial HB, showing that about 40% of these tumors may express PAX8 and that this immunoreactivity is often focal and weak.