The natural history of cytologically low-risk indeterminate thyroid nodules.

Background: Thyroid nodules classified cytologically as low-risk indeterminate lesions (TIR3A) on fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) present a clinical challenge due to their uncertain malignancy risk. This single-center study aimed to evaluate the natural history of TIR3A nodules.

Materials And Methods: FNABs performed between July 2017 and December 2019 were retrospectively retrieved and patients with TIR3A nodules were evaluated at baseline and throughout a follow-up based on ultrasound (US) parameters and clinical data.

Fatuamide A, a Hybrid PKS/NRPS Metallophore from a sp. Marine Cyanobacterium Collected in American Samoa.

A structurally novel metabolite, fatuamide A (), was discovered from a laboratory cultured strain of the marine cyanobacterium sp., collected from Faga'itua Bay, American Samoa. A bioassay-guided approach using NCI-H460 human lung cancer cells directed the isolation of fatuamide A, which was obtained from the most cytotoxic fraction.

SAMURAI: shallow analysis of copy number alterations using a reproducible and integrated bioinformatics pipeline.

Shallow whole-genome sequencing (sWGS) offers a cost-effective approach to detect copy number alterations (CNAs). However, there remains a gap for a standardized workflow specifically designed for sWGS analysis. To address this need, in this work we present SAMURAI, a bioinformatics pipeline specifically designed for analyzing CNAs from sWGS data in a standardized and reproducible manner.

Recalibrating Protection Factors Using Millisecond Hydrogen/Deuterium Exchange Mass Spectrometry.

Hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) is a powerful technique to interrogate protein structure and dynamics. With the ability to study almost any protein without a size limit, including intrinsically disordered ones, HDX-MS has shown fast growing importance as a complement to structural elucidation techniques. Current experiments compare two or more related conditions (sequences, interaction partners, excipients, conformational states, etc.

European ILD registry algorithm for self-assessment in interstitial lung diseases (eurILDreg ASA-ILD).

Background And Aims: Predicting progression and prognosis in Interstitial Lung Diseases (ILD), especially Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) and Progressive Pulmonary Fibrosis (PPF), remains a challenge. Integrating patient-centered measurements is essential for earlier and safer detection of disease progression. Home monitoring through e-health technologies, such as spirometry and oximetry connected to smartphone applications, holds promise for early detection of ILD progression or acute exacerbations, enabling timely therapeutic interventions.

Health risk assessment and Sobol' sensitivity analysis of power plant air pollution (SO2 and NOX): the effect of power plant fuel change.

This study aimed to evaluate the concentrations of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) around the Qom (a province in Iran) combined cycle power plant in relation to seasonal variations and fuel type from December 2014 to May 2015. Passive sampling was used in three monitoring sites around the power plant to assess noncarcinogenic health risks associated with exposure to SO2 and NOX. Results showed the higher concentrations of NOX and SO2 in winter than in spring.

Replication-Poison Treatment in BRCA1-Deficient Breast Cancer Causes MRE11 Over-Resection that Induces Single-Stranded DNA Accumulation and Mitotic Catastrophe.

BRCA1 deficiency is observed in approximately 25% of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). BRCA1, a key player of homologous recombination (HR) repair, is also involved in stalled DNA replication fork protection and repair. Here, we investigated the sensitivity of BRCA1-deficient TNBC models to the frequently used replication chain terminator gemcitabine, which does not directly induce DNA breaks.

Evaporating Primordial Black Holes, the String Axiverse, and Hot Dark Radiation.

The search for primordial black holes (PBHs) with masses M≪M_{⊙} is motivated by natural early-Universe production mechanisms and that PBHs can be dark matter. For M≲10^{14}  kg, the PBH density is constrained by null searches for their expected Hawking emission (HE), the characteristics of which are, however, sensitive to new states beyond the standard model. If there exists a large number of spin-0 particles in nature, PBHs can, through HE, develop and maintain non-negligible spins, modifying the visible HE.

Accurate Standard Siren Cosmology with Joint Gravitational-Wave and γ-Ray Burst Observations.

Joint gravitational-wave and γ-ray burst (GRB) observations are among the best prospects for standard siren cosmology. However, the strong selection effect for the coincident GRB detection, which is possible only for sources with small inclination angles, induces a systematic uncertainty that is currently not accounted for. We show that this severe source of bias can be removed by inferring the a priori unknown electromagnetic detection probability directly from multimessenger data.

Precise Measurement of the e^{+}e^{-}→D_{s}^{+}D_{s}^{-} Cross Section at Center-of-Mass Energies from Threshold to 4.95 GeV.

Using the e^{+}e^{-} collision data collected with the BESIII detector operating at the BEPCII collider, at center-of-mass energies from the threshold to 4.95 GeV, we present precise measurements of the cross section for the process e^{+}e^{-}→D_{s}^{+}D_{s}^{-} using a single-tag method. The resulting cross section line shape exhibits several new structures, thereby offering an input for a future coupled-channel analysis and model tests, which are critical to understand vector charmonium-like states with masses between 4 and 5 GeV.

Simultaneous Unbinned Differential Cross-Section Measurement of Twenty-Four Z+jets Kinematic Observables with the ATLAS Detector.

Z boson events at the Large Hadron Collider can be selected with high purity and are sensitive to a diverse range of QCD phenomena. As a result, these events are often used to probe the nature of the strong force, improve Monte Carlo event generators, and search for deviations from standard model predictions. All previous measurements of Z boson production characterize the event properties using a small number of observables and present the results as differential cross sections in predetermined bins.

Measurement of Λ_{b}^{0}, Λ_{c}^{+}, and Λ Decay Parameters Using Λ_{b}^{0}→Λ_{c}^{+}h^{-} Decays.

A comprehensive study of the angular distributions in the bottom-baryon decays Λ_{b}^{0}→Λ_{c}^{+}h^{-}(h=π,K), followed by Λ_{c}^{+}→Λh^{+} with Λ→pπ^{-} or Λ_{c}^{+}→pK_{S}^{0} decays, is performed using a data sample of proton-proton collisions corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 9  fb^{-1} collected by the LHCb experiment at center-of-mass energies of 7, 8, and 13 TeV. The decay parameters and the associated charge-parity (CP) asymmetries are measured, with no significant CP violation observed. For the first time, the Λ_{b}^{0}→Λ_{c}^{+}h^{-} decay parameters are measured.

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Pediatric Counseling on Nutrition, Lifestyle, and Weight: A Secondary Analysis of the BP-CATCH Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Pediatric obesity and hypertension are highly correlated. To mitigate both conditions, provision of counseling on nutrition, lifestyle, and weight to children with high blood pressure (BP) measurements is recommended.

Objective: To examine racial and ethnic disparities in receipt of nutrition, lifestyle, and weight counseling among patients with high BP at pediatric primary care visits stratified by patients' weight status.

A comparative analysis of risk stratification tools in systemic sclerosis-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension: a EUSTAR analysis.

Objectives: The 2022 European Society of Cardiology and European Respiratory Society (ESC/ERS) Guidelines for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) recommend risk stratification to optimize management. However, the performance of generic PAH risk stratification tools in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc)-associated PAH remains unclear. Our objective was to identify the most accurate approach for risk stratification at SSc-PAH diagnosis.

Foot peripheral sensory neuropathy: a frequent disabling manifestation in systemic sclerosis.

Objectives: Peripheral Sensory Neuropathy (PSN) is an under-recognized feature in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Moreover, SSc foot involvement is frequent but poorly investigated. We aimed to provide a detailed characterization of foot PSN in a large cohort of SSc patients, describing its associations with disease-specific features, physical disability, and Quality of Life (QoL).

Autologous Peripheral Blood-Derived Orthobiologics for the Management of Elbow Disorders: A Review of Current Clinical Evidence.

Introduction: Elbow ailments are common, but conventional treatment modalities have shortcomings, offering only interim pain relief rather than targeting the underlying pathophysiology. The last two decades have seen a marked increase in the use of autologous peripheral blood-derived orthobiologics (APBOs), such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP), to manage elbow disorders. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is the most widely used APBO, but its efficacy remains debatable.

Assessing the role of education level on climate change belief, concern and action: a multinational survey of healthcare professionals in nephrology.

Background: Climate change poses a significant risk to kidney health, and countries with lower national wealth are more vulnerable. Yet, citizens from lower-income countries demonstrate less concern for climate change than those from higher-income countries. Education is a key covariate.

Generative artificial intelligence enables the generation of bone scintigraphy images and improves generalization of deep learning models in data-constrained environments.

Purpose: Advancements of deep learning in medical imaging are often constrained by the limited availability of large, annotated datasets, resulting in underperforming models when deployed under real-world conditions. This study investigated a generative artificial intelligence (AI) approach to create synthetic medical images taking the example of bone scintigraphy scans, to increase the data diversity of small-scale datasets for more effective model training and improved generalization.

Methods: We trained a generative model on Tc-bone scintigraphy scans from 9,170 patients in one center to generate high-quality and fully anonymized annotated scans of patients representing two distinct disease patterns: abnormal uptake indicative of (i) bone metastases and (ii) cardiac uptake indicative of cardiac amyloidosis.

Revolutionising Osseous Biopsy: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence in the Era of Personalised Medicine.

In a rapidly evolving healthcare environment, artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming diagnostic techniques and personalised medicine. This is also seen in osseous biopsies. AI applications in radiomics, histopathology, predictive modelling, biopsy navigation, and interdisciplinary communication are reshaping how bone biopsies are conducted and interpreted.

Ejaculation-sparing enucleation of the prostate with Thulium: Yag laser (ES-ThuLEP) versus Thulium Fiber laser (ES-ThuFLEP): outcomes on sexual function.

Purpose: To compare the effect on sexual function of ejaculation-sparing enucleation of the prostate using Thulium: YAG laser (ES-ThuLEP) versus continuous-wave Thulium Fiber Laser (ES-ThuFLEP).

Methods: 112 patients with lower urinary tract symptoms secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia who wished to preserve ejaculation were treated. 58 patients underwent ES-ThuLEP (Group A) using the Cyber TM generator.

Baricitinib Provides Significant Improvements in Quality of Life and Functioning in Adults with Moderate-to-Severe Atopic Dermatitis with Baseline Body Surface Area ≤ 40% and Severe Itch.

Introduction: Patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD), a body surface area (BSA) of ≤ 40%, and an itch numerical rating scale (NRS) score of ≥ 7 ("BARI itch dominant") have been characterized as an important group to consider for the oral janus kinase (JAK) 1/2 inhibitor baricitinib (BARI). Herein we aim to evaluate quality of life (QoL) and functioning outcomes in adult patients with BSA ≤ 40% and itch NRS ≥ 7 at baseline (BL) who received BARI 4 mg in the topical corticosteroid (TCS) combination trial BREEZE-AD7.

Materials: BREEZE-AD7 was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group outpatient study involving adult patients with moderate-to-severe AD who received once-daily placebo or 2-mg or 4-mg BARI in combination with TCS for 16 weeks.

Co-infections of rickettsiales in clinically healthy, Leishmania infantum seropositive and seronegative dogs: a systematic literature review and new findings from Southern Italy.

Canine leishmaniosis (CanL), caused by Leishmania infantum, is a widespread vector-borne disease. In Italy, an endemic region for CanL, overlapping transmission of L. infantum and tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) like Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Ehrlichia canis is increasingly reported.

Prioritizing questions and topics for the development of guidelines and consensus-based recommendations supported by ILAE: A scoping review and proposal of prioritization criteria.

Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) and consensus-based recommendations (CBRs) require considerable effort, collaboration, and time-all within the constraints of finite resources. Professional societies, such as the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), must prioritize what topics and questions to address. Implementing evidence-based care remains a crucial challenge in clinical practice.

Budget impact analyses of hemoglobin A1c and lipid panel point-of-care testing with Afinion™ 2 in Canada and Italy.

Screening and monitoring of diabetes or dyslipidemia frequently involves a multi-step process requiring patients to obtain test requisitions from their primary care physician (PCP), followed by a laboratory visit and re-consultation. Point-of-care testing (POCT) for hemoglobin A (HbA) and lipid panel can streamline the patient care pathway. This study assessed the budget impact of introducing Afinion™ 2 POCT (Abbott Rapid Diagnostics) from the Canadian and Italian societal perspectives.