The Milan Score Predicts Objective Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease in Patients With Type 2 Esophagogastric Junction.

Introduction: High-resolution manometry (HRM) allows assessment of esophagogastric junction (EGJ) disruption. While type 3 EGJ predicts definitive gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), type 2 EGJ is less clearly implicated in GERD pathogenesis. This study aimed to characterize physiologic findings in type 2 EGJ to determine if the HRM-based Milan Score can define GERD within type 2 EGJ.

Predicting Antidepressant Treatment Response From Cortical Structure on MRI: A Mega-Analysis From the ENIGMA-MDD Working Group.

Accurately predicting individual antidepressant treatment response could expedite the lengthy trial-and-error process of finding an effective treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD). We tested and compared machine learning-based methods that predict individual-level pharmacotherapeutic treatment response using cortical morphometry from multisite longitudinal cohorts. We conducted an international analysis of pooled data from six sites of the ENIGMA-MDD consortium (n = 262 MDD patients; age = 36.

Quantification of intraepithelial canine melanocytes in different somatic areas.

Background: In humans, the presence of an even distribution of melanocytes within the epidermal basal layer allows for uniform pigmentation in healthy and young individuals. Moreover, despite high variability in skin colours and tones, interindividual melanocyte density variability is low. However, dogs display a high intraindividual pigmentary variability in different anatomical areas.

A 3D millifluidic model of a dermal perivascular microenvironment on a chip.

The process of angiogenesis plays a pivotal role in skin regeneration, ensuring the provision of nutrients and oxygen to the nascent tissue, thanks to the formation of novel microvascular networks supporting functional tissue regeneration. Unfortunately, most of the current therapeutic approaches for skin regeneration lack vascularization, required to promote effective angiogenesis. Thus, tridimensional models, complemented with specific biochemical signals, can be a valuable tool to unravel the neovascularization mechanisms and develop novel clinical strategies.

Accelerated long-term forgetting: Design and validation of a neuropsychological tool in healthy subjects and diagnostic accuracy in a group of subjects with severe acquired brain injury.

Objective: Accelerated Long-term Forgetting (ALF) is a phenomenon characterized by abnormal memory forgetting over hours or days, despite normal initial acquisition. Because standardized memory assessments typically test memory retention over delays of up to 30 minutes, ALF may be undetected.

Methods: The first Experiment of the present study was aimed to validate, in a sample of healthy subjects ( = 54, 20 to 79 years old), a long-term verbal and visuospatial memory procedure, using common tests but administered at extended intervals.

Priority actions for Fusarium head blight resistance in durum wheat: Insights from the wheat initiative.

Fusarium head blight (FHB), mainly caused by Fusarium graminearum and Fusarium culmorum, is a major wheat disease. Significant efforts have been made to improve resistance to FHB in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum), but more work is needed for durum wheat (Triticum turgidum spp. durum).

Toward Automated Preprocessing of Untargeted LC-MS-Based Metabolomics Feature Lists from Human Biofluids.

Maximizing the extraction of true, high-quality, nonredundant features from biofluids analyzed via LC-MS systems is challenging. Here, the R packages IPO and AutoTuner were used to optimize XCMS parameter settings for the retrieval of metabolite or lipid features in both ionization modes from either faecal or urine samples from two cohorts ( = 621). The feature lists obtained were compared with those where the parameter values were selected manually.

Novel NMR-Based Approach to Reveal the 'Metabolic Fingerprint' of Cytotoxic Gold Drugs in Cancer Cells.

A combination of pathway enrichment and metabolite clustering analysis is used to interpret untargeted H NMR metabolomics data, enabling a biochemically informative comparison of the effects induced by a panel of known cytotoxic gold(I) and gold(III) compounds in A2780 ovarian cancer cells. The identification of the most dysregulated pathways for the major classes of compounds highlights specific chemical features that lead to common biological effects. The proposed approach may have broader applicability to the screening of metal-based drug candidate libraries, which is always complicated by their multitarget nature, and support the comprehensive interpretation of their metabolic actions.

On the Tracks to "Smart" Single-Atom Catalysts.

Despite their enormous impact in modern heterogeneous catalysis, single-atom catalysts (SACs) continue to puzzle the catalysis community, which often struggles to draw correct conclusions in SAC-catalyzed experiments. In many cases, the reasons for such an uncertainty originate from the lack of knowledge of the exact single-atom evolution under operative conditions and the fundamental factors controlling the fate of the single atom in relation to the catalytic mechanism. This has led to confusion also about correct definition and terminology, where the coined term reflects the difficulty in defining the true active species as well as in obtaining long-range ordered homogeneous supports [Chi, S.

The Impact of Helicopter Parenting on Emerging Adults in Higher Education: A Scoping Review of Psychological Adjustment in University Students.

This scoping review explored the recent literature on the relationship between helicopter parenting and psychological adjustment among emerging adults in a university setting. A literature search was conducted on PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and PsycINFO to identify all original peer-reviewed studies published between 2020 and 2024 in English that examined the association between helicopter parenting and indices of psychological distress among college students. Twenty-three studies were included in this review.

Enhanced Efficiency of Sequential Cutting Balloon Angioplasty in Calcified Coronary Artery Disease: The RODIN-CUT Technique.

Background: Heavily calcified coronary artery disease presents significant challenges in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), often requiring advanced techniques to achieve optimal outcomes. Cutting balloons (CB) have shown potential for plaque modification; however, their effectiveness is limited without standardized protocols.

Aims: This study introduces the RODIN-CUT technique, a novel approach utilizing sequential CB inflations with real-time intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) guidance.

How well is the female population represented in clinical trials with infusion therapies for Parkinson's disease? A systematic review and metanalysis.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting both sexes, but differences exist between male and female in clinical manifestations, functional impact of symptoms and hormonal influences. Therefore, representativeness of females in PD trials indirectly determines the external validity of the clinical research in this field.

Objective: To estimate the representativeness of female in infusion therapy trials for advanced PD.

Boosting Gaseous Acetone Detection by Nanoheterojunctions of p-Type MWCNTs/PANI Integrated into 3D Flame-Synthesized n-Type ZnO.

Accurate methods for detecting volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are essential for noninvasive disease diagnosis, with breath analysis providing a simpler, user-friendly alternative to traditional diagnostic tools. However, challenges remain in low-temperature VOC solid-state sensors, especially concerning their selectivity and functionality at room temperature. Herein, we present key insights into optimizing multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)/polyaniline (PANI) and ZnO nanocomposites for efficient, light-free selective acetone sensing.

In Web We Trust: The Promised Cannabidiol Effects on Obesity as a Matter of Language and Marketing on Webpages.

Background: Today more and more people search the web for health-related information, risking to come across misinformation and biased content that may affect their treatment decisions. Cannabidiol (CBD) is among the products for which beneficial effects have been claimed, often at the expense of the risks; further keeping in mind unreliable information reported on products themselves.

Objective: This study evaluated the quality of information retrieved by Google on the potential effects of CBD on weight management, also comparing Italian and English contents, hypothesizing generally low quality and language-driven differences in offered information.

A Multiscale Analysis of the CzrA Transcription Repressor Highlights the Allosteric Changes Induced by Metal Ion Binding.

Allosteric regulation is a widespread strategy employed by several proteins to transduce chemical signals and perform biological functions. Metal sensor proteins are exemplary in this respect, e.g.

Exploring the potential of hydrolytic enzymes combined with antibacterial agents to disrupt pathogenic biofilms and disinfect released cells.

Biofilms are bacterial communities encapsulated in a self-produced extracellular polymeric matrix comprising carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and DNA. This matrix provides structural integrity while significantly enhancing bacterial antibiotic resistance, presenting substantial disinfection challenges. The persistence of biofilm-associated infections and foodborne outbreaks underscores the need for more effective disinfection strategies.

Roles, Skills, and Knowledge Requirements of Clinical Pharmacists in Disaster or Emergency Response Teams: A Scoping Review.

Objective: The scoping review aims to provide an overview of the existing literature to inform an understanding of pharmacists' roles, skills, and knowledge requirements for Emergency Medical Teams responding to disasters or humanitarian crises.

Methods: The methodology utilized the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines, with methodology adapted by the Joanna Briggs Institute. Six databases were searched for sources published after 2000: PubMed, Mednar, Scopus, Defense Technical Information Centre, LILACS, and CINAHL.

Fecal Metaproteomics as a Tool to Monitor Functional Modifications Induced in the Gut Microbiota by Ketogenic Diet: A Case Study.

Metaproteomics is a valuable approach to characterize the biological functions involved in the gut microbiota (GM) response to dietary interventions. Ketogenic diets (KDs) are very effective in controlling seizure severity and frequency in drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) and in the weight loss management in obese/overweight individuals. This case study provides proof of concept for the suitability of metaproteomics to monitor changes in taxonomic and functional GM features in an individual on a short-term very low-calorie ketogenic diet (VLCKD, 4 weeks), followed by a low-calorie diet (LCD).

In Search for Inhibitors of Human Aldo-Keto Reductase 1B10 (AKR1B10) as Novel Agents to Fight Cancer and Chemoresistance: Current State-of-the-Art and Prospects.

Aldo-keto reductase 1B10 (AKR1B10) is a human enzyme that catalyzes the NADPH-dependent reduction of several different carbonyl compounds to the corresponding alcohols. Under physiological conditions, AKR1B10 is expressed mainly in the gastrointestinal tract, where it can detoxify reactive carbonyl compounds derived from dietary sources and xenobiotics. AKR1B10 is highly expressed in several cancers and precancerous conditions, proving to be crucially implicated in carcinogenesis and to function as a prognostic indicator of tumor development.

Substantia nigra degeneration in spinocerebellar ataxia 2 and 7 using neuromelanin-sensitive imaging.

Objective: Spinocerebellar ataxias (SCA) are neurodegenerative diseases with widespread lesions across the central nervous system. Ataxia and spasticity are usually predominant, but patients may also present with parkinsonism. We aimed to characterize substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) degeneration in SCA2 and 7 using neuromelanin-sensitive imaging.

The Road to the Hoop: Relative Age Effects and Game-Related Performance in Youth Basketball.

Relative Age Effects (RAEs) have been widely reported trends in basketball participation, but research on the relationship between RAEs and competitive performance has been contradictory. We aimed to determine the magnitude of RAEs in elite youth basketball players and to analyze RAEs on key performance indicators (KPIs). We recorded and analyzed the incidence of early birthdates and the KPIs of 2487 youth basketball players (aged 16-19 years).