The impact of a secondary, rare, non-pathogenic PKD1 variant on disease progression in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.

Background: Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is caused primarily by pathogenic variants in the PKD1 and PKD2 genes. Although the type of ADPKD variant can influence disease severity, rare, hypomorphic PKD1 variants have also been reported to modify disease severity or cause biallelic ADPKD. This study examines whether rare, additional, potentially protein-altering, non-pathogenic PKD1 variants contribute to ADPKD phenotypic outcomes.

Forensic mental health in Kuwait: filling the gaps.

The case of (1843) laid out the insanity defence test for the British legal system. Later, many countries basing their criminal legislation on the British common law system, including the Criminal Act of Kuwait, adopted the test. The Act forms the basis for forensic psychiatric assessments.

The effects of age, fitness, and health on the passive stiffness of the intact low back and its impact on seated work in a healthy, working, female population.

Age is associated with increased tissue stiffness and a higher risk of low back pain, particularly in older, sedentary workers who spend long periods sitting. This study explored how trunk stiffness changes with age and its relationship with posture during prolonged sitting in a sample of 37 women aged 20-65 years. Age was assessed as both Chronological Age and Fitness Age, with trunk stiffness measured using a passive trunk flexion apparatus.

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Hospital Breastfeeding Care in the US.

Objectives: This study examines the associations between race and ethnicity and receipt of Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) key clinical practices that support breastfeeding in US hospitals.

Methods: National data from 2016 to 2019 CDC PRAMS were analyzed. Our sample included 60,395 mothers who initiated breastfeeding with healthy, term newborns.

Developing a Profile of Canadian Children With Cerebral Palsy Who Require Augmentative and Alternative Communication.

Purpose: Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most prevalent motor disability affecting children. Many children with CP have significant speech difficulties and require augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) to participate in communication. Despite demonstrable benefits, the use of AAC systems among children with CP remains constrained, although research in Canada is lacking.

N-Heterocyclic Carbene Deposition on a Copper Powder Surface Using Mechanochemistry.

Metal powders are crucial precursors for manufacturing surfaces through thermal spraying, cold spraying, and 3D printing methods. However, surface oxidation of these precursors poses a challenge to the coherence of the metallic materials during manufacturing processes. Herein, we introduce a method for surface modification of copper powder with N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) using mechanochemistry to mitigate surface oxidation.

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.

Benzodiazepine-Free Cardiac Anesthesia for Reduction of Postoperative Delirium: A Cluster Randomized Crossover Trial.

Importance: Delirium is common after cardiac surgery and associated with adverse outcomes. Intraoperative benzodiazepines may increase postoperative delirium but restricting intraoperative benzodiazepines has not yet been evaluated in a randomized trial.

Objective: To determine whether an institutional policy of restricted intraoperative benzodiazepine administration reduced the incidence of postoperative delirium.

Family Size across the Life Course and Cognitive Decline in Older Mexican Adults.

Objectives: A growing body of research has identified associations between family size and cognition in older adults. These studies largely focus on older adults' own fertility history instead of sibship size, defined as one's number of siblings. Sibship size may impact cognitive development during early childhood, creating differences that may persist into late-life.

Perturbation of peptidoglycan recycling by anti-folates and design of a dual-action inhibitor.

Unlabelled: Peptidoglycan (PG) is an important bacterial macromolecule that confers cell shape and structural integrity, and is a key antibiotic target. Its synthesis and turnover are carefully coordinated with other cellular processes and pathways. Despite established connections between the biosynthesis of PG and the outer membrane, or PG and DNA replication, links between PG and folate metabolism remain comparatively unexplored.

Minimally invasive compared to open surgery in patients with low-risk cervical cancer following simple hysterectomy: An exploratory analysis from the Gynegologic Cancer Intergroup/Canadian Cancer Trials Group CX.5/SHAPE trial.

Objective: The Laparoscopic Approach to Cervical Cancer trial demonstrated that minimally invasive radical hysterectomy was associated with worse disease-free survival and overall survival among women with early-stage cervical cancer. It is unknown whether this applies to patients with low-risk disease following simple hysterectomy.

Methods: Among patients who underwent simple hysterectomy in the Simple Hysterectomy And PElvic node assessment trial, univariate and multivariate Cox models were used to assess the association of minimally invasive versus open surgery with clinical outcomes, including pelvic and extra-pelvic recurrence-free survival, overall recurrence-free survival, and overall survival.

Histidine Tags in Human Recombinant Alpha B-Crystallin (HSPB5) Proteins Are Detrimental for Zinc Binding Studies.

The stability of α-crystallin, the major protein of the mammalian eye lens and a molecular chaperone, is one of the most crucial factors for its survival and function. The chaperone-like activity and stability of α-crystallin dramatically increased in the presence of Zn. Each subunit of α-crystallin could bind multiple zinc atoms through inter-subunit bridging and cause enhanced stability.

Quantifying the ability of the CFH group as a hydrogen bond donor.

The CFH group can act as a hydrogen bond donor, serving as a potential surrogate for OH or SH groups but with a weaker hydrogen bond donation ability. Here, we describe a series of CFH group-containing moieties that facilitate hydrogen bond interactions. We survey hydrogen bond donation ability using several established methods, including H NMR-based hydrogen bond acidity determination, UV-vis spectroscopy titration with Reichardt's dye, and H NMR titration using tri--butylphosphine oxide as a hydrogen bond acceptor.

SPIRIT-DEFINE explanation and elaboration: recommendations for enhancing quality and impact of early phase dose-finding clinical trials protocols.

Unlabelled: Transparent and accurate reporting in early phase dose-finding (EPDF) clinical trials is crucial for informing subsequent larger trials. The SPIRIT statement, designed for trial protocol content, does not adequately cover the distinctive features of EPDF trials. Recent findings indicate that the protocol contents in past EPDF trials frequently lacked completeness and clarity.

CONSORT-DEFINE explanation and elaboration: recommendations for enhancing reporting quality and impact of early phase dose-finding clinical trials.

Unlabelled: Early phase dose-finding (EPDF) trials are key in the development of novel therapies, with their findings directly informing subsequent clinical development phases and providing valuable insights for reverse translation. Comprehensive and transparent reporting of these studies is critical for their accurate and critical interpretation, which may improve and expedite therapeutic development. However, quality of reporting of design characteristics and results from EPDF trials is often variable and incomplete.

Evidence update on the cancer risk of vaping e-cigarettes: A systematic review.

Introduction: There is substantial interest in the association of vaping e-cigarettes with the risk of cancer. We analyzed this risk in different populations by updating the Kings College London (KCL) review to include the period between July 2021 and December 2023.

Methods: We searched six databases and included peer-reviewed human, animal, and cell/ original studies examining the association between e-cigarettes and cancer risk, but we excluded qualitative studies.

Exploring Skin Tone Diversity in a Plastic Surgery Resident Education Curriculum.

Gaps remain in surgical education regarding the representation of skin tone diversity. To improve equity and prevent misdiagnosis leading to worsened health outcomes, efforts must be made to ensure educational photographs are representative of the diverse patient populations plastic surgery residents will be treated in their future practices. Four study investigators examined 96 h of recorded lecture seminars from a Canadian plastic surgery resident education curriculum from May 2020 to December 2021.

Fat Grafting Versus Implants: Who's Happier? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Breast implants were first introduced in the 1960s and have long been used for augmentation and reconstructive breast surgery. More recently, fat grafting for breast augmentation has gained popularity due to the 'natural' outcome and lack of implant-related complications. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing patient-related outcome measures between fat grafting and implant-based primary augmentation using the validated BREAST-Q questionnaire.

Kin discrimination causes plastic responses in floral and clonal allocation.

The composition of a plant's neighbourhood shapes its competitive interactions. Neighbours may be related individuals due to limited seed dispersal or clonal growth, so that the ability to recognize and respond to the presence of kin is beneficial. Here, we ask whether plants plastically adjust their floral and clonal allocation in response to their neighbour's identity.

Perceptions and Attitudes of People With Cancer and Diabetes Towards Patient Guidelines: A Mixed Methods Study.

Objective: To explore patients' perceptions and attitudes towards patient guidelines (PGs) and to identify specific factors related to PG content, design, presentation, and management that may influence patients' use or adoption of PGs.

Methods: An exploratory sequential mixed-methods design was employed. Initial semi-structured interviews were conducted with a diverse group of individuals, including people with diabetes or oncology, and clinicians.

The architecture of the human default mode network explored through cytoarchitecture, wiring and signal flow.

The default mode network (DMN) is implicated in many aspects of complex thought and behavior. Here, we leverage postmortem histology and in vivo neuroimaging to characterize the anatomy of the DMN to better understand its role in information processing and cortical communication. Our results show that the DMN is cytoarchitecturally heterogenous, containing cytoarchitectural types that are variably specialized for unimodal, heteromodal and memory-related processing.

'I wish I had been better prepared': a mixed-methods study of psychological reactions, perceptions and opinions of cardiovascular preparticipation screening among young competitive athletes.

Objective: To evaluate the psychological reactions, perceptions and opinions of cardiovascular preparticipation screening (PPS) among young competitive athletes.

Methods: This convergent parallel mixed-methods study recruited 222 athletes (mean age: 18.7 years) who underwent PPS at a Canadian university.

"It's Allowing Space for Vulnerability": Exploring Athletes' Experiences With Trust in Interdependent Sport.

Despite trust being associated with a range of favorable outcomes across high-performing team contexts (e.g., enhanced satisfaction, performance), efforts to investigate the meaning of trust in sport remain limited.