Mortality in ischaemic stroke patients without standard modifiable risk factors: An analysis of the Riksstroke registry.

Introduction: Little is known of the long-term prognosis of patients with acute ischaemic stroke in the absence of standard modifiable stroke risk factors (SMoRFs). In acute coronary syndromes, patients without modifiable risk factors have a higher mortality rate. We analysed data from the Swedish Stroke Register to determine survival of patients without SMoRFs following an ischaemic stroke.

Biomimetic Proteoglycans for Intervertebral Disc (IVD) Regeneration.

Intervertebral disc degeneration, which leads to low back pain, is the most prevalent musculoskeletal condition worldwide, significantly impairing quality of life and imposing substantial socioeconomic burdens on affected individuals. A major impediment to the development of any prospective cell-driven recovery of functional properties in degenerate IVDs is the diminishing IVD cell numbers and viability with ageing which cannot sustain such a recovery process. However, if IVD proteoglycan levels, a major functional component, can be replenished through an orthobiological process which does not rely on cellular or nutritional input, then this may be an effective strategy for the re-attainment of IVD mechanical properties.

Opioid-induced respiratory depression: clinical aspects and pathophysiology of the respiratory network effects.

Important insights and consensus remain lacking for risk prediction of opioid-induced respiratory depression (OIRD), reversal of respiratory depression (RD), the pathophysiology of OIRD, and which sites make the most significant contribution to its induction. The ventilatory response to inhaled carbon dioxide is the most sensitive biomarker of OIRD. To accurately predict respiratory depression (RD), a multivariant RD prospective trial using continuous capnograph and oximetry examining 5 independent variables: age ≥60, sex, opioid naivety, sleep disorders, and chronic heart failure (PRODIGY trial), was undertaken.

Machine learning and SHAP value interpretation for predicting comorbidity of cardiovascular disease and cancer with dietary antioxidants.

Objective: To develop and validate a machine learning model incorporating dietary antioxidants to predict cardiovascular disease (CVD)-cancer comorbidity and to elucidate the role of antioxidants in disease prediction.

Methods: Data were sourced from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Antioxidants, including vitamins, minerals, and polyphenols, were selected as key features.

Association between osteoarthritis-related serum biochemical markers over 10-13 years and knee symptoms in middle-aged adults.

Objectives: To describe the associations between OA-related biochemical markers and knee symptoms in middle-aged adults followed up over 10-13 years.

Methods: Blood samples were collected during the Childhood Determinants of Adult Health (CDAH)-1 study (year: 2004-06) and 10-13 year follow-up at CDAH-3. Serum samples from baseline (n=156) and follow-up (n=167) were analyzed for three OA-related biomarkers [cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-3, and hyaluronan (HA)] using non-isotopic enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Second Generation I-Body AD-214 Attenuates Unilateral Ureteral Obstruction (UUO)-Induced Kidney Fibrosis Through Inhibiting Leukocyte Infiltration and Macrophage Migration.

Kidney fibrosis is the common pathological pathway in progressive chronic kidney disease (CKD), and current treatments are largely ineffective. The C-X-C chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) is crucial to fibrosis development. By using neural cell adhesion molecules as scaffolds with binding loops that mimic the shape of shark antibodies, fully humanized single-domain i-bodies have been developed.

Infective Endocarditis in Patients Receiving Hemodialysis: A Current Review.

Background: Cardiovascular and infective complications are commonly observed in patients receiving hemodialysis (HD) with cardiovascular events and infection-related complications being the first and second leading causes of death. Infective endocarditis (IE) is characterized by inflammation of the endocardium caused by infection, typically affecting the cardiac valves and can be in acute, subacute, or chronic forms. It is a serious complication within the HD population due to their predisposition for both infection and valvular damage.

Gene Expression Profiling of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Arising From Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms of the Pancreas.

Introduction: Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs) are diverse premalignant tumors of the pancreas. They progress stepwise from adenoma to carcinoma and offer an opportunity for intervention prior to malignant transformation into pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The current study aimed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in invasive PDAC-associated IPMN vs.

Evaluating the prognostic potential of circulating cell-free DNA in advanced thyroid cancer.

Liquid biopsies are a minimally invasive approach to obtain biomarkers including cell free DNA (cfDNA) from peripheral blood. Our study evaluated the utility of cfDNA in advanced thyroid cancers. Patients aged >18 years with metastatic medullary thyroid cancer (MTC), poorly differentiated thyroid cancer (PDTC), or anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) were enrolled in this prospective study between 2020 and 2024.

Characteristics of Inherited Metabolic Disorders Following Kidney Transplantation: A 13-Year Observational Study.

Inherited metabolic disorders (IMDs), primarily cystinosis, Fabry disease, and methylmalonic acidemia (MMA), are genetic conditions that typically result in multi-organ disease manifestations. Kidney function progressively deteriorates in many cases, with patients eventually reaching end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) and requiring renal replacement therapy. Kidney transplantation has been deemed the optimal renal replacement therapy option to achieve long-term survival in patients with IMD.

Cross-Generational Impact of Maternal Exposure to Low Level of PM2.5 on Kidney Health.

Introduction: Inhaled fine and ultrafine particulate matter may affect organs other than the lung, including the kidney. Recent studies have consistently shown the possibility of air pollution in highly polluted countries to be nephrotoxic. However, in countries like Australia, where air quality generally adheres to or remains below the WHO standards, the subtle yet consequential impacts of chronic exposure to seemingly safe levels of traffic PM2.

Lymph node yield independently predicts local recurrence in papillary thyroid cancer.

Background: Lymph node yield (LNY) is a validated quality control parameter in colorectal cancer surgery, with >12 nodes reflecting an adequate oncological resection. No formal guidelines exist in the context of central and lateral compartment lymph node dissection for papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). This study aimed to investigate the association between LNY and regional recurrence in PTC patients, and to define a threshold LNY that indicates adequate compartmental lymphadenectomy.

Goal-Directed Rehabilitation Versus Standard Care for Individuals with Hereditary Cerebellar Ataxia: A Multicenter, Single-Blind, Randomized Controlled Superiority Trial.

Objective: Rehabilitation is thought to reduce ataxia severity in individuals with hereditary cerebellar ataxia (HCA). This multicenter, randomized controlled superiority trial aimed to examine the efficacy of a 30-week goal-directed rehabilitation program compared with 30 weeks of standard care on function, ataxia, health-related quality of life, and balance in individuals with an HCA.

Methods: Individuals with an autosomal dominant or recessive ataxia (aged ≥15 years) were enrolled at 5 sites in Australia.

Diet and Disease Development: Present and Future.

The present Editorial provides an overview of the Special Issue "Diet and Disease Development" recently published in [...

Diet and Disease Development: Mechanisms, Prevention, and Treatment.

The overall aims of this Special Issue "Diet and Disease Development: Mechanisms, Prevention and Treatment" are to describe and emphasise the importance of diet in disease development; understand the mechanism(s) whereby an unhealthy diet can induce various diseases; examine the potential effects of natural compounds or extracts on disease prevention or treatment; and determine whether nutrients and their metabolites can be used as biomarkers to diagnose certain diseases [...

Concentration of kidney markers and detection of exosomes in urine samples collected in cotton wool balls in preterm and term neonates.

Collecting urine samples in neonates by catheterisation or suprapubic puncture causes trauma, whereas self-adhesive collection bags can damage fragile skin. An alternative method is the collection of samples from urine-soaked cotton wool balls placed in diapers. The aim of this study was to compare the concentration of albumin, creatinine, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), and uromodulin between clean-catch urine and samples collected in cotton wool balls in neonates and assess the efficiency of exosome extraction.

Promising biomarker panel to monitor therapeutic efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in pancreatic cancer patients.

Background: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) can provide improved survival outcomes in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients who respond to treatment, but currently available biomarkers cannot reliably predict NAC response. This study aimed to determine the potential of a previously identified diagnostic and prognostic biomarker panel (i.e.

Evaluation of urinary volatile organic compounds as a novel metabolomic biomarker to assess chronic kidney disease progression.

Background: There is a need to develop accurate and reliable non-invasive methods to evaluate chronic kidney disease (CKD) status and assess disease progression. Given it is recognized that dysregulation in metabolic pathways occur from early CKD, there is a basis in utilizing metabolomic biomarkers to monitor CKD progression. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), a form of metabolomic biomarker, are gaseous products of metabolic processes in organisms which are typically released with greater abundance in disease conditions when there is dysregulation in metabolism.