The mechanisms underlying the cardiac effects of modified citrus pectin in obese rats with myocardial ischemia: Role of galectin-3.

Background: Modified citrus pectin (MCP) is used as a nutritional supplement that inhibits galectin-3 activity, a central player in the cardiac damage associated with different pathological situations. In fact, we have previously observed that MCP improved cardiac function in obese infarcted rats that was associated with a reduction in cardiac fibrosis. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to further explore whether this effect could involve the modulation of gene expression of ECM components and their mediators as well as whether it could affect another two mechanisms involved in cardiac damage: mitochondrial dynamics and autophagic flux.

An Educational Digital Tool to Improve the Implementation of Switching to a Biosimilar (Rapid Switch Trainer): Tool Development and Validation Study.

Background: Switching to biosimilars is an effective and safe practice in treating inflammatory diseases; however, a nocebo effect may arise as a result of the way in which the switch is communicated to a given patient.

Objective: We aimed to design a gaming-based digital educational tool (including a discussion algorithm) to support the training of health care professionals in efficiently communicating the switch to biosimilars, minimizing the generation of a nocebo effect and thus serving as an implementation strategy for the recommended switch.

Methods: The tool was developed based on interviews and focus group discussions with key stakeholders, both patients and health care professionals.

Symmetry, magnetic transitions and multiferroic properties of B-site-ordered AMnB'O perovskites (B' = [Co, Ni]).

The presence of magnetic atoms at the A and B sites and the coupling between these two spin subsystems in perovskites gives rise to a variety of exciting effects. In particular this coupling attracts interest from the field of novel multiferroic and magnetoelectric oxides. Moreover, magnetic double perovskites presenting cationic order at the B sites incorporate an additional modulation that can favor symmetry breaking, multiferroic, magnetoelectric and polar phases.

Evaluation of a deep learning software for automated measurements on full-leg standing radiographs.

Background: Precise lower limb measurements are crucial for assessing musculoskeletal health; fully automated solutions have the potential to enhance standardization and reproducibility of these measurements. This study compared the measurements performed by BoneMetrics (Gleamer, Paris, France), a commercial artificial intelligence (AI)-based software, to expert manual measurements on anteroposterior full-leg standing radiographs.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on a dataset comprising consecutive anteroposterior full-leg standing radiographs obtained from four imaging institutions.

Age-related bioaccumulation of rare earth elements in feathers of Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) from the Chilean Patagonia.

The presence of rare earth elements (REE) in the southern hemisphere, particularly marine ecosystems of Patagonia, have received little attention. The Magellanic penguin, which is also known as the Patagonian penguin, inhabits only in austral regions of South America. Although seabird feathers have been used extensively as a bio-monitoring tool, no studies have addressed the effect of age on REE accumulation in Magellanic penguins.

A Kagome Lattice of Lanthanide Atoms in a 2D Er-Directed Metal-Organic Coordination Network.

Kagome lattices have attracted much attention due the very interesting properties they can exhibit, both from the electronic and the magnetic points of view, although much of the experimental studies have been reported on 3D metals or 2D nanosheets. In the past few years, on-surface synthesis has allowed the fabrication of strictly monolayer 2D metal-organic networks, many of them containing transition metals. In this paper we report the fabrication and the study of the electronic and magnetic properties of a monolayer 2D metal-organic network where the nodes are lanthanide atoms forming a kagome lattice.

Conceptual framework for data harmonisation in mental health using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health: an example with the R2D2-MH consortium.

Introduction: Advancing research and support for neurologically diverse populations requires novel data harmonisation methods that are capable of aligning with contemporary approaches to understanding health and disability.

Objectives: We present the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) as a conceptual framework to support harmonisation of mental health data and present a proof of principle within the Risk and Resilience in Developmental Diversity and Mental Health (R2D2-MH) consortium.

Method: 138 measures from various mental health datasets were linked to the ICF following the WHO's established linking rules.

Hospital care trajectories of older adults with cancer and the associated clinical profiles.

Background: The longitudinal hospital care experiences of older adults with cancer, from the treatment decision-making process until their end of life, remain unexplored. We examined the hospital care trajectories of these patients and identified associated clinical determinants.

Materials And Methods: We linked the ELCAPA multicenter cohort study (patients aged ≥70 with a solid tumor and having been referred for a geriatric assessment between 2012 and 2019) and the Greater Paris University Hospitals' clinical data warehouse.

Cis-regulatory elements driving motor neuron-selective viral payload expression within the mammalian spinal cord.

Spinal motor neuron (MN) dysfunction is the cause of a number of clinically significant movement disorders. Despite the recent approval of gene therapeutics targeting these MN-related disorders, there are no viral delivery mechanisms that achieve MN-restricted transgene expression. In this study, chromatin accessibility profiling of genetically defined mouse MNs was used to identify candidate cis-regulatory elements (CREs) capable of driving MN-selective gene expression.

Insulin-degrading enzyme regulates insulin-directed cellular autoimmunity in murine type 1 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes results from the destruction of pancreatic beta cells by autoreactive T cells. As an autoantigen with extremely high expression in beta cells, insulin triggers and sustains the autoimmune CD4 and CD8 T cell responses and islet inflammation. We have previously shown that deficiency for insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE), a ubiquitous cytosolic protease with very high affinity for insulin, induces endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and proliferation in islet cells and protects non-obese diabetic mice (NOD) from diabetes.

Contribution of an Artificial Intelligence Tool in the Detection of Incidental Pulmonary Embolism on Oncology Assessment Scans.

Introduction: The incidence of venous thromboembolism is estimated to be around 3% of cancer patients. However, a majority of incidental pulmonary embolism (iPE) can be overlooked by radiologists in asymptomatic patients, performing CT scans for disease surveillance, which may significantly impact the patient's health and management. Routine imaging in oncology is usually reviewed with delayed hours after the acquisition of images.

AtLEC2-Mediated Enhancement of Endoplasmic Reticulum-Targeted Foreign Protein Synthesis in Nicotiana benthamiana Leaves: Insights From Transcriptomic Analysis.

Many proteins used in industrial and pharmaceutical applications are typically synthesized within the secretory pathway. While yeast and mammalian cells have been engineered to enhance the production of endomembrane-targeted proteins, similar strategies in plant cells remain underexplored. This study investigates the potential of arabidopsis leafy cotyledon 2 (AtLEC2), a key regulator of seed development, to enhance the production of proteins targeted to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves.

Diet-enhanced LRG1 expression promotes insulin hypersecretion and ER stress in pancreatic beta cells.

Aims/hypothesis: Upregulation of serum leucine-rich α-2-glycoprotein 1 (LRG1) has been implicated in diet-induced obesity and metabolic disorders. However, its specific hormonal actions remain unclear. This study aimed to determine whether diet-enhanced serum LRG1 levels promote hyperinsulinaemia by directly stimulating insulin secretion from pancreatic beta cells.

Liquid Biopsy versus CT: Comparison of Tumor Burden Quantification in 1065 Patients with Metastases.

Background Tumor fraction (TF) at liquid biopsy is a potential noninvasive marker for tumor burden, but validation is needed. Purpose To evaluate TF as a potential surrogate for tumor burden, assessed at contrast-enhanced CT across diverse metastatic cancers. Methods This retrospective monocentric study included patients with cancer and metastatic disease, with TF results and contemporaneous contrast-enhanced CT performed between January 2021 and January 2023.

[Application of exchange transfusion in neonates with severe pertussis and hyperleukocytosis].

Objectives: To investigate the efficacy and safety of exchange transfusion in neonates with severe pertussis.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed for the medical data of five neonates with severe pertussis who underwent exchange transfusion in the Department of Neonatology, Hunan Children's Hospital, from August 2019 to March 2024. The clinical characteristics of the patients were summarized, and the efficacy and adverse reactions of exchange transfusion were analyzed.

Emerging role of electrochemistry in radiochemical separation of medically important radiometals: state of the art.

Electrochemical separation technology has brought a renaissance in the field of nuclear medicine towards obtaining clinical-grade radiometals for preparation of a wide variety of radiopharmaceuticals. This article is a comprehensive summary of the electrochemical processes developed for the separation of radiometals that could be used for diagnostic or therapeutic applications in nuclear medicine. For using electrochemistry as a tool for the separation of radiometals, intricate knowledge is essential to understand the basic parameters of electrochemical separation processes which include applied potential, selection of electrolyte, choice of the electrode, the temperature of the electrolyte, pH of the electrolyte and time of electrolysis.

Schwann cells exposed to articaine display distinct toxic pathways compared to lidocaine.

Articaine (ATC) has emerged as one of the most popular local anesthetics (LA) in dental clinics, despite its relatively recent introduction to the market. As a member of the amino-amide class of LA, ATC possesses unique features, including a thiophene ring and an ester group, which allow for its use at higher clinical concentrations. However, reports have indicated a higher incidence of paresthesia associated with ATC, though the underlying cause of this effect remains unclear.

Lead exposure at the feto-maternal interface: a cause for concern for fetal membrane trophoblasts.

The integrity of fetal membranes enables biological functions that protect the fetus and maintain the pregnancy. Any compromise in fetal membrane function can predispose a pregnant woman to prelabor rupture of the membranes (pPROMs) and subsequently to preterm birth (PTB). Epidemiologic data suggest that lead exposure during pregnancy is one of several risk factors associated with PTB and pPROM.

Health professions students' acceptance and readiness for learning analytics: lessons for educators.

Background: Learning analytics (LA) is a tool for gathering, analysing, and interpreting data related to student's learning behaviour, engagement, and performance. As the student data collected by the institutions are used to construct LA, it is essential to understand the acceptance and readiness of the students regarding the implementation of LA.

Methods: A sequential mixed method research design was used in this study.

[Transthoracic cardiac ultrasonic shear wave elastography for detecting myocardial stiffness in healthy and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy individuals].

To explore the feasibility of transthoracic cardiac shear wave elastography (SWE) for non-invasive quantitative measurement of myocardial stiffness in healthy volunteers (HV) and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) patients, and analyze the relationship between myocardial shear wave velocity (SWV) and left ventricular diastolic function. A total of 16 HV who underwent health check-ups and 5 HCM patients who visited the Cardiology Outpatient Clinic at Fujian Medical University Affiliated Union Hospital from September 2022 to October 2023 were prospectively recruited. The SWE technique was used to measure SWV of the basal segment of the interventricular septum, including left ventricular long-axis myocardial shear wave velocity (LA-SWV) and short-axis myocardial shear wave velocity (SA-SWV).

Estrogen Signaling in Early-Stage Breast Cancer: Impact on Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy.

Neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy (NACIT) has been shown to improve pathologic complete response (pCR) rates and survival outcomes in stage II-III triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Promising pCR rate improvements have also been documented for selected patients with estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2-) breast cancer (BC). However, one size does not fit all and predicting which patients will benefit from NACIT remains challenging.